Hillyard blog: North Pole opens for visitors
The Hillyard North Pole, with shopping, bake sale, fun and pictures with Santa, will be at The River Church, 5201 N. Market St., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Bring a food donation and get a deal on a picture with Santa.
Coming up on the Hillyard Blog: Mayor Mary Verner and Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, along with city staff and City Council members, will be at a public meeting at the Outlaw Cafe on Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. This meeting is held in response to a letter underwritten by the Historic Hillyard Merchants Committee and signed by local businesses, neighbors and residents. The letter was sent in November and asked for increased police surveillance especially in the late evening and early morning hours, in an effort to crack down on drug dealing and drug use.
Posted on Dec. 2: The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of suspicious persons representing themselves as salesmen and going door to door. Some say they are Comcast employees, but that may or may not be the case, said a Comcast spokesperson. Residents in Hillyard, Gleneden and other neighborhoods in north Spokane County have been contacted by men who claim to represent Comcast. In one instance the men asked for personal financial information, and in another case the men walked back to a woman’s shop after she did not answer their knock on the front door.
A Comcast representative said the company currently has a promotion in Spokane County and that subcontractors are going door-to-door to pitch the sales, but all Comcast employees, including subcontractors, wear clearly visible identification. Company representatives should produce identification if asked. Criminal suspects often knock on the doors of their intended victims to find out if someone is home, and then give some sort of phony sales pitch or excuse if a resident answers the door.
Spokane County residents who encounter someone claiming to be a Comcast employee and who does not produce Comcast identification should call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 to report the matter.
Posted on Dec. 2: From Greater Hillyard Business Association’s Luke Tolley: “I just got a call from SPD’s Sgt. Tom Hendren, the officer who met with GHBA to discuss crime activity in downtown Hillyard. He let me know that last night they served warrants on two houses/apartments on Olympic, one just east of Haven and one just west of Haven. They arrested 11 people and will be working on an eviction at the apartment and abatement at the house. He believes this will help cut down a lot of crime activity, but assured that Det. Bowman and their Tech are still working with business owners to put up additional surveillance on buildings around the neighborhood in the next week or two. Needless to say, I think our letter was very effective. Sgt. Hendren would welcome any comments or feedback if you want to give him a call at (509) 363-8224.”