Pat Sciuchetti

Sheriff's detectives have linked a Valley man to a string of at least 40 vehicle prowlings in the Liberty Lake area. They also believe the 22-year-old is responsible for two garage burglaries and thefts of a minivan and pickup truck. Both vehicles were later rolled down hills or steep embankments. In every case, the victims made the crimes easy by leaving doors unlocked or storing keys in their vehicles, sheriff's detectives said.

Traffic stacks up on Sullivan Road at the entrance to the Spokane Valley Mall. Emergency-service officials see big trouble ahead. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

VALLEY VOICE, September 18, 1997, page V5: CLARIFICATION The Southeast Spokane County Fair in Rockford kicks off Friday at 9 a.m. and runs through Sunday, Sept. 21. To get to the fair, take Highway 27 (Pines Road) south from the Valley approximately 18 miles to Rockford and follow the signs to the fair. For more information, call 291-FAIR.

Valley Fire District officials are scoping out sites in Greenacres for a new fire station one they hope to have open in 2000 or 2001. The best location, said Valley Fire Chief Pat Humphries, would be between Flora and Barker, south of Broadway but north of 8th. That area is now served by a stations 3, 5 and 7. But more extensive coverage will be needed in the near future, Humphries said. Several new subdivisions proposed near Barker and 8th could bring hundreds of new homes in the next several years. Meadowview Terrace alone could bring 309 new residences, if it wins an appeal in Superior Court.

A 15-year-old boy riding his bike in a Tidyman's parking lot was chased, forced off the road and robbed Friday night by men flashing gang signs. Two days later, two men with a knife forced a 13-year-old girl in a Safeway parking lot to give them the zip-up shirt she was wearing. The parking lot robberies do not appear to be linked, sheriff's deputies said, but both may have involved gang members.

Sheriff's deputies arrested a Rockford teenager on Tuesday, accusing him of breaking into a gravel pit and driving around town in a tractor dumping loads of sand and gravel. Jay Justin Fricke, 18, of 24306 S. Harvard Road, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on charges of second-degree burglary and reckless burning, sheriff's deputies said. Residents had called police when they saw a man dumping sand and gravel at various places around town. A deputy sent to investigate discovered a broken gate and damaged fence at the Rockford gravel pit. He also found an abandoned tractor stuck in brush and weeds near the intersection of Harvard and Hoxie Roads, and a small wildfire burning nearby. The deputy called fire officials and left to look for a suspect. He later returned to find Fricke at the location of the fire. Sheriff's Department officials said they couldn't comment on a motive of the crime.

Ray Murphy will step down Monday. File photo

Volunteer ombudsman Gus Apsey visits with Grace Lewis in her assisted-living apartment in the Valley. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

A trip to Wal-Mart for school supplies turned frightening for a Newman Lake family this weekend when a stranger tried to walk out of the store with their 10-year-old son, Sheriff's deputies reported. The apparent abduction attempt is the second in less than a week in the Valley. Officials said, however, that the incidents don't appear to be related. Sunday's incident involved a male suspect in his early 30s and a 10-year-old boy.

State Rep. Mark Sterk will hold a public meeting Saturday to discuss education, crime issues and his plans to propose legislation on special-needs students and domestic violence. The two-hour meeting will begin at 3 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main. The Veradale Republican, who has anounced that he plans to run for Spokane County Sheriff in 1998, is seeking citizen input on mainstreaming, the practice of including disabled students in regular classrooms. He also wants to know if citizens agree that teachers need more training in working with students who have disabilities. "My concern is that we're not giving (special needs students) all the education we could possibly give them," said Sterk, who is skeptical of the success of mainstreaming.

For years, they've operated with an gentlemen's agreement. Now, Valley fire officials say they want more than a handshake to ensure quality ambulance service. Within the next few months, Spokane Valley Fire District hopes to choose an official ambulance service provider and ink a contract. "The ambulance companies have been trying to get contracts for years," said Larry Herberholz, district division chief. "We've been the holdout."

