Kip Hill

Shane Jenkins paddled to the middle of a bay on Long Lake at Nine Mile Falls. His broad shoulders rose from the surface, then his life-jacketed torso and finally the dual jets fastened to his feet, shooting water with the power of more than 150 horses and propelling Jenkins almost 30 feet in the air. This is Jenkins’ second week with the flyboard, a relatively new entry into the world of water sports. Jenkins and his friend, Mike Grytdal, both rural Spokane County firefighters, are offering lessons in their free time after contracting with AV Watersports, based in Bellevue, to offer the attraction in Eastern Washington. For $90, a waiver signature and some brief safety training, thrill-seekers can experience 30 minutes of “flight time” themselves. The equipment has already caused awe on the lake waters among boaters and Jenkins’ neighbors, who are unaccustomed to swimmers rising from the waves like dolphins.

YAKIMA – A rifle squad of Washington Army National Guardsmen sprints to take cover along a plywood wall. Spc. Chaz Grady, of Spokane, provides cover with his M4 carbine, looking for a chance to flank enemy combatants in a narrow alley cutting through a small town. The arid, rolling hills outside Yakima stand in for enemy territory. In this exercise, a friendly meeting with the town elder has gone south and the 10-man team is sweeping the area for hostiles.

As a health teacher at Lakes Middle School in Coeur d’Alene, Warren Ducote saw firsthand the effect of poverty on students’ emotional and physical well-being. “You see the depression, the anger that’s built up inside, the kids acting up and being unable to focus on school,” Ducote said.

A month before their scheduled nuptials, Kath’ren Bay and Alexis Higdon stood side by side in a flatbed truck rolling down Main Street, clutching signs thanking the state of Washington for allowing the couple of 20 years to marry. “We’ve got it all set,” Bay said, beaming before her appearance in Spokane’s 22nd Annual Gay Pride Celebration. “Family’s coming from all over the country.”

Paying for parking with plastic is about to become a permanent option in downtown Spokane. After several exploratory studies over the past decade, Spokane plans to roll out parking meters that will accept credit card payments as well as coins at 800 parking spaces downtown. The City Council is expected to review a contract with Milwaukee-based Duncan Solutions for the new meters later this month.

REPUBLIC, Wash. – Former Alaska governor and Republican firebrand Sarah Palin brought a gift and a surprise for residents of this town of 1,100 who crowded the high school gym to celebrate its graduation Saturday afternoon. Grads found the gift taped under their chairs onstage: a dollar bill. The currency taught a life lesson, Palin said.

Thousands of motorists, and the businesses vying for their attention, may find themselves cursing Monday when the Monroe Street Bridge shuts down for three weeks. “I’m a little peeved,” said Josh Scott, owner of Time Bomb Collectibles just north of the bridge. He said he hadn’t seen the notice of the closure and learned about it from another business owner in the area.

Washington’s U.S. senators visited Spokane on Tuesday, each pushing federal legislation aimed at improving students’ well-being. Sen. Maria Cantwell toured Spokane Seed Co. after touting a provision in the pending Senate Farm Bill authorizing the purchase of $10 million in pulse crops, such as chickpeas and lentils, for use in school lunches. If it passes, students would receive more nutritious meals and Washington state would gain food production jobs in an already booming industry, Cantwell said.