News Briefs

BNSF wraps up

connection work with Palouse River tracks

Burlington Northern Santa Fe crews have wrapped up a key element of the track work being done to upgrade the Palouse River Coulee City rail line from Cheney through Four Lakes to the Geiger Spur.

Last week, BNSF crews finished a two-and-half-month long project upgrading one mile of track and a “Y” connection in Cheney it shares with the PRCC. Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said $2 million worth of work was performed that included new rails, ties and seven new switches.

Melonas said the rail pulled up was date stamped 1892, weighed 85 pounds per every three feet of rail and was bolt connected every 39 feet. The new track weighs 136 pounds per every three feet and is a continuous weld ribbon rail.

“It’s the safest possible rail,” Melonas said.

Work is being done on the PRCC short line to allow BNSF to send its engines to the new Highline Grain transloader facility north of Four Lakes. The engines will hook up to loaded and assembled 110-car unit trains and be able to switch directly to BNSF tracks in Cheney.

State Patrol donation phone scam reported

Olympia — Washington State Patrol officials say that over the past four months they have received numerous phone calls from the public indicating they have been contacted by the agency soliciting donations. Based on the information received from the public, the phone calls have been from individuals attempting to scam the public for money.

The Washington State Patrol Troopers Association (WSPTA) is one of many police unions or associations contacting the public soliciting donations. In a Nov. 13 news release, State Patrol officials said the telemarketing company used by the WSPTA does not employ hard sell tactics nor will they ask for credit card numbers or personal financial information over the phone, nor will the public receive a call from a trooper soliciting donations.

The State Patrol is warning the public to be leery of any calls from anyone soliciting money for the agency or asking for credit card numbers or personal financial information over the phone. If a scam is suspected, hang up and contact one of the local WSP district offices.

Information on legitimate solicitors in Washington State is available from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Parents for Parents offers HOPE to Geiger inmates

The Spokane County Parents for Parents Program (P4P) will be reaching out to incarcerated parents to present the Helping Other Parents Engage (HOPE) class at Geiger Correctional Center. The class educates parents whose children have been removed from their care by Child Protective Services about the Dependency System.

Stakeholders from the Department of Social and Health Services, the county Public Defender’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, the Office of Public Defense and the Guardian ad Litem Program have volunteered to be video recorded explaining their role in the dependency system and provide tips and suggestions for reunification success.

The class is expected to commence in January 2016 and will be available once every six weeks. Spokane County Superior Court is grateful to all the stakeholders, Geiger Correctional Center, and Empire Health Foundation for their collaboration and participation in this project. For information, contact Janell Grubb at (509) 477-3878.

The HOPE class and the Parents for Parents Program is a Spokane County Superior Court program operated by parents who have been through the dependency system and have addressed the issues that brought their child(ren) into care and were successfully reunified.

STA offers free holiday bus rides

In a news release, the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) announced it is offering free bus rides on all routes Friday, Nov. 27. Annually, the organization provides one free fare day. 

STA is also debuting a new online holiday resource at staholidays.com. This website provides a compilation of numerous holiday events throughout the region and features a different local event every day.

Starting on Black Friday and running through First Night, visitors can find information about holiday activities for the whole family along with the corresponding bus routes that will take them there. STA is partnering with several dozen businesses and organizations to bring this great resource to the region.

The website also contains a variety of coupons from local shops and restaurants to help encourage citizens to spend their dollars locally.