Voices

Ashley Griechen, a sophomore at Gonzaga Prep, won third place in the Eva Lassman Memorial Creative Writing Contest

Rachel Wright, a sophomore at Gonzaga Prep, was the second place winner in the high-school division of the Eva Lassman Memorial Creative Writing Contest

Molly Carpenter, an eighth-grader at Northwood Middle School, was the third-place winner, middle school division, in the Eva Lassman Memorial Creative Writing Contest.

Sydney Hellman, an eighth-grader at Northwood Middle School, won second place, in the middle-school division, in the Eva Lassman Memorial Creative Writing Contest

Station Ladder 10 responded Sunday to the fire.

A group of south Spokane residents won at least a partial victory last week, forcing a developer to delay work on a proposed senior apartment complex by alerting state officials to wetlands on the site. State ecology officials said the land, near 44th Avenue and Regal Street in the Berkeley Woods area, has wetlands that should have been identified before grading work began last week.

The Spokane Valley City Council appointed Arne Woodard, 57, to fill the vacant seat that was held by Rose Dempsey.

No closing date set

What began as three different proposals for the remodeling or rebuilding of Jefferson Elementary School earlier this year quickly evolved into a major neighborhood controversy when some neighborhood residents turned out to be wildly opposed to relocating the school. Tuesday evening the next chapter in the saga was written when Spokane Public Schools delivered on its promise to present a property value study and a traffic study for neighbors.

Walmart says it will square off with Costco Wholesale Corp. in the Spokane Valley. The Bentonville, Ark., retail behemoth announced Thursday it will build a 151,000-square-foot retail center on a parcel of land due west of Costco’s store at 5601 E. Sprague Ave.

Some volunteers work on the front lines, visible to the community. Everyone knows their names and positions. But another kind of volunteer spends hours behind the scenes.

Field trips, extracurricular activities, activity buses, some kindergarten para-educators, 20 teaching positions and some bus routes are on the chopping block in the Central Valley School District because of a $3.4 million cut in money provided by the state.

Sixty-two East Valley teachers and certificated staff will receive letters this week notifying them that they may not have a job in September.

Airway Heights sewer rates will rise another $7.50 this year to boost the construction of the city’s new $44 million wastewater treatment plant. About 750 residents have a sewer account with the city, which has a population of more than 5,000. The rates will increase to $67.50 in January.

Christmas is a time of good cheer, a time of renewal, a time when families get together for worship or tradition or both. Bad news isn’t particularly appropriate for the season, but bad news there is, and like all unfortunate stories, there is usually a silver lining. Recently, the Saddle Up Grill burned. Owned by Howie and Suz White, the Athol restaurant proudly put out smoked prime rib and other delectables. The ultimate smoke occurred on Dec. 17 at about 4 a.m. Apparently started from a portable heater in the seating area, it spread rapidly. Fortunately, the Timberlake Fire District main station is only a few blocks away and they responded quickly, limiting the damage and saving the kitchen.