Julie Sullivan

Before the business closes for good, Joy Ruple, travel agent and longtime employee of The Travel Place Inc., makes the last of her customers' travel arrangements. The business closes today. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

At the KidsWeek Sports Camp at Chester Elementary on Tuesday, Jacob Reece, 4, makes the two-handed, closed-eye catch look easy. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

1. Greener pastures. Tom Allen, who runs Family Pet Memorial Gardens, is nuzzled by Cody, his chocolate Lab. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Cats, dogs, horses, birds and even a lab rat named Rosie are fondly remembered at Family Pet Memorial Gardens.

1. Bret Wengeler holds the apparatus - a mock hand grenade and two knives - for one of his favorite routines. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Wengeler juggles flaming torches during the Silverwood Ice Palace show. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

The greater Pacific Northwest region is in a growth spurt. The area is growing faster now than during any previous decade, with 2.8 million more people than there were 10 years ago - roughly the population of greater Seattle. That's faster than anywhere else in the country, but don't blame Californians.

Missy Whitehead scans returned food items at Food Processors Unlimited. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Attention warehouse shoppers: Don't grab that gallon of olives quite so fast. After answering numerous calls on whether bulk items are still good, food specialists say people should be more careful about buying in quantity.

1. The Gadsbys have used some of their contest winnings to pay for a 1959 fire truck that Bob, a former firefighter, restored and had certified to fight wildfires. Photo by Great Falls Tribune 2. Edwina at the Fetzer Vineyards "Great Salad Toss" recipe contest. 3. Bob with Paul Newman after winning a popcorn contest.

Carl Maxey, who challenged convention in life, challenged one more in death. By taking his own life, the prominent attorney did something almost unheard of among African Americans of his generation. Historically, the people whose ancestors survived slavery and racism have been remarkably resistant to suicide. "We characterize ourselves as being able to get through most things because of faith, strong community and our relationships with the church," said Kenya Napper Bello, a suicide prevention activist in Atlanta.

Rosanne Montague holds flowers presented to her at the beginning of her last county commission meeting. At left is Commissioner John Roskelley; at right is her replacement, Daniela Erickson. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

1. Bevan and Bill Maxey thank the community for its support after the loss of their father, Carl Maxey. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 2. The Calvary Baptist Choir performs during the service Monday for Carl Maxey. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Holly Caudill's life changed when a car accident left her with a broken neck. Last month her life changed again as she moved on her own to San Diego. Photo by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Spokesman-Review

1. Bankruptcy. A burglary and vandalism of logging equipment - neither covered by insurance - pushed Jerry and Debbie Corey into bankruptcy. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. Lee Ann Ferris-Foster, like a growing number of people, moved here without a job and was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy during the time it took to find work. With help from credit counseling, she's managed to pay off her debts, although it took four years. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

You're ugly. You're dirty. You're frightened. You're falling behind. There is a product that can release you from your misery. Look, here's a happy person using it right now. That's the basic story of advertising in America, says author Vicki Robin, and it works.

1. Reho and Will Barron built their careers and lives around the Spokane Club, where they met. Photo by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Spokesman-Review 2. Will Barron seats lunch guests at the Spokane Club. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Dancers hear Katherine Crow's instructions before a dress rehearsal at SCC. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Someday, Skip Chilberg wants to close a Romanian orphanage. In the meantime, he'll settle for reuniting some institutionalized children with their families and moving those who have no families into group homes. After traveling to southeast Romania in May, Chilberg and the nonprofit organization he helped found are working to find better homes for girls in an orphanage for the mentally handicapped.

Barbara Novak reflects on the two years since Steve Novak died in a mine-exploring accident. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

1. No experience necessary. WSU students in the death and dying class tour the Pullman City Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Margaret Young, family scientist

Helen Hargrave quit a job she loved to care for her aged and ailing husband. Her last day at work, on May 1, she told colleagues he kept a handgun on an end table and threatened to shoot her and then himself.

Itchy and scratchy. Oliver, a Pomeranian, huddles in his master's arms as he gets a shot to prevent Lyme disease. Janice Nerukar found ticks on her dog after walking the Centennial Trail. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

1. Now you see it ...Delzer Falls reappears with the return of water to a 10-mile chain of lakes that dried up a decade ago in southwestern Lincoln County. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review 2. John Vazquez opened his property to onlookers who crossed the scrub for a glimpse of Delzer Falls.<

Kathy Denenny always sends a Mother's Day card to a friend who lost her only child. The message: "I remember your child and that you were that child's mother and always will be."

1. "The biggest thing you can do is sit and listen," says Louise Zaagsma, who volunteers with the Spokane chapter for the Compassionate Friends. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Carrie 3. Christopher