News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Covid-19 cases have risen again over recent weeks to numbers not seen since early this year. This is largely preventable thanks to the vaccines discovered and developed in record time. All of us can do our part by getting vaccinated, and our nation’s employers have a unique role to play in this effort. Many of America’s largest companies, including Tyson Foods, Google, and Walmart, are taking critical steps by requiring that their employees get the vaccine. The White House is mandating vaccines for all federal employees and millions of fed...
I am now to a point where I welcome new leadership at the highest levels in my hometown school district. This is because there is a proven pattern of not listening to valid concerns with responsive progressive changes and people are treated poorly or ignored. As a community member for 40 years, a taxpayer and someone who loves our local school district, I will clearly focus on just 2 major areas of concern for now. Sound human dynamics I feel that quality relationships and a high level of collaborative thinking with a growth mindset must...
This month, gas prices nationwide are the highest they’ve been since October 2014, and President Biden’s failed energy policies are directly responsible. Since assuming office in January, President Biden has worked with congressional Democrats to put forth Executive Orders and other policies designed to reduce access to our country’s oil and gas resources, which not only diminishes the global competitiveness of American companies and workers but has strained our ability to access the energy we need to live and work. This Administration seems...
My brother David turned Texan on me. Of my three brothers, I was closest to Dave. He and I were both red headed when young and seemed to be more like our Norwegian mother than like our father. Shortly after he returned from serving in the air force in World War II, he moved to Texas. I visited him in Houston a number of times, but not just recently. He passed on a number of years ago. When I visited Texas it was always a relief when I left the state and entered into New Mexico. New Mexico never looked so good. I’ve heard it said that the U...
Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota was never a darling of conservatives; however, in his later years he shocked fellow Democrats by his outspoken backing for streamlining government regulations and eliminating frivolous lawsuits — positions championed mostly by Republicans. McGovern, a decorated World War II B-24 pilot who flew 35 combat missions over North Africa and Europe, was an unabashed self-professed liberal. He won the Democrat presidential nomination in 1972 but lost the election i...
We have just celebrated Indigenous People’s Day. We have called this Columbus Day for far too long. We have been taught for centuries that Columbus discovered America. As a people, we developed a word ditty that helps us remember this untruth. When Columbus landed in the new world there were already over a million natives occupying the land. In their eyes, his appearance and the resulting occupation of the country by the white man created issues that we are still learning how to deal with. School boards are the most recent place to show a...
Greetings to all concerned voters. My name is Kenneth “Butch” Stanger, and I am requesting your support for the Position No. 2, Grand Coulee Dam School 301J-GCDSD, Board of Directors-BOD, for the term 2022-2025. Through the continued support of the general voting community, it has been my joy and pleasure to represent the GCDSD going into my twelfth (12th) year at the start of school year 2021. I am a graduate of Coulee Dam High School, and a majority of my children, grandchildren, nieces-nephews, have attended and graduated from LRHS. I ser...
Unfortunately, what happens in Taiwan doesn’t just stay in Taiwan, it impacts us. So, when President Xi Jinping announced China’s plan to step up “unification” efforts, it gets our attention. “U.S. ties with Taiwan, a Cold War ally, are a lightning rod in the testy relations between Washington and Beijing, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and vows to use military force if needed to annex the island,” the Wall Street Journal reported recently. Xi’s words are not idle threats. “Over the p...
The true spirit of hard work and helping others is demonstrated on a daily basis in rural communities. However, those attributes weren’t developed overnight, and need to be nurtured for a strong sense of community to continue. Individual actions for the greater good can start with each of us. From volunteering for a local organization or event, and working with local leaders on an issue, to running for public office, rural residents can make an impact in many ways. It can be as simple, yet meaningful, as welcoming new residents, attending s...
Central Washington is made up of honest, hardworking, freedom-loving Americans who provide food and fiber for this nation, and my district is home to some of the most dedicated and innovative agriculture producers in the country. Washington’s farmers and ranchers produce more than 300 commodities, including high-quality hay, wheat, beef, dairy, and specialty crops like apples, hops, potatoes, cherries, mint, and winegrapes. Blessed with the conditions to produce such a diverse range of crops, Central Washington is proud to share its natural a...
Together we have experienced another astronomical event, we are now in autumn. Temperatures are falling and many of us are breathing a slight sigh of relief. Wildfire smoke has dissipated, yet we are still in drought. Nationally, our region is in the sixth percentile of Exceptional Drought, also known as “D4.” Areas to our south are still burning. The largest wildfire still active, the Dixie Fire in Northern California, is well over 900,000 acres. Here in Washington state, the Schneider Spr...
For the first time in a long time, we have good news for our family farmers who have been under tremendous economic strain caused by drought, wildfires, and extreme heat. Last week, the president signed into law H.R. 5305 – Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (Continuing Resolution). A short-term funding solution to keep our government running is never ideal, but this Continuing Resolution provides for many of Central Washington’s priorities. Specifically, this law includes $28.6 billion in emergency sup...
Rural Americans with an eye for renewable energy recently received promising news—the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $464 million in solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects benefiting small businesses and farming operations. Of the total investment, more than $128 million will be distributed through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Designed specifically for agricultural producers and rural small businesses, REAP provides loan and grant funding for these entities to invest in renewable energy systems o...
