News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve been writing this monthly column about our weather, and climate and related issues and events. One thing I do like — and I admit I’m a bit of a facts-driven person — is gathering the weather data from the previous year and sharing it here. We’ll have to rely on data from the home weather station only, for now the “partial government shutdown” is affecting access to our local official weather station data. So, let’s take a look back and see what happened...
I don’t get to use the word “I” much in my writing here. It feels strange, almost unnatural. I have to be an objective journalist, after all — Clark Kent, sticking to quotes and facts, keeping my “I’s” out of it. Just a fly on the wall using proper grammar and other rules meant to be broken. I have been working for The Star about three years now, and the community has been quite welcoming to me. I’ve gotten to know a large number of folks: coaches, athletes, council members, city clerks, mayors. I met NBA-great Gary Payton when I first started,...
A fossilized leg bone of the Hagerman Horse will soon be on its way home. It has been in my possession for 60 years, and it will soon rest where it had been for thousands of years before I dug it up in 1958. The bone has been with me in Nampa, Boise, Othello, Lynnwood, Woodinville, Bothell and now Electric City. I am told that the Hagerman Horse (equus simplicidens) was killed off some 50,000 years ago, and I will be happy when the bone is finally returned to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, at Hagerman, Idaho. I dug the bone out of...
Every year I like to look back at the celebrities we lost the year before. As we focus on the blessings of the future, it is good to remember the ones we lost and the foundation on which we are building the next generation. These stars went out last year, but their memory is engrained our thoughts. These are the people that had some sort of impact on me, even though we never met. Penny Marshall, or Laverne as I first knew her, was an icon in comedy. I can remember as a kid watching Shirley, her,...
Last Thursday, I took an oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution as the representative of the people of the Fourth Congressional District in the 116th Congress. It is an honor to be entrusted with this office to represent the people of Central Washington, our values, and our liberties. In this period of divided government with a Republican president, Republican Senate majority, and Democratic House majority, it is our responsibility to find common ground as representatives of the people. I am proud that my first votes this Congress...
After reading the letter written by former Coulee Dam Mayor Wilder, I felt compelled to address what appears to be nothing more than a self-congratulatory essay and an attempt to criticize those who didn’t vote the same way he did. First, I want to make it very clear that I am in no way defending Larry Price. The accusations against him should be taken very seriously and subsequently investigated and dealt with by the proper authorities. I also want to make it clear that I am not criticizing Gayle Swagerty as a mayoral candidate or anything t...
The annual Trees of Sharing project began Nov. 1 and culminated with the delivery of wrapped Christmas gifts to 120 children in 54 families Saturday, Dec. 15. Thank you to every person who enthusiastically supported this project by purchasing gifts for needy children in the Coulee area. Trees of Sharing extends special appreciation to Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union, Coulee Family Medicine, Harvest Foods, North Cascades Bank, and Safeway Pharmacy for help with collecting children’s names and/or displaying the trees with gift tags. A...
It seems hard to believe that the actual year is 2019. Just under a year and we will be looking at 2020. When I was a kid I thought for sure we would have floating cars by now and kitchens that made us whatever we could think up, but we still need to cook for ourselves and we still need to dodge potholes as we drive to work. But this year as we move ahead and look to the new year, I am looking forward to the blessings that will be bestowed upon the entire area. I am praying for healing for you....
As 2018 comes to a close, so does the 115th Congress. It is an honor to represent the diverse interests of the Fourth Congressional District, and I am especially proud of the accomplishments we achieved that will improve the quality of life in Central Washington. One year after Congress passed historic tax relief for American taxpayers, we are seeing results in the form of higher paychecks, improved employee benefits, and growing small businesses. We are making it easier for Americans to save for their futures and encouraging innovation. I...
Ah, small town life. Country living. Old pickup trucks, down-home diners. You gotta love it. Sometimes it's a bit dull, but only boring people are bored, so you have to create your own excitement. If you need a little help with that, then these 10 small-town movies might give you the entertainment you so crave. Here they are, in no particular order: the top 10 movies to watch in a small town. The Last Picture Show 1971, rated R directed by Peter Bogdanovich "The Last Picture Show" epitomizes sma...
In a few days the University of Washington Huskies will be in the Rose Bowl. It will be their 15th appearance in Pasadena and the Huskies will have the opportunity to tilt the record in their favor, currently having a 7-7 record. Washington’s first appearance was in 1924, and their last in 2001. But this column is about Washington’s sixth appearance, in 1960, when they defeated the University of Wisconsin, 44-8, and how I got there. I was working for the Idaho Statesman in Boise at the time. One day the owner of the paper, Jim Brown, came and...
A young child cannot sleep the night before Christmas. Visions of the toys that will be there, the stockings overflowing with goodies, and the mouthwatering feast all keep a young mind from drifting off. Also, the thought of the little fat man in the red coat delivering something special and eating the cookies left for him, and the child’s desire of catching a glimpse of the mythical being add to the sleeping dilemma. These hopes and ideas are as pure as the freshly fallen snow when we are y...
