Brian Coddington

A 20-year-old woman tumbled from the cab of a fleeing pickup truck early Sunday while sheriff's deputies chased the vehicle through a Spokane Valley neighborhood. Jennifer A. Hall was not injured by the fall and afterward dashed into a nearby house in the 6900 block of East Fourth. Hall was later arrested on three outstanding misdemeanor warrants.

The Cherry family was all smiles Tuesday when they showed up at the Washington Lottery office in Spokane. From left are Phil, Garrek, Carol and Gabreille. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Husband and wife June and Tom King were recently recognized for each logging more than 1,000 hours of volunteer work at SCOPE West Valley. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The urban growth boundaries have been set, but who in the Valley is a winner and who is a loser is still being debated. Opinions on winners and losers run the gamut, from everyone outside the designated urban growth areas to everyone inside.

Nancy Smith, county animal control director, measures the distance from Charlie the cougar's inner cage to his outer cage as the 100-pound cat lurks nearby. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Construction of the Evergreen Road interchange on Interstate 90 has been postponed while money is sought to pay for all of the work. Between $2 and $5 million still must be raised to fund the interchange project, said Ross Kelley, county project engineer.

Where Sprague Avenue passes below Interstate 90 is a knot of lanes and ramps that has long been a state DOT priority for improvement. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

A robber wielding a rifle or shotgun bound an employee at a Valley tavern early Friday before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money. The robber came into the Blue Keg Tavern at the corner of Pines Road and Trent Avenue about 7:30 a.m. wearing a scarf over his face. He forced the employee to open the cash register and safe, and then bound him with duct tape, sheriff's deputy David Reagan said.

Four exotic birds were stolen from two Spokane Valley pet stores during a week-long string of thefts that happened while employees at each of the businesses were busy helping customers. Two of the stolen birds are worth more than $1,000 each, Spokane County animal control officials said.

Incorporation campaigner Ed Meadows relaxes at home wiht his dog Spencer after learning of the measure's defeat. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Two donkeys and two horses were saved when fire reduced a barn at 4610 N. Adams to a charred skeleton. There were no injuries. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The failure of the proposed cities of Evergreen and Opportunity to attract at least 40 percent approval leaves a hole in incorporation attempts for the next three years. According to state law, the area within the proposed cities is off limits to another incorporation bid until the year 2000 because more than 60 percent of the voters said no.

Spokane Valley voters, who already had defeated three incorporation attempts since 1990, remained in a foul mood Tuesday, crushing proposals to form the cities of Evergreen and Opportunity. Both incorporation bids failed to win even one-third of the vote in unofficial final results.

Some Spokane Valley residents are being asked to vote today on a familiar issue: forming a city, or in this case, two cities. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for registered voters within the proposed cities of Evergreen and Opportunity.

Two days before the vote on incorporating Evergreen and Opportunity, debate over the cities' viability swirls around the Spokane Valley. Proponents of forming the cities point to large sales tax, property tax and shared revenues as reasons both will succeed. Arguments that the cities will start out in financial trouble are just scare tactics being used to defeat incorporation, backers said.

Incorporating Evergreen and Opportunity could affect subsidies that help residents of the proposed cities pay for connecting to the sewer system and impact plans to solve the capacity problem at Spokane's regional sewage treatment plant, county officials said. If Evergreen and Opportunity successfully incorporate, homeowners in those cities not already on the county sewer system could see the price they pay to hook up nearly double, said Bruce Rawls, county utilities director.

For many Valley residents living in the proposed boundaries, the difference between voting for incorporation and voting against it next Tuesday will come down to how much incorporation is going to cost them. Those voters want to know if the proposed cities of Evergreen and Opportunity will have enough money to deliver services necessary for each to function adequately at a price they can afford.

1. Ed Meadows 2. Vivienne Latimer is Evergreen's chief proponent. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Residents concerned about urban growth boundaries will have a chance to voice their opinions next week. A public meeting on proposed urban growth boundaries will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Horizon Junior High, 3915 S. Pines. Adopting urban growth boundaries will bring the county into compliance with the state's Growth Management Act, determine where dense development will be encouraged and identify areas where lots smaller than 10 acres will be banned.

Incorporation leaders Ed Meadows, left, for Opportunity, and Arne Woodard for Evergreen anticipate a Feb. 4 vote. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

On the centerline between the two proposed cities of Everygreen and Opportunity, James McGerry walks down Evergreen Road. If the proposal pass, he would live in one city and pick up his mail in the other. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Proposals to incorporate cities in the Spokane Valley will be back on the ballot next month, the fourth attempt at forming cities this decade. Backers of two separate efforts hope to incorporate Evergreen, a proposed city of about 15,000 people, and Opportunity, a city that 19,000 residents would call home.

Former fire chief Doug Rider has helped organize Citizens Against Incorporation. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Skeptics of plans to form two new cities in the Spokane Valley showed up at Wednesday's Valley Chamber of Commerce forum on incorporation with this message: Show us the budgets. Many of the three dozen people who attended the chamber's local government committee meeting wanted to know whether the proposed cities of Evergreen and Opportunity would have enough revenue to operate and how each plans to spend money.