Voices

Kootenai County Steven Horton, Rathdrum, deck/porch, valued at $5,247.

After weeks of debate over the design of a new Comstock Pool, residents of the neighborhood last week agreed to support a design that offers space for lap swimmers as well as a recreational area for families and smaller children. More than 50 Comstock-area residents agreed to support the proposed pool design, which includes a beachlike "zero-depth entry" area, water slide and a diving board.

The Christian Youth Theater will present Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" at the Bing Crosby Theatre, 901 W. Sprague, Friday, Saturday and May 30, 31 and June 1. The production stars Micah Hansen of Coeur d'Alene as Belle, Brian Larsen as the Beast and Aaron Baldwin as Gaston.

OLYMPIA – Last week, I wrote about former Spokane city councilman Steve Eugster's Supreme Court battle to save his law license from suspension over his alleged betrayal of an elderly client. Eugster says he was just trying to protect a longtime acquaintance who'd apparently become incompetent to manage her own affairs.

For 05-22-2008

Ongoing All Star Cheerleading Classes & Teams - For ages 4-18, presented by Build It Athletix. Mondays and Wednesdays. 5:30-8 p.m., Spokane Elite Gymnastics, 5615 E. Broadway Ave. $58-$78/month. 389-4028.

Kids in Elk can get free lunches this summer, according to Peggy Rieper, director of Child Nutrition Services for the Deer Park and Riverside school districts. The Elk Community Park Association will host the Simplified Summer Food Program, with lunches served at Elk Park from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Playground Picnic area. The program begins on Monday, June 16 and will continue until Friday, August 22. (No lunch on the 4th of July.)

The fourth try appears to have been the charm for the Freeman School District's bond to pay to renovate and expand its schools after Tuesday's special election, but the second try for the East Valley bond appeared headed toward failure. "We're very, very happy and very optimistic," said Freeman Superintendent Sergio Hernandez.

After 44 years of educating students at Sacajawea Middle School, Dominic Frucci will retire at the end of the school year. He was first hired at the school in 1964 as a teacher and coach. In the spring of 1965, he was hit in the head with a baseball. The accident severely injured Frucci and he has had to take medication for it ever since.

Since I lost my father, a U.S. Army Air Forces World War II veteran, in a car accident when I was 12, decorating his grave with flowers and attending the local Memorial Day programs with their fluttering flags and solemn words became something I looked forward to each year. The sound of taps fading into the air, the crash of a 21-gun salute and the military men and women standing at attention never failed to remind me of their sacrifice and my loss. Although Memorial Day traditionally is a day set aside to honor deceased veterans, as my family lost more members, we began to honor every family member who died, veteran or not. It just made sense to us.

Pathways to Progress will present a Downtown Cheney Art Walk & Benefit Auction at several participating businesses. Several donations of art have been put up on display around downtown, and community members can bid on them June 6. The fundraiser will also include a raffle for a gift basket.

The city of Cheney, the Cheney Police Department, Sunshine Disposal, Arbor Pro and local businesses will present Cheney Pride Day May 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will clean up neighborhoods in Cheney, and community members can get rid of yard waste, construction materials and trash for free. Community members can also nominate a senior resident who needs help cleaning up his or her yard. The winner will get a free visit from Arbor Pro.

Takoda Park Community Partnership Day will be June 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Takoda Park, South Thomas Mallen Road and West Hallett Road in Medical Lake. Trees and shrubs will be planted and sod will be laid in the new affordable housing community. Lunch with the new Takoda Park homeowners will be provided.

A bond issue project to reconstruct Hatch Road between 43rd and 54th avenues is being postponed until late summer so it won't interrupt traffic during the summer vacation and recreation season, city officials said. Hatch Road is considered a main connector to the city-owned Creek at Qualchan Golf Course just off U.S. Highway 195 in the Latah Valley.