My great-grandfather and great-uncle were both railroad engineers with the Northern Pacific…and that’s what brought the Waldref family to Spokane in the 1930s. So, I have a lot of pride and interest in the men & women who were part of the railroad culture in Spokane, and I want to see their stories preserved. Please join me and my family in attending the Hillyard Hobo Dinner on Friday, February 12^th from 5:30pm-8pm at the Northeast Community Center to benefit the Hillyard Heritage Museum Society. The cost is $10/person and $6 for children under age 10.

This year, The Big Read highlights Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the story of lawyer Atticus Finch defending a black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama. The book is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of all time and has long been required reading in many classrooms.

Attend the Opening Gala, February 16, 5 p.m. – This event will feature Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout in the award-winning film version of the novel. Lincoln Center, 1316 N. Lincoln St. Please visit www.spokanelibrary.org to see a listing of all the other exciting, FREE events related to The Big Read, including lectures, films and theatre performances!

Don’t forget that the Downtown Spokane Public Library is now open on Mondays from 10am-6pm. It was closed Mondays in 2005 due to severe budget cuts. I want to thank Director Pat Partovi for working hard to expand open hours during these tough economic times – the times when people need access to books, computers and employment services even more! The Library is able to do this because of investment in self service technologies, enabling them to use fewer staff on desk at one time and spreading out the existing staff to cover more hours during the week.

Administrative and Support Services staff that are housed in the Downtown Library will fill in for unanticipated absences. (It is having these staff on hand that makes opening an extra day possible without increasing the budget. Although I would really love to see the Hillyard Branch and other neighborhood branches open an extra half day/week, it is almost impossible to do this without hiring on additional staff because there aren’t any “extra” bodies in those buildings to spread out or to fill in when someone is out). I’ll be getting a briefing and tour of the entire Downtown library soon and I’ll ask more questions about ways we can get creative with extending the hours of our branches!

Are you interested in planning for the future of our parks? Over the past year, Spokane Parks & Recreation has been conducting a comprehensive assessment so it can ensure sustainable parks and recreation services for Spokane residents. A Community Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16^th from 6pm-8:15pm at the Northeast Youth Center. The purpose of this particular workshop is to get your input into the financial future of Parks: “How should the Department spend your tax dollars moving into the future?”  Please RSVP by February 12^th to Jacki Faught at jfaught@spokaneparks.org or by calling 509.625.6203 to confirm attendance.

Welcome to my blog! I look forward to using this blog and my Council Member website, www.amberwaldref.org to provide updates on what I’m working on as your elected representative to the Spokane City Council from District 1. I’ll also be able to let you know about upcoming opportunities to get involved in your city. The first thing I hope you’ll do is sign up for monthly email updates or weekly blog postings. You can do this through my website. I look forward to working hard for you!