The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Every fire season brings back a sense of apprehension and appreciation. A number of years ago my wife and I signed on with OK Cascade, a Bothell firm that provided support for firefighters. We did this for two seasons and were at... — Updated 7/28/2021

(Editor’s note: The writer asked that his letter to Bureau of Reclamation Power Manager Coleman Smith be included on this opinion page) Dear Mr. Smith: I am writing in regard to an incident that happened last night, July 22. At... — Updated 7/28/2021

 In 2021, our State Legislature enacted several bills related to law enforcement. Most of the police reform bills go into effect on July 25, 2021, affecting how we will deliver police services. As your elected Sheriff, it is my... — Updated 7/28/2021

“Well regulated” does not mean regulated by the government. The founding fathers knew that the right to bear arms and maintain a militia was indispensable because governments throughout history strive to grow and must be held... — Updated 7/28/2021

I offer, here, a few words of history that were overlooked when you were in school.  Diseases have been master killers throughout human history. There was no defense against the misery, death, and sorrow until modern medical... — Updated 7/28/2021

Washington law enforcement officers are concerned by recent legislation introduced by Washington State Democrats and policy stances made by Big Tech. These developments are concerning for our communities, our children, and our... — Updated 7/21/2021

Call me naïve, but I’ve never quite gotten why some politicians want to limit voters’ ability to cast their ballots. Sure, I know that plenty of people like to flip the classic Clausewitz quote and say that politics is war... — Updated 7/21/2021

Productive arguments are those in which the two opposing participants actually listen to each other in order to learn what the other is saying, thereby enhancing the ability to refute it. But the trick is that the act of listening... — Updated 7/21/2021

On a flight between Honolulu and Tokyo I became the third member of the International Tap Dancer’s Federation. It was a tongue-in-cheek idea that if we could get all the world’s leaders on the banks of the Yangtze River in... — Updated 7/21/2021

A truck carrying a too-high load once again hit the tops of the cross beams on the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Monday night, the second time in probably 10 years that’s happened. The incident highlights recent calls for... — Updated 7/15/2021

As a farmer, former state director of Agriculture, chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, and congressman representing one of the most flourishing agricultural regions in America, I fully understand the extent to which... — Updated 7/14/2021

On behalf of Banks Lake Golf Course, I’d like to apologize to patrons and volunteer course grounds workers for a break in communication on Friday morning during the practice round for the Coyote Open. Not all of the volunteer... — Updated 7/14/2021

The 12th District and Washington’s 48 other legislative districts have had specific boundaries since 2012. The borders for these districts, as well as Washington’s 10 federal congressional districts, will change in 2022 after... — Updated 7/7/2021

Over the last 40 years our family has vacationed at the same place on the beach. While the buildings have been refurbished, the complex remains largely unchanged. The exception was last year when the COVID pandemic shutdown travel... — Updated 7/7/2021

Here we are, at the beginning of what could prove to be worst wildfire season ever and the world’s best firefighting tool sits unused and not ready to go because of decisions made by the US Forest Service and states not to use... — Updated 7/7/2021

How about some good news coming out of our record-breaking (extreme) heat wave? Luckily, we live and work in the Pacific Northwest, and are reaping the benefits from our well-connected power grid, which is supplied with abundant el... — Updated 6/30/2021

Tracy Stone-Manning is an unacceptable nominee to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and President Biden’s nomination of her highlights just how out of touch he is with rural America. The Bureau of Land Man... — Updated 6/30/2021

The most popular person in my wife’s family was her brother, Bob. My wife came from a rather large family, and they all had a lot of kids, taking to heart to go out and replenish the earth. That is all except her brother Bob,... — Updated 6/30/2021

Americans paid a high price to obtain and maintain our freedom and independence. Americans have also paid a high price to help other countries maintain their independence. Those achievements required teamwork. In the wake of WW... — Updated 6/30/2021

This is an “Open Letter to the Tribal Council.” I have to address it to them and to you because you members are the ones that will ultimately pay for this if it ever comes to pass. It has to do with the removal of Enloe Dam and... — Updated 6/30/2021

As climate change concerns grow, researchers are turning to small tree farmers for help. Actually, they have been helping for nearly a century, but their efforts have largely gone unrecognized. For decades, the American Tree Farm... — Updated 6/23/2021

I have spent a lot of good times along the Snake River, from its source to where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. It’s one of the longest rivers in the country and flows from one end of Idaho to the other. Its major source is... — Updated 6/23/2021

Remember when weather forecasters were right only about 30 percent of the time, or so it seemed? Let’s hope those days come back this week. With a mean look ahead, the weather experts are warning of highs reaching in the... — Updated 6/23/2021