Mike Prager

The cooler side of spring takes over for the next several days with highs in the lower to middle 50s and lows near freezing overnight. A large low pressure area that settled over the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday slowly moves east today, reducing the shower threat and leaving the Spokane area under partly sunny skies.

A change in weather back to the cool side of spring is going to bring wind gusts and scattered showers and thunderstorms to the Inland Northwest.

Work is starting today on a project to improve and beautify Spokane’s main gateway along Interstate 90 at Division Street. Landscaping, sculptures, walkways, irrigation, walls, fencing, lighting and other features are planned in the $650,000 project.

A potentially potent wind storm is headed toward the Inland Northwest with thunderstorms possible in parts of the region.

The city of Spokane recently won a $200,000 federal environmental grant as part of its plan to clean up and redevelop contaminated industrial sites in the Hillyard area. The grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will pay for studies of contamination and needs for utility infrastructure, including stormwater disposal.

Early spring is known for changeable weather, and that’s exactly what forecasters say is going to occur through early next week. Patchy fog and clouds this morning are going to give way to mostly sunny skies by afternoon with a high of 61 expected in Spokane.

Spokane is one of a handful of national test sites for a new federal program designed to help the chronically unemployed get jobs and get off public assistance. The $200 million program was announced Monday by U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon, who spent the day touring Spokane’s food and nutrition programs. Washington, one of 10 states participating in the effort, will receive $22 million to pay for case workers, skills training, job-based training and support services such as child care and transportation.

A trend toward renewed urbanization in larger U.S. cities has not escaped the notice of real estate professionals. The phenomenon is being driven to a large degree by younger people who are less likely to own cars and more likely to ride transit, they said.

Federal officials have backed away from a threat to cut funding from Lakeland Village as a result of improvements responding to numerous violations. The Washington state Department of Social and Health Services on Thursday said that the federal government will maintain Medicaid funding for 83 residents under long-term care at Lakeland Village Nursing Facility in Medical Lake.

More than 3,700 Inland Northwest residents have been accepted for the speed lane at airport screening stations. The Transportation Security Administration has opened a new enrollment office at Spokane International Airport, making it the second in the Spokane area. The other is in Spokane Valley.

It may have felt like spring for the past month or more, but now it’s going to be official. Spring starts at 3:45 p.m. today with the arrival of the vernal equinox.

Snow is finally returning to the mountains of the Inland Northwest. Unfortunately, it's not the mountains where snow is badly needed.

Spokane set a daily record on Sunday with 1.33 inches of rainfall that was strong enough to back up catch basins and wash dirt and debris onto sidewalks and streets. The previous record was 1.18 inches in 2012, a year that turned out to be especially wet in March. The two-day rainfall total at Spokane International Airport was 1.51 inches.

A new West Plains transit center at the state Highway 902 exit along Interstate 90 is a key component in Spokane Transit Authority’s drive to expand bus service in the region. STA is seeking a 0.3 percent increase in the sales tax on April 28 to pay for a wide range of improvements to the bus system, including a proposed Central City Line for travel between Spokane Community College, the University District, downtown and Browne’s Addition.