Public Periscope

Hot Topics

Thursday: Got an idea about school-to-work programs in the state? You can share it with a legislative committee studying that topic, at 7 p.m., SIRTI Center, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd.

The latest in pothole repair: Nuke ‘em

While the city of Spokane is borrowing money to fix the streets the old-fashioned way - close ‘em down, scrape ‘em off, pave ‘em over - some folks in Tennessee are trying a new idea. They’re microwaving their potholes down in Oak Ridge … The U.S. Department of Energy’s laboratory reports success heating the holes and the asphalt filler with microwaves. They also contend that microwaves can find the smaller flaws below the surface and fix them before they create bigger problems … The technology is still being tested. But don’t look for some future version of the Grand Boulevard resurfacing to be turned over to trucks with antennae instead of ‘dozers. “Small-scale applications would provide the quickest payoff,” said Tim Bigelow, developer of the project for the government.

Before anyone gets too upset

We know that the phrase “nuke ‘em” in the headline to the previous item is not really accurate. We know that microwave ovens do not put out nuclear radiation … We are using the term in the colloquial sense.

All engineers should save their letters demanding a correction for a future, unintentional, mistake.

Outnumbered

Speaking of street repair brings to mind a moment last Monday when Spokane City Manager Bill Pupo was getting ready to tell the council about plans to reroute traffic around the Grand Boulevard resurfacing project. He abruptly stopped, because Councilmembers Phyllis Holmes and Roberta Greene were engaged in a quiet conversation on the opposite site of the briefing table … Pupo waited until the pair looked up and fell silent. “Just like home,” said a laughing Pupo, who has three daughters and a wife.

Whaddaya wanna know?

Here’s your chance to ask your congressman a question. Rep. George Nethercutt will be on a one-hour call-in on KSPS-TV on Tuesday at 7 p.m … So if you flip on Channel 7 and see Hugh Imhof, don’t worry that they’re showing reruns of “Spokane This Week.”

A freebie

Ever wondered what all those big words in the little print of your insurance policy meant? State Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn has a deal for you, a free glossary of insurance terms … Call 1-800-562-6900 to ask for the Consumers Guide to Insurance Terms.”

Demos will be REALLY glad to hear this

We could have gone a while - years, probably - without receiving the following notice on the fax machine. Lyndon LaRouche is seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. Again … “It is time for me to run!” declared the man who has entered the race for the White House every four years since 1976. LaRouche, who accuses Britain’s royal family of being drug kingpins and has long predicted worldwide food shortages, foresees a global financial collapse at the turn of the century … “I must intervene in this situation, to break up the present Hamlet-like pattern of worsening indecision in our nation’s capital, and in the Democratic Party.” While Citizen LaRouche’s candidacy is about as predictable as sunrise, this may be his earliest announcement ever.

, DataTimes MEMO: Public Periscope, which is published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. You can write us at The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, 99210; or send e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com; or fax to (509) 459-5482.

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