The Millwood City Council decided to delay any action on traffic concerns regarding Fowler Road and Empire Avenue until spring during its meeting Monday night. This decision came after a brief presentation made to the council by Matt Gillis, project manager for engineering firm Welch Comer and Associates. Gillis’ report focused on the findings of the firm’s October independent traffic study.

Amid conflicting comments from Millwood residents regarding alleged traffic problems, the Millwood City Council unanimously approved seeking additional traffic data on Fowler, Empire and Butler roads Monday night at the regular City Council meeting. “Our streets are so narrow,” Millwood resident Richard Gardner said. “If a little child or dog comes out on the street, at 25 mph you hardly have any time to stop.”

This time of year, Spokane’s landscape usually has turned to shades of tan and brown. Most blooming plants have taken a hiatus with the recent heat and will come back around after it cools off. Not in Dixie and Allan LeTourneau’s yard, though. You could see the brilliant purple and pink Wave petunias a block away. Didn’t have to go hunting for that house number.

This time of year, Spokane’s landscape usually has turned to shades of tan and brown. Most blooming plants have taken a hiatus with the recent heat and will come back around after it cools off. Not in Dixie and Allan LeTourneau’s yard, though. You could see the brilliant purple and pink Wave petunias a block away. Didn’t have to go hunting for that house number.

The top two floors of the Ridpath Hotel again failed to attract a bidder in a national auction that closed Saturday, but a former Empire Ford dealership property on West Third may be changing hands, said Jon Jeffreys, one of the NAI Black associates handling the properties. The Ridpath floors and the adjacent former YWCA Building were first put up for auction this spring. Although there were no bidders, Jeffreys and fellow associate Mark McLees said at the time the level of interest justified a second go-round that would give potential buyers more time to inspect the property and arrange financing.

New equipment for converting wood chips into pulp will reduce natural gas consumption at the Inland Empire Paper Co. by as much as 75 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 33,000 tons annually, President Wayne Andresen said Monday. The $40 million investment will also allow the mill to slightly increase output, to about 570 tons per day, Andresen said.

In other business Tuesday, the council heard a report about the proposed sale of nonprofit Empire Health Services, which operates Valley Hospital and Medical Center, to for-profit Community Health Systems Inc. Afterward, the council agreed unanimously to endorse the sale as a means of saving the Spokane Valley hospital. Munson said each council will sign a letter urging the state Department of Health to approve the sale.