Voices

For 10-25-2008

Area summer graduates were announced by Washington State University. Students are listed by their hometowns. Greenacres: Justin Irvine, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration.

Attendant Care Registry – Free service matching disabled adults and children with personal-care providers; sponsored by Coalition of Responsible Disabled; 326-6355. Change Point! program – Ideal for women who are separated, divorced, or widowed, have a disability, or who have been incarcerated; provides free training in computers, resume preparation, job interviewing, communication skills, and conflict resolution techniques; sponsored by the Washington State Displaced Homemaker Program; contact Denise McKinnon at 279-6065.

A community meeting to discuss new federal 100-year flood plain designations for Spokane County is scheduled Nov. 6. The 7 p.m. meeting, at Spokane Valley City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Ave., is sponsored by the city and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for the designations.

The Museum of North Idaho, in front of Coeur d’Alene City Park at 115 Northwest Blvd., is hosting a free day today, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free day will be the last opportunity to see the museum’s feature exhibit Wings Over North Idaho. Wings Over North Idaho explores local aviation beginning with Weeks Field as the first municipally-owned airport in the United States. Weeks Field went on to play a vital role in pilot training during World War II. Coeur d’Alene Airport, built during WWII, continued to serve transportation and freight needs as well as Forest Service activities and forest fire fighting.

Busy mothers aren’t the only ones who get distracted and burn up pots of food. Spokane Valley firefighters responded at 2:46 a.m. Oct. 16 to Fusion Teriyaki at 5815 E. Sprague Ave., where a pan of food was left cooking when the restaurant closed.

State Sen. John Goedde has two opponents hoping to keep him from a fifth term. The Republican senator from Coeur d’Alene is being challenged once again by Independent Jeremy Boggess, as well as first-time candidate Democrat Ken Howard.

It’s finally fall, and in Spokane, that means it’s time for the ponderosa pine’s annual molt of long, brown needles. Now that our yards are buried, what can you do with them? Pine needles make an excellent winter mulch for plants that need protection from the cold. They are weed free and allow water to drain through them quickly. A foot-deep layer around tea roses and other tender perennials can protect against the inevitable freeze-thaw cycles that can destroy roots and kill the plants. The gardeners at the Rose Gardens at Manito Park use them to mulch the hundreds of roses they care for.

Tuesday Liberty Lake City Council – Special workshop on the 2009 budget, 8 p.m. at City Hall, 22710 E. Country Vista Drive.

Halloween is approaching fast and several Valley churches are stepping up to host harvest festivals and other events marking the candy-infused holiday. • Millwood Presbyterian Church, 3223 N. Marguerite Road, will host its annual Trunk or Treat on Friday. Cars with trunks full of candy will be in the church parking lot for kids to visit. Hot apple cider will be served. The event will last from 6 to 7 p.m.

You’d better smile if you call ex-SR colleague Erica Curless “horse whisperer.” If you’re lucky, she’ll repeat the line she heard earlier this fall at the Prairie Winds Equine Massage Therapy College in Colorado from founder Michael Stenson re: horse whispering: “There is no element of mystery or of special talkers and skills and abilities.” If you’re not lucky, she’ll say, as Stenson does: “That’s all crap.” Erica’s beginning a new career as a certified EMT. (Read: Equine Massage Therapist, for those of you keeping score at home.) “Massage isn’t just for human athletes,” Erica told Huckleberries. “Horses and dogs also benefit from bodywork. The idea isn’t just relaxation but to get the muscles to work together and rebalance so the horse or dog can move better – meaning better performance whether it’s rodeo, polo or dressage horses or herding, hunting or service dogs.” Erica named her business Dog and Pony Show. You can schedule an appointment by calling her at (509) 991-7314 (Liberty Lake). Or you can send her a get-well card. Adding injury to the insult of getting laid off while studying massage, Erica was stepped on by a horse. Which broke her foot. Otherwise, she’s off and running in her new career. Winning isn’t everything

Dangerous intersection ‘studied for years’ I witnessed another accident last weekend at the intersection of Pines, 16th Avenue and Highway 27 in Spokane Valley.

Liberty Lake Elementary was one of 100 schools in the state named a “School of Distinction” this week by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The State Superintendent’s Learning Improvement Award goes to the top 5 percent of elementary, middle and high schools and alternative schools that have shown progress in raising student achievement in math and reading during a six year period. The OSPI evaluates WASL scores in determining which schools deserve recognition. The principal of each “School of Distinction” received a trophy and banner to display.

Today

Maybe you drove down Northwest Boulevard on Friday and saw the sign for free coffee. I did, and I had some, and I did give the server a tip. It was at the new Dutch Bros. Coffee at 1680 Northwest Boulevard to celebrate its grand opening. The drive-through is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. With five employees, the outlet is the second for franchisee Jackson Hite, who opened his first Dutch Bros. at 118 W. Hanley Ave., about a year ago.