Mike Prager

Keith Martensen is working to save the Waverly Bridge from demolition because he says it qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Three races for City Council in Airway Heights have drawn a crowd of candidates. In the race for Position 1, incumbent Dale Perry is facing retired Airway Heights employee John Holloway. Former community center employee Elizabeth Brush is also listed on the ballot for Position 1, but she said last week she is withdrawing from the race. She would not say why.

Cheney has one primary race for City Council, and it pits incumbent Marliss Gregerson against two challengers. They are P. Michael McKeehan, a fourth-grade teacher at Reid Laboratory School, and C. Allan Gainer Jr., a former textbook manager at First Street Books in downtown Cheney. Gregerson is seeking a second term on the council. She is a bookkeeper for the Cheney School District, currently working at the high school.

Lynn Blecker conducts the Project Joy Orchestra during a rehearsal. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

It doesn't look like the city is going to be able to develop Ben Burr Park in southeast Spokane any time soon. A competitive proposal to use state grant money for a new Ben Burr Park is trailing other proposals from around the state. For five years now, the city has been seeking up to $300,000 in state money to help pay for the estimated $640,000 cost of building the park.

Six offices in the Sacred Heart Doctors' Building were burglarized last week, apparently by someone who had a key that was intended for emergency use in case of fire. Police said they were called to the building at 105 W. Eighth about 8 a.m. on Aug. 20 and found drawers and cabinets forced open with a screwdriver.

Daniel and Leasa Glover said they are tired of the mud and overgrown trees on city property next to their home. They live on 17th Avenue where it meets Rockwood Boulevard. The city owns a strip of land adjacent to their home that is dedicated as Conklin Street, although that's a little misleading. The undeveloped land is overgrown with trees and turns to mud every winter.

Lynn Becker conducts the Project Joy Orchestra during rehearsal at the Salvation Army. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

A United Parcel Service truck steers clear of temporary traffic barriers placed at 25th and Garfield. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Transportation Motorists detouring through the upper Rockwood neighborhood are finding it less than hospitable these days. Grand Boulevard is closed for repaving, and city officials don't want drivers to become accustomed to cutting through the upscale residential area. Temporary traffic barriers are being installed on Garfield Road, Hatch, Arthur and Rhyolite streets to discourage commuters and speeders.

1. George Fuentes, 7, plays with a tennis ball by the gazebo at Coeur d'Alene Park. The structure, dedicated in 1990, was once a symbol of Browne's Addition renewal. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. A missing baluster and rotted section of wood on the gazebo. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

A plan to turn nearly 25 acres of open land at 57th and Regal into a shopping center goes before the county hearing examiner in September. Members of the Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association are meeting tonight to discuss a strategy for slowing the rapid development of southeast Spokane. Association leaders said the future of the area hinges on good planning and not the kind of piecemeal development that leads to confusing strips of commercial property.

Much of the history of the Spokane area is found inside the city limits. But county officials want to make sure historic sites and buildings in the unincorporated areas are preserved as well. They are holding two workshops today at the Argonne Library, 4322 N. Argonne, to gather public comment on historic preservation efforts.

City Council The Spokane City Council has approved a federal community development loan to help pay for renovation of the Carlyle Hotel at Second and Post. Nearly $3.9 million is being poured into the renovation through a conventional loan, donations and the federal loan money. The council on Monday approved the $150,000 loan for permanent furnishings in the rebuilt apartments.

A new youth center in the East Central neighborhood will open next month with a dedication ceremony and an open house. The interdenominational Youth for Christ organization is remodeling a rundown commercial building on Fifth Avenue between Fiske and Haven streets to house the center. A grand opening is planned for Sept. 5 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for the new East Central Campus Life Center.

The Spokane City Council on Monday approved a bid from Red Diamond Construction Co. of the Spokane Valley for paving of Rebecca Street from 30th to 37th avenues. Red Diamond outbid three other companies to win the contract for $192,000. The bid was $24,000 less than the city engineering estimate.

A new state audit of Medical Lake's municipal court has uncovered the embezzlement of about $4,000 over a two-year period in a "check-for-cash" scheme. The investigation is being turned over to the Spokane County Sheriff's Department.

Diana Neeley throws a 50-pound sack of calf milk supplement on dairy farmer Doug Hemmerling's truck. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

A commercial property owner near the intersection of Cheney-Spokane Road and the Pullman highway is seeking a zone change for a motel and restaurant there. Ron Armacost, owner of the Zip Trip store at the intersection, is asking the city to allow the motel and restaurant on a piece of undeveloped property between his store and the new Tidyman's supermarket.

The city hearing examiner has approved a special permit to allow construction of a nine-hole "pitch and putt" golf course in the Latah Creek Valley. Terry Kelly and Chris Becker want to build the Latah Short Course on 5.8 acres of land just west of U.S. Highway 195 on Meadowlane Road. The location is a short distance from the city's full-size Creek at Qualchan Golf Course.

Neighbors converge on the undeveloped Ben Burr Park site to show support for a state grant to help develop the park. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

The Scrapbook Restaurant is changing its card room to offer Las Vegas-style blackjack starting next month. New state laws are giving card room operators more choices for attracting players. Owner Dave Montecucco said he will expand the card room at the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center from five to nine tables. Each table will have a dealer hired and trained by the house. Bet limits will range from a $1 minimum to a $25 maximum per hand.

Grand Boulevard will close to traffic on Monday as the city gets started on the long-awaited repaving of the busy South Hill arterial. Inland Asphalt Co. of Spokane won an $880,300 contract from the city and has agreed to finish the work by Sept. 16. The company is planning to work 12- to 14-hour shifts to complete the job on time, said Malcolm Bowie, city field engineer.

The city of Spokane last week announced the acquisition of a 24-acre piece of conservation land along Latah Creek just north of Hatch Road at U.S. Highway 195. The new Campion Park is considered a choice piece of upland habitat. The city plans to maintain it in its native condition for wildlife and passive recreation. Money to purchase the land came from the state Department of Natural Resources and its aquatic lands enhancement account.