Kelly McBride

Former major league pitcher Brian Holman, second from right, talks with a group of Whitworth College students Monday. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Anti-abortion protesters may take their message to Spokane-area high schools next month as part of a national campaign by Operation Rescue to reach teenagers. Spokane is one of 120 cities where protesters will stand on sidewalks outside high schools, holding graphic pictures of aborted fetuses and distributing literature, said the Rev. Flip Benham, Operation Rescue's national director.

1. Lance Hagen, a resident of l'Arche, prays during a community prayer session at the group home near Gonzaga University. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. During a group prayer session, Sean Doneen, left, and Hal Torgenson share a spiritual moment with other members of a group home structured around prayer and worship. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Spokane Roman Catholic Bishop William Skylstad met with Vice President Al Gore on Wednesday to discuss issues both men are passionate about: faith, justice and protecting the environment. Skylstad was joined by two dozen other religious leaders. The group is blazing a trail through Washington, D.C., this week to announce a religious coalition designed to address environmental justice issues.

FROM FOR THE RECORD (Thursday, February 6, 1997): Correction A substantial portion of the large families served by the Spokane Food Bank are immigrants, but those immigrants represent only a small percentage of all food bank users. A story in Wednesday's paper about a large food donation received Tuesday incorrectly described the portion of food distributed to immigrant families. Spokane Food Bank director Al Brislain talks with Washington Trust Foundation's Lea Werner, center, and Susan Rowe-Adler on Tuesday. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Religious organizations are breaking down the doors of the state Legislature this year, hoping to capture a piece of welfare reform.

Marcia O'Neill Schrapps, left, and librarian Nancy Compau stand in the Northwest Room of the downtown public library with copies of "Our City Spokane," a history text for local schoolchildren. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

For the third year in a row, Catholic Charities has run up against a wall with its Christmas Collection, the major fundraiser for the social service organization. So far donors have given $485,000. The charity gets to roughly the same amount every January and then begs and pleads to raise another $60,000 or so to make ends meet. But it has yet to achieve its goal of $550,000.

Social Security checks for more than 11,000 retirees in the Inland Northwest should arrive today, after being held up for almost a week by storms throughout the West. The Spokane office of the U.S. Postal Service chartered a plane from San Francisco to bring the checks and other mail to the region.

A dozen Spokane churches may become homeless shelters next year, taking in up to 14 people at a time. "This is an in-house response from the people of God and Christ to a problem in our community," said the Rev. John Vaswig, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. "That doesn't happen in most churches."

For the first time in more than 40 years, Robert Ball is spending Christmas with his family. Ball, 66, lived the life of a drifter. His sisters and brother-in-law tracked him for decades. Several times they came close, but always missed him by a few miles or a few days.

The Rev. Bernard Coughlin was in critical but stable condition Wednesday night following open-heart surgery at a Florida hospital. The Gonzaga University chancellor suffered a heart attack Monday morning while jogging on the deck of a cruise ship in the Virgin Islands. He was taken by boat to a hospital on St. Thomas, then flown to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida Medical School in Gainesville.

1. At left, Salvation Army bell ringer Aron Mortenson collects donations from North Side Fred Meyer shoppers Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. Below, Marine Cpl. Justin Hughes carries a load of toys into the downtown Toys for Tots headquarters. The toys were donated by Kay Bee Toystores. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Coughlin

Spokane's only rabbi has added his voice to the chorus of civil rights leaders supporting a nationwide boycott of Texaco products. In his column in the monthly newsletter of Temple Beth Shalom, Rabbi Jacob Izakson urged Jewish families to boycott Texaco in the spirit and faith of Hanukkah. The 20-page newsletter, "The Voice," circulates to several hundred Inland Northwest homes and businesses. "If we do not stand with the aggrieved on issues such as these, why should we expect others to stand with us when we are aggrieved?" Izakson wrote.

United Way of Spokane County wrapped up its 1996 campaign with less-than-usual fanfare during the recent ice storm, raising a record $5.1 million but falling short of its goal. The charity topped its previous record, from 1994, by $100,000. But the lofty goal of $5.56 million remained out of reach by more than $400,000.

Home, sweet home. Robert Smith, left, and his son Robert Browne credit Spokane Catholic Charities for help in finding a wheelchair-friendly apartment. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Diners line up for a meal at the Central United Methodist Church as part of the Shalom Zone. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Pastor Rick Lang and his son, Mike, clap to the beat of the music during the church service that followed the community dinner. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

1. Charlie MacNamara as custodian. 2. Charlie MacNamara in better days before his marriage ended and he began living on the streets.

Mitch Finley, author of the Grim Catholic of the Year Award, says many don't get the joke. File/The Spokesman-Review

(From For the Record, October 23, 1996:) The Rev. Armand Nigro, S.J., is associated with the Inland Empire Catholic Charismatic Conference but is not the former spiritual director of the organization. A quote attributed to him in Monday's editions of The Spokesman-Review referred to his initial reaction to charismatic worship, not his current opinion of the recent conference. 1. Charismatic conference. Virginia King, center, joins hundreds of others in song at the Inland Empire Catholic Charismatic Conference held over the weekend at Gonzaga Prep. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Don McKenzie leads singers during Saturday's conference, called the Way of Wisdom. <

Former Jehovah's Witnesses Richard Rawe and Ron Frye bow their heads for the conference's opening prayer. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Most toddlers clamor for candy and toys. But the three girls who recently accompanied their mother to the YWCA were pleading for toothbrushes. If the family had shown up this week, they would have been turned away.

Street-level preacher 1. Mark Terrell listens as a 16-year-old street kid chain-smokes cigarette butts and tells Terrell about the bad luck he's had lately. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Mark Terrell and Rachel Appleby catch up with Carol Thompson near Central United Methodist Church.