In brief: EWU board chair re-elected to post

Cheney – Jo Ann Kauffman has been elected chair of the Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees for the second year in a row.

She was elected at the board’s Sept. 11 meeting in a vote that included the re-election of vice chair Bertha Ortega.

Kauffman is the owner and chief executive of Kauffman & Associates Inc., a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a 1976 graduate of Western Washington University. She holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Berkeley.

Gov. Chris Gregoire also appointed EWU’s new student trustee for the school year. Whitney Fix is a senior in the biology department and has been active in student government.

EWU sets up H1N1 phone line

Cheney – Eastern Washington University has set up a special phone line dedicated to answering questions about how the school will handle the H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu.

The phone line, (509) 359-6900 or 800-615-9391 is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The school has also set up a page on its Web site, www.ewu.edu, with information to educate the campus community about the virus. There is an H1N1 link on the school’s homepage.

Workshop set on comprehensive plan

Cheney – Choices for Cheney will hold its first public workshop regarding the new comprehensive plan Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Betz Elementary School, 317 N. Seventh St.

The comprehensive plan will address mobility (pedestrian, bicycle, transit, auto), economic development, arts and culture, housing, technology, land use, natural assets/sustainability, utilities and capital facilities. Cheney’s previous comprehensive plan was developed in 1997. The new one, expected to be completed in 2010, should describe the directions the city will take until 2030.

For more information, call Brian Jennings, the community development director, at (509) 498-9240.

Candidates sought for lilac royalty

Spokane County – The Spokane Lilac Festival is starting its search for the 2010 Royal Court.

The program is open to all senior girls attending one of the 28 high schools in Spokane County. Interested applicants should first speak with their high school coordinator and then attend one of the following informational sessions with a parent or guardian: today at 6 p.m. at Orchard Crest Retirement Home, 222 S. Evergreen Road, Spokane Valley; or Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Tomlinson South, 4102 S. Regal St.

Each school will select one candidate. The field will be narrowed down to 14 finalists in November, and each candidate will go through training in modeling, speech, hair, makeup, flags and dining etiquette.

From there, six princesses and one queen will be selected.

For more information, call the Spokane Lilac Festival at (509) 535-4554.