Spokane launches immigration rights site
A new site is available for anyone looking to learn about the resources and constitutional rights of immigrant and refugee populations in Spokane.
The City of Spokane Friday launched a “Know Your Rights” website that includes contact information for organizations with more resources and an attorney referral list.
There are also links to advice on what to do if someone is approached by an immigration enforcement official in 19 different languages, from Spanish and Ukrainian to Hmong and Farsi.
The site comes in the wake of increased immigration crackdowns. The more than 275 June arrests in Washington were at least double any month since the start of the second Trump administration.
The share of arrestees in Washington with criminal records dropped sharply, to less than one-third, according to the Deportation Data Project at the University of California Berkeley.
"This effort is about dignity and inclusion," Director of the Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Inclusion Jerrall Haynes said in a statement. "We want every resident in Spokane to feel supported and empowered to exercise their rights."
WSU looks to increase accessibility of health care by teaching future providers ASL
Deaf patients sometimes have difficulty communicating with their health care providers.
Washington State University Speech and Hearing Sciences Associate Professor Melissa Ratsch told SPR News she’s experienced it in her own life.
"I have several friends and family members who are deaf," Ratsch said. "And I've seen what they have faced in their own lives when it comes to hospital care or clinic care and just the lack of awareness of what their needs are and what is required for them."
Providers sometimes assume the person before them can read lips, she said, and sometimes they bring in virtual interpreters to help with mixed results.
This fall, Ratsch will introduce a new class designed to help health sciences students communicate better with deaf patients.
"It's not going to be something that, you know, now they can interpret and have a full-on conversation or anything like that, but just to give them the tools they need when interacting with somebody who's deaf," she said.
That includes teaching them how to sign a few hundred relevant words.
Ratsch said the seven-week virtual elective course for people is open to anyone studying in any health care field. It will begin August 18.
NEPA changes could limit public input on logging, mining federal lands
The federal government is proposing changes that would drastically limit public input on how federal lands are used.
That's a big deal for Western states like Washington and Oregon—where vast stretches of land are federally owned.
Federal agencies are required to seek public comments on projects that could harm the environment, like logging or cattle grazing.
Oregon environmental attorney Susan Jane Brown told partner station OPB public comments can highlight what's important to the people who use the land the most.
"Inevitably, the agency missed something," she said. "They didn't know that this timber sale is right in the middle of my favorite elk camp, or it's right next to this ATV trail that I like to ride on the weekends."
The proposed changes are coming to a 55-year-old law called the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
Multiple federal agencies will stop accepting comments on these changes Monday, Aug. 4.
Sounders star and new Velocity co-owner visits Spokane
If you noticed more Seattle Sounders jerseys around town this weekend, it could be because Sounders legend Ozzie Alonso was in Spokane.
Alonso one of the best midfielders the Seattle Sounders ever had. Now, he’s also one of the owners of Spokane’s United Soccer League, or USL, clubs—the Zephyr and the Velocity. He came to the Velocity’s home game on Saturday night to see the club in action for the first time.
"I used to play here in USL when I came from Cuba. I play in Charleston Battery," Alonso told SPR News. "I go through that process like playing USL, MLS, and I kind of always want to be involved in soccer when I retire."
Major League Soccer, or the MLS, is the highest level and largest league of men’s soccer in the States. But more and more USL teams are popping up across the country. For now, they’re mostly second and third tier teams. But they offer new professional pathways for athletes.
They’re also helping increase the caliber of soccer being played across America. That’s something pro players are starting to take notice of.
Global soccer icon Ronaldinho became an owner of USL’s Greenville Triumph in 2024. This year, three current US National Men’s Teams players also invested in USL teams. A
Alonso is among the earliest retired MLS players to invest in a USL club.
"Well, I think that's great that a guy who played at that level, he's part of the ownership," Carlos Merancio, Velocity’s goalkeeper, said during Saturday’s game. "I think we need more of that in the US and that's great, that's great to have someone like him part of the club."
In front of their newest owner, Velocity eked out an ugly 2-1 win against their opponents, Union Omaha
WA lawmakers study fire resiliency, damage mitigation tactics
As fire crews continue mopping up regional fires, a group of firefighters and community leaders is studying ways to alleviate fire damage.
The Washington Legislature created the group to develop potential wildfire and resiliency standards.
Last week, members called on authorities in California where wildfires have destroyed whole neighborhoods.
Cal Fire’s Deputy Director of Wildfire Preparedness, Frank Bigelow, told the group that older homes are especially vulnerable but can be easily retrofitted.
"These things can go from caulking cracks on the exterior of a home, moving combustible material away from the base of your home," Bigelow told legislators. "Or even something as simple as during the day go into your garage, shut the door and if you can see light coming in from under the door you need to replace the gasket because embers can get in from underneath there."
The legislature wants the group’s report on new potential fire safety standards by December.
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Reporting by Owen Henderson, Doug Nadvornick, April Ehrlich, Eliza Billingham and Tom Lee.