Pat Sciuchetti

Valley grocery shoppers scrawled their wishes on the wall Wednesday: less sprawl, less traffic, more neighborhood parks. One even dreamed of longer yellow traffic lights. The comments, collected all day at the Tidyman's Warehouse Foods store on North Argonne, will be used to shape Spokane County's generalized comprehensive plan for the next 20 years. Long-range planners were on hand to answer resident's questions and encourage the curious to add their views to the paper "wall."

Two Valley teenagers were arrested for burglary early Saturday morning, just hours after showing up at an apartment where an acquaintance was baby-sitting and asking to borrow two pairs of rubber gloves. Late Friday night, according to Sheriff's deputies, the boys, ages 16 and 17, knocked on the screen door of an apartment on South Whipple Road. They asked the girl who was baby-sitting there for two pairs of rubber gloves. The girl gave them the gloves, then went to answer the phone. At about 1 a.m., the pair returned, broke the glass in the screen door and grabbed at her through the door. She slammed the apartment door shut and locked it.

A Department of Natural Resources PBY dumps a load of water on a wildfire in the Dishman Hills Natural Area on Monday. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The Spokane Valley Transit Authority is planning a complete overhaul of routes starting next fall and Valley riders will see significant changes. According to a yearlong study, the transit authority is not providing effective service along the Valley's main commercial strips or between its neighborhoods. Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates evaluated STA's entire route system. This summer, it presented the STA with proposed route changes it believes will improve service and ridership - in the Valley and throughout the transit authority's service area. "There are changes affecting every area, every route," said STA Executive Director Al Schweim, who hopes the changes will increase ridership.

1. No capion - photo of train 2. Eastgate Motel manager Tony Lazanis has lobbied for years to silence train whistles he says disturb customers' sleep. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 3. Concrete medians at University discourage U-turns and gate-jumping by motorists at the Valley rail crossing. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review 4. A camera mounted on a nearby utility pole records railroad crossing activity. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

The Spokane County Public Works Department is seeking public input on the future of transportation, land development, parks and other issues affecting the quality of life in Spokane County. Last week, the Public Works' division of long range planning sent 5,000 self-addressed, stamped "vision cards" to randomly selected county residents. It hopes recipients will share their opinions about what should be preserved - or changed - to improve life in the county over the next two decades.

The new four-lane Harvard Road Bridge will open for traffic next week. The bridge's very first car could cross as early as Wednesday or as late as Friday, depending upon the progress of construction this weekend, said Ross Kelley, county project management engineer.

Valley residents will soon taste the fruits of a $7.66 million bond measure passed last year to update and expand county libraries. For Valley branches, the biggest boost will be in technology. All county libraries - including the Valley, Argonne and Otis Orchards branches - will be closed next Monday through Wednesday for installation of a new computer system and new equipment. The improvements will double the number of available computers at the Valley branch, located at 12004 E. Main. The Otis Orchards and Argonne branches will receive a few new computer terminals each. Those branches are located at 22324 E. Wellesley and 4322 N. Argonne Road, respectively.

Four Spokane-area residents were arrested Sunday for burglarizing a Valley home raided two days earlier as a methamphetamine lab, sheriff's department officials said. The suspects, two men and two women, apparently took advantage of the fact that the home's residents, Edward and Dana Faydo, were in jail on drug charges, officials said. Two of the suspects were acquaintances of the Faydos. Richard W. Ruston, 27, of 1341 W. Maxwell, and Jeffrey B. Sankey, 30, of 2904 N. Stone, were booked into the county jail Sunday on charges of residential burglary and taking a motor vehicle without the owner's permission. Ruston also was served with two warrants for driving while his license was suspended. Rebecca J. Wicklund, also known as Rebecca Medeiros, 38, of 4605 N. Post, and Joanna L. Whiteheart, 33, of 312 N. Nora, were arrested and booked for possession of stolen property. Wicklund also was served warrants for possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license.

