Voices

Post Falls and Lakeland School Districts lunch menus for the week of March 17-21. Post Falls School District

For 03-13-2008

For the week of March 17-21 Monday – Corned beef, green cabbage, parslied potatoes, fruit cocktail, rye bread, brownie.

The goal of Somebody Needs You is to match donors with the specific requests of needy Spokane residents. The list of requests is coordinated by the Volunteers of America in cooperation with recognized social service agencies in Spokane. If you have an item to donate, please contact the social service agency directly. Donors who can deliver items are especially appreciated. If someone you know needs help, contact a local social service agency provider.

Area churches are gearing up for Easter on March 23. Here are some services being held during the first half of Holy Week. •First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar, will hold three Palm Sunday services on Sunday at 8:30 and 11 a.m. and at 6:05 p.m.

LIBERTY LAKE – Doug Snarski of Newman Lake kept asking himself as he drove past the corner of Mission Avenue and Harvard Road: "Why won't someone open another restaurant here?" He was referring to the old Home Plate Bar & Grill and the most recent restaurant tenant, Sunset in Tuscany. "So I said to myself, 'I guess it's going to be me.' "

There's no doubt that the winter of 2007-08 will be remembered as one of the harshest in recent memory. As of Tuesday, snow is still plentiful in the lower elevations, especially in Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and other towns in North Idaho. In the Spokane and Spokane Valley areas, most of the snow has melted. The first day of spring begins in less than a week, March 19 at 10:48 p.m., but winterlike conditions are still expected through the rest of this month. Although we've seen temperatures climb into the 50s on numerous occasions in the Valley, readings in the higher mountains have been much cooler. There are still large amounts of snow above 5,000 feet. Many of the ski resorts are reporting snow depths of more than 100 inches. Some isolated spots have more than 150 inches of snow on the ground. If we see a big warm-up in early April, along with rain and gusty winds, many areas near streams and rivers will be faced with flooding.

In any other year, the Post Falls High baseball team probably would have qualified for the State 5A tournament last season. But last year wasn't a typical season. The eventual state champ (Lake City) and runner-up (Lewiston) came from the Inland Empire League.

For 03-13-2008

A defeated proposal to establish a Greater Spokane Valley taxing district to build and expand libraries likely won't be presented again on the May ballot. Spokane County Library District trustees will discuss their options next Tuesday, but district Director Michael Wirt said he is confident trustees won't pursue a quick re-vote.

Our tabby-cat, Casey Rose, doesn't like change. Normally a very docile and lap-loving companion, she gets agitated if we move a single piece of furniture more than an inch. Prowling about and sniffing the air, she acts like something evil just took residence in the living room. Move the furniture far enough and she'll start howling and charging around the house like an animal possessed.

MILLWOOD – Millwood will officially become a city on Wednesday, leaving behind the town designation it has carried for the last 80 years and gaining new powers that officials say afford more flexibility than the old form of government. The Council voted in December to adopt the classification of non-charter code city, starting a 90-day period during which residents had a chance to oppose the change. The new city classification retains the mayor-council form of government but adopts all the powers afforded to cities under state law. The primary difference is the flexibility with which the government operates, officials said, adding that the town government is more limiting.

A pair of middle-school girls felt drawn to the newly opened Edgecliff Neighborhood Community Center to see their former school. Once down memory lane, though, both said they plan to return to the volunteer-run community site to do homework, use the computers and play games. They briefly visited the former Pratt Elementary School last week, when by 4:45 p.m., volunteers had checked in about 20 kids.