Blanket drug testing to be eliminated

Spokane Valley officials are moving to eliminate a blanket requirement for prospective city employees to pass drug tests.

Assistant City Attorney Cary Driskell told City Council members Tuesday that courts have ruled against blanket drug-screening programs such as the one Spokane Valley adopted in 2003.

Driskell said the case law is based on the premise that alcohol abuse and illicit drug use are too prevalent to be conditions for all public employment. Drug screening must be limited to jobs in which public safety is at stake.

“The courts were not kind enough to give a list of those things,” but said essentially “we’ll know it when we see it,” Driskell told the council.

The rulings aren’t expected to affect the city’s policy of requiring random drug tests for employees whose jobs require them to have commercial driver’s licenses.

Also, Driskell said drug screening of applicants “is likely to be appropriate” for jobs that involve a lot of driving even if a commercial driver’s license isn’t required.

“We’ll do an individual analysis of the job functions where appropriate,” City Manager Dave Mercier said.

Driskell is to draft an ordinance amendment for council action at a future meeting.

– John Craig

Liberty Lake

Liberty Lake to hold Pet Day in the Park

The city of Liberty Lake will host its annual Pet Day in the Park on Aug. 16 in Pavillion Park at Country Vista Drive and Molter Road. Bring your favorite canine at 8:30 a.m. to register for a free doggy walk that begins at 9. There will be activities in the park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including vendors and entertainment.

Donations will be accepted to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

– Nina Culver

GREATER SPOKANE VALLEY

Free summer science workshops for girls

Free summer science workshops are available to girls of all ages, Monday through Thursday.

The workshops are being held at Edgecliff Neighborhood Center, 6903 E. Fourth Ave., from 9 to 10 a.m.; Terrace View Park, from 11 a.m. to noon; Liberty Lake Pavillion Park, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; and Otis Orchards Elementary School, 22000 E. Wellesley Ave., from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The girls will explore science through fun, hands-on experiments.

Summer Science is an outreach program of Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. For more information, call (800) 827-9478 or visit www.gsewni.org.

– Rainey Coffin