Voices

Editor's note: American Stories is an occasional series about immigrants who have left their homelands to make our community their new home.

Residents of suburban areas south of Spokane Valley will vote April 22 on a Fire District 8 request for money to improve service. Fire commissioners want voters to lift the district's property tax ceiling so they can provide paramedic service and ensure there are always two full-time firefighters at every station.

For Ben Kappen of Northwest Plant Health Care, pruning residential fruit trees, especially those that have been let go for several years, begins with the decision of whether you want the tree as an ornamental or for its fruit production. The decision you make will determine the style of pruning you will need to do. If you want to maintain it as an ornamental tree, Kappen recommends using the same types of pruning you would use on other ornamental trees. Using International Society of Arboriculture guidelines, start by removing dead limbs, followed by rubbing or crossing branches and those that join the trunk at a steep, upright angle. If the tree has more than one tall dominant leader branch remove all but the tallest one.

Easter will be here on Sunday and many families might be considering purchasing a cute, fuzzy bunny for their children to cuddle and adore for the holiday. But Tracy Martin, founder of the Web site, rabbitron.com, is on a quest to educate people about rabbit care and discourage people from buying them if they might not be willing to make a 10-year commitment to the animals.

When children get sick and visit the hospital, it's stressful on both the child and the parents. Families of sick children tend to isolate themselves from friends and dedicate every spare moment to caring for the child.

Efforts to save the historic Huetter House, part of the Bishop White Seminary, took a step forward earlier this month when Gonzaga University filed notices to move the historic house and redevelop its existing site with a new seminary. In a letter on March 10, a Gonzaga official told neighbors that it is moving ahead with plans for relocating the Huetter House by obtaining a conditional-use permit from the city to reuse it at a new location one lot to the east.

The Spokane City Council this week postponed action on a recommendation for reuse of the Pfc. Joe E. Mann Army Reserve Center after members of the Greater Hillyard Business Association and others appealed to the council to consider an alternative for a manufacturing business development center. A citizen advisory committee studied reuse ideas over the past year and came up with a proposal that would convert the existing office and shop areas to educational uses; turn a vacant piece of land into a gateway for the Hillyard business district; and allow undeveloped parking areas to be sold for private development.

Three homes in different sections of the city have been placed on the Spokane Register of Historic Places by the City Council. The oldest among them is a Tudor Revival home built in 1888 at 2321 W. Boone Ave. for Fred J. and Alice Flint.

I didn't know that human trafficking was a problem in Idaho until I received a special message from Congressman Bill Sali last week. Seems this form of modern-day slavery was going on unabated along the Canadian border while I was fighting off a bad case of the crud last week. Or at least that's the gist of the latest of a series of special mailings and phone calls I've gotten from Repub Sali since he took office. "Not only is this horrific practice occurring in the U.S.," intones Sali in an underlined portion of his letter, "it is happening in Idaho." Now, I don't want to make light of human trafficking. It is one of the many social ills in this country and world today. But I doubt that it's a significant problem in Idaho. Also, I wonder why he would use his franking privilege during an election year to warn me about it. Sali closed his letter by asking that I answer a question posed in an enclosed Legislative Opinion Ballot re: whether or not I support his efforts to combat human trafficking. I can't wait for a Legislative Opinion Ballot in which he asks if I support his efforts to waste taxpayer dollars by circulating propaganda and rhetorical questions under the guise of legitimate Gem State issues. Shipp twins

As a longtime Spokane-area resident (I flew in on the wings of a B-52 long ago), and a veteran retiree (I've done it more than once), I am currently serving a six-month "tour" with AmeriCorps for the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. My mission is to spread a program called "No-Idle Zone" throughout the Spokane community. It specifically targets schools, but the No-Idle Zone can apply throughout our community.

Construction work at the new Post Falls City Hall will further limit on-site parking. As contractors install sidewalks and landscaping, the public may find it difficult to find a parking space in the small city hall parking lot.

The Spokane Valley Planning Commission will take more testimony tonight on the city's proposed Sprague-Appleway Revitalization Plan. Tonight's 6 p.m. session at City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Ave., is a continuation of a public hearing last week that drew an overflow crowd of 130 or more.

Liberty Lake Women's 18-Hole Golf Club will host its annual golf breakfast Wednesday with sign-in at 8:30 a.m., breakfast at 9 and, weather permitting, golf at 10:30. Cost of breakfast is $4.50. The cost to join the league is $55. Everybody's Bazaar Saturday

The deadline to purchase a brick for the Highlander Pride Alumni Courtyard at the renovated Shadle Park High School has been extended. Tamie Spitzer, one of two committee leaders for the project, said that the installation of the bricks has been pushed back until sometime in 2009. That means anyone interested in purchasing an engraved brick for $50 can do so up until June of next year.

Lakeland School District voters will decide Tuesday whether to approve a two-year, $3.9 million levy. Officials say the extra $1.95 million per year is needed because enrollment growth in the 4,400-student district has slowed, causing state funding to stagnate.

Last Friday night, the moms of many Lakeland High School students went a step further than most moms think of going when supporting their kids in school. Decked out in school colors, they participated in the first annual Battle of the Moms, stepping out of their usual supporting roles and into the spotlight in an effort to raise school spirit and a few funds for the Lakeland Booster Club. After weeks of practice, the ladies lined oxygen tanks on the sidelines, ignored screaming muscles and plowed up and down the court showing off their feather boas, mismatched socks, hand-drawn tattoos and dedicated school spirit.

The Cross of Inspiration stands at the highest point of Greenwood Memorial Terrace above Government Way on Spokane's western edge – a visible symbol that can been seen for miles. This Sunday, as has happened every Easter since the white concrete cross was erected at its vista point in 1961, an interdenominational sunrise service will be held at the site, sponsored by the Spokane Interfaith Council. In fact, this is believed to be the 60th anniversary that the Council and its predecessor organizations have held a sunrise Easter service at a location in Spokane.