Knezovich, Straub say crime not as bad as public's perception

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013, 7:38pm

Unfortunately crime has been and always will be part of society. It hurts every community, Spokane is certainly no exception, and our city like many its size struggles with a bad reputation, one that suggests crime is not only prevalent, but constantly on the rise here.

Going to crime scenes we hear neighbors and witnesses tell us crime was never this bad and things are getting worse. Is that assumption true? Is the city deteriorating? Are criminals taking over?

"Well I suppose in comparison to other places its not so bad., but its not good," Roberta Stehr said.

"I do feel like it is definitely increasing, for sure," Katie Wardell said.

It doesn't matter where you live, whether you're a victim or a concerned neighbor, crime is a part of the world we live in, and for whatever reason Spokane has an image problem. You may have heard the nicknames about the town that wants to be known as an All American City. So why is that? Maybe we just see it more.

"I think you do on television, if you watch television at all you're going to get it on the news," Robert Clemons said.

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Safety tips for a safe drive on Memorial Day

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Thursday, May 23rd, 4:44 pm

Many families take to the open road over Memorial Day to take advantage of the long weekend and to celebrate the unofficial start of summer. Idaho State Police wants to remind all drivers to remain safe.

Last year there were 129 crashes in Idaho with 81 injuries and two fatalities. Idaho State Police has provided these safety reminders which are great for both Idaho and Washington drivers:

Wear Your Seatbelts: Police in both Idaho and Washington will be strictly enforcing seat belt laws and drivers with children are reminded to make sure all children are in age appropriate safety seats and that children under 12 are in the back seat.

Designate a Driver: Nearly 30 people a day die in an alcohol related crash. Make sure to designate a driver before anyone in your party drinks.

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Sheriff's Office encourages you to "Take 25" for child safety

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Wednesday, May 22nd, 5:06 pm

Members of the Spokane County Sheriff's Office and Spokane Police Department are at Northtown Mall today to educate parents, kids and community members on child safety. The event is part of the National “Take 25” Child Safety Campaign in observance of National Missing Children's Day on May 25th.

The National “Take 25” Child Safety Campaign encourages parents to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about how to stay safe in a variety of situations. The campaign was designed to raise awareness about the issues surrounding missing and exploited children.

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Yard sale to help the EV community

Submitted by Robyn Nance, Good Morning Northwest Anchor

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013, 10:58am

Get this on your calendar! The East Valley Food and Clothing Bank is holding a Yard Sale Friday, May 31st at the High School Extension Portable/Teen Parent Portable parking lot, which is north of the HS tennis courts).

The Food and Clothing Bank has an excess of donated clothing, but is low on food items, so, the smart people there decided to fix that. They will hold the yard sale to benefit those in need in EV. All proceeds will support the food bank, weekend backpack program and various special necessity purchases for kids who come up throughout the school year.

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Spokane splash pads open Memorial Day weekend

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Monday, May 20th, 3:52 pm

Parents and kids rejoice! Spokane Parks splash pads are set to open this Friday, May 24th.

Even though the forecast for Memorial Day weekend isn't a sunny one, the long range forecast says we'll have a hot and dry summer to enjoy. Splash pads are free way to keep your kids cool and entertained on those hot days. Many of the splash pads are adjacent to playgrounds, providing another way for your kiddos to get exercise and burn off some energy.

Area splash pads will be open until September 14th, for more information visit http://www.spokaneparks.org. Parks with splash pads are listed below:

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Spokane named finalist for Best Town 2013

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Monday, May 20th, 1:57 pm

Spokane has been named a finalist in Outside Magazine's Best Town 2013 contest. Voting begins today for Spokanites to tell the magazine why our city is the best for easy living.

Every year the magazine holds the contest offering up different titles for cities around the country to be the best destination for. Last year, Outside readers voted Richmond, VA the most livable river town.

This year, Spokane is competing with cities that include San Diego, Boston, Park City and Bozeman to see which city is the best for an easy and active lifestyle.

“We're not choosing the winner based on the number of votes, but more by the passion shown by the voters for their town,” said Jonah Ogles, an associate editor for Outside Magazine, “We just want to find out why people love Spokane and what makes it a great, healthy city.”

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US Attorney orders farmer's marijuana market to cease and desist

Submitted by KXLY Web Staff

Friday, May 17th, 2013, 7:25pm

A farmer's market for medical marijuana will not be opening in Spokane Valley after a letter from US Attorney Michael Ormsby caused the owners to cancel their plans.

The market would have brought growers and patients together just like they were selling fresh vegetables except it would have been marijuana to card holding patients. Supporters call it the best way to keep the cost of their medicine down.

"They actually had to remove the back of my skull. So just laying in bed, laying on the pillow when I wake up, I'm in horrible pain," said David VanScyoc.

VanScyoc uses marijuana for his pain. When he was young he was seriously burned in a gas explosion. He said dispensaries drive up prices, but a farmers market would help him and others get cheaper medicine.

"Instead of selling, the growers selling to the dispensary and the dispensary selling to the patient and everybody marking it up along the way we can do one price," said VanScyoc.

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