News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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This week marks the beginning of the 119th Congress and just the third time in the last 70 years that Republicans have controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House. Over the past four years, we have had an administration that sidestepped Congress and wielded the executive branch to tighten the federal government’s grip on taxpayers, small businesses, farmers and ranchers, and countless other industries while pushing inflation to record levels. I am optimistic about the opportunities that this Congress will provide. As a t...
S Last week I commented on my least favorite place, the entire state of Texas. This week I am commenting about the Hagerman area, a small town with under 1,000 population. The interesting part includes the area within five miles of the town. I first was drawn to Hagerman when I was a college student back in 1956. I had heard about the fossil beds, and a couple of friends and I drove east from Boise some 100 miles. The fossil beds are in a gravel-packed hill above the Snake River. At the time there were no restrictions on digging in the area. So...
E President-elect Donald Trump is claiming a special mandate by winning the popular vote, though only by a little over 2 million (1.5%; and getting below 50% of total popular vote) compared to President Joe Biden’s winning margin of about 7 million (4%; 51%) over Trump in 2020. If the electoral college had already been scrapped, would the popular vote have been significantly changed by the candidates campaigning in all states, not just battleground ones? Why did Washington state have its’ lowest turnout in 28 years? Why was California’s histo...
Did you hear jokes about Old Fascism and New Fascism? Exactly! It’s no laughing matter! “America’s democracy was destroyed by the two ruling parties who sold us out to corporations, militarists, and billionaires. Now we pay the price.” Chris Hedges continues at https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/how-fascism-came 12/23/2024, “President-elect Donald Trump does not herald the advent of fascism. He heralds the collapse of the veneer that masked the corruption within the ruling class and their pretense of democracy. He is the symptom, not the disea...
‘Tis the time of year to be joyful, to celebrate and show appreciation, thankfulness and gratitude. Previously, I’d mentioned how I am keen on Jim Keene and many others but recently Addison Hansen, our previous neighbor, triggered this outpouring of appreciation here. She surprised my partner of 52 years with a thank you - happy holidays greeting and a beautiful piece of her artwork signed off with much appreciation. Addison is a former Raider and fine arts major. Her message to Mrs. A said, “Thank you for encouraging my creativity and culti...
The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA), a group that claims credit for recent Washington laws restricting law enforcement, has announced that its legislative priorities for 2025 include qualifications for, and restrictions on, the office of Sheriff. The Washington State Sheriff’s Association (WSSA) opposes the WCPA’s proposal and is recommending alternatives that empower our communities and invest trust in our electoral process. The entire legislative record and agenda of the WCPA are rooted in distrust of law enf...
The Star Archives December 26, 1946, article from The Star newspaper archives. “Install Telephone Cable. A special crew from Spokane under the supervision of Virgil Zickler is in the area working on the installation of a 400-pair telephone cable under the bridge at Coulee Dam. It is expected that it will take about a month to complete the job, and when finished it will have a capacity of service for 700 to 800 additional subscribers.” Source(s): The Star archives Compiled by Bob Valen Source(s): Library of Congress Compiled by Bob Val...
Everyone who has traveled much has his favorite and least favorite places. Texas, all of it, gets my nod as my least favorite place. I have been to Texas on four occasions, but my brother David, was the convincing factor. He like me, got his start with Potlatch Forests, Inc. I worked at Potlatch and he worked at their plant in Lewiston. Along the way he accepted a position with the compliance arm of the outfit that checked construction ptojrcts to see if you were using the lumber quality that was required. They sent him to Texas. My brother...
The death of cursive handwriting reared its ugly head during the recent presidential election. Since 2010, according to Yahoo News, many states have dropped cursive writing from their curricula as they shifted to Common Core State Standards for English. As a result, many Gen Z Americans lack a distinctive cursive signature, which posed a problem for Gen Z voters who used mail-in ballots last month. Since officials had great difficulty matching Gen Z mail-in-ballot signatures to the signatures the government had on file for them, many of their...
In the aftermath of the catastrophic fire which gutted Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame in 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced it would be rebuilt within five years and promised it would be “more beautiful than before!” Macron, who remains head of a divided French government, saw restoration of the 13th Century church as a way to restore national pride and unite fellow French citizens. When interviewed just before Notre Dame’s massive doors re-opened on Dec. 7, Macron called the restoration a miracle—an accomplishment of the unthinkab...
December 23, 1783, General George Washington resigned his commission as Commander and Chief of the Continental Army. The resignation took place in the Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland where the Continental Congress was meeting. Washington left Annapolis having bid farewell to his officers on December 24th. His distention was his plantation on the Potomac River in Virginia. He arrived late afternoon on Christmas Eve, now a private citizen for the first time in nearly nine years. Source(s): Library of Congress...
My wife and I took a temporary job in Livingston, Montana back in 1953. It was temporary because I planned to return to Grand Coulee when the mill where I worked was ready to open up in the spring. I graded lumber at the planing mill above the dam for a guy named Kirkpatrick. They closed down in late fall when they ran out of logs. I saw an ad in the Spokane paper that Downer Lumber Company in Livingston was looking for a lumber grader. I promptly answered it. I got a quick response and we packed a few necessary items in our car and drove to...
