News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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This Saturday, June 14, is Flag Day here in the United States. The day commemorates the date in 1777 when the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution stating, “the flag of the Unites States shall be 13 stripes, alternating red and white, the union be 13 stars, white on blue field, representing a new constellation.” That union of 13 stars has grown to 50, a union of states. Bernard Cigrand, a teacher in Wisconsin in 1885, originated the idea for an annual flag day to be celebrated acr...
Lori Adkins is the longest tenured teacher and coach in the GCDSD’s history. Over 43 years she has helped thousands of students and hundreds of athletes. Her loyalty and longevity are unmatched. Over the decades I’ve seen her work 20-hour days and rarely miss a day of work. She’s about solutions not excuses. She’s a talented artist who rarely has time to create personally because she’s always creating with kids. Lori raised five Raiders and as the longtime cheer squad coach and leadership class instructor she’s brought more school spirit to o...
The strength of the United States’ economy is rooted in the power of our workforce. As Congress works to deliver policies that bring jobs back to our shores, the need for a strong, reliable workforce has never been greater. Nearly 20,000 young Americans utilize the U.S. Job Corps program, a proven initiative that helps equip our nation’s young, disadvantaged adults with the skills they need to succeed. Amidst the Trump administration’s plans to pause Job Corps operations at the end of June, I joined 200 of my colleagues in sending a lette...
It was June 4th of 2024 when a sharp, excruciating pain under my right ribs introduced itself — because clearly, my body thought I needed a dramatic plot twist. After a night that made every nightmare I’d ever had look like a Disney short, we dragged ourselves to the doctor’s office. One of the doctors casually suggested maybe my gallbladder was just hoarding stones. Makes sense. I was a geologist in a past life, so maybe my organs got the memo and decided to start a rock collection. Before we could even find a place to scan this inter...
June 14, 1988, the FBI announced a major multi-agency investigation into Department of Defense procurement fraud. It was called Operation Ill Wind (Ill Wind is an old English term). The investigation began when an honest person contacted authorities in 1986. He had been approached by a military consultant who wanted competitor information in exchange for cash. From there, it grew substantially. The investigation involved many federal investigative agencies. Search warrants were ultimately served in Washington D.C. and 12 states. The offices of...
Until August of 1934, German judges swore an oath that reflected the spirit of the democratic Weimar republic: “I swear loyalty to the Constitution, obedience to the law, and conscientious fulfillment of the duties of my office, so help me God.” But that fateful summer, the judicial oath was tweaked just a wee bit: “I swear loyalty to the Fuhrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, obedience to the law, and conscientious fulfillment of the duties of my office, so help me God.” Donald Trump would love to mimic what Hitler intoned...
I moved from the Idaho Free Press in Nampa to the Idaho Statesman in Boise. It was only a 20-mile move in distance, but a mile in experience. While it nearly doubled my salary, the move was a dangerous one for me. It was in the spring, and baseball season was just starting. My early major assignment was to cover Boise’s team and the Pioneer League. The Pioneer League was a Class C League and Boise was a Milwaukee minor league team. The Pioneer League at the time was made up of Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello, Billings, Missoula and Great Falls. I...
Although President Donald Trump and Harvard’s recent spats make headlines, key issues in question affect all higher education. Harvard, our nation’s first college (1636), is a center of current civil disruption and antisemitic behavior. The timing is bad because high school graduates are finalizing their college choices or deciding to forego college altogether. The news comes after graduates see existing student loans payments reinstated after a four-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Morgan Stanley economists estimate there are 5.6 mil...
June 8, 1861, Citizens of Tennessee voted in favor of secession from the United States. In the Eastern mountainous part if the state, voters opposed secession by a large margin. There were few slave owners in that region. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s Vice President in his second term as president, was from Eastern Tennessee. Tennessee was a border state between the southern and northern states. Some Tennesseeians fought with the Confederate Army, while others fought with the Union Army. Notable C...
Those wanting to clean up the mess we tend to get used to harken back to a time when this community had set its sights on self-improvement. That’s a good sign. Some people say such efforts didn’t make any difference. They misremember. Many improvements did come out of the discussions and initiatives to spruce up the place, even if some of it was cosmetic, like the awnings on buildings that were an inexpensive fix for flawed architecture. Even that helped. That was Project REV back in the 1990s. The new discussion goes deeper, though, and see...
I indeed wish the best for new Pope Leo XIV. Many commentators have said that he has potential for many years ahead. Quite true, as far as actuarial tables go. However, I am mindful that when I was a teenager in 1978, Pope John Paul I was elected pope. He served for a fateful 33 days. He was only 65 years old (younger than Leo is now). He was known as “the smiling pope” (only eclipsed by the late Pope Francis in smiling). Probably my favorite pope was Pope Pius IX. Not many people know that as a young priest, he also served in Peru and Chi...
What began as a cordial exchange of comments between Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House this week rapidly disintegrated into an acrimonious affair. Trump baselessly claimed there was a genocide against white people in South Africa, which Ramaphosa and other South Africans have vigorously denied. It’s just the latest surreal and theatrically tense Oval Office meeting Trump has had with a foreign leader, and comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and South Africa over the false claims. The m...
