it’s the standard procedure for compliance but you can’t help but feel special when an Apex Cannabis employee lifts a velvet cordon upon the obligatory ID check That’s how they do things here – with a touch of class It’s about offering a better experience in every aspect of the operation while simultaneously providing an amazing selection at the right price co-owner Stacey Peterson knew absolutely nothing about the plant Then her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer – the same condition that previously claimed her father-in-law’s life she visited a medical dispensary and began her education which she shared with her dad as he was adamant about not wanting to smoke (hello learned about Cannabis as a business opportunity and ventured into opening the first Apex shops in Moses Lake and Otis Orchards the redesign offers a warm but industrial feel featuring original timber reinforced with steel beams And if you’ve never heard the term “pretty security” before you have now – as the windows are covered with artistically-cut sheet metal that lets the light in while keeping intruders away from the stash (so there’s more for you to choose from) And for you medical patients: Consider getting comfortable at the handmade tables and chairs while getting first-rate consultation from medically-certified budtenders and next door is Apex Cannagear – with plenty of glassware vape tools and even hemp-based CBD products for all that ails Birthday Celebration!Mark your calendars for September because Apex is planning a Super Sixth Birthday Party It’s one of the four Summit Sales and includes some of the deepest discounts customers will see all year (the other sales are 4/20 Look for whopping savings across the board and a good time had by all!  Flower:Blue Roots Trainwreck – BillySub-X Sinmintz – JadeynGood Earth Wedding Cake – KristenLilac City Sour Berry – Natalie Joints:GLW Pink Taco – AlyssaLifted Sugarstick – KattLegit Live Resin Ice Cream Cake – TylerLegendary Pineapple Fruz – Kristen Carts:Cold Smoke Do Si Dos – JadeynAvitas Agent Orange – BillyEquinox Gardens Pineapple Upside Down Cake – NatalieTwo Heads Sour Apricot – Katt Dabs:Solstice Pineapple Thai – BillyLilac City Mimosa – JadeynTrichome Mango – KristenCold Smoke Roasted Garlic Margy – Tyler Edibles:Constellation Pink Lemonade – NatalieHONU Turtles – KristenPioneer Squares Black and Blueberry – AlyssaCeres Dragonballs – Katt APEX CANNABIS MOSES LAKE955 W Broadway Avenue Wa(509) 765-4216 | Mosesmanager@Apexcannabis.ComOpen 8am-11pm Mon.-Sat OTIS ORCHARDS-EAST FARMS21502 East Gilbert Road Otis Orchards Wa(509) 922-9235 | Otismanager@Apexcannabis.ComOpen 8am-11pm Mon.-Sat Photos by @YoungKwak This article was originally published in the August 2022 issue of Northwest Leaf View our archive on issuu Sign up for the Leaf Newsletter for the latest in Cannabis product reviews District Cannabis has a huge stock of the freshest products Even the mayor asked for a field trip to the store back in 2015 just after opening the doors By entering this website, you are agreeing that you are 21 years of age or above, and agreeing to the terms and conditions and privacy policy Mountain View Middle School in the East Valley School District has been educating students in the East Farms area which has a fantastic view of Mount Spokane has a long tradition of teaching students and involving them in a family atmosphere but everyone treats each other pretty fairly,” said Hayden Stevens an eighth-grader who is the Associated Student Body secretary the end of the school year will not only be a time to say goodbye to their friends and teachers for the summer but also a time to say goodbye to Mountain View The school district made the decision to close Mountain View last week due to impending state budget cuts There were plans in the works to close the school a year from now “I taught at Mountain View,” said Mitch Jensen But more than 60 percent of East Valley voters rejected a $33.75 million bond to improve buildings in the district in an April 26 vote and the state is still looking at further budget cuts the school board decided to move up by a year a far-reaching plan to transition all district elementary schools to K-8 classes School boundaries will be adjusted to reflect shifting populations Skyview Elementary School students will enroll at Otis Orchards Trentwood or the district’s Continuous Curriculum School which still will be located at Skyview Elementary as it is now The teachers at Skyview will be moved to Otis Orchards Mountain View Middle School will be closed Students who will be in the seventh and eighth grade this fall will attend East Valley Middle School Students in the fifth grade right now will attend their current schools for sixth grade The district has also notified 25 teachers that they will be laid off Jensen said that he