News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1896 - 1920 of 3737
I applaud your board for listening to these young people and that they encouraged them to attend more and bring more students to be involved. It shows how truly STRONG ALL of you are. What a lucky community to have young people who are learning how to express themselves and are willing to be involved. The world needs success and I’m pretty sure you are all on your way. Lorraine Niderost...
I think the young ladies have valid points on the dress code concerns (“Students express desire to change dress code, school system,” 7-25-18), and I think they should carry on their concerns and recruit more of the student body to address such issues that go on in “Raider Country.” An added concern: issues of the continual “bullying” at our schools. NUMEROUS Raiders come to me and my counterparts asking what could be done and where to go. I do refer them to what is written in the school handbooks and the proper way to address the issue. One...
I have lived in this area for almost 19 years, and in that time I have seen good specialists come to this area, be here for a year or two, and leave. This leaves those who need a good orthopedic or heart doctor forced to go to Spokane or even further to see someone. I have to ask WHY. Why is it that this hospital and clinic are unable to keep these doctors? I will have to blame the hospital administrator(s) for this. The hospital needs to do whatever they need to do in order to keep these great doctors. Pay them according to their contracts,...
I keep thinking it has to be full-moon time from the actions of people around me, but no, it wasn’t that. Then I read your article on the number of suicides — seven in a week (“Many take their own lives in last two weeks,” 7/25/18). Living in a depressed area where jobs are scarce and many minimum wage jobs are not full-time, people cannot afford rent, many are homeless or living with other people, which causes extra stress for all. Hot weather, we know, can cause anger and other issues. It is probable that all of these factors play a part; h...
Summer heat seems to make us a little surly at times, but we’re better off keeping our cool. Like when you come across road maintenance work. In the heat. When you’re in a hurry. Time for a deep breath, often needed when traveling out of town, but this summer, locals may be in for patience-testing even close to home. You know about that if you live in east Coulee Dam, where crews are building improved sidewalks and curbs in spots lined out in a Transportation Improvement Board-funded project in much of the area around the school buildings. Pat...
I have been coming to the Coulee Dam area for over 30 years as an annual visitor. As time has gone by, I have grown to appreciate your quaint area’s unique and distinct setting. Summer memories are made here. Families can easily create lasting bonds observing your grand vistas together. Who can argue over the last piece of barbecue chicken when there is such spectacular and varied scenery to appreciate! I have especially noticed that Spring Canyon beaches seem cleaner, brighter and more welcoming the last year or so. You should be proud that t...
In the late 1950s and well into the ’60s, a number of Idaho athletes were at the edge of dominating their respective sports. Shirley Englehorn, from Caldwell, Idaho, at the west end of the Boise Valley, was one of them. She won 11 times on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour and posted another win, not part of the tour. She was born in 1940 and turned pro in 1958, winning her first tournament, the Eastern Open, by a three-stroke margin in 1962. Her career was closely watched by everyone at the Idaho Statesman, where Publisher James B...
Let’s start with the cat. We have a very cuddly and cute kitty named Camaro. She has the sweetest temperament and has stayed pretty small for her age. We adopted her many years ago into our family and she joined Nova and Chevelle in our feline garage. In the beginning, I was not a cat guy. But they grew on me. With every cuddle and purr, I grew fonder and fonder of them. About a month ago, when I was neck deep in graduation and everything that erupts at the end of a school year, we came home lat...
Voters should keep local schools at the same level of tax support voters have been used to for some time. Local school patrons, staff and others have made clear their concerns about local schools. But concerns about discipline issues at the forefront are an entirely separate problem than the one school leaders are hoping to address with the proposed capital projects levy on which voters will decide Aug. 7. That levy would address maintenance and safety issues and swap a burden that has fallen in the past on the general budget to levy dollars,... Full story
As a community we are approaching an important election, the outcome of which will clearly affect the quality of education received by our school-aged children. This election will require a decision by voters on whether our community will continue to financially support the Grand Coulee Dam School District by approving a school levy. The levy is funded through local property taxes. Why is a levy or tax needed? Our community is uniquely disadvantaged because of the large percentage of federally-owned land and land that is not otherwise eligible...
Next month, local voters will have the opportunity to approve the Capital Project Levy for the Grand Coulee Dam School District. This is only a supplemental levy that will address facility and safety needs of the district, as well as offset lost funding from the state. This would not result in an increase of your taxes. The Capital Project Levy’s value would be seen in updated technology, facility improvements, better communication infrastructure, and increased security/safety measures. I’d like to discuss that last item first. The biggest pri...
This last weekend was our annual family campout and this year we welcomed Cairo on his first visit to the “plantation,” our huckleberry heaven. The crop was in good standing this year; an abundance of purple gold was everywhere and everyone ended the weekend with a permanent stain on their picking fingers that you could flavor your coffee with. Karrie and I went up first to grab our coveted spot along the plantation and we went back to our younger days, sleeping on the ground in a tent. It was...
Last month, General Electric lost its place among our nation’s top 30 performing corporations. It was the last member of the original companies which composed the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Since 1896, American investors have looked to the Dow to judge how the top performing companies’ stocks are trading each session. The Dow favors companies with excellent reputations for sustained growth and which have broad investor interest. GE, once the world’s most valuable company, was replaced by Wa...
