In brief: Bike ride a thanks to paramedics
SPOKANE VALLEY - In 2010 Chris Desborough had a heart attack, but he was saved by his wife performing CPR and paramedics shocking his heart back to life.
Today he plans to start a 500-mile bike ride that stretches up into Canada to raise money for Spokane County Fire District 8 as a way of thanking the paramedics who helped save him.
Desborough said he was shocked three times as paramedics fought to get his heart beating again, but he remembers nothing. “I just woke up four days later having the best sleep of my life,” he said. “(My wife) had been a wreck for four days and I was having a giant nap.”
Desborough, 57, had a Medtronic defibrillator and pacemaker implanted in his chest. Now he’s eager to repay his rescuers and has set up a fundraising website at fundrazr.com/campaigns/ 7QVA2.
He leaves at 8 a.m. today from District 8’s Station 84 at 4410 S. Bates Road. His route up to Canada and back is roughly heart shaped, but Desborough said he didn’t plan it that way. “I just sat at Google one night,” he said. “I just followed the road around.”
He hopes to return to the station Wednesday evening. He plans to post about his experiences during his trip on Facebook. People can follow along at www.facebook/com/ chris.desborough.5.
Paving closes Sullivan overnight
SPOKANE VALLEY – Sullivan Road between Kiernan and Trent avenues will be closed tonight.
The closure had been planned for earlier this week.
The road will be closed to all traffic between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for paving work. A detour will be available via Flora Road and Euclid Avenue.
City Council meeting canceled
SPOKANE VALLEY – The Spokane Valley City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday has been canceled.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting will be at 6 p.m. on June 11 at City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Ave.
Open house honors retiring teacher
SPOKANE VALLEY – Community members are invited to an open house to honor retiring teacher Evonne Panther from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Ponderosa Elementary School, 10105 E. Cimarron Road.
Panther’s career has spanned 39 years at Ponderosa and McDonald elementary schools.