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  • The only merciful thing

    Alan Fahnestock|Nov 8, 2017

    I hope everybody saw Dapper Dan Newhouse’s latest screed, wherein he pats himself on the back for a number of things, not least supporting the new Republican bill to renew CHIP. Give me a break. CHIP never should have lapsed: kids don’t quit getting sick just because the governing party has their collective hair on fire to hand tax cuts to rich folks. That’s just one more indication of the rot we’ve come to expect. But trying to re-up CHIP with a bill that’s loaded with poison pills, then trying to fasten the blame for failure on people wh...

  • Doublespeak supports the unfair and morally obscene

    Lou Stone|Nov 8, 2017

    Doublespeak supports the unfair and morally obscene Is Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers ignorant about what is going on, literally, on the ground? She gives “doublespeak” about her support for the destruction of public lands in supporting House Resolution 3990 and in support of the newest House bill on budget and tax reform. First, on the budget, Congresswoman Rodgers’ support would do deep harm to tens of millions of working families, women, kids, the sick, the elderly, and the poor. It cuts Medicaid by more than $1 trillion over 10 years...

  • Re: "Dangerous dog seized from owner"

    Stephanie Guin|Nov 8, 2017

    These people are unreal. One-time bite and he’s dangerous. Really, but you can drive drunk and get five and six DUIs and go out to try and kill again, but a dog being protective is all of a sudden dangerous. You people need to really get your priorities together. Try upholding some city ordinances like some of the people who’ve got trash in their yard, or the yards need to be cut down, or their house needs to be torn out of there and demolished. Let’s do something about some of that stuff instead of focusing our energy on a dog prote...

  • Growing up, Raiders and conversation

    Jesse Utz|Nov 8, 2017

    This weekend was jam packed with sports, emergencies and some really good impromptu conversations with strangers and friends. Here are the highlights. Raider football is headed to the state playoffs. Yes, you read that right, and we could not be prouder here in Raider Nation. In a cold, bitter game, the Raiders overcame mistakes and the wind-chill factor to pull off a back-and-forth game that saw them sitting on top of the scoreboard over Kittitas. We have a pretty young team, if you did not...

  • Sixty-seven Years Ago

    Nov 8, 2017

    Spillway bucket repair, block 54: this view, inside the working chamber of the floating caisson, shows the finished surface of the replaced concrete in the apron section, which is at the downstream end of the bucket. Workmen are removing I-beams that were used to hold the forms for the pour. Pacific Bridge Contract - March 20, 1950...

  • Vote to support juvenile center upgrades

    Isabelle Spohn|Nov 1, 2017

    It hasn’t been long since our previous county commissioners held evening meetings discussing the pros and cons of sending our juvenile offenders to Martin Hall in Medical Lake. Individuals from the Coulee Dam area even made the long journey to Okanogan to testify in favor of keeping these young people in our county, where they would be close to family support and therapy programs designed to fit their needs. Our collective voices demanded attention, and the current board of commissioners has continued this trend by presenting a plan for funding...

  • Vote for juvenile detention and jail facilities

    Sharon Sumpter|Nov 1, 2017

    In 2016, hundreds of citizens spoke out against a possible move of Okanogan County’s juvenile detention facilities to the Spokane area to be managed by a multi-state business. That proposed move would have also meant a loss of 10-plus professional jobs and their contribution to the local economy. The pressure that engaged citizens used to dissuade our county commissioners from “robbing Peter to pay Paul” was effective, and commissioners rightly decided that the people DID NOT want this service, nor our children moved more than 200 miles away...

  • Rural prosperity essential to Washington

    Don C. Brunell|Nov 1, 2017

    While Seattle is growing rapidly, our rural areas continue to struggle. They don’t have the corporate giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing creating jobs and economic opportunities. Farms are predominantly family-owned. Today, there is a rejuvenated effort to bring prosperity to Washington’s rural communities. While agriculture is the largest sector, timber, manufacturing, high tech and energy provide opportunities as well. Rural jobs and economic revitalization are national in scope. Writing in “The Daily Yonder,” Bill Bishop reports...