hopes the district will be able to rescind most of those layoff notices in coming weeks Principal Tammy Fuller has been at Mountain View since the end of February and said the staff and students had already started the grieving process before the closure announcement was made last week “The staff knew that it was going to close for sure next year,” Fuller said Now the timeline has moved forward and she hopes the community can come together and celebrate what made Mountain View special for so many of them “It’s the history and the traditions that make it special,” she said She knows of many parents of current students who attended the school Some of the teachers attended Mountain View “They felt cared for while they were here,” Fuller said The halls are full of trophy cases containing Chase Youth Awards and awards for the students’ services to the community Other cases contain trophies proclaiming the victories of sports teams Dave Smith has been a science teacher working with students in the same room since 1985 He was also the wrestling coach for 24 years The team has been a proud tradition for Lancers for the last 20 years not having lost a meet since December 1990 their winning streak has landed them in the Guinness Book of World Records Smith’s honors science class is also a source of pride for him independently and on task while they peer through their microscopes this is what you’d imagine it would be like,” Smith said athletic coordinator and sixth grade social studies and writing teacher said her memories of the school go beyond her years of teaching Bordwell was one of the first students who attended in 1979 she shows her team the banners with her name on it that still hang in the gym and tells them stories of when she was a student “It’s a family community here,” Bordwell said Sixth grade math teacher Jim Stookey has been at Mountain View since 1985 His own children attended the school and one of this sons also taught there “It’s kind of heartbreaking for me,” he said “I have a lot of fond memories of the people.” The ASB officers at the school said they are sad that there are so many “lasts” coming up in the next few months They are the last ASB council of Mountain View The sweatshirts they wear with their mascot proudly displayed will become collectors’ items “It’s all a bunch of lasts,” said Bailey Gilbert The officers recently took time to talk about their memories – the teachers their activities and the fun they’ve had in their classes “There’s a place for everyone,” said Summer Romney Seventh graders Tanner Fyre and Derek Nelson have a different take on the closure since they will attend East Valley Middle School next fall Nelson said he liked that Mountain View was closer to his home and knows that next year’s bus ride to school will be longer Misty Moore is a parent who also attended the school She said Mountain View was part of her family’s decision to move to where they live “I have concerns about the merge,” she said She hopes the district thinks about changing the mascots since the students attending the middle school next year will have been former rivals ice cream socials or other events to help the students get to know each other While it is known where the students will go next year it is still unknown where most of the staff will go just yet or what will be done with the building said she wants to find a place for the trophies and awards to honor what the students accomplished She is planning events to mark the last days and hopes former students and parents will return for the occasion Fuller also said she has no doubt her students and staff will succeed wherever they land Jensen said the board expects to save about $1 million with the closure “To close a school is horrible,” Jensen said Fuller agreed that it is “a very sound fiscal decision.” But she added Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy As you begin your homebuying journey, there’s three key points to keep in mind – the housing market is somewhat competitive, the median home sale price is $351,000, and the average sale price per square foot is $191. Or if you’re beginning your renting journey, the average rent price for a two-bedroom apartment in Spokane is $1,708 But maybe Spokane isn’t the right area for you we’ve collected 6 of the best Spokane suburbs to consider moving to And they’re all less than 30 minutes away from the city center That way you can live close to Spokane and all its awesome activities without residing in the city Country Homes is the first on our list of Spokane suburbs Just about a 20-minute drive away from Spokane you won’t miss out on what the city has to offer you can check out Holmberg Park to enjoy the fresh Pacific Northwest air Taking the second place on our list Airway Heights About a 15-minute drive away from downtown Spokane you can visit