The Slice: Something to chew on before April

April Fools’ Day falls on a Wednesday this year.

Here at the Today section, that’s Food day — the one day of the week when there’s no Slice.

So what am I to do with the batch of April Fools’ items I have prepared? You guessed it.

See which ones you would have spotted as leg-pulling fakes.

•Entry form tweaked: Hoopfest organizers have announced that those wishing to take part in this summer’s event will have to check a box indicating that they are not, to the best of their knowledge, total jerks.

•Fowl play: Representatives of the duck community have approached the Spokane Police Guild for advice about attempting to have the city parks feeding-ban overturned.

•Here come the little piggies: A proposal to have all Bloomsday entrants dress up as animals this year came one step closer to reality when a Chinese costume-maker stepped forward with an offer to sponsor the annual event if no one makes a fuss about lead content in the outfits.

•Cracking down: Spokane homeowners whose sidewalks are still covered with snow on June 1 risk being fined. It’s all part of the city’s redoubled effort to pretend that Spokane is pedestrian-friendly.

•Coming Sunday in Today: Jim Kershner has an interview with the Spokane TV anchorwoman who started cussing on the air recently. “I just got tired of people assuming I was this plastic nonperson who didn’t have a real personality,” she says.

•Cold as ice: A new study by the Dawn Foundation shows that 99 percent of those opposed to studded tires have never left home earlier than 8:30 a.m.

•Medical breakthrough: A new treatment for relapsing Zags fever has shown promise in clinical trials. Researchers caution, however, that at this stage effective dosages require kegs of the serum.

•Baby steps: Spokane economic development leaders have decided to scrap the “Near Nature/Near Perfect” slogan in favor of the more modest “It’s Pronounced Spo-Can.”

•Common ground: The Building Bridges Forum, which had invited Spokane progressives and ultra-conservatives to meet and share concerns, has been postponed due to the fact that the two groups hate each other’s guts and appear to inhabit separate realities.

•Getting real: The City Council ruled Monday night that Spokane’s controversial pickup truck tax is not enforceable. The so-called “sin” tax was intended to penalize guys who have no real use for a pickup but drive one anyway because they want to project a rugged image.

•New location: Next week’s BYOB Marmot Lodge meeting has been moved to Stacey Cowles’ basement.

•Today’s Slice question: Do kids staying home sick ever watch “Perry Mason” on KAYU?