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In a letter sent out last week, Spokane Public School officials announced that they are officially back to step one in the process for approving a new sexual education curriculum. Nearly a year ago a curriculum that was partly designed by Planned Parenthood was pulled last minute after concerns about the organization. According to the Spokesman-Review, since then the consideration for the new curriculum has become a heavily debated topic, with several news stories running in the past year. There are those who support a curriculum that is written by Planned Parenthood while others support an abstinence-only approach. School administrators are hoping to create a plan that is neither. School officials also want parents to be aware that they can opt out of any lessons they deem inappropriate. The step back in the approval process means more meetings and review of more materials. The first meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Libby Center.

Spokane’s efforts to revitalize the East Sprague area have been recognized by the state’s Commerce Department with the Smart Partnership Award. The project was first announced in 2013 and has since included streetscape improvements, support for housing construction and increasing pedestrian access. Kip Hill with the Spokesman-Review reports that the news release from the commerce department stated that the partnership model in the East Sprague area is “replicable in most communities, and demonstrates effective prioritizing practices, high-quality design, and sustainable principles.” City Council President Ben Stuckart has been one of the projects chief backers and states that this award validates everything they have been working on. The award specifically mentions the partnership between the city, Spokane Regional Health District, Community Frameworks and the East Sprague Business Association. Brian Coddington, a spokesman for the mayor’s office, said that the next step is the completion of the University District Gateway Bridge. This will connect the university district with the Sprague area.

This week public meetings will be held by state fishery managers to discuss plans to treat a lake and two streams in eastern Washington with rotenone according to a press release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rotenone is an odorless chemical that is used as a broad-spectrum pesticide used to eradicate illegally stocked and non-native fish for the past 70 years and used by other fish and wildlife management agencies nationwide.

The Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife proposes to treat West Medical Lake with rotenone is to restore the popular trout fisheries and remove the goldfish. The other areas to be treated with the pesticide is a 5-mile section of Smalle Creek and a half-mile of Highline Creek in Pend Oreille County to remove non-native eastern brook trout and restore native west slope cutthroat populations.

The public meeting for Spokane will take place in the WDFW Region 1 Office, 2315 North Discovery Place, Spokane Valley this Tuesday from 6-7:30 pm. In addition to input received at the public meetings, WDFW will also consider written comments received no later than June 13. For more information on the other locations public meetings will be held and for the address for written comments, visit wdfw.gov.
Members of law enforcement in Eastern Idaho recently issued safety warnings to parents to refrain from bringing guns to school lockdowns according to the Spokesman-Review.

Last Wednesday, Marsh Valley High School was put on lockdown after a student allegedly was carrying a pistol. The students sent messages to their parents and in turn, some parents arrived at the school armed with AR-15 rifles and a pistol.

Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen stated quote, “When you want to do something and you’re frustrated, you can’t take the law into your own hands. It’s best to let us take care of incidents like this because if you respond you will be more of a hindrance, you could be harmed, and you’re going to make it tougher for us to protect the kids.”

The Sheriff explained it is difficult to distinguish who is the active shooter when multiple people are armed and walking the school grounds.

The reported incident at the school involved in an act of domestic violence between a brother and sister involving a gun on the way to school. She informed friends and then the school was alerted to the potential threat. The brother was arrested 30 miles away from the school.

In our last story from the Washington News Service: a program offering tax breaks on the purchase of electric cars expires May 31. Eric Tegethoff of the Washington news service has more.

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