Spokane Falls to see the waterfall in just a quick drive you can also spend the day checking out the charming downtown Drive just 20 minutes outside of Spokane and you’ll reach Cheney There’s plenty of charming and outdoorsy activities to take part in when living in Cheney Make sure to explore the Eastern Washington State University campus if you move to the third suburb on our list A bit more expensive than Cheney is Spokane Valley there’s still plenty to do in this Spokane suburb Plan to spend the day exploring the picturesque Mirabeau Point Park stop by Donkey Island Swimming Hole during the summer Drive 25 minutes outside of Spokane and you’ll find the suburb of Otis Orchards-East Farms moving to this suburb can keep you close enough to Spokane where the median home sale price is $489,995 Mead has about 7,600 residents and is a great suburb to consider living in Make sure to visit one of the neighborhood parks or find a hidden gem to explore in Mead Serving homebuyers and sellers in the Spokane area Lee Ferrari is a top real estate agent at Redfin with the latest market insights and local expertise With years of experience as a real estate agent in the greater Spokane area Lee Ferrari possesses a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the local market 🇨🇦 Canada Updated January 2020: By searching, you agree to the Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy REDFIN IS COMMITTED TO AND ABIDES BY THE FAIR HOUSING ACT AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ACT. READ REDFIN’S FAIR HOUSING POLICY NY Standard Operating Procedures TREC: Info About Brokerage Services, Consumer Protection Notice please call Redfin Customer Support for help at 1-844-759-7732 It goes without saying that the coronavirus pandemic sparked a wave of uncertainty across myriad industries and no other market has quite felt its impact like that of real estate The pandemic became a driving force behind the continued real estate boom with high demand for vacation homes and a limited supply of housing that prompted buyers and investors to bid up prices for affordable properties increasing mortgage rates have slowed growth with prices even declining in some places But some areas are still seeing price jumps compared to the year before Stacker compiled a list of cities with the fastest-growing home prices in the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA metro area using data from Zillow Cities are ranked by 1-year price change as of May 2023 The typical home value in the United States increased over the last year by 0.9% to $346,856 Data was available for 35 cities and towns in Spokane It wasn’t just the smell of smoke that roused Angel Fiorini from bed on that cold night in October 2016 “I just couldn’t quite figure out why I couldn’t breathe,” she said Fiorini and her family had recently moved into a doublewide manufactured home in Otis Orchards and they were in the process of renovating it A wall-mounted heater hummed through the night The ceiling was stuffed with pink foam insulation and covered only with clear sheets of plastic Interior walls had been torn down – walls that might have slowed an aggressive fire If there were such a thing as a recipe for disaster, this was it. Fiorini and her three children made it out alive, with some serious burns thanks to her own heroic acts and those of a passerby who just happened to be a nurse and former firefighter The two are among 20 people in the United States and Canada who recently received medals and money awards from the Carnegie Hero Fund which was founded in 1904 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie Some of the awards were granted posthumously The fire started around midnight on Oct. 28 in the kitchen area of Fiorini’s home in the 6000 block of North Starr Road. She said the cause isn’t settled, but she suspects it was the heater the only appliance that had been installed By the time she jostled herself awake and emerged from her bedroom flames had consumed about a third of the house she scooped up two of the children – 1-year-old Vinnie under one arm 3-year-old Rosalie under the other – and dropped them near the front door “They were terrified because they had no idea why they were just ripped out of bed,” she said Fiorini initially thought it would be simple to return inside for her eldest child and Fiorini could hear windows shattering from the intense heat Fiorini dropped to the ground – first on her hands and knees then on her stomach – and crawled toward the bedroom She pulled Gianna partway to the front door as smoke filled their lungs was working for Frontier Behavioral Health He was only scheduled to work weekends but had decided to pick up the Thursday shift as well a New Yorker who had never learned to drive and was living in Newman Lake the coworker pointed outside at Fiorini’s house