I wish to express my concern about the proposed changes to the access at “geezer” beach. I see no reason for the proposed changes, other than paranoia over the possibility of some incident which might occur. I do not recall an incident actually occurring in that area; I can find no justification for the paranoia which apparently caused these changes to be considered. More actual incident reports (facts) are needed for any changes to be implemented. Gary Esmond retired U.S. Army, retired USBR...
I respect the electorate. Some had vetted — and others did not. And for my good reasons, I voted the minority (Gayle Swagerty) for mayor, based on my own vetting process … and she lost. After all, “it’s just an election”… and in a small community we expect changes of policy and paradigms. It’s a process — and an expected outcome. However, from that, it offers nothing until the future actions define it … and I, for one, am now redefined and very much awake! You should be too. Yes, I took the time to vet the process for both candidates: I did the...
Last week, Congress voted 369-47 to pass the 2018 Farm Bill, sending this critical legislation to President Trump for his signature into law. The agreement sets us on a better path for our country’s farmers and ranchers, for our rural communities, for small businesses, and for consumers across the country at the grocery store and at kitchen tables. In March, I traveled across Central Washington to speak with farmers from every county in the Fourth Congressional District about their goals for the Farm Bill. With passage of the bill, I am p...
12 is almost here! Are you searching for a New Year resolution but aren’t exactly sure what you should resolve to do? Do you love children and think they deserve to be cared for in a safe and nurturing home? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you should consider becoming a foster parent to one (or more) of the thousands of children who are currently in foster care in Washington state. What’s that you say? You’d love to foster but fear you would get too attached to the children in your care and it would break your heart for t...
Christmas is a difficult time for anyone grieving the death of a loved one. It is especially hard when they were slain in the line of duty while protecting our country. It hit home again last month when Army sergeants Eric Emond, 39, Brush Prairie, and Leandro Jasso, 25, Leavenworth, were killed in Afghanistan. Both were experienced elite soldiers who served multiple tours in combat zones. Normally, the fallen are remembered on Memorial Day, but thanks to a Maine family and over 800,000 donors and volunteers, more than 1.8 million Christmas wre...
Continuing on with profiling a senior in Lake Roosevelt High School, this month I chose a senior who follows a family tradition of being profiled right here in these pages. Quincy “The Kid” Williams and the superstar Chasity Williams are ones I have written about in the past two years, so it is a time-honored tradition that this time I write about Gloria “Roo” Michel, little sister to the other two. “Pretty good” is how she answered my first of many questions as we sat down for an impromptu o...
Solutions to serious problems should not require contortions of logic that look like the loser in that old game of Twister. You know the one: where players try to reach different spots on a large surface on the floor with different parts of their bodies until one of them finally falls over. The solution the state Legislature came up with after the state Supreme Court ruled the state was neglecting its primary constitutional responsibility — basic education — was a partial solution that will not last because it does not address fundamental ine...
I had my heroes, just like every kid. Mine really got started by getting to know the owner of one of the three active taverns in Palouse in the late 1930s. His name was Pop Brantner. I never did learn his first name. The unlikely friendship began from my bringing in empty beer bottles, for a penny a “stubby” and five cents for a quart bottle. Kids could go in the back door of the tavern, up to the pool tables with their retrieved bottles, and Pop would come back and pay us for them. For some reason, Pop took a liking to me and started tal...
A couple weeks ago, I told you about my moment of reflection during Natural Helpers. Well, Sunday night I found myself reflecting again, and this time things got personal. Sometimes it is hard to write this column without giving you a deep look into my personal life and little peeks into my family and friends. Especially this week. So, be gentle to me and anyone I mention. It was during the baby shower for Levi and Davida and the precious little package that is on the way. It was fun, and a celebration and laughs were had many times during the...
Yet another takeaway? As a disabled fisherman, I, along with many other disabled, aged friends, have fished Geezer Beach for many years. We fish this area exclusively four to five times per week from January to June. Due to our disabilities and very limited walking capabilities for many of us, it is the only alternative for fishing the area. In all of my years of enjoying fishing Geezer Beach, I have never seen or experienced any of the suggested scenarios. I am proud to say that due to our appreciation of the ability to fish there, we are...
I would love to see the cinema start showing movies again. I know a lot of people were disappointed when it closed, and with so little to do around the area it would be a big win to see it reopened. I hope the town keeps supporting Kimberly Christensen and her efforts to make this happen. I will be there ready to buy her popcorn at the first movie shown! Winona Simons Coulee Dam...
When the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced proposed possible changes to the way it manages a local fishing beach, it used in an official document the popular name given it by the folks who use it, a name first made popular in the writings of a Star columnist. Reg Morgan wrote about all kinds of things in decades of writing Morgan’s Musings, frequently about local hunting and fishing, which he loved. During the course of those writings, Reg applied the moniker “Geezer Beach” to the shoreline on Lake Roosevelt behind the Third Power...
I would like to congratulate the Grand Coulee City Council for their support for the Republic, Washington police chief’s stance on the Initiative 1639 gun law. I would also like to thank Councilmember Tom Poplawski for his succinct comments on the matter. It is my hope that more cities and counties join in on this. For too many times, the east side over here has been subjected to the political tyranny of the socialist/progressive/atheist agendas of King County and Olympia. Today, my “Liberty, founded in Truth” flag is flying. John Overb...