January 2018 Current

J A N U A RY

2018

GREATER SPOKANE VALLEY

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit #010 ZIP CODE 99019

FREE

A VALLEY-WIDE COMMUNITY NEWSMAGAZINE

Ringing In

Celebrating community causes that nourish the Valley....and how you can help, page 12 125 YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE PAGE 34

VALLEY CANCER SURVIVOR TELLS HIS STORY PAGE 39

FORMER MAYOR MAKES STRIDES PAGE 24

2 • JANUARY 2018

NEWS

work on City Council?

The Park Bench

A: I have the same concerns that other residents in the city of Spokane Valley have because I have spent many years here and have been active in the community.

I understand the Valley and what we voters wanted when we voted to incorporate out city. I owned two businesses in the Valley and understand the concerns of small business owners. I believe that you need to understand an area in order to understand what work is most important for a City Council to work on for the citizens.

Haley brings Valley roots, business insight to council

By Craig Howard

Q: You were appointed at a fairly turbulent time for the city that included the release of a city manager and the subsequent resignation of two council members. How would you say the city has been able to work through that period of transition?

Current Editor Pam Haley may have been new to the Spokane Valley City Council when she was appointed in June 2016 but the Spokane native knew something about politics when she joined the governing board.

Haley – a Central Valley High graduate who holds master’s degrees in education and business – campaigned extensively over the years for Sen. Mike Padden, legislative delegate from the 4th District which includes Spokane Valley. When Haley ran in the latest general election to retain her Pos. 5 seat, Padden was there to support her.

Haley wound up with just over 61 percent of the vote on Nov. 7 to defeat challenger Angie Beem.

The number represented the highest ballot count in any of the five contested City Council races.

She was also the only candidate to earn endorsements from both Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Rep. Matt Shea.

Haley will begin a four-year term on Jan. 1.

While it may not quite have made the cut in her campaign literature, Haley also brought another distinguished achievement in politics to the table in the fall race.

She was president of her class from the first through the ninth grades.

At 9, Haley moved with her family from the South Hill to Spokane Valley. She attended Greenacres Middle School and graduated from Central Valley High School in 1975. As a Bear, she was an honors student and participated in tennis and gymnastics. Stan Chalich, who retired in June after teaching 49 years at CV, taught a civics class that Haley recalls having an impact.

She enrolled at Eastern Washington University after

The Current

Pam Haley was appointed to the Spokane Valley City Council in June 2016 and followed it up with a win in the November 2017 general election. Haley is a small business owner and has two master’s degrees, one in education and another in business.

Photo by Craig Howard earning her high school diploma.

Marriage also followed, but Haley fled when her husband became abusive.

She began working at Sears in the credit department at the age of 20 and stayed in the field until she purchased a daycare center 28 years ago. She now owns three businesses, including two daycare centers.

When incorporation of Spokane Valley found its way to the ballot again in May 2002, Haley was not keen on the idea of cityhood. After the initiative narrowly passed, she went to work to make the city a success. She served on a couple of committees but decided against running for the inaugural City Council.

When the ripple effect of Mike Jackson’s release as city manager in February 2016 led to the resignation of Council Members Dean Grafos and Chuck Hafner, another opportunity to join the Valley’s governing board emerged.

Padden encouraged Haley to run and she won an appointment that June to serve the remainder of Grafos’ Pos. 5 term.

“I didn’t realize how much work it was,” said Haley of joining council that summer. “But I looked at it from a different perspective

– I saw it as a challenge that was fun and interesting. I like to learn.”

Haley has earned respect and accolades in her year-plus on council, representing the city on the Spokane Transit Authority (STA), Visit Spokane and Spokane Regional Health District boards as well as the legislative committee for Greater Spokane Inc. She has spoken out on property crime and the importance of recruiting and retaining law enforcement.

Haley’s conservative stance on financial matters has also been evident. She was against a proposed 6 percent utility tax and opposed the first proposal for a Barker Road rail crossing, supporting a later version at a lower cost.

In addition to being self-employed the majority of her career, Haley has served as a consultant for ESD 101 and Community Minded Enterprises. She remarried in 1986 and will celebrate her 32nd wedding anniversary to husband Jim in May. When not running her businesses or tending to municipal matters, Haley enjoys swimming and boating at Lake Pend Oreille.

Q: How do you think your background as a longtime resident of Spokane Valley serves as a benefit in your

A: We have worked very hard to work through that period. I was not there during those events, however I was very aware of them.

I think it is a shame, in some ways, that those that were there are not able to talk publicly about it. I believe that the transition would have been easier if the people had a better understanding. We are working very hard to prove that we want to work for the Valley in an honest and transparent manner.

I think that we are still in that transition, but I expect things to continue to get better as the public sees what we are doing.

Q: Often, new representatives of City Council talk about the steep learning curve that accompanies their responsibilities. How has that adjustment been for you?

A: There is a significant learning curve. Many agenda items are in their third reading or more and so the presentation is abbreviated when you first join the council.

The biggest adjustment for me has been the time commitment.

It is not a part-time job like everyone thinks. We serve on multiple boards, attend grand openings and try to be available to our constituents at all times.

The biggest learning curve is how to manage time. I read the packet each week and research anything I am not sure about. I attend each board meeting that I am assigned to attend and try to help our local charities with fundraising.

Q:

The most recent general

See HALEY, Page 5

The Current

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4 • JANUARY 2018

CVSD goes to voters for bond, third high school

By Julie Humphreys Splash Correspondent Voters in the Central Valley School District (CVSD) are being asked to approve both a bond and a levy next month in what district officials say would mean continued momentum in education upgrades and economic growth in the rapidly growing cities of Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake.

The momentum began in February of 2015 when voters approved a bond for construction and renovation of a dozen schools including a new K-2 grade school in Liberty Lake. It was the first time in 17 years voters in the district had approved a bond.

Not since 1998 when bond passage funded two new high schools, Central Valley and University High, were people living in the district willing to see their taxes raised for new school construction.

When they passed a $121.9 million bond three years ago, it signaled the time was right to begin a comprehensive process of right sizing schools throughout the district. The next phase of the process requires a $129.9 million bond that will appear on the Feb. 13 ballot.

CVSD Director of Communications Marla Nunberg is optimistic the bond will pass, in part because she says the district “over-delivered” on the last bond. The district secured a state grant for class size reduction which it was able to apply to the new K-2 Liberty Creek Elementary moving bond dollars to build two more schools, North Pines Middle School and Riverbend Elementary. Both are set to open in the fall. Nunberg says for every bond dollar spent the district was able to leverage 85 cents from the state.

“We planned well and we used the dollars wisely,” she said. “We heard voters in 2015 when they said ‘We don’t our tax rate raised’ and we honored that. Once again, the district is hearing voter concern about higher tax rates and once again we are able to present a bond that does not raise the rate. We hope the community has the confidence in us to continue to deliver on our promise to them.”

By replacing the expiring bond, the bond rate will be maintained at $1.79 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That means if you have a home worth $100,000 you would pay $179 a year in taxes toward the bond. The total bond amount will allow the district to receive $27.4

NEWS

million in state matching funds to put toward school construction projects.

The biggest project connected to the latest bond is a new high school to be located at the corner of 16th and Henry on land purchased by the district in 1980 with an eye to a third high school. By 2014, more than three decades later, overcrowding at Central Valley and University High had parents, teachers and others ramping up the conversation to build a new school sooner than later. They discussed the need, the timing, and more through an online forum.

Marty Dickinson has three children currently enrolled or graduated from the district. She is co-chair Central Valley Citizens for Education, a citizen-based, pro-bond group.

“Now is the time,” she said. “As a parent and a voter, there is a window of time to pass this bond where we can address overcrowding and safety because the district has been very thoughtful in the planning. If we push this out another couple of years we don’t get the same opportunities for education excellence that we have right now.”

The new high school will have the capacity to house 1,600 students.

Boundaries for the school would be determined after bond passage.

Nunberg says the district would like voters to decide on the bond based on its merit, rather than by which high school their children may attend under any boundary change. But she

adds the district has made provisions around boundary issues that provide choice for students and parents if the new school is built now.

“Seniors will be able to stay at their current high school,” she said.

“Juniors could opt back to their old schools and there are options for siblings to stay together at the same school. We have a transition plan and by building the new high school now we have the capacity to offer choice. That may not be the case in the future.”

The district is growing at the rate of some 350 students a year.

Nunberg says that’s like growing a half a school every year and is why a new middle school and renovation of an existing middle school are also slated for construction under the 2018 bond.

Horizon Middle School would be renovated and expanded to increase the student capacity from 480 to 600 while updating current codes and safety standards. A new middle school that would house 600 students would also be built in the Telido Station area east of the HUB Sports Center.

At the same time, voters decide on the bond for facilities construction, they will be asked to pass a threeyear levy for school programs and operations. Like the bond, it is a replacement for dollars designated in 2015 and will cost home owners $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed

The Current

property. Voters in the district have historically approved levies which cover line items like teacher and support staff, special programs, after-school activities, school safety, textbooks and teaching supplies.

With passage of the 2015 bond and levy, the district has been able to move the student/teacher ratio from 22/1 to 17/1 – as required by the state – in all elementary schools, K-3, and has begun to ease crowding in middle schools as well.

Building and expanding schools and hiring new teachers – 140 certified staff were added just last year – all help to provide a better educational experience for students in an environment that district officials say better meets safety standards.

Now the district would like to continue that effort in the remaining middle schools and the high schools with passage of the replacement bond and the replacement levy next month.

“Whether or not you are directly impacted by a school or whether you have a child in school, the outcome of the bond and levy still affect you,” Nunberg said. “You may be improving education for a child in your neighborhood who grows up to be the pharmacist at your local pharmacy. You may put a laid off construction worker back on the job or hire a teacher. A strong education system and a strong economy are good for everyone.”

The Central Valley School District will go before voters next month for approval of a $129.9 million capital facilities bond.

The most prominent project associated with the Feb. 13 initiative is a third high school that would be located at the corner of 16th and Henry Road. A super majority of at least 60 percent is required for passage.

Image courtesy of Central Valley School District

The Current

HALEY

NEWS

Continued from page 2

election ushered in a number of changes around the dais.

What do you think the results said about what citizens expect from their City Council?

A: I think the results were very clear, the citizens expect the City Council to work on city issues.

They do not want us to waste staff time to research pet projects, or things where we have no control.

The citizens do not want us to pursue a personal agenda or work on state issues. I happen to agree with them, we have enough work to do working within our city. Now that we are more focused, we will be able to work on the things that are most important to the people; smooth roads, public safety and good paying jobs Q: In 2016, the city hired an advertising company to work on a five-year marketing plan.

Where do you feel Spokane Valley is at currently when it comes to developing a recognizable "brand."

A: I have heard, most recently from an employer in the Valley, that our "brand" is that we have a low cost of living, low taxes, nice roads, many recreational activities and beautiful scenery. I heard the same thing at a recent Visit Spokane board meeting. I like that brand. I don't think we have to be a big tourist destination or build an expensive tourist destination.

Our brand will bring us companies with good paying jobs, while still allowing us to maintain those things we enjoy about our area.

Q: Economic development has always been a topic of discussion at City Hall. While ideas like the Sprague/ Appleway Revitalization Plan never quite took hold, what do you think the city can do to improve retail activity within its boundaries?

A: Retail activity is down in all parts of the country. People can buy virtually anything online. I do not think that many retail outlets are looking for new spots to land.

In fact, many are closing. I would like to see more new restaurants come into our area. I wonder if we should focus on small boutique shops where people can buy unique things that are difficult to find online.

Q: You were part of the first City Council to meet at the new Spokane Valley City Hall

in September. How do you feel this venue may help the city to better establish its own identity and spur increased interest among residents in their government?

A: The change was immediate.

On our first council meeting many more people attended and that trend is continuing. It is a much nicer facility and people seem more comfortable there. I have not heard many negative comments about the facility. At our open house, everyone spoke of how efficient it looked from work station to work station and how open and light it is. I think all cities need a City Hall and this one was built to last for many years to come.

Q: For the first time, the Spokane Valley City Council includes three women. How significant is this development in your opinion?

A: I don't really see us as men and women. I see us all at the table together trying to do what is best. The significance of this development is that voters are voting for the people that they believe will best serve them.

This time it happened to be three women. I'm not convinced it means anything else.

Q: Street maintenance seems to be both an ongoing challenge and priority for most cities. How do you feel Spokane Valley rates as far as ensuring the stability and safety of its roads?

A: Our roads are good right now. We are tasked to keep them that way. We will continue to make street maintenance a priority. We expect new quality numbers on our roads any day now. Then we can determine how much is needed to keep our roads in a safe and stable condition. There are a lot of talking points on this issue and I hope the citizens will come and join us in the discussion.

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Q: Finally, as the New Year dawns, what are you looking forward to most about representing the city of Spokane Valley?

A: I am looking forward to getting back to the basics and working on city issues. I was the 2017 chair of the STA board and would like to continue working on that board. I am also looking forward to serving on new boards and working with the new council. It is an honor and a privilege to represent the city of Spokane Valley and I am excited about what the New Year will bring.

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NEWS

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Prepared By: Regional Intelligence Group 9 Spokane County Sheriff

! (

The Spokane Valley Police and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has seen a significant increase in a telephone scam directed towards grandparents.

The scammer calls a grandparent and pretends to be a attorney or law enforcement officer and informs them their grandchild has been arrested. They will often provide the name of the grandchild and will have some basic family details normally obtained through social media sites. The caller convinces the grandparent not to tell anyone as it may jeopardize their efforts in minimizing the trouble the grandchild is in. Next comes the request for the grandparent to go to a retail store and purchase gift cards as a means of paying for the callers help, the fine or for bail. The caller sets a prearranged time to call back and request the grandparent provide them with the pin numbers of the gift cards.

If successful scammers will often call back later to request additional funds.

Should you receive one of these calls or become victim to this type of scam please report it by calling crime check at 456-2233.

Please be mindful that if someone is requesting you purchase retail gift cards as a form of payment it is probably a scam.

8 • JANUARY 2018

Spokane Valley City Council Report

By Bill Gothmann

Current Correspondent City takes action on snow removal The city has taken action to encourage snow removal from Spokane Valley sidewalks. City staff removed the bat-wing snow plow blades to reduce snow accumulation on sidewalks, instructed snow plow operators to slow down a little to push more snow adjacent to the curb and into bike lanes, and informed 54 snow removal businesses about the necessity to remove snow from sidewalks.

The city sent 7,147 notification packets to residents in Tier 1 snow removal areas informing them of the requirement to remove from sidewalks accumulations of snow and ice that exceed 3 inches within 48 hours after a snow event has ceased. Tier 1 areas include Safe Routes to Schools and commercial areas. Tier 2 includes all other residential areas. Council decided that, at this time, only Tier 1 areas will be enforced. Council had previously reduced the fine of the first violation from $500 to $52. Citizens who are physically or financially unable to remove snow can call 2-1-1, Catholic Charities Chore Service at 459-6172 (only for citizens 60 and older), or the Spokane Mission Office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 924-8932.

Urban animal expansion dropped

keeping

After the city’s legal staff reported increased noise, odors and code compliance policing when the city of Spokane expanded its urban animal

NEWS

keeping, Spokane Valley’s Council voted 6-1 to abandon any further expansion of its animal keeping ordinance, with Council Member Ed Pace dissenting.

