Hospitals restrict visits with suspected measles cases
Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville has restricted visitations to minors after potential measles cases in Stevens County.
Mike Barsotti, Providence’s chief administrative officer for children’s services, said the hospital has been notified a child in Stevens County has potentially been exposed to measles.
He said because measles is highly contagious, he advises people with symptoms to call before going into the hospital to reduce exposure.
"We have screening going on for measles in the emergency room, which is probably the place most people will go — We'll also ask you, ‘Do you have fever, runny nose, conjunctivitis, red eyes and/or a rash?’” Barsotti said.
“If you answer yes to any of those, then we'll pull you aside, give you a mask, and then the staff will come out and escort you into the emergency room through a different entrance, so you're not walking around your other people,” he said.
Barsotti said they have also restricted visitations to minors at Sacred Heart and Holy Family hospitals in Spokane.
Stevens County fires still uncontained
Fire officials have issued evacuation orders for parts of Stevens County after lightning storms last week struck the north end of the region, igniting four fires.
The fires are near Northport, Marble and Onion Creek areas, with the Crown Creek Fire having grown to more than 3,100 acres as of Monday night.
Starting tomorrow, Northwest Team 12 will take over for Northeast Washington Incident Management Team 1, which had been in charge of the operations.
Anjel Tomayko with the Department of Natural Resources says that’s because resources are limited right now.
"Late August is usually the most challenging time for resources, because there are a significant number of firefighters that are in college and they're returning to school, as well as other firefighters who have children that are starting school," Tomayko told SPR News. "And the number of fires across the west right now are limiting resources even further."
Residents at the southern end of the county can expect smokier air, said Stevens County Fire District 1 Chief Mike Bucy. He's warning residents to avoid the area.
According to Stevens County Emergency Management, the Crown Creek Fire near Northport has continued to back down Alice Mae and O’Toole Mountains.
Still, the blaze is still uncontained, and all levels of evacuation orders remain in place.
The Katy Fire near Kettle Falls has now grown to more than about 600 acres, according to Stevens County Emergency Management.
It’s still 0% contained, but the fire is so far not threatening any residences.
SPS students return to class—once again without their phones
When Spokane public school students begin class today, they’ll again be governed by rules limiting their cell phone usage.
Elementary and middle school students aren’t allowed to access their phones during the school day.
High school students can’t have their phones during instructional time, but they are allowed to check them during lunch and break periods.
District officials say they’re also asking parents to participate in the monitoring of phone usage, especially around bedtime.
Superintendent Adam Swinyard told the school board last week that the district wants to promote sufficient and restful sleep.
"We’re going to be really talking with our whole community about a no-phones-to-bed pledge, looking for us all to step in and take that pledge so that they can be focused on sleep health," Swinyard said.
The district will promote the idea of encouraging students to get more sleep for the next few months, leading up to World Sleep Day in mid-March, he said.
Whitworth semester begins with fewer international students
Whitworth University welcomed 658 new students on Saturday for move-in day.
The university was bracing for a decrease in enrollment because of changes under the current administration to higher education, Trisha Coder, assistant director of media relations for Whitworth said.
Those changes have led to fear among students of color and the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, she said.
"A lot of people have said, ‘You're not going to get those kids. You're not gonna be able to help those kids. And sure enough, we did. So we've been able to pull magical strings every way we can, and so it's wonderful to be able to see them coming here this year."
Coder told SPR News that of the nearly 660 new students, 90 are transfers, more than a quarter are athletes and more than a third are first-generation.
Only nine of them are international students. Coder said that’s a decrease from years before because of limited visa appointments and visa denials.
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Reporting by Monica Carrillo-Casas, Owen Henderson and Doug Nadvornick.