HHS must reactivate federal health websites, per settlement
The Washington State Medical Association and others have settled a case against the national government for removing federal websites with health information.
The sites began disappearing in January, Medical Association President John Bramhall said.
"The trigger words for the administration seem to include words like vaccine, gender—travel, even—travel advisories about vaccination status and infectious diseases," Bramhall told SPR News.
Bramhall’s organization and several others, including the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, sued.
“Our complaint was, A, that this was causing problems for physicians and nurses on the front line. They relied on this information," Bramhall said. "And the second complaint, really, in parallel, was that the information being altered and removed was being changed for political reasons, not for scientific reasons."
He said the government recently decided to settle the case rather than go to court.
The Medical Association said in a statement, as part of the agreement, the Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to re-activate the web pages that were taken down.
But Bramhall says the damage has been done.
"The doctors in Washington state, the trust that they have in government agencies has been eroded," he said. "And I think that's problematic."
And, Bramhall says, the settlement does not guarantee that the government won’t remove the websites at a future time.
Spokane eviction case to be decided by jury for first time in recent memory
A South Hill landlord and convicted rapist is trying to evict a tenant who hasn’t paid rent in four years.
The tenant says it’s because her apartment is uninhabitable, and her trial began Tuesday.
This is the first time in recent memory an eviction case has gone to jury trial.
Arlin Jordin operates dozens of rental units in Spokane. He’s in prison for drugging and raping a potential tenant, but he’s able to run his business from behind bars.
Jordin has tried more than five times to evict tenant Lisa Brayman.
Jordin says Brayman hasn’t paid rent for her unit on the lower South Hill for four years and owes him more than $36,000.
Brayman says her unit is uninhabitable and unsafe.
Jordin’s attempts to evict Brayman have failed every time he’s brought them to court.
In December last year, Judge Michelle Szambelan dismissed Jordin’s attempt to evict Brayman. Court documents cite confusing eviction notices and habitability concerns.
Szambelan also stated that from that point on, if Jordin filed again, the case would skip typical procedures and go straight to a lengthier jury trial.
He did try again, and now that jury trial is underway.
Jordin is set to testify via Zoom at the hearing Wednesday, and a verdict should be made by the end of the week.
Hall of Famer, WSU coach dies at 88
Washington State University basketball fans are mourning the death of George Raveling.
The former Cougar coach passed away yesterday at the age of 88 from cancer, according to his family.
The Washington State basketball program was not in good shape when the university hired George Raveling in 1972. Raveling came from Philadelphia. He’d played at Villanova University and then coached there.
When he stepped foot in Pullman, the Cougars weren’t winning many games and there wasn’t much interest in the program. Raveling often told the story of holding press conferences with one Spokesman-Review reporter in attendance.
Raveling’s teams struggled through several seasons, but in 1980, led by Terry Kelly from Spokane’s Gonzaga Prep, the Cougs qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in nearly 40 years. There was a return trip three years later.
Raveling was the first Black coach in the Pac-8 Conference. He later went on to coach at Iowa and Southern California.
He was also an author, a motivational speaker and later a television commentator. In 2015, Raveling was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Newest crop of wildfires cause air quality alert
The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert for Stevens, Spokane, Lincoln, and Grant Counties until further notice.
This is in addition to Heat Advisories and Warnings currently in effect for the Inland Northwest.
N-W-S cites smoke from regional wildfires as the reason for the Air Quality Alert.
The agency recommends limiting your time outside, avoiding strenuous outdoor activity, and following tips for cleaner indoor air, like buying an air purifier or rigging one up with filters and a box fan.
And with the heat, N-W-S officials say to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
Crews continue to battle wildfires causing the alert that cropped up over the weekend in northeastern Washington and north Idaho.
The Crown Creek Fire near Northport has now burned nearly 4,400 acres.
Officials have expanded the Level 3 evacuation orders to sound of Hawk’s Road, and previous Level 1 evacuations are now Level 2.
Evacuation order levels in areas north and directly west of the fire remain the same.
The Rattlesnake Fire near the confluence of the Spokane and Columbia Rivers has now burned more than 4,100 acres.
The Ulm Creek Fire north of Prichard has burned about 400 acres so far.
Officials say both the Rattlesnake and Ulm Creek Fires are still uncontained.
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Reporting by Doug Nadvornick, Eliza Billingham, and Owen Henderson.