Washington Voices

It was time. The bell tolled, the shoe dropped, the parrot pooped and the fat lady sang when I was handed an ultimatum after my hard-earned money slipped through the twisted banking maze. Recently a 48-cent error in my checking account turned into $68 in overdraft charges and, as with most banking transactions of late, I had this compelling urge to sink to my knees and beg forgiveness.

For 03-20-2010

Tuesday Spokane Valley City Council – 6 p.m. at City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Ave.

SPOKANE VALLEY – The River City Rapids Boys U-13 Soccer Team will have a pancake breakfast at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill on Pines Road and Mission Avenue from 8 to 10 a.m. today. The time was incorrect in the Valley Voice on Thursday. Team members will act as servers for the breakfast.

Maybe it’s the magic of their translucent flowers, which glow cream, pink, and purple in the right light. Maybe it’s the challenge of coaxing this beauty out of a nondescript plant that grows in bark and hangs from a rafter in the greenhouse. Regardless, orchids have captured the imagination and the riches of people for thousands of years. Emperors have sought them for their magical powers. Explorers collected them from the most remote parts of the world to satisfy the egos of their patrons. We gobble up vast quantities of one species as vanilla flavoring.

Spokane Valley Fire Commissioners unanimously voted this week to take several steps to build a new Station 10 and get rid of the mobile home being used as the current Station 10 at 17217 E. Sprague Ave. The first move commissioners made was to transfer $742,000 from the district’s reserves to help pay for construction of the new station. Staff had hoped the department would receive a FEMA grant to pay for the construction, but there has been no word from the federal government, said Deputy Chief Larry Rider. “We planned this and waited as long as we could,” Rider said.

In 2003 the Spokane Valley City Council asked the citizens what their vision of Spokane Valley was and which direction they wanted their brand new city to go. How was this done and what were the results? The City Community Development Department contracted with Clearwater Research to conduct a Community Preference Survey. The survey was designed to gauge the public’s views on issues such as transportation, urban design, city identity, growth and development. The final results were presented to the city in April 2004.

For the week of March 22-26 Monday – Option 1: Orange chicken, vegetable chow mein, steamed rice, dinner roll, mandarin oranges. Option 2: Bean soup, ham sandwich, dinner roll, mandarin oranges.

Jessie Rasche always knew she’d be an artist

Nine more illegal outside fires set by residents to burn yard waste and debris were reported in the two weeks ending March 17, and Spokane Valley Fire may take additional steps to make it clear that outdoor burning is not allowed for most residents, said Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford. The department may begin reporting the addresses of violators to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. Repeat offenders could face fines. “At this point we don’t have any way of writing a citation, but if we turn it over to them, they can,” Clifford said.

Katie Worley, a senior at Valley Christian School, has been named the winner of the Washington State Christopher Columbus Essay Competition. The competition was sponsored by the Washington Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, May Hutton Chapter.

Fairfield City Council – Council members voted to select Century West Engineering as the town’s primary engineering firm for 2010 and TD&H Engineering as the secondary engineering firm. They also voted to select The Exchange as the town’s new official newspaper and picked Derek Knecht to maintain the Fairfield Cemetery lawn. Plans for a large Flag Day celebration are under way and there is interest in having an archery competition and a Civil War re-enactment group participate. Work is continuing on the inflow and infiltration project with the town’s sewer lines. Vandalism is continuing in the City Park and the council is considering installing security cameras. (Source: Town clerk Cheryl Loeffler) Rockford City Council – Council members voted to award the contract for sidewalk construction on Emma and First Streets to Bacon Concrete. Construction is expected to begin in mid-April and end in June. A dance will be held May 1 to raise money for the Southeast Spokane County Fair. (Source: Town clerk Darlene LaShaw)