Dan Hansen

Other issues may fit more easily on a campaign sign, but none is more important than land-use planning in the twin races for Spokane County commissioner, some government watchers contend. "It ought to be high on the list of priorities" for voters, said Spokane Mayor Jack Geraghty. "I'm not sure it is, because I don't think it's been positioned that way by either the media or the candidates."

Joe Polello rides the Ferris Wheel above the Spokane Interstate Fair on Friday. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Going to the Spokane Interstate Fair with a dietician is like attending a wedding with a divorce lawyer. It's still possible to have fun, as long as you ignore the facts.

Assessors aren't known for their willingness to dicker. But Spokane County Assessor Charlene Cooney did that Thursday when she asked county commissioners for more help. Cooney asked for two clerks, five appraisers and a deputy assessor. Those workers and a variety of computer equipment were recommended by a consultant from the state Department of Revenue, who spent a year trying to determine why the assessor's office is so far behind in its work.

A 17-year-old has a smoke outside East Valley alternative high school. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Cliff Cameron's campaign slogan cuts to the chase: "Lower taxes," read the signs promoting him for Spokane County commissioner. The message may play well with voters, but to get the support of party faithful, Cameron might have tried "Democrat ... really."

1. Steve Hasson 2. Kate McCaslin 3. Ron Hormann 4. Don Manning

Steve Hasson has only himself to blame if Ron Hormann takes his place on the Spokane County Commission. Hormann, whose peers named him the best county engineer in Washington in 1994, quit a year later rather than accept a demotion. While Public Works Director Dennis Scott replaced Hormann as county engineer, Hasson and Commissioner Phil Harris approved the move.

Spokane County's public defender says he needs $256,000 more this year to keep up with the public's zeal for sending crooks to jail. With more deputies on the streets and a prosecutor who frowns on plea bargains, the defender's office probably will handle about 600 more cases than it did last year, said Don Westerman.

A Nordman, Idaho, man was sentenced Friday to 30 days in jail and a year without hunting privileges for killing one of the region's few remaining grizzly bears. Carl Pitts pleaded guilty to shooting the "Nordman bear," a 2-1/2-year-old grizzly, last October.

The Spokane County Planning Commission is poised to take the unusual step of opposing a development across the state line. Commission members say a proposal for a 10-acre septic system to serve 400 homes on Idaho's Rathdrum Prairie threatens drinking water for the entire region. On Tuesday, they asked Spokane County commissioners to send a letter opposing the project to their counterparts in Kootenai County.

The leadership of Spokane County's planning department is changing for the second time in a year. Jim Manson, director of building and planning, announced this week he is moving assistant planning director John Mercer to a new job that deals only with meeting requirements of the state's Growth Management Act.

A Russian immigrant was sentenced Wednesday to three months in jail for snaring bears and selling their parts on the black market. Nicholay Senchenko, who became a U.S. citizen in 1994, also lost his hunting privileges for three years. He was released pending appeal of the federal jury's decision.

A temporary worker whose last job with Spokane County sparked allegations of cronyism started a new county job this week. Terry Hentges' first job was as an "extra help" safety officer, a position that expired June 30. County officials say he performed well. This time, he's a "temporary" safety officer, hired to work through the end of the year.

Expand the Spokane County Health Board and keep the city as a major player, advises a committee appointed to study a political hot potato. It is the second time the same committee has considered the future of the health district at the request of county commissioners, who may turn the agency into a county department.

Spokane County does not have to refund more than $3 million collected from city residents to help build sewers in the suburbs, a Superior Court judge has ruled. Judge Michael Donohue said there is nothing improper about the county's aquifer protection fee, which is paid by anyone who owns land over Spokane's underground water supply.

Owners of Telect Inc. said they were stunned by a $37,000 bill for road improvements required if they expand their high-tech communications plant. Written over two years by a team of eight Liberty Lake developers and county officials, the Harvard Road mitigation plan mandates impact fees for new construction or the expansion of businesses. The money is set aside to pay for improvements that will be needed when the Harvard interchange becomes congested.

The guns won't be silenced at a popular hunting and shooting area north of Newman Lake. Armed with signatures from 11 of his neighbors, Fred Palahniuk asked county commissioners to add more than 2,000 acres north of Foothills Road to the county's "no-shooting" zone. But commissioners said Tuesday there are already plenty of laws to prevent the misuse of guns. It would be impossible to enforce a shooting ban in the rural area, they said.

About 400 Valley homeowners' sewer bills will be higher than expected, but not as high as they might have been. Spokane County commissioners last year decided to charge $3,100 for a typical residential lot in the Miller Park sewer project, which will be built this year. The project includes land from the north side of Sprague Avenue to the south side of Fourth Avenue, between Park and Eastern roads.

After several years of rapid growth, the number of visitors to Lake Roosevelt fell sharply this spring, hurting tourist-based businesses and communities. Speakers at a forum here Friday blamed flood control drawdowns for the 32 percent drop in visitors during the first six months of this year compared to 1995.

With four workers fresh on the payroll, the Spokane County assessor needs nine more to catch up on work, a state consultant said Thursday. County Commissioner John Roskelley estimated the nine employees, plus new computers and other improvements included in consultant Rich Baird's recommendation, would cost taxpayers $600,000.

James LaVigne is the county's artist in residence. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Taking aim at their own signs and pamphlets, Spokane County commissioners Tuesday decided it's OK to shoot bows in suburban areas. It was a good night for people who think government has too much control over weapons. Commissioners said they may ease restrictions on BB guns. They voted against expanding a no-shooting area near Newman Lake. And they said they'll consider adding shooters and other county residents to the committee that reviews the no-shooting boundaries.

Harold and Joyce Read, who live on South Bank Road, support the paving. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review