Washington Voices

The federal Veterans Affairs State Cemetery Grants Program presented the state of Washington with a check for $8,794,766 last week to build the Eastern Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake. The cemetery is scheduled to open on Memorial Day next year and construction has already begun. Ground was broken on Memorial Day 2009.

Wind gusts at Spokane International Airport reached 55 mph Sunday and knocked out power in some places around the county. Those gusts also knocked down some form panels at Airway Heights’ new wastewater treatment plant, currently under construction.

Chad Coupland admits to staring at a blank spot on the wall of the Central Valley gym. It’s high up amongst a row of banners proclaiming the school’s postseason sports successes. “We have banners up there for all the teams that have reached the state tournament,” he said. “But there isn’t one for volleyball. And there should be.”

Nine must be Midge Gutterud’s lucky number. She turns 90 on Sept. 9 – 9/09/09. But in the eyes of friends and family, she is definitely a 10. “If I could be anyone I would want to be like Grandma Midge,” said Gutterud’s granddaughter, Cheryl Everard, who is throwing an intimate dinner party with close friends and family to celebrate the birthday.

Susan Burger has a lot of friends, ones she met as a child in the pages of the “Golden Book of Elves and Fairies” (Jane Werner and Garth Williams, 1951). They are elves, fairies, jesters, witches, mermaids and other playful characters brought into existence by Burger’s imagination. Burger has not wandered far from her youthful expressions. “For me, art has always been a staple in my life. It goes right up there with eating and sleeping,” she said, “At times it even comes before and along with the sleeping, as I will often draft ideas and jot them down. Since I use many mediums, I still ask for school supplies as an adult.”

Five years ago while browsing through skis and poles at the Mount Spokane Ski Swap, Dawn Bayman had an epiphany. What if there was an event like this that brought together folks who want to sell gently used band instruments and folks who want to purchase affordable instruments? Next Saturday and Sept. 13 at the Spokane Community College Lair student center, Bayman will see her dream come to fruition at the first annual Spokane Instrument Swap. “Everybody we’ve spoken to says, ‘What a great idea!’ ” she said.

Sometimes the best new garden shrubs are really old garden standbys that plant breeders have worked their magic on to create new cultivars. Such is the case with the Japanese barberries (Berberis thunbergii). Barberries have been used as hedging and background plants for years. The plant’s prickly spines slow garden interlopers, while its arching branch structure and medium-textured green or red leaves add interest to the back of a border. In the fall, they take center stage with their fiery orange-to-burgundy fall color.