News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 2134 - 2158 of 3733
Looking west over the outlet works and conduit liners at elevation 1036 during the course of installation. - Aug. 10, 1939...
Readers should be aware of a couple of policies The Star will follow this year and into the future. First, regarding elections: The Star will accept one letter from each of the candidates in local elections this year as a means of introducing their general ideas to the voters. And we have begun the process of seeking interviews with each of those candidates in contested elections to further our readers’ understanding of the issues and of the candidates themselves. Readers, of course, are encouraged to share their thoughts on the process, the c...
My Thanks to Star Publisher Scott Hunter for this opportunity to write to all of you as I begin my campaign for a seat on the Coulee Dam Town Council. From the beginning, Scott has supported and encouraged local citizens to improve our greater Grand Coulee Dam Area by volunteering and serving to the best of our individual and collective abilities. I was born here in Coulee Dam and graduated from the local high school in 1969. Five years later, I received my degree in Civil Engineering from Washington State University and began a 32-year career...
Once again, we come to the community to thank everyone for a fantastic summer season at the VET Center. Our American Legion Post appreciates everybody who came by and shopped with us during our sale season. Although it seemed like a really long stretch for those of us who worked every week to gather and prepare all the treasures that we had for sale, the time flew by as we greeted many of the same people on a weekly basis. With all the community support our sales set a record this year, bypassing our best year by a vast amount. As of now, we...
OK, by now we should all realize that we cannot believe everything on the internet, on social media, and on some network and cable news shows. Everything, it seems, is molded, skewed and edited to lean one direction or the other. What some may call propaganda, others are calling a conspiracy theory, and even others are demanding it is either fact or fiction. So, what do we conclude as true? Do we stick our head in the sand and ignore it all? I don’t have a definite answer, but I do know there is one truth out there; but I feel I need to e...
The W.P.A. tugboat "Blue Ox" is railroaded out onto the elevation 1180 trestle where a crane lowered it to the water surface of the Columbia River Reservoir. - August 4, 1939 photo...
There was a time, not so long ago, when neighbors helped each other out. They loaned tools, kept an eye on each other’s property and kids, and came over for neighborhood barbecues. The Andy Griffith Show depicted everyday small town life, a good-old-boy sheriff, the talkative barber, and community members who baked, supported and helped whenever they knew there was a need. I got reminded of that recently and think we could all get back to Mayberry. My family has new neighbors beside us and as we had a conversation over the chain-link fence i...
I am an Okanogan Indian and a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. I am so disappointed in your name choice; I must re-remind you of your history and that we are not 12 tribes; we are but 10 bands of one tribe. The name change you have suggested sounds like you are glorifying the Grand Coulee Dam, not the falls that no longer exist, nor the river that is no more. Why would you think that we the Syilx People would consider that to be just or respectful? It is the fact that we are a Salmon People and not “Big Water” peo...
Last Wednesday, President Trump signed bipartisan legislation into law that Congress had passed overwhelmingly to sanction hostile regimes in North Korea, Russia, and Iran. I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House on a vote of 419 to 3 to pass the “Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act.” After House passage, the Senate voted 98 to 2 to send the bill to the President’s desk. The unity in Congress’ action shows how seriously we are taking adversaries who work to oppose American interests and those of our allies around...
Do ordinary citizens still have a voice in Washington and in their state capitals? Despite the cynicism of these times, my answer is, yes, we do. ... But we have to exercise it. I don’t just mean going to a town hall meeting and yelling, or shooting off a letter or email. I mean making an appointment to sit down with your representative — in his or her office, at a cafe in the district, or wherever else you can meet — and holding a real conversation. We don’t do this often enough in our country. The heart of a representative democracy does no...
The upper portion of a ring follower emergency gate in a chamber of the elevation 950 gallery. The hydraulically operated gate closes or opens a 102-inch diameter outlet conduit 16 feet below at elevation 934. - August 4, 1939 photo...
