Like many seventh-graders, Karissa Johnston, 12, left, and Charli Bise, 12, struggle with getting their locker to open on the first day of classes at East Valley Middle School on Wednesday. SR photo/Colin Mulvany

We had a ton of news packed into Saturday's Valley Voice. I'm actually surprised we were able to fit it all in. Reporter Lisa Leinberger stopped in at East Valley Middle School on the first day of school to see how the students were dealing with having one less middle school in the district. She also has information on the bus problems East Valley has been having.

The new Port of Entry facility is open near Stateline. All the technological bells and whistles haven't been installed yet, but once everything is up and running things will be smoother for truck drivers as well as the WSP commercial vehicle enforcement officers.

The Spokane Valley City Council discussed improvements to its permit process and correspondent Valerie Putnam reports that the town of Millwood is considering several road construction projects.

East Valley Athletic Director Joe Kostecka lays out Mountain View Lancer and East Valley Middle School Squires uniforms that will be sold during Friday’s sale. SR photo/J. Bart Rayniak

If you have fond memories of being a Mountain View Middle School Landers or East Valley Middle School Squires, now is your chance to own a piece of your history. Reporter Lisa Leinberger has a story in today's Valley Voice on the upcoming sale of old softball, cross country, westling, football and other uniforms. All students in the combined East Valley Middle School will become the Knights, so the district has no need for the old uniforms. They will be sold from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at the middle school, 4920 N. Progress Road. The district will use the proceeds to buy new uniforms.

Lisa also has a story on newly approved agreements with the classified staff and principals unions in the Central Valley School District. Both groups have agreed to accept pay cuts after the state cut the amount given to school districts for their salaries.

There was a lengthy debate at this week's Spokane Valley City Council meeting on whether to fund a study to possibly create railroad quiet zones on two crossings on the Union Pacific line north of Trent and west of Millwood. The proposal was voted down, but not before a discussion on who has the authority to select the city's consultants that was touched off by councilman Arne Woodard presenting the council and staff with a brochure from a company in Texas he thought the city should do business with.

This sounds like a fun event to go and watch. Students from all over the Spokane area, including teams from North Pines Middle School and East Valley Middle School, will be at Eastern Washington University tomorrow to compete in the Inland Northwest SeaPerch underwater robot obstacle course competition. The SeaPerch program is sponsored by the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research.

The students were all given kits of pipe, motors, cables and circuit boards to use in building their submersible robots. The compeitition will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday in the pool in EWU's Aquatics Building on its Cheney campus.

“It's kind of heartbreaking for me,” said Jim Stookey, who's been teaching at the school since 1985 . He drove all three of his son's with him to Mountain View Middle School when they attended there. “I have a lot of fond memories of the people.” SR photo/J. Bart Rayniak

The East Valley School District board of directors hosted three special meetings this week to talk to community members and parents about the closure of Mountain View Middle School, which will happen at the end of the school year. On Monday the board will hold two more special meetings, this time to meet with students at both middle schools and discuss their concerns about the process of merging together into one school.

The first meeting is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday at East Valley Middle School, 4920 N. Progress. The second is at Mountain View Middle School, 6011 N. Chase, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

I'm sure many students are worried and upset about the changes, so hopefully these meetings will help ease their minds.