and told Burson to slow down They were on scene before any neighbors or firefighters who had been a volunteer firefighter some two decades earlier Recounting this story in his living room with Fiorini seated beside him Burson ribbed her for living in what he described as “a compound.” barricading them off from the rest of civilization,” he said “And you’d think the gate would be on the front So I’m running up and down the street looking for this gate Burson found the gate on the north side of the house but the metal already was hot enough to singe his hands he spotted Fiorini’s two younger children – Rosalie just outside the house “All you could hear was the crackle of the fire and these two babies sitting there crying,” Burson The 46-year-old recalled being blinded by smoke as molten plastic dripped from the ceiling onto his nursing scrubs Then his hand fell on the charred body of Angel Fiorini and he assumed she was dead or close to it and then I scooted on my butt back to the door,” he said Burson wondered if it was a dog or a cat that Angel Fiorini had been looking for suffered burns on nearly half of her body and spent five weeks at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle – a remarkably short stay given the extent of her injuries Gianna’s burns were less extensive but still serious Fiorini said she’s thankful that insurance has covered most of their medical bills even the emergency helicopter flights across the state She and the kids still suffer chronic respiratory problems The house was a complete loss and has been costly for the family a neighbor salvaged a few family photos from the rubble of the Fiorini home He said he’s just happy no children lost their mother that night He recalled watching medics help Fiorini into an ambulance and calling her husband to explain what had happened “I honestly did not think she would live,” Burson said Employees retiring from the East Valley School District and their years of service in the district: East Valley High School’s Strolling Strings have performed all over the area “It’s really been great for our program,” said orchestra director Marla Pflanz Pflanz started the Strolling Strings at the school “Music is still always going to be there,” she said Pflanz said her parents influenced her career choice “What else was I going to do but teach music?” She began taking piano lessons in the third grade and violin in the fourth grade She started teaching in Wisconsin before her husband decided to attend Gonzaga Law School She taught elementary band and general music “There was an interest in the string program and I wanted to be a part of it,” she said she moved to the high school after teaching at Mountain View Middle School and at the grade-school level she remembered a program she saw while she was still in Wisconsin were in Minneapolis when they saw a performance by the Golden Strings The director of that group had an idea to arrange music for high school students to perform while mobile It became a very popular activity in the Midwest and in the 1990s there were national workshops for teachers String players walk through the audience playing music even cellists have a shoulder rest so they can walk and play at the same time It’s the only program of its kind in Spokane and Pflanz said she didn’t ever want to compete with the group “I love that concept of sharing and having fun through music and not competing,” she said Her students have made her career something special for her Looking around her music room at East Valley there are photographs of past orchestras and gifts from her students from over the years There is a carving of the word “Love” that also has student signatures This year during the annual Spring String Fling students collaborated with the yearbook staff to find old pictures of Pflanz and her orchestras They mounted all the pictures into a frame and presented it to her during the concert “I’ve always been blessed with really creative smart (students) … I could go on and on with adjectives for them,” she said she’s looking forward to turning off the alarm clock she has had set for 4:45 a.m She wants to be able to read a book without interruption She wants to travel and reconnect with family and old friends “I just want to kind of smell the roses a little bit,” she said One thing she would like to do is form an informal group of alumni musicians to meet and play Many of them haven’t picked up their instruments in a while and some now have children in her classes She said music is an outlet many students need the first thing they do is get their instrument out,” she said Bringing music into people’s lives has made her career something she has enjoyed so much “I’ve never thought of this as a job,” she said Spokane Valley Heritage Museum annual fundraiser Irrigation projects gave rise to agricultural roots