News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Call me naïve, but I’ve never quite gotten why some politicians want to limit voters’ ability to cast their ballots. Sure, I know that plenty of people like to flip the classic Clausewitz quote and say that politics is war by other means. All’s fair, etc., they insist. But the cornerstone of representative democracy, the base on which everything else rests, is the people’s right to cast an informed vote to choose our leaders. There’s no argument about this: it’s just a basic right. Which means that the more Americans we hear from in the votin...
Washington law enforcement officers are concerned by recent legislation introduced by Washington State Democrats and policy stances made by Big Tech. These developments are concerning for our communities, our children, and our officers. Earlier this month, I met with several Yakima County law enforcement officers and the Yakima Gang Task Force, and they made it abundantly clear there are numerous issues on the horizon. Washington State Senate Bill 5122 was one in a series of proposed and implemented bills that would make it more difficult for...
A truck carrying a too-high load once again hit the tops of the cross beams on the Columbia River Bridge in Coulee Dam Monday night, the second time in probably 10 years that’s happened. The incident highlights recent calls for a new bridge. Although structurally it’s sound, the bridge classified as “structurally obsolete.” Modern road builders want roads that are at least 40 feet wide. The roadway on the bridge is 20 feet wide. That specification is not a luxury; times have changed. Trucks are not larger versions of the narrow cars I imagine...
On behalf of Banks Lake Golf Course, I’d like to apologize to patrons and volunteer course grounds workers for a break in communication on Friday morning during the practice round for the Coyote Open. Not all of the volunteer workers were aware that their efforts to groom the course on Friday were in conflict with the practice round in progress. As manager for the golf course, I take full responsibility for the unfortunate disruption to the preliminary event for this major course tournament. To all participants of the 2021 Coyote Open T...
As a farmer, former state director of Agriculture, chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, and congressman representing one of the most flourishing agricultural regions in America, I fully understand the extent to which water is truly the lifeblood of Central Washington and our economy. Hot summers, several years of low snowpack, and the severity of recent drought across the West illustrate how important it is that we reinvest in the water infrastructure our farms and communities were built upon — much of which is over a century old at t...
Like the air we breathe, electricity, that magical stuff behind the light switch, is taken for granted by a majority of people. Flip a switch, the lights come on. We are dependent on energy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As populations continue to grow and their need for more and “cleaner” energy grows too, the demand for more production of it will become central in the not-so-distant future. The production of energy comes in many forms. We’ve been made aware of issues related to some forms...
Back in June 2015, only six years ago, we had a local June high temperature record set at 105˚F. Well, with the onset of a high-pressure system, or heat dome, that sat over us in late June, a new record was established. Fact is, it occurred twice – June 28th and 29th. The high temperature record for June is now 112˚F, just one degree off the official all-time high temperature for our area set 82 years ago, in July 1939 at 113˚F. What caused the heatwave in late June that has intensified the...
Here we are, at the beginning of what could prove to be worst wildfire season ever and the world’s best firefighting tool sits unused and not ready to go because of decisions made by the US Forest Service and states not to use it. Unfortunately, in 2002 two Lockheed C-130 Hercules airplanes crashed while fighting fires, one in California and one in Colorado. In 2004 the Forest Service made the decision not to use the large tanker firefighting airplanes, instead relying on helicopters and smaller planes. The Supertanker would have really h...
Over the last 40 years our family has vacationed at the same place on the beach. While the buildings have been refurbished, the complex remains largely unchanged. The exception was last year when the COVID pandemic shutdown travel and beach lodging. Over the years, our entertainment has changed a lot. We still swim, jump the waves and build sandcastles, but our board games, puzzles and playing cards have been replaced with kids’ electronic tablets, smart phones and movies downloaded from the internet. We still take lots of pictures, but r...
The 12th District and Washington’s 48 other legislative districts have had specific boundaries since 2012. The borders for these districts, as well as Washington’s 10 federal congressional districts, will change in 2022 after the state’s redistricting process is completed near the end of this year. Since redistricting only occurs every decade, I thought it would be helpful to review the process. How Washington’s redistricting works Each state has its own process for redistricting. In Washington, an independent and bipartisan Redistr...
Americans paid a high price to obtain and maintain our freedom and independence. Americans have also paid a high price to help other countries maintain their independence. Those achievements required teamwork. In the wake of WW II, the U.S. Congress gained a lot of members who had served in the war, eventually reaching 78 percent of the membership. Military service in a war zone is not essential for legislative service. However, those former members of Congress gained something vital from their war time experience. They learned that...
This is an “Open Letter to the Tribal Council.” I have to address it to them and to you because you members are the ones that will ultimately pay for this if it ever comes to pass. It has to do with the removal of Enloe Dam and what you should know about it. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Tribal Council, please accept this letter as a “last ditch effort” to persuade you to have no further discussions regarding Enloe Dam. I have sent each of you my video explaining our position exactly as it was stated those many years ago. Now, it seems like the ...
The most popular person in my wife’s family was her brother, Bob. My wife came from a rather large family, and they all had a lot of kids, taking to heart to go out and replenish the earth. That is all except her brother Bob, who married late. So, he became the uncle figure for all these kids. He was the chief farmer on the family farm, dedicating himself to the tedious task of farming. He milked about 27 cows morning and night for years on end. Each cow had a name. When I visited, I would go out to the barn and would always place a grin on his...