City examining nuisances

Staff also wants to bring the city’s code into line with the statutory requirements for noise and exempt school activities from the noise ordinance. In addition, they will be examining yard sales, for it appears a number of properties host yard sales throughout the year. Also, some people are apparently living in recreational vehicles within residential zones, with steps and slide-outs extending into the streets, violating the present code.

Similarly, the city will be considering more restrictions on staying in a motor home or travel trailer parked in a residential driveway.

Appleway Trail bids rejected All four bids on the Sullivan to Corbin part of the Appleway Trail were over the engineers’ estimate

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Legal staff is examining the city’s nuisance ordinance and presented several possibilities for the council to consider. Council agreed to examine the following nuisance proposals: a chronic nuisance would be defined as a property that has numerous, ongoing criminal activities indicated by search warrants, arrests or active crimes such as drug crimes or burglary. At the request of the city, Superior Court could declare the property a chronic nuisance if it has four qualifying criminal events, plus at least one regular nuisance such as garbage, junk vehicles or noise within a 12-month period.

Alternately, it could be declared if the property has five qualifying criminal acts within a 12-month period.

Once so declared, the property owner would be required to clean the premises. Upon failure to do so, the property could be boarded up for up to one year.

Kathrine Olson, D.D.S.

210 S. Sullivan Rd.

The Current

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so the bids were rejected. Staff has revised the project, changing many of the required amenities of the original bid to alternate amenities.

These alternate amenities include the boulder play area, decorative trail signage, orientation/ interpretative signage, restrooms, floating stone area, site furnishing and a 400-foot trail extension east of Corbin. The base bid includes trailhead parking and landscaping in addition to the trail itself. The idea is to do the base bid items and as many of the alternate amenities as the budget allows. Bids opened Dec. 8 and the award of the contract will be considered by council on Jan. 9.

Age for cigarette purchase Council Member Linda Thompson reported that the Spokane Regional Health District is advocating that cigarettes can only be purchased by those 21 years of age and older.

Council agreed to place this item on the advance agenda.

Lodging revised

tax

allocations

Council reviewed the recommendations of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC).

Both the committee and the Council proposals set aside $250,000 of the $572,000 in the budget to go to a fund dedicated to building a large sports facility or facilities, yet to be planned. However, several council members also wanted more emphasis on Spokane Valley activities.

After considerable discussion, council made the following recommendations for the remaining $322,000 with LTAC recommendations shown in parentheses: Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation $0 ($0); Octoberfest $10,000 ($4,200); Crave Northwest $30,000 ($2,000); Spokane Valley Heritage Museum $13,000 ($4,400); Spokane County Fair and Expo Center $50,000 ($50,000); Spokane Sports Commission $80,000 ($136,800); HUB Sports

Center $48,400 ($48,400); Valleyfest $18,600 ($3,000); Cycle Celebration $2,000 ($1,400); Visit Spokane $70,000 ($71,800). These council recommendations now go back to the LTAC for their review and comment and then return to council for final action, expected sometime in January.

CenterPlace West Lawn Master Plan approved CenterPlace is drawing increasingly large outdoor events on its west lawn. As a result, the city has been working with landscape architect Mike Terrell to develop a master plan for the area.

After consulting with CRAVE Northwest, Oktoberfest and Valleyfest, a two-phase master plan was developed that would eliminate the berms, create a large, flat area for venues and provide more electrical power, restrooms, a stage and better access to CenterPlace.

The total, long-range plan would cost $1.8 million. The $200,000 first phase, already included in the 2018 budget, would provide the necessary grading, electrical work and landscaping for the area.

Council approved the master plan, a step that would open the door for future grants for the project.

Planning commission to consider comprehensive plan changes The city annually permits changes to the comprehensive plan. This year, the council placed seven items on the docket to be considered by the planning commission.

Four of these were zoning changes originating from private requests: east of Pines on Valleyway, changing three parcels from single family residential (SFR) to multifamily residential (MFR); south of Broadway between Greenacres and Barker, changing two parcels from SFR to corridor mixed use (CMU); south along Chester Creek west of

See COUNCIL, Page 9

The Current

NEWS

COUNCIL

there will be a number of changes for copy fees to correspond to recent revisions of the Public Records Act. After holding a public hearing on the issue, council passed the fee resolution unanimously.

Continued from page 8 Sands Road, changing one parcel from SFR to CMU and the southeast corner of Seventh and University, changing one parcel from SFR to neighborhood commercial.

The city is requesting three changes: eliminating split zoning of two parcels along Progress east of Forker, eliminating split zoning of two parcels north of Trent west of Lillian and changing zoning of several parcels at the southeast corner of Havana and Eighth to parks and open space.

Police precinct agreement extended

Each year, council considers the fee schedule for city services. This year the city is adding a $3,500 rental fee for the entire CenterPlace complex. The city is also eliminating the alarm system registration fee.

The false alarm fee is decreased to $65 per incident from the previous $75 per incident for residential alarms and $125 per incident for commercial alarms. Furthermore,

Master aster Plan Plan 16 15

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Place West Lawn and North Meadow Master Plan

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Street standards updated

LEGEND: 1.

2.

3.

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1

Program to reduce the number of drive-alone trips and vehicle miles in order to address traffic congestion, air pollution and petroleum fuel consumption. Both the city and all employers having 100 or more employees are required to participate. There are 18 affected employers in Spokane Valley. The state will provide $63,519.30 to the city for its 2017-19 program. The city has, in the past, contracted with the county to administer its program and turned these stateallocated funds over to the county.

This past year, the county learned that certain of their state-provided funds cannot be used for the CTR program as was done previously and, as a result, has asked that all participants chip in to make up the difference. City Manager Mark Calhoun provided a $200 assessment for the next contract.

Council decided to continue the county’s administration of the city’s CTR program for the next two years.

The city updated its street standards to provide for sidewalk The state requires the city to have maintenance when the property a Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) owner refuses to maintain the sidewalk. The new standards also provide more LEGEND: flexibility in traffic analysis.

1. CENTERPLACE The standards 16 2. EXISTING EVENT PATIO e l i m i n a t e the future 3. CENTERPLACE PLAZA acquisitions 4. PERFORMANCE / WEDDING p r o v i s i o n whereby the city VENUE could require 5. EVENT SPACE / LAWN SEATING an easement if they thought 6. LANDSCAPE SCREENING they might need 7. NEW TURN AROUND a road through property in 8. RESTROOM / SUPPORT BUILDING the the future. The standards also 9. STORAGE BUILDING reflect the recent 10. OPEN LAWN FOR EVENTS reorganization of the city and 11. PLAZA GATEWAY comments by 12. VENDOR TENTS (10’X10’) the Federal H i g h w a y 13. FENCE Administration.

14. NEW PATH The city is planning a more 15. NORTH MEADOW thorough review 16. NORTH MEADOW EVENT / of the standards 12 in 2019.

9

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Reduction

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Commute Trip program extended

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lease

The county leases 15 percent of the Spokane Valley Police Precinct building from the city under a contract that expired at the end of 2017. This area is used by the District Court and by Spokane County Sheriff’s Office personnel who provide services to the unincorporated county. Under a new agreement passed by the council, the county will continue its lease for one year, with automatic one-year renewals each year. The contract includes an escalation clause based upon the Consumer Price Index and a 180-day termination notice by either party. It also updates the contract to specify the actual amount of space used by the County at 15 percent.

Fee schedule adds rental of CenterPlace, reduces false alarm fees

14

JANUARY 2018 • 9

1

CenterPlace West Lawn and North Meadow Master Plan

WEDDING VENUE

reconstruct and provide sewers for the following two road segments: Euclid from Flora and Barker and Flora from Euclid to a point 200 feet north of Dalton Avenue. Rainy, cool November weather and the closing of the asphalt plants prevented the contractor from paving the top asphalt layer on Euclid Avenue between Tschirley and Barker. A change order was executed to pay for work needed to temporarily open Euclid to the driving public during the winter suspension and grants 13.5 working days for this period. The change order also includes fall demobilization, spring mobilization and miscellaneous project elements. The winter suspension ends in April 2018, when asphalt plants reopen. There are sufficient funds in the project budget to cover the $17,766.46 cost. Council agreed to the change order.

Council Briefs: • Council passed a proclamation thanking the county’s Sheriff Community Oriented Policing Effort (SCOPE) program for its neighborhood crime prevention efforts.

11

• Deputy City Manager John Hohman introduced the city’s new City Engineer, Bill Helbig, a graduate of WSU with about 30 years experience within the private and public sectors.

CENTERPLACE EXISTING EVENT PATIO • At the Dec. 5 meeting, Mayor CENTERPLACE PLAZA Rod Higgins welcomed the newest council representatives, Brandi PERFORMANCE / WEDDING Peetz and Linda Thompson.

VENUE • Council received a briefing on how properties are acquired by 5. EVENT SPACE / LAWN SEATING the city, commonly essential for road projects. If the project is 6. LANDSCAPE SCREENING federally funded, the process must 7. NEW TURN AROUND conform to the Uniform Relocation Act, whereby the seller receives 8. RESTROOM / SUPPORT fair BUILDING market value and relocation expenses.

9. STORAGE BUILDING • City staff developed and council 10. OPEN LAWN FOR EVENTS approved contracts for solid waste drop-box services with Sunshine 11. PLAZA GATEWAY Disposal and Recycling and with Waste Management, effective April 12. VENDOR TENTS (10’X10’) 1. Drop boxes are large containers used for solid waste such as are 13. FENCE present at construction sites.

14. NEW PATH • At the request of Council Member Wood, staff made a presentation 15. NORTH MEADOW of open space requirements of Cool weather residential projects. Council agreed 16. NORTH iMEADOW / n c r e a s e EVENT s to have the planning commission Euclid Project reexamine these requirements.

WEDDING VENUE cost The Euclid A v e n u e Reconstruction Project is a joint city/county effort to both

• The planning commission recommended and council agreed to retain our present prohibition against using shipping containers as accessory structures within residential areas.

The Current

10 • JANUARY 2018

City, SCLD team up to gauge interest in new library

By Staci Lehman

Current Correspondent An empty lot across the street from Spokane Valley’s new City Hall could soon be a campus featuring a new library, expanded park, veterans’ memorial and reading garden.

The Spokane County Library District (SLCD) teamed up with the city of Spokane Valley in September to kick off a campaign to gauge public interest in a new library complex and how to pay for it.

The two entities held an informational meeting Sep. 28 to announce the start of the campaign.

If public opinion supports the idea and funding can be secured, the plan is to build a new library on one-third of an empty lot on the north side of Sprague Avenue at Herald Road.

A conceptual plan of the proposed site includes a 119-car parking lot,

Spokane County Library District Director Patrick Roewe speaks at a public meeting Sept. 28 about the idea for a new library in Spokane Valley.

Contributed Photo

A field at the corner of Sprague Avenue and Herald Street could become home to a new library, expanded park and more amenities. The city of Spokane and the Spokane County Library District are collaborating to gauge community interest in such a project.

Photo by Danica Wick a one-story library building that would be a minimum of 25,000 square feet and an expansion of the current Balfour Park to include an open play field, a stage and amphitheater, picnic shelter, splash pad and sports courts. If the complex becomes reality, Spokane Valley and SCLD will split the cost of shared infrastructure on the site, such as restrooms, sidewalks and more.

and SCLD officials to believe there is a level of interest for a new library in the Valley. A proposed amendment to the interlocal agreement would push the expiration date out to Oct. 31, 2022 with the option of extending another two years.

“The current Valley Library is the busiest library in Spokane County for circulation,” said Roewe, referring to an average of 900 patrons per day. The facility’s meeting room is utilized an average of two times per day by public groups.

“There’s not enough space or parking to accommodate how the public uses that library,” Roewe said.

The 8.4-acre vacant property was purchased by Spokane Valley five years ago at the library district’s request. The two agencies signed an interlocal agreement for the purchase stating that SCLD would then purchase 2.5 acres of that land for the library, with a few stipulations. Those included building a second, smaller library at Sprague and Conklin in Greenacres. Also included was the understanding that if voters didn’t approve the passage of a bond to pay for the library within five years, the property would be sold back to the city at the same price for which it was purchased. That five-year period ended on Oct. 31 of this year. In the five years since that agreement was signed, two bond issues have been narrowly voted down.

While the Spokane Valley City Council has approved the amendment, the SCLD Board of Trustees initially voted it down this summer.

“Our board was not sure,” said SCLD Director Patrick Roewe, director at the Sept. 28 public meeting. “They wanted some public feedback, so they can make an informed decision.”

The close votes have led both city

The board came back and approved it unanimously at their October meeting. Now a public outreach campaign is underway that will include exploring all funding options rather than automatically going out for another vote.

“That includes capital campaigns, grant opportunities and bonds,” Roewe said.

One attendee at the September public open house pointed out that two failed bonds indicate that the public isn’t interested in a new library. Roewe and city officials say the numbers show otherwise.

A new building would allow car clubs, book groups and Bible study groups, among others, to be able to use the library.

In addition, the existing Valley Library – built in 1955 and expanded in the 1980s – has an old HVAC system that is expensive to repair and maintain. Roewe also says a new building is needed to adapt and change with the times and technology.

“Books are not the sole purpose anymore, there is online learning and education programs,” he said.

“Our product is knowledge and the building we have now doesn’t allow us to provide that product to the full extent.”

Along with city officials, Roewe believes a new facility could be also an economic catalyst for Spokane Valley.

The Current

JANUARY 2018 • 11

Millwood Council approves budget for 2018

Council Member Andy Van Hees was appointed as alternate.

The Welch Comer contract for the Millwood Trail Project was extended until Dec. 31, 2018 to ensure that the contract that currently expires at the end of this year is in force through the anticipated end of the project at the end of March 2018.

By Mary Anne Ruddis Current Correspondent

A special meeting of the Millwood City Council meeting on Nov. 28 included the final public hearing for the 2018 budget. At the Dec. 12 meeting, council passed budget ordinance No. 489, ringing in a financial game plan for the New Year. The estimated 2018 beginning balance is $2,421,083 with estimated revenue of $3,831,026 and estimated expenditures of $4,564,060 with an estimated ending balance of $1,688,049.

The public hearing on Millwood’s Water Use Efficiency Program was held at the Dec. 12 council meeting.

The city adopted the current water use efficiency program in 2011.

The state required program must include water production and consumption savings goals and measures to achieve those goals.

Necia Maiani of Welch Comer Engineers presented the program update as required by Washington law. The full report which covers water efficiency goals, method for evaluation for the cost effectiveness of efficiency measures, methods to educate consumers as well as projections for water savings and evaluation of water distribution system leakage can be found on the city website.

The proposed goal of the program is to “reduce usage per connection on the average day of the peak three months by 1 percent.” Peak months are June, July and August.

The timeline to meet the goal is 10 years. Proposed measures to meet the goal include rates that encourage efficiency, public information outreach and targeting large commercial water users to discuss conservation measures.

The annual minimum budget for the measures is $1,000. The public forum was closed and the council took action to approve the water use efficiency goal setting.

Council approved a planning services contract with Studio Cascade, Inc. to complete work on a review of the city’s comprehensive plan.

