Ward Sanderson

Expanding horizons exponentially. Jacee Capps, 12, of Othello, Wash., gets her head on straight after a spin in an Air Force chair that trains crews to adjust their instruments. Navigator and 1st Lt. Kari Vad dispensed rides during "Expanding Your Horizone in Science and Mathematics" at SFCC on Saturday. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Bowlers in the Spokane Valley can expect some big changes by the time fall strikes. Sports Page Lanes, 12828 E. Sprague, will change its name to Players & Spectators and undergo a major renovation. The new facility will include a sports bar with as many as 60 televisions, a 12,000-square-foot arena for game-show style activities or live music, and a new restaurant. The number of bowling lanes will be reduced from 40 to 24. Valley Bowl, 8005 E. Sprague, will replace all 20 of its lanes with new ones and install new new ball returns. Some of the lanes will also feature bumpers so youngsters don't have to worry about sending balls into the gutter. The bowling alley's lounge will be renovated and the building will be a new facade. Renovation of Sports Page Lanes will begin in mid-May and should be complete sometime in November, said H.T. Higgins, president of the family-run corporation that owns the business.

Office Depot will open its first Valley store this summer at Evergreen Center. County records show the 30,513-square foot computer and office supply store will sit west of the Safeway store built last year at Sprague and Evergreen. In December, Boise-based Hawkins-Smith Development announced Office Depot planned to build a store there. Hawkins-Smith is leasing the space to the Delray Beach, Fla.-based company. But until recently, Office Depot had not confirmed its plans to open a store in the Valley.

Elaine Jacobsen hated the chore, but the time had come. The sun was finally peaking out from behind the fluffy gray, and its rays had sprung the road silt loose from the snow. The weekend meant car-wash time.

Vin Monaco of Monaco Enterprises sits in one of the company's high-tech display rooms. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

The builders of Grace Court, a 60-unit low-income apartment complex for seniors, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the apartments on Sunday at 2 p.m. The complex will be built at 12915 E. Broadway, on the lot between All-Saints Episcopal and Christ Lutheran churches. Actual construction is planned to begin April 1, and should be completed by early 1997. The project is sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. The idea originated five years ago with members of the two churches it will sit between.

Tari and Robert Bernard are turning a hobby that began with a few John Hancocks into a business they hope will earn them a few George Washingtons. The Valley couple opened Traditions on Trent, a new custom framing business, this week. The shop is in a converted brick house at 11829 E. Trent. It carries almost 900 different types of frames. The Bernards will frame anything from fine art to diplomas and other documents to autographs. The couple got interested in framing about four years ago, when they began collecting celebrity signatures.

"And a child shall lead them" - around and around Redeemer Lutheran Church. About 20 families with children attending preschool at Redeemer are lacing up their shoes this morning, for a series of hour-long walks to raise money for a little 4-year-old boy who just returned home this week after undergoing heart surgery. The child, whose family wishes to remain anonymous, was born without pulmonary arteries. It was his second operation, and he faces more. The most recent surgery happened at the UCLA Medical Center. The boy is certainly not anonymous to the parents and children of Redeemer.

If you're at a 4-H horse gear sale, bring a lot of $1 bills. At Saturday's 18th annual 4-H Horse Tack Swap at the Interstate Fairgrounds, taking a single step on the floral building's upper level meant an ambush by knee-high entrepreneurs. Their cry: "Wanna buy a raffle ticket? They're only $1." Folks down below were looking for saddles and whatever other gear they could snag at a good price.

It wasn't tough to tell who the music directors were. The tuxes were a dead giveaway. And with matching heads of silverish hair, it wasn't hard to tell that they were brothers. University High School's Keith Nielsen and brother Larry had a big show at the Masonic Temple Tuesday night.

1. Jeanne Grant, director of the food bank at the Seventh-day Adventist church on North Harvard Road, sorts through donated clothing. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Jeanne Grant carries a box of food for the Seventh-day Adventist church. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

It wasn't your typical mental muscle contest. The students weren't wearing their formal best. Before her turn onstage Saturday in the regional Odyssey of the Mind competition at Eastern Washington University, 15-year-old Melissa Berube was even told she had to put on some shoes. The fuzzy socks she wore as part of her dog outfit weren't safe enough. Judges worried she might step on a tack or something.

