Nancy Ledeboer holds a book in the Argonne Library branch Wednesday. Ledeboer is the new administrator of the Spokane County Library District. SR photo/Jesse Tinsley

Good Monday morning everyone. (Well, it will be after I have a second cup of coffee.) It's time to take a look at Saturday's Valley Voice in case you missed any of our great stories. Reporter Pia Hallenberg interviewed West Valley High School student Joey Bird, who started racing go-karts at the age of eight. He has won six championships and several awards and is moving up to bigger and more powerful race cars.

The Spokane County Library District welcomed a new director this month, Nancy Ledeboer. She said she is pleased at how well maintained the libraries are, the good condition of the district's books and the willingness of staff to take change in stride.

Reporter Lisa Leinberger has a story on a generous $10,000 donation from the Intersection Church to North Pines Middle School. The gift was unexpected and the school is still considering how to put the donation to good use.

Residents on the west end of Spokane Valley will notice that engines from the Spokane Fire Department are responding to 911 calls for help in addition to crews from the Spokane Valley Fire Department. Valley Fire's Station 6 is being torn down and replaced and the crew has moved to Station 1 near University City. The Spokane Fire Department will be responding in certain areas to make sure all emergency calls get a timely response.

The Spokane Valley City Council is in the early stages of exploring a possible joint purchase of property with the Spokane County Library District. The eight acre spot at Sprague and Herald across from the old University City Mall is owned by Jack Pring, who has close ties to six of the seven council members. An attorney from the State Auditor's Office said it is possible to complete the deal without violating conflict of interest laws, but the council will need to proceed carefully and make sure all the proper procedures are followed. Click here to read my story in today's paper.

The Spokane County Library District now has an interesting online program that will provide free online language courses in 38 languages such as Russian, Spanish and Mandarin. There will also be English as a Second Language (ESL) assistance. The language classes will be provided by Seattle-based Livemocha and will be accessible to district residents with a Spokane County Library District card. People who live outside the district but have a district card will not be able to access the service.

The District serves Spokane Valley, Millwood, Otis Orchards and Fairfield. You can find the program here.

A volunteer assesses Kole LeGrant’s reading skills at Central Valley Kindergarten Center on Monday. SR photo/Kathy Plonka

Happy chilly Thursday morning, everyone. Today's Valley Voice is full of good stories to keep you occupied as you sip that morning cup of coffee. The city of Spokane Valley may be considering entering a partnership with the Spokane County Library District to buy 8 acres of vacant land that could be used to build a new Spokane Valley library branch and expand a nearby city park. The land, located at Sprague and Herald, is owned by the Pring Corporation. The company is refusing to split up the land and the district only needs four acres for its project.

Reporter Lisa Leinberger has a story on retired teachers and educators who volunteer three times a year to administer reading assessment tests to students at the Central Valley Kindergarten Center. The Liberty Lake Police Department has plans to test a personal video camera over the next month. The small camera attaches to the officer's shirt and records audio and video. The department is considering outfitting all its officers with the cameras if the test goes well.

Correspondent Cindy Hval has a touching Front Porch column that any parent of older children can identify with. Children grow up, move out and move on, leaving the parent in their car clutching the keys and wondering why it's so quiet all of the sudden.

The Spokane County Library District has announced that it is bringing in two finalists for the executive director position for a public meet and greet Thursday night. The reception will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Fireside Lounge in CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place. The reception is open to the public, both those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by calling (509) 893-8205.

The two finalists are Nancy Ledeboer, director of the Pima County Public Library system in Pima County, Ariz., and Smikahl Vieira, the director of the Benicia Public Library System in Benicia, Calif. The two are vying to replace retiring executive director Mike Wirt. The district operates 10 branches, including locations in Spokane Valley, Millwood, Otis Orchards and Fairfield.

After looking at the weather outside you wouldn't think that it was already summer, but it is. Sort of. Today is the start of the Spokane County Library District's Youth Summer Reading Program, which has the theme of “One World, Many Stories” this year. Each library in the district, which includes the Spokane Valley, Argonne, Otis Orchards and Fairfield branches, will hold various fun events for kids and teens during the summer.

There will be book recommendations available for all reading levels and kids can keep track of how much they read. Some of the events look like fun, like the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center bringing live birds to the libraries or learning about medieval knights. There are tons of things going on, so check here for a schedule.

This photo shows the interior of a house on the 13200 block of East 24th Avenue that burned. Piles of charred, shoulder- high debris had to be removed. The damage is estimated at $160,000. Photo courtesy the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

Batten down the hatches so you don't blow away in the wind and take a look at some of the stories we had in Saturday's Valley Voice. A group of Millood residents is upset that the city council wants to tear out the wading pool in the city park to save money. But insurance and maintenance issues may spell doom for the popular pool. The council is taking another look at the issue.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department spent several hours at a fire in the 13200 block of East 24th on Feb. 17 because the house was so cluttered. The home is not currently habitable and the owner did not have insurance. That fire topped events for the week ending Feb. 23.

Reporter Lisa Leinberger talked to former Liberty Lake mayor Steve Peterson last week. He has filed paperwork with the Public Disclosure Commission to run for mayor in November. He lost that seat in 2007 to the current Liberty Lake mayor Wendy Van Orman.

Electronic books are apparently becoming more and more popular and the Spokane County Library District has greatly expanded their ebook collection by partnering with Project Gutenberg, which offers free downloads of classic books.

Tomorrow sounds like a really, really good day to curl up with a blanket and a cup of coffee to read the Valley Voice. There will be an update on the efforts of Millwood residents to save the wading pool that has been a city park staple for decades. Reporter Lisa Leinberger will have a campaign announcement for the November Liberty Lake election for mayor.

The Spokane County Library District, which serves the entire Valley area except Liberty Lake, recently added thousands of free electronic books to its web site. They're available to anyone. It was also a busy week for the Spokane Valley Fire Department and we'll have pictures of a fire they struggled to put out in an extremely cluttered home.