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The story: In a war-torn corner of Iraq, Matthew Shipp realizes his lifelong dream.
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Photography/narration by Brian Plonka

Read Jim Hagengruber’s story “One Marine's Paradise” in a six-page special section coming Sunday in The Spokesman-Review

Audio Slideshow by Brian Plonka
Follow the Shipp twins' journey Click Here

I found myself in a remote part of Western Iraq during the second of two trips to the Middle East to catch up with U.S. Marine Matt Shipp. From the time I left Kuwait, my travels took me through Baghdad and several Air Force bases. It took 7 days of layovers, one airplane and several helicopters to reach Matt Shipp in the town of Rutbah. The funny thing about the trip is that I had no idea where I was going until I got to Rutbah. Matt was promoted to corporal during his deployment. The bump in rank gave him extra responsibilities that he has handled well.

It was a strange feeling, wearing body armor, walking through the Iraqi streets following Matt. I hoped we wouldn’t see action, but I knew I was in good hands. Shipp is a heck of a Marine. Matt returned home safely several days ago. He and his twin brother Robert have been separated for almost a year. They will be reunited next month when Robert returns from the Persian Gulf.

--Brian Plonka

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The story: Young Marine learns deployment offers no promise of war
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Audio Slideshow by Brian Plonka
Follow the Shipp twins' journey Click Here.

At the start of this project some three years ago, I knew for this story to be successful, I had to follow twins Robert and Matt Shipp on their deployments as U.S Marines to the Middle East. It took three months to cut through military red tape and acquire the necessary funds to make the trip. Form after form had to be sent and re-sent to the military to gain access. Two days before our first embed, the whole story almost fell through.

My experience in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf gave me revealing look at the underreported aspect of the Iraq War. The amount of U.S. military resources waiting to deploy into action is mind-boggling. Thousands of trained fighters can be called into combat in a moments notice. U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Shipp is doing his job well. It was amazing to see him mature over these past few years. Although disappointed not to be involved in fighting, Shipp keeps his focus, as he waits for that decisive order to fight.

The story: The goslings on Upriver Drive are a hit this spring with neighbors.

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Produced by Thomas Clouse

Three pairs of geese have successfully hatched clutches of goslings this spring along Upriver Drive in Spokane. One pair has 15 yellow balls of fuzz that stay busy swimming and eating everything in sight. Neighbors at Riverview Terrace Apartments have been watching the families grow.

The story: Gonzaga's undergraduate commencement took place May 11 with Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, who will step down from the office of university president in July 2009.

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I remember very few things about my own Gonzaga graduation last year: Event organizers had everything down to a science, graduates text-messaged each other while sitting out on the arena floor, and I sat between two gentlemen whose first and middle names were Christopher Dean and Kristopher Dean.

This year, I brought my camera and went backstage looking for a different view.

Photography, audio and production by Thuy-Dzuong Nguyen.

The story: WSU woman's rowing team prepares for next weekend's Pac 10 championships

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Spokesman-Review multimedia reporter Nick Eaton visited the WSU women's rowing team during practice on the Snake River to see how they were practicing for next weekend's Pac-10 championships. The Cougars' top boat is ranked fourth in the nation and is ready to take on No. 1 California and the rest for a chance at Pac-10 glory.

The story: Sculpture artist Bill Sanders' heart may be failing, but not his passion for creating exotic animals in bronze and steel.

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Video and production by Colin Mulvany

This video is about sculpture artist Bill Sanders whose failing heart is preventing him from doing his art. During the interview, I asked the question, “Is it hard for you to not to be able to do your art?” He paused; his chin started to quiver and then he abruptly ended the interview. “I have to go lie down,” said Sanders.

Bill Sanders is somewhat of a recluse who has not granted many interviews. He had a heart transplant 10 years ago, which has progressively slowed him down. He agonizes over not having the energy to continue to do his large scale pieces. I returned the next day and he graciously gave me a tour of his art displayed proudly around the fields of his farm near Mead, Washington.

The story: Teacher LaRae Wiley hopes to keep the disappearing Native American language of Salish alive by passing it along to community members and students during an evening class at Havermale High School in Spokane.

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Listening to the voice inflections of Salish and watching LaRae’s passion for the language reminded me of my troubled attempts at learning a second tongue. Pair that with a dialect that is only commonly known by elders in a shrinking community and I’ve begun to understand the heightened struggle of reviving a dying language.

While shooting and editing this piece and listening over and over to the Salish words for “eat” and “scratch”, I don’t think I became any closer to being fluent, but I saw people with a passion for a tradition that is decreasingly spoken of in our melting pot culture.

