Voices

Spokane Public Schools has a long tradition of lending musical instruments to students who probably could not afford their own. Now that the district has launched a pilot program in nine elementary schools to require all fifth-graders to take band or strings, there were 300 new young musicians this year alone.

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes. County clerks get called for jury duty, too. At first, County Clerk Dan English thought he'd received a refund check when he looked at the envelope sent to his personal address. After all, the jury duty notification arrived in a window envelope on colored paper. He quickly realized his mistake and wondered if he'd get bumped. In a comment at Huckleberries Online, English asked: "Would you want me on your jury panel?" The popular county clerk has been called once before. And he served as the foreman for a jury that found a defendant guilty. However, there's a snag this time. He has been summoned to serve during the final week of filings for county and legislative offices, March 17 through 21. Sez he: "I have a little ritual of personally locking the door at the elections office at precisely 5 (on the final day for filing to stop prospective but tardy candidates.)" Now, there's a possible excuse for getting out of jury duty that a head bailiff doesn't hear every day. Trib slams Hart

Superintendent Debra Howard will hold her monthly East Valley School District no-host coffee community meeting Saturday at Four Corners Bakery at Wellesley Avenue and Harvard Road. This month's topic is East Valley facilities. The meeting is scheduled from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Spokesman-Review subscribers in Sandpoint and other Bonner County communities will get more news from their neighborhoods starting Saturday when the Handle Extra is included in their home-delivered newspapers. A weekly source of North Idaho news, the Handle Extra covers issues that affect neighborhoods from the Statehouse to city hall, from the schoolhouse to the courthouse, with news and features about the people and places and events that make the Panhandle great.

When Kiara January entered the halls of Lewis and Clark High School four years ago, she knew all about the legacy of the Tiger girls basketball program. "I knew their expectations in watching my sister all the years she was there before," January said. "I knew right off the bat what they wanted. Because I knew the standards, I knew I needed to step up my game."

POST FALLS – Post Falls new City Hall will most likely be furnished by local manufacturer Kimball Office even though the company did not offer the lowest price to provide all the desks, cubicles, chairs and other furniture. The city received only two bids for the job – one from Kimball Office/Contract Resource Group and another from Boise-based Intermountain Design.

Lakeland School District voters will decide next month whether to approve a $3.9 million, two-year levy to fund basic educational expenses at local schools. The Lakeland School District Board of Trustees approved the levy request earlier this month as a way to keep pace with rising costs of paying for staff salaries, utilities and supplies. Stagnant district enrollment has limited the amount of money coming from the state, said Lakeland District Business Manager Tom Taggart.

Arrests Liberty Lake police made the week of Feb. 19-25 include two for motorists driving under the influence. The first arrest was Ashley K. Holman, 21, of Spokane, at 3:17 a.m. on Feb. 23 at Trent Avenue and Dick Road. The second, at 1:08 a.m. on Feb. 24 at Country Vista Drive and Liberty Lake Road, involved 37-year-old Stephan T. Reisinger of Kalispell, Mont. Chris C. Bonderenko, 25, of Post Falls, was arrested on charges of having an altered or missing vehicle identification number and driving with a suspended license. Anthony M. Bryant, 34, of Spirit Lake, Idaho, was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, while 44-year-old Patrick McBride of Oakesdale, Wash., was arrested on a charge of possession of stolen property. Amanda M. Phillips, 22, of Spokane Valley, was arrested on a charge of driving with a suspended license and license and plates required, and 21-year-old Brian J. Westerman, of Spokane, was arrested on a charge of driving with a suspended license.

Lottery winners in the Spokane region for the week of Feb. 18-24 include: $50,000 – Janet Strever, Spokane.

Since mid-February, our weather pattern has changed from a snowy and cold period to drier conditions with temperatures generally near normal levels. This cycle should end around the middle of March. Expect below-normal precipitation and near- to above-normal temperatures between now and late March. Temperatures are expected to briefly climb well into the 50s between now and mid-March. However, around late March and early April, highs are likely to rise to above-normal levels along with increasing amounts of moisture. As mentioned in previous articles, rising temperatures combined with strong winds and moderate to heavy rainfall could prompt mountain snowpacks to melt too quickly, leading to flooding. At press time, there still were 8 to 10 feet of snow in the higher elevations. Hopefully, we'll continue to see mild daytime temperatures and cool overnight lows cause a very slow melting of the snow.

“ The "Sustaining Our Community: Spokane Initiatives" Panel Discussion will be held today at 6 p.m. at Robinson Teaching Theatre, Weyerhaeuser Hall, Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road. The panel will include Mayor Mary Verner and key members of her staff. Admission and parking are free. “ The Manito/Cannon Hill Neighborhood Council will meet today at 7 p.m. at Wilson Elementary School, 911 W. 25th Ave.

•The "Sustaining Our Community: Spokane Initiatives" Panel Discussion will be today at 6 p.m. at Robinson Teaching Theatre, Weyerhaeuser Hall, Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road. The panel will include Mayor Mary Verner and members of her staff. Admission and parking are free. •The Minnehaha Neighborhood Council will meet today at 7 p.m. at Cooper Elementary School, 322 N. Ferrall St.

University High School students Corey Bowerson and Anthony Veilleux liked what they saw Tuesday at an open house meeting on a proposal to build a bigger, better Spokane Valley Library. "Whoa, that's close to where I live," Veilleux said of the new 58,600-square-foot library at what is now the University City shopping center.