Emerson Garfield

Free Social Media Training, June 24

June 20, 2013 Emerson Garfield

The City of Spokane’s Office of Neighborhood Services is offering free social media training for neighborhoods (and, by association, neighborhood-centric organizations) on Monday, June 24 from 6 to 7:30pm at Tincan [map].

During the 90-minute session, participants will learn how to set up and maintain accounts with Nextdoor, Twitter, Facebook, and blog sites like Blogger and WordPress. They’ll also learn why social media matters in building stronger neighborhood ties.

Little ol’ Emerson-Garfield was recently highlighted by the ONS as a neighborhood that is using social media effectively, so a representative from our neighborhood will be there to share firsthand experience with blogging, tweeting, and Facebook-ing.

Even though we’ve received a pat on the back in this area, we’re still encouraging people in Emerson-Garfield to participate — because when it comes to getting the word out about neighborhood events, more routine and more effective communication is never a bad thing. If you’re interested, please RSVP to Boris Borisov via e-mail or at (509) 625-6087.

W. Central Marketplace Opens Today

June 18, 2013 Emerson Garfield

Don’t forget to brave today’s rain and check out the opening of the West Central Marketplace. You’ll find it at its new location in A.M. Cannon Park [map], located right behind the West Central Community Center. It runs from 3 to 6pm and will be there every Tuesday until the autumn.

The Marketplace is a Project HOPE initiative, so it’s focused on two things: fresh, local food and youth empowerment. The organization’s aim is to give young adults in the West Central and Emerson-Garfield neighborhoods a positive, community-oriented alternative to the traps that can often lure low-income and disadvantaged youth. Our neighborhoods benefit in a number of ways — reduced crime and affordable access to healthy food, to name two obvious ones.

And here’s another reason to support the West Central Marketplace: The EGNC is partnering with Project HOPE and benefitting from their expertise in establishing a farmers’ market right here in our neighborhood. (The anticipated launch date is July 19. We hope to have more specific details within the next 24 hours.) By working together and supporting one another’s endeavors, we have a chance to improve both of our neighborhoods in important ways.

Telephone Town Hall Tonight, Jun 12

June 12, 2013 Emerson Garfield

Just a reminder: Mayor David Condon is hosting a Telephone Town Hall tonight (June 12) at 6pm to ask the public for input on the 2014 budget and community priorities.

Residents will be contacted using technology that allows the City of Spokane to call thousands of people to ask if they want to participate in the meeting. Citizens can also opt into the meeting by calling (888) 409-5380 between 6 and 7pm tonight.

Mayor Condon will introduce the proposed 2014 Programmatic Budget in August. The line-ttem budget will be delivered weeks in advance of the November deadline.

The Telephone Town Hall is the first of several opportunities for the public to provide input on the 2014 budget. Additional opportunities include:

Community presentations by members of the mayor’s cabinet
New ways to engage citizens through the City’s website, spokanecity.org and MySpokaneBudget.org, a new budget-focused tool that will launch in August
Meetings hosted by neighborhood councils
Weekly budget hearings hosted by the City Council in November

As the city enters the 2014 budget process, they are claiming that significant improvements have been realized in affordability, accountability and alignment. Those efforts have supposedly focused on being more efficient in how the city does business, and they have tightened the gap between revenues and expenses to less than half of the $10 million shortfall the city faced last year.

Trinity Cow Plop Winners 2013

June 12, 2013 Emerson Garfield

There are an awful lot of people coming to this blog in search of the Trinity Cow Plop results — and we’re happy to oblige.

Here’s the info, straight from the horse’s (cow’s?) mouth:

No word yet on the raffle winners (if indeed a raffle was held like in years past).

Congrats to all the lucky winners. And if you didn’t win, you can be satisfied in knowing that your money helps support a great neighborhood school.

Book Signing at Heart of Spokane, Jun 14

June 11, 2013 Emerson Garfield

On Friday, June 14 there will be a four-author book signing and reception at The Heart of Spokane [map] from 6 to 8pm. The theme is food, but there are every different takes on that theme, including gluten-free cooking, vegan cooking, and gourmet “health-and-healing” dishes.

The books and their respective authors are: Dinner with Cecile and Willam, a cookbook by Cecile Charles and William Maltese; The Gluten-Free Way: My Way by Adrienne Z. Milligan; and Get-Real Vegan Desserts by Christina-Marie Wright.

For more info, contact Sarah at (509) 443-4799.