Mike Prager

Brian Jennings was visiting friends in Spokane's West Central Neighborhood when he discovered that a classic old commercial building at 2023 W. Dean Ave. was for sale. "I kind of have this list of favorite buildings in Spokane, and this is one of them," Jennings said. "It's one of those buildings you look at and instantly care about."

Construction could begin this fall on a bike and pedestrian trail on a former commuter railroad bed in southeast Spokane near 57th Avenue and the old Palouse Highway. Spokane County is planning to seek bids this month on what is expected to be an $800,000 project to pave the old right of way for approximately nine blocks to the north.

Legend has it that Spokane's "Great Fire" of 1889 started in a brothel when a lady heating her curling iron tipped over a lamp. Or it could have been a grease fire in the kitchen.

This has been a tough year for tomatoes. A cool June reduced early blossoming. Then, highs in the mid to upper 90s zapped a lot of blossoms before they could set, and keeping the plants evenly moist has been a challenge.

About two dozen women and men gathered Sunday at Comstock Park for what's become an annual observance of the anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the United States. They dined on fried chicken and engaged in light-hearted political rhetoric in recalling the struggle for women's equality.

When Susan Bauguss lost her job, she decided to create one of her own. She bought a bus and began offering tours of Spokane.

Spokane's newly restored Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens, dating back more than a century, are unlike any other gardens in Washington. On Wednesday, an invitation-only crowd of people who worked on or supported the project over the past nine years got an early look.

A member of a longtime Spokane business family is suing the state Department of Transportation over the way it has handled the acquisition of real estate for a planned north-south freeway. David Moore, owner of Zig's Electric & Plumbing Supply Co., claims that the state has essentially condemned his commercial property at 4312 N. Market Ave., by purchasing the adjacent Ziggy's Building Materials at 4220 N. Market Ave., and leaving him with property he cannot lease or sell.

Nearly 10 years ago, Corbin Art Center Director Lynn Mandyke was tromping around the rugged woodland behind the center in Pioneer Park on Spokane's lower South Hill. An ice storm in 1996 had brought down a lot of weak timber, and the Spokane parks department won a federal grant to clean and restore woodlands around the city.

The pedestrian mall and parking lots alongside the administration building at Gonzaga University could be expanded westward under a proposal being advanced by the university. Work is under way on portions of the $1 million project, which will include construction of a reflecting pool and installation of a 9-foot bronze statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

When Mary Fryback gives a tour of her West Central neighborhood, the sights are likely to be grungy alleys and walls covered with graffiti, not dramatic views of the Spokane River or turn-of-the-century homes. On a recent visit, she pointed to a burned-out house – the work of a neighborhood arsonist who has not been apprehended.

Problems with rust at the city's aging outdoor swimming pools could be solved under a $78.4 million bond issue expected to appear on the ballot this November. Park maintenance workers have been repairing holes in the heating systems at Cannon Pool on the North Side and Liberty Pool in east Spokane this year, and managed to get the pools working – for this season.

The long-awaited opening of the Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens in Spokane's Pioneer Park is on track for Aug. 18 after workers finished planting and reconstructing the historic landscape last week. Tender young plants, selected for historical accuracy, will get a scant three more weeks to spread roots before the opening celebration, which will continue on Saturdays and Sundays through September.