The state’s Growth Management Act requires the city to complete a review by June 30, 2019. Due to the complexities and substantial knowledge of law

Millwood City Hall has been the professional home of City Clerk/Planner Tom Richardson since 2008. Richardson, who came to Millwood after 30 years with the city of Cheney, retired at the end of 2017 and was honored by staff and City Council at the Dec. 12 council meeting for his outstanding service. File photo changes, the city approved the contract with Studio Cascade at a cost not to exceed $45,000, taking into consideration a grant received earlier in the year for this purpose.

Council voted to reappoint Michael Ankney to the planning commission.

Mike Schramm resigned, opening up a position and the council is seeking candidates to replace him. A statement of interest was received from Spencer Harrington. Interested candidates can contact the city. The planning commission is responsible to provide recommendations to the council for the comprehensive plan, development regulations and land subdivisions.

Council is currently studying the commission’s recommendations for the Riverway properties and will begin deliberations of the report after Feb. 1. If the council decides to designate the property for park purposes, a comprehensive plan amendment will be necessary.

The amendment would be considered during the city’s annual comprehensive plan amendment process which begins in the fall of each year.

Council Member Shaun Culler was reappointed as the city’s representative to the Spokane County Housing and Community Development/Housing Authority Committee.

Mayor Kevin Freeman has served as the city’s representative in an ex-officio position for small cities on the Spokane Transit Authority Board.

The position will rotate to a voting position in January. The council approved the mayor’s request to be reappointed to the position.

City Clerk/Planner Tom Richardson delivered his last staff report. He will be retiring at the end of the year with his last day on Dec. 29. Richardson came to Millwood after working as the city planner for Cheney for 30 years. His original plan was to stay with the city for three years.

Tom has now been with Millwood for nearly 10 years beginning in 2008. Richardson said he is proud of the infrastructure projects he was a part of during his time with Millwood. In retirement, Richardson plans to do some volunteer work with his church and local schools.

He is also interested in possibly overseas aid work. The council offered words of appreciation for Richardson’s service and tenure.

Christina Janssen the current deputy clerk/planner will be taking over Richardson’s position.

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COVER STORY

12 • JANUARY 2018

The Current

Reservoir of Hope – Awareness, caring define Valley’s character

By Craig Howard Current Editor It was the holiday season and Donna Orme was looking for places where her family could volunteer.

While Orme was aware of many nonprofit causes, she learned it could be a challenge for her and her kids to find feasible ways to help during the most charitable time of the year.

So, the Spokane Valley resident decided to create her own resource guide.

In 2005, Orme began compiling a list of volunteer opportunities.

The work would turn into a mission that some feel has redefined the Inland Northwest’s nonprofit terrain. Spokane Cares (www. spokanecares.org) has become the go-to directory for volunteerism, community causes, activities, addiction recovery help, public safety and much more.

“We are all surrounded by people who are suffering, leaving us countless ways to serve others,” Orme said. “That is when friends and neighbors can step in to help people survive challenging difficulties and restore their hope for a better life.

Volunteers are essential in lifting burdens. In addition, those who serve others find their own burdens are lifted.”

Orme is part of a community that gets the message. It was evident in the mid-1970s when a program to deliver meals to homebound residents gained traction at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church. Last year, the current rendition of that effort – Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels – provided over 270,000 meals to those in need.

It was there in 2008 when Karen

Hittle – wife of then-Central Valley High School Principal Mike Hittle – was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It didn’t take long before the school colors changed from sky blue and white to purple, official color of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, as students and staff rallied to support the Hittle family. “Team Hittle” emerged as a true champion in the process, lifting Karen to a place where she would be cancer-free.

It is apparent in the funds left behind by Valley businessman and philanthropist Hank Grinalds who had a heart for less fortunate seniors. His legacy – facilitated by the Greater Spokane Valley Rotary – continues to change lives for the better.

It was on display last month at the annual Stories of Goodwill Lunch hosted by the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce where the collaboration between local nonprofits and businesses was celebrated.

In the spirit of all those examples and more, the Current turns toward a New Year with a gesture of hope.

To assist us, we asked some of the community’s nonprofit groups to tell their respective stories. All of them provide opportunities to help, to make a difference and show that Spokane Valley truly cares.

“We can’t solve all of the problems in the world,” Orme said. “But we can do something.”

Spokane Valley Partners

By Cal Coblentz Spokane Valley Partners provide resources to people right where they are and assists other agencies with programs that elevate the

Each year, the Hutton Settlement runs a Christmas Tree sale to raise funds for various programs. The “neighborhood of care” in West Spokane Valley provides a long-term alternative home for kids 5 to 18 and will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.

Photo by Danica Wick poor.

SVP has a rich 66-year history, robust resource programs, over 200 engaged volunteers, and incurs less than 8 percent administrative and fundraising costs annually. We’re proud of our heritage and efficiency.

The culture at SVP is strong in service, compassion, human value and dignity. By leveraging monetary donations with outrageous in-kind donations, SVP turns every dollar donated into five dollars of service delivered.

The food bank helps 10,000 struggling households annually; that’s over 500 tons of food to families in need. Our Food4Thought program distributes 50 tons of weekend food annually to 500 hungry students in the Valley. The Food Express program also delivers groceries to 90 senior households.

The clothing bank serves 6,000 households annually with clothing and household items. It’s always stocked with seasonal necessities like blankets, coats, even bathing suits. The Humanix Career Clothing Bank provides professional attire to those gaining employment.

Inland NW Baby is our newest program.

The acquisition of Spokane’s only diaper bank provides 100,000 diapers annually and infant clothing to struggling moms throughout our region.

SVP has many other services such as emergency assistance, protective payee services, the STCU Community Education Kitchen, community garden program, and more. All services are provided at no cost to the recipient. We are fully funded by our faithful partners.

Please go to www.svpart.org for more information or call 927-1153.

The Millwood Community Center opened in 2014 as a resource center and gathering place. The 7,000-square-foot facility features a commercial kitchen, classrooms and a multi-purpose gymnasium.

Photo by Craig Goodwin

Millwood Community Center

By Craig Goodwin The Millwood Community Center

(MCC) is an extension of Millwood Presbyterian Church’s mission to seek the peace and well-being of the West Valley of Spokane. The church launched the 7,000-square foot facility in 2014 to meet the need for a resource center and gathering place in the neighborhood. It includes two classrooms, a large multi-purpose gymnasium with basketball hoops and a commercial kitchen.

The church runs several core programs at the Center, including the STAR Club afterschool program for students from Orchard Center Elementary on Mondays and Wednesdays, the HUB 360 afterschool program for students from Centennial Middle School on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Kitchen Ministry nutrition education program. The Kitchen Ministry is the first “satellite kitchen” of Second Harvest’s community kitchen outreach and the plan is to help pave the way for other organizations to be a part of a new network of satellite kitchens.

The MCC hosts a variety of groups during the week, including recovery meetings, Boy Scouts, Young Life, and sports teams. The facility, including the kitchen, is available to rent, and is available for use by community partners, at no charge.

More information is available at www.millwoodpc.org or call 9242350.

Hutton Settlement

By Kelly Naumann Since our beginning in 1919, Hutton Settlement has been providing a safe and healthy home to school-aged children in need. Children live in a home environment with six to seven other kids and two house parents within a neighborhood filled with support, love, activities and a focus

See HOPE, Page 13

The Current

COVER STORY

HOPE

Continued from page 12 on education.

Since 2007, every senior living at Hutton has graduated and gone on to higher education. We truly believe in the power of a good education and we make sure every child has the support they need to be successful.

To find out more, please visit our website at www.huttonsettlement. org or call 926-1027.

Second Harvest

By Julie Humphreys When Second Harvest provides someone with a box of food, staff and volunteers strive to give that person not only sustenance but hope and dignity. Fighting hunger, feeding hope is the mission of the largest hunger-relief organization in the Inland Northwest.

The people who get food at no cost at one of our 250 partner food banks and pantries or at our school and community Mobile Markets are just trying to get by and need a little help. Often they work at

disability and thinking that you are the only person out there operating the way that you do.

For many people with physical disabilities, this is a daily reality. At ParaSport Spokane, we use sport as a catalyst for life, through providing sport and recreation opportunities for people with physical disabilities.

Our athletes see other people, like them working hard, pursuing goals and often achieving success on a global scale.

It is our vision that through excellence in residential care and family engagement, Hutton will empower each child to lead an independent and fulfilled life of value and contribution. Our children participate in various on-campus programs, including sustainability, leadership and the arts. They learn about their government, grow produce from seed and work with their hands creating one-of-a-kind items.

We also understand the importance of support for the transitional ages of 18-24 and we provide ongoing case management for our alumni in that age group.

Whether they are 5 or 50, if they’ve lived at Hutton, they are a part of our forever-family and we are here to help when needed.

JANUARY 2018 • 13

The mission of ParaSport Spokane is to provide, with integrity, training and competitive athletic opportunities for youth and adults with physical disabilities that promote success, self-worth and independence. The program uses adaptive sports as a catalyst for life.

Contributed image low-paying jobs, or they’ve had a medical emergency that’s draining their limited resources.

They are people like Andrew, who was injured on a construction job and now stays home with his three children while his wife works full time.

“Society puts a big stigma on reaching out for help, especially as the man of the house,” Andrew says. “It can make you feel like you failed your family, like you're not good enough or you're not doing enough. To be able to go to Second Harvest and have access to fruits and vegetables – the kind of things we wouldn't be able to afford makes a huge difference for our family.”

Generous donors, partners and sponsors allow Second Harvest to resource and distribute millions of pounds of food each month and get

GREATER SPOKANE VALLEY

A VALLEY-WIDE COMMUNITY NEWSMAGAZINE

it to the people who need it most.

Second Harvest fights hunger and feeds hope by providing healthy food to every person, every day in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. More at www.2-harvest.org or call 534-6678.

ParaSport Spokane

By Teresa Skinner Hope is not something that is given. It grows inside as one is able to look toward the future, have dreams and set goals toward making those dreams a reality.

Imagine a world where you are not exposed to individuals similar to you who are fully engaged in life and doing awesome things. The able-bodied world sees role models on television, in their school and around the community. They are active, playing sports, achieving and thriving. Now imagine having a

Many of our members had never even considered themselves as athletic, let alone as an athlete.

We work to change that internal monologue and build up our athletes through character-driven activities, using sport as the mechanism.

Athletes as young as 16 months start seeing and interacting with role models on the basketball court, the track, in the field and at group fitness. What greater way of building hope through seeing, feeling, knowing and experiencing others doing amazing things. Hope is a powerful thing.

To learn more or to donate, go to www.parasportspokane.org or email Teresa Skinner at tskinner@ parasportspokane.org.

Spokane Vet Center

By Joe Dumlao The Vet Center Program was established by Congress in 1979 out of the recognition that a significant number of Vietnam-era veterans were still experiencing readjustment problems in their post-military life.

Vet Centers now serve combat veterans from all eras as well as any military sexual trauma survivors.

They are community based and part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The goal of the Vet Center is to provide a broad range of counseling, outreach and referral services to eligible veterans in order to help

See IMPACT, Page 16

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COMMUNITY

14 • JANUARY 2018

The Current

Calendar of Events COMMUNITY EVENTS Dec. 30-Jan. 7 | Christmas tree recycling at Central Valley High School and University High School parking lots. Times are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 30 and 31, Jan. 7 and 8. Home pick-up of a tree (within about 12 minutes of CVHS or U-Hi) is also available. Cost is $5 for drop-off, $10 for pick-up (minimum suggested donation). All proceeds support Boy Scout Troop 400 in Spokane Valley. Call 720-8357 for more information.

Through Jan. 1 | Winter Glow at Cowley Park, near Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, 101 W. Eighth Ave., Spokane. Cowley Park becomes “Christmas Park” for 40 days during the holiday season.

There are lights high up in trees and displays throughout the park.

Enjoy the music and animation by walking through the park. The park is decorated especially for children on the fifth floor of the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital to look out and enjoy.

Jan. 27 | Spokane Valley Fire Department hosts a new engine #2 “push in” event, 11 a.m., Millwood Fire Station #2, 9111 E. Frederick.

SVFD invites the community to join firefighters for this celebration of a new engine finding its home in the bay of the Millwood Fire Station.

RECURRING ACT 2 senior classes | Affordable classes offered by Community Colleges of Spokane to those who are retired or planning to retire.

A wide range of courses from geology and history to exercise and art are offered at CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, as well as other locations throughout the area. “Focused Fitness on Dishman Mica,” a yoga class, is now part of the schedule. More at www.sccel. spokane.edu/ACT2.

Baha’i Fireside Conversation | 5 to 6 p.m., third Friday of the month.

Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main Ave. Discussion of Baha’i teachings, history, and perspectives on resolving the challenges facing humanity. All are welcome. More at 599-2411 or www.bahai.us.

Inland Empire Blues Society monthly meeting | Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m., Bolo's 116 S. Best Road.

Café Card Club | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays. On Sacred Grounds,

12212 E. Palouse Hwy., Valleyford.

Play pinochle, cribbage, or hearts.

More at www.onsacredgrounds. com.

Catholic Singles Mingle | Meeting times and locations vary. This group, with no dues, is for single adults of all ages. More at www. meetup.com/Catholic-SinglesMingle.

DivorceCare Recovery Support Group | Tuesdays 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Eastpoint Church, 15303 E. Sprague Ave. Learn how to heal from the deep hurt of divorce and discover hope for your future. DivorceCare for Kids (ages 5-12) meets at the same time and location. Cost is $25 for workbook. More at 892-5255 or eastpointchurch.com.

Military Sobriety Support Group | 10 to 11: 30 a.m., Spokane Vet Center, 13109 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Spokane Valley. Call Steve at 8934746 for more information.

Grange Meeting and Dessert | 6:30 p.m., first Wednesday of the month, Tri-Community Grange, 25025 Heather St., Newman Lake. The public is welcome for this community-based service organization. For more information call 226-2202 or see us on Facebook.

Men’s Weekly Bible Study | 7 a.m.

Tuesdays. Millwood Presbyterian Church, 3223 N. Marguerite Road, Millwood. The men’s weekly Bible Study meets in the Reception Hall with different members sharing in the leading of the study. All men are invited to join. More at www. milwoodpc.org.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network | 6:30 p.m., the first Monday of each month. Liberty Lake Municipal Library, 23123 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake. More at www.pancan.org or 534-2564.

Rockford Crochet Class | 10 a.m. to noon, Saturdays. The Harvest Moon, 20 S. First St., Rockford.

Free classes. We have crocheters, knitters, embroidery, quilting and needlepoint. Come and share with us what you are doing. Call 2913722.

Rockford Historical Society | 11:30 a.m. second Friday of the month (Feb. to Nov.). Harvest Moon restaurant, 20 S. First St., Rockford. More at 291-3193.

Spokane County Library District | Locations include Argonne, Fairfield, Otis Orchards, and Spokane Valley. Special events

and weekly activities for all ages including book clubs, children’s story times, classes, Lego club, teen anime club and writing clubs.

More at www.scld.org Spokane Valley Eagles | 16801 E. Sprague Ave. Breakfast served Sundays 9 to 11:30 a.m. Lunch served Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by bingo from 1 to 3:30 p.m. More at www.foe3433. com.

Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank | Weekly distribution takes place Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10814 E. Broadway by appointment.

Appointments are available during the following days/times: Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Thursday (reserved for advanced-age seniors — age 60 and over — and/or physicallyhandicapped people with limited mobility): 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Address verification is required.

To make an appointment, call 927.1153 ext. 10, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m Spokane Valley Quilt Guild | Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October and December at Valley Assembly of God Church, 15618 E. Broadway, Spokane Valley. Open to all interested in sharing ideas and skills of our quilting craft. Participants have can access a comprehensive library, can engage experienced teachers and participate in community service projects. More at www.svqgspokane.com

MUSIC & THE ARTS Jan. 26 | Master Class for Violin with Mira Wang, 3 to 5 p.m., at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, Before her performance with the Spokane Symphony on Jan. 27 and 28, violinist Mira Wang will present a master class for local violin students selected by audition. The master class is free and open to the public. More at www.spokanesymphony.org/ master-classes.

Jan. 27-28 | Spokane Symphony Classics: “Scheherazade.” Music Director Eckart Preu conducts the Spokane Symphony performing the U.S. premiere of Torsten’s Rasch’s “Tropoi” Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Mira Wang. This is the

first of four concerts celebrating Bach’s 333rd birthday. The others are “Classics 6, 7 and 9” Saturday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Tickets range from $17 to $60. More at www. spokanesymphony.org.

Feb. 17 | “The Music of Star Wars: The Symphony Awakens,” 2 and 8 p.m. at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Resident Conductor Morihiko Nakahara will lead these two identical concert featuring selections by awardwinning composer John Williams from the legendary “Star Wars” film series scores, including “The Force Awakens” and “Rogue One.” Preconcert activities start 90 minutes before each concert and will include memorable photo opportunities with “Star Wars” characters and planet-themed activities.

Concertgoers are encouraged to wear “Star Wars”-themed costumes. Tickets are available at: www.spokanesymphony.org, Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox Box Office at 1001 W. Sprague Avenue, by calling 624-1200 and all TicketsWest outlets.

RECURRING Drop-in Square Dance Lessons | 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (through May 18). Western Dance Center, 1901 N. Sullivan Road. Square dance lessons for $3 per person; no partner needed. More at 270-9264.

Pages of Harmony | 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Wednesdays. Thornhill Valley Chapel, 1400 S. Pines Road.

If you enjoy singing, you will love the four-part, a cappella harmony of this men’s barbershop chorus.

More at www.pagesofharmony.org.

Spirit of Spokane Chorus | 6:45 p.m., Tuesdays. Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Road. Make new friends by joining this women’s chorus, specializing in four-part, a cappella harmony in the barbershop style. More at 2184799.

Spokane Novelists Group | Noon to 4 p.m., second and fourth Saturday of the month.

Otis Orchards Community Church, 23304 E. Wellesley Ave., Otis Orchards. A support/critique group for writers. Open to anyone with an interest in writing fiction (no memoirs, nonfiction, poetry, etc., please). Participants should bring 5-10 pages to read aloud and 6-8 copies for others to read along and critique. More at 590-7316.

The Current

COMMUNITY

Spokane Valley Camera Club | 7:15 p.m., third and fourth Monday of the month (September through April). Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District building, 22510 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake. All levels of ability—students through experienced photographers—are invited to learn. Social events include field trips and workshops.

More at 951-1446 or www.sv-cc. org

Jan. 23 | Vietnam War Commemoration and Welcome Home Event, 1 p.m., Spokane Vet Center, 13109 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Spokane Valley. This event is being held to recognize, thank and honor U.S. veterans who served during the Vietnam War. Family, friends and community members are welcome. For more information, call the Vet Center at 444-8387.

Spokane Valley Writers’ Group | 6:15 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month. Lakeside Church, 23129 E. Mission Ave. This supportive critique group welcomes adult writers. More at 570-4440.

Jan. 23 | Boots to Business – free business and entrepreneurial training for veterans, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., SBA Training Room, 801 W. Riverside, Ste. 444, Spokane.

Contact Joel Nania at 353-2810 for more information.

HEALTH & RECREATION

RECURRING

RECURRING Yoga in Rockford | 5:30 p.m.

Wednesdays. Rockford Park, 20 W. Emma Street, Rockford. In case of inclement weather, classes will be held at Dave’s Autobody, 8 W. Emma Street.

Wednesday mornings | Mindful Music & Movement class, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Specifically designed for those living with chronic health issues such as: Parkinson's, dementia, COPD, MS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, cancer. Supporting body, mind and soul. $10 donation suggested.

Facilitated by board-certified Music Therapist, Carla Carnegie. Willow Song Music Therapy Center. 21101 E. Wellesley #102. Otis Orchards.

For more information, visit www. willowsongmusictherapy.com or call 592 7875.

Tuesday afternoons | Decreasing Anger Group, 3 to 4:30 p.m., the Vet Center, 13109 E. Mirabeau Parkway, Spokane Valley. Eligibility: Combat veteran from all eras, military sexual trauma survivors, Contact Steve at 893-4746 to make an intake appointment.

JANUARY 2018 • 15 T h e N a t i o n a l ly A w a r d - W i n n i n g C e n t r a l V a l l e y h i g h s c h o o l T h e a t r e D e p a r t m e n t P r o u d ly P r e s e n t s

Disney’s

Spokane Valley City Council | Regular meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at Spokane Valley City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Ave., Ste. 101. Council study sessions are held the first, third and sometimes fifth Tuesdays at 6 p.m., also in Council Chambers.

Flag Museum | Sponsored by the Sons of the American Revolution and the Fairmount Memorial Association, details the rich history of the American flag, Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Pines Cemetery, 1402 S. Pines Road, Spokane Valley. For more information: 926-2753 or www. fairmountmemorial.com/southpines-cemetery Spokane Valley Kiwanis | 6:45 a.m.

Tuesdays.

Valley Hospital Education Center, 12606 E. Mission Ave. More at www. spokanevalleykiwanis.net.

March

15-18 & 21-25

Greater Spokane Valley Rotary | Noon to 1 p.m., Wednesdays.

Darcy’s, 10502 E. Sprague Ave. More at www.svrotary.org.

HUB Sports Center 19619 E. Cataldo Ave., Liberty Lake.

Various activities and events occur throughout the week including: • Pickleball drop-in: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Mon. through Thurs.; 10 a.m. to noon Tues. and Thurs. and 6 to 8 p.m. Wed. and Sun. $3/seniors ($5/non-seniors) • Classes including Kenpo Karate and Zumba Aerobics. See website for cost and times.

Presented with special permission of Musical Theatre International New York, New York ™

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www.amaculate.com

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CIVIC & BUSINESS

CV Performing Arts Center | 821 S Sullivan Rd, Spokane Valley

Purchase your seats now at cvtheatre.com

Underwritten in part by:

CVHS tre

Thea s Booster

The Current

16 • JANUARY 2018

IMPACT

Continued from page 13 them make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life. Family members of eligible veterans are eligible for services as well. Vet Centers also provide bereavement counseling services to surviving parents, spouses, children and siblings of service members who die of any cause while on active duty, to include federally activated Reserve and National Guard personnel.

The Spokane Vet Center is located in Spokane Valley nestled between Mirabeau Point Park and the Centennial Trail, beside the Spokane River. We offer individual, couples, family and group counseling, mindfulness activities such as yoga and fly-tying, wellness activities such as walking and cycling groups, community events such as our annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans luncheon and vendor fair events. Programs also include combat stress-reduction wilderness retreats, employment assistance, food pantry, and Veteran Service Officer assistance. Please stop in for a tour, call us at 444-8387 or visit the national Vet Center webpage at www.VetCenter.va.gov org.

Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council

By Linda Thompson Hope abounds at the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council (GSSAC). From the young teen living with her grandma due to her mother’s choice of drugs over her daughter who joins Washington Drug Free Youth (WDFY) to the young man who tells the story of losing his brother in an impaired driving crash to save others from this preventable tragedy to the family and friends who celebrate the journey of treatment and recovery of their loved one, we are grateful for the joy of hope in our work every day.

Founded in 1982 by business and faith-based leaders coming together to find solutions to the impact of illegal drugs on the region, GSSAC’s POWER (Prevention Outreach Wellness Education and Resources) Coalition and POWER Team continue the legacy of community mobilization with partnership, support and public policy educational outreach.

While resources have dwindled through budget cuts and promised

investment in prevention from legalized adult use marijuana has shifted to the general fund, our board of directors, staff and volunteers are steadfast in our commitment to GSSAC’s mission to promote the health, safety and well-being of our community with an emphasis on youth.

With parent/guardian permission, over 2,500 WDFY members participate in drug free activities, leadership development, PUPPET (Puppets Utilizing Positive Prevention Education Training) outreach to younger students, and volunteer for drug testing which is growing a drug free workforce in our region!

Please support GSSAC with your time, resources or donations. Help spread the hope of prevention, treatment and recovery. To learn more, call 922-8383 or visit www. gssac.org.

Embrace Washington Embrace Washington partners with Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) child welfare, focusing on meeting the tremendous (and often invisible) needs of vulnerable children in

Washington State foster care.

Our goals at Embrace are to raise awareness of a foster child’s needs, identify ways to meet those needs and connect individuals and organizations with a heart to serve the foster care community.

Throughout the year, Embrace raises funds to provide over 2,000 foster children in foster care and surrounding areas: sports, camp, band, tutoring, dances, science field trips and any other activities that would create hope and opportunity and remove barriers in a foster child’s life.

Embrace provides many lastminute needs that help to aid the transition of moving into a foster home. We purchase new items such as twin-size beds and bed frames, high chairs, car seats, strollers, crib and mattress, changing tables etc.

Basically, anything a foster parent may need for a last-minute or longterm placement.

We are honored to partner with our community as we bless the lives of children in foster care, one child at a time. For more information about Embrace Washington and our many ways to donate and get involved, please visit our website www. embracewa.org or call 381-5370.

Recognizing 1000+ middle and high school students who are committed to being drug free with WDFY! Thanks to the WDFY Youth Leaders and their advisors!

Central Valley High School – Deanna Ristau, Advisor Growing A Continuous Curriculum School – Forrest Helt, Advisor Making it cool to Drug Free be drug free!

Workforce!

East Valley High School – Alec Vermaire/Jackie Fatur, Advisors East Valley Middle School – Kendra Smith, Advisor INTEC – Melinda Brown, Advisor Thank You To Engaging Youth Our Merchants & University High School – Paul Jensen, Advisor Leadership!

Supporters!

West Valley High School – Rick Jones, Advisor

Honoring a WDFY Champion: Joe Kostecka, Extraordinary East Valley WDFY Advisor (Retired)

A Program of the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council (GSSAC) Supported by 2017 City of Spokane Valley Social Services Funding

The Current

LIBRARY

Book into museums, science center with family passes

and Culture (MAC) and Mobius Children’s Museum and Mobius Science Center.

Spokane County Library District

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is currently featuring “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” an educational, emotional journey through the life of the Titanic, appropriate for all ages. Along the way visitors will learn countless stories of heroism and humanity that pay honor to the indomitable force of the human spirit in the face of tragedy. Before you head to the MAC, check out some of the great

By Gwendolyn Haley

We are headed into the long stretch from January to the end of March where my family starts to get a little (make that a lot) antsy with cabin fever. If, like my family, you are looking for fun and educational activities this winter, you’re in luck.

Fantastic destinations exist right here in Spokane County, including the Northwest Museum of Arts

Starting in January, Spokane County Library District (SCLD) will have family passes available to check out for these local museums and center.

Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

kids’ titles we have on the Titanic at http://bit.ly/scld-titanic.

Mobius Children’s Museum and Mobius Science Center Mobius Children’s Museum and Mobius Science Center both feature hands-on activities for the whole family that spark curiosity and ignite imagination.

You’ll find “Bubbleology” at the children’s museum and “Cardboard Construction,” a “Tinker, Create, Invent, Hack” workshop at the science center. The family pass will get you into either location, or both, on the same day. What an amazing way to shake off the winter blahs as a family!

The Friends of Spokane County Library District have generously funded the museum family pass lending program, for which we couldn’t be more grateful. At each of the 11 libraries in the district, one pass is available for checkout on a first come, first serve basis.

The family museum pass has a seven-day checkout and can be used once during that period for a single-day admission to the partner museum for a family of two adults and up to four children.

This program is a great way to connect with these excellent cultural and educational centers and for those who haven’t yet gotten the chance, to try them out for the first time.

Exploring science in the extreme with Radical Rick

By Erin Dodge

Current Guest Correspondent Anyone who thinks science is boring has never met Radical Rick or seen his “Extreme Science” video segments on KHQ.com.

This winter, tweens will have the chance to discover the forces that create tornadoes, vortexes and gyroscopes when Radical Rick stops by the Spokane County Library District.

Here are some insights from Radical Rick about everyday science: Q: What is it about science experiments that spark interest and excitement in kids?

Radical Rick: I believe that kids love to discover and learn new things. Science experiments help

us to understand the world around us in a fun and exciting way. Many science experiments don’t always provide the results that we expect, which in itself is exciting. I also believe that the best way to spark a child’s interest in science is to allow them to try it themselves through hands-on experiences.

My grandson recently told me about a project from his middle school science class. I thought it was cool that they were learning about how temperatures can affect condensation. When he showed me the results and his answers to the questions presented, I asked what they used to collect the data. I was disappointed to learn that all of the data was provided on the back of the worksheet rather than the students taking the time to actually carry out the experiment. This was a missed opportunity to provide an experience that would spark an interest in learning more about this topic.

Q: How can parents safely incorporate science into the dayto-day lives of their kids?

Radical Rick: By simply asking

their children questions. Ask them how they think something works or why something happened the way that it did. Then, be prepared to try it out and let them make a mess if necessary. Messes can be cleaned up and it is well worth the time.

When something breaks, don’t just throw it away. Sit down and take it apart with your child. Help them to understand how things work. If you need ideas on simple, yet safe experiments, watch any of the weekly videos from the Saturday morning Extreme Science segments. These are designed for parents to do with their children at home using simple items that you can purchase locally or probably already have.”

JANUARY 2018 • 17

LET’S GIVE IT A WHIRL!

EXPLORE EXTREME SCIENCE with

Radical Rick TORNADOES VORTEXES GYROSCOPES Tweens (grades 4+) Sign up to attend at www.scld.org SPOKANE VALLEY LIBRARY Saturday, Jan 13 1–2pm & 3–4pm ARGONNE LIBRARY Saturday, Jan 27 11am–12pm OTIS ORCHARDS LIBRARY Saturday, Jan 27 2–3pm Plus additional dates at our other locations

About upcoming shows: Space is limited for “Extreme Science with Radical Rick: Forces” at Spokane Valley Library on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; at Argonne Library on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. and at Otis Orchards Library on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. Parents and caregivers can register their kids, grades 4 and up, at www.scld.org.

www.scld.org

The Current

18 • JANUARY 2018

we

“A community is known by the schools it keeps”

are

CVS

D!

Delivering on our promise

with the completion of the following construction bond projects:

Please Join Us in Celebration!

Mica Peak High School (formerly Barker) & CV Early Learning Center Dedicated February 17, 2016 15111 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley

Central Valley Virtual Learning Center

Opened September 2016 13208 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley

Summit School

Completed four additional classrooms Jan. 2017 13313 E. Broadway Ave., Spokane Valley

Opportunity Elementary School Dedica on Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Liberty Creek Elementary School Dedicated August 15, 2017 23909 E. Country Vista Dr., Liberty Lake

Ceremony • 6:00-7:00 PM School Tours • 7:00-8:30 PM 1109 S. Wilbur Rd., Spokane Valley

Evergreen Middle School

Dedicated August 22, 2017 14221 E. 16th Ave., Spokane Valley

Greenacres Elementary School

Dedicated August 24, 2017 17915 E. 4th Ave., Spokane Valley

Chester Elementary School

Dedicated August 29, 2017 3525 S. Pines Rd., Spokane Valley

Sunrise Elementary School

Dedicated September 14, 2017 14603 E. 24th Ave., Spokane Valley

Ponderosa Elementary School

Not only are we delivering on our 2015 bond promise, but we also leveraged state matching and grant funds to deliver

two additional new schools!

NEW

NEW

Riverbend Elementary School

Comple on Date–July 2018 17720 E. Mission Ave., Spokane Valley

North Pines Middle School

Comple on Date–August 2018 11900 E. Broadway Ave., Spokane Valley

Comple on Date–March 2018 10105 E. Cimmaron Dr., Spokane Valley STAY CONNECTED...

f

You Tube

509-558-5400 • www.cvsd.org

Brought to you by

INSTRUCTIONAL CLAS

OFFERED MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING AND W

FOR ALL GOALS & ABILI TODDLER THROUGH AD

Competitive Teams • Parkour, Brea and Hip Hop Classes • Parent’s N • Bitty Bee Academy & Flippin’ Fu Night • Open Gym for All Ages • Gym Birthday Parties • Nin

ENROLL TODAY! Our coaches are passionate about gymnastics and focus on teaching quality gymnastics in a fun and safe environment. Classes run year-round with three 13-week sessions (Fall, Winter and Spring) and one 10-week summer session.

National Hot Tea Month

Earl Grey tea is named after a nineteenth century British diplomat to China. It is flavored with oil from the citrus fruit Bergamot that is grown in southern Italy.

Herbal teas are not actually teas since they do not contain leaves from the plant Camellia sinensis.

They are an infusion.

Tea used to be so expensive that it was kept in a locked chest in the parlor. Usually, only one person had a key for the chest.

In the 1800’s, Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford created the custom of afternoon tea. It is also known as Low Tea. The Victorian era created High Tea when they began eating the evening meal served with tea.

Until World War II, when green tea was unavailable, it was the most popular tea in the United States.

During World War II, America began importing

black tea from India which quickly became the favorite.

Orange Pekoe tea is a term used to grade black teas.

Genmaicha is a Japanese tea that was created from green tea and roasted brown rice to stretch tea during tough times.

The best green tea is from the first harvest.

Matcha is a powdered green tea.

One plant, Camellia sinensis, produces the four major tea types- black, green, white and oolong.

Three varieties are used for commercial production.

The Chinese variety grows to 15 feet and produces 2 inch long leaves for up to 100 years. The Assam plant grows up to 60 feet tall producing 6-14 inch long leaves for about 40 years. The Cambodian variety grows about 15 feet, it is used to create hybrids. The higher the altitude, the better the quality and flavor are.

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20 • JANUARY 2018

How the Queen Found the Perfect Cup of Tea

by Kate Hosford 2017 ages 4 - 7

Daily t h e Queen

becomes grumpier with her routine of having everything done for her. This affects her enjoyment of her tea.

She travels to find a perfect cup of tea, she discovers so much more. Learning about other cultures customs for making tea and learning to do for herself make positive changes.

I don’t love the artwork but the story is lovely.

Tea Rex by Molly Idle 2013 ages 3 – 5

Humorous silly book with bright artwork teaches proper etiquette for tea. One of a series of books if your child loves dinosaurs

The Current

The Current

JANUARY 2018 • 21

Out t h g i N s t Paren

509-315-5433 2515 N. Locust Road Spokane Valley 99206

www.spokanegymnastics.com

PACE Trait for January – Fairness

By Wade W. Magers Lincoln County Sheriff The definition of fairness can be paraphrased as: the state, condition or quality of being fair, marked by impartiality and honesty, free from self-interest, prejudice or favoritism.

In short, fairness is doing the right thing, at the right time for the right reason.

Fairness is all around us. Externally, fairness affects the way we do business with our favorite retailers and likewise how they conduct themselves with us to ensure that we will continue to do business with them.

The perception of fairness is not just about outcomes. According to research, people consider both the outcome of a decision and the process by which the decision was made when forming their opinion about whether a decision was fair.

Community satisfaction with law enforcement is important because the safety of officers may depend upon it. For example, if a member of the public receives a speeding ticket (negative outcome) but was treated fairly during the interaction with the officer issuing the ticket (positive process), the driver is more likely to feel that the encounter was fair and less likely to contest the ticket. The driver is also more likely to comply with the officer’s requests, such as producing identification when asked.

They may also be influenced by the fairness and consistency of the process used to reach those outcomes.

This suggests that if executives and supervisors are fair and consistent in the allocation of internal resources, in decision-making and in resolution of disputes, employees will view the agency and fellow employees as more legitimate and therefore will be more supportive of agency goals and policies.

Words without action are merely the noise of a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. To truly change the

world around us, we must take action and do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. This starts with asking questions such as “What do I know? Or more importantly, “What don’t I know and how can I find out?” And lastly, “How will the action I take in this matter effect those around me and be free from self-interest, prejudice or favoritism?” If these cannot be answered objectively, one should evaluate the situation based on the balance of what feels good and what is right.

Fairness is not always easy and it most certainly is not comfortable. It must be put into action into our dayto-day activities for it to be present and to make sure that everyone has the chance to succeed and to make our home, school, community and world a better place for all people.

Here are some fairness lessons to go by: 1. Treat all people equally - the same 2. Cooperate with one another.

3. Be respectful and listen to what others have to say.

4. Be willing to do what is best for everyone.

5. Play by the rules at all times; be a good sport.

6. Include others in games and activities. Don’t leave people out.

7. Understand that being fair doesn’t always mean the same treatment in every circumstance.

8. Stand-up for someone you see being treated unfairly – you can make a difference!

In summary, fairness of the decision-making process is critical to the legitimacy of decisions as well as employees' acceptance of them.

Ensuring that all individuals perceive decisions as procedurally fair literally can transform your workplace from one in which complaints, mistrust and dissatisfaction are common to one in which employees take disappointments in stride and continue to contribute positively to the organization. You have the power to shape your child and adult behaviors in a positive way or a negative way. Which outcome do you choose for your organization?

coaches are passionate about gymnastics and focus on ENROLL Our teaching quality gymnastics in a safe, fun and encouraging environment. Classes run year-round with three 13-week sessions TODAY! (Fall, Winter and Spring) and one 10-week summer session.

Ninja Zone • Bitty Bee Academy and Flippin’ Fun Movie Night • Parent’s Night Out • Open Gym for All Ages • Parkour and Breakdance Classes • CompetitiveTeams • Gymnastics Birthday Parties

Animal Facts

Cut them out and collect them all!

CHIPMUNK - North America, Europe and Asia - 7 to 11 inches tall, weighs 1 to 5 ounces, lives 2 to 3 years - Buck, doe, pup, kit - There are 25 species, only 1 in North America - Hibernates, but eats stored food - Cheek pockets to carry food for eating and storage - Dig burrows - Prey for coyote, fox, owl, hawk, bobcat and more

22 • JANUARY 2018

Kate was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. As a child she enjoyed both of her parents reading aloud to her. Her favorite place to be was the public library. Her favorites were Pippi Longstocking, Greek Myths, The Borrowers, Nancy Drew and comics, especially Mad Magazine.

When people asked what she wanted to be when she grew up her answer was always “a reader”.

The books taken home were shared with her pet guinea pigs George and ZaaZaa who inspired her Fluffy series. After graduating from the University of Tulsa ad Ohio State with degrees in elementary education, she taught in Los Angeles and on an American Air force base in Germany. She switched careers in 1976 and began editing in New York City. Within one year her first book was published and she’d met her future husband Jim who happened to be a picture book illustrator. Now she has written over a hundred books. She continues to teach writing classes and write to this day.

Author Spotlight en Kate McCull

The Current

The Noisy Giants’ Tea Party 1992 ages 5 and up.

Kate and her husband Jim have collaborated for an interesting picture book. The art isn’t bright and happy but it is beautiful and engaging. Quite a twist for a bedtime story.

Myth-O-Mania Series 2011 ages 8-12

Starting with Have a Hot Time, Hades! The ten book series introduces all of the major Greek characters in a fun way for kids. They don’t all match the myths that we’ve been taught but they are quite entertaining.

Dragon Slayers Academy Series 2003 ages 7-10

A series of amusing adventures that occur at Dragon Slayers Academy with Wiglaf, Erica and Angus. The first book has Wiglaf unable to slay the dragon with his magic sword but he is able to tell enough bad jokes to become a hero without spilling a drop of blood. There are 20 books in the series so if you like them there’s plenty for you to read.

The Current

Student of the Month Freeman senior Rhys McVay is an integral part of the Scotties’ undefeated basketball squad, currently ranked first among 1A schools by the WIAA. McVay has lettered since his freshman year and started for the past two seasons, both runner-up state years for the Scotties. McVay scored 16 points in a key playoff victory against Medical Lake last season. A team captain, McVay hits 70 percent of his free throw attempts. He had 15 points in a non-league win over West Valley on Dec. 19. The senior is also a standout in track. He has lettered for three years and runs the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles. In the classroom, McVay maintains a 3.95 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society. He plans to continue playing basketball on the college level.

Citizen of the Month

Thanks you for all you do in our community

JANUARY 2018 • 23

“Honoring local communities and encouraging citizen involvement” 509.242.7752 | PO Box 363 | Liberty Lake, WA 99019 | www.libertylakesplash.com

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soaring to national and international acclaim.

By Josh Johnson

He was the stereotypical inky wretch, grizzled and grumpy.

Coffee: black and bottomless.

Blood type: CMYK. His opinion from decades in the business: Publishing a community newspaper was challenging enough on its own without doing it for Spokane Valley.

“What do you have, like three city or town councils in the greater Valley?” he asked me.

“Four, because we want to cover Rockford, and of course there are thousands of unincorporated residents governed by Spokane County, so keeping tabs on the commission will be important, too.”

“And four or five high schools?”

“Four school districts, six high schools to report on.”

“Shoot, you have like a billion water districts.”

800-233-2328

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from Josh. The new owners live in Spokane Valley, are invested here and understand what matters to their neighbors. As handoffs go, the two papers could not have landed in better hands.

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∙ Accredited by the Washington Board of Education since 1980 ∙ Grades K-5 ∙ State-certified teachers ∙ Full and Half Day Kindergarten!

“Yeah, yeah,” he interrupted.

“The bottom line is that community newspapers thrive because of a shared sense of community. With such a mishmash of overlapping jurisdictions and loyalties, that’s a challenge in Spokane Valley.”

And it was. And it is. But to this day, I remain convinced that even if I’m a Central Valley Bear and current owner and publisher Ben Wick is an East Valley Knight, our common interests far outweigh a couple miles of geography.

And so, five years ago, when I led a team made up of greater Valley folks like myself to launch The Current, the name itself was intended to be a reflection of what holds us together, like the Spokane River winding its way through our neighborhoods.

We wanted to build a community newspaper for everyone in the greater Spokane Valley, whether their kids attended East Farms or Seth Woodard, whether they rose

As the Current embarks on its

early to see the hot air balloons off at Mirabeau or floated frogs down Rock Creek in the annual regatta.

18-21

BUDS TASTE ON AT WORK FRY-DAY 28 PAGE

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As for dealing with all the jurisdictional dividing lines, we employed twin strategies. One, we would hit the high points. In the early years, we did a “3 Up, 3 Down” feature to give “at a glance” news from around the community and we always made a point to dig deeper into the most important jurisdictional items. But mostly, we relied on strategy two: Write about the issues we have in common, because there are an awful lot of them.

I wrote the cover story for the very first issue of The Current about homeless students in the greater Valley. This is an issue we should continue to address as a community, because suburban homelessness is a growing problem nationally, and it is one that isn’t always effectively fought with the same tools we would deploy downtown.

By issue 12 (January 2013), we shared what we called our “One Valley Initiative.” These were four “topic threads” – Growing Business, Poverty in the Valley, Healthy Valley and Innovative Education – we used to help us focus and plan our

Thank you for the support, greater Spokane Valley. This is your paper. coverage.

Of course, we also had so much fun along the way. There was our annual food bracket placing Valley eats in a single elimination competition. The idea here was to advance great Valley menu options through a bracket while sitting on couches watching the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Not a bad gig.

Indeed, owning and publishing The Current through its first 48 issues remains a highlight of my life, but I am certain I couldn’t say that save for one qualifying factor: We covered the greater Spokane Valley, my home and yours.

And it’s the home of current owners Ben and Danica Wick, who beautifully share the heritage of this now 5-year-old publication: a commitment and love for the Valley.

The Wicks share this, I share this and I am going to take an educated guess that you are reading this right now because you do, too.

And that, Mr. Grizzled Newspaper Publisher, is why this works.

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next five years, the future looks brighter than ever. Readership is growing, advertising is up and the stories keep generating talk.

Why Choose Pioneer School?

Chuck Hafner sums up his approach to community-minded living with a single sentence: “I’m about working with people to make things better.” Hafner has done just that in over 50 years as a Valley resident. The former high school principal at Mead, University and Central Valley also worked as director of secondary education for CVSD before retiring. He served as a member of the Spokane Valley City Council from May 2011 to April 2016 and was integral in the successful campaign to restore Crime Check in 2008. The EWU grad has served on the board of the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort (SCOPE) and is the current board chair of the Spokane Regional Health District. In 2015, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce. Chuck and his wife Janet will celebrate 65 years of marriage this month.

They have two children and four grandchildren.

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The Current now has a 25,000 copy Current founder circulation with 15,000 being direct weighs in on formative days of paper mailed to households across the Spokane Valley area in addition to the 10,000 copies being available for pickup at over 250 business locations. About 9,000 copies of The Splash are distributed around the end of each month, 5,500 of those through direct mail to every home and business in the greater Liberty Lake community.

In late 2015, Ben Wick – known by most for his service on the Spokane Valley City Council – stepped up with his wife, Danica, to purchase the Current and Splash

“Close, but that’s an interesting story in itself. You see, our agricultural heritage means many of our community place names and identities were formed around a patchwork of irrigation districts …”

615 N Sullivan Road

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SCIL PROVIDES VOICE CRITIAL

accounts of the human spirit overcoming adversity from U-Hi grad Mitch Carbon’s remarkable triumph over cancer to the feats of Spokane Para Sport athletes

Come visit your Spokane Valley Neighborhood Financial Center located at

FEBRUARY 2017 • 9

COVER STORY

ma e To to L a Th

The Current

Reach 25,000+ Readers! en

The Community Box is brought to you by

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When not juggling AP classes or assembling hygiene kits for the Christmas Bureau, Emma Stevens is playing basketball or another sport. The Freeman senior maintains a 4.0 grade point average and is president of the school’s branch of the National Honor Society. She has been part of the Scotties’ Knowledge Bowl team for the past three years.

Stevens has also participated in golf and cross country. In track, she runs the mile, 2 mile and 800 meters and has reached districts in the mile and 800. She also contributes to community service projects through her church youth group. As a sophomore, Stevens advanced to the Future Business Leaders of America state competition in public speaking. The senior plans to attend Brigham Young University after graduation. She would like to pursue studies and a career in optometry.

CALL NOW 922-7818 618 N. Sullivan Rd.

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The Current

24 • JANUARY 2018 Brought to you by

Evergreen

About and for Valley seniors

Former Mayor Towey keeps pace as marathoner

By Staci Lehman

Current Correspondent Tom Towey is no longer running for public office but the former Spokane Valley mayor is running – literally as a serious marathoner.

The list of events and locations reads like something out of Runner’s World or perhaps National Geographic Traveler – Lake Tahoe, New York, Dublin, Portland and more.

“I’ve done dozens of marathons and half marathons,” Towey said.

“I’ve done the New York Marathon three times. I did Dublin in 2002 and it was a beautiful race, just beautiful.”

While Towey is physically active, he is no longer employed or politically active. He worked for Rosauers for over 30 years managing a store. He also worked to get the city of Spokane Valley incorporated, took an interest in government and served on the Spokane Valley City Council from 2010 to 2013, part of that time as mayor. Today he is retired and enjoying it.

“I’m keeping a low profile these days,” he said.

Maybe, if you consider running multiple marathons and half marathons as low profile.

While he may be modest about it, Towey hit a major milestone in

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his running career in October when he ran his 50th marathon at the age of 74. The feat is even more impressive when you consider he discovered running at an age a little older than most serious runners.

“I started late in life, in 1989 or 1987, somewhere in there,” he says.

Towey says he took up running to find out what goes into being a marathoner. He worked with a pharmacist at Rosauers who trained and ran for the 26.2-mile events and apparently had more faith in Towey than he did in himself.

“We got to talking and I said, ‘I would like to know what your body goes through when you run that many miles,’” said Towey. “He said, ‘You could do it.’”

Towey says he didn’t believe his co-worker at the time but it turns out he could do it. They started training and his first major race was the Coeur d’Alene Marathon.

Initially, Towey ran two marathons a year and a handful of half marathons. Today, his basement is a testament to the number of races he has participated in. One wall is covered in medals and other race memorabilia and he has collected media reports in albums from the many marathons over the years.

Things have changed in recent years for Towey though. His granddaughter Allison runs marathons with him.

After participating in several half marathons together, Towey and Allison participated in a real 26.2mile event.

“I told her she could pick where her first marathon would be,” Towey says. “She picked Honolulu.”

The duo has been running as a team since then and celebrated Towey’s 50th marathon mark in Ireland on Oct. 29. They both ran well and placed just seconds apart, both completing the race in under seven-and-a-half hours.

“I told her that she could pick my 50th marathon and she picked Dublin,” Towey said.

Tom Towey and his granddaughter Allison Towey following the most recent Portland marathon.

Contributed photo

Fountains

Towey says his training method for races is pretty basic. He runs five to seven miles two or three times a week between marathons but as it gets closer to race time, the pace picks up. During that time, Towey runs 12 to 15 miles once a week, in

Former Spokane Valley Mayor Tom Towey took up running close to 30 years ago and recently completed his 50th marathon in Dublin at the age of 74.

Contributed photo addition to his regular runs.

“We did the Spokane Half Marathon just to tune up for the Dublin run,” he said.

While he is retired and has time for running now, Towey didn’t always have the luxury of flying off to a far-away place to compete.

“You just make time for it,” he sayd. “While I was mayor I couldn’t take off much time so we just did marathons around here.”

When not running, Towey still contributes to his community.

For over 20 years, he has been a volunteer with the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort (SCOPE) and was recently honored as Volunteer of the Year with the SCOPE University branch.

As for why he keeps running, Towey says it’s about well-being.

“It’s really about health,” he said.

“And if you can’t run a marathon certainly you can walk or run or do short distances.”

Towey plans to take on lower mileage challenges when he can no longer run marathons, but that probably won’t be anytime soon.

Towey does say he’s not as fast as he used to be.

“I get slower and slower every year but I’m still at it.”

The Current

JANUARY 2018 • 25

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The Current

26 • JANUARY 2018

Sponsored By:

Idaho-bound Christiansen a force in paint for Titans

By Steve Christilaw

Current Correspondent Growing up is a process.

Not just maturation – that’s a process in its own right – but growing up, as in becoming a 6-foot-10 high school basketball player, has a growth curve all its own.

Tanner Christiansen has done that.

The University High senior’s body and coordination finally caught up with his size and it’s a sight to behold.

“Last season I didn’t feel that I had the footwork that I wanted,” he said. “Over the summer, during the AAU season it finally grew into my body. I’m finally able to do what I want to do.”

And Christiansen knows where he will be doing it after his senior season with the Titans. He has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Idaho. “(The Vandals are) telling me this a good fit,” he said. “Their offense is designed toward the post. They pretty much saying ‘Hey, look at us now – we’re only going to get better.’”

The Vandals to be an under-theradar team in the Inland Northwest, where Gonzaga dominates the conversation and Washington State has a loyal following even while it struggles to improve under coach Ernie Kent.

Coach Don Verlin has coached Idaho since the 2008-09 season and has more career wins with the Vandals than any previous coach.

The team has finished in the top three of its conference five times and boasts two wins in five games against Associated Press Top 25 opponents.

Idaho checks a number of boxes that Christiansen had as priorities – in particular its location and the

chance to play Division I college basketball.

“I did want to stay close to home,” he said. “Idaho is a school I was aware of. I definitely knew they had a good program. Just look at what they did to Washington State the other day. I’m really looking forward to being a part of it down there.”

The fact that Idaho has a history of recruiting players from the Pacific Northwest was a plus.

“They have a lot of area guys in the program,” Christiansen said. “I don’t know any of them, but I do know a lot of the guys they were recruiting and have played against a lot of them.”

Christiansen said having his college destination determined is a big relief as he gets into his senior season.

“It really is a relief,” he said.

“The recruiting process is pretty involved. Before the start of the summer AAU season you’re sending out emails and reaching out to make initial contact college coaches. Then you’re trying to get them to come to your games, especially when you’re playing in big tournaments in Seattle and Portland and Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Then you’re trying to line up visitations and you’re trying to gauge what kind of interest there is out there.”

Christiansen said college coaches are always evaluating a potential player’s athletic skills and where they might fit with their individual program, but they’re also looking for good, solid individuals who come in and add to the program’s culture.

With that process now behind him, Christiansen is able to concentrate on helping a good U-Hi team improve.

Titans’ head coach Garrick Phillips has noted that his post player is already stronger and more athletic than he was a year ago – noting that “he’s grown into his feet.”

“We have a good group with this team,” Christiansen said. “We’re all good friends and we enjoy hanging out with each other even when we’re not playing. We have some very good team chemistry.”

University High senior Tanner Christiansen skies for a rebound against Lewis and Clark last month. The Idaho-bound post player averaged 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds last season for a Titans’ team that went 9-9 in the Greater Spokane League.

Photo by Michelle Lenker As the team prepares for the major shift that comes with the start of a New Year and the heart of the Greater Spokane League schedule, Christiansen said the game is different as a senior.

“Before I would get tired and I would get a little frustrated because I couldn’t always do the things I wanted to do on the court,” he said.

“This season the game has slowed down for me and I’m feeling a lot more confident.”

And he’s poised for the next step in the evolution of his game.

“I’ve been able to get myself stronger for this year, but once the season starts you kind of go into a maintenance mode where you aren’t lifting a lot to gain muscle,” he said.

He also knows there’s a lot of work ahead. Idaho has told the senior he will receive a workout program in the spring after the Titans wrap up their campaign.

“They definitely want to see me get into the weight room and get stronger,” he said. “And the other thing I need to do is get used to the pace of the college game. At the next level everyone is athletic, everyone is able to get in and grab rebounds and they can all dunk.”

EV grad Johnson subs in to guide WSU sports

By Mike Vlahovich

Current Sports Editor As a standout pole vaulter at East Valley High School, John Johnson gave the aphorism “setting the bar high” a different meaning. Johnson set the EV school record by raising the pole vault bar ever higher until he reached 14-feet, 1-inch some 40 years ago.

Johnson continues to set the bar higher beyond track and field with a work ethic that has helped him climb the ranks of collegiate sports administrators. The former Knight was recently named the interim athletic director at Washington State University.

I had known Johnson and followed him throughout his threesport career at EV. Besides setting the school pole vault record that lasted some three decades, he ran sprints and relays in track, played

See WSU, Page 27

The Current

SPORTS

Valley Sports Notebook

18 for a 12.5 average.

Current Sports Editor

Like CV, the Eagles had players start late start due to their state 2A semifinal football date. It didn’t stop Collin Sather who is averaging 16.6 points per game. Cletis Hydrick was scoring 13.4. Connor Whitney is putting up 10.8 and Bryan Andrews 9.6 a quarter of the way through the season.

By Mike Vlahovich

You could say U-Hi’s Tanner Christensen is standing tall this season. The University of Idahobound basketball senior stands 6 feet 10 inches and will continue to be a main cog for the Titans as they battle in the Greater Spokane League.

But he isn’t the only Valley player who needs to duck under doorways.

Central Valley has a freshman reserve, Gavin Gilstrap, who 6 feet 9 and West Valley’s senior reserve Jabriel Davis is listed at 6-8.

Last year Christensen averaged over 14 points per game and early this season is scoring at a 20-point pace. He and last year’s scoring leader Boston Tacke who averaged 15 points per game last year, have continued to be a one-two punch.

They scored 25 and 18 in a twopoint loss to Central Valley early this season.

The Bears have a three-player punch. Two are football AllGSL athletes from CV’s State 4A semifinalists.

Despite their late start, Jase Edwards was scoring 13 points a game, including a high of 25 and Grant Hannan was averaging 12.

Zach Stocker had games of 21 and

WSU

Continued from page 26 quarterback, running back and defensive back in football, was on the basketball team and even played some summer baseball.

I had run into him from time-totime in various sporting capacities and at gatherings in Spokane.

And when I saw he was elevated at WSU after A.D. Bill Moos bolted, I figured it was time to catch up.

Getting ahold of him was another matter, considering Johnson was busy dealing with bowl game logistics for the Cougars, with rumors about Mike Leach leaving and with taking over the duties Moos left behind.

Finally the man with movie star good looks found a few minutes to tell of circumstances after high school graduation that ultimately led him to Pullman.

Call it serendipity. He got into athletic administration almost by

West Valley got off to a strong start, winning four of five games including two victories in the Great Northern League.

Sather scored 20 of WV’s 48 points in victory over rival East Valley.

Knights girls balanced GNL power East Valley got off to a 5-0 start with a seven-player rotation led by Genesis Wilkinson.

Their junior star was averaging some 15 points per game, and three others – Brie Holecek, Faith Adams and lone senior Sydney Moore – had double figure games.

Three others scored seven points or more.

West Valley sophomore guard Hailey Marlow had games of 23, 19 and 11 for the one-win team.

University had a 23-point game by sophomore Ellie Bone, and double figures efforts by 6-1 soph Kinsley Barrington and senior Jasey Ramelow.

Inland results

Empire

wrestling

An indication of where University

accident.

Since college he’s been athletic director at his alma mater, Eastern Washington University, moved to Weber State and then been an assistant A.D. at WSU the past 13 years involved with fundraising, getting buildings built and athletic facilities updated.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Johnson said. “I don’t believe I’ve worked a day in my life.”

Johnson said that his EV track coach, the late Howard Dolphin, helped steer him toward the college business degree he was contemplating. “(Dolphin) said, ‘You know, business gives you lots of options and opportunities, it’s hard to go wrong.’” Johnson recalls. “I kind of ended up in that vein.”

He transferred to EWU after two years at Montana State and played two years of football as a receiver for coach Dick Zornes.

and Central Valley stand among Greater Spokane League wrestling was their fifth and seventh respective performances in the Inland Empire Tournament in early December.

The Bears had four finalists, two of them champions and the Titans had one. State placer Hunter Gregerson was U-Hi’s lone titlist.

CV had champions at 145 (Bradley Wiggs) and 220 (John Keiser). CV second placers were Bryce Gardner, second at 138 and Wyatt Wickham at 285.

Gymnastics start Central Valley gymnasts won their first Greater Spokane League meet, scoring 153.225 points. University was third at 144.55. State veteran Chloe Robbins second all-around and freshman Rebekah Ross, one of several freshmen on the team, tied for fourth.

Titans senior Anna Johnson was third all-around, second on vault and won balance beam. U-Hi was fifth in state last year.

Fall wrap-up If there were consolation for state football semifinalists West Valley, Central Valley football and soccer teams it was the fact their seasons ended against teams that went on to win their respective class 2A and 4A championships.

Big plays did in both West Valley and Central Valley football teams against Hockinson and Richland respectively a week earlier than He earned his business degree and with a quarter left over began to work on his Master’s. Johnson interned with Eagles A.D. Ron Raver, selling radio and television advertising and helped set up Eastern’s radio broadcast with Paul Sorenson’s Impact Sports. He had found his niche.

“It was a time when we were building the program and I have fond memories,” he said.

With the advanced degree, Johnson was eventually named A.D. at “the ripe age of 32.” He was hired at Weber State job in 1997 when they were in a period of flux and helped elevate the sports program and “got to build some buildings” as well.

Connections with people he’d met along the way – WSU administrators Jim Sterk and Moos among them – led him to Pullman in 2004 where he says he had the chance to build a foundation for long- term success. WSU has spent multi-millions of dollars on sports

JANUARY 2018 • 27

they hoped.

The Bears (10-2) continually let Richland off the hook by giving up long pass completions, several after CV had pinned the Bombers back in third-down and long situations and lost 42-10. Richland went on to a 28-21 victory over Woodinville for the state 4A title.

Micah Mason took a pass from quarterback Hannan 45 yards for CV’s only touchdown.

West Valley (12-1) held a 23-21 lead over Hockinson in its 2A semi, but allowed five straight scores and dropped a 53-30 semifinal ending their perfect record. Hockinson beat Tumwater for the title 35-22.

Sather had a 52-yard TD reception and Whitney a 72-yard receiving score. Quarterback Matt Allen threw both passes and had scored earlier on a 12-yard keeper.

Fellow QB Blake Transue ran 39 yards for the Eagles’ other TD. CV girls’ soccer team reached the 4A state championship game for the third time beating Kennedy Catholic 1-0, but dropping the title match against Issaquah 2-1. All scoring came in the first half.

Kaitlyn Barnes scored both goals for the Bears.

The Eagles finished fourth, losing to Liberty (also from Issaquah) 6-2 in its opener, Abby McConnell scoring both goals. WV lost to White River 3-2, allowing all three goals after taking a 2-0 lead into halftime. facilities upgrades (although there’s also a little matter of digging out of debt being currently addressed.)

With Moos now at the University of Nebraska, the athletic director opening must be filled in Pullman, but Johnson won’t be a candidate.

WSU President Kirk Schulz wants to go outside perhaps to avoid that charge of nepotism. If an athletic director position opens elsewhere, Johnson says he isn’t averse to applying.

But there would be incentive to stay. His wife Lisa is golf coach at the University of Idaho. They have 7-year-old twins who are already on their second set of clubs.

This is how he and Lisa met (with a hope that John will pardon me for sharing this story). He was on a flight and sitting with the Rev. Bernard Coughlin, chancellor at Gonzaga University. Father Coughlin got off the plane at his destination and Lisa took his seat.

Serendipity.

The Current

28 • JANUARY 2018

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The Current

The real scoop on one of the Valley’s oldest homes

By Jayne Singleton

Spokane Valley Heritage Museum One of the most frequently asked questions I receive involves the house west of the state line on the south side of East Wellesley. Most folks are sure it was a stage coach stop or a Pony Express stop. It was neither. A man named Michael Martin Cowley had the house built as his private residence around the early 1880s.

Michael Martin Cowley – better known as “M.M.” – was born on May 9, 1841 in Rathdrum County,

HISTORY Wicklow, Ireland. Cowley came to America in 1856. Around 1867, Cowley was running a trading post in Bonners Ferry, followed by a ferry boat which he operated for about five years.

In 1872, Cowley traveled to Walla Walla and married Annie Connolly.

That same year, Cowley came to what became known as Spokane Bridge and set up a trading post on the north side of the Spokane River.

A bridge was first built by Tim Lee and Joe Herrin in 1864. This bridge was very basic in its construction and was washed downstream by heavy spring run-off. Several other bridges were built with the same eventual result. In about 1864, A.C. Kendall bought the bridge and built several outbuildings, a saloon and corral. Kendall died in 1873 but Cowley bought him out before he

passed on. Cowley then had a man named Bailey build a sturdy bridge which lasted more than 40 years.

Cowley’s trading post was a busy place. The troops stationed at Ft. Coeur d’Alene (renamed Ft. Sherman), miners, freighters and other early pioneers stopped there and crossed the bridge heading north. The store was frequently visited by Native Americans in the area and Cowley got on well with them. He actually learned to speak their language.

With a wife and two daughters, living at the Spokane Bridge store was not the best of circumstances for the family. Around 1882 to 1884, Cowley built the house that has been the subject of rumors and legends telling of a stage coach stop where travelers could rest up.

Cowley did quite well with the trading post and a toll was also

JANUARY 2018 • 29

collected to cross the bridge. He became a well-known figure in business circles in early Spokane.

Eventually he was named president of the Trader’s National Bank.

Surprisingly, the Cowley house is not the oldest house in the Spokane Valley. That distinction belongs to the Courchaine house, built around 1879.

The Cowley House is on private property and trespassers are strongly advised to stay off the premises.

The remnants of Highway 10 as it meandered up the side of the hill are still visible in places below the house. They are also on private property.

So, if you hear urban legend about the house being a stage coach stop or Pony Express, you can share the correct history of this legendary house.

The Current

30 • JANUARY 2018

Valley Chamber

HIGHLIGHTS

Group dishes up support, resources for Down Syndrome

By Jamie Borgan

Current Correspondent

CONNECT.

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Celebrating Excellence Join the celebration of excellence at the 15th annual Gem of the Valley Awards Gala. This premiere event features lively auction activities, an elegant dinner and awards program, honoring the following: • Chamber Volunteer of the Year • Chamber Ambassador of the Year • Non-profit of the Year • Heart of the Community Award • Small Business of the Year • Medium Business of the Year • Large Business of the Year • Entrepreneur of the Year • Educators of the Year (East Valley, West Valley and Central Valley School Districts) • Citizen of the Year Bid on an array of exciting auction packages.

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It’s a busy Saturday morning at Jenny’s Café in Spokane Valley and the entrance is filling up with patrons waiting to be seated.

Despite the growing throng of waiting diners, a bank of tables in the center of the restaurant sits nearly empty.

The tables are reserved for the Down Syndrome Family Network, a group of families that have met on the second Saturday of even months at the restaurant since before it was Jenny’s Café. Around 9 a.m., the tables begin to fill up with families and soon nearly 20 people are sitting around the tables, looking over menus, chatting and catching up with one another.

The DS Family Network began years ago as a support group for families of children with Down Syndrome. Originally, the group met across the street from the Spokane Guild School in north Spokane and organized educational and social events to learn about resources for children with Down Syndrome and to socialize. Carolyn Wright, organizer of the breakfasts, has been a part of the group since its inception and says the effort has been invaluable in helping her learn about resources for her child from other parents who were attending the group.

“I would have missed out on something if the other parents hadn’t told me,” she says.

As the children in the group have grown up, the needs of the families changed and the group evolved to holding bi-monthly breakfasts at Jenny’s. Wright’s son is now 24, and like many of the attendees has known others in the group for most of his life.

Wright says the group has provided an important space for children with Down Syndrome to learn many skills, including how to order off a menu. The primary purpose of the group has been networking, a chance for “moms to talk to other moms and dads to talk

A support group for families affected

by Down Syndrome meets every other month at Jenny’s Café on Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley to share resources and network.

Photo by Jamie Borgan to other dads,” says Wright. While the group is always accepting new members, Wright says the longstanding connections have helped forge lasting friendships within the families that attend. Many of the attendees participate in other events together including bowling and Special Olympics.

As the group occupies the tables, the wait staff at Jenny’s begins taking orders. Joy Moody uses her tablet to show the waitress pictures of the food items she wants and the waitress patiently takes her order, smiling. Soon, several mugs of hot chocolate in glass cowboy boots covered with whipped cream and sprinkles appear on the table to the delight of attendees.

“Jenny’s has been so good to us,” Wright says. “They’ve been very understanding of our kids trying to order.”

The atmosphere of the breakfast is convivial and almost has the air of a reunion; families greet each other with hugs and fall into an easy camaraderie built on years of spending time together. Though the majority of the attendees have known each other a long time, the group is open to anyone with a friend or family member with Down Syndrome. At one year old, Alayna Boyd is the youngest member of the group; she’s clearly quite popular and spends time being passed around to familiar friends while her mom, Jessica, gets advice on accessing services from Joy’s mom.

Wright says there’s no agenda to the group and while families find the information exchanged helpful, much of the value is in just spending time together. For those interested in joining the group, Wright says “C’mon, have breakfast with us.”

Information about the breakfast can be found by calling Wright at 638-9550.

The Current

Meadowwood golf event benefits veterans’ cause

By Tyler Wilson Splash Correspondent More than 80 golfers participated in the Patriot’s Day Golf Classic at Meadowwood Golf Course at the end of summer to raise scholarships for the families of fallen soldiers and veterans with disabilities.

The event, held Sept. 15, benefitted the Folds of Honor Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot in the Air National Guard, to honor the sacrifices made by American service members and to offer support to their families.

The foundation’s motto puts it in even simpler terms: “Honor Their Sacrifice. Educate Their Legacy.”

While there are several larger chapters of the Folds of Honor Foundation across the country, Liberty Lake’s golf event was arranged by a group of locals hoping to start a long-lasting fundraiser that honors veterans.

“We’re a committee formed in this local area but there are several hundred golf tournaments every year,” said Duane Tait, one of this year’s organizers for the Meadowwood event.

The tournament yielded net proceeds of more than $15,000 for the program, enough for three $5,000 scholarships through Folds of Honor, according to organizer Craig Whiting.

“Preferentially, they provide scholarships to applicants in the same region of the golf tournament,” Whiting said.

The proceeds will go to the national fund, where a point system and a determination of “unmet need” is utilized to award scholarships.

Considered a “high-performing” nonprofit, Folds of Honor averages about 85 percent of total funds supporting the scholarships to recipients.

Tait said plans are being made for next year’s tournament with the expectation of continuing the Patriot’s Day Golf Classic in Liberty Lake for years to come.

Whiting became involved with the local cause after hearing about it following a round of golf. The retired neurological surgeon especially

JANUARY 2018 • 31

connected to the organization because of a relative who suffered combat injuries.

“The money is going to those in need and I thought it was a good thing to get involved in,” Whiting said.

While he was encouraged by the turnout for a first-year event, Whiting hopes the committee can attract even more golfers, as well as more corporate sponsorships and raffle prizes for the event.

“We’ve had a really gratifying response from companies,” Whiting said.

The event corresponds with the Patriot Golf Day campaign, a year-round national fundraiser backed by the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) of America and the USGA (United States Golf Association). In 2016, a record $6.4 million was raised for Folds of Honor through Patriot Golf Day donations and events hosted across the country. In 2015, more than 5,200 facilities registered to host Patriot Golf Day events nationwide.

Since 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded more than 10,000 educational scholarships across all 50 states, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. There are Folds of Honor chapters in Florida, California, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Kansas.

Rooney, a PGA professional who served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, founded the organization to honor the late Corporal Brock Bucklin and others. When Rooney was returning home from his second tour of duty in Iraq, he watched Bucklin’s casket removed from the plane, escorted by fallen soldier’s twin brother. Bucklin’s family – including his young son Jacob – was waiting at the airport.

Although the pilot had asked all of the passengers to remain seated until the casket deboarded, over half disregarded the message.

Rooney started Folds of Honor as a way to pay respect to the sacrifice of soldiers and to remind citizens to not take for granted the freedoms those soldiers made possible.

Bucklin, of the First Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado., was killed in action in Balad, Iraq on May 31, 2006. He had served since August 2004.

The Folds of Honor website contains videos and much more information on the foundation and the impact it has made across the country. Visit www.FoldsOfHonor. com. The site includes stories of families supported by the cause.

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The Current

32 • JANUARY 2018

SVFD Report – January 2018

Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) crews responded to a total of 1,462 emergency calls from Nov. 15 – Dec. 18. Incidents included: • Fires* = 68 • Emergency medical service =1,160 • Motor vehicle accidents = 134 • Hazardous materials = 14

• Building alarms = 59 • Rescue Task Force = 3 • Service calls = 22 • Vehicle extrication = 2 *Brush, commercial, residential, rubbish, vehicle fires and unauthorized burning • Motor vehicle accident – Nov. 21 – Shortly after 5:15 p.m., SVFD crews responded to a report of an auto-pedestrian accident at 4920 N. Progress Road. Firefighters arrived to find a 7-year-old girl sitting mostly

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upright with her father’s help. She was in a crosswalk when she was struck by a vehicle traveling about 25 mph. The front bumper struck the girl and threw her about 1015 feet where she landed on the pavement.

Paramedics treated the girl at the scene and she was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

• Cooking fire – Nov. 23 – SVFD crews responded to a report of a structure fire shortly after 1 p.m. in the 23300 block of East Sinto Court. Upon arrival, firefighters found evidence of an extinguished fire on the back deck. A charred electric smoker was still smoking about 6 inches from the wall and electrical outlet, next to a charred section of siding and decking.

Firefighters checked the deck and walls of the home to ensure the fire was completely out. The resident reported he had been cooking a turkey in an electric smoker for about eight hours and moved it closer to the house to avoid the wind. He used a garden hose to put the fire out shortly before fire crews arrived.

• Hazardous materials response – Nov. 25 – Shortly after 1:30 p.m., SVFD crews responded to a report of a propane gas leak at a business in the 3400 block of North Tshirley Road. A worker had broken the hose off a large propane tank and the emergency shut down did not work. Employees were evacuating as firefighters arrived. The crews located and turned a valve at the base of the 500-gallon tank which stopped the leak. Firefighters checked the entire building interior and found no indicators of gas.

• Vehicle extrication – Dec. 9 – Shortly before 6 a.m., SVFD crews joined city of Spokane firefighters in responding to a motor vehicle rollover crash on I-90 westbound near the Thor/Freya exit. The vehicle was on its top and the driver was able to get out of the car without extrication assistance.

• House fire – Dec. 13 – SVFD crews responded to a late-night structure fire in the 4300 block of East Second Avenue, shortly before midnight. Firefighters arrived at a small, single-family home to find one resident outside and smoke coming from the front of the home.

Crews quickly extinguished a small fire in the attic over the living room.

The fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring. The resident was asleep at the time and was alerted by an activated smoke alarm.

• Garage fire – Dec. 15 – Shortly before 8 p.m., SVFD crews responded to the 13300 block of East Bitterroot Lane in the Elk

Ridge Heights neighborhood to a reported structure fire. Upon arrival, firefighters found the home’s occupants safely outside and a large amount of fire coming from the three-car attached garage. Crews brought the fire under control quickly, limiting fire damage to inside the garage.

Three vehicles were destroyed, including the 2011 Chevy Silverado which was determined to be the accidental origin of the blaze. There was significant fire damage to the garage as well as smoke and water damage to the home. Damage to the structure and contents totaled over $180,000.

• Garage Fire – Dec. 16 – Just before 8:45 a.m., SVFD and Spokane County Fire District 8 crews responded to a reported structure fire in the 4200 block of South Sunderland Road.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire coming from the attached garage. They made an aggressive fire attack on the garage area. Hose lines were quickly deployed and slowed the rate of the fire, which spread into the top floor of the home above the garage, shortly before firefighters extinguished the fire. No one was home at the time of the incident and the home had working smoke alarms. The cause of the fire was determined to be improper disposal of hot ashes and embers from the fireplace. A neighbor, an off-duty Spokane Valley firefighter, spotted the fire and rushed to the house, checking inside for occupants and pets. He closed all doors inside the home before he left, significantly limiting the smoke damage within the home. Damage to the structure and contents, including a truck parked inside the garage, totaled $95,000.

About SVFD - Spokane Valley Fire Department serves the cities of Liberty Lake, Millwood, Spokane Valley and unincorporated areas of Spokane County including the communities of Otis Orchards, Pasadena Park, and the area surrounding Liberty Lake, with a combined population of 125,000 across approximately 75 square miles. SVFD firefighters and paramedics responded to more than 16,250 emergency calls in 2016.

Established in 1940, SVFD is an Accredited Agency by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), one of only a handful in the state of Washington. SVFD operates 10 stations providing fire suppression, emergency medical services, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials response, special operations rescue, fire investigation, fire prevention, commercial property inspection, CPR and fire safety training. SVFD provides free fire safety inspections and installation of free smoke detectors.

For more information call 928-1700 or visit www.spokanevalleyfire.com.

The Current

Hearth Homes becomes Naomi with same nurturing mission

By Brandon Brown Current Correspondent In the summer of 2017, the Spokane Valley nonprofit Hearth Homes changed its name to Naomi, but the organization's leaders say even with a new name and new sign out front, it still offers the same much- needed services to single mothers.

Naomi is a transitional housing organization for homeless single mothers that are recovering from addiction, domestic abuse or other trauma. Although Angela Slabaugh, Naomi’s executive director, said she prefers to call it a “transformational community,” instead of transitional housing.

Six years ago, Hearth Homes moved into its location on Broadway Avenue in Spokane Valley. And while it has helped a number of women during that time, the name Hearth Homes created confusion about what the nonprofit actually did.

“People thought we sold fireplaces,” Slabaugh said. “People thought we were a construction company. Then there is the Women’s Hearth downtown. So we got a lot of people confused about that. We just wanted to eliminate that. Our mission and vision are all still the same” The name “Naomi” is inspired by the book of Ruth in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Ruth and Naomi lost everything, their husbands were killed, everything was taken from them.

“Ruth and Naomi worked alongside each other and rebuilt their lives,” Slabaugh said. “We want to be the family and community for these moms. We aren’t saying ‘This

BUSINESS is how you do it.’ We are walking alongside them going ‘This is how we are doing it. We are going to do this together.’”

And as the new name suggests, there is a religious tone to the work done at Naomi.

“We are Christ-centered,” Slabaugh said. “We are faithbased, but we don’t require that from the families we serve. We don’t require that they go to church or Bible study or anything like that.

That is just the origin from which we serve and not what we expect from others.”

At its Spokane Valley location, Naomi has two houses with nine bedrooms between them and a big backyard with a playground and a garden. Slabaugh said the agency is able to take in three families per house. In November, six moms and seven kids were living at Naomi.

The way the houses are set up at Naomi is one of the ways the nonprofit is different than other transitional housings organizations.

“We like to keep it in a small, intimate setting, rather than apartments -- isolated off from each other,” Slabaugh said. “We want to model what doing life together in a healthy way can look like.”

She said one of the biggest challenges for the homeless mothers that come into Naomi is that they have never lived in a way that was stable. Slabaugh calls it a cycle of chaos.

“When moms come to us, they are single moms with kiddos,” she said. “They’re typically recovering from domestic violence, addiction and definitely homelessness. These are severe traumas these families have gone through.

Naomi’s program has these families live and work together.

In their houses, the mothers take turns planning and cooking meals and each of them have different chores throughout the week.

Slabaugh said before these moms need to figure out how to work a job, they need to learn how to manage their own homes.

Mothers at Naomi contribute to daily responsibilities connected to household management. Including stocking this large pantry (right) that was custom built out of garage space in order to house all the food needed for the families’ needs.

Photos by Danica Wick

JANUARY 2018 • 33

The Spokane Valley-based nonprofit Hearth Homes changed its name to Naomi last year. The agency provides housing, education and support to single mothers who are overcoming challenges.

Contributed image Many transitional homes focus on job skills and are around 90 days in length, Slabaugh said, but Naomi’s program is for up to two years.

“Ninety days is a blink of an eye,” she said. “You can’t build skills or emerge from trauma but two years gives you time to build a foundation. The skills we focus on are not job skills, they’re parenting, domestic skills, interpersonal skills and recover skills.”

Slabaugh said if they can help women build foundational skills it helps them have a stable life where they can get a good job, go to school or become homeowners.

“For a mom who is in recovery herself, parenting a traumatized child needs a lot of support,” Slabaugh continued. “They often come from a background where they have never seen what a healthy family or support looks like. “What good is a job if you can’t maintain your sobriety? What good is a job if your family is falling apart and just shredded?”

Living in the Naomi community isn’t always an easy transition for these moms.

Barbara (last name withheld) came to Naomi in August with her infant daughter. She said when she was six months pregnant and addicted to drugs she realized she didn’t want to live that lifestyle anymore. She started reaching out for help. An organization in downtown Spokane recommended her to Naomi.

“I thought it was going to be a breeze, but it is hard work,” Barbara said. “But it is worth it.”

While the women whole live at Naomi like Barbara do a lot around the house, the organization would not be able to survive without volunteers Slabaugh said.

Slabaugh is the only full-time staffer at the nonprofit. It also employs four part-time workers. So Naomi depends a lot on volunteers just to get basic functions done. In 2016, the organization benefited from around 7,000 hours of volunteer service. Volunteers do everything from maintenance and landscaping to childcare and grant writing.

Naomi also asks the community for donations. Canned foods and other food items are always needed Slabaugh said, but other household products like paper towels and cleaning supplies help out a lot.

She said that Naomi doesn’t receive state or federal funding, so it is always looking for monetary donations as well.

Each year it puts on a fundraising red carpet gala. The next one is scheduled for April 14.

Slabaugh said she is always looking at how to expand how Naomi can help more women. She has been approached to start another Naomi house in the Hillyard area or Boise. And while that is always a possibility, she said the next step for the organization is going to do with “after-care” she said. Her goal is to find a better way to help the women after they leave the Naomi house.

“How can we create a program that actually helps women rise out of poverty?” Slabaugh said.

“In the next three to five years we are looking at a realistic childcare model. We want to look at creating a realistic childcare co-op model for families to be able to work jobs so they can get a leg up.”

Want to find out more?

To learn more about ways to support Naomi or to seek help through the agency, call 926-6492 or visit www. naomicommunity.org.

The Current

34 • JANUARY 2018

St. Joseph’s looks back on 125 years of worship

By Jamie Borgan Current Correspondent The close of 2017 marked the end of a year of celebration for St. Joseph’s Parish in Otis Orchards.

This past year, the church honored its 125 years of continuous existence with a variety of church and community celebrations.

Margie Frett, a member of the committee organizing the anniversary events says the celebrations have brought the church closer together, but also allowed them to reach out to the larger faith community in the area.

The church celebrates its official founding day as Aug. 15, 1882, when a small group of pioneers began meeting regularly for worship. Frett says there were originally about 30 founding members who would receive mass from a Jesuit priest, who was in the area working with Native American families. For the first 10 years, the church had no building but rather met in parishioners’ homes.

The wooden altar the founders used is still in the church’s possession and was used as part

Bishop Timothy Daly blesses the new statue that will greet those that attend St. Joseph’s Parish in Otis Orchards during their celebration of 125 years of continuous existence.

Contributed image of a historic exhibit of photos and information that was on display at the church for about a month during the year of celebration. The church has such a long history that it predates the founding of the Diocese of Spokane in 1913.

The original members of St. Joseph’s donated their own land and built a church which burned down in the 1920s and was replaced by the stone church located in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. This was the official church building for 70 years until the church outgrew it and built its current building on Arden Road in Otis Orchards in 1995.

The stone church was purchased by the Catholic Cemeteries and is still used for funerals and special celebrations.

Today, St. Joseph’s Church counts about 625 people in its membership and celebrates three masses every weekend, drawing residents from Liberty Lake, Otis Orchards, Newman Lake and the Valley.

In acknowledgment of their long history, members of the church wanted to honor 2017 as a special year in their story. The anniversary committee organized a series of events, had shirts made

These days, St. Joseph’s Church includes 625 people in its congregation and celebrates three masses every weekend, drawing residents from Liberty Lake, Otis Orchards, Newman Lake and the Valley.

Photos by Hayley Schmelzer

and set about designing a year of celebration to commemorate their 125 years. The shirts were sold to the parishioners as a fundraiser for the youth group.

Frett says the first event they organized was participation in the Otis Orchards parade in May. “I didn’t even know they had one before that,” she says, citing it as one of the many ways the celebration allowed them to strengthen their ties to the community. Despite a rainy day, many members of the church turned out to participate in the parade.

The committee organized a special celebratory mass for Memorial Day, a food drive during their Vacation Bible School and participated in the Rosary Crusade, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Fatima of Apparitions, when it came to Spokane.

Staying thematic, Frett says the church’s goal was to get 125 members of St. Joseph’s to wear their shirts to the event.

“We had well over 150,” she says of the event which came to Avista Stadium in July.

Frett said it was meaningful to see so many St. Joseph’s church parishioners at the gathering. “We don’t always do a lot as a group,” she says, noting it was impactful to see the church members gathering together and embracing the celebration of their church’s history.

For the actual anniversary in August, the church organized a special evening mass followed by an ice cream social. Closely following that event was a picnic held Sept. 17, which included blessing of a new statue at the church depicting the Holy Family.

The statue, entitled “Love’s Bond” was blessed by Bishop Timothy Daly. The blessing was followed by a picnic and other family events.

Frett, who moved to Spokane from Chicago 12 years ago, says she found it amazing to think about the founding community of pioneers in the “rough and tumble West” starting a legacy that has endured these 125 years. She was proud to be able to convey that to the rest of the church and to use the year to learn more about other faith communities and their history in the Valley too. She sees the year as a positive, community-building time not just for St. Joseph’s, but for the wider community.

Reflecting back, Frett is proud of how members rallied throughout the year while ensuring the community had the opportunity to learn more about their church.

“Our goal was to make sure people didn’t get through the year and not know St. Joseph’s was celebrating 125 years,” she said.

The Current

JANUARY 2018 • 35

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OPINION

36 • JANUARY 2018

The Current

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

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Jamie Borgan, Brandon Brown, Steve Christilaw, Bill Gothmann, Craig Howard, Julie Humphreys, Staci Lehman, Mary Anne Ruddis, Mike Vlahovich The Valley Current P.O. Box 363 Liberty Lake, WA 99019 Phone: 242-7752; Fax: 927-2190 www.valleycurrent.com The Current is published monthly by or before the first of each month. It is distributed free of charge to every business and home in the greater Spokane Valley area.

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Dear Editor:

Mike Vlahovich has always been a favorite journalist of mine and I have read his sports coverage for many years. In the November issue of The Current he poses this question: “For what earthly reason do we say the Pledge of Allegiance before sporting events?” Along that line, he has compelled me to wonder why, in addition to pledging allegiance to our flag: Have we made such a big deal regarding the flag raising on Iwo Jima in World War II and why is a neatly folded U.S. flag given to the widow of a deceased serviceman and why is the casket of a veteran covered/ draped with a U. S. flag and why do merchants along Sprague in the Valley so proudly display U.S. flags and why do I display a U.S. flag over my driveway at home and why does our flag have 50 stars and 13 red and white stripes and why do we see our flag so conspicuously displayed during parades and why are U.S. flags such an important part of the opening ceremony at rodeos

Wick Enterprizes and why do all schools in our community display our flag on flagpoles outside the school building and why etc., etc. and etc.?

So, Mike, I guess answers to your question and to mine may be found in our various laws but we must remember all laws come from “the people” and by and large we are a patriotic people.

I hope and pray that never changes.

Gordon Spunich Spokane Valley

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The Current

LOCAL LENS

The Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) women’s cross country team won its fifth straight NWAC championship on Nov. 11 in Olympia, breaking the school record for consecutive wins. Two runners were named All Americans: Micaela Koestecka and Aubrianne Knudsen for second and seventh place finishes. The CCS men’s squad placed second overall with two All Americans: Ethan Green and Will Medellin. Way to go Sasquatch!

JANUARY 2018 • 37

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The Current

Valley cancer survivor moves on by giving back

By Julie Humphreys

Current Correspondent Spokane Valley resident Brad Reimer is almost five years from an event that changed his life at a deep level, he says, for the better.

You wouldn’t think someone would say that of cancer. But this father of five looks at his battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma through the lens of his strong faith.

“God gives us things we need, things that make us into who and what we need to be” says Reimer.

“There is no possible way to talk about my cancer without talking about my faith in God, you can’t separate the two.”

Reimer, 46, has always been active and he believes, healthy. So he wasn’t overly concerned when he experienced stomach pain in 2012, except it was intense and it didn’t go away. So he went to the doctor who ordered an ultrasound, then a CT scan which showed a softball size mass in his stomach.

ON THAT NOTE and healthy living. He feels his healthy diet and regular exercise helped his cancer recovery.

it can be for people with cancer to connect with local support programs.

Reimer also believes in a strong support system for cancer patients. During the many months of chemotherapy when Reimer couldn’t work, he relied on his wife Mindy for almost everything.

A good starting point for local support is the Spokane office of the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The organization focuses on all types of cancer and offers global support through www.cancer.org.

The Cancer Society also has a tollfree, national call-in line at 1-800227-2345, manned 24/7 to help people navigate their particular cancer and to connect them with local resources. Those resources include “Road to Recovery,” a transportation program offering cancer patients free rides to and from medical appointments.

“She was by my side for every chemo session, every appointment,” he said. “She was my caretaker and she was incredible. I learned how important it is for caregivers to also take care of themselves.”

Reimer had another cancerrelated surgery last year after scar tissue from the first surgery created a bowel obstruction. He is cancerfree now and has returned to his job as a clinical social worker. He is also giving back as a facilitator for a prostate cancer support group through Cancer Care Northwest in the Spokane Valley where he received treatment and support.

Reimer knows not everyone is as fortunate as he in having a strong support system – defined by his family and his church congregation – but he also knows how important

“Reach to Recovery,” a program for breast cancer patients, pairs a breast cancer survivor with a recently diagnosed patient. The “Look Good Feel Better” program is a free workshop for women undergoing cancer treatment to help improve their self-image and appearance. ACS is a volunteerrun organization and many, many people who volunteer are cancer survivors.

They volunteer at

In just 19 days from the time Reimer first experienced the biting abdominal pain he was on an operating table. Doctors removed the mass, his spleen, adrenal glands, 18 inches of his bowels and part of his pancreas. The extensive surgery was followed by six rounds of intensive chemotherapy, then a year and a half of maintenance chemotherapy.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. that originates in the lymphatic system. It’s also one of the more common cancers in children, teens and young adults, but is most common in people 60 and older.

Reimer remembers being surprised at his cancer diagnosis. He didn’t fit into the common age categories – he was healthy and he had no symptoms until the stomach pain.

He had regular doctor visits.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are no widely recommended screening tests for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The best way to find lymphoma early is to take note of enlarged lymph nodes. Regular medical check-ups are advised for people with known risk factors for nonHodgkin lymphoma including organ transplants, autoimmune disease and prior cancer treatment. Reimer advocates regular doctor’s visits

JANUARY 2018 • 39

Spokane area hospitals including Valley, Deaconess, and Providence Sacred Heart, manning resources centers and lending an ear to cancer patients and caretakers.

“Cancer is a tough disease” says Hugh Severs of the Spokane branch of ACS. “We know that in the last 20 years, cancer mortality has decreased and that’s significant.

But with that said, there are more than 16 million cancer survivors in the U.S. so there is a huge emphasis on survivorship.”

That means looking at the overall treatment of a cancer patient from prevention to detection to managing pain, to better treatment options. ACS’s primary focus is cancer research to end cancer and in the process to help people with cancer live longer and better.

ACS reports that 85 percent of all cancer deaths could be prevented with an approach that includes regular screenings and checkups, healthy food choices, regular exercise and avoiding tobacco products.

Brisa Guajardo of Pasco has lived 16 years now since her diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2001. This mother of two college age girls is also giving back by speaking firsthand about the importance of preventative care. She travels to Spokane and elsewhere in the state with Community Health Plan of Washington encouraging people to have routine doctor checkups.

She didn’t at the young age of 24.

She was healthy and never got sick.

Until one day she felt numbness and tingling in her chin and went to urgent care. The doctor asked Brisa how long she’d had that lump on her neck. She had never noticed it.

“I advocate to young people to get an annual check-up,” Guajardo says. “It’s not something we think about when we are young. But it has to be a priority because your health not only affects you, but everyone around you.”

Guajardo had two young children when she underwent surgery to remove her thyroid and, like Reimer, followed that up with months of chemotherapy. Both cancer survivors have learned that cancer truly is a disease that’s difficult and scary to manage alone but also a condition you can do something about before it’s too late.

Spokane Valley resident Brad Reimer, shown here with his family, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma five years ago. Now cancer free, Reimer donates time to help other cancer patients as a facilitator with Cancer Care Northwest.

Contributed photo

“Luckily my cancer was caught at the perfect stage, but it might have been different” Guajaro relays. “I tell people put a regular exam in your appointment book and just say ‘I’m going to get this done.’”

The Current

40 • JANUARY 2018

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