Washington Voices

CNN missed with CV band I watched the inaugural parade on CNN.  When it was time for the Central Valley High School band to pass the reviewing stand they had a very long commercial break, and it did not show the band.

Lottery winners in Spokane County for the week of Jan. 21-25. $10,000

Saturday is Groundhog Day. Every year on Feb. 2, Pennsylvania’s famous woodchuck, Punxsutawney Phil, makes his annual appearance along with a huge town celebration. He will be hauled out of his comfortable fake tree stump on Gobbler’s Knob at precisely 7:25 a.m. to determine if spring is right around the corner. According to the legend, if Phil “sees” his shadow, we can expect six more weeks of slumber. However, if skies are cloudy and Phil does not see his shadow, then spring is right around the corner.

• The Cliff/Cannon Neighborhood Council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 1428 W. Ninth Ave. • The Rockwood Neighborhood Council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hutton Elementary School, 908 E. 24th Ave.

New Horizons Orchestra of Spokane offers an opportunity for adult music students, who are at the beginning through advanced level of playing an instrument, to participate in an orchestra. Each participant learns a wind, string or percussion instrument in a full orchestra setting.

The public apparently had nothing to say about the city of Spokane’s Valley proposed public access plan for the Spokane River. No one gave any testimony during a public hearing before the city’s planning commission last Thursday and the only written comments came from various state and local agencies as well as the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Some people attended an open house on the plan hosted by the city, said senior planner Lori Barlow, but “we didn’t hear anything of a real concern from anyone who attended.”

Budget cuts at youth programs and community centers across town were on Kim Ferraro’s mind when she was on a trip to Montana last year. Ferraro is the executive director of the West Central Community Center which, like the other community centers, has seen significant cuts in the funding it receives from the city. Ferraro especially worried about how to continue funding for the center’s youth programs. “Then I read about a hospital in Montana doing a fundraiser by selling playhouses and I thought, ‘Hey, we could try that in Spokane,’ ” said Ferraro.

The Sense of Simplicity with Georgette Thornton – Feb. 9, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Veradale United Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, 611 N. Progress Road. Free workshop to learn simple living without excessive consumerism and material wants. Breakfast and lunch provided. RSVP to (509) 638-8540 or email gmcneilly@comcast.net.

New listings Kienbaum Family Reunion – April 28, 12:30 p.m., Fairfield Community Center, 302 E. Main St., Fairfield. For more information, call Betty Sargent at (509) 291-3132 or Jane Eberle at (509) 285-4753.

For 01-31-2013

Badminton – Monday-Thursday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Spokane Valley HUB, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. $2 per person, per session. Equipment provided. Call (509) 570-2875 or (509) 570-3354 for more information. Billiards – Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Spokane Valley Senior Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place. Call (509) 926-1937 for more information.

For the week of Feb. 4-8. Monday – Option 1: Marinated beef and vegetables, rice pilaf, steamed carrots, whole grain roll, cinnamon apple slices. Option 2: Creamy dill tuna salad, steamed carrots, cinnamon apple slices.

Area libraries offer storytimes for different ages. Here’s a look at some of the options: Baby lapsit

For 01-31-2013