News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The former Soviet Union (USSR) had an immense stockpile of nuclear weapons and radioactive material distributed in several places in Russia and the 15 countries that formed the USSR. Some of those nuclear weapons and materials were loosely controlled. With the collapse of the central government in 1991, there was concern that those weapons might be sold to or stolen by the wrong kind of people. Indiana’s U.S. Senator Richard Lugar performed a very important role in gaining control of those “loose nucs.” Humanity owes a measure of grati...
Over the last several weeks, I’ve felt slightly uneasy breaking the habit of strict social distancing and mask wearing to avoid infection. It was a justified queasiness. Following Christmas gatherings and indoor sporting events all over the country, an increase in viral spread was predictable and apparently is happening in our area. I’ll be donning a mask again when in crowded indoor spaces, including sporting events, small meetings in small rooms, and anywhere its likely we’re all breathing each other’s exhalations. That’s not the advice gi...
I would like to thank the city crew in Coulee Dam. The excellent way they have been handling our snow as far as keeping the roads clear, even coming in on the weekends. We all complain about what we feel should be done. But I do appreciate your hard work. Thank you, Larry Price...
On a family vacation several years ago, I learned what claustrophobia was all about. We arrived at Lewis and Clark Cavern State Park in Montana and all of the family made it into the opening for the then self-guided tour. That’s when our youngest daughter, Kim, said she wouldn’t go through the underground cavern. She said that she couldn’t handle being in cramped spaces. So she got back out of the entrance to the cavern. I showed her where we would come out, and she went there to wait for us to do the cavern route. I had tried to persu...
Looking ahead to 2023, one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to is an “All of the Above” strategy which expands our energy options rather than further restricting them. That strategy was incorporated in the 2005 Energy Policy Act signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was inclusive and focused on incremental improvements coupled with innovation. However, in the last couple of years, our political leaders have hastily and unwisely narrowed fuel options to exc...
this mammoth scrollcase for a 65,000-hp pump is 28 feet in over all diameter and will pass sufficient water to supply the entire domestic supply for a city the size of Chicago. The pumping plant is designed for 12 of these installations, which can supply enough water to irrigate over 1,000,000 acres of semi-arid land. - November 3, 1950...
We just want to tell the community and every single person that has helped our families after the devastating fire that took our home away from us last week that we can never say thank you enough or show the true appreciation that we have for you all. This community is so loving and amazing at stepping up to help those in need. We want to mention everyone individually, but that is impossible as we don’t know who you all are, other than wonderful souls. But please know that your compassion is felt and returned to you in abundance. We can n...
What have we learned since the 2020 election? No matter how ill-founded the lie, if continually repeated for two years--the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen--many people will believe it. Repeating lies has been utilized, sometimes successfully, by presidential candidates before. But previously it’s been used before election, not continually repeated for two years thereafter, never to subvert our democracy, and terminated with electoral results accepted. Besides promoting the Big Lie, Cathy McMorris Rodgers has successfully...
When I was in grade school, my best friend was Jon Skovlin. His father ran the local Penny’s store, and sometimes I worked with Jon and put together trikes, bikes, and wagons. The store sold a lot of these. Jon’s dad would pay us for assembling the toys. That’s when I decided that I didn’t want to do that kind of work later in life. That was kind of funny because my dad could do just about anything. Raising a family during the Depression, you didn’t just hire people to do tasks you didn’t know how to do. My dad learned how to do things by n...
Christmastime is the season of hope and joy — hope that even when times are dark, we can find the light and joy that follows. The greatest gift the world has received is the birth of Christ and his salvation of humanity. The Christmas season is a time to reflect, to prepare, to spend time with family, and to celebrate. During this time, we must also be grateful and remember the contributions and sacrifices our forefathers and military service members endured to ensure our freedoms. We are blessed to have the freedom to celebrate the season o...
The Holiday Season is an especially difficult time for anyone grieving lost loved ones. Evergreen wreaths placed on veterans’ graves across America help to ease that pain. More than 2.5 million red-ribboned wreaths were placed by thousands of volunteers, including many family members, on December 17. Those wreaths are made from clippings of balsam firs dedicated to deceased veterans. Each tree growing in Maine has the “dog tags” identifying the fallen service member. The trees are living year...
We were on one of our vacation trips to Montana, Wyoming and Yellowstone Park and stopped for a time in Cody, Wyoming. We were looking for a place to stay because we wanted to take in the museum there and go to the night rodeo. We saw the sign for the Irma Hotel and decided to try our luck there for a bed for the night. When we asked if there was an available room, the clerk said the Buffalo Bill suite was available. It would afford two beds since our son Paul was along. We immediately took the suite. It was really two rooms along with a...