Jennifer Vanhoff volunteers as a doula and has the support of her son Andrew. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Burlington Northern Railroad won't silence its train whistles until Spokane County provides it with $25 million in liability insurance, county officials said this week. The purchase of such a policy would allow the county to proceed with a long-awaited four-month test ban of whistles at the University Road crossing in the Valley. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is pushing for the test because it wants to use the results to create federal safety standards for whistle-free crossings. Local residents hope it will lead to permanent bans. There's one catch: The insurance would cost the county at least $50,000, said Jim Emacio, county attorney. Officials from the county and railroad had hoped to resolve the insurance issue by last week. They missed the self-imposed deadline and instead met with the FRA and state Utilities and Transportation Commission, via phone conference, Thursday.

Sea gulls, heavy snowfall, and an outlet structure stuffed with silt have renewed concerns about water quality in Liberty Lake. During his annual lake monitoring report last week, Washington State University researcher William Funk updated sewer district officials and local residents on the success of their ongoing effort to maintain a healthy body of water. The shallow lake - about 30 feet at its deepest - over the years has suffered from pollution, algae blooms, thick coverings of scum and other problems, said Funk, director of the Water Research Center at WSU.

Ten water samples from Carnhope Irrigation District No. 7 tested clear of E. coli and coliform bacteria last week, prompting the district's manager to cancel a precautionary boil order. Water district manager Terry Squibb had asked Valley residents served by his district to boil their drinking water after a routine monthly water sample on Aug. 19 showed E. coli contamination. Health officials now suspect the contamination took place at the tap where the test sample was obtained or somewhere else outside the district's water system. The Carnhope district serves about 1,200 residents in an area bordered, roughly, by Sprague Avenue on the north, Ninth Avenue on the south, Havana Street to the west and McKinnon Road to the east.

Sheriff's deputies have arrested one of two people they believe were involved in the attempted burglary of a North McDonald Road apartment. Police continue to look for a white male who tried to pry open the ground floor window of an apartment at about 7 p.m. Sunday. When confronted, the man lunged at the apartment manager with a large screwdriver, according to deputies. The manager described the suspect as in his mid-to-late 20s, about 5-foot-11 and slim, with long dark hair pulled back into a pony tail. Police arrested Patricia L. Ford, 31, a transient, for attempted residential burglary and possession of a controlled substance. She was booked in the county jail Sunday.

A Spokane Valley woman believes two strangers tried to abduct her 3-year-old daughter while they were shopping in the Spokane Valley Mall, Sheriff's deputies said. The 28-year-old woman was walking 15 to 20 feet ahead of her toddler Monday afternoon when she glanced back and saw that two strangers, both women, had stopped the child. One woman was behind the girl, with her hands on her shoulders, police said. Another woman was bending down, talking to the toddler. The child's mother heard the woman say "Hurry up."

The state Department of Social and Health Services has revoked the license of a Spokane Valley adult family home. The revocation is not effective until next Friday, but the home at 1502 N. Felts Road is not now caring for any residents. The operators of the home, Monica and Doug Loveless, plan to challenge the loss of their license, according to their attorney, David Carlson. The home was also ordered not to admit new residents, pending an appeal of the decision.

1. Jenny Little, 15, was harassed by a burglar at her North Foothills home. After a call to the sheriff, neighbors joined forces to block a road and capture the suspect. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Patrick J. Haight, of Spokane, in a police photo. 3. Jenny Little was working in her parents' barn when she was surprised by a stranger. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

River-rock houses, such as this North Bowdish home, may be eligible to register. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The county is trying to sell three parcels of land it acquired to accommodate construction of the Argonne Underpass. An additional parcel - the former site of a Gull service station on the northwest corner of Argonne Road and Trent Avenue - was sold last month to developer Richard Vandervert for $405,000.

A hungry burglar apparently whipped up some breakfast at a Valley restaurant before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Sheriff's deputies. The burglar broke into the Waffles 'n More restaurant at 9425 E. Sprague late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Employees arrived Sunday morning to find a glass patio door broken and an office safe emptied of its cash. They also found a dirty spatula next to a hot griddle and waffle iron. Both had been turned on during the night.

Gaylene Lewin poses with the Whimsical Pig. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Optimism is a good thing. Unless you're a county road engineer. That's a lesson Verril Smale, Spokane County engineering administrator, learned the hard way last week when a group of frustrated, asphalt-hungry Valley residents, armed with a list of broken promises, took their case to county commissioners. Last December, about 100 residents of the Saltese Flats area formed a road improvement district (RID) and agreed to pay about $500,000 to pave the rough, dusty, graveled Saltese Lake Road near their homes.