Will DeMarco ’18

Winter 2018

Spirit in the Rock: The Fierce Battle for Modoc Homelands

Jim Compton

WSU Press: 2017

Descending a great bluff towering above an endless sea of black in early 1873, the militiamen clench their rifles tighter as they wade into a thick gray fog among southern Oregon lava beds. A deafening crack and the flash of gunpowder pierces the dense mist. War paint-clad Modoc snipers poke their muzzles out between cracks in the blackened rock and fire unseen upon their adversaries. The bewildered U.S. troops search frantically through the … » More …

Fall 2018

Soaring history

Aviation lifted off the ground in the early twentieth century, but few had the guts to explore the uncharted territory of human flight. Two courageous souls willing to glide into the challenge were Washington siblings Cloyd and Audrey Artman.

Humans fantasized for thousands of years about transcending the realm of the birds. We emulated the techniques of flying animals and insects, strapped ourselves to oversized kites, or jumped off great heights while donning makeshift wings, yet gravity won over centuries of trial-and-error.

German aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal, though, soared with his successful heavier-than-air glider experiments in the late 1880s. He made over 2,000 glider … » More …

Music Theatre of Wenatchee performs Guys and Dolls

Summer 2018

Of soil and stage

Born into a family of orchardists in Wenatchee, the “Apple Capital of the World,” Paul Atwood’s future in agriculture was practically a given from birth. As a high school senior with every intention to continue down the fruit-lined career path of his parents, Paul’s first audition for a musical was the result of a classmate’s playful dare. Despite no prior performing experience, Paul ’91 not only made the cast of the high school’s big autumn production, he landed the lead role.

With one foot planted on soil and another on stage, Paul ultimately made the switch to a performing arts degree after taking a handful … » More …

Illustration of laptop as a slot machine

Summer 2018

Betting your digital dollar

Vast, haze-filled casino floors where rows of flashing colors light up expressionless faces endlessly feeding coins into a machine. Men sporting Hawaiian shirts rake piles of plastic chips across green felt tabletops, all seeking the hedonistic rush of hitting a jackpot seemingly just out of reach.

This is gambling as many of us know it. However, the combination of luck, wagering, and a chance at a payoff is far from a modern concept. As far back as the Paleolithic era, humans wagered on the roll of crude dice made from knuckle bones. Nonetheless, the staples of contemporary gambling—slot machines, card games, craps tables—may be considered … » More …