During the previous administration, illegal border crossings were at an all-time high. Border security is national security, and as we transition to a new administration, it is crucial the federal government focuses on common-sense solutions to address our border crisis. Over the last four years, we have seen over 10 million illegal migrant encounters nationwide and numerous executive orders aimed at weakening our border security. With the termination of catch-and-release policies and the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, coupled with the rise in...
I turned 63 on Dec. 4. Unlike many women of my vintage, birthdays are a very public celebration in my house. It’s always been that way. From the time I understood the concept of getting older, the 4th day of the last month has been a chance to revel in the joy of having made it safely through the birth canal — thank you momma — and into this amazing world. For youngsters with their hopes of presents and sugary delights, that’s a normal thing. But as we get older, we’re supposed to hate, or at least ignore, our birthdays. That’s especially...
December 15, 1791, the United States of America ratified the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, confirming the fundamental rights of its citizens. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and the rights of peaceful assembly and petition. Other amendments guarantee the rights of the people to form a well-regulated militia, to keep and bear arms, the rights to private property, fair treatment for accused criminals, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, freedom from...
President-elect Donald Trump is about to resume a second term as president with such a slim GOP majority in the House of Representatives that it offers the party little if any room for error. Republicans deliriously reveling about their supposed “huge election mandate” may want to keep a lid on such unabashed glee. As final results are being tabulated from California, the party appears to have the smallest House majority in more than a century. Republican Rep. Michelle Steel lost her Orange County seat to Army vet Derek Tran, while as of this w...
The Lucas family had a logging operation during the Great Depression near Bovill, Idaho. My oldest uncle, Ralph Lucas, was in charge, but the crew was full of members of the family, including my dad. It was all virgin forests then and had never seen a saw nor work crews. The logs were so large that you could only get three on a truck or railroad car. Only a few mills had saws large enough to cut the logs, so they sold to the mill at Potlatch, Idaho. There wasn’t much machinery in those days, so timber was cut by crosscut saws with two men on t...
One of the most significant shifts from our recent elections is America is headed back to an “all of the above” strategy that expands our energy options rather than further restricting them. In the last four years, there has been an expensive shift away from carbon fuels (gasoline, and natural gas) to subsidizing wind, solar and electric vehicles (EVs). President Trump would be wise to look at inclusive strategies incorporated in the 2005 Energy Policy Act signed into law by President George W. Bush which focused on incremental imp...
December 7, 1941, Japanese Naval aircraft attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The first official word of the attack came from Admiral Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. It was a quickly worded dispatch, “AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” More than 2,300 were killed. Extensive damage occurred across the naval base. U.S.S. Arizona destroyed; the Oklahoma capsized. Twelve ships sunk or beached. Nine other vessels damaged. Hundreds of aircraft lost. Less than a half year later, on Apr...
Nothing is more rewarding than making a new friend. Sometimes the circumstances are unusual, as I was in this case. I had gone to the restaurant here in Electric City for breakfast, and when I entered it was apparent that the tables were full and there was no place to sit. When I was about to stand and wait for a table, a little boy sitting at a small table for two caught my attention and offered the spot at his table. That was the beginning of a new friendship. The boy’s name is Daxton, and he is 6 years old. Dax, as he likes to be called, s...
A story from my childhood came to mind as I read a recent ABC News report about a mother who was arrested after her son was seen walking alone to the Dollar Store a half mile away from his home. Brittany Patterson of Mineral Bluff, Ga., was at a doctor’s appointment with her other child when her nearly 11-year-old boy left his house and was spotted by himself. Somebody alerted the police who took the boy home. A few hours later, the cops went to Patterson’s address, cuffed her in front of her kids, dragged her off to the police station for a m...
The University of Washington School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership unites providers in rural communities with students, faculty, and providers to improve health. This holiday season, we express deep gratitude for the time, expertise, collaboration and support from our Health Partners — the extensive network of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants and allied healthcare professionals — who are educating and mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers to serve communities like Grand Coulee. Our...
The 1938 high water of the Columbia River tops the upstream spillway blocks and floods the blockouts left for the outlet works gate installations at EL. 934. The maximum flow for 1938 was 361,680 second feet....
Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying an Alabama law that required black passengers to give up seats to white passengers when a bus was full. It also required blacks to sit at the back of the bus. Rosa Parks said, “I did not get on the bus to get arrested; I got on the bus to go home.” A one-day bus boycott coinciding with Parkes’ December 5 court date resulted in an overwhelming African American boycott of the bus system that lasted 381 days. Since black people constituted 70% of the transit system’s riders, most buses carried...
On behalf of the Care and Share Food Bank, we just want to take this opportunity to give a big “Thank You” to our local Scout troop for the tremendous work they performed this past weekend. You hve no idea how much that meant to all of us who volunteer our time! Thank you also to those of you who contributed food for the Scouts to pick up and bring out to us! We cannot thank you enough for all of you! This community is such a special place to live because we all care about each other, and we truly do “Care and Share!” Sincerely, Carrol Nordine...