Voices

In a sluggish real estate market, there is one place in Sandpoint that is sure to not have a problem operating at full occupancy. Luther Park at Sandpoint is a newly developed senior housing facility that is owned and operated by First Lutheran Church. The three-story structure, which is scheduled to open Dec. 15, is on the south side of Sandpoint and is creating talk not only locally, but throughout the country.

Considering that the Northern Plains have already experienced two blizzard events this season, and record-low temperatures in the single digits have already visited parts of the Northeast, we can say that the weather has been pretty quiet around here so far this fall. There are two basic reasons we haven’t really seen the snow so far this season. When it has been wet, it has been warm; and when it’s been dry, it has also been cold.

The Coeur d’Alene School Board scheduled a meeting for Dec. 15 at the Midtown Center, 1505 N. Fifth St., at 5 p.m. The meeting’s purpose is to get comments from the community for a decision on the novel “Brave New World,” written by Aldous Huxley in 1931. The classic science fiction work by Huxley entertains a Utopian society, discussing unconventional means to reach the end result. The book came before the board for action, recommended to be added to the district’s novel recommendations list at the November meeting. The novel was not added to the list when the vote ended in a tie; one trustee was absent.

For 11-29-2008

For the week of Dec. 1-5 Monday – Enchilada casserole, vegetables, corn chips, spiced pears.

The Pasadena Park Nazarene Church will host a night of dessert theater next Saturday beginning at 6:30 p.m. The musical drama “That’s the Good News” will be performed while guests dine on a buffet of gourmet appetizers and desserts. The performance is about the hope Christ brings during times of struggle. Tickets are $7 and must be purchased by Thursday. Call 926-5858 for reservations. The church is at 8822 E. Upriver Drive.

The last time I did a round-up of the local thrift scene, I ended up in a bit of hot water with a certain fine charitable organization. Among other things, I casually referred to some of the women who volunteer their time and energy at the Hospice Thrift Store on North Fourth Street in Coeur d’Alene as being, well, let’s just say not-so-young and frequently less-than-cordial. The backlash included a series of angry e-mails, including one saying that my comments were “absolutely as disagreeable as your fat face” and also a letter to the editor of the Coeur d’Alene Press (wrong newspaper, but they printed it anyway) berating me for hassling those who care for the sick and dying while neglecting to note that I was actually referring solely to their thrift store.

Celebrate the holiday season with the city of Millwood at the second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on the front lawn of the Inland Empire Paper Co., 3320 N. Argonne Road. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. next Saturday. Santa Claus will hand out candy canes, and the West Valley School choral group will serenade the crowd. Company Ballet Dance Group will perform a short routine.

Eight students at West Valley High School have earned AP Scholar Awards based on their scores on Advanced Placement exams. Nationally, about 18 percent of AP students earn a high enough score to win an award. Students Peyton Boone, Alexandra Deane, Christina Frattali, Laura Larson and Morgan McQueen earned an AP Scholar Award for completing three or more AP exams with a grade of 3 or higher. Students Benjamin Holz, Travis Kline and Jasmine Pacheco earned AP Scholar with Honor award for earning an average grade of 3.25 on all AP exams or grades of 3 or higher on four exams.

In these trying economic times, many of us wonder if we as individuals can make a difference in the challenge. After all, each of us is just a single person with average resources. Well, guess what? That couldn’t be further from the truth, and I have a desk full of Plant a Row for the Hungry donation slips to prove it. Thank you, Spokane, once again for putting 35,673 pounds of garden fresh produce into the hands of Spokane’s hungry. Because each pound represents four servings, that represents 142,692 servings of produce to families who can’t afford them on lean budgets.

The Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St., will hold auditions for “The Women of Lockerbie” at 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Five women, appearing ages 40 to70, and two men, appearing ages 40 to 60, are needed. Participants will be expected to do cold readings from the script.

I memorized the American’s Creed after I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution more than 20 years ago. The creed is recited at every chapter meeting and many of our official gatherings. As the years passed, the powerful words of the creed have become increasingly meaningful to me. Every time I recite them, they remind me to be thankful I live in the United States. They remind me to be patriotic and to realize that sacrifices are sometimes required. They remind me I owe an allegiance to my country for the freedom I enjoy.