Most Recent Stories
Talking It Over: ‘An Anatomy of Addiction’ dissects deep-seated pains
The latter part of the 19th century was a time of discovery of many things, including cocaine, which was called a wonder drug at the time. It caught the attention of two men who became famous: Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, and William Halsted, who invented modern surgery. Both became addicted to its use at a time when addiction was not known to the medical community.
Wilf Woods: Ag gets some much-deserved attention from Seattle Business magazine
Our state’s agricultural output got notice in Seattle Business magazine’s February issue with an analysis by Bill Virgin, who notes that agriculture has been a bright spot in the state’s economy. We produce some 300 different crops, with apples, of course, leading all of them in value, followed by milk, wheat and potatoes.
Wilf Woods: Time to get rid of the death penalty
I notice some movement in the Legislature to abolish the death penalty, though it is glacially slow at the moment. Although most states in this country still have it, there has been a slow trend to abolish it, with four states in the last five years to do so. Most western nations have done away with capital punishment, but not in the Arab world, nor in China.
Wilf Woods: Looking back on Clovis discovery, 25 years later
It was 25 years ago this spring that two orchard workers in the R&R Orchards, run by Rich Roberts in East Wenatchee, were repairing a sprinkler system when they came across some large points, eight inches long.
Gaye Gavin will be missed
The memorial service for Gaye Gavin, who died in an accident near Entiat, filled the Campbell Resort Conference Room Thursday. She and husband Rick have been a vital part of Chelan for a long time. They owned the Chelan Mirror newspaper for many years, before selling to Bill Forhan. She had been a prominent fixture at Campbell’s restaurant, working as a hostess in recent years.
Wilf Woods: There’s more than new snow on Mission Ridge
This week’s big dump of snow has ski operators happy, and up at Mission Ridge ski area there is more than new snow. The quad chair that serves the top of the mountain underwent a major electrical renovation last summer and fall, and that has been a huge improvement in that important lift.
Otto Ross Jr.: the dean of ski instructors
A ski instructor for sixty years, Otto Ross Jr.’s career of skiing has matched the development of the sport in the Pacific Northwest. Learning to ski sixty years ago took a lot longer than it does today, especially learning to turn with the longer skis used then. Ross began his career as an instructor at Squilchuck’s KPQ ski school run by Kent Addis and Jack Kemp in 1952, after having won a ski instruction certificate at Mount Hood that year. Learning to ski in those years meant a lot of sidestepping up the hills to pack the snow, as there were not even rope tows at first. The amount of time actually skiing was much reduced in comparison with today’s quick learning.
Talking It Over: There’s magic in instruments, old and new
There’s a magic in old musical instruments that has captivated generations of music lovers. The Cremona instrument makers, Stradivari and Guarnari of the 17th century, left violins, violas and cellos that are examples of excellence, worth millions each, that have made them the favorite of collectors.
A place where our four-legged friends could run free
The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust’s “Road Map for the Wenatchee Foothills” outlines potential future developments in a document prepared a couple of years ago with the Trust for Public Lands.
Talking It Over: Machine shop’s work changes with times
Passing by Holland Machine Shop on Orondo Avenue, I noticed that Bob Holland and his wife were both at the office. Their son Mike has been running the place for many years now, but Bob reminded me that he had apprenticed to become a machinist in 1939. He and his wife married the next year, 1940, and next month will celebrate their 72nd anniversary. Machine shop work today is a far cry from that in its heyday when dams were under construction and required a lot a machine work, along with work for the many lumber mills of the area.