North Idaho lawmakers introduce new abortion exceptions bill
State lawmakers introduced a bill Friday to include new exceptions to Idaho’s near total abortion ban, though it will not move forward this year.
Halting the bill’s progress was the only way Senate Republican leaders said they would allow it to be introduced.
“The Republican caucus and all of its members are pro-life and inside of that pro-life position are nuances,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon (R-Rupert), noting that all of those nuances should be explored publicly.
The proposal would allow abortions when a fetus is diagnosed by two doctors that it could not survive outside the womb.
“The term does not include the numerous birth defects, chromosomal abnormalities, or genetic mutations that are compatible with extended survival after birth, such as Down syndrome,” the bill reads.
Pregnancy complications that would result in major physical health problems for the mother would also be covered, though it would not include psychiatric problems that could lead to her suicide.
“I do not believe in elective abortion, but I do believe in providing medical care for very particular situations that we’re trying to address,” said Sen. Jim Woodward (R-Sagle), one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
Rep. Mark Sauter (R-Sandpoint), who also partnered on the bill, briefly explained to the Senate State Affairs Committee that the main hospital in both of their districts closed its maternal care wing in 2023.
Since then, Sauter said three OB-GYNs left town, along with their only maternal fetal specialist whose emergency department doctor husband left as well.
Women in Sandpoint must drive more than an hour south to Coeur d’Alene to get this type of care.
As Sauter explained the situation, Senate Republican Leader Lori Den Hartog (R-Meridian) cut off discussion by making a motion to introduce the legislation.
She later said, “I think this is an important conversation. I have many serious and grave concerns with the legislation as drafted.”
Dr. John Werdel, the former head of women’s services for St. Luke’s, helped draft the bill and later spoke to its purpose.
“Clearly defining maternal health risk is going to eliminate the majority of transports out of our state that are occurring now and these are emotionally and financially devastating consequences for families.”
He’s referring to several women who’ve had to be flown to hospitals elsewhere to receive an abortion due to Idaho’s near total ban on the procedure.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has called for making changes to the state's ban, though nothing significant has been introduced with the possibility of receiving a public hearing.
A pro-abortion rights group, Idahoans United for Women and Families, is currently circulating a proposed ballot initiative that would override the state's ban and place no limitations on a woman's access to getting an abortion or contraception.
Spokane considers axing maximum heights downtown
The Spokane City Council will consider an interim ordinance that would allow buildings of all heights in and around the downtown core at their meeting Monday night.
"I think on the part of council, their desire was to lift the height limits as a way to make downtown more enticing for development," Spokane Planning Director Spencer Gardner told SPR News.
He said the city has its eye on getting property owners to develop the downtown lots that are now used for surface parking.
But Gardner said lifting the height restrictions will only be one tool to accomplish that.
"It may have an impact on one or two projects. And I think we all hope that we see these parking lots transform into something different," he said. "I don't know that it will be a noticeable effect in the next few years. I think it may take some more time for our market to mature around that."
Hear more of of Spencer Gardner’s thoughts in the latest Inland Journal.
Valley rep's sea lion hunting measure isn't dead yet
Spokane Valley state Representative Rob Chase wants the Trump administration and Congress to help the Northwest solve its sea lion problem.
Chase is the prime sponsor of a joint memorial that asks the federal government for more flexibility to remove California sea lions from the mouth of the Columbia River.
The sea mammals are blamed for hunting salmon that return to Northwest rivers to reproduce. Chase wants tribes to be allowed to harvest sea lions to reduce their population.
"If we could increase the runs of salmon to get past all the way up the Snake, then there would be no reason to have to breach the dams," Chase told SPR News. "And so I think everybody would be happy. It’d be a win-win situation for everybody."
The measure has 15 co-sponsors from both parties. It passed out of committee but didn’t clear the House before a recent deadline.
However, Chase said that because the legislation is a memorial to the federal government, it can be revived and voted on at any time during the session.
Striking workers in Washington could get access to unemployment claims
A bill in the Washington legislature to give striking workers some access to unemployment benefits is moving forward.
On Friday, the majority members of the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards recommended lawmakers pass Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5041, which is sponsored by Spokane Senator Marcus Riccelli.
If it becomes law, the bill would allow striking workers to receive up to 12 weeks of unemployment.
There’s been debate on what impact the bill might have on the state’s small businesses.
"We do not believe it's appropriate or fair to make all employers pay for the cost of labor disputes, even if they had no role in it," said Julia Gorton with the Washington Hospitality Association during a public hearing in the House.
The bill says that employers would bear the brunt of any pay out for their striking workers.
The fiscal note says the likelihood that other businesses would pay for those benefits is low.
In the same hearing, Brenda Wiest shared her support of the bill. She sits on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Committee and is a member of Teamsters Local 117.
" It will not increase rates for small businesses and it will help workers and it will restore balance to that collective bargaining process," Wiest said.
These protections would go away in 2035. And, every year, lawmakers would need to report on the bill’s impact.
Alexa Tapia with the National Employment Law Project said the bill goes with the intent of unemployment insurance — that is, to protect workers from financial hardship.
"Striking workers and their families deserve the same financial support and should not be pushed into poverty for exercising their legally protected right to strike to obtain good jobs," she said.
Some people that spoke in opposition to the bill are concerned that it would make longer strikes more frequent.
Lawmakers said they think this bill would make strikes less frequent or shorter. They said businesses would be less likely to prolong union negotiations because of the extra costs.
The state Senate has already approved the bill.
Gonzaga men exit March Madness, while women advance in WBIT
The number 4 seeded Gonzaga women’s basketball team is advancing to the quarterfinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament after defeating the number 1 seeded Colorado this weekend.
This is the tournament for teams not selected for the NCAA’s championship bracket.
Gonzaga Athletics says this is the team’s first win over Colorado in program history.
March Madness has ended for the Zag men.
The number 8 seeded Bulldogs fell to the top ranked University of Houston Cougars on Saturday in the second round of the tournament, 81-76.
A win for the Zags would’ve seen them make a tenth consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16.
Animal assisted therapy mostly uses dogs. But a Washington State University researcher is looking at whether cats might be a better choice for some people.
Cats are sometimes used as therapy animals to give emotional support to people, especially in Europe.
WSU professor Patricia Pendry has been working with researchers in Belgium to see which traits make them better suited for animal assisted services. They surveyed about 500 cat owners.
"We found the cats that do this type of work tended to be more social with humans but also other cats," she said. "They were more attention-seeking, and what we thought was most important were more tolerant with being handled.”
Pendry told SPR News she sees the idea of felines as therapy animals appealing to those who identify as "cat people" and would not be interested in interacting with a dog.
“Maybe the opportunity to interact with a cat would be something they would enjoy and they would benefit," she said. "And if we don’t offer interactions with cats, they’re not the ones who are going to show up at animal assisted interventions."
Research shows that as little as ten minutes of interaction with a dog or cat can lower stress levels, and improve a person’s emotional state, reducing anxiety and irritability.
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Reporting contributed by James Dawson, Doug Nadvornick, Lauren Gallup, Owen Henderson and Steve Jackson.