Overdose death rates continue to rise in Spokane County
The number of deaths caused by drug overdoses are on a downward trajectory in the U.S. if you look at the national numbers. But that’s not the case in Spokane County.
Medical Examiner Veena Singh says the number of people who died from drug overdoses has increased from about 100 in 2019 to 346 last year. As many as 30 or 40 cases still under investigation could be added to that.
“Sadly, in 2025, we’re on track to meet or exceed last year’s cases. So, as of today, we’ve signed out 30 overdoses for the 31 days of January. We do have about 40 cases that are still pending, additional testing, and then some of those will turn out to be overdoses," Singh said in a briefing with the Spokane County commissioners on Tuesday.
She says nearly four-of-five of last year's accidental overdoses are attributed in part to fentanyl, often in combination with other drugs.
“What we seeing almost 70% of the time is that methamphetamine and cocaine are detected in mixed overdoses," she said.
She cited a marked rise in the use of methamphetamine and a small increase in cocaine-related overdoses.
“It’s interesting to note that many of those dying from substance overdoses are housed and employed. And the majority of them are occurring indoors, actually, in a private residence or, less commonly, a hotel or a residential facility," she said.
Singh says most users are in the 25-to-65 age range. She says she doesn’t know why, at a time when overdose deaths are decreasing nationwide, that Spokane County is going the other way.
Federal funding freeze still hitting WA early learning programs
Some Washington Head Start programs are still having trouble accessing federal funds they need to operate preschool classrooms.
This comes a week after President Donald Trump ordered a short-lived freeze on federal grants and loans.
A federal judge paused the executive order just before it was supposed to take effect.
But still, a week later, several Head Start programs across the country are still locked out or getting error messages in payment portals.
Washington’s Head Start program provides free preschool to over 13,000 low-income children across the state.
"These are kids who are living in deep poverty. Many of them are experiencing significant developmental delays before they arrive in kindergarten," Washington Head Start's Joel Ryan said. "So these are children who really need, well, a ‘head start’ to be successful in school.”
Ryan told KUOW public radio that this funding freeze has caused chaos.
As of Tuesday, he said some providers are still getting error messages or blocked from the funding portal in what he described as “rolling blackouts.”
"They’re putting the programs in a difficult spot, but you know, if this were to continue, what happens to the families who can’t afford child care?" Ryan said. "Ultimately this is about the kids and the families."
And if it isn’t fixed soon, some of these critical programs will be forced to close.
Federal immigration authorities arrest former Spokane Colleges student
Spokane Colleges officials say a former student was arrested today by federal immigration officials in the parking lot at Spokane Community College.
The college sent a campus wide message with a few details. It said the person was arrested without incident for violating their international visa.
The statement says the campus security office was notified by an ICE agent just a few minutes before the arrest. It says the agent did not ask for nor receive any help from the college.
Spokane legislator's free-lunch-for-all-students bill gets hearing
Spokane state Senator Marcus Riccelli brought his campaign for free school lunches for all children to a Senate committee Tuesday.
It’s a cause for which he has worked for several years as a state House member, making incremental progress. But this is the first time Riccelli has debuted the bill as a senator.
“We have moved from about 30% of our students through the passage through the passage of three bills to about 70% of our students now having access to universal breakfasts and lunch. This is a tremendous move forward," he said.
The bill has the support of Governor Bob Ferguson and received kudos from speakers at a hearing of the Senate Early Learning Committee. But the committee’s chairman, Mercer Island Democrat Lisa Wellman, tampered expectations. She said her committee has several other priorities at a time when money is limited.
“I don’t believe we’ll be able to fund all of these items plus meals on top of that, as much as we would like to be providing everything we possibly can to students," she said.
The bill, if passed, would go into effect during the 2026-27 school year.
ID House GOP decries senate tuition subsidy bill
Idaho House Republican leaders say a proposed private school tuition subsidy that cleared a Senate committee this week would be dead on arrival should it make it to their side of the capitol.
The bill from Republican Sen. David Lent would use $20 million to fund private school tuition among other education expenses through the existing Empowering Parents grant program.
Lent’s proposal barely cleared a Senate committee Monday night with Democratic Sen. Carrie Semmelroth casting the deciding vote because it also added $30 million in new special education funding.
House Majority Leader Jason Monks says he’d kill it if the measure clears the Senate in favor of a $50 million tuition subsidy bill he co-sponsors. That money would be distributed using a refundable tax credit.
"It’s the fairest way of doing it. It’s the least bureaucratic way of doing it," Monk said. "It keeps the Department of Education out of the mix and it puts the power back into the parents where they choose and how they choose to spend their money."
Lent didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
A House committee will consider the tax credit bill at 9 a.m. MT this morning.
- - -
Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Sami West and James Dawson.