The Slice: Well that’s precisely what we need

If you were going to give Spokane a present …

Curt Olsen suggested “A year’s supply of pothole filler.”

That would’ve taken a pretty big stocking.

“A new newspaper,” said Debora Schilling

Hey, there’s a new one every day. Oh, wait. I guess that’s not what she means.

Reminds me of the other day when a grocery cashier was about to give me my change. I noticed that one of the bills was almost torn in half.

“May I have another five?” I asked.

She paused. Was I asking for an impromptu holiday rebate? Then she looked at the money.

“Oh, you mean a different five,” she said.

Yes. It always pays to use precise language.

“Up to the challenge: Slice reader and onetime journalist Ron Hardin was the first to submit a list of 100 people who used to have on-air positions in Spokane TV news. The amazing thing is, his list leaves out lots and lots of names.

“Correcting my correction (that odometer matter): A couple of readers argued that the number of zeroes was right the first time, because of the final zero for tenths of a mile.

“Sisters in sync: Sharon Beaudry’s daughters both had babies on Aug. 7, 1991. Lisa gave birth to baby Megan at 6 p.m. here in Spokane, and then called her sister, Lora, in Alaska. But Lora was already in labor and about to deliver Jackson. “Megan is 5 feet 4 inches tall, Jackson is 6 feet, but we call them the twin cousins,” said Beaudry.

Sandi Oberst’s husband, Gordon, was born on Jan. 16, 1952, the same day his mom’s sister also had a baby.

One more, for now.

“My husband’s two sisters had boys on Sept. 17, 1994,” wrote Lori Rhodes-Dorman. “One was born in Coeur d’Alene, the other in Moscow. Prior to that, one of those mothers and a sister-in-law both had boys in August of 1987, although a week apart. It’s a very competitive group.”

“Local time travel: Gary Polser would return to Expo ‘74. “Had lots of visitors from out of town that year,” he wrote.

Stephanie Forsman would travel back to the early 1900s and visit Natatorium Park. Also on her list would be going to whatever year might offer her the best prospect of getting to live in the Campbell House.

Vester and Liz Sitton would return to 1947 and Natatorium Park. “We had our photo taken in one of those 25-cent booths.”

An enlargement of that picture sits on their dresser. They will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary next month.

“Warm-up question: After checking out the recent finale of HBO’s “Extras,” how many people went back and watched all 12 of the preceding episodes?

“Today’s Slice question: If you could have one 2007 do-over, what would it be?