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  • Governor's proclamation unconstitutional

    Rob Coffman, Lincoln County Commissioner|Apr 29, 2020

    Since Governor Inslee issued his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Proclamation last month, Lincoln County has been scrambling trying to determine how to best balance our paramount duties to provide for Public Safety, Public Health and County Road functions. While we all want to stay safe and avoid viruses, we want to do so in a manner that is the “least restrictive” to our constitutionally protected rights. While the Governor’s Proclamation is aimed at protecting the public, I believe it does so in a way that, in most aspects, is the “most res... Full story

  • We need to get through this time and tighten our belts, just as we have through two World Wars, terrorist attacks and other epidemics

    Matthew Adelman, National Newspaper Association|Apr 22, 2020

    Newspapers in the United States have traveled rough seas to the First Amendment freedoms we enjoy today. From the colonial Stamp Act through wartime censorship to today, when thousands of newspapers were slammed with the public health emergency known as COVID-19, people who work for newspapers have never had completely smooth sailing. Now most of the businesses that advertise with us are shut down. The pipeline to make our payroll shut down with them. People are restlessly waiting in their locked-down homes for us to bring the news... Full story

  • Thank the truckers

    Don Brunell|Apr 22, 2020

    As we get deeper into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finding more Americans to thank. Until recently, truckers have been behind the scenes just doing their jobs, but as shoppers learn how groceries and necessities reappeared on shelves, they join the list of unsung heroes. Business Insider (BI) reported truckers are the reason America’s grocery stores, online retailers, hospitals, gas stations, and even ATMs have remained stocked. They number 1.9 million. It’s estimated that grocery stores wou... Full story

  • A different kind of moment

    Jess Utz|Apr 22, 2020

    The way we celebrate different events during this isolation time is, well, to put it bluntly, strange for us a family. We are a family much like many of you that gather together for birthdays, holidays, weddings and funerals. During this Covid-19 time we must distance, isolate and be very smart, and that in itself can make for hard-to-swallow moments as events come upon us. My sister had to cancel her wedding. She had been planning, prepping and preparing for a long time. Like every little... Full story

  • A WWII ship named the "SS COULEE DAM"

    Bert Smith, Them Dam Writers online|Apr 22, 2020

    With the advent of World War II, Kaiser Industries, part of the Consolidated Builders Inc. that completed the Grand Coulee Dam, began building ships. Kaiser Shipbuilding Company established seven ship-building locations on the West Coast, including one at Swan Island near Portland Oregon. Here they would build the T2-SE-A1 oil tanker. On May 16, 1944 the 62nd tanker was delivered and christened the "SS Coulee Dam." The ship sailed on May 20, 1944 and returned from service on February 10, 1945,...

  • Rutabagas, turnips and parsnips

    Roger S Lucas|Apr 15, 2020

    I never saw one that I didn’t hate. I hated the taste and texture and when possible I scraped them off my plate. These so-called vegetables were frequent dishes my mother prepared while I was growing up during the “Great Depression.” I always thought we had these dishes because we were poor, only learning later it was for another reason. While it was true that we were probably poor, the family never acted like we were. Actually, the reason we had these vegetables was more practical: They would keep in the cellar during the winter. We lived...

  • You, viruses and the atmosphere

    Bob Valen|Apr 15, 2020

    Given the current threat of the Novel Coronavirus and its potential effect on humanity, I thought I’d write about viruses in general. I’ll address the fact that viruses are in our atmosphere and ride air currents, eventually dropping to the ground regularly. They are abundant. They have been on the planet for at least 300 million years. Viruses are the most abundant microbes on the planet. We are host to them as well; they are part of the body’s microbiome. Let’s start with a highly abridge... Full story

  • Senior Profile: Megan Abel

    Jess Utz|Apr 15, 2020

    By now, everyone knows that going to school is over for Washington state and many other states around the nation, but what many do not is that school is still happening for many. It just looks different. It is done from home and by contacting the teachers you need to via email, Zoom Meetings, Facebook and phones. Seniors still have some work to do, and that is not any different for Megan Abel, a senior at Lake Roosevelt. I interviewed her via Messenger and here is a little bit about the...