As we celebrated our nation’s birthday last week, many of us spent time with extended family and friends. For us at the Chamber, it was a busy and somewhat stressful time as we organized and hosted the Festival of America. We’re quite proud of our awesome fireworks show and live music, and if you didn’t have a chance to hear Lila Rose, the Jesse Quandt Band and the Washington National Guard band, you really missed some fantastic music. Last year, with the 4th falling on a Tuesday, we had made the decision to move the festival to the weeke...
Boise, Idaho, was a great baseball town — home to the Boise Braves, a Milwaukee Class C farm club in the Pioneer League. But it was the large number of big-league players that set the tone in the valley. Larry Jackson, Harmon Killebrew and Vernon Law made their home in the city and in nearby towns. Jackson was from Boise, Law from Meridian and Killebrew from Emmett. It was Jackson, a teammate of Stan Musial, who helped me get a long interview with Musial. Jackson, a right-handed pitcher, played with Musial with the St. Louis Cardinals for a n...
Sometimes you never know where your road trip will take you. The plan was to head to Conconully, Washington, to see their annual Independence Day Celebration. We had a plan when we went to bed on Friday, but Saturday morning had its own time schedule. It started with a loud boom that shook the house at about 5:30 a.m. In that half-asleep, half-awake state, I assumed it was a firework, but soon realized I was awake and something was not right. As I got up to investigate, I soon realized that ever...
The most important thing for Americans to remember on July 4, 2018, is that we are Americans. Regardless of political party affiliation, philosophy, religion, creed or race, no matter if we are conservative or liberal, veterans or war protesters, soldiers or civilians, we are Americans. We are petty and noble, hateful and loving, proud and humble, but we are Americans. We may differ, as we always have, on what that even means, or on how to solve our problems, but we will eventually rediscover that we are Americans. So enjoy the national...
Last week I got an email with a photo showing a cloud that had erupted into a rainbow of color. There is a name for what happened: it’s called cloud iridescence or irisation. Some call it cloud rainbows. What happens is individual ice crystals or water droplets in the cloud reflect, refract and disperse incoming sunlight. It’s like what happens when a rainbow develops. A rainbow is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets, causing a spectrum of light to app...
The Jetsons television series about a space-age family featuring “Rosey the Robot” gave us a preview of life with robots, kiosks and interactive television. In 1962, it was a fictitious cartoon; however, in 2018, many of the Jetsons’ conveniences are a reality. Take fast-food restaurants, for example. Faced with a growing shortage of workers and increased costs, some are turning to robots to flip hamburgers and clean grills — mundane, unpleasant and hard-to-fill jobs. Wendy’s installed self-clea...
A lot can happen in a week or two. From Father’s Day to the 4th of July is a busy time in most families. Camping, vacations, fishing trips and camps can take up a lot of this timeframe, but sometimes things can change, and things can look a little different. Also, depending on who you are, things can change. I could write about a little blue truck or a union gathering. But I am not today. I could talk about the “Best Father’s Day Ever” or on running into a Proctor in Pasco, but I will wait on...
A certain seemingly innocent, even holy-sounding, reference made recently by a high government official in defense of an unpopular policy should give Americans pause. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sought to shore up the position of the government by using the authority of scripture, quoting the Apostle Paul when he advises following the laws of the earthly government. “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of o... Full story
As a former employee at the Grand Coulee Dam School District (30 years plus), I would like to respond to the article in last week’s Star entitled “High staff turnover this year in GCD school district.” I am now retired from the district, and I have to say that I was so “thankful” to be able to do so when I did and to “get out” of the school district. I couldn’t agree more with Aaron Derr’s statement: “On several occasions we have formally expressed our concerns about discipline inconsistencies, bullying of other students and staff and not being...
I know you are a liberal but at least you could try to be objective in your selection of the guest editorials. For instance, the so-called Americans for Tax Fairness. This organization is not for fair taxes; they are for higher taxes for everyone. Let me ask you a question. 1- Why do you think the economy is booming? 2- Where is the employment coming from? 3- Who hires workers, the poor? 4- When the economy gets better, what happens to the taxes coming into the treasury? 5- His statement on the wages going down is totally false according to...
I entered Electric City the other day through its southern portal, and was shocked. I don’t know why; I had entered the city through its south end a hundred times before. But this time the many eyesores along the entrance to the city stood out like sore thumbs. There are a number of eyesores — all, I think, owned by individuals — that would shock anyone. I wondered, are all these landowners from Kansas, and why had they all settled here? Maybe the former city attorney had it right after all. He painted a welcoming sign on the front of his b...
Amid all the confusion about zero tolerance and executive orders over the crisis at the border, one thing is clear. At least 2,000 children are still detained away from their parents in shelters across the country. Many — no one knows exactly how many — are under age 5, housed in “tender age” shelters in South Texas. Government officials claim they are safe and well cared for, but nothing could be further from the truth. Years of research shows us that group care is harmful to children of all ages and especially toxic for infants and young c...