As a varsity wrestler at University High School, Craig Bishop spent four years wriggling out of tight spots. But the Valley teen was no match for a pair of stubborn handcuffs discovered in a friend's junk drawer late one night last month. When the curious 19-year-old playfully slipped the cuffs over his wrists, he launched his friends on a four-hour adventure they won't soon forget. It involved bent saws, flattened drill bits, desperate calls to locksmiths - even a quick trip to the Erotique Boutique adult store on East Sprague. It also included a 4 a.m. visit from the Spokane Valley Fire Department, and soon after, one from Sheriff's Sgt. Cal Walker. "It was kind of a humorous break for us," admitted Walker, who responded to the 911 call for help on July 23. "They were really friendly - a neat group of kids. But they were really embarrassed." It all began as a quiet evening of hanging out. Six friends gathered at the Valley home of 19-year-old Pamela Finnegan and began to watch "Independence Day" on video. Soon, they were bored. "We've all seen (the movie) a lot of times," Finnegan said.

The Spokane Transit Authority now offers bus service to and from the Spokane Valley Mall through three routes. A new route, No. 49, picks up shoppers at two stops on Sprague Avenue and drops them off in front of the Bon Marche store at the mall. Riders can catch the No. 49 on Sprague at Sullivan or Progress. Riders on routes No. 9, 21 and 22, which run along Sprague, 24th Ave. and 32nd Ave., can connect with No. 49 at these stops. The No. 49 bus arrives at the mall every 20 minutes from about 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturday only. The No. 9 route stops at the Valley Mall on evenings and Sundays only. It also stops in front of the Bon. The No. 9 arrives at the mall between about 6:30 and 9 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, and between about 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays. The No. 28 freeway express route stops at the Valley Mall at Tony Roma's restaurant near the east entrance. The route travels from downtown to the Harvard Road park-and-ride, then back. The bus travels on I-90 from downtown to the Pines Road park-and-ride. It then travels along Indiana, stopping at several locations, including the mall. It proceeds on I-90 to the Sullivan Road park-and-ride and the Harvard Road park-and-ride, where it backtracks. Bus signs along Indiana are now being installed. Until all signs are up, bus drivers will stop wherever riders stand on Indiana. Riders should wave to let the driver know they want to get on. The No. 28 will arrive at the mall between about 5:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays only.

Kathy Harthan has saved many kittens, including these two. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

The official opening doesn't take place until Aug. 13, but the shoplifting has already begun at the new Spokane Valley Mall. Mary E. Megiveron, 6104 N. Mayfair, became the first person arrested for swiping merchandise from a Valley Mall store on Sunday, according to Spokane County sheriff's deputies. The 36-year-old woman took more than $250 in clothing and other items from the Bon Marche, deputies said. The store has been open since Friday.

Habitat for Humanity homes are built with volunteer labor - and commitment. File photo

Helge Elsner, left, will return home to Germany and take Michael Wood with him. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Bill Bongers, owner of Skipper Bill's, has had to replant three times this year. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

If Richard Trapp ever needed an impetus to kick the habit, the Greenacres man now has it. Tuesday morning, Trapp's two young sons, ages 4 and 5, burned down a two-car garage after snatching their father's cigarettes and attempting to smoke one. The boys escaped without injury, but the garage burned to the ground, destroying two cars, a fishing boat, lawn equipment and about half of the family's photos.

Sheriff's detectives arrested two Idaho men and a female transient last Thursday after discovering a methamphetamine laboratory across the street from Centennial Middle School. Officers found one-half ounce of finished meth and all the chemicals needed to produce more in a backyard shop at 1028 N. Ella Road. The lab probably was in operation three months or less, said sheriff's Lt. Chan Bailey. Officers arrested Michael L. Tice, 40, of Wallace, James E. Sweet, 40, of Coeur d'Alene, and Tracie R. Petrie, 33, an apparent transient.

1. Grace Frederick's land assessment jumped fivefold for 1998. She's worried about being able to keep the home, which was built by her husband's father about 50 years ago, in the family. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. "We have no intention of making money off the land," says Grace Frederick. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Sheriff's deputy Tim Hines has been stationed in the Valley since last fall. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The former office manager of the Irvin Water District has been charged with forgery, nearly two years after a state audit found she had falsified district records. The audit also found Betty Skillingstad, 45, had misappropriated over $2,500 in water district money, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in District Court on July 7. "At this point, she's only charged with forgery," said Deputy Prosecutor Carlin Jude. But, Jude said, "That could be amended."

The Spokane Transit Authority plans to open a new park-and-ride lot in the Liberty Lake area in November, about half a mile southwest of the existing facility. The $1.8 million 165-vehicle lot will be on Mission Avenue, just behind the Liberty Lake Albertson's store. It will be paved and landscaped and will include loading areas for four buses, van and carpool areas and disabled-access parking, as well as passenger shelters and an emergency phone.