  • Gems in the Coulee: Sheila Darnold

    Jesse Utz|Nov 1, 2017

    If you know her, then you already know she goes way beyond what an average secretary does. If you don’t, then you have not had a child go through the school system in the last, well, a lot of years. Sheila Darnold’s work ethic is beyond superb. Sick, 15-hour days, and stress beyond imagine are things she suffers from and yet still shows up just about every day. She will tell you she is not “Super Woman,” but every administrator that has ever worked with her will argue with her about that. She is, and that is why she is a “Gem in the Coulee....

  • Sixty-eight Years Ago

    Nov 1, 2017

    Cleaning up the foundation of North Dam – Dynamite and power shovels have removed the bulk of the excavation, and men with shovels are cleaning the balance. In the background, the trench for the cut-off wall may be seen extending up the south abutment. This dam is about 1400 feet long and 150 feet above the lowest point shown in this picture. - Oct. 28, 1949...

  • Consider carefully before you cast your vote

    Greg Wilder|Oct 25, 2017

    Before you cast your vote — take the time vetting. In other words, “make a careful and critical examination.” Do you “really” know about our Coulee Dam candidates? You already know about David Schmidt and Gayle Swagerty … they actually work for you and they serve us in a thoughtful way. To serve as a mayor or council member, a board or a committee member is a gift to the electorate. Some may have little or no governmental experience … that’s not important. What is important is if they stand tall with the energy, ideas, minds, AND their ethic...

  • Passion and belief

    Jesse Utz|Oct 25, 2017

    I recently had to write a recommendation letter for a young man in our community that has been nominated for an award. Part of the criteria was to write about his “Passion and Belief.” That got me thinking. What would others say about my passion and my belief, and do I see passion and belief in others? I know, deep question with deeper thoughts, but I dove in anyway, partly for James Pakootas and partly for myself. What do others see as my passion? Well, that used to be firefighting and eme...

  • Amazon's plan reminiscent of Boeing's Chicago move

    Don C. Brunell|Oct 25, 2017

    Last year, Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates wrote about the similarities and differences between Boeing’s corporate office move to Chicago and Amazon’s plan for a second headquarters. Boeing wanted to leave Seattle in an effort to separate its corporate leadership from manufacturing sites, while Amazon, with an unusual strategy, plans to keep its headquarters here but set up a parallel operation elsewhere. Boeing hoped to find a more conservative business climate while Amazon wants a city which is a “cultural fit.” Gates reporte...

  • Sixty-eight Years Ago

    Oct 25, 2017

    Form Work for the cut and cover section - Preparing forms for the entrance to the cut and cover stretch of the feeder canal. A transition section from round to square is required and a further transition to the ordinary canal section will also be necessary. Here workmen are preparing the steel for the base of the round-to-square transition. - Oct. 7, 1949 photo...

  • Mean spirit not warranted against protesters

    Darla Orr|Oct 18, 2017

    The volume of recent surprisingly vitriolic comments has forced me into this rare, lengthy post. In this age when our kids and grandkids will spend more time on social media than we adults ever will, is it possible we could set a good example by dialing back the hateful rhetoric, venom, denigration and malice aforethought a bit? Perhaps, display the benefits of the compromise we have learned from grade school, debate club, city council, PTA meetings, our jobs, and our love lives. Can we agree to disagree? That’s the advantage of the USA c...

  • Tourism money would be misspent on a couple parks

    Ted Piccolo|Oct 18, 2017

    The leaders of Electric City would be monumentally mistaken to spend almost a million dollars on two parks. #1) There is no way you can justify Hotel/Motel tax money that is earmarked for tourism be spent on a rinky dink park. NO WAY people are going to drive from Seattle, Washington, to see your little town park. #2) Our region is REPLETE with parks and outdoor activities. Of all the things we might not have, outdoorsy things are not one of them. And I mean we have GREAT outdoor things. We have Steamboat Rock State Park and all the little...