The story: Members of Spokane Blind Bowlers League meet Thursdays at Lilac Lanes in Spokane for fun, camaraderie and the hope of a strike.

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Video produced by Kathy Plonka

Shooting and editing this video was a lot harder than it looks. This is my first real attempt at producing a video and it was made fun thanks to fellow Spokesman-Review photographer Dan Pelle. The shooting itself took about two hours. It was edited to less than two minutes. The fun part for writer Erica F. Curless and I was being able to hang out with the members of the club.

The story: Illness recently forced avid runner Jack Swanson into a wheelchair. His wife Gunhild is stepping up and will push Jack in this year's Lilac Bloomsday Road Race.

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Produced by Dan Pelle

Gunhild Swanson figures she owes her husband Jack a favor. After surgery two years ago forced her to the sidelines of Spokane’s Lilac Bloomsday Road Race, Jack volunteered to push her the 7.46 miles in a wheelchair. Now Jack is the one suffering from illness and cannot keep his string of Bloomsday runs intact. Gunhild is stepping up to the challenge and will supply the effort to push Jack the distance.

Runner, cyclist, race organizer and all-around good guy Dan Petek alerted The Spokesman-Review to this story. Petek told in an e-mail of a running friend, Jack, who was gravely ill, but who has made a miraculous recovery. I have worked with Petek before and have learned to trust his judgment. After a couple of phone calls, I knew we had a good story for our Video Journal viewers.

You can read Virginia De Leon's story from today's Voices here.

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The story: The Mentors Artists Playwright Project brought a playwriting workshop to Lakeside Middle School in Plummer, Idaho.
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Produced and photographed by Jesse Tinsley

The Mentors Artists Playwright Project brought a play-writing workshop to Lakeside Middle School in Plummer, Idaho, in the heart of the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation in February and it culminated in a staged reading Wednesday, April 16, 2008 of eight of the one-act plays that the young people wrote. The kids tackled heavy subjects including family strife, death and jealousy. The actors, all professionals from Los Angeles, poured their emotion into the words of the students, giving them a life that the young people couldn't imagine up until that point. The student body of Lakeside Middle School sat at rapt attention through the readings.

The story: Spokane photographer Bethany Mahan makes pictures of people she runs into in public.

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Produced by Thuy-Dzuong Nguyen

Bethany Mahan is a Spokane photographer who makes photos of people after meeting them on the street, emphasizing that everyone has a personal story to tell. She has no formal photography training. The resulting photo collection is on display at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist during the Easter season. Mahan's goal is to donate half her profits to local community outreach programs. With music by Dave Hannon, "Make Your Way In The Dark."

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The story: Julianne's Prom Closet is a small charity that provides girls with prom dresses each spring.
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Produced by Jesse Tinsley

Julianne Sullivan had a daughter who went to two proms and was a candidate to be Lilac Princess, so she knows what dresses and gowns cost. Parents are often asked to spend $200 to $500 on a one-use dress so that their daughters can have a night they've dreamed of throughout high school. So Sullivan opened Julianne's Prom Closet, now in the basement of a downtown office building. If a girl needs help, she must bring a letter from a community member citing the family's need, and proper ID. Julianne and her volunteers then set up a fitting and let the girl search through their extensive inventory. The effort is a 501©3 corporation and always in need of more dresses, shoes, bags and more.

See story in Thursday's Voices in the Spokesman-Review or here online.

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The story: Course helps Spokane County Jail inmates learn to be better dads
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Photography and production by Rajah Bose

John O'Neill and Matt Keller started a fatherhood class at Spokane County Jail, the first of its kind in the state. They work with inmates to help them become better dads, and in turn, reduce recidivism.

Read the story Lessons in fatherhood

The story: After she found that her autistic son Caleb benefited therapeutically from riding horses, Clemons started Harmony Ranch to help other children with disabilities.

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Three years ago, Diana Clemons opened Harmony Ranch in Rathdrum, Idaho with the goal of turning it into a therapeutic riding facility. Today, she’s got a handful of gentle horses, and a big indoor riding arena – and a waiting list of children and youth eager to get their turn in the saddle. Read Pia Hallenberg Christensen's story here.

The story: The roar of V8 engines echo along the dirt roads near Roger Pritt’s home outside Cheney, Washington. The retired boilermaker builds his custom motorcycles in his shop with love and care and parts formerly from automobiles. Read Veronica Lamb's Voices story here.

Produced by Dan Pelle

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