such as Corbin Ditch Newman Lake water for Otis Orchards and Liberty Lake supplying Greenacres for tickets at $20 per person that includes program and refreshments Irrigation canals once stretched for miles across the Spokane Valley separate projects began to open the flow of lake and river water to settlers who were arriving to plant orchards or start farms Those canals also offered unsanctioned summertime swims for children was developed by railroad magnate Daniel Corbin who with others created the Spokane Valley Land and Water Company in 1899 to develop irrigation and sell land with water rights The Corbin ditch was completed in 1907 with a system of 54 miles of ditch The Spokane Valley Heritage Museum plans to present the Irrigation Story,” for its 19th annual fundraiser and history program “People can expect to learn about how water actually became the birth of the valley the lakes – but before Corbin undertook his amazing project to irrigate the valley Corbin was a mover and shaker in the late 1800s and early 1900s “It was a very ambitious effort to establish water supply for potential farmers bringing people to the valley from back east and other parts of our country so we had all this water and no way to deliver it.” others were looking into the challenge of how to bring water to more parts of the valley Singleton said a separate project diverted water out of Liberty Lake to irrigate Greenacres in 1903 and 1904 The newly formed Greenacres community eventually had 16 miles of ditches watering 1,400-plus acres for orchards that were beginning to dot the countryside Yet another irrigation project took water out of Newman Lake to irrigate Otis Orchards But the Corbin ditch’s source was the Spokane River starting at a point where previously Frederick Post had established a mill Corbin to utilize as the head gates for the Spokane Valley and Water Company ditches,” she said “The Corbin irrigation ditch is more the vernacular as what the community called it but it was technically Spokane Valley Land and Water Company that established the flumes took a turn at what we now know as Cabela’s then the ditch went along the north side of the valley just about to Millwood There is still visible ditch in a number of places particularly up on the hill behind the Hutton Settlement the valley wouldn’t have become known for its widespread apple orchards and its “Hearts of Gold” cantaloupes one Singleton hears often from people when they visit the museum “Irrigation ditches to children meant summertime swimming “It wasn’t just water for crops; it was water for summertime cooling off many people who come into the museum either share stories about the ditch I’ve got some irrigation ditch on my property do you know anything about it?’ It’s still very much a conversation that takes place but the hydrology of having so much water and the aquifer beneath us that gave rise to all the other history made possible by the water being delivered.” Singleton said that by around the early 1960s the Valley saw a transition from the open water ditches and irrigation canals to the Bureau of Reclamation’s tall water towers for containment and easier maintenance Call the museum at (509) 922-4570 to reserve seats or buy tickets ahead during museum hours 11 a.m Section:Then & Now No Name Boot Company sits at the end of a driveway tucked behind massive shade trees and alongside a young filly with a nose slightly out of joint – literally The screen door slaps shut when customers step into the shop; a mountain scene mural drawn by Leonard Smith’s niece decorates the wall; his nephew’s toy trucks sit beside the leather grinder Smith has built custom boots in his Otis Orchards shop for the working cowboy and “just about anybody” who wants functional imparting her expertise on the decorative stitching and administrative end Smith’s venture into boot making began in a high school program that required students to work part time work wasn’t top priority but that didn’t deter Smith’s teacher from finding him a janitorial job at White’s Boot Co ‘Can you help us out over here,’ and ‘Can you come in on Saturdays,’ ” Leonard Smith said “Your hunger grows as you’re around it.” Soon he was learning the trade from “Nick the Russian” (Nick Blahcuzyn of Nick’s Custom Boots) “I’d go out on Saturdays and help him A lot of what I learned was from him.” Leonard Smith opened up shop in his garage and contracted with White’s “We also had dealerships that we made stock boots for and that grew into making custom boots for a lot of out-of-state customers,” Melody Smith said Leonard Smith entered the world of pull-on boots “I learned from Jimmy Ayers – he’s world-renowned and out of Texas,” he said “I couldn’t have done the pull-on boot without him He knew all the secrets and techniques.” The Smiths state their boots outlast those made by