As we near the end of 2022, I want to take a moment to look back on some of the work I’ve done in Congress for our district. From passing landmark legislation to securing critical funds for projects in our communities, we’ve accomplished a lot. And as we enter into the new Congress, I’m committed to building off these successes and continuing to fight for Central Washington’s priorities. As a member on the Appropriations Committee, I work to secure funding for much-needed projects in Central Washington while ensuring our taxpayer dollars are be...
The $5.4 billion expansion of the Panama Canal is paying off for East Coast and Gulf of Mexico seaports. It is putting pressure on the Pacific Ocean-based terminals to be more competitive. The enlarged waterway opened in June 2016 allowing much larger container ships to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Ships carrying up to 14,800 containers can now bypass Washington and other West Coast docks and deliver containers directly to cities from Houston to New York. The older canal...
Grand Coulee Dam's first concrete pour was 87 years ago last week. Congratulations engineers, builders and all who made the dream a reality....
We recognize and honor physical bravery, but we seldom recognize moral courage. Both physical bravery and moral courage benefit society. We should give those who exhibit exceptional moral courage the recognition that they deserve. An appropriate annual date for Moral Courage Day in America is the first day of January when we reflect on the past and the future. The first two citizens who should be honored for moral courage are: • Michael Richard Pence Vice President of the United States • Bradford Jay Raffensperger Georgia Secretary of State Bot...
Looking over weather data from my personal weather station of the past five winters, December, January and February, were interesting, though no trends are revealed. A half decade of data does not create a trend. It's just not enough data to crunch and draw some conclusions. I mention this because it's arbitrary to make a statement about climate solely based on short-term weather observations. I've included a chart with data for low temperature and snowfall for the past five years. As you can...
I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Ruby Mountain isn’t some rugged granite peak. Rather, it is a round-topped mountain in Nevada with a beautiful trail to the top. While it is over 10,000 feet in elevation, you can drive your car up to about 7,000 feet. I was looking in Sunset Magazine and came across a short item on a bed and breakfast located in the Ruby Mountains in Nevada. Looking it up, I saw it was close to Elko, where my wife and I were married. I had been wondering where we should go on a short vacation, so I called and made res...
To help prepare students for future careers in fields from chemistry and earth sciences to computer engineering and physics, schools in Central Washington and across the country are emphasizing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programs. And as the home to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Hanford Site, Energy Northwest, and numerous other science and technology startups, Central Washington’s students have prime examples of the many rewarding careers in computer science, technology, research, or e...
There have been a few letters to the editor of The Star newspaper regarding the unofficial “announcement” of Dollar General Corporation being interested in establishing a store in Grand Coulee. I say unofficial because the origin of this statement was made by a non-employee of Dollar General Corporation. The corporation, which headquartered in Tennessee and was founded in 1939, currently operates over 18,000 stores in 47 states. Committing a bit of time, I searched the internet for bac...
I applaud Mr. Darryl Hackworth for his ambition and eye for opportunity — certainly that is part of our forward thrusting culture. However, I do believe there are some important facts to deliberate upon when considering inviting chain stores into our small community. Question #1: How well do such chain businesses as Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar support small towns and urban neighborhoods? Answer #1: Research reveals that in smaller, more economically vulnerable areas these chain stores actually add to economic distress. Q...
We shouldn’t need a date on the calendar to remind us to be thankful. I am thankful all year long for my family. While they are scattered from Louisiana to north of Everett, it is like they are with me all year long. On Thanksgiving there were a dozen who made it home to have a great dinner and report on a lot of the things they did since we were last together. They brave the weather to come, and make the long and sometimes tedious drives so we can be together. It isn’t often that we are all together at the same time, but frequent calls kee...
Last week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that distillate inventories (which include diesel) were at their lowest levels since 1951—currently we only have a 27-day supply remaining. That means if all production is halted and we maintain our current usage, we will run out of diesel fuel in 27 days. And while this shortage impacts folks in rural communities the most, every single community will feel the effects. Farmers rely on diesel to fuel the equipment to harvest your food. We rely on diesel trucks to transport the f...
The good news is, despite higher prices, inflation and safety concerns, more Christmas shoppers are browsing on-line but making in-store purchases. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported this year an estimated 166.3 million people visited stores from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday----an 8 million increase from last year. It is the highest estimate since NRF began tracking this data in 2017. The good news extends to on-line sales. E-commerce retail revenues this year are projected...
The powers that Google and Facebook have over economic and political power in society - especially over the news industry - has caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington, DC. After a close election and many worries over the quality of public debate, many ask if social media have played a role in the misinformation that erodes our free press and plagues our democracy. Nowhere is this power more daunting than in the social media giants' use of news organizations' reporting, which the...