Spokane County police officer dies on on-duty accident
Funeral arrangements are underway for a Spokane County Sheriff’s sergeant who was killed over the weekend.
Sergeant Ken Salas was hit by a motorcycle while he was clearing debris from I-90 near Four Lake on Saturday morning.
Sheriff John Nowels said Salas was highly respected by the public and his co-workers.
“He was the nicest man you could ever hope to meet. Willing to do anything for anybody. I think he took the idea of being a servant leader to heart and I think the men and women who worked with and for him would tell you they absolutely loved working for him," Nowels said.
Salas was hit by the motorcycle while removing hay that was blocking one lane of the interstate. He worked for the sheriff’s office for 34 years and planned to retire next month.
Housing prices increase the most in Spokane low income neighborhoods
It’s pretty obvious that houses cost more in Spokane today than they did 15 years ago.
Homes in the Grandview/Thorpe, West Central, East Central and Bemiss neighborhoods have seen a much bigger price jump since 2010 than the rest of the city.
According to data analysis by Eastern Washington University masters student Kenneth Moore, the median percent increase across the city is about 145% during that time.
But lower income neighborhoods have seen much steeper increases – closer to 200%.
The average house price in East Central has jumped from about $90,000 to about $260,000.
West Central average prices have climbed from around $100,000 to more than $333,000.
You used to be able to find a house in Grandview/Thorpe for a little more than $100,000 too. Now, the average price is close to half a million.
Spokane has seen people with higher salaries moving to the area over the past few years.
Some experts say these data support the idea that an influx of wealth can have an outsized impact on low-income neighborhoods.
Voters in Stevens County may be asked to fund emergency services
Stevens County emergency responders say they may have to cut back on their services, unless something changes. A number of factors are in play.
Sheriff Brad Manke said emergency medical services in Stevens County should be okay for this year. They have enough money.
“Next year remains to be seen," he said.
The county’s EMS system was established in the early 1970s by the sheriff’s office and the county commissioners after a private ambulance company terminated its services.
The system was initially funded by general taxpayer dollars but soon shifted into a fee-for-service model, which relies on reimbursements from insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid instead of a dedicated tax levy.
“Medicare, Medicaid payments have not kept up with real world real world costs, and that's really where we're running into trouble, is we're not getting reimbursed enough for the services that we're providing," Manke said.
He says he and other responders are looking into a potential property tax levy in order to continue providing services across Stevens County. The system also serves parts of Ferry and Pend Oreille Counties.
Manke says voters wouldn’t see a ballot measure until next year.
Washington humanities groups get boost from new private grants
Spokane’s Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is getting help to continue a series of events that tell stories about the city’s past.
Humanities Washington recently awarded a grant to support the museum’s Our Stories project. Rob Worstell, the MAC’s director of education, says, during the last year or so, the museum hosted events that highlight the contributions of individual people and families. The last was held in late June on the museum grounds.
“It's mostly having those folks share their stories. We give them a little bit of training about presenting and storytelling. We bring out objects from our collection. The museum's open and free. I invite in community groups, like for the Black Families, we did the NAACP, the Asian one, we partnered with Asians for Collective Liberation on that. And we had dance and music and food," he said.
The MAC’s next event, in October, will celebrate the contributions of Spokane veterans and celebrate a Tuskegee Airman who graduated from North Central High School.
Humanities Washington last week announced it's granting more than $100,000 to 20 humanities groups, including seven in eastern and central Washington. FAVS News in Pullman plans a series of multimedia stories to highlight people working to pull communities together.
"At the heart of this project really are remarkable, but under-recognized leaders and organizations who really are working across deep divides in the region and are creating unexpected connections that have strengthened our region's cultural fabric. And so we're really excited to start highlighting those," said FAVS News Executive Director Tracy Simmons.
Other eastern and central Washington recipients include the Methow Valley Interpretive Center in Twisp, Wenatchee Valley College in Omak and the Power House Theater in Walla Walla.
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Reporting contributed by Tom Lee, Eliza Billingham, Monica Carrillo-Casas and Doug Nadvornick.