  • Needed: masks on faces and a grocery delivery system

    Scott Hunter|Apr 8, 2020

    Indications are that Washington’s fairly early emphasis on social distancing and staying home have been effective at helping to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, but more local focus could help this area weather the crisis even better: We all need to wear a mask in public, and a method is needed for delivery of groceries to those who are supposed to stay at home. The first one is easy. The second one isn’t. Anyone who has been exposed to some known to be sick with COVID-19 is definitely mandated to stay home to protect everyone els... Full story

  • Planting money trees is bad policy

    John Overby|Apr 8, 2020

    Rather than discussing the Governor’s egregious assaults on the 1st Amendment regarding churches and his dogmatic executive orders on what is “essential” and “non essential”, I feel that it would behoove all of us to look into what the Federal Government is up too. Growing up in the 1950’s, on of my Mom’s sayings was: “money doesn’t grow on trees”. Well, it looks like Congress, with the approval of the President, just planted a $2.2 trillion dollar tree. The tree planting took a short time and the tree will be ready to harvest fruit in th...

  • Enjoys his Star paper

    William Neuhauser|Apr 8, 2020

    Sir, Here’s my renewal payment, I sure do like your paper. I look forward to receiving it every week. Keep up the good work and thanks a lot. William Neuhauser Detroit Lakes, MN...

  • Churches empty, so is the tomb

    Jesse Utz|Apr 8, 2020

    This year Easter will be different. That is a fact. But the holiday is still going to happen. So what can you do? I have had a few people ask me this week what they can do for Easter this year as they are self-quarantined. So, I decided to write my column as a guideline to how you can celebrate Easter this year and remember a risen King. To start with, I would still make a big deal of it. It was never intended to be about a bunny, candy and presents. It is all about Christ and celebrating the...

  • Thanks for recognizing local efforts

    Mary Jane Bailey|Apr 1, 2020

    Thank you, Roger Lucas, for your acknowledgement of Scott Hunter’s great importance of providing all of us the area news (“Local efforts make a difference” March 25). Also, thanks for your public recognition of the Port District, both Keenes, and a handful of volunteers who have kept the Banks Lake Golf Course operating for the past few years. They have sacrificed 6-7 months, and countless hours of their time each year to do this for the community. Help is always appreciated. Mary Jane Bailey...

  • Keep the Olympia coverage

    Jim Glick|Apr 1, 2020

    A few publications back, Feb. 5th, 2020, to be exact, you wrote an editorial regarding the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, of which you are a member of the board of directors. The editorial was quite informative. The main point I believe you were looking for is whether it’s worthwhile to keep the [coverage of Olympia] going. I don’t remember whether or not my wife or I responded to your online poll, but we want to reply with a resounding YES! We live in Olympia, and my wife and I disagree on the quality of the articles pub...

  • Going on a bear hunt

    Apr 1, 2020

    With all this social distancing going on it is becoming harder and harder to get out with family and do something exciting and new. Staying indoors can become tedious and mundane as we try and do the right thing and stay put. But there is something happening across America. Families are going on walks, and now there is something new to do while on your walk or drive as a family: Look for bears. Yep, I said it, we can look for bears. Not the hungry brown type that digs in our garbage cans this time of year, but the cuddly, furry, stuffed type... Full story

  • Community strength in unprecedented times

    Dan Newhouse|Apr 1, 2020

    We are in unprecedented times. The coronavirus outbreak has had a profound impact on the American people and our economy, but – together – we will make sure that impact is not a lasting one. As many businesses temporarily transition operations online, essential employees continue to practice safe operations, and our healthcare providers and first responders continue to selflessly serve on the front lines, keeping our families, friends, and neighbors safe and healthy. I am working in Congress to ensure our hospitals and clinics, small bus... Full story

  • The meaning of the motto on the front page

    Scott Hunter|Mar 25, 2020

    Everything depends on everything else, it seems, so stopping one part of our economy, our society, affects every other part. We’re all so interconnected. That’s partly why Gov. Inslee’s earlier hopes that people would “just do the right thing” were dashed. In more populous parts of the state, the slowdown he ordered was interpreted at a vacation by so many that recreation sites were flooded with cars and people. Even outdoor sites were reportedly impossible places to accomplish “social distancing.” And so the order announced Monday evenin...

