News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1752 - 1776 of 3686
I was asked where Electric City sewer goes. And if we do this, how much more will w/s/g go up after we just got a hike in this? And our zip codes would change; how many people would have to be notified and have to get a mail person to deliver our mail? You, Birdie, have started a lot of stuff that has cost money and never gets done. Like the parks. And this is what we need to think about, people. I think Electric City’s council needs to take control of their council. M.S. Townsend...
My wife and I appreciated the stewardship article written by Roger Lucas. We’ve traveled extensively throughout the USA with a special focus on small towns, and we have yet to find a place as amazing as our area. Long before the vehicle and property shows became the rage, we realized the intrinsic and environmental value of restoring and preserving vintage and historical things. Presently, we’re restoring two trucks from 1964 and ’70. When we moved here almost 40 years ago, my wife’s wish was to live in the Women’s Dormitory in Coulee Da...
It happened for me on Thursday night at the K Diamond K Ranch. As I sat in this big circle with 21 students from Lake Roosevelt and nine adults, I realized that a dream had come true. Natural Helpers had indeed rebooted itself and was happening. Not only was it happening, but I was one of the leaders, leading it back into the halls of Lake Roosevelt. As all 30 guests and the ranch owner shared their stories with the rest of us, it became abundantly clear that this retreat needed to happen and...
When Congress convenes next year, lawmakers must focus on the cost and quality of health care. In November, voters made it clear health care was on top of their minds. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a third of voters said it was the “most important” issue. It ranked higher than the economy and jobs. What is driving Americans is their fear of losing health insurance, their home, and savings to battle cancer or other life-threatening conditions. According to the Washington Post, our...
The subject of consolidation has come up many times over the years, and the benefits seem to always outweigh the negatives. Sometimes it comes down to the personal feelings of the sitting councils and what they are willing to look at in their own governmental establishment. How the end game ends up is unknown, but the talk and discussion should still be had. This huge, but needed, change will only benefit the citizens of our area. Yes, growing pains will be there, but it will be worth it. Here are some of the things I think about. County...
This is about stewardship. I have always been impressed with the organizations and individuals who understand the need to preserve historic buildings in this area. The Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union immediately comes to mind. The way the CU has kept its headquarters, the old Columbia School, looking like it’s a new building — not bad for a building that was constructed in the 1930s. The credit union also has protected and keeps improving the looks of the grounds around its building. I imagine it has been a huge expense over the years, but bei...
Patriotism has been on a lot of people’s minds lately. French President Emanuel Macron recently criticized President Trump and other world leaders for their “us versus them” view of patriotism. “By putting our own interests first,” he said, “with no regard for others, we erase the very thing that a nation holds dearest, and the thing that keeps it alive: its moral values.” Meanwhile, just ahead of the midterm elections, The New York Times noted that two clashing visions of patriotism were heading to the polls. President Trump and Republicans s...
A few years after Rod Hartman had retired as the 10-year mayor of Coulee Dam in 1996, he tried to impress upon me the absolute necessity of merging the local towns. I agreed, and always have, that it would probably make sense to do so, even if it would be complicated. But having found too many die-hard old-timers too entrenched in old arguments during the last round of discussions on consolidation, I told him I didn’t think it was time to try it again. Now it is. Hartman knew, from decades of working with city budgets and local, region-wide c...
In Grand Coulee and throughout eastern Washington, physicians are the backbone of our communities. For the past 45 years, UW School of Medicine faculty and clinical partners have taught and mentored our students as a way of “paying it forward,” and today, our network has grown to nearly 1,000 individuals. You are truly fortunate to have teaching physicians in your community. Not only are they outstanding clinicians, they are dedicated to providing our students with the best medical education possible. When these students become the next gen...
The Care and Share Food Bank has received over one ton of donations from our small communities with big HEARTS In the last two weeks. The high school homecoming drive, Boy Scouts, Coulee Medical Center, plus other smaller drives did a great job of adding to our stores, and we would like to THANK YOU, each and every one. The high school did a hygiene drive during homecoming and the products have been well received — items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, plus bar soap, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, to name a few of the...
The holiday season is upon us and, as we start our list of chores to do for the festivities, we must remember that this first holiday is all about giving thanks. So amidst the second course of turkey, the third course of stuffing and the fourth piece of pie we should give thanks to what we are all thankful for this year. Then we can go into a coma on the couch watching football. Family. That is the first thing to come to mind this year, and I am truly thankful for them all. Even though we...
The recovery of the gray wolf is a success story for the Endangered Species Act, and the best available science should determine whether species remain listed. I am proud that the House voted last week to approve of legislation I co-introduced with Rep. Sean Duffy: H.R. 6784, the Manage Our Wolves Act, which will return management of the gray wolf species to the states. The states are best equipped to provide more effective and accountable management that responds to the needs of the ecosystem, other species, and local communities. In 2013,...
The special Veteran’s section in last Wednesday’s Star newspaper was another reminder of the debt we owe to our servicemen and women. They serve to protect the freedoms we so often take for granted. Locally, the “Isle of Flags” program at Spring Canyon is one opportunity we experience each year where we honor and salute our veterans. Again, around Veteran’s Day, The Star newspaper publishes a special section using pictures of local service personnel. It continues to grow each year. While I was growing up in Palouse, Washington, veterans...
