At the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, a 1915 Rauch and Lang electric car is part of the new exhibit in the Campbell House carriage house. SR photo/Jesse Tinsley

Happy last Thursday before Christmas. It's time to take a look at the highlights from today's Valley Voice. The small towns in southern Spokane County are looking at their law enforcement bills from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office with concern, particularly Rockford. Their bill jumped $10,000 in a year.

While the Campbell House next to the MAC isn't in the Valley, it's still a regional icon. Reporter Pia Hallenberg has a story on a new visitor center in the carriage house. There are interactive exhibits in the horse stalls and touch screen displays so visitors can page through historical documents.

Correspondent Stefanie Pettit has an update on Chicken, the wayward hen she took in and cared for that now has a new home and chicken family.  Correspondent Cindy Hval has another touching Love Story, this one about a World War II B-17 pilot and his WAVES wife.  

The Spokane County Elections Office is planning a special filing period next week for the 29 seats up for election across the county that didn't draw any takers during the June filing week. Many of those seats were for small town city councils and small fire districts, including several in the Spokane Valley area.

The vacant seats are on the Fairfield Town Council, Latah Town Council, Spangle Town Council, Waverly Town Council, Fire District 2 and Fire District 12. The full list of vacancies is in this story. The new filing period will be from 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16 to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19. Those interested in running for office in November can file online or in person at the election office at 1033 W. Gardner. Call (509) 477-2320 for more information.

Town Council member and resident historian Evelyn Heinevetter has printed signs in support of the town’s post office building, to the left, in Waverly. Waverly is among about 2,500 small and rural towns with post offices targeted for closure by the USPS. SR photo/Dan Pelle

Reporter John Stucke has a great story today about the U.S. Postal Service's plan to close the post office in the small town of Waverly south of Spokane Valley and how the residents are fighting to keep it. In a small town a post office can almost serve as a community center. That's where you run into your neighbors and stop to chat. That's where you post flyers and notices. In some towns, like Waverly, it's pretty much the only business around. But the Postal Service is trying to save money by shutting down thousands of such small post offices. Read John's full story here.