News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 2431 - 2455 of 3733
In the primary, Okanogan County voters demonstrated that they want change from the county commissioners. One incumbent did not get enough votes to run in the general election. The other was in an almost three-way tie with two new candidates. The reasons for change are many. The current commissioners have repeatedly put themselves on the minority view of many issues — road closures, ignoring citizens’ concerns, disregarding state law and regulations, micromanaging departmental expenditures and staffing, and litigating their agendas instead of... Full story
The Coulee Dam All Class Reunion Committee and I would like to thank the Grand Coulee Dam area businesses and residents for hosting our reunion Aug. 5-7. Something very special and almost magical happened that weekend as 500 former classmates and teachers visited your small-town high school gym, where many memories were made growing up as young children and teenagers. I saw many tears of joy, many hugs from the heart, and many unending smiles from our classmates as they greeted their fellow classmates, many not having been seen in 40, 50, and... Full story
There are a lot of TV and print and talk shows about terrorism here and terrorism there. It is a serious matter, terrorism is. What makes it worrisome is that it is not well defined, and it seems some government officials want it that way. Some of you may not recognize total censorship or censorship as terrorism. The Peoples got punished over the last few years for having an opinion about corruption in Colville tribal government from the top down. Letters to the editor were removed from our tribal newsprint in total. The “Clowncil” and its sta... Full story
Recently, a group of people went to Crown Point to pray. Not too unusual, but what they prayed against might be. They prayed against crime. In particular, they prayed against the recent uproar of criminals in our area. It has gotten bad. The place where we used to brag about keeping our doors unlocked and leaving stuff in our yards has transformed to locking up everything you value and keeping a watchful eye out for strangers. In a place that frequently sees strangers all summer in the form of tourists, our bread and butter as businesses go,... Full story
A 1:60 working hydraulic model of Grand Coulee Dam provided engineers valuable information about the behavior and effect of water on the spillway bucket and on the riverbed downstream from it. This view, taken immediately downstream from the model's left powerhouse, shows the spillway section with the equivalent of 250,000 second-feet of water passing over the drum gates. – Aug. 24, 1943 photo... Full story
My oldest daughter was a new baby when she attended my high school graduation, so I can attest to the importance of a network of support for young parents barely old enough to grasp the coming meaning of adulthood. Her mother and I had plenty of support from our family members, but that’s not always the case for many young people about to be charged with the most important job on earth — raising a child — and not a clue how to even begin. So a new venture in Grand Coulee should be a welcome development to the community. Care Net opened its d... Full story
I have coached soccer for over 25 year, from ages 4 to 19, both boys and girls. I have multiple licenses, and I’ve trained thousands of kids in academies, clinics, and camps. I founded two soccer clubs: White Pass Soccer Club in 1995, and Clarkston Heat FC in 2004. I was named Reebok Coach of the Year in 2000, District 7, for the state of Washington (Washington State Youth Soccer Association). My soccer coaching and training experience for this area is unheard of. I applied for the head coaching position for the Lake Roosevelt girls’ high sch... Full story
Have you ever witnessed something with a group of people and, while talking afterward, realize that you all saw something slightly different? Or have you ever heard a cop interviewing witnesses and all their stories are different? Perspective can have us all see the same thing differently. While looking at clouds floating in the sky, one kid sees a racing horse, while the other, looking at the same cloud, sees a man riding a unicorn in a parade. It is all about perspective. Perspective is important. Ask any photographer and he will tell you... Full story
At this midway point in August, it may be time to look into the crystal ball of future weather to see if we can spy winter predictions. There are a few things trickling down that are somewhat intriguing. First, the Climate Prediction Center’s three-and-a-half-month Long Lead Outlook is showing probable warmer temperatures for the Northwest and above-normal precipitation for Eastern Washington. Meanwhile, the latest El Niño has all but vanished down in the Pacific Tropical waters. So far, the predictions of it being replaced by a La Niña are... Full story
A Euclid truck dumps its load of rip-rap rock on the parking area near the left powerhouse. – August 12, 1946 photo.... Full story
Remember that old song from our younger days, which we would just keep singing and singing as we rode the bus to school or on a field trip? I was reminded of that song at a Public School Employees (PSE) Conference over the weekend. I sat at a table with a few drivers from the Wenatchee area who knew my Aunt Mickey, a now-retired bus driver, as we listened to how the whole state has a driver shortage. That got me thinking a little bit about the importance and the impact of the driver of the yellow bus that took us to and from school. First off,... Full story
Due to the increasing expenses and no rate increase in the last five years, the Grand Coulee City Council approved a $3.68 per month increase in its water rates. But on the plus side, the minimum charge per gallon of usage was increased from 6,000 to 8,000 gallons on 5/8-inch and 1-inch meters. This was passed at the last council meeting and public hearing. Please note that there were no citizens in attendance to question this increase. Thank you, Paul Townsend Grand Coulee Mayor... Full story
Having recently lost a father to the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, I feel strongly about the importance of research to prevent and cure this horrible disease. Alzheimer’s is currently the most expensive disease in America, not only in terms of medical care costs, but the negative financial and emotional impact it has on family members of Alzheimer’s Disease patients. Alzheimer’s will cost more than $236 billion this year alone. Not to mention the threat it poses to the long-term financial viability of the Medicare & Medicai... Full story
When Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Morton were praising Teck Cominco for their polluting the Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt, Joe Pakootas sued the Canadian firm and is responsible for a landmark decision to protect international boundaries and stopped the polluting of heavy metals into our rivers. Cathy also voted in Congress to not hold Monsanto liable for the PCBs and runoff from their chemical product into the Spokane River. Was the fact that she was raised in Hazelton, British Columbia, and the chase for the almighty dollar what... Full story
Theodore Roosevelt, who championed the cause of conservation during his presidency, once said, “Conservation means development as much as it does protection. I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful means, the generations that come after us.” We have a responsibility, not simply to preserve the natural world around us, but to improve the economic condition of the communities that depend on natural resources and... Full story
Grand Coulee High School Class of 1966, 12-year vets – From left: back row – Rick McClain, Chuck Perkins, Fred Manzer, Sherry Adams, Ronda La Pierce, Jenny Gobin, Eva Warner, John Weber, Marvin Palanuk; second row – Mike Allen, Dick Behrens, Connie Perry, Ron Kosloski, Randy Sanderson; front row – Donna Hart, Joanne Lacy, Sue Jasper, Marilyn Seresun, Bunny Rice.... Full story
The eventual degradation of an empty building is nothing new, totally expected. Which is why leadership at the Grand Coulee Dam School District and an economic development committee of the chamber of commerce began working, before the new Lake Roosevelt Schools building was completed, on a transition plan for Center School. Like many other aspects of this community, it was complicated. The building and property were not owned by the school district; it had been provisionally deeded to the district decades ago, but only so long as it remained a... Full story
In order to get around the censorship of the Colville tribal members’ newspaper, the Tribal Tribune (TT), I want to specifically thank publishers for printing reports about sordid tribal Colville Business Council (CBC) conduct. So what part of the “Clowncil” trying to protect an impeachable chief judge of the Colville Tribal Court is incompetence-based racketeering? “Grifting” definition: grift (grft) Slang n. 1. Money made dishonestly, as in a swindle. 2. A swindle or confidence game. v. grift·ed, grift·ing, grifts, Grifter v.intr. To... Full story
I am, as an intern, experiencing my first bout of what can only aptly be referred to as Dilbert Syndrome or Office Fatigue. I’ve been here at The Star for about seven months now. The hours, the days, the weeks, the months… all melt off the calendar, and I wonder where the time goes. Time, the thing which when lost, you cannot recover (unlike my jacket, which I lost and then found in the folds of couch and throw pillows in the throes of a panic). Staring at the computer screen … day after day … hour after hour … I have to wonder if I’m fryin... Full story
The heat finally showed up, and now we start limiting our time outside in the middle of the day. Water is the best friend of most of us right now and like a local man wearing his farm boy overalls with the legs rolled up for some air flow, counseled, “Get in the water and just sit there. It is very therapeutic.” That is advice worth receiving. The gardeners are also smiling a bit more now because the extreme sunshine has awakened the tomatoes, strawberries and other planted treasures, and they are now taking off. The fruit trees also sta... Full story
An area of approximately 7-1/2 acres, upon which several thousand workers were housed during the construction days of Grand Coulee Dam, was converted into a number of individual Victory Gardens. The ground and the water necessary for irrigation were made available to employees of the Bureau of Reclamation at a nominal cost. Water for the project was drawn through the dam from the reservoir. – August 1, 1943 photo... Full story
Given the current squabble about the Town’s Wastewater Treatment Facility, I suppose I should contribute my view. To begin with, this is a “simple” process and simple project: all of our Coulee Dam sewage is “domestic”… we don’t process or treat industrial wastes, we don’t process or treat commercial fruit canning. Virtually all we do is process and treat domestic wastes… it can’t be any simpler than this! And, virtually our population hasn’t changed for decades. In 1990 our population was 1,100 AND today it still is 1,100. And, our own T... Full story
This letter is to voice our comments, once again, on the Electric City pathway project. We did read the newspaper article regarding the most recent meeting and were pleased that the citizens are standing up for their rights. The people have a right to be angry because they are not being heard. The meeting we attended was a joke – they only wanted discussion about the “vision” of parks and not the pathway. The council members have their minds made up – and yes, they think it is carved in stone! They are obviously not considering what the peo... Full story
Dear Editor, This spring the (Okanogan) county commissioners found themselves with a big problem. They did not have enough money to pay 3-4 months of normal expenses until April property tax receipts arrived in the county’s account in mid-summer. Leah Cormack, County Treasurer of 10 years, reported at the commissioners' meeting in early April that she had never seen during her years as Treasurer as dire a revenue shortfall as had occurred. How did this happen? Aren’t two of the incumbent commissioners campaigning on successfully balancing the... Full story
We would like to take this opportunity to explain the budget “Cash flow” issues Okanogan County encountered earlier this year. The way revenues flow in the early months of any year can cause “cash flow” issues for the County. In January, February, and March, revenues received by counties are usually lower than in other months throughout the year. In order for the County to meet its obligations and expenditures for the Current Expense Fund, which supports 27 different departments, plus other funds and agencies such as Public Health, Veteran... Full story