Voices

When Spokane's outdoor pools opened for the season on Monday, there were likely hundreds of children wearing donated swimsuits through a popular program of the Spokane Parks Foundation. Swimmers without a lined suit are not allowed into the water at city pools.

MEDICAL LAKE – It's the silver anniversary for the Trailblazers Triathlon at Medical Lake. Dave Perry, who began the event 25 years ago to raise funds for adult athletic teams, and who's still in charge, recalls its inception. "We weren't sure what to do," Perry said. "One year we did a bed race. But that was more just for fun. Then we started thinking about what we can do. We have the water here, so we thought, 'What about a bathtub race, or make your own boat out of milk cartons?' Then sitting around watching TV one night, the Hawaiian Iron Man came on, and it just struck me, 'There it is.' We have the water, we have the path."

CHENEY – The annual Eastern Washington University Friends of the Library walking tour of the university's historic campus on Monday promises to be a trip through history and architecture and personalities – with a bit of scandal, destruction and mayhem thrown in. So says Charles Mutschler, EWU's archivist, who conducts the 90-minute narrated tour each summer, sharing facts and figures – and idiosyncrasies, colorful events and interesting insights – as he guides the public through the EWU Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

TimberRock Winery inhabits a picturesque, forested 30-acre Post Falls location, but the winding, narrow road leading to it doesn't offer quite the access that its owners wanted to provide to existing and future fans of their wines. "It's a glorious place to live, but it's not a particularly good place for a retail business," said TimberRock owner Kevin Rogers.

On a quiet street in the community of Millwood, an unlikely alliance has formed. I like to call them the Angels of Empire Street. Jeff and I moved into this neighborhood in September of 2006. I knew I would love it because we are bordered on all sides with great neighbors, people who have been established in this neighborhood for a long time.

LIBERTY LAKE – Liberty Lake residents and husband-and-wife team, Mark Fosberg and Karen Yamamoto-Fosberg, are almost giddy about their latest "pet project." The Animal Clinic at Liberty Lake will move from the Albertsons strip mall to a new, larger location off of Country Vista Drive behind Alton's sometime this month.

Children's Village provides a lot under two roofs in Coeur d'Alene. A crisis nursery. Foster care. Counseling. School.

In the past, two things have distinguished the city of Dalton Gardens from its neighbor communities: independence and irrigation. The former resulted in the incorporation of Dalton Village in 1960 and the latter set this easternmost edge of the Rathdrum Prairie apart from most of the rest of Kootenai County's early agricultural development. As with most other parts of the county, a railroad was also instrumental in the growth of the community. The railroad is long gone, but a spirit of independence and a unique community irrigation system live on 100 years after the two got their start.

Bo is a nice boy, and is around 1 to 2 years old. He is a typical coonhound with his nose to the ground while out on his walk. He takes his treats nicely. Bo would love a family to take him for walks and include him on life's adventures. Anyone interested in adopting Bo can visit SCRAPS at 2521 N. Flora Road, or call 477-2532. Or, visit our Web site at www.spokanecounty.org/animals. Most available pets can also be seen posted on petfinder.com. Dogs are $82.03 to adopt, which includes license, neuter, vaccination, microchip and a trip to the vet. Free training classes are offered to all who adopt here.

School is out for the summer at East Valley Middle School, but things will be a little different when students return in the fall. The school will be the first in the area to offer an eight-period day. The move is being made to give students more class time in math and more electives options, said principal Mark Purvine. "Our (WASL) scores indicate math is our target area," he said.