News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The Grand Coulee Dam School District received approximately $127,000 tax money from the Federal Government under the P.L. 874. You cannot tax the Dam etc. The district will receive at least this amount for this budget year. We are currently paying $3.20 in Levy. The district is asking another $1.00 per thousand for a total of $4.20 per thousand. Don’t forget that the state is obligated to fund education 100%, so the district receives money for “Full Time Equivalent” (FTE) students. The Board of Directors negotiated a $123,500 three-year salar...
Some of my opponent’s supporters seem to have false information about my eligibility to serve as Grant County Commissioner. In fact, I was asked a question about it at a forum(recently). Apparently, they’ve been led to believe I don’t live in Grant County. Unfortunately some folks don’t consider this area (northern Commissioner District 1) as part of the county, but I love this region and am proud to be from “up north.” I serve as the GOP Precinct Committee Officer from Hartline Rural North (Precinct 73) and serve as the 12th Legislative...
Call it American exceptionalism or not, the American people have always embraced the idea that we live in an exceptional country. We are grateful to be Americans. We take a lot of pride in our country, as we should. Pride and patriotism are among America’s greatest strengths. Having said that, we need to be clear-eyed about our limits. Sometimes we tend to think we should always be No. 1, no matter what metrics we apply. That attitude can lead to arrogance and a lack of interest in the world. There are always things we can learn from other c...
The General Election Day is near, and our ballots and the Voters Pamphlet are here. Read it and learn about the issues and candidates. Go to votewa.gov to check out your own voter registration status, see your voting history, and learn more about voting. Make sure you fill out your ballot correctly and, if you change your mind on a candidate or issue, draw a line through it and choose again. Look on both sides of the ballot. Then place it in the pink envelope, which is placed inside the white return envelope. Be sure to sign and date it. With...
Ballots are coming soon. In 10 years of working for John Knodell, I was able to observe a true professional, a master of the art, craft and science of a trial lawyer, brilliant not just at interpreting the law and applying the facts and evidence, but also in advocating for crime victims at trial, but fair to ensure that the accused’s rights were protected. John was also a brilliant defense attorney, having represented many in Grant County; that is why he could always look at both sides, the strengths and weaknesses of a case, and make the t...
After reading last week’s letter submitted by the Bjorklund’s I experienced a few emotions. It is safe to say that any letter in the opinion section which stirs up any kind of feeling is achieving its goal. The emotions I felt were anger, frustration, and a feeling of not being surprised. I am angry anytime somebody takes something that isn’t theirs. That is theft and is illegal. Freedom of speech is arguably the most important of the five rights given in the 1st Amendment of our Constitution. Any attempt to suppress this right is wrong, no ma...
In just a few weeks, area voters will not only decide who to back in a presidential and gubernatorial election but will vote on the approval of a levy for the Grand Coulee Dam School District. This levy would be one additional dollar per thousand dollars of assessed property value. It requires a simple majority to pass if there is participation from a minimum of forty percent of voters who turned out in the last general election. Please vote! If you’ve had the chance to get to know some LR students, you know how fun they are to talk to and h...
I listened in on the meeting last night. I was appalled by their decision. You have committees to do research and send recommendations to the City, which generally are accepted. I cannot believe that the Boys would rather spend approximately $9,000 a year to do approximately $3,000 of maintenance for a park is not in best interest of the City, especially when there is $22,000 in the Park Budget, so that figures out to be seven years at estimated costs. This is not a Russ Powers Park, the Park generated from a Survey off of Survey Monkey the...
For the past couple months candidate Katie Haven, running for the District 2 Okanogan County Commissioner position, has been reaching out to voters in the County. She has been listening to us – our concerns, hopes, and needs, both individually and for the County’s future. She has done this through phone calls, online chat sessions, and walking neighborhoods to distribute her campaign literature that addresses her priorities, issues, and plans. In every major town, residents have been interested and engaged. They have shared their ideas and ask...
Ballots are coming soon. In 10 years of working for John Knodell, I was able to observe a true professional, a master of the art, craft and science of a trial lawyer, brilliant not just at interpreting the law and applying the facts and evidence, but also in advocating for crime victims at trial, but fair to ensure that the accused’s rights were protected. John was also a brilliant defense attorney, having represented many in Grant County; that is why he could always look at both sides, the strengths and weaknesses of a case, and make the t...
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law to help protect and recover animals and wildlife facing critical threats or risk of extinction. As Americans, we share the common goal of protecting our environment, creating healthy ecosystems, and ensuring that our growing human populations can live in tandem with the plants and animals around us. While the law was well-intentioned, the ESA has not seen meaningful reforms since 1978. Our country has grown and evolved immensely in the last four decades, and it only makes sense to bring this...
Although this truck alone weighs almost 60,000 pounds, it is not unusual for one or two huge granite armor rocks to lift the front wheels from the ground. The truck can carry a load of from 20 to 30 tons if properly balanced, and frequently a single boulder constitutes a complete load. -- July 11, 1950....