  • Museum working on projects

    Birdie Hensley|Oct 18, 2017

    The beginning of a new year... or is it the end of a year? Whatever works for you will work for me. The Coulee Pioneer Museum in Electric City has had another successful year. Each year it grows a little, and more and more people are donating items to it. This is that time of the year when the Coulee Pioneer Museum produces another Historical Calendar. This year we are highlighting Coulee Dam and down river. We’re also celebrating Coulee Dam’s new logo. Calendars can be purchased with a membership for $30, or you can get the calendar alone for...

  • Crosswalkers and other stuff

    Jesse Utz|Oct 18, 2017

    I do believe it is still a law to stop for people in crosswalks. On Monday morning I stopped for a couple that was standing in a crosswalk in Coulee Dam. They started to cross when the truck behind me gunned the gas to go around me. He sped by right in front of the crossing pedestrians. It was almost a disaster right before me, all because of impatience. I almost followed the truck, found out where it was going and wrote down the license plate. But I did not. I did not confront the person that almost hit two people crossing the road. I did...

  • Seventy-eight Years Ago

    Oct 18, 2017

    An 18-foot diameter penstock liner, and load of reinforcement steel approaches the right powerhouse by road along the river. A barge will carry one truck and the loaded trailer across the intervening water of the right tailrace. The reartruck acts as a hold back on the down-grade portions of the road. - October 27, 1939...

  • City must be careful not to spend the wrong money

    Scott Hunter|Oct 11, 2017

    A few years ago, Electric City inadvertently ran afoul of the rules for properly appropriating funds brought in by taxes collected from motel and campground patrons, leading to a small fiscal problem when the city had to repay the money to its own reserves. The city should be careful that it’s not about to make that mistake multiplied many times over. When city council members and the mayor back then decided that those hotel/motel taxes could be used to buy Christmas lighting to decorate power poles along the main thoroughfare, they reasoned t...

  • Jesse gives reader hope

    Barbara Peter|Oct 11, 2017

    Over this past year “Jess, shut up!” has become the first thing I turn to after reading the front page. I just want him to know how much I appreciate his column, and warn him that if I ever see him in person, I will be giving him a BIG hug. He gives me hope that there are some good people out there. Barbara Peter...

  • Honoring Jarrett for his service

    Marlene Oddie|Oct 11, 2017

    Instead of just relaxing in retirement, Richard “Dick” Jarrett and his wife, Nancy, were committed to working for the Lord. In 2003, Dick called the regional Seventh-day Adventist church leadership and was able to speak with Doug Johnson, the then-communication director. Doug provided names of several churches across the northwest that could use some assistance. Dick and his wife actually went to all of them and, through prayer and a hat draw, Grand Coulee was selected. His wife was enthusiastic about community outreach and started a thr...

  • The quiet rock and roll star

    Oct 11, 2017

    Some of you may have missed it, but Tom Petty passed away this last week. There was other pressing news on the headlines taking the most press time, but the rock and roll legend’s life was very similar to the way he went out. Powerful, but not fighting for attention, he was one of the most influential and popular American rock stars of our generation and his music continues to be favored by all generations. It all started with a chance meeting with Elvis in 1961, and that set the spark. Fueled by the Beatles and Rolling Stones, he set out to be...

  • Seventy-eight Years Ago

    Oct 11, 2017

    The outlet works at elevation 1036 have been embedded in concrete, and formwork is in place for the gate gallery control chamber. The four vertical pipe headers on each side of the gate chamber forms are the air vent headers for the outlet gates - four for the gates at elevation 934 and four for the gates at elevation 1036. - Sept. 21, 1939...

  • Real newspapers, real news

    Rollie Atkinson|Oct 4, 2017

    “Real Newspapers, Real News” is the theme of this year’s National Newspaper Week (Oct. 1-7). Indeed, there’s always been lots of “real” at newspapers. Real stories, real journalism, real work, real deadlines, real honesty, real facts, real changes and, now, real threats. This is the 77th annual National Newspaper Week, a time to reflect on the job of newspapers to keep all things “real,” such as real conversation, real democracy, real science, real trade, real fact-sharing, real faith and real friends. Of course, we hear lots these days abou...

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