Monica Carrillo-Casas/Murrow News Fellow

Ambulance services across Stevens County, including Stevens County Sheriff’s Ambulance, Deer Park Ambulance and Chewelah Rural Ambulance, are battling shrinking funding, staffing shortages and the rising costs of keeping ambulances running.

The number of employees affected is about 60. The programs facing closure include three orthopedic physical therapy clinics, including one at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Medical Center, one at Providence Medical Park in Spokane Valley and one at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chewelah. Providence is also closing the DominiCare program in Chewelah.

The Stevens County Homeless Housing Taskforce is working on an updated plan aimed at addressing homelessness across the county’s rural communities. The goal is to complete the plan for 2025 to 2030 by the end of August.

Tacos y Tequila Festival, an annual two-day celebration of Latino culture hosted by Nuestras Raíces Community Center – a nonprofit serving the Latino community in Eastern Washington – has been cancelled.

The Hope fire, burning about 15 miles north of Kettle Falls, is now at 5,634 acres. Level 3 — or Go Now — evacuations, remain in effect.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, Latino communities across Washington have reported increased immigration enforcement, disrupting families and reshaping daily life. Some are left to pick up the pieces after deportations. Others turn to local organizations for help – but many cope alone, unsure where to turn or too afraid to speak out.

Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, a nonprofit that helps communities with housing and other resources, completed its 72-unit housing development, called the Dominican Sisters Haven, ahead of schedule.

Construction will continue until November for the $13 million project, said Miguel Castillo project engineer for the agency.

Angel Luna, a graduate of Eastern Washington University and former mentee of Trejo in the late 1990s, is showcasing a series of clay figures called "Who’s Your Hero?" inspired by farmworkers and his upbringing.

With the Senate narrowly passing President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” farmers in Eastern Washington are anxiously anticipating what could become a costly policy shift.