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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

School celebrating 50th birthday

The Spokesman-Review

Pasadena Park Elementary School will celebrate its 50th birthday with an open house and ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday from 1 to 7:30 p.m.

Students will give visitors tours of the building all day. The school recently completed construction of several new classrooms and a new gym. District superintendent Polly Crowley will host a ceremonial ribbon cutting in the gym at 6:30 p.m.

The school has been collecting information about past graduates that will be hung on the walls.

The school is at 8505 E. Upriver Drive.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Rules apply to burning yard debris

Eligible Spokane County residents may burn residential yard and garden debris on two consecutive four-day “weekends” – including today through Monday, and April 11-14, according to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency.

A copy of the No Burn Boundary map and requirements are available online at www.spokanecleanair.org/yard_and_garden_debris_burning.asp or call 477-4727. Residential yard and garden debris is limited to dry, natural vegetation originating on property immediately adjacent to the residence. Forest-related and agricultural debris are not considered yard debris.

To burn, residnets must live outside the No Burn Boundary and outside the limits and urban growth areas of Spokane’s 13 incorporated cities and towns, including Liberty Lake and Spokane Valley.

Only one 3-foot by 2-foot pile may be burned at a time, and burning is allowed only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (fires must be completely out by 5 p.m.). All requirements are listed on Spokane Clean Air’s Web site or by calling at 477-4727. Failure to follow requirements could result in fines stating at $200.

Residents may want to consider alternatives to burning, such as composting, chipping and mulching. Outdoor burning releases microscopic particles into the air, putting children, the elderly and those with existing health conditions, at risk, according to Spokane Clean Air.

Leaders go behind bars for a cause

Local business people and civic leaders will find themselves behind bars on Thursday. The charge? Having big hearts.

The special jail event is a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. People will be picked up at work and hauled off to jail at the Shumate Harley Davidson Dealership. The volunteer jailbirds are already raising the bail they’ll need to get out of the slammer.

Money raised will benefit the programs run by the association for families affected with neuromuscular disease. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call Jana Worthington at (800) 577-6716 for more information.

Fire department responds to calls

The Spokane Valley Fire Department answered 235 service calls in the week ending Wednesday.

The district’s busiest day was on April Fools’ Day, said EMS Division Chief Randy Olson. “We had six calls on the freeway on the east end,” he said. “That was the morning when we had all the freezing fog. We had six auto accidents between 4:45 and 6:30 a.m.”

Firefighters responded to only one fire in the 4400 block of North Best. “There was a basement fire, but it didn’t amount to very much,” Olson said. “They got a quick knockdown on it.”