Soft-spoken and polite, 18-year-old Chelsea Laud is humble about her accomplishments at Lakeland High School. Laud has attended school in the Lakeland School District since kindergarten and is one of the four valedictorians for the LHS class of 2009. “I’ve been a 4.0 (grade-point average) all through high school,” Laud said.

As one of Idaho’s fastest-growing communities, Post Falls is looking to the future with a focus on the design of future development rather than use. The city has adopted “SmartCode,” with a few details to be worked out such as putting the code into ordinance form. Colin Coles, senior planner, said Post Falls is the first community in the Northwest to adopt SmartCode, a method of developing land that he said is similar to a planned unit development (like Riverstone in Coeur d’Alene), but with less commercial use.

Cancer doesn’t sleep, so that’s why Relay for Life events are overnight, often lasting 24 hours or longer. Friday night, Relay for Life teams will set up their colorful tents around the track at the Post Falls Greyhound Park and Event Center, as they have for many years, to raise money for cancer research, while bringing survivors, supporters and their families together to remember, and even celebrate.

As one of Idaho’s fastest-growing communities, Post Falls is looking to the future with a focus on the design of future development rather than use. The city has adopted “SmartCode,” with a few details to be worked out such as putting the code into ordinance form. Colin Coles, senior planner, said Post Falls is the first community in the Northwest to adopt SmartCode, a method of developing land that he said is similar to a planned unit development (like Riverstone in Coeur d’Alene), but with less commercial use.

Imagine a sports program where winning isn’t the emphasis, but good sportsmanship, building relationships, having a good attitude and a good time is. Pretty neat, huh? That’s the philosophy at Post Falls Parks and Recreation. When a youngster signs up for soccer, baseball, basketball, flag football or volleyball, the parents and child together must sign a code of conduct. The parents “vow to provide positive support, care and encouragement at all times for their child,” display good sportsmanship, put the emotional and physical welfare of the child above their own urge to win, support coaches and officials, keep the events drug, alcohol and tobacco free, prompt their child to treat other players, coaches, fans and officials with esteem regardless of race, sex, creed or ability, and much more.

Jeff Butcher started as a volunteer firefighter with the Mica-Kidd Island Fire Department when he was 18. Now, at 21, he’s a full-fledged firefighter with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department. “I really didn’t know a lot about it, but I knew I was going to be a firefighter,” Butcher said.

The Post Falls City Council has given a green light to the annexation of 117 acres at the intersection of Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue – for commercial development only. Applicants Phillips Edison of Salt Lake City, Prairie Crossing West LLC and Prairie Properties LLC had originally proposed a 277-acre annexation, to include residential property. A new proposal to annex only the commercially zoned acreage was brought before the council April 1 after the original was tabled.

Post Falls School District Superintendent Jerry Keane runs a tight ship. Even though Keane was named Idaho state superintendent of the year and Post Falls citizen of the year for 2009, he credits his board and staff as equals. “We have an outstanding board of trustees,” Keane said. “They set the tone. They understand the role of the board of trustees.”

Bringing children and adults from different cultures together and learning about and celebrating those cultures is the goal of the Kootenai Children's Culture Group. Founded a year ago by Alyssa Frahm and Renata Mood, the group consists of families who have adopted children from other countries, as well as parents from other countries who are raising their children in America.

The North Idaho College Theater Department's fall production, "Sylvia," by A.R. Gurney opens Thursday in Boswell Hall's Schuler Auditorium. The comedy revolves around a man, his dog and a midlife crisis. A couple moves to New York City after raising their kids, but the wife, Kate, is finding new opportunities and responsibility as a public school teacher, while her husband, Greg is dissatisfied with his career. He brings home a stray dog from Central Park, Sylvia, who becomes his companion.