Washington Voices

Film writer and author Jonathan Richard Cring will be in Spokane Valley this week to present a program of music, monologue and singing with business partner and orchestra conductor Janet Clazzy. The duo, using the name Spirited, will perform at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 810 S. Sullivan Road, at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Fire District 13 (Newman Lake) – Commissioners approved to motion to pay deputy chiefs on an hourly basis rather than salaried. The auxiliary will be purchasing equipment for the district, including a hose washer, two hose rollers, a fire extinguisher for the fire boat and a rescue pack. Several fundraisers are coming up, including the Newman Lake garage sale June 6 and the annual hot dog sale July 4-5. (Source: Secretary Rosa Ingram) Fairfield City Council – Council members discussed the upcoming Fairfield Transportation Improvement Board project and what to do with soil, rock and gravel from the project. Mosquito fogging will begin May 11, with the truck making rounds every other Monday after dusk. Fairfield will be participating again in the program to bus children to the Tekoa City Pool. Approximately 60 loads of debris was disposed of during the annual Yard and Garden Debris Day on April 25. Roads will be oiled on May 23. Vandalism problems at the skate park bathrooms have been alleviated somewhat now that the doors are locked at night. (Source: Town clerk Cheryl Loeffler)

For 05-07-2009

Last month across the Inland Northwest, there were plenty of wide temperature extremes. The beginning and end of April 2009 had readings well below normal levels. The average temperature last month was 45.1 degrees, which was 1.2 degrees below normal. The warmest day last month was April 21 with an incredible 77 degrees. On that particular day, the mean temperature was 15 degrees above the average.

Business leaders, elected officials and area residents gathered near the building site of the Airway Heights Water Reclamation Plant on Friday to witness the culmination of more than seven years of planning. Mayor Matthew Pederson addressed approximately 50 people at the ceremonial groundbreaking. “I’m very proud to say that, through the hard work of council, our representatives and our citizens, Phase 1A is fully funded and under construction,” he said.

OLYMPIA – If anyone needs a little good news, it’s people without a job. So here’s some: Starting Monday, the weekly check for most people getting unemployment benefits will increase about $70. The increase – $45 of which comes from the state and $25 from the feds – was a high priority for Olympia. It was the first bill signed into law this year by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Now that we’ve had time to clean up our gardens, it’s pretty obvious what took a beating over the winter. Roses were hit hard by the cold both at the beginning of the winter and in March. In December, temperatures dropped from the fairly normal 30s and 40s into the minus-10s in the space of a couple of days. As a result, roses that weren’t quite dormant got hit hard. In March the reverse happened. Roses were beginning to come out of dormancy when the single-digit temperature hit in mid-March. The result is plants with blackened stems that look like they are dead.

A city-commissioned survey shows most Spokane Valley residents don’t think they’re getting good value for their tax dollar and don’t think city officials listen well. The $18,000 study, statistically accurate within 5 percent, found that only 40 percent of Spokane Valley residents feel they get good or excellent service from the city, and only 43 percent feel city officials do a good or excellent job of listening to them.

Spokane Valley City Manager Dave Mercier on Tuesday answered public allegations of profligate spending with a presentation dubbed “City Finance 101.” The primer seemed aimed more at backers of a disincorporation drive than at the City Council members Mercier addressed.

The city of Medical Lake will be looking for a new code enforcement officer after the City Council on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Don Mayfield, who accepted a job in Spokane. Mayfield has been working as a code enforcement officer since May 5, 2008 – the first time the city had that position available. Mayfield enforced the nuisance section of the Medical Lake municipal code, which encompasses 11 violations including filthy, littered or trash-covered yards; foul or malodorous privies, sumps, cesspools, not protected from rats or flies; and any unsightly building billboard or other structure or any old abandoned or partially destroyed building.

Attendant Care Registry – Free service matching disabled adults and children with personal-care providers; sponsored by Coalition of Responsible Disabled; 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.

After lengthy discussion, council members put on hold three separate agenda items during the course of Monday’s Airway Heights City Council meeting. These included a proposed boost in council compensation, a decrease in payment to the West Central Community Center and an increase in administrative fees for the city. During the public hearing portion of Monday’s meeting, two similar pay proposals were made, both of which` would moderately increase the base pay of council members and the mayor as well as rewarding them for attending optional ad hoc committee meetings when they arise.

Cheney The Cheney Police Department made the following arrests from April 20 through May 3:

The Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, 6910 S. Ben Burr Road, will present its annual Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mom can enjoy champagne, a carving station with roast beef and ham, waffles, salad, pasta and a dessert bar.

Today After-School Specials (Moran Prairie) – Make your own book. 4 p.m., Moran Prairie Library, 6004 S. Regal St. Free. (509) 893-8340.

Only a few weeks ago, the steps of Crosby Student Center at Gonzaga University overflowed with clothes donated for Teen Closet, a local charity that provides clothes to foster children. According to a press release, Gonzaga students lugged bags stuffed to the brim with new and used clothes, hoping to give them to those in need while doing their own spring cleaning.