While in Thailand, I was lucky enough to pick up 3 that sell rubbings. One features two Thai women dressed in ancient Thai costumes. The other is a Thai warrior on an elephant. The two rubbings are about 17 inches square. Dennis King did the framing, his usual outstanding work. I didn’t get to see the actual rubbing, although you can catch it on the internet. My rubbings were done on rice paper, which is very flexible, but strong, and accepts ink well. They folded well and placed in my suitcase and when opened up were good as new. In Chiang Mai...
The White House and local politicians have something in common: They are all in the thrall of a trend, evolving over a couple decades or more, to keep more secrets from the people they serve. Last week The Washington Post reported that President Joe Biden was “leaning toward” releasing information that Congress has requested. Congress has a duty to provide oversight over the executive branch. Giving information to Congress that it needs to perform that constitutional duty should be a given unless blocked by the third branch of government, the...
For the entire year, the Columbia Basin Development League has been pushing to ensure the White House infrastructure plan would include water infrastructure for agriculture. Drinking water infrastructure was a given, but funding for aging reservoirs, dams, canals, and pipes that deliver irrigation for crops was more elusive. So was funding for new infrastructure desperately needed by the Odessa Ground Water Replacement Program (OGWRP) that will replace water coming from a declining aquifer with reliable Columbia Basin Project water. The same...
United States armed forces have superior morale, leadership, training, and weapons systems. After the Vietnam era, the U.S. military resolved to never again become engaged in that type of quagmire. Efforts were made to develop procedures making it difficult for Congress or the president to commit U.S. military forces to a task not appropriate for military force. The U.S. Army reoriented to maximize effectiveness when deployed against a conventional enemy military force fielded by a nation-state that has a capability to present a serious threat...
These airline incidents threaten the lives of everyone aboard. The other day a plane two hours out from a flight from Honolulu to Seattle had to turn around and go back because a passenger acted up and interfered with a flight attendant. They need to put a stop to this before there is a disaster. These people need to be on a no-fly list for all airlines, suffer a stiff fine, and look at a mandatory jail sentence. It has been a few years since I’ve been flying, but it would have been unheard of back then. It isn’t just airline passengers who bec...
As I’m writing this letter, 15 of our students or staff in our school district are positive with COVID-19 and 70 students (10% of our student body) are in quarantine because they have been exposed. At the same time, a large portion of the school staff remains unvaccinated: that’s the elephant in the room I would like to address. On October 18th, by state mandate, all school staff and volunteers working in contact with children must be fully vaccinated. That is, unless they have a medical or religious exemption. In our school, we likely hav...
I never thought I’d have to be writing this but let me be clear: The Constitution and Declaration of Independence, our nation’s foundational documents and declaration of beliefs, are not controversial – period. I will always stand to protect, defend, and follow our Constitution. Unfortunately, in the latest showing of “cancel culture,” the Biden Administration’s National Archives Task Force has labeled our country’s records – including seminal documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution ...
Never been a crop failure in the Palouse, I think, never! The area abounds in deep, rich soil and an abundance of rain at the critical time in the spring. Not this year. Of course, the soil hasn’t changed. But the rains didn’t come. One farmer I know reported only about 60% of normal yields. The only good news about the harvest is that the wheat prices were up. When I was a student in high school there, in one class we were sent out to measure the rich, black topsoil. We took our augurs and were surprised to find that where we measured the top...
If you have contacted my office in recent years, you know that I pride myself in delivering personal responses to you. My office staff and I work very hard to make sure you receive prompt and detailed information related to your questions and concerns. Despite the high volume of communications my office receives, I still try to respond personally to each. Unfortunately, I was unable to respond personally to thousands of inquiries last month following Governor Inslee’s statewide mask and COVID vaccine mandates. In an effort to provide you w...
During the past 18 months, the pandemic has had significant impact on our lives. However, small businesses have the greatest impact on our livelihoods. Whether self-employed or the employer to dozens, small businesses are the engine that keep our economy and our communities running. They are the providers of goods and services; and, also the providers of incomes and sustenance. Being a small business owner is difficult even in the best of economic times, so to say small business ownership has been a challenge the past year and a half is an...
In recent years, the cost of solar energy has plummeted, and demand has escalated due to consumer support for clean energy and the value it adds to a property owner’s land and rural communities. However, in the U.S., solar energy provided less than 4% of the country’s electricity in 2020. Last week, the Biden administration announced a plan to procure 45% of the country’s electricity from the sun by 2050. However, the pathway to achieving the set goal will be up to Congress as the administration has only released a general outline for the p...
Myanmar (Burma) has its own way of storing gold. The Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the premier Buddhist temples in the world and dates back some 2,500 years. Here in the U.S. we think of things 200-300 years old as really old. Not there, nor in most of the world. This huge monument wears thousands of tons of gold, like a coat in cold weather. As if this isn’t rich enough, it has thousands of diamonds on its top, including one of over 70 carats. I like to think of myself as a contributor to the country’s wealth. While there, I patiently wat...