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

In the United States, there are currently over 1.3 million people serving as active-duty military. These men and women are dutifully serving our nation, and when they return home, it is crucially important they have the support of... — Updated 3/29/2023 Full story

I’ve visited both the spectacular and the simplest of places where the faithful gather. A visit to Angkor Wat near Siem Reap in Cambodia is probably the place I will always remember. The complex is huge and the construction... — Updated 3/29/2023 Full story

H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights, passed the House on Friday. A recent column by Sean V. O’Brien, Eastern Washington director of right-wing Washington Policy Center (WPC), “We must affirm parents’ rights, put students... — Updated 3/29/2023

2023 candidates for Colville Business Council (CBC), what do you commit to your claim as a “candidate for change”? What change? Year after year, “change” turns out to be about another face replacing the same... — Updated 3/29/2023 Full story

Our Constitutional First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech is a fundamental requirement for a successful democracy. But false statements produce consequences that threaten our democracy and the well-being of our society. Fif... — Updated 3/29/2023

I got an e-mail from one of my newspaper friends wondering when old toothbrushes should be switched out for new ones. Frankly, I know little about the mouth, but I once gave an oral report. And I must admit my teeth aren’t all... — Updated 3/15/2023

What is going on with Tucker Carlson? In private messages unearthed by lawsuits against Fox News, the fiery host was a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, even as he continued to praise and defend him on television. ... — Updated 3/15/2023

I held the last “coffee hour” that Sen. Warren Magnuson ever held. The senator had assisted me with some of my arrangements when I made my trips to the Far East. So when one of his aides called and asked if I would hold a... — Updated 3/15/2023 Full story

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was developed during the Great Depression that occurred in the 1930s. It was a federal government program that established electricity for a seven-state area, and it bolstered the free enterpris... — Updated 3/15/2023

I took a little trip down memory lane after reading Roger Lucas’ remembrance of Jimmy Carter in last week’s edition of The Star. While I never met President Carter, I did in fact spend a lovely couple of days with his sister Ru... — Updated 3/8/2023

Lincoln County has always been a huge proponent of transparency. We believe, as elected officials, that we should not get to decide what the public should or should not know about how their tax money is spent. In fact, in 2016 the... — Updated 3/8/2023

     It was just a case of mistaken identity.      But after all these years, I need to share my secret. That’s why I’m telling you.      In my younger days, I worked in a downtown store’s advertising department.... — Updated 3/1/2023

Jimmy Carter is in the news. At 98, Carter has entered hospice care. He has been counted out many times only to resurface with a hammer in his hand, building houses for other people. While having a lackluster one-term presidential... — Updated 3/1/2023

Is your salary less than $160,200? If so, you’re among the 94 percent of American workers who pay into Social Security all year long. But there’s a privileged group that’s about to stop paying into Social Security for the... — Updated 3/1/2023

Every month we hear of a new “record-breaking” disaster under the Biden Administration. Whether it be record-breaking inflation, gas and grocery prices, crime rates, illegal border crossings, fentanyl deaths — the list goes... — Updated 2/22/2023

At a family reunion, I went outside to play catch with a cousin. “I’d rate your baseball skills below average,” he said. “Does that surprise you?” That didn’t shock me one bit. I score below average in most sports,... — Updated 2/22/2023

There is nothing like learning about betting on the ponies at the top. I was introduced to betting on race horses at Santa Anita Park, one of the premium race parks in America.  I was in Los Angeles covering the Rose Bowl for my... — Updated 2/22/2023

We take a lot of risks in our everyday lives. Some are more worthy than others. From assuming we know how to navigate that ice during a thaw to getting behind the steering wheel, life is full of them, some warranted, some not. Last... — Updated 2/22/2023

We are now two years into the Biden Administration and the crisis at our southern border has only gotten worse. Recent figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show record levels of border crossings with no sign of... — Updated 2/15/2023

We were in Baltimore visiting our daughter Kathy, who lived there at the time, and did the town. One of the highlights was touring the USS Constellation, a three-mast sailing man-of-war. It was the last ship in the fleet commission... — Updated 2/15/2023

To whom it may concern: It has come to our attention that the Bureau of Reclamation is currently constructing a new fire department facility at the Grand Coulee Power Office in Grand Coulee, Washington. Along with this, we are... — Updated 2/15/2023

It’s easy, and human, to get pulled into negative thinking about the state of world, which, after all, is never the way it used to be and therefore must be headed for nothing good, and fast. Don’t fall for it. I get reminded... — Updated 2/8/2023