Kevin Blocker

Kimmberly Collins' twin daughters have been sent home several times because of head lice. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Spokane's crime problem bottomed out last week in an underhanded bathroom caper. A woman reached under a restroom stall at Sears in NorthTown Mall, stole another woman's purse and escaped by running to a waiting car in the parking lot. The victim, a woman in her 30s, told police she had placed her bag on the floor near her in the restroom on March 16 just before 6 p.m.

Jamling Tenzing Norgay leans forward to listen to a question during a visit to Garfield Elementary on Thursday. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

The team representing Arcadia Elementary School in the worldwide Odyssey of the Mind competition earned a trip to the state playoffs with a first-place regional finish on Saturday at Shadle Park High School. The team of Chrissy Barnes, Andrea Lawson, Karrah Lundgren, Whitney Weisgerber, and Elyse Valenzuela will compete at state in Yakima on April 18. All the girls are sixth graders except Valenzuela, who is in the fifth grade.

Spokane prosecutors charged a woman earlier this month with first-degree theft for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from residents of Reflection Lake. Kristine L. Zollars, 32, is accused of stealing money when she was treasurer of the Reflection Lake Water Association, according to Spokane County Superior Court records. At the time, Zollars was married to sheriff's deputy Mike Zollars. Court records show they were divorced in August of last year.

FROM FOR THE RECORD (Friday, March 20, 1998): Correction Headline wrong: Walter B. Martin was booked into the Spokane County Jail on first-degree possession of stolen property in the theft of two vehicles on March 10. A headline in Thursday's North Side Voice was incorrect.

Break-ins and thefts of vehicles parked in lots throughout the city are on the rise, according to Spokane Police Crime Analysis experts. Last month, there were 76 separate incidents of what police call "vehicle prowling," which includes actual thefts and entry into vehicles where no theft occurs. The list of prowling/thefts involves the entire city, but Hillyard, Shiloh Hills, central downtown and North Hill are the neighborhood leaders.

After Jenifer Rudisill watched Dr. Julie Sederstrom operate on a cat, she decided she'd rather be a teacher. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Want to know more about the Dry Land Preserve, also known as the Dishman Hills Project? Get on the Internet and type in the address www.sd81.k12.wa.us/Regal/. Then click on "projects" by fifth- and sixth-graders. Then thank the 54 students at Regal Elementary School who created this Web site.

Mead School District officials are sounding like the 1970s band "Sister Sledge" after district voters approved a $25 million bond on Tuesday. "It would have been really easy for the folks on the east side of the district to say, 'Hey, we have our new school (Mt. Spokane High School),' and vote against it," said Mead High Principal Mick Miller on Wednesday. "This reaffirms the Mead community."

1. Cody Sainsbury, 6, left, works on a half-nelson with partner Jarrod Berlinger, 5, during wrestling class at the West Central Community Center. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. Benjamin Gallion, 8, helps mop the brand new wrestling mat donated by the Ronald MacDonald House to the West Central Community Center's youth wrestling program. Photos by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 3. Anthony Kiourkas, 5, right, works out the kinks during warm-up drills before getting down to the mat. 4. Jarrod Berlinger, 5, pays attention as coach Pat McClenahan gives pointers.

Sheriff's detectives are warning North Spokane County residents about two possible frauds which recently surfaced in the Deer Park area. In the first, an individual claiming to be Nigerian writes to intended victims and asks them to provide their bank account numbers. He says he needs the numbers in order to move funds legally out of Nigeria and into the United States, according to sheriff's detective Larry Olson.

(From For the Record, March 13, 1998): Number wrong: The phone number to the Corbin Senior Center is 327-1584. The wrong number was printed in Thursday's North Voice section.

Mead School District patrons approved a $25 million bond issue and a $16 million operations renewal levy Tuesday. The 7,150 ballots cast marked the largest voter turnout in the history of the school district. Unofficially, 65.6 percent of the voters approved the bond and 74.6 percent approved the levy.