For as long as I can remember, political signs have been a staple during the campaign season. And, historically, both parties and candidates have respected the First Amendment rights of one another to support their candidates by displaying campaign signs. These are often displayed in citizens’ yards, on their private property or on public land where allowed. Although, some neighborhoods, such as ours, have a covenant that prohibits yard signs. We were made immediately aware of this fact after putting two Biden-Harris signs and Gov. Inslee s...
Let’s not risk losing Chris Branch as Okanogan County District 1 commissioner. I can confirm the complexity of an Okanogan County commissioner’s job, having taken notes at commissioners’ meetings since 2014. It includes such duties as writing and repealing laws; land use decisions; economic planning; coordinating over 20 departments, such as public works, the judicial system, emergency management; and more — including responsibility for an approximately $70 million budget. With this job, varied and extensive experience are crucial. Previou...
Once again, we endured the intrusion of wildfire smoke into our atmosphere. The National Weather Service has taken note by releasing interesting data regarding wildfire smoke. The data show the percentage of time certain areas have had smoke days for the months of August and September going back to 2006 and compare how often National Weather Service stations in the Spokane County Warning Area reported smoke or haze. The weather stations include: Coeur d'Alene, Spokane (Spokane International...
The fire season has reminded us once again of how vulnerable our county is. In the Pearl Hill and Cold Springs fires, approximately 414,000 acres and over 180 structures were burned. Wildfires are a natural part of our ecosystem, but with better planning and management we can expect better outcomes than we had this year or in the other bad years of this decade. Okanogan County has a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) which is a requirement for government funding of wildfire disasters. It is on the county’s website: ww...
Dr. Anthony Fauci thinks that drug companies may develop a COVID-19 vaccine before year’s end. But that doesn’t mean the pandemic will be over. Distributing hundreds of millions of vaccine doses will pose an enormous challenge, and our country’s medical supply chain — responsible for producing, transporting, and delivering crucial equipment and treatments — is already overwhelmed. From shortages of life-saving medical devices to logistical obstacles, the United States is woefully unprepared — especially since the flu season will complicate...
Many of us are familiar with how our school districts are funded. Construction costs, maintenance updates, teacher salaries, and more are funded by local taxpayers. With local property taxes, levies, and bonds, superintendents and school district administrators work to ensure our students receive the high-quality education they deserve. Over the past several years, many of our school districts have expanded to accommodate growing numbers of students. But what happens when a school district is on or surrounded by federal land? To fulfill our...
Sometimes doing things only once is a good idea. This is particularly true for me when it involves heights. The top rung in an eight-foot ladder is enough for me. Flying into Kodiak, Alaska was a prime example of the kind of coward I’ve become. We were in an old plane, I should say a primitive plane, which held about 20 passengers — and our suitcases were loaded inside the passenger compartment. We were making our approach to the runway with 70 mph winds pushing the plane to the side. The pilot would rev the engines to bring us back in lin...
America needs a Republican Party that represents ordinary people and solves extraordinary problems. That would be a political party whose policies command a clear majority of votes cast in a national election. The Republican Party got under way during the administration of President Abraham Lincoln. Republican legislators produced a national graduated income tax to distribute the burden of cost of government in an equitable manner. To raise additional money, the government sold bonds directly to individuals, thus circumventing the sometimes-gre...
What happens in China doesn’t always stay in China. We learned that a couple of years ago when the Chinese stopped buying massive volumes of the world’s used paper, plastics and textiles; and, again last March when the coronavirus escaped Wuhan and spread across the planet. Like other nations, China is struggling with the deadly Covid-19 virus and suffocating under mountains of trash its residents generate each day. Wuhan hospitals generated six times as much medical waste at the peak of the out...
You see, I have this dog, by accident I remind you. Ten years ago I stopped and bought a dog from someone selling pups from the trunk of their car. The plan was for the pup to go to my great granddaughter, Kaylee. That lasted about two or three days and to my dismay the pup landed at my house. Well, I should have known better because Kaylee was only 6 at the time. It was a she dog, and I made my second mistake; I had the dog spayed. I should have planned a batch of pups so I could get my money back. I can’t see me selling pups out of my t...
Construction was started on October 13, 1938 of the first boat to navigate what would become Lake Roosevelt. The project was started on the east shore of the forebay, just above the dap. It was to be 64 feet long, with a 24-foot beam and designed to draw 5 feet of water. The boat, which was sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, was also going to be used by the Works Progress Administration to help clear debris from the lakebed of the future reservoir. Afterwards it was to be used for...
Over the last decade, the area has suffered through several fire seasons that brought not only fire, but lots of smoke, often from elsewhere. This month, we got both, in huge amounts. The fires that burned all around us consumed more than 500,000 acres in our local counties alone, but the smoke that sat on the state (and hard on the coulee) gathered off the coast for many days before making its way inland. At sea, the massive body of smoke spanned an area larger than 900,000 square miles as measured from satellite images. We’ve had so much n...
During my college years I worked for the USDA Forest Service on fire crews and in the Red Zone at Mount St. Helens after the volcano erupted. These jobs were very time and labor intensive. I admire, appreciate and am extremely grateful for all of our firefighters during these unprecedented, challenging times. Your relentless, unwavering, courageous efforts to keep everyone safe are amazing. Many thanks, John M. Adkins...