The Liberty Lake Deep Dive

Here's the rundown on the big activities coming from the City of Liberty Lake for the summer of 2025! City Recreation coordinator Mickael Stevens brings you the details on the great events that will happen at local parks and elsewhere, including the differences with some annual favorites such as Barefoot in the Park, and the 4th of July lineup. Plus, he's got the information about the newl...

The Skyhawks Sports programs have attracted kids to Liberty Lake's parks as well as sites such as the HUB Sports Center and local school gyms for several years. With a lot of summer sessions soon starting up, delve into the offerings, operations, and history of these youth sports activities. We hand the microphones to a couple of Skyhawks staff members who provide the answers to a lot of the quest...

Bobby Wiese of the Liberty Lake Centennial Rotary Club takes you through the annual Memorial Day weekend community activities at Pavillion Park. Learn all the details about the annual community breakfast that benefits Northwest Honor Flight, the Memorial Day ceremony with special guest speakers and the Fairchild Air Force Base Honor Guard, the weekend-long Luminary Tribute, and even a little backg...

Protect yourself against some online scams and learn how to boost the security of your computer passwords in this useful-for-all conversation with Evan O'Malley, who oversees the technology services for Liberty Lake's city operations. In addition to those tips, Evan also explains how it is that he's City Hall's I.T. guy ... without really being a City Hall employee...!

For our first-ever City Council-focused Q&A, we bring you a visit with the group's newest member, Linda Ball, for a conversation all about her background as well as her experiences in running for office for the first time and learning the ropes throughout the initial year of her new role. Plus, we carve out some time for Linda to talk about her favorite bands and concerts!

Did you know that much of the public art you see in Liberty Lake had its start with the city's Parks and Arts Commission? Nancy Hill and Laura Frank from that group walk you through some of the sights that you can find in the city's parks -- and elsewhere -- that had their start with the Parks and Arts Commission. And, they have the details on some of the new additions that will be added t...

Meet Liberty Lake's first-ever Public Works director, Ben Turner. In this Q&A, Ben offers some details about work-related topics such as the city's new frost cameras and the 2024 Appleway upgrade project, as well as some things about his previous career in the Navy, his current-day hobby with Legos, and even an insight about something you've probably wondered regarding his hometown...

For our 50th episode, we present a special appreciation of the life and contributions of longtime community news reporter Craig Howard, as told through the remembrances of "Liberty Lake Splash" owner Ben Wick.

We wrap of our preview of the new and expanded programs and services coming to Liberty Lake during 2025 with Recreation coordinator Mickael Stevens talking about some of the activities that are planned for this year, including a couple of changes with reservations for city park facilities. Then, Lisa Key of the newly named Community Development department offers details about the city's new co...

Chief Damon Simmons of the Liberty Lake Police Department brings you this preview on what you'll be seeing from local law enforcement during the year. Get the details about the expansion in the department's officers, the addition of a crime analyst, the LLPD's upcoming accreditation process (and why that matters for local residents) ... and the upcoming arrival of a K-9 police dog. Plu...

Here's the start of your overview of some of the new and expanded projects and services that are coming to Liberty Lake's residents during 2025, courtesy of the city's new budget. In this installment, hear about some new (and first-ever) apps that are being made available from the Liberty Lake Municipal Library, then find out about some of the street and city facility improvements that...

You see them during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Glow Spectacular light display at Orchard Park each year, and now SANTA CLAUS and MRS. CLAUS have come to the podcast! Listen in as Santa and Mrs. Claus talk about their experiences from their years of appearing at Winter Glow and what they think about the big display there. You'll also hear from John and Sherry Bujosa, who escort the famous...

Deputy Chief Brett Anderson of the Spokane Valley Fire Department returns to wrap up our "Trilogy of Winter Safety" series with fire prevention information about your Christmas tree, lights, and outdoor decorations. Plus, he's also packed his bag with some useful tips for those of you who'll be traveling the winter roads this season. We also tie in some references to "A Christmas Story" and "Chris...

In the 2nd part of our "Trilogy of Winter Safety" shows, meet Streets Crew lead Stephen Reichert as he takes the driver's seat and delves into all the details about Liberty Lake's snowplowing operations. Learn about the rigs, the resources, the routines -- and some expert tips you can use about driving on wintry roads.

It's part one of our "Trilogy of Winter Safety" shows! Brett Anderson, the deputy chief of prevention with the Spokane Valley Department, has prepared a feast of highly useful information that can help you have a fire-free and injury-free meal gathering at your home during this winter. You'll learn about some things to avoid in the kitchen, as well as some tips regarding your fireplace, your entry...

Beyond the used book sales and the Summer Soiree, what does the Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library do ... and how exactly does that organization's work enhance the offerings at the city's library? Learn all that and more about this group as Sue Hamblet and Marsha Binder return to the microphone to share "All About the Friends of the Library."

How satisfied are Liberty Lake's residents about their life and the quality of services in the city -- and what factors are influencing those levels of satisfaction? City administrator Mark McAvoy has some of the results of the 2024 Community Satisfaction Survey, including details on how this survey came about and how the results will be used by city leaders.

Dave Howard of the Liberty Lake Police Department takes you into what he does as the school resource officer for Liberty Lake's schools in the Central Valley School District and shares some trends in student safety he's noticed since he moved into that role during the spring of 2023. Plus, he relays some important tips that can help parents promote the well-being of the school student in t...

It's a podcast about a car show! Liberty Lake Police ambassador John Bujosa gives the full rundown about the LLPD's annual Cops, Cars and Cruisers event, which benefits local Special Olympics. Along the way, John shares how this community outreach event got started and how the now-not-just-a-car-show has grown along with its popularity during the past few years.

It's time to get to know another one of Liberty Lake's city employees as Kelsey Hardy provides all the answers to the question "What does a city clerk do?" ... and delves into her own personal records about some of her life and interests outside of City Hall.

The Montana Shakespeare in the Parks program out of Montana State University is a longtime summer tradition in Liberty Lake. Now, find out some things you never knew about the program -- and maybe make some modifications to any Shakespeare stereotypes you may have held! The program's Riley O'Toole comes to our podcast stage (via a Zoom call during the 2024 tour) to talk about the Bozeman-b...

You know the site, but you may not know the name. Learn about the history, features, and potential future of Nature's Place at Meadowwood Arboretum, the site that's located directly east of City Hall. Wendy Van Orman, in her role as a member of the Liberty Lake Lions Club, serves as your guide in this Q&A overview about this city park.

Learn about things you absolutely never knew about Liberty Lake Mayor Cris Kaminskas ... because, in some cases, she's probably never been asked about these topics! It's a wide range of fully fun conversation that covers such issues as animals, comedians, movies, house hunting, and even Tonka Trucks!

Dan Dunne of the Liberty Lake Kiwanis Club cues up the projector for our 2nd annual overview of the Summer Movies in the Parks series at Liberty Lake. Dan and host David Goehner share details about all the movies that area residents can watch outdoors this summer. Plus, you'll learn from Dan a lot of the backstory into what goes on in bringing the movies to Pavillion Park each summer.

Find out about your summer recreation opportunities in Liberty Lake's parks during 2024. Mickael Stevens, the city's new recreation coordinator, is your guide through a summer calendar that includes children's sports camps, dance and yoga classes, 4th of July celebrations, Barefoot in the Park, and stage performances from the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks group and the Spokane Symph...