In brief: Utilities warn of frauds posing as their workers
Someone is posing as a utility worker to try to get into people’s homes – and Avista Utilities and Vera Water & Power in Spokane Valley want their customers to be aware of the fraud.
A number of customers reported that the fake employees said they needed to check insulation or do an energy audit, the utilities said Friday.
Avista spokeswoman Debbie Simock said that none of the customers allowed the person into the home. Similar incidents were reported by Vera customers, she said.
The utilities issued a joint warning Friday advising customers to be careful about allowing access to someone posing as a utility employee. Avista workers wear identification badges and do not typically show up at residences or businesses unless the customer has contacted the utility about a specific issue or problem first.
Customers may contact Avista at (800) 227-9187 to verify the identification of an employee.
Vera Water & Power employees also have photo identification and drive white Vera vehicles. Customers may contact Vera at (509) 924-3800 anytime to verify the identification of an employee.
Tribal election open to Spokane members
About 400 Spokane-area members of Montana’s Little Shell Chippewa Tribe will be able to vote in their tribal council election today.
“We are aware that the Spokane area has a significant number of our tribal members and we are committed to providing them with the chance to have a voice in their tribal government,” Little Shell Election Committee Chairperson Karlene Faulkner said in a news release.
Little Shell members in Spokane can vote at the American Indian Community Center, 801 East Second Ave., Suite 10.
The polls will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
‘Doctors’ host will speak at Lewis and Clark
Dr. Jim Sears, a pediatrician and the co-host on the syndicated television show “The Doctors,” will give a free talk Tuesday at Lewis and Clark High School.
Sears will share simple tips to keep adults and children healthy. He will cover the link between nutrition and personal health; creative ways to keep families active and eating well; and the vital role nutrition plays in improving medical and behavioral issues in children.
Sears is part of a family practice that he shares with his father, William, and younger brother Robert, in Capistrano Beach, Calif. He is co-author of several books, including “The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood: Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track.”
The lecture is from 7 to 8 p.m. in the school auditorium at 521 W. Fourth Ave. Free parking is available across the street under Interstate 90.
State workers will rally against facility closures
State care givers and public safety workers from three Medical Lake-based state institutions will join a rally today protesting potential budget cuts to rehabilitation centers for criminals and the mentally ill.
The community rally is in response to legislative recommendations either to close or downsize Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women and to close Lakeland Village and other residential centers. Advocates say the Legislature could also target Eastern State Hospital.
Sponsored by local chapters of the Washington Federation of State Employees, the “Stop the Madness/Closures” rally will be from 1 to 4 p.m., outside Denny’s Foods, Lefevre Street and Highway 902 in Medical Lake.