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

Surprise! The Electric City Council has decided to change the y-shaped intersection in front of city hall in Electric City. Am I the only one who heard of this for the first time after reading it in The Star newspaper? It’s the first time the...

Electric City has to be the luckiest city by a Dam site, maybe even the whole state of Washington! Why, you ask? Because Electric City was awarded a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) Grant to close part of Western Avenue in the name of...

Lyft recently announced that it would be going public. Uber isn’t far behind. In little more than a decade, the two companies have upended the transportation sector — and transformed how we think about both transportation and work. If only we...

This is a tale about Idaho’s famous “Bigfoot,” who was responsible for a number of stagecoach and wagon train robberies and killings. He roamed the desolate hills of Owyhee County and met his demise there. The name “Bigfoot” came from Shosh...

Cathy LaPlace’s criticism of having half days of school for the state tourney was a bit miscalculated. I find it hard to believe that she or anyone else would think that a sport affects only the participants. Lake Roosevelt’s teams represent the...

According to the Yakima Herald Republic’s special series, “The Vanished:” A report from the National Institute of Justice found that more than four out of five Native American women have experienced violence in their lives. In 2016, the...

I am putting together the history of the Colorama/Western Festival/Festival of Lights since the beginning. I have a rodeo picture as far back as 1952. The rodeo had been held in Pleasant Valley, down by the now-Credit Union, and maybe a couple other...

The Major League Baseball season is upon us. The game is looking less like the “National Pastime” each year. I remember when every little town or city had its own baseball team. There was no talk then of major changes to the game’s rules. The...

Twenty Years Ago The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Y2K forum Tuesday night to address local concerns about the millennium bug that could infect computers January 1, 2000. Wright Elementary students Brieanna Clark, Courtney...

Medicare faces numerous threats in 2019. It’s time for lawmakers and healthcare advocates to attack these challenges head-on. One threat stems from the Trump administration, which has suggested weakening the so-called protected classes provision...

After nearly two years, 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, and 500 witness interviews, we now know that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation “did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated...

Twenty Years Ago The Electric City Town Council last night turned down a request from Rose and Andy Bise to operate a car detailing business out of their soon-to-be home. Grand Coulee Dam Area Junior Miss Brita Montes heads to Pullman Jan. 17 where...

Before it’s too late, a word of thanks needs to be said for those who plow snow. This was a tough winter, but local roads remained remarkably open after initial attacks were completed, allowing drivers to travel intact. That’s no small thing,...

This is such good news. In the past I shopped at the Variety Store regularly. I was usually able to find what I needed, whether it be underwear, socks, belts, T-shirts, kids’ toys, candles, postcards, spices, snacks, pet toys, rugs, kitchen...

This is about two politicians, both in their 90s, one who passed away last week and the other still going strong. Former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh, 91, passed away last Thursday. He served Indiana and the nation well during his time in the Senate, and...

For years, through politics, teacher strikes and court cases, we have heard that state lawmakers were underfunding schools. Then, with great fanfare, state leaders came together in 2017 and passed an historic bill that raised property taxes, reduced...

Twenty Years Ago The Town of Coulee Dam may be ready to sell its town shop to a private developer if a suitable site can be found to build a new shop. Coulee Community Hospital is finding it tough to get the state’s attention focused on its...

We would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped with all our projects over the past 32 years; you are the ones that made the projects a success. Thank you. Due to the lack of someone to manage the fish pens, the board of directors has...