The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Sometimes new friends can result in strange gifts. I was in Vietnam just after the Tet offensive in 1968, partially to pry about the war and to visit parents of students I had met at the University of Washington. I had visited one set of parents two...

The next time you tee up your ball at Banks Lake Golf Course, take a second and say a word of thanks to the three Port District commissioners who made it possible. The three, Jim Keene, Gary Haag and Leonard Sanders, deserve some kind of award for...

The action at Geezer Beach might be viewed as a deliberate provocation. Tyranny should be opposed at any level. The incremental erosion of personal freedom extends to every citizen. The apparent disregard for public opinion by the bureau creates an...

This Fourth of July, America will celebrate its 243rdbirthday. Our country has come a long way since 1776, and there is still more progress to be made. Our independence and our patriotism are what set the United States apart from the rest of the...

Did you listen to Smokey the Bear? He wasn’t just talking to children; he was talking to you there, mister, flicking your cigarette ashes out of the car, lighting fireworks to enjoy their exploding lights and sounds, mowing the lawn because it need...

The stated reasons for banning vehicles from geezer beach seem devoid of logic and common sense. The implication is that geezers and geezeretts are hopeless, bumbling, incompetents who need to be protected from themselves. Geezers typically didn’t...

Why did “the Powers that Be” waste our time by pretending that they wanted to be collaborative members of this community, requesting our input? No one familiar with the situation at Geezer Beach believes for an instant that this decision had...

Gentlemen, I am writing to express my gratitude for your removal of one of the last remaining recreation sites for the elderly in this area. I am sure all of the incapacitated and handicapped people will appreciate this as well. Incidentally, I...

Why not hassle the locals? It’s been a while since the last time, and it seems we need a lame excuse to get back at the people for welcoming us here. Sound familiar? It should, if you have lived in the Grand Coulee Dam area for any length of time,...

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture examines the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in rural America. Widely viewed as a program that helps combat urban poverty and food insecurity, SNAP has seen a...

One of the least threatening places you can go is a beach in late afternoon where a couple of old anglers are quietly staring at the water, waiting for a line to move. If anybody understands the unwritten rule, the need for common courtesy, the...

Thank you, Grand Coulee area and beyond, for coming to my scream for help, to try and help me locate my best, four-legged, friend, Love Bug, at the lower North Dam area. My heart is still broken knowing that she became a feast for a predator, but...

Two Gun Willie was a featured attraction at Silver City, Idaho. The old mining town had seen better days, and so had “two gun.” Willie was born William James Hawes in 1876, right in the town, that in its heyday had some 2,500 residents. Willie...

You may not be ready for next year’s elections, but in political time, they’re coming up fast. Which means that at some point you’re almost certain to hear someone announce, sternly, “I. Will. Not. Compromise.” And if you’re there in the...

On Sunday at Spring Canyon Cemetery, I was out visiting my husband’s flag and family. I saw the most amazing thing happen. There was a couple putting roses on headstones that had no one to do it for them. I sat and watched them and cried thinking...

The perceived threat to public safety by individuals fishing at Geezer Beach might be mitigated if their attitudes could be redirected. It is conceivable that they may develop an awareness of public image. Notoriety might be attended by a sense of...