Pat Sciuchetti

The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority wants Valley residents to stop smoking. This winter, SCAPCA's regional campaign to reduce fireplace and wood stove smoke will focus on chimneys in Millwood, Liberty Lake, Newman Lake, Otis Orchards and Greenacres. Air quality field staff recommended a Valley focus this year, based on smoke complaints and their own personal observations, said Ron Edgar, SCAPCA's chief of technical services.

The last time the McMichael family was all together was Thanksgiving Day. They gathered at the Old Country Buffet in the Spokane Valley for a good time and a feast. As usual, 14-year-old Breanna sat next to her uncle Norman. "They were very, very close," said Dianne Sullivan, Breanna's mother. So close, the family will bury the two together today.

A man wearing a dark mask and gloves robbed a woman as she tried to deposit money at a U.S. Bank branch in the Spokane Valley early Sunday. The 23-year-old woman had driven to the U.S. Bank branch at 15426 E. Sprague with a co-worker just after midnight to deposit checks and cash for her employer. She parked near the night deposit box and waited for the man ahead of her to finish his deposit.

Dannie Hawley is a medical missionary. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Wetter

Being retired hasn't stopped Bonnie Randles from keeping track of the sick and elderly. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Two months ago, burglars ransacked, flooded and vandalized Hassan Mallah's business. Now, Valley Fire District investigators say, an arsonist has tried to burn it down. Mallah, the owner of Spokane Office Concepts, 10311 E. Montgomery, lost $120,000 in merchandise, office equipment and personal property during the September burglary. The thieves left faucets running and cleaned out Hallah's office, taking numerous collectibles, including several swords.

A newly formed citizen's group has hired an attorney to fight a proposed subdivision on the east shore of Liberty Lake. Citizens Allied for Liberty Lake (CALL) has hired attorney Stephen Eugster to help them oppose the proposed MacKenzie Bay Beach Properties subdivision. The subdivision would be located about one-quarter mile south of the intersection of Lakeside and Neyland roads and would include 200 to 300 feet of common beach area. Owner Rex Harder is seeking preliminary plat approval to subdivide the 24.5 acres into 35 lots for single family homes. He would like to have individual building lots ready for sale by next summer. Eugster was one of about 10 people who testified at a public hearing on the subdivision last week. Most opposed the development. The county Planning Department received 30 written comments on the proposal, 29 of them in opposition, associate county planner Louis Webster said.

Passersby pulled two boys out of a burning house early Tuesday morning after smoke and asthma prevented their mother from rescuing them herself.

Thieves hit more than a dozen University High School basketball players where it hurts most: in the feet. Burglars pried open 23 lockers in the high school's gymnasium on Friday night, stealing at least 14 pairs of expensive basketball shoes, U-Hi officials said. Girls' basketball coach Bob Finn discovered the damaged lockers and missing shoes when his team arrived for practice Saturday morning.

Rep. Larry Crouse, left, and Rep. Mark Sterk, by window, at Chamber luncheon. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Someone stole her family's jewelry, VCRs, camcorder and stereo. They took antique knives, binoculars, power tools and CDs. But what 15-year-old Erin Rice misses most is her family's trust.

Jerry Bliss makes a living building birdhouses. They're handmade of alder logs and cedar roofing Bliss and his family gather during walks in the woods. They're decorated with moss, miniature mailboxes and tiny wheels. And now, 36 of them have disappeared. Earlier this month, someone broke into Bliss' storage unit at Dishman-Mica Self-Storage, 209 S. Dishman-Mica Road, and stole one-third of the birdhouses he'd been storing there, sheriff's deputies said.