How about some good news coming out of our record-breaking (extreme) heat wave? Luckily, we live and work in the Pacific Northwest, and are reaping the benefits from our well-connected power grid, which is supplied with abundant electricity. So far, only smaller sporadic power outages are attributed to the hot temperatures. From Seattle to Western Montana, blazing temperatures registering above 110 degrees gripped the region and even shut down the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials in Eugene on June 27. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) an...
Tracy Stone-Manning is an unacceptable nominee to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and President Biden’s nomination of her highlights just how out of touch he is with rural America. The Bureau of Land Management has an enormous impact on the lives and livelihoods of people throughout the Pacific Northwest. With 16.1 million acres of BLM land in our region, we deserve a Director who understands and appreciates the complex nature of public land management and the priorities of Central Washington. Ms. Stone-Manning is the...
Remember when weather forecasters were right only about 30 percent of the time, or so it seemed? Let’s hope those days come back this week. With a mean look ahead, the weather experts are warning of highs reaching in the hundreds, with a 112-degree high possible next week, and the days between now and at least next Tuesday scorchers. That kind of heat must be taken seriously, and we have advice from health experts on page 5 on what to watch for and how to deal with it. Unfortunately, in this case, weather forecasters seem to be getting a w...
I have spent a lot of good times along the Snake River, from its source to where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. It’s one of the longest rivers in the country and flows from one end of Idaho to the other. Its major source is at the south end of Jackson Lake. Actually, it’s said that the original source is from two small streams near Yellowstone Park. I have white-watered a good stretch of the Snake. The first time was out of Jackson, Wyoming during the high spring runoff. We entered the float trip out of Jackson and exited well into eas...
As climate change concerns grow, researchers are turning to small tree farmers for help. Actually, they have been helping for nearly a century, but their efforts have largely gone unrecognized. For decades, the American Tree Farm program has emphasized sustainability and managing lands for water quality, wildlife, wood, and recreation. Now, it is adding climate change. According to the American Forest Foundation, families and individuals collectively care for the largest portion of forests in the U.S., more than the government or corporations...
President Biden is stretching the limits of his executive authority – and this time, the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities across the nation are at stake. As a lifelong farmer, representative of this area, and Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I understand firsthand the vested interest we all have in how the federal government’s regulations impact water, agriculture, and natural resources across the country – especially when these regulations burden our rural communities. Under Obama, WOTUS was a thinly-veiled land grab...
No matter how hard we try, we really can’t avoid one another. We live in a world where what takes place somewhere else on the globe has a very good chance of affecting us. The pandemic, of course, is a perfect example. A virus that infected humans in one city in China spread with breathtaking speed around the world, beyond the power of governments — or anyone else — to stop it. But then, it often seems like everything is interconnected these days: workers, tourists, ideas, commerce, communications, drugs, crime, migrants, refugees, weapo...
At least three areas in the surrounding countryside are used locally as shooting ranges, possibly all illegally. That may offer an opportunity to improve. Last week, a firefighter friend in Ephrata noted he and his fellow firefighters had been listening to their scanners expecting to be called by Electric City to help fight the Osborn Bay fire. He was surprised to learn it had started from the spark of a ricochet in an outdoor, unofficial, make-do shooting area. “Around here, we shoot at the (real) shooting range,” he said. Washington Fla...
A person, years ago, asked me if I had a favorite relative. I had two aunts that would qualify, but I couldn’t say which one was my favorite. I would just call a tie and move on. Aunt Lorena was my dad’s youngest sister and actually delivered me. We lived on a farm about four miles out of Palouse and my mother was ready to have me. So my father drove to town to get Dr. Dart. My aunt Lorena was visiting us at the time and had the duty to help in the delivery. When my dad returned with the doctor, I was already there. Of course, I didn’t know...
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: An income tax in Washington state is unconstitutional. Democrats in our state legislature recently passed Engrossed Senate Substitute Bill (ESSB) 5096, a bill that would impose a new 7% tax on capital gains in Washington state. However, according to the Washington State Constitution, property cannot be taxed at a rate greater than one percent, and taxes must be uniformly applied to all residents. The Washington State Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that a person’s “income” is considered property,...
In our zest to quickly switch from gas-powered to battery-operated vehicles and to convert our power grid to wind- and solar-generated electricity, the impacts of CO2 released from rivers, lakes and streams has been ignored. President Biden wants to transition America to renewable electricity by 2035 and have every car CO2 emission free by 2050. In the world of nature, carbon gases release from forest and rangeland fires. In California last year, wildfires released about half the typical annual...
That headline is from a sign my wife put above the door to our kitchen in opposition to anyone who has other ideas. This country in its absolute worst state is extremely blessed. At its best, it’s an unstoppable wonder. To keep our momentum up as a nation, we need to include everybody. This is not selfless idealism; it’s a practical consideration highlighted this week by an autistic young woman I had the pleasure to interview. The experience was somewhat difficult for her since her conditions limit her abilities somewhat during personal int...