Wondering when those traffic signal lights at Liberty and Argonne will finally be up and running? You're not alone. "The construction guys used to come in here in October and November, but not since," said Jenni Allen, manager of the nearby Rocket Bakery. "They said they'd start again in the spring, whenever that is." Ask Mother Nature.

Real estate Home builders in the Valley are starting to turn their attention to affordable digs. A combination of low interest rates drawing new buyers and thriftiness taking hold of everyone else is causing developers to scale down a bit. It's becoming more profitable to build homes aimed at first- and second-time buyers. Tony Higley, owner of Certified Appraisal, said developers he works with are calling him to view more and more starter homes.

Even before Galileo, many thought the Bible and science were at odds. Then came Darwin. The creation versus evolution debate he started rages even today. But Dr. John Whitcomb says science and Scripture aren't at odds at all. He says the Genesis account of creation can be backed up empirically.

It's tough to miss as you pass it on the freeway. The sight of Spalding Auto Parts, its steely acres gleaming in a nice day's sunshine, gets an emotional response from just about everybody. Some wince, thinking the bazillion wrecks are an eyesore. But true believers get a little weak in the knees.

1. Hardy Kruse, owner The Sport Cove, which caters to fly-tying hobbyists, inspects a royal coachman bucktail. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. A model railroad fills the back of Hands-On-Hobbies at University City mall. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Pentzer Development, longtime owner of the Spokane Business & Industrial Park, is expected to announce the sale of the 405-acre property next week. A public relations firm working with Pentzer Development sent out a prepared statement Friday, stating that "a major announcement about the future" of the property will be made Monday. Richard Rollnick, president of Pentzer Development, told The Spokesman-Review last year that the company was asking $53 million for the property.

She's been in the bar and restaurant business all her life, but it was never like this. Mickey Lovell was tending bar at the Valley Eagles Lodge on Saturday. It was an afternoon at the lodge. A group of 32 mostly retired members played pinochle, the first day of a six-weekend tournament. A few guys sat at the bar instead, watching cable and knocking back drinks. Working at the private club is different, Lovell said, because she belongs to the lodge herself. And the people are just so darned friendly.

It's almost impossible these days to escape bad news about young people. With youth violence, drug abuse, peer pressure and everything else kids have to face today, just thinking about it can overwhelm caring parents. But even the best-intentioned protectiveness and drill-it-into 'em techniques will fail, according to Dr. Foster Cline, co-author of "Parenting with Love and Logic." The well-known author, psychiatrist and lecturer will present a workshop at Redeemer Lutheran Church on March 2. Pre-registration is required, and the deadline is Tuesday.

People looking to buy a new custom home in Bella Vista had better act fast. The subdivision at the southern reach of Sullivan Road will soon be done expanding. "It's one of the premier neighborhoods of the Valley, and we're currently selling the last two phases and then it will be complete," said Janet Ekstrom, president of Janek Co., the company marketing the new homes. She said both phases should be complete by spring of 1997.

A new Holiday Inn Express that will cater to business travelers should open at Mission and Mullan this August, developers say. Crews last week tore down the old green motel that had occupied the southeast corner of Mission and Mullan for years, and are now moving earth in preparation for initial foundation work. County records show that the 56,653-square foot hotel at 9220 E. Mission will feature about 100 units. The four-story hotel will feature a two-story lobby.

Spokane Valley Mall developer JP Realty will break ground on the long-anticipated project April 18, the company announced Friday. Phil Vice, corporate marketing director for JP Realty, said the company will hold a groundbreaking ceremony that day, followed by a presentation of mall plans to the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce on April 19. The announcement is the latest in a string of developments that have brought the project north of Interstate 90 on Sullivan Road from dormancy to reality. It was first announced in 1990, but little progress was made until mid-1995.

Like it our not, your uncle is coming. Uncle Sam, that is. Like many relatives, this guy stops by for an annual visit whether you invite him or not. But for the many people who feel intimidated by the coming of tax return time, there's help. The American Association of Retired Persons and the Internal Revenue Service are offering free tax assistance.