Jim Camden

It's election day in Spokane County and many other locations around Washington state. That means voters have from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to get to the polls and cast ballots on primaries for city offices or special tax proposals. The City of Spokane has a busy ballot, with 13 candidates vying for three City Council seats. The two candidates with the most votes in each race advance to the Nov. 7 general election; voters can only choose one candidate per race.

Robin Murphy samples appetizers in KAYU's luxury suite. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Jim Stone, in white shirt, gets a little support from Dale Stegman during the presentation of colors at a memorial service Friday in Riverfront Park. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Steve Hoaley of VFW Post 2218 stands guard over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Riverfront Park Friday morning. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

The Marines are landing in Riverfront Park on Friday, and by 10 a.m. should have the situation well in hand. Members of the 4th Marine Corps Division are holding their national reunion in Spokane this week, marking the 50th anniversary of the battle they fought on Iwo Jima and the end of World War II. They will be holding a memorial service in the park starting at 10 a.m. on the Floating Stage. The service will include a 21-gun salute and conclude with a re-enactment of the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi, one of the most recognized images from the war.

When Spokane signed up as the first city in a novel nationwide presidential preference primary, the dreams for CityVote were lofty. Jump-start the presidential campaign with a discussion of urban issues. Entice candidates to spend less time pandering to voters in the hills of New Hampshire and cornfields of Iowa and more time in the streets of the nation's cities.

Jim Borg

1. (photo of Patty Murray) 2. Mellberg appears in 1993 psychiatrist's videotape. Air Force photo

Sen. Bob Packwood's decision to confront publicly the women accusing him of sexual harassment is unfortunate and unfair, Sen. Patty Murray said Wednesday. The Senate rejected public hearings on the allegations against the Oregon senator earlier this month. Murray, who was on the losing side in that vote, said that decision denied Packwood's accusers an open forum on their charges. "Now he's taking his side public," she said. "I think it's very unfortunate he has chosen to take this route."

A half-dozen KC-135 tankers from Fairchild Air Force Base will be sent to North Carolina later this year as the Pentagon makes adjustments in its forces, Air Force officials said Wednesday. The Air Force needs more aerial refueling planes in the Southeast, for operations in the Atlantic and the Caribbean.

Parachutists, civilian stunt pilots and a military aerial demonstration team will fill the skies over Fairchild Air Force Base on Saturday. Fairchild will hold its first Aerospace Day in two years, throwing open its normally secure gates for the public to view aircraft on the ground and in the air. The air show, which will begin at noon, will open with the Wings of Blue, the Air Force's parachute demonstration team.

Cheney Cowles Museum is looking for people who remember what it was like on the Inland Northwest's home front during World War II. The museum is planning a special exhibit, "Beyond the Red, White and Blue," one of two that will open Oct. 12.

Attorney, political leader and businessman H. Henry Higgins was remembered Friday for his interest in Spokane's youth. Higgins, 66, died Sunday and was buried Friday after a funeral service at St. Aloysius Church.

Meredith, Mary Beth and Elliott Nethercutt attend a breakfast fund-raiser Wednesday, for father and husband George Nethercutt. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Two congressmen moved Monday to demand the release of a Spokane man and four other hostages held for more than a month by guerrillas in northern India. A resolution, co-sponsored by Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, condemns a shadowy group of militants for the capture of psychologist Don Hutchings and four other Westerners. Drafted by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the resolution calls for an immediate release of the hostages and an end to violent acts in the Indian state of Jammu-Kashmir. It was referred to the House International Relations Committee on Monday.

World War II veteran Stillman Webb at his Nine Mile Falls home. Webb believes the bomb saved his life. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Tracing the memories. Candice Lindner traces her mother's name from a memorial dedicated Wednesday to the victims of the Fairchild shooting rampage and the B-52 crash. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

For nearly a month, friends of Don Hutchings have struggled to find any news about the Spokane psychologist who remains captive to a shadowy guerrilla force in strife-torn northern India. They use fax machines and personal computers linked to the Internet to learn whatever they can about an ancient feud a half a world away.

Grass growers and a new environmental group are expected to clash tonight at a workshop on new burning regulations . The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority is trying to set rules for the 1996 burning season, which follows the harvest in the region's bluegrass fields. The growers want to end limits on the number of acres that each farmer can burn and the overall acreage for the county.

Spokane County District Judge Donna Wilson is suing The Spokesman-Review for more than $1.5 million, claiming the newspaper made up a story about her reading a book during a trial. Wilson, acting as her own attorney in the lawsuit filed last week, claims the newspaper libeled her, invaded her privacy and subjected her to public ridicule with articles, columns and editorial cartoons published in 1993 and 1994.

Paul Redmond, WWP president and Jack Roberton, deputy administrator for Bonneville Power Administration, participate in the afternoon roundtable discussion at the Washington State Economic Forum on Friday. Please see related story on Page A10. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

While security tightens at federal buildings around the country, most private security guards at the federal court house in Spokane have been disarmed, at least temporarily, in a dispute over licenses. Federal officials last week told guards from Eastern Washington Security Inc. that they could not carry firearms on the job if they did not have a valid state license.

1. Bob Cummings Jr. arranged a B-17 flight to Boise for his 72-year-old father, who was a tail gunner in World War II. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. Bob Cummings in World War II.

Fairchild has two B-52s on display. The base's last working B-52 was destroyed in a crash in 1994. File/The Spokesman-Review