Mike Prager

When Angie Barron brought her son, Skyyler, to Spokane for a new round of chemotherapy last month, the two of them had to stay in motels for a week because the Ronald McDonald House had a waiting list. They were not alone in finding no room at the Ronald McDonald House.

An elderly businesswoman who donated $1.2 million for restoration of the Moore-Turner Heritage Garden on the lower South Hill has withdrawn additional support for the project in a dispute with the city over tree removal along Spokane's panoramic Cliff Drive. Myrtle Woldson, who lives in the neighborhood adjacent to the garden, said in a statement from her attorney this week that her support had hinged on the city restoring the view by cutting down trees adjacent to the garden in Pioneer Park, at Seventh and Stevens.

The Donut Parade's landmark sign at Hamilton Street and Illinois Avenue is missing from the corner of the popular business after a gust of wind twisted and bent the supporting angle iron that had held it in place for as long as 80 years. The sign was bent downward and laying on a traffic light bar adjacent to the building in the early hours of Feb. 20.

A decorative mirrored star taken from the ceiling of the Fox Theater more than 30 years ago will be returned to the theater where it can shine down on audiences once again. Herbert Mueller, a retired dentist living in north Spokane, has offered to donate the star to the theater.

Maurice and Annabelle Henry couldn't resist the call of the sun. They and their 3-month-old daughter, Isabella, went for a midday stroll in Spokane's Riverfront Park on Friday as the temperature soared to 50 degrees by afternoon.

Some Spokane and Spokane Valley streets are so bad that when the winter thaw arrives, the pavement doesn't just develop a few potholes – entire sections give up the ghost. Neil Kersten, public works director in Spokane Valley, said heavier rains last fall combined with an extended freeze this winter to aggravate the perennial damage, mainly on older roads.

Mayor Dennis Hession delivered an upbeat message Friday in a speech that may have implications for this fall's City Hall election season. Seeking to broaden his appeal, Hession stood to the side of his lectern with a touch of informality and, as first reported on spokesmanreview.com, declared Spokane a "city of promise." He spoke before a gathering of Greater Spokane Incorporated – a newly merged organization of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce and economic development groups.

Spokane's Downtown Library is throwing a birthday party for Abraham Lincoln on Saturday and inviting area children to attend as part of a traveling exhibit on Lincoln's emancipation of slaves. The party will be at 11 a.m. in the first-floor meeting rooms of the library at Lincoln Street and Main Avenue.

Tensions between Spokane City Council and Mayor Dennis Hession have escalated in recent weeks with at least three council members discussing a vote of no confidence in the mayor. The trouble stems from a series of issues in which the council and the mayor have found themselves at odds, including animal control, employee benefits packages, land use and the hiring of a new solid waste director.

Covering the Bloomsday runners sculpture in Riverfront Park with black plastic sheeting may, at first glance, appear to be some kind of college prank. But this act of civic defacement and others like it will be seen across Spokane increasingly as part of an arts campaign this month.

The future of Spokane's annual Lilac Festival torchlight parade is being threatened as support within the community has dwindled over the past decade. The event lost $46,000 last year, and the Spokane Lilac Festival Association's once-substantial reserve fund is nearly gone.

Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession should quickly make changes recommended in a $260,000 efficiency study that calls for cutting as many as 100 jobs across city government, City Council members said Monday. The fact that the mayor and four council positions are up for election this year should not be an excuse for not taking action, said Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, whose seat is not up for election until 2009.