Some of the most interesting experiences I have had were seeing what is over the hill. I was lucky, and my wife was just as willing to take side trips. We got on Route 66 in California and planned to take it for a couple of 100 miles across Arizona and New Mexico. We got tired of the route and decided to find someplace to go to. We went north about 60 miles to the National Monument Canyon de Chelly. We spent a little time in the ruins. Not enough time, but making a note to ourselves that someday we would like to return. We had the opportunity...
On Sunday, May 30, 1937, Chicago striking Republic Steel Mill workers, family members and their allies attempted to set up a picket line in an open field in front of the steel mill. Tensions were high between labor and capitalists stemming from the economic depression, Chicago Police, alerted to what was planned by the mill management, were also armed with weapons and teargas provided by Republic Steel. It turned violent ending with over one hundred strikers injured, many men were shot and ten...
The week of May 18-24, 2025, is Emergency Medical Services Week. The 51st anniversary of EMS Week theme is EMS WEEK: We Care. For Everyone, it reflects the heart of what we do. We serve as the safety net for every member of our community, regardless of age, background, or circumstance-because everyone deserves help in their greatest moment of need. At Grand Coulee Volunteer Ambulance Service, our dedicated team of EMTs and firefighters proudly serves all our area residents and visitors. Availabl...
President Trump made a recent four-day trip to a few countries in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Several deals were made. Boeing scored some big sales, there were billions of dollars in U.S.-made weapons sales, and some deals regarding oil. While in Qatar, the president was gifted a Boeing 747-8 by the royal family. The aircraft has been for sale by the royal family for five years. It was registered as A7-HBJ. Today, it appears to be registered as PH-HBJ. It was...
Michael Baumgartner is hostile to his constituents and generally all Washingtonians. He claims to be a “state’s rights guy,” as Republicans used to be until most congressional Republicans now cowardly won’t stand up against President Donald Trump’s wannabe all-powerful dictatorship. Accordingly, Baumgartner fell in line with House Republican colleagues by recently joining a letter from the House Judicial Committee to Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown (Spokesman-Review 3/31/25). The letter, in effect, claims that Trump’s extremely c...
It appears that our family has a dancer. Great granddaughter Westlyn Landeros had her recital a week ago in Omak. Her parents saw that she attended dance class for the past nine months. It was an every-Tuesday experience. She got to dance in three parts of the recital. Prior to her dance training in Omak, Westlyn took part in dance classes in Wilbur. Her brother, Damon, played JV basketball at Lake Roosevelt, and her sister, Kaylee, lettered in about 10 sports at Lake Roosevelt. No one in the family has a history of dance. I am not sure yet if...
May 23, 1911, President William Taft presided over the dedication of the New York City Public Library. Funding to build the library came from a trust created by former governor of New York, Samuel Tilden, “…for the creation of a free public library and reading room in New York City.” The New York City Public Library has a room for exhibitions as well as a picture gallery. It was designed to meet a variety of educational needs. Strategically situated above seven floors of stacks, the main reading room provides researchers with requested mater...
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” Seems pretty clear, practical, wise. Like they could see this coming. When the Framers wrote the Constitution, they didn’t want a grifter in chief ruling the nation for profit, but obviously they could foresee such a person coming along someday. So they told him i...
President Trump stated Sunday, May 4 that he is directing, “…the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” Alcatraz Island is not an unknown place to me. When I was just starting my career with the National Park Service back in the early 1970s, I was part of the first crew of park ranger tour guides assigned to Alcatraz Island. I’ve been back a ha...
Every May we honor our law enforcement during National Police Week and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring they have the resources and authority needed to keep our communities safe. We are lucky here in Central Washington to have some of the best-trained local and tribal officers, and they deserve recognition for their work to keep us and our families safe. This National Police Week, my colleagues and I in Congress are passing common-sense legislation that sends a clear message: we stand with our local law enforcement. When a situation...
What couples spend on weddings is mind boggling. I was in Southern Idaho, and my future wife, Dorothy, agreed to marry me. I didn’t know anyone except the family, and she wasn’t interested in planning a wedding, so we did the only thing left: we eloped. Spending a lot of money to get married seems ridiculous. Some families spend a lot more than the down payment on a home. The amount you spend has nothing to do with how long the marriage will last. We spent a couple of hundred dollars and our marriage lasted 69 years, until I lost her because of...
May 18, 1955, Mary McLeod Bethune, Political leader and Educator died in Daytona Beach, Florida. She was the daughter of former slaves in South Carolina. Bethune understood the importance of education early on. Her family, though living in poverty, managed with the help of a patron, to send Mary to schools in North Carolina and later Chicago. After a period of teaching, she opened her own school in Daytona Beach. Today it is the Bethune-Cookman College. In 1936, President Roosevelt made Bethune director of the Division of Negro Affairs,...
President Trump stated Sunday, May 4 that he is directing, “…the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” Alcatraz Island is not an unknown place to me. When I was just starting my career with the National Park Service back in the early 1970s, I was part of the first crew of park ranger tour guides assigned to Alcatraz Island. I’ve been back a ha...