November 11 of this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. Over the course of that conflict, 116,516 American military personnel lost their lives. The deadliest battle in U.S. history was at Argonne Forest, from September 26, 1918, lasting more than a month, until the Armistice. The battle involved more than one million American soldiers and resulted in more than 26,000 American military deaths. The toll was unimaginable, but the U.S. contribution and heavy sacrifice on behalf of the Allied cause turned the...
A lot has been in the news recently about freedom, civil rights and equality. I tend to stay away from a lot of those volatile topics just because words can be bent or misused and turn a civil conversation into a riotous movement. But there are some topics from which I will never shy away, and I will jump in with both feet and swinging. God, America and veterans are three of those topics, and I was reminded of them last Friday at the assembly at Lake Roosevelt. I always get emotional at the Veterans Day assembly. I just can’t help it. But t...
While both sides argue over the merits of Seattle’s escalating minimum wage, there are other issues, such as the total cost per worker, which enter into hiring equations. When employers look to add or retain workers, they must not only consider wages, but the added required benefits which they must pay for each individual they employ. They must keep costs on par with their competitors, because employees are a big part of their operating costs. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (...
I had a friend at the age of 10 who swore to me that she was a boy. We were just kids playing in sand and gravel of a pit behind my home outside Missoula, Montana. Her statement didn’t really make any sense to me. She looked like a girl to me, although her interests seemed to indicate she was different. Neither one of us had any idea what sex was all about. But one day she felt compelled to tell me she was really a boy, not a girl. The memory of her informs my opinions on the current international struggle in society to recognize those we now c... Full story
As we near Thanksgiving, I hope the Raider Nation will join me in being thankful for the vision and passion Rob Williams had for starting the Lake Roosevelt youth football program 11 or so years ago. Many of the players on this year’s team had the opportunity to grow up playing football and getting better because Rob wouldn’t take no for an answer when pursuing his passion to create a youth football program in the Coulee that would be safe, fun, and make kids better people and players. Although it has been 10 years since we lost Rob, it is awe...
If you live in the Grand Coulee Dam area, you know that the large volcano-looking structure beside the high school is called “the sand hill.” It is one of the markers of our little area that has become part of the town. Very much like our dam, North Dam Park, Banks Lake, Siam Palace, Loepps and the TeePee, it has become a part of our community. But the history it holds tells a story that only a large sand hill can tell. Most of us know it is the leftover sand from the construction of our Gra...
In the last column, I wrote about the physical changes occurring in and around the Arctic Ocean. Those changes are occurring due to climate change. Shipping lanes are being used for commerce, significantly cutting travel time and saving fuel. Other transformations are happening as a direct result of climate change in that part of the world as well. The geopolitics of the Arctic is affected as much as the physical body of the region. Several nations are looking at the region and envisioning...
Meet the late Will Chaussee. On the outside, he was a cedar lumber owner-dealer. On the inside, he was a mountain man, and he owned a sapphire mine between Hamilton and Philipsburg, Montana. He retired and annually invited me to his place up in the mountains, where we fished, explored a bit and told stories that were mostly true. He had returned to Bothell on business and looked in on me at the newspaper there where I worked, and said, “Look what I found at the mine, a sapphire fit for a king.” That started it, and for the next several mon...
At the end of last year, a group of people visited the school and brought a strong message. They not only came to Lake Roosevelt, but traveled to Nespelem, Omak, Paschal Sherman, Inchelium and Keller schools as well, bringing with them a message of self-worth, overcoming and positive actions. In Lake Roosevelt this has caused a ripple effect of good things, and I keep going back to that turning point of communication. When James Pakootas, Miah Bearcub, Lou Rouda, TS Solution and John Crown spoke on the stage in the Raider gym, I am sure they kn...
Last week The Star published “Town now planning entire lift station to serve Elmer City.” As a short response, Coulee Dam should not subsidize Elmer City. It’s unreasonable, it’s poor strategy (with some caveats), it’s a matter of fairness, and may violate the state constitution & statutes (as a gift of funds). During the planning, design, and approvals for the new Coulee Dam wastewater treatment facility, the town took all reasonable efforts to include and involve all those impacted and involved the stakeholders — specifically, since the T...
Why: Cindy cares about Grant County and actively participates in making it better. Cindy listens and is passionate about finding positive solutions. Cindy is fiscally responsible and holds departments accountable. Cindy is dedicated to public service and has a great working relationship with us, department heads, and other agencies. Cindy is accessible and willing to help at all times. Cindy is well-respected and a trusted county leader. Please join us in re-electing Cindy Carter for Grant County Commissioner - District 3. Michele Jaderlund,...
Looming at the PUD is replacement of a complicated (and vital) energy sales contract, new infrastructure to meet growing power demands, and the resolve and creativity to finally finish building out the PUD fiber optic network. We need commissioners who actually understand how debt works — not folks who throw around scary debt numbers with no context. Terry Brewer and Patti Paris will begin on Day 1 of the new term as effective PUD Commissioners. No learning curve needed. Please look beyond the $$ onslaught of Ag Power User road and yard s...