Special

Dakota Meyer’s commander had good reason to nominate the former Marine Corps corporal for the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military’s highest decoration for valor.

For many of us, the sights, sounds and smells still resonate in our childhood memory banks. The clunk of a paddle against a canoe. The flavor of charred marshmallows. The thundering of basketballs against the gymnasium floor when you're still sleepy on a summer morning. The fear, loneliness, and excitement of sleeping in a strange place away from your family for the first time.

Summer camp is about more than splashing in a lake, tie-dying T-shirts and singing songs. It's a time to make friends. To build self-confidence and to learn new skills.

Earlier this spring, we issued a call for kids to submit essays about summer camp. What better way to show what summer camp means to kids than to have them express it in their own words? Here's what Kayla Peterson, a fifth-grader at Otis Orchards Elementary, had to say about her camp experience:

Three area high school students snared four prestigious awards at a national leadership conference held earlier this month in Nashville, Tenn. It was the year's the culminating event of the Future Business Leaders of America organization, which helps prepare middle and high school students for business and other careers.

ROCKVILLE, Md. – You need not know the difference between a birdie and a bogey to get a table at the new PGA Tour Grill. The low-key, modern design of the restaurant is a far cry from the more heavily-themed Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Cafe. There are widescreen TVs in the bar, mostly set on The Golf Channel. Lighting design just inside the door is meant to suggest the flight of a golf ball.

WHISTLER, British Columbia – Since the early 1990's, when this world-renown ski area decided to beef up its reputation as a summer vacation destination, golfers have emerged as the biggest winners. Since then, four wonderfully challenging and visually spectacular courses, all situated within a 25-minute drive of each other, have opened for play, turning the area into a golf mecca.

AS A YOUNGSTER, Ryan Moore often was overshadowed in baseball and basketball by older brother Jeremy. So when the UNLV golfer was paired with Phil Mickelson at this year's Masters, Moore did what he learned from his sibling rivalry – he made his own impression. Moore unveiled a versatile power-and-touch game, averaging 280 yards off the tee, hitting 86 percent of fairways and making clutch putts to tie for 13th at 1-under-par 287.

Find information on more than 60 courses within a day's drive of Spokane at SpokesmanReview.com. Also, see an archive of past Inland Northwest Golf stories, including how to play dozens of the region's most popular holes. Point your Web browser to www.spokesmanreview.com/golf •Antler Springs GC (509) 292-GOLF: 9-hole greens fees: $20. Tee times: no deadlines. 9-hole course opens April 23.

Sex sells for one ... saguaros, spas and serenity for others. The Southwest's four desert destinations – Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Calif., Phoenix/Scottsdale and Tucson – unleash these images on prospective visitors' imaginations in a battle for the billions they spend pursuing pleasure.