  • Local efforts make a difference

    Roger S Lucas|Mar 25, 2020

    I just read a story that some 1,400 communities lost their newspapers in the last year. That’s to say nothing of papers publishing less frequently. These communities will feel the loss. People get their news now from a lot of sources like cable news and social media sources. The Star newspaper has been lucky so far in that a steady stream of readers choose to come by the office each Wednesday so they don’t have to wait for delivery. That’s a prime example of a good readership base. Newspapers use revenue from display, classified ads and circu...

  • A test of faith

    Mar 25, 2020

    During this time our patience can be tested to the extreme. With social media being flooded with everything from right to left, raging toilet paper shoppers, constant updates and, yes, even the sadness of cancelled weddings, funerals and appointments, we find ourselves in a social isolation aquarium not really knowing what is going on. The only thing we know for sure is that we are supposed to be separated and isolated. That can bring challenges of their own. We find ourselves in a time that can only be compared to television shows or movies ab...

  • It's about us

    Scott Hunter|Mar 18, 2020

    Honestly, it’s not you, it’s us. As these extremely inconvenient — no, let’s call them what they are — horrid, restrictions on our social freedom clamp down on society and commerce in favor of health, that’s a concept some either don’t get, don’t want to get, or just refuse to believe, and that affects us all. Whether they’re just delayed in getting the information because they have lives not tied to any media, or they’re just stubborn because they think this another Y2K-like false alarm, or they just can’t deal with the stress and want to pret... Full story

  • Census 2020: Why rural counts

    Teresa Hoffman|Mar 18, 2020

    By now, you have most likely received a postcard or letter in your mailbox inviting you to participate in the 2020 Census. Set forth as an effort to count everyone in the U.S., the data collected as part of the census impacts everyone who is, or is not, counted. Before your mailer filters to the bottom of your to-do stack, take a moment to recognize why completing the census is so important, especially for residents of rural communities and states. At its most basic level, data collected through the census ensures equal representation in...

  • What is a flash drought?

    Bob Valen|Mar 18, 2020

    I spend some time looking over weather and climate research sites. Generally, there’s something interesting that captures my attention. These are things that I like to share with you. Recently, I came across the term “flash drought.” I had never heard this term before. The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Climate Prediction Center defines a flash drought as “an event during which an area experiences degradation by two or more drought categories in a four-week period, based on the U.S. Drought M...

  • TP shortage is tip of iceberg

    Don Brunell|Mar 18, 2020

    If you think the run on toilet paper is just an American thing, think again. On March 10, Business Insider (BI) reported: “The spread of the coronavirus has brought with it panic-buying of food and household essentials, despite the attempts of governments to discourage stockpiling. But no item has made more headlines than the humble toilet roll.” “From buying enough toilet rolls to make a throne, to printing out blank newspaper pages to serve as extra toilet paper, people have had a seemi...

  • 1948 Coulee Dam Theater Fire

    Mar 18, 2020

    The Coulee Dam Service Station at the southeast corner of what is now Roosevelt Way and River Drive had been a Standard Oil station; but after my parents, Henry and Margaret (Seaton) Taschereau bought it at the end of 1942, it became Texaco. They sold it and moved to Coulee City in 1953. Just up and across the street, where the Coulee House Inn & Suites is now located, was a Ford garage, and just east of that was a theater owned by Oliver Hartman, who had moved to the area about 1936, when his...

  • I just got back from Tillmanville

    Roger S Lucas|Mar 11, 2020

    Tillmanville? You won’t find it on a map. But if you are looking for it on a map try Elmer City. Elmer City could just as well have been named Tillmanville. The Tillman family has, and continues to be, a leading factor in this tiny village. Through the years, members of the family have held positions in town government and do so today. Mayor Jesse Tillman is currently getting his feet wet running town government. Former town clerk was Renae Tillman. And currently, the public works director is (you guessed it) another Tillman, this one ...

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