big name boot companies because many have out-sourced to other countries that use inferior materials such as cardboard and plastic “For a working cowboy to go in and buy a stock boot They might get a month out of them from all the wear and tear,” said Melody Smith “Working cowboys get about two years out of our boots before they send them back for new soles or a rebuild,” Leonard Smith said “The thing about our boots is the balance of the heel and everything fits,” Melody Smith said Leonard Smith spends at least 16 hours crafting each pair of boots which includes detailed measuring and building a custom last Cost starts at $375 for a pair of basic work boots The most intriguing boots Leonard Smith made was the Kill Bill boots ‘I want to order a pair of Kill Bill boots for my wife.’ I did hours of research I’ll tell you what: I had over 30 hours of sewing alone with inlays on top of inlays.” But the reward for this boot maker was the phone call he got afterward and his wife was really excited but the real thing was they fit That was the first time she had anything on her feet that fit.” His most famous pair of boots was made for Clint Eastwood and his most challenging was for a bilateral below knee amputee The Smiths love to tell the story about the spunky horse riding woman who wanted boots to fit her prosthetic legs One day the young woman came in for an adjustment at the same time another customer who “whined about everything” was there told Leonard Smith she needed something done with the boot pulls off her leg with the boot on it and hands it to him,” Melody laughed After that he never came back with any complaints or anything She’s just a remarkable gal.” Despite Leonard Smith’s hip replacement two years ago he’s adamant that he’ll continue making high-quality boots “probably until they bury me You can’t work you’re whole life getting up in the morning and rammin’ and jamming,’ and just shut it off “Besides,” Leonard Smith smiled Nina Culver is a freelancer for The Spokesman-Review's daily newspaper and weekly Voice sections Officials found the body of a man on Friday who apparently killed himself on the grounds of East Valley Middle School His suicide note prompted school officials to shut down classes at all East Valley schools the 25-year-old man wrote that he was going to harm his ex-girlfriend and shoot himself at a school apparently is a former student at East Valley High including a couple whom police identified only as his mother and father came to the scene of the suicide Friday morning “He was a lovely person,” said an aunt The body was found near a cargo container used to store sports equipment near the middle school baseball diamond but it appears he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and called the mother of the 25-year-old man school officials had already shut down classes at all East Valley schools because of the threatening note Reagan said the man lived with his parents Police locked down the high school before Principal Jeff Miller arrived at 6 a.m. said school district spokeswoman Judi Christianson Classes were canceled to ensure the safety of students Skyview Elementary and Trentwood Elementary were bused to Trent Elementary East Farms Elementary and Otis Orchards Elementary were picked up at those schools Parents were alerted to the emergency decision Friday via an automated phone call system East Valley High School parent Robert Hale said that when he first received the message: “We thought it was just a test.” But when his 16-year-old daughter called from the high school Parents picking up their kids at Trent Elementary School were pleased with how the school handled Friday’s ordeal Wally was an only child to Blair and Cynthia Plowman He grew up in Spokane and graduated from Central Valley High School in 1948 He attended Eastern Washington College of Education which was interrupted by his National Guard Band activation during the Korean War in 1951 He returned to EWCE and received his Bachelor of Education degree in 1953 Wally married Georgiana Wallace on February 16 Wally began teaching music to the entire Otis Orchards School District After East Valley School District was formed he taught fifth grade exclusively at Otis Orchard Elementary School From 1948 to 1962 he played oboe and English Horn in the Spokane Symphony which he took to schools even after retirement He was an active member of the Inland Empire Beekeeping Association He started keeping bees in 1953 and developed it into an overgrown hobby where he sold honey under the label “Pure Honey Farms” His grandson Greg will continue the honey business He is survived by his wife of 62 years Georgiana; and three children and Paul (Cindi) Plowman; and four grandchildren February 2 at 3:00 at Opportunity Presbyterian Church Donations can be made to Opportunity Presbyterian Church