SPR News Today
SPR News Today is Spokane Public Radio’s new daily news podcast. In 10 minutes each weekday morning, the SPR News team will take you through headlines from around the Inland Northwest and bring the context to make sense of them.
Latest Episodes
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Plus, AG Nick Brown says states are having to pick up the slack on anti-trust litigation as feds drop cases. Central Valley School District expands free preschool, but the superintendent worries it's not enough. A "fish helix" could make salmon restoration easier without creating agricultural difficulties. And the Trump administration officially cancels a Biden-era conservation rule for public lands.
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Plus, voter repeal effort against WA’s "millionaires' tax" launches following failed lawsuit. WA officials continue to sound alarms over low snowpack and plan information-gathering town halls. Open seats in eastern WA attract many Independent candidates. Walla Walla Community College looks for business partners to stave off closing its Clarkston campus as staffing cuts loom. And Seattle officials are training business leaders to look for signs of human trafficking ahead of the World Cup.
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SPR News introduces a special weekend edition: Soccer Saturday.
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Plus, new data shows 13% of Washingtonians dropping ACA coverage after federal subsidies expired. The World Cup may not have the economic effect that Seattle or Spokane expected. Medical Lake expands Eastern Washington's ban on selling kratom. Latah County wants a new jail, but isn't sure how to pay for it. Sunnyside is getting more housing for H-2A visa workers. Labor advocates worry fewer local farmworkers will be hired.
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Plus, Panhandle Health District are happy to renounce CDC guidelines. New report raises concerns about sexual assault investigations at WA's largest immigration detention center. Washington's Department for Ecology asks for public input on water use this summer. Spokane Valley bans crypto kiosks.
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Plus, new polling shows Spokane residents’ top worries continue to be public safety and homelessness. But the cost of living and taxes are catching up. The Spokane Police Department is getting new training in a restraining method that’s said to be safer for both officer and arrestee. The block on WA's new sheriff eligibility requirements will stand as a challenge to the law goes forward. Thousands of people in Washington and Idaho are dropping their subsidized health insurance coverage after Congress failed to renew federal tax credits. Idaho looking for help from the public to decide how to spend opioid settlement dollars.
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Plus, Washington's Supreme Court says the "millionaires' tax" can't be challenged by referendum—though voters may still get a chance to weigh in. Rep. Michael Baumgartner holds a town hall in Republic after seeing protestors in Colville. Gas prices in Washington hit another record high today. And Spokane is trying to curb late night street racing.
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Plus, more measles cases are popping up in Washington. The Reardan Health Clinic will soon expand to double its capacity. Retired police, firefighters sue Washington over budget maneuver they say puts their pensions at risk. The Spokane Conservation District is asking small towns to support a $5 increase to parcel fees before it asks county commissioners. And at least one artificial intelligence company is approaching small town governments in Washington offering AI tools…to help with AI compliance.
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Plus, a Thurston County judge partially blocks WA's new standards for law enforcement leaders. Six transgender Idahoans sue their state over its criminal bathroom ban. Data centers make planning for energy use in the Northwest unpredictable, a new analysis says. STA decides to send sales tax renewal to voters this August—but with a sunset clause. And GOP Rep. Michael Baumgartner embarks on a tour of 12 counties in 12 days ahead of reelection filing.
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Plus, WAs ask judge to force private immigration detention center to allow state health inspections. Unofficial special election results show none of the ballot measures in Stevens and Spokane Counties passed. Private construction companies want in on fixing Idaho's failing infrastructure. College students in Idaho will pay more for tuition next year. And Moscow officials deny a permit to a developer connected to a Christian nationalist religious movement.