Public Periscope

Going, going …

Ever wonder what happens to things that are put in safe deposit boxes and forgotten? Happens sometimes when the depositor dies or is otherwise unable to tell someone where such personal treasures are parked … The law requires the state Department of Revenue’s unclaimed property office to auction those items off, and this week there will be two such auctions. Among the unclaimed treasures are such things as rare coins, gold nuggets and jewelry. Even a newspaper from Jan. 4, 1800 … Some 200 lots of items with lesser value will be auctioned by silent bidder on Thursday at the General Administration Building in Olympia. The more valuable items will be sold at live auction Saturday at the General Administration Commodity Redistribution Warehouse in Fife. Cash, cashier’s checks or money orders, please. No credit cards or personal checks accepted … You say you’re not sure it’s worth the trip across the mountains unless you know what’s up for grabs? The department anticipates such feelings. You can call (360) 664-8750 to ask for a catalog, or check out the department’s Web site. Type www.wa.gov/ dor/wador.htm into address finder, then click on “Miscellaneous” to get to information on the auction.

All in the family

City officials in Nishinomiya, Japan, recently sent Spokane a check for $1,000 to aid the city’s ice storm recovery. The kindly gesture mirrors Spokane’s response to its sister city’s far greater tragedy two years ago when an earthquake killed 1,000 residents … Spokane residents collected $14,000 for Nishinomiya’s recovery and City Hall sent along another $1,000 … The money from Nishinomiya will be used to pay for damage to Manito Park’s Japanese Gardens.

War and Peace, or Green Eggs and Ham?

We know Gov. Gary Locke’s daughter is cute, but a press release from his office suggests the First Baby is really advanced for her six weeks … She shows up on Thursday of this week’s schedule. At 11 a.m., the sked says, “Gov. Locke, First Lady and Emily read book at Take Our Daughters to Work Day event.” Seems the gov is improving on his plan to make third-graders read at grade level.

Good Samaritans

That campaign to convince people to stop running red lights may be catching on. At least, people may be getting less reluctant to get involved and volunteer their name and opinion when witnessing an accident caused by that bad driving habit … Cheri Mataya, president of Meals on Wheels, was recently hit on Division by a car running a red light. She said witnesses lined up to report what they saw, filling pages and pages in the insurance company’s accident report.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: HOT TOPICS Tuesday: Local groups interested in conservation, public land use and open spaces will be talking about ways to support the Conservation Futures Program that will be on the November ballot in Spokane County. 5:30 p.m., Washington Water Power Building, 1114 E. Mission.

You can contact us by fax at 509-459-5482, or by calling CityLine at 458-8800, then pressing 9120, or by e-mail at jimc@spokesman.com

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports.