Local News

The Forebay Recreation Area at Boundary Dam is scheduled to reopen September 30th after almost a year of closure to rehabilitate a 312-ton sluice maintenance gate on the Dam. During the closure, the boat launch remained open, but the recreation area and campground remained closed while storage of construction equipment and material remained on the site.A temporary building was constructed on the site for maintenance work last year to remove rust and paint from gate by high-pressure abrasive blasting. Crews will have to take down the building before the gate can be put back on the dam. The removal of material from the site will begin the week prior on September 20th to the 22nd.The gate is used to seal the dam from the outside so maintenance work can be done on any of the dam's sluice gates, which open and close to control the amount of water in the reservoir. The last time the gate was removed for repairs was 27 years ago in 1984.

Arizona Cardinals safety Hamza Abdullah and his brother, Husain, safety for the Minnesota Vikings, have been invited to the White House for dinner with President Barack Obama. Former Washington State University football players, will attend the annual Iftar dinner tonight celebrating the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan. Arizona's Abdullah says he was stunned and initially thought the invitation was a fake.

Former Washington State University Baseball Coach Bobo Brayton was seriously injured in an all terrain vehicle crash yesterday afternoon near Pullman. The crash occurred on Brayton's property just west of town around one o'clock. The 85 year old was driving a side by side atv when he crashed into a tree off Brayton Road.

Spike Cunningham knew Otto Zehm for about 10 years and he never remembers him as a person who acted in a wrongful manner.

I love summer nights. I love that the sun stays out so long. I love the warmth even after it goes down. And I love that there's so much to do once it does, including movies in the park. Today, the City of Spokane Valley Park and Recreation Department invited families to Mirabeau Park for the showing of Sorcerer's Apprentice. 800 people showed up for the July movie and the City expects just as many this month. Why wouldn't you show up? You get to enjoy a movie on an 800 square foot screen under the stars and all for free. Sounds awesome to me.

There are several office positions in Spokane County that nobody filed for during the official filing period in June. Towns across the county could be left with several open positions if nobody files during this special three-day filing period that begins on August 17th and lasts until the 19th. The vacant positions will not appear on the primary election ballot, but they will be featured on the general election ballot. Applicants will be required to pay their filing fee in full, cash or check only. Below is a list of open positions eligible for the special filing period:Apply: Visit the Spokane County Elections Office at between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on August 17th-19th. Learn more about the proccess and positions . 

Washington State University is one of 31 universities in the nation selected to receive grant money to research innovative nuclear sciences and engineering projects. The U.S. Department of Energy is rewarding universities with a research grant aimed at developing cutting-edge nuclear technologies and to train and educate the next generation of leaders in the nuclear industry. The grant, run through the Nuclear Energy University Program, could award WSU's project with up to $500,000.A total of $39 million is being divided up to support 51 projects at colleges and universities across 20 states. The projects selected for negotiation of the grant award include: Fuel Cycle Research and Development; Reactor Concepts Research, Development and Demonstration; Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation; and Transformative Research. Washington State University's grant falls under the Transformative Research to encourage the development of game-changing nuclear energy technologies including advanced reactor and fuel cycle concepts.

When you're stumbling through your home at night, you only know you tripped over the cat because it makes that awful yelp. That's one of the curses of a black cat, but SCRAPS promises that the pros out weigh the cons. When it comes to adoption, they're hiding in the shadows of their cage and it may be hard to determine their personality. Lead animal protection officer, Nicole Montano says that black pets are statistically harder to adopt.To remedy this difficulty, SCRAPS is offering a special on all black cats and kittens with an adoption fee of only $20. It includes their spay/neuter surgery, current vaccinations, microchip, license and a free vet examination. The special begins today and runs through Saturday, August 13th. Jackie Bell, SCRAPS development coordinator, provided these clever ten reasons why you should adopt a black cat:

For the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Spokane Valley Fire Department will be hosting a dedication ceremony of a new community memorial plaque to be placed at the Spokane Valley Fire Department Administration building. They asked the community to submit inspirational words that would be voted on by the Board of Fire Commissioners to be inscribed on the plaque. After discussing the eight submissions during the Board's August 8th regular meeting, they voted and selected the submission from Mark Hill, fire chief for Station #10 in Greenacres. Other submissions were received from Larry Rider, Clifton Mehaffey, Jennifer LaRue, Leslie Lindgren, Patricia Price, Mark D. Spear and Kris Blackman. The dedication ceremony at Spokane Valley Fire Department Administrative, , will reveal Hill's submission inscribed on the plaque on September 11th, 6:40 a.m.

Update: 11:26 a.m. -  Newman Lake fire chief, Keith Yamane, confirmed that Smokey is still missing from his post at Newman Lake. 

A Chattaroy homeowner emailed KXLY explaining how their home was robbed on August 2nd. They explained that they came home from shopping and found their front door kicked in. The day prior, the homeowners spotted a man in a white pick up truck stopped and looking at their home.They said, "He then moved on to a house up the street. We drove by him, stopped and asked if he was looking for someone and he said no he found what he was looking for." They continued, "I've heard that homes on the outskirts of Spokane are being targeted by burglars'."A quick follow-up with Spokane County Sheriff's Office confirmed that there was an increase in the residential and garage burglaries in the outlying county areas during the first part of the year. Arrests were made and the number of burglaries in the mentioned areas decreased.

Owners to Retire Cowboy Supper Show After This Season.  Scott and Pamela Brownlee, owners of the Rockin' B Ranch, announce that this, their 17th season, will be the last one for the Cowboy Supper Shows at the Rockin' B Ranch.   All shows will continue as scheduled through October 1st.

Updated: 4:52 p.m. - The family of an Inchelium resident are asking for help regarding the whereabouts of 67-year old Daniel E. Calhoun who has been missing since Tuesday, August 2nd. Calhoun had been staying in his RV on property belonging to family friends just ten miles north of the Gifford Ferry along the Inchelium Highway. His daughter, Sarah Little, tells us that they were planning to visit for the weekend, but when they arrived, he wasn't there.

Center Partners, a Fort Collins, Colorado based contact center, is expected to open their 500-seat center in Liberty Lake this September. They'll be taking over the former site of Telect, Inc, which moved recently to E. Knox Ave. The contact center is expected to employ 800 employees with some employees transferring from their current site in Coeur d'Alene. They're actively recruiting about 200 new employees that will join the existing crew.Center Partners is also leasing additional land for a new 300-space parking lot, currently under construction.A public tour and official ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for Saturday, August 13th. Mayor Wendy Van Orman will be in attendance for the grand opening of the remodeled building.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department is taking a stab at crowd sourcing to rename their fire stations. Simply numbering their stations isn't enough. They want to connect with the neighboring communities that the fire station resides in, to rename them to reflect that connection. You can provide your input to this project through an upcoming open house on August 13th. They'll start by renaming Fire Station #4 in Otis Orchards.They're inviting citizens to join their fire commissioners and staff for the open house at Fire Station #4. The on-duty crew will be present for a tour of the station and some refreshments. Using neighborhood history for inspiration, participants can write down the name they think would fit best and submit that to the Board of Fire Commissioners. Fire Station #4 is located at . The Open House runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 13th.

Depending on your evening, ride-alongs can be the thrill of your week, responding to dispatched calls of domestic violence, suspicious activity, welfare checks and more. Or you'll chase after a bunch of alleged cows reported standing in the middle of the road out in the middle of nowhere. It all depends! Spokane County Sheriff's Office is offering the opportunity for everyday citizens to get a taste of that action through their Citizen's Academy for this fall.Every Thursday starting September 8th to October 27th, classes are being held for interested parties to learn an insider's view of the departments within the Sheriff's Office. You'll hear first-hand from patrolmen and investigators about the service they provide, tour specialty units that enhance their ability to enforce the laws and keep your neighborhood safe. Ride-alongs are a part of the 8-day long class that goes from 6 to 8 p.m.The class is limited to 30-participants and is held at the Spokane County Sheriff's Training Center in Spokane Valley, . To sign up, call Deputy Pendell at or email: .

A couple week ago, someone broke the heads off of 80 sprinklers at Trentwood Elementary School.This isn't the first time it's happened within the East Valley School District either.I talked to a school official there, who said someone broke the sprinklers at Mountain View Middle School in the past.

Maybe you've seen this cat running around your neighborhood. Or perhaps you've just felt it gaze upon you, giving off that hair-raising sensation on the back of your neck. This flyer showed up on the KXLY fax machine this morning. He's a 7-year old fluffy cat known as Muggsy. Pictured above is his captivating mug. He was last seen near the 3100 block of North Center Road. The Persian got out of the house on July 8th. The owners statement states there is a reward. If you have seen him call: (509) 954-4138.

Minor traffic delays are expected beginning next week when the Sprague Avenue Intelligent Transportation System Project breaks ground between University and Evergreen. The project is anticipated to continue through October with daytime closures of the southbound curb lane on University between Appleway and Sprague, and the westbound curb lane on Sprague between University and Evergreen. Temporary lane closures along University along the northside of the Sprague intersection is also expected. Access to businesses will remain available during construction.The construction to enhance traffic monitoring and management on the Spokane Valley streets. Fiber optic cable are being installed in an existing conduit along the north side of Sprague. The cable will extend the Sprague traffic control system and connect signals at Bowdish, Pines, McDonald and Evergreen intersections. Signal information will be connected to the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center, a multi-jurisdictional control facility that enhances and supports transportation management capabilities throughout Spokane County.At the Houk intersection, they'll be installing a new camera that is not, the city of Spokane Valley explains, a red light camera. It will allow SRMTC operators to observe traffic conditions and respond to incidents as needed.

A city-wide yard sale is planned for this weekend, August 5th to 7th, in Deer Park. They're anticipating 60+ yard sales on the map. Above is a current list (as of August 3rd)of featured sales happening through a user-submitted map at their website: dpyardsale.com. On the day of your anticipated "yard sailing", you can see the latest list of participating homeowners, their location and notable items for sale.