Jerry Kienbaum talked about collecting snowmobiles for his museum in Greenacres on Monday. SR photo/Kathy Plonka

The top news in today's Valley Voice is reporter Lisa Leinberger's story on the East Valley School District's continuing transition to a K-8 education model. The district has had several meetings lately and heard emotional testimony from parents. On Tuesday they voted unanimously to moved the preschool and other special programs to East Valley Middle School in the fall.

Lisa also has a story on Spokane Valley resident Jerry Kienbaum, who has spent years amassing a collection of vintage snowmobiles. He runs the Northwest Museum of Vintage Snowmobiles.

Spokane County is planning several upgrades to the Argonne Road corridor north of the Spokane Valley city limits over the next few years, replacing pavement and adding sidewalks. The only project scheduled for this year is the replacement of the Bruce Road bridge over Deadman Creeek south of Mount Spokane Park Drive.

The Spokane Valley City Council spent some time Tuesday on how to avoid a bill of over $300,000 when new limits on the number of misdemeanor cases public defenders can handle take effect in October. That amount would be the city's share of seven new attorneys Spokane County might have to hire to help with the load. The increased cost would be charged to the city every year.

Spokane County engineers will host an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Pasadena Park Elementary School, 8508 E. Upriver Drive, to discuss upcoming projects on or near the Argonne Road corridor north of the Spokane Valley city limits. Projects to be discussed include a sidewalk at Pasadena Park Elementary, the Argonne Road grade separation project for the Centennial trail, work on the Argonne/Upriver Drive intersection and the reconstruction of Argonne Road from Wellesley to Bigelow Gulch.

Additional upcoming projects are the Bruce Road preservation project from Stoneman Road to Peone Road and the Bruce Road reconstruction project from Peone Road to Day-Mount Spokane Road.

People will be asked to give their input on the projects, some of which are contingent on getting grant funding.