Mead School District voters are being asked to go the polls on March 10 to determine the fate of a $25 million bond issue and a $16 million maintenance and operations renewal levy. The majority of the bond measure would go to massive upgrades of 25-year-old Mead High School. The bond issue would result in a tax increase to property owners of approximately 61 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Learning to say 'No'. Riverside Elementary second-grader Ben Hill, right, explains the story of "Donovan Dignity" to classmates during a Beginning Alcohol and Addictions Basic Education Studies (BABES) program Wednesday. With Ben are Chelsie Boone, left, and Jordan Legg. Photo by Jason Clark/The Spokesman-Review

Jeff LeBret, a sophomore at Gonzaga University, had a growling good time when he participated in the NASA Space Life Science Training Program. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

The Northeast Community Head Start Center is hosting an all neighborhood health fair at the Northeast Community Center from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Karen Wright, the Head Start Family Service Coordinator, has arranged for speakers and displays in all areas of health. Every agency in the center is participating by offering information and free health screenings. Information about stress reduction will be available, and massage therapy will be offered for a small fee, Wright said. Presentations from mental health professionals and nutrition specialists will also be available. Here are some details: The Hillyard Senior Center will be offering free blood pressure readings and free hearing screenings throughout the day-long event. A photo screening, which has proven especially helpful in checking vision among extremely active children will be available during the fair. The Community Health Association of Spokane plans to offer pulmonary function screening. The Spokane Regional District will provide information on pedestrian safety. Lutheran Social Services will have a special presentation on child abuse prevention. The Single Parent Outreach Center will provide information on safety practices for latchkey kids. The Spokane Fire Department will offer an orientation on CPR. The Shriners will be offering information on burn prevention. The Women, Infants and Children's program at the NECC will provide nutritional information. The Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education, Spokane Regional Health District and Head Start will collaborate on providing test for tuberculosis on Tuesday with a follow-up on Thursday. Participating agencies are placing special emphasis on the health and safety of young children but will also be including information and screenings that will be helpful for neighbors of all ages. The Northeast Youth Center will have activities for children while parents and care givers visit the fair. For further information call the Head Start center at 533-8816. Later in the month A similar event will be offered at Shaw Middle School and will focus on health issues of adolescents. Mary York, event planner says that the format will feature activities, fun and lots of information for parents of middle and high school students. The Parent Health Fair is slated for Friday, March 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30.

Riverside Elementary School principal Mike Jordan has been named distinguished elementary principal for 1998 by the Northeast Elementary Principal's Association of Washington (NESPAW). The selection was based on Jordan's "quality contribution" to the education of young children through his involvement in the Washington State Elementary School Principal's Association, and his strong leadership and commitment in the Riverside School District, NESPAW said.

Ed and Kati Kelly returned from their Fairwood Park Home after a week of skiing in Canada to find it vandalized. Plants were knocked over, the living-room curtains were shredded, and the curtain ropes were frayed. But what tipped off the Kellys that their unwanted visitor wasn't human was "the little droppings everywhere," Kati Kelly said.

Students from Mead High School gear up for a three-day leadership camp on Deer Lake. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Lakeside wrestler Sean Wheeler looked like a possessed man at the state wrestling championship last weekend at Tacoma. The 178-pound Wheeler, like the rest of his Eagle teammates, dyed his hair blue for the tourney. Wheeler sort of resembled one of those spaced-out freaks who walks around Seattle's Pioneer Square, hitting up people for change.

1. Lakeside's Sean Wheeler is congratulated by his coaches after winning the state title at 178 lbs. in Tacoma on Saturday. Photo by Jason Clark/The Spokesman-Review 2. Lakeside's Aaron Laughery puts the squeeze on David Farfan of Port Townsend, Wash., during the first round of the state wrestling tournament in Tacoma. Photo by Jason Clark/The Spokesman-Review

Spokane police arrested a man they are only identifying as "John Doe" after responding to a burglary call Monday night. The owner of a residence in the 2700 block of East Desmet was out of town. When his son checked on the house, he saw lights on and an unknown man inside, police spokesman Dick Cottam said. Police found an open window and ordered the man out. The man told the police to leave and ignored their commands. Officers saw the man carrying a sheath knife in his hand, wandering from one room to another, Cottam said.