In brief: S-R wins award for ‘Our Kids’ series
The Spokesman-Review’s monthlong “Our Kids: Our Business” project earned the newspaper the 2007 Anna Quindlen Award, one of journalism’s highest honors for coverage of issues important to young people and child welfare.
One print and one broadcast medium receive the award annually from the Child Welfare League of America.
“It’s from the folks who really work with children and know what the issues are,” said Carla Savalli, The Spokesman-Review’s senior editor for innovation, who joined newspaper editor Steve Smith at a ceremony Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to accept the award.
“To me, that says we must have done something right.”
The Morning Star Boys’ Ranch and Partners with Families and Children: Spokane nominated the newspaper for the award.
“Our Kids: Our Business” was a partnership among social services agencies, businesses and media organizations. The Spokesman-Review devoted space on Page One every day last April to articles about child abuse and neglect.
WROC-TV8 in Rochester, N.Y., won the Anna Quindlen broadcast award for a series on foster children. The awards are named for the Newsweek columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
– Meghann M. Cuniff
Snow day waivers OK’d for area schools
Spokane Public Schools and 15 other Eastern Washington school districts received approval from the state to waive school days missed this year because of snow.
The other districts receiving waivers are Creston, Davenport, Reardan, Edwall, Sprague, Central Valley, Freeman, Orchard Prairie, Nine Mile, Mead, Colton, Garfield, Oakesdale, Palouse and Pullman. Additional districts have requested waivers and are awaiting state response.
Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a “state of emergency” this month that allowed schools to request a waiver for makeup days, usually tacked to the end of the school year. Some districts missed as many as eight days during the snowstorms.
Spokane district officials said they received a waiver for four days missed. They’re still determining whether to add time to each school day to make up for lost instructional time.
Officials proposed this month adding 15 minutes to each day.
The district solicited the opinions of families and staff on the issue through a districtwide poll, which ended Sunday.
Officials are expected to discuss the results of that poll at a school board meeting at 7 tonight at the administration building, 200 N. Bernard St.
A final decision will be made later.
– Sara Leaming
Boise
Death penalty challenge rejected
An attempt by convicted killer Joseph Duncan’s attorneys to declare the death penalty unconstitutional has been rejected by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge.
Duncan’s attorneys argued that the federal death penalty is arbitrary and unfair because it is rarely imposed. Crimes equally horrendous as those committed by Duncan have resulted in lesser punishments, they argued.
Duncan has pleaded guilty to the 2005 murders of three members of a Coeur d’Alene family, and kidnapping the two youngest children, Dylan and Shasta Groene.
He faces the death penalty for crimes that include the kidnappings, molestation and murdering Dylan Groene.
The penalty phase of the federal case against Duncan is set to begin April 14 in Boise.
– Taryn Hecker