Voices

It’s a Wednesday morning at the Donut Parade, and Darrell Jones, who runs the general operations of the store, is working as usual. The bakery is covered in balloons and filled with throngs of friends and loyal customers, but Jones, despite turning 80 years old this day, cannot be slowed down for more than a moment. Jones has been baking for 40 years and has worked at Donut Parade for 35 of them. He says he tried to retire at age 70, “but I just didn’t want to quit,” he said.

Lest anyone get the wrong idea, Mike Padden points out, he does not run the Spokane American Legion Baseball operation. As a former Spokane County District Court judge and former legislator – a higher-profile resume than most – Padden admits it’s a common misperception.

Students at Villa Vista Language Academy are learning more than another language. The Spanish-language immersion school, in partnership with a community gardening project called Green Jazz Gardens, has been teaching its students the merits of organic farming through each student maintaining a small garden plot. The school hopes to eventually be able to grow a surplus of vegetables to be donated back to the community. Laura Hamilton, director of the North Side school, wanted to not only teach her students about gardening, but to give them a real, tangible experience with the activity “so they could have that sensory experience,” she said.

In early July, Maverick Johnston packed his bags and headed to the White House; he, one of 204 middle school students out of millions, was invited to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. “I was the only student there from Washington state,” Johnston said. Though he has his eye on a profession in real estate investments, he was excited to attend the conference. “It will look good on a resume,” he said, “and I learned a lot about business, leadership and interacting with others. I also learned that it takes a lot of character to perform as a leader.”

Residents throughout the region will come together Tuesday and take a stand against crime. Now in its ninth year, National Night Out has brought neighborhoods together through barbecues and potlucks, with people socializing and making a plan to keep their homes and streets safe. South Hill resident Patricia Hansen hosts one of Spokane’s largest NNO parties, with nearly 250 attendees in 2007. She said she only expected around 100 people, but the number grew very fast. “I was pleasantly surprised,” she said.

OLYMPIA – Quick: What does western Spokane have in common with the outlying suburbs of Seattle? Its politics, believe it or not.