Dan Hansen

A Spokane Valley man whose cougar was euthanized in April after biting a child replaced his controversial pet with a cougar cub. By getting another cougar quickly, Randy McGlenn may avoid being legally blocked from keeping such an exotic pet. Spokane County commissioners expect to vote soon on an ordinance that would limit such animals to rural areas. It would require owners to install double fences and meet other restrictions.

A park from Fish Lake to Pasco 1. State workers walk through a tunnel along an old railroad line that is being converted into a trail. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. The Cow Creek train trestle stretches 1,800 feet across a canyon. It has ties but not tracks, making passage a bit tricky. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

The first leg of the Fish Lake to Pasco trail may be scenic, but its destination's a pit. Using $500,000 in federal money, the city of Cheney is paving 3.5 miles of the old Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Co. corridor from the town's sewage treatment plant to a Spokane County park at Fish Lake. Crews should finish the work this summer.

The players in the Growth Management Act poker game have tipped their hands, revealing that Spokane city and county are drawing for the same cards. The act, adopted by the Legislature in 1993, requires cities, towns and counties to estimate how much they're going to grow in the next 20 years and where the new people will live.

Crumbling pools and rusting swings didn't stop Spokane County commissioners from refunding $84,000 that builders reluctantly paid to help the county's park system. It's unclear whether the people who paid most of the money - home buyers - will get any of it back. The county sent checks to developers, who will decide whether to pass on refunds to their customers.

Spokane County spent nearly $19,000 - more than twice the expected amount - for security during last month's murder trial of a Hells Angels member. More than $15,000 covered 454 hours of overtime paid to sheriff's deputies who helped protect Deputy Prosecutor David Hearrean and his family, as well as jurors and witnesses.

Spokane County commissioners should drop plans to take over the county health district, say most members of a panel appointed to decide the wisdom of the move. But it's unclear whether commissioners will follow the Health Advisory Board's advice. While John Roskelley supports the recommendation, fellow commissioners Phil Harris and Steve Hasson want to consider alternatives giving the county more control - and the city of Spokane less - over the health district.

A judge has added 69,000 city of Spokane taxpayers to a class action lawsuit that could cost Spokane County $3 million in sewer money. The suit, brought by city resident Sandy Smith, claims it's illegal for the county to collect a $15 annual fee from city landowners to help pay for sewer construction outside the city limits. Superior Court Judge Michael Donohue last week ruled the lawsuit should be expanded to all city water customers, each of whom is required to pay the fee.

The Spokane County assessor's office needs a major attitude adjustment and four additional workers to dig out from under an avalanche of paperwork, a state consultant told county commissioners Monday. Commissioners tentatively agreed to hire the workers for at least 27 months.

Running a red light could become a Kodak moment. With three people killed in the last month by drivers running red lights, the Spokane City Council may let a private company install automatic cameras at some problem intersections. The cameras, in bulletproof boxes, would activate when a car enters an intersection after the light turns red. Cars that go into intersections on green or yellow lights would not be photographed.

The founders of Riverside Memorial Park probably would disagree with board members who oppose running the Centennial Trail through land owned by the cemetery. While the current board contends trail users would disturb cemetery visitors, the founders apparently wanted the area to be used for recreation as well as graves. In 1912, two years before the Riverside Park Co. opened the cemetery, John Finch and his partners donated 105 acres to the city.

Roger Crum

Fairmount Memorial Park worker Jesse Lockard puts up American flags in preparation for Memorial Day. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Drew Brand of H.C. Construction sets markers for road surfacing on 16th Avenue, where a sewer line just went in. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

FOR THE RECORD (Friday, May 24, 1996): Correction: The proposed route for the Centennial Trail would cross the Spokane River, then skirt an undeveloped portion of Riverside Memorial Park cemetery, out of sight of burial areas. A story and map indicated otherwise Thursday. Also, the city Plan Commission scheduled a public hearing on the matter in September. The story gave the wrong date.

Spokane city officials and business leaders breathed a temporary sigh of relief Tuesday when county commissioners tabled a vote on whether to oppose a north-south freeway through Spokane. Opposition from the commissioners could kill the project, which was proposed 50 years ago and has been revived several times since. Boosters say that without an unwavering show of support, Spokane may not get the money to start the freeway. "Certainly, all the players need to be on the same page or it simply gives the Legislature ... an excuse for not helping solve the problem" of traffic congestion, said Ed Sharman, Spokane spokesman for the American Automobile Association.

Richard Clear says Norm Rice has not responded to an invitation to appear on his show. File/The Spokesman-Review

Stamp of approval U.S. Postmaster Kenneth Symbol was awarded Outstanding Federal Employee of the Year for Spokane County on Friday. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Spokesman-Review reporter Dan Hansen outmaneuvers a yapping dog on Thursday - just another obstacle on a cyclists way to work. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Spokesman-Review reporter Eric Sorensen is one of 12 journalists nationwide to be named a Michigan Journalism Fellow. They will spend the 1996-97 academic year studying at the University of Michigan. The program is paid for by news organizations, foundations and individuals. Sorensen plans to research the impact of technology on families, communities and workers.

Lewis and Clark princess Chelsie Cobb and University princess Suzanne Boyce dance to Hawaiian music during an unveiling of the Lilac Festival float on Monday. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Charlotte Reves, 43, is embraced by her son, James Deuel, 24, who tracked her down after being given up for adoption on Mother's Day 1972. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Steve Sauser has the shoulder all to himself as he braves Interstate 90 traffic on his way from work. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

The trip to Pasco or Wenatchee would be quicker if the state follows the advice of people who responded to a survey about speed limits. But getting to ski slopes in Canada would take just as long as it does now.