Steve Jackson

The city of Rathdrum, Idaho found elevated levels of lead during routine testing of the water system of three residences.

The sampling has been ongoing since 1998, but it wasn’t until the most recent testing of 23 homes in August that official found high lead levels. Three homes showed levels higher than the federal standard of 15 parts per billion, with highest one testing at 63 parts per billion.

Plans for rezoning a parcel of property along Lake Coeur d'Alene are coming under fire from nearby residents. The proposed development could include a large dock and perhaps a building.

A number of health care providers in Washington are coming together to ensure they are prepared to deal with climate change and its impact on patients.

The Washington Health Care Climate Alliance includes eight health care systems statewide that represent 40 hospitals.

Opponents of a proposed smelter project near Newport are celebrating a victory.

Pend Oreille County commissioners have rejected a comprehensive plan amendment which would have changed the public lands designation in the county to rural lands, a step that was seen as opening the door for industrial use outside of the urban growth areas. The plan would have allowed the construction of a controversial silicon smelter just outside of Newport.

A new statue was put in place in Redband Park in Spokane on Wednesday. Redband Park was formerly known as Glover Park in Peaceful Valley.

The statue is of a redband trout, a native fish of the Spokane River.

Sponsors of the project included the city of Spokane, Spokane Indians baseball team, TC Energy, Spokane Tribe, and the Spokane River Forum.

The forum’s Andy Dunau says the "Redband Rising" statue is designed to call attention to the fish, which has been in decline for many years.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has officially pulled out of a pact with the state to oversee the lake management plan and Governor Brad Little has asked for a third party to conduct a review and analysis of the previous lake management efforts.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has reached a partial settlement with Avista for a rate increase in gas and electricity rates.

The settlement also deals with the company’s plans to phase out coal-generated power for its Washington customers.

While nurses at Spokane’s Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center are making strike preparations if no agreement can be reached on a new contract, their counterparts at Providence Kadlec Regional Medical Center in the Tri-Cities have reached a tentative contract agreement.

Sacred Heart nurses are getting strike training, after mediation with Providence last Friday produced no breakthrough, say nurses' union officials.

Efforts are underway to beef up the steelhead breeding population in the Snake River by releasing adult females that have already made one trip to the ocean and spawned previously.

Unlike salmon, steelhead can migrate to the ocean and return to spawn more than a single time. But few of the fish that have previously spawned make it that far back upriver after their first breeding because of the difficulty in migrating past all the dams.

A new survey conducted by several Spokane organizations finds a real need for affordable healthcare in the community.

The survey quizzed over 200 people of low or moderate income who have received assistance from the Spokane Regional Health District, Transitions, The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, and other organizations.

The Department of Ecology says Washington State saw a small decrease in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the most recent data released.

According to the latest data from the department, total carbon emissions rose 1.7 percent in 2016 to 97.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, then fell slightly in 2017 to 97.5 million metric tons.

The Washington State Board of Health today voted to ban an additive contained in vaping products that they believe could be responsible for a rash of lung injuries reported nationwide.

The additive is called vitamin E acetate. It's used in many vaping products, often as a thickening agent.

At a hearing in Spokane Monday, the health department’s Kathy Lofy described how CDC testing found the compound to be a common element in samples of fluid collected from lungs of 29 patients in 10 states with vaping-associated lung disease.

An astronaut who grew up in Spokane is part of the program put on by the Spokane Symphony this weekend in their tribute to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

The performance features three space-themed music selections, Holst’s The Planets, Berlioz’s Around the Earth in 90 Minutes, and Debussy’s Claire De Lune.

The Washington State Department of Ecology held a workshop this week to discuss ways that dischargers that release chemicals called PCBs into the river can meet legal limits of those chemicals, even though current technology is not quite ready to do that.

The so called “variances” would loosen the current standard of 7 parts per quadrillion for the chemicals that have been linked to cancer in humans by allowing the dischargers more time to meet those standards, in some cases as long as 20 years.

The Spokane Symphony is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this weekend with a special performance that features three space-themed music selections.

Those selections include Holst’s The Planets, Berlioz’s Around the Earth in 90 Minutes, and Debussy’s Claire De Lune, with special guest conductor Roger Kalia.

Attorneys for a south Spokane neighborhood organization have filed a suit against the Spokane County Planning Department’s director for allowing a large development to go forward.

The Spokane Youth Sports Association has plans to construct a 20-acre sports complex in the Glenrose neighborhood.

Neighbors say that project would bring increased traffic, congestion and lights to the area and hurt its rural character.

Mead School District officials are looking at their next step following rejection of a levy at the polls last week but say a Washington State Supreme Court ruling made that levy even more critical.

The $14 million levy was going to mitigate some cuts to the district that were implemented last spring and also increase some security in the district.
The cuts were the result of changes in school funding that were the direct result of the Supreme Court's McCleary decision that also resulted in increased pay for teachers.

Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman says Tuesday's election, when anyone could register to vote up to and including Election Day, meant extra work behind the scenes for election officials.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has sent a letter to PacWest Silicon, the company that hopes to build a silicon smelter in Pend Oreille County, asking for better communication from the company about its intentions.

The signup period has begun for Washington health plans.

If you are already signed up to a specific plan, you will be automatically renewed, but it is a good idea to check out the benefits and costs of the new version.

The state of Idaho has opened its annual enrollment for health insurance plans.

One hundred thousand people signed up last year, and about the same number is expected this year. There are 129 plans available, and four insurance carriers in most Idaho counties.

A man with a history of Internet fraud is now offering advice to law enforcement and the general public on how to avoid identity theft issues.

Brett Johnson was dubbed by the Secret Service as “the original Internet godfather” for his role in organizing the first cyber-crime community known as the “Shadowcrew.”

Spokane’s East Central Community Center held a celebration Tuesday for several major projects that are underway.

They include expansion of the center itself, a new and larger facility for Community Colleges of Spokane’s Head Start program, and groundbreaking for a new CHAS dental clinic.

Nurses at Sacred Heart Medical Center voted overwhelmingly on Friday to strike, but the order to walk has yet to come from union officials.

Both sides in the labor dispute are at the bargaining table today (Tuesday).

Spokane’s Felts Field is home to a new aviation museum that focuses on the golden era of flight.

The display will delight aviation enthusiasts and also serve as an educational tool for area students.

The Washington Department of Natural Resources is making money these days by leasing land that is used for generating renewable energy.

The money raised goes to the state and school funding.