Amber Williams has joined the ranks of working moms. Williams, whose daughter, Isabelle, is 4 months old, recently returned to her job as manager of a Spokane bank, where she takes short breaks throughout the workday to express breast milk for her daughter.

The Spokane Party Trolley may have dried out but it isn’t slowing down. The party trolley came to Spokane last year, but owner Nina Kindem had to adapt her business model after the state Liquor Control Board put a halt to riders drinking beer on the trolley, billed a “pedal-powered party on the move.”

Some users of a popular but unofficial off-leash dog park on Spokane’s South Hill were threatening to chain themselves to the fence there after a complaint sparked rumors that it might close. The area, a buffer zone for the Southside Landfill located near East 63rd Avenue and South Altamont Street, has been used as a dog park for many years.

The Spokane Police Department launched two new outreach efforts Thursday, both designed to get officers closer and more involved with the communities they serve. One involves the opening of a new police substation in the Peyton Building near the downtown Spokane Transit Authority Plaza staffed by officers and volunteers daily. The other is a recreational basketball league coached by officers for at-risk youth at certain city parks.

The United States was embroiled in World War II when a Spokane man left high school early to go fight for his country. Now, nearly 70 years later, Spokane Public Schools is awarding Frank “Lucky” Materne his high school diploma. Materne, who died in October at age 86, left Rogers High School in fall 1943 to join the U.S. Navy.

The United States was embroiled in World War II when a Spokane man left high school early to go fight for his country.