Pat Sciuchetti

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.

Pity the firetruck caught near Spokane Industrial Park in rush hour traffic. Like the rest of the vehicles on Sullivan Road, it's probably not going anywhere fast. It may even be completely stopped. It's a critical situation fire officials hope to resolve soon. They also plan to monitor the effects of the new Spokane Valley Mall, which is expected to increase traffic congestion in the area.

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.