They've tinkered a bit with the tinsel, but sponsors promise this year's Festival of Trees will be as grand as its predecessors. The Spokane Valley Rotary Club, the new primary sponsor of the holiday event, has scaled it back and worked to make it more affordable this year. It has replaced the traditional $65-per-person gala dinner and dance with a $30 cocktail and hors d'oeuvres party. That will take place Thursday night, said Dan Frickle, a Rotary board member. Valley Rotary also has planned a low-cost family tree viewing next Sunday with balloon artists, cookie decorating, face painting and other activities for kids. A dozen local carvers will be on hand to display their works and demonstrate their skills. Frickle, a cardboard artist, will display his handmade 5-foot-wide Gothic cardboard cathedral. Valley Rotary has kept the festival's traditional tree auction and raffle intact. Businesses sponsor and decorate the Christmas trees, which have been auctioned off for up to $6,000 in past years. There won't be as many trees this year, Frickle said, but he promised they would be just as magnificent. Raffle tickets cost $1 and are available at festival events. Other events include an evening holiday fashion show and a mid-day holiday fashion show, both on Dec. 8. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Valley Center of Sharing, the Hugs to Health day care for sick kids at Valley Hospital and Medical Center and the new Valley Senior Center and universally accessible park at Mirabeau Point. This is Valley Rotary's first year as primary sponsor of the Festival of Trees. The former sponsor, Deaconess and Valley Healthcare Foundation, decided last summer to discontinue it, and replace it with a new fund-raising event. The festival has raised nearly $500,000 for local charities during its 10-year history, but profits and interest had declined in recent years. The investment of time and money, foundation officials said, finally became too large for the return. In September, the Valley Rotary board of directors decided to rescue the holiday event. "A group of us felt it was such a neat tradition, we just weren't willing to give it up," Frickle said.

The Valley Fire District Board of Commissioners on Friday reluctantly voted to remain neutral on a proposal to charge non-city residents - including Valley residents - roughly the same price for ambulance rides, whether they're hurt inside or outside city limits. If accepted by the Spokane City Council, the proposal by Spokane Fire Chief Bobby Williams would add $100 to $220 to the bill of a non-city resident who needs an ambulance transport within city limits. Valley residents would no longer get a break - paying the lower price charged to city residents. Commissioners agreed not to oppose the proposal - as long as the city works with them over the next year to make ambulance costs more equitable county-wide. Currently, ambulance transports in the city cost about $60 to $220 less than county transports, for a variety of reasons. Factors include a higher number of transports, smaller service area and the EMS levy that city property owners must pay. Currently, everyone pays more for county transports and less for city transports, regardless of where they live. The proposal would roughly equalize costs inside and outside the city for non-city residents. City residents would still pay less inside the city, a point that bothered Valley fire commissioners.

1. Hugs to Health nurse Debbie Corey leads 4-year-old Caitlin Perry to the play room. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Below, Jeremy Howe has his temperature checked by Pamela Tweedy. 3. Top, Hugs to Health nurse Debbie Corey checks the throat of Benjamin McEnderfer. Photography by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 4. Left, Zane Morris gets a hello kiss from Alyssa, who was dropped off in the morning at the Valley Medical Center day care.

Bob Allen was among the 164 donors to give blood for Crystal Heden, who suffers from leukemia. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Spokane Valley Fire District commissioners will vote next week on an $11.7 million budget that includes funding for a new fire truck, two paramedic vehicles and a handful of new firefighters. Commissioners are expected to approve the 1998 budget following a 4 p.m. public hearing on Wednesday.

The Opportunity Township Hall was built in 1912. File photo

Sheriff's deputies are investigating several unsolved Valley business burglaries. Burglars last week escaped with more than $10,000 worth of valuables from State Farm Insurance, Johnson Trailer Repair, Seco Construction Equipment Inc. and Precision Audio, Sheriff's Department officials said. Deputies haven't determined if the cases are related. The cluster of burglaries began Wednesday, when thieves used a rock to break out a window at State Farm Insurance, 1014 N. Pines. They stole two computers, a red and white State Farm pedal car and 22 collectors' edition car banks.

Melanie Sauer Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

1-3. Sara Serbell, left, Elizabeth Keeler, bottom left, and Cynthia McMullen (at Liberty Lake Elementary School construction site) are all active in making the community a better place. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Valleyford Postmaster Rick Straub will be leaving his 190-square-foot post office for a new 2,500-square-foot facility. Construction is scheduled to start as soon as next month. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

A Valley woman lost $1,500 in foreign currency and her passport when her home was burglarized last week. The thief apparently used an old key to gain entry into the home on South Farr Road, sheriff's deputies said. The door was locked with a deadbolt and no windows were opened or broken, said the occupant of the home, who was away when the burglary occurred Wednesday morning.