Amy Cannata

Interstate 90 is our road most traveled, but 50 years ago it was hardly even imagined, at least in the form we know. And it took almost four decades for it to be completely realized in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Now I-90 serves as the region's economic and social artery, reliably connecting the Inland Northwest to the nation, providing faster local transportation and transforming the community from a regional hub to a part of the global market.

Large aerial photographs from the 1950s swing on metal plates in the basement of the Spokane County Public Works Building. Taken prior to Interstate 90's construction, they show Spokane Valley suburbs beginning to take shape, but also depict large swaths of open land and orchards, where street upon street of houses are now located.

Maintaining 40-plus-year-old planes is a demanding job. But Staff Sgt. Wesley Foster, a Fairchild Air Force Base crew chief, knows that the work he and other airmen do to keep KC-135 tankers in top shape is integral to the base's air refueling mission.

By Friday morning, the last three months will seem like a bad traffic dream. The first phase of Interstate 90 viaduct reconstruction in downtown Spokane will be complete, and drivers will be able to return to their usual exits and on-ramps. The Washington state Department of Transportation released the wrap-up schedule on Monday afternoon for the $13 million project to repair the viaduct. Here's what drivers can expect:

Two 9-year-old boys playing with a lighter Sunday morning started a fire that burned a Spokane Valley duplex and left two families homeless. The fire at 2714 N. Perrine Ct. also killed a dog and destroyed two vehicles, a carport and shed, said Bill Clifford, Spokane Valley Fire Department public information officer.

Spokane International Airport's main Dumpster on Thursday morning looked more like the sale bin at a discount drugstore. Bags and bags of squished toothpaste tubes, fancy eye creams, bottles of shampoo, cans of shaving cream, coffee cups and water bottles were stacked in the Dumpster on the tarmac behind the baggage claim area.

Members of the Spokane-based 141st Air Refueling Wing deployed Monday on a mission to build a field hospital, not in Iraq or Afghanistan, but in Nogales, Ariz. The 16 civil engineers and medical personnel with the Air National Guard Unit are the first Washington Guard members to take part in Operation Jump Start, President Bush's plan to supplement U.S.-Mexico border security with 6,000 National Guard members until additional U.S. Border Patrol agents can be hired and trained to prevent illegal crossings.

Fairchild Air Force Base's Skyfest is back today and Sunday after a one-year hiatus. And this year's show features the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, including their first female pilot in her first year with the F-16 fighter demonstration squadron. Numerous acts will perform at Skyfest, and visitors to Fairchild Air Force Base today and Sunday also will be able to see dozens of planes up close on the tarmac.

The City of Spokane can now visit cities and countries all over the world. Fairchild Air Force Base officials Wednesday dedicated a new KC-135 tanker named City of Spokane, in honor of the base's community.

Delivery from downtown Interstate 90 traffic slowdowns may happen sooner than expected. Construction on the freeway viaduct in downtown Spokane has been moving so smoothly that the project contractor and Washington State Department of Transportation predict it will be complete by late August or early September, about two weeks earlier than originally projected.