Grand Coulee, Washington. What a beautiful place to call home. I had never heard of this small town before I relocated here two years ago. Since I’ve been here I have seen so many beautiful sights, but nothing has compared to the creation built, and the reason this town even exists, called the Grand Coulee Dam. I’m not sure why I had never heard of this incredible accomplishment and entity that has had such a profound effect on our country and the backbone to us winning a war, but if you haven’t watched videos or read up on its history, then... Full story
Insurance at its essence is a simple concept. A large number of people get together and make payments to a central fund so that when an unfortunate event occurs to one member there are sufficient reserves to cover the cost incurred. It is all too common in our country that uncovered individuals who need healthcare get that care from institutions, private and public, and the institutions are left to cover the cost. The difference is made up by charging those with coverage, or with the ability to pay, more for their healthcare. We have... Full story
Delivering high quality health care in rural communities – including those in Central Washington – has long been a growing challenge. Access to primary care can be time-consuming and costly for medically-underserved rural residents. Less-populated areas are facing a devastating shortage of primary care physicians compared to urban areas. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, while 20 percent of the nation’s population lives in rural areas, only 10 percent of physicians practice in those same areas. I have heard from and spoke... Full story
When John Elway retired, the Broncos did not close down Mile High Stadium and go home; they came back and gave it all they could the next year. When Michael Jordan left the Bulls, the rest of the team did not quit and refuse to play the next year. When Pat Riley hung up his whistle, the team still had a mission to contend for. This week we got news that the popular Head Coach of Raider Football is taking a position elsewhere. This column is not for most of you. This column is directed at the Lake Roosevelt Football players. Coach Endsley was no... Full story
Repairing eroded spots on the face of the spillway at Grand Coulee Dam. Like a dentist filling a tooth, workmen are busy concreting the eroded spots caused by the spring and summer overflow sweeping 350 feet down the face of the dam. This repair work can only be done in late summer and fall. In the winter it is too cold and the rest of the year too much water is spilling. - August 1, 1949 photo... Full story
As I was waiting to go up the hill in the line of traffic after the fireworks this year, I saw a woman pushing her baby in a stroller. She hit one of the bumps in the sidewalk and the stroller did a stoppie. If that baby hadn’t been buckled in, it would have gone flying in the air and landed hard on the sidewalk. It made me wonder how many other babies got a hell ride that night on the sidewalks of our Great Grand Coulee Dam. I mean, those sidewalks have been in that condition for many years. I wonder how many babies really have gone flying i... Full story
My thanks to The Star for providing the opportunity to share some of my background and why I want to be your mayor for the next four years. I am looking forward to listening to you share your concerns, ideas and thoughts of how we can work together to make our town a better place to live. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during my campaign to be your mayor. Working together, we can accomplish and solve some of the problems plaguing our town. I was born and raised in the Brewster-Pateros area and graduated from Wenatchee... Full story
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. Winston Churchill Three and a half years ago the voters of Coulee Dam elected a new Mayor and a new Councilperson. In that time what have we seen in the name of progress. Our waste water sewer plant is still waiting to start construction. Our streets are in need of repair. Our sidewalks are getting worse by the day and until the cause of the problems are addressed their condition will... Full story
Tucked within the text of both the House and Senate’s bills to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is language which seeks to fundamentally change the Medicaid program. While the enactment of this legislation is unknown, the principle remains, and rural seniors would be hurt. For rural states and regions that already encounter the health care challenges of an older, poorer and less healthy population, Medicaid allows access to care to remain for even those who are not enrolled under the entitlement. In our nation’s rural areas, 15 per... Full story
Last week I wrote a column called “This old truck.” I got a lot of good feedback from guys and a few gals. But Saturday I got to see an old truck in action as it carried the casket of my good friend and mentor, Derlyn Brown. The truck was an antique Grand Coulee Fire Department truck from an era gone by, and it was Derlyn’s request that he ride in a fire truck when he passed. I got that request as Grand Coulee and the USBR Fire Department honored him. I learned a lot about the man I thought I knew during his funeral. I knew that he put God f... Full story
Roof of right powerhouse looking west from bay R-4, and showing in general the major breaks in the mastic wearing course, along the downstream or right-hand side of the downstream row of concrete tower footings. The "21"-line transverse expansion joint, between units R-4 and R-5, can be seen across the lower center of the photo. All cracks run longitudinally or east-west, with minor off-sets.-July 26, 1945.... Full story
Efficiency in government is always an important goal, but not always the most important one. That point was made clear by the Coulee Dam Town Council last week when it directed that the worst of the town’s sidewalks should be fixed with money available for it, even if it would cost much more than waiting for a bigger job and higher efficiency. The vote put an end to a months-long tussle over the subject, which has grown fissures in town politics wider than the cracks in the sidewalks themselves. The mayor has argued that the problem is much l... Full story
I have written you, the Colville Business Council, through this approach to let everyone know what I am saying to you. Now that we have a new Business Council seated, I respectfully ask that each of you take these three things into consideration, now. First, to change our name to reflect our history. We are bands of Indians that spoke one language, N Syilxn, not three languages. We are Salmon People. We are not a scattered group of hunter gatherers. We are a strong and vibrant People that other Tribes feared. Let the name reflect us, the sqilx-... Full story
When the Economist Magazine reported the price of a Guinness pint could increase because of Brexit, it grabbed readers’ attention. Brexit is the process whereby Great Britain, including Northern Ireland and Scotland, is withdrawing from the European Union. The Republic of Ireland remains with 26 other nations. EU members benefit from a standardized system of laws which allows the free movement of people and goods. Costly border checkpoints were abolished, but because of Brexit, they may be reconstructed between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Whi... Full story