Mike Prager

Plywood sheeting is going up at Spokane's five outdoor city pools this summer under an order of the Spokane Regional Health District. The chain-link fences that surround the pools are no longer considered safe under health regulations that went into effect four years ago.

The owner of Canyon Bluffs apartments – a large complex along Thorpe Road just west of two railroad tunnels – hooked up a private cable television system without a Spokane city franchise, records show. When the city of Spokane learned about the private cable system in 2006, it issued a tax bill to the owner of the property, Feature Realty of San Rafael, Calif.

Old River Road in Shoshone County remained by floodwaters on the Coeur d'Alene River and authorities were using two boats near Cataldo to keep a lifeline open to stranded residents as the river reached its peak from fast-melting snow Sunday. Shoshone County Sheriff Chuck Reynalds said residents stranded on the north side of the river were prepared for the flood and had been told to wave a white flag or sheet if they needed help before floodwaters recede, probably by Wednesday.

Spokane might be a great place to raise a dog, but it's in the dog house when it comes to canine amenities. Unlike many other cities, it has no dog parks, although Spokane County has a dog facility at Gateway Park near the Idaho state line.

HILLYARD – A nationally renowned expert in neighborhood planning and redevelopment said Monday that Hillyard is the kind of urban environment that will likely see a revival in coming years. He said the key to renewal is involving members of the community, including schoolchildren, in planning and executing redevelopment initiatives.

Monica Meglasson, the winemaker at Caterina Winery at 905 N. Washington St., has been keeping the corks in her bottles for too long. Local wine consumers haven't been seeing much of Meglasson's wines in recent years. She has released only a handful of white wines and a red made from sangiovese grapes.

A home at 2124 S. Rockwood Blvd. will host a tour on Saturday and Sunday of historic homes with landscapes designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Mass. It is one of four homes open across Spokane for the 19th annual Mother's Day historic home tour through the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Tours run from noon to 4 p.m. both days. The event is sponsored by the museum's Historic Preservation Committee.

A relatively undisturbed stretch of Latah Creek in south Spokane County is being turned over to permanent conservation land by a pair of owners who believe in living green. Paul Bryant and his wife, Carolyn Sayre, of Seattle, have granted a conservation easement on their 322-acre piece of land to the Inland Northwest Land Trust in Spokane.

The Spokane City Council on Monday reversed a decision by the city hearing examiner rejecting a proposed 100-foot office and retail tower west of the county courthouse. The 6-1 vote allows developers Marcus DeWood and his wife, Luann Padgham, of West Central LLC, to move ahead with their proposed project.

The city of Spokane is extending its water service westward to the vicinity of Fairchild Air Force Base in a bid to serve the air base and other potential customers on the West Plains. The City Council on March 31 approved a $2.6 million contract with Eller Corp. of Newman Lake to install an extension of a 36-inch water main from Thomas Mallen Road at Hallett Road three miles west to Craig Road.

Spokane's hearing examiner has rejected an appeal by residents in northwest Spokane seeking to stop a cottage-style housing project just east of Drumheller Springs Park. Hearing Examiner Greg Smith said in a decision last week that the city's comprehensive land-use plan and its zoning code allow between four and 10 units per acre. The site along Ash Place, which is just under an acre, is proposed for nine cottage homes, which Smith found consistent with the code.

Gonzaga University officials are going before the Spokane hearing examiner this morning on an application for a shoreline conditional-use permit to expand soccer facilities on the campus along the Spokane River. The 9 a.m. hearing in the council briefing center at City Hall involves a major upgrading of soccer fields on the west side of athletic facilities at Gonzaga.