Washington Voices

The traditional weekend for church craft fairs and bazaars is finally here, just in time to start shopping for the holiday season. •Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ, 411 S. Washington St., will hold its annual Christmas bazaar and market Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Attendant Care Registry – Free service matching disabled adults and children with personal-care providers; sponsored by Coalition of Responsible Disabled; (509) 326-6355. Change Point/Displaced Homemaker Center – Ideal for women and men who are making the transition from the home to the workforce because of a separation, divorce, loss of a spouse or partner, or because a spouse or partner is unable to work. Free training is provided in computers, resume preparation, job and communication skills, and conflict resolution techniques. The Change Point/Displaced Homemaker Center program is sponsored by the Institute for Extended Learning. Call Denise McKinnon at (509) 279-6065 for more information.

As of Sunday, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of police services in Medical Lake. The City Council unanimously approved the contract in a special meeting Oct. 28. The city also released a list of answers to questions that had come up at the Oct. 20 meeting.

Today Play and Learn Storytime (Otis Orchards) - For children ages 2 to 5. Enjoy stories, songs and fingerplays that explore the concepts of math, science, art and literacy. Parents and caregivers are asked to join in for the entire 60 minutes. 10:30 a.m. Otis Orchards Library, 22324 E. Wellesley Ave., Otis Orchards. Free. (509) 893-8390.

NEVADA/ LIDGERWOOD – Veterans are invited to stop by the Neva-Wood COPS Shop, 4705 N. Addison St., and enjoy cake and coffee on Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in honor of Veterans Day. Call (509) 625-3353 for more information.

RIVERSIDE – Holy Names Music Center will present a “Performathon” Saturday in the atrium of River Park Square from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event is a marathon recital performed by music school students age 4 through 84. The grand finale will feature the Holy Moley Jazz Band.

Well, I thought I was done with the subject, having pretty much made peace with the reality that no progress has been or ever will be made and that we are simply doomed to our complacency. Just live with it. But then that thing happened last week, and here I am again – tilting at windmills because I seem to have an infinite capacity for hopeless causes. The subject is the English language and our continual and unrelenting abuse of it. I have gone on and on in this space about incorrect word usage, bad grammar and our seeming pride in treating badly this language we say we love and cherish but then go out and blithely mangle and misuse for all to see.

There was a mish-mash of issues Tuesday at the Liberty Lake council meeting, a refreshing change from marathon meetings devoted to one main subject. Council members asked a few preliminary questions about the budget proposed by Mayor Wendy Van Orman at the last meeting. If the pushback to a request to buy new accounting software is any indication, the budget discussion may get contentious in the coming weeks.

The city of Medical Lake may raise property taxes and the EMS levy by 1 percent. By state law, the city can raise property taxes by 1 percent without a public vote. Finance Director Pamela McBroom told the council that in 2009, the levy amount the city received was $468,993. With the increase, the city could collect around $484,656. The EMS Replacement Levy is 50 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value. If the city approves the increase, it would bring in an extra $1,024 in the levy and with new construction values the city would receive a total of around $105,798.

In the Oct. 22 Voice, five people were asked if they found $1,000, how would they spend it?

•The North Indian Trail Neighborhood Council meeting will be on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 8441 N. Indian Trail Road. •The Emerson/Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting will be on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Corbin Park, 827 W. Cleveland Ave.

I was interested in your article presented in The Spokesman-Review (Voices, Oct. 29) regarding the necrotizing fasciitis patient.

Sunset Elementary School in Airway Heights will receive a $25,000 APPLE Construction Achievement Grant from the Washington Legislature and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. State Sen. Bob Morton, R-Orient, and State Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, will present the award at a school assembly on Friday at 2:20 p.m., according to a press release from the school. The assembly will also honor students for achievement on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, as well as others contributing to the school.