Today's headlines:
- STA apologizes for Sunday bus crash that injured 7.
- Agricultural viability in Washington maybe shrinking as costs go up and incomes fall.
- An initiative meant to slow Washington's shift away from natural gas is headed to the state Supreme Court.
- Subscription-based health care is on the rise, according to a new study.
- Idaho's budget committee adopts more optimistic revenue forecast than governor's budget proposal.
Spokane’s professional soccer clubs have players from across the country and the globe, but both the Zephyr and Velocity now have their first local high school-aged players: Aliana Vakaloloma of Ridgeline High School and Rocky Wells of Mead. SPR’s Eliza Billingham will break down how an academy contract works.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Eliza Billingham, Owen Henderson, Rachel Sun and James Dawson.
The show is hosted and produced by Owen Henderson.
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TRANSCRIPT
[THEME MUSIC]
OWEN HENDERSON: From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today.
I’m Owen Henderson. It’s January 20, 2026.
On today’s show, we hear about the shrinking agricultural viability in Washington, as costs go up and incomes fall.
Plus, a new study shows subscription-based health care is on the rise as many Americans grapple with the rising costs of insurance premiums.
And Spokane’s professional soccer clubs have players from across the country and the globe, but both the Zephyr and Velocity have now signed their first local high school-aged players. SPR’s Eliza Billingham will break down the academy contract process.
Those stories and more, coming up on SPR News Today.
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Spokane Transit officials now say seven people were injured in Sunday’s accident involving a double decker bus and a downtown overpass.
Chief Executive Karl Otterstrom says nine passengers were on board.
Seven were taken to hospitals. All have since been released.
Otterstrom says the agency is investigating what led to the accident.
KARL OTTERSTROM: “The bus was clearly off route and that's really what we have to understand at this point is why was the bus on this route. It was not part of the training to be using Cedar Street to reach First Avenue.”
OH: Otterstrom wouldn’t say whether disciplinary action will be taken against the driver.
He says the damaged bus has been taken to the Spokane Transit Authority’s garage.
It’s not yet known whether repair work can be done in Spokane or whether the bus will be shipped back to its manufacturer.
Otterstrom apologized for the accident and the injuries.
He says STA will continue to work to assure the public that passenger safety is the organization’s top concern.
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OH: Rising costs and shrinking incomes are putting Washington agriculture at risk.
SPR’s Eliza Billingham reports.
ELIZA BILLINGHAM: In a Washington Senate committee meeting, ag economist Madison Roy showed a graph charting net farm income.
On the right, the orange line suddenly dropped down a steep 45 degree angle.
MADISON ROY: “The last peak in net farm income in Washington was 2021. Since then we have dropped off precipitously. As of 2024, we were number 43 in the nation in terms of net farm income. You know, if that’s not telling in terms of the high costs we are facing, then I don’t know what is.
EB: There are plenty of things cutting into ag viability in Washington. Production prices keep rising while crop prices drop, Roy says.
Labor is the most expensive input for producers. Domestic workers are aging out and H2A visas cost a lot.
International trade is also critical for Washington agriculture, but Roy says the federal administration is putting more barriers in the way.
And Washington’s failing infrastructure puts food systems at high risk.
Roy’s colleagues say there are ways to turn things around.
Investing in domestic food supply chains, supporting farmers’ mental health, improving ag tech and freeing up land are all ways to keep Washington’s ag sector viable.
I’m Eliza Billingham, reporting.
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OH: A controversial ballot measure is headed to the Washington state Supreme Court this week.
Initiative 2066 is meant to slow the state’s shift away from natural gas by unwinding changes to state energy code that incentivize choosing things like heat pumps.
Voters approved the measure by about three percentage points in 2024.
The case centers on whether the initiative violates Washington’s single subject rule for ballot measures.
Opponents say I-2066 joins too many distinct policy changes for one initiative. Last March, a King County judge agreed.
Climate groups also say it will result in higher consumer costs and prevent the state from reducing carbon emissions.
Proponents say it’s about preserving consumer choice and a reliable energy source.
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Researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University recently published a study showing subscription-based healthcare models are becoming more popular.
Northwest Public Broadcasting’s Rachel Sun explains.
RACHEL SUN: Dr. Jacques Bouchard is a family physician in Moscow, Idaho. He’s also one of a growing number of doctors whose patients pay a flat monthly fee.
JACQUES BOUCHARD: “I get paid regardless … in a fee-for-service, the only way physicians get paid is if someone walks through the door and is seen. You wouldn't get paid for phone notes. You don't get paid for reviewing labs. You don't get paid for thinking a little bit extra.”
RS: A national study published in the December issue of Health Affairs shows that the number of subscription-based health clinics increased by 83% from 2018 to 2023. That includes the model used at Bouchard’s clinic, known as direct primary care.
Dewey Whiting started going to Bouchard over a year ago, and pays $100 a month. He says he likes that appointments feel personal.
DEWEY WHITING: “I got on his portal, and he’s got a schedule that you can get on there and look. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he's got appointments tomorrow. I don't have to wait a month and a half to get in for a physical.’”
RS: Direct primary care clinics do not take health insurance. The study’s authors say more research is needed to understand how the growth of subscription health care models could affect health care access.
I’m Rachel Sun, reporting.
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OH: Idaho lawmakers can begin working on budgets.
As James Dawson reports, the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee is painting a rosy economic outlook when it comes to the state’s tax revenue over the coming year.
JAMES DAWSON: JFAC believes the state will take in about $5.82 billion in the next fiscal year, strengthened by last month’s resurgence in corporate income tax.
That’s about $150 million higher than what Gov. Little anticipated in his proposed budget.
Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow says that gives her hope.
MELISSA WINTROW: “I think this is an indication that hey, we don’t have to make these deep cuts that people are talking about and people don’t have to suffer then—our state employees, Medicaid recipients and so forth.”
JD: But Republican Rep. Josh Tanner, who co-chairs JFAC, tempered expectations.
JOSH TANNER: “It’s not so much about what you’re putting down there for cutting, not cutting.”
JD: He says that additional money might instead pay for things left out of the governor’s budget, like local road projects or conforming to federal tax changes in a different way.
JFAC will begin budget hearings this morning.
James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio News
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OH: When pro soccer came to Spokane, it brought players from across the country and around the world.
Now, to find even more talent, the clubs are looking locally.
The Spokane Zephyr and Velocity have each brought up their first academy player from a local high school.
Academy contracts allow high schoolers to play on professional teams without losing college eligibility.
They create new pathways for players to go pro—with or without college experience.
SPR’s Eliza Billingham reports.
EB: Do your teammates help you with homework?
ROCKY WELLS: "Ha, occasionally, yeah. Derek, Derek Waldek helps me out, so."
EB: "Al, do you get any of that extra support?"
ALIANA VAKALOLOMA: "No I don’t, unfortunately."
EB: Rocky Wells is a senior at Mead High School. Aliana, or Al, Vakaloloma is a junior at Ridgeline.
They are the first amateurs to sign academy contracts with Spokane’s professional soccer teams.
AV: "I am still able to play in college, so I don’t get paid or anything. I train with the team, I’m on the team, but I just have those certain rules."
EB: Academy players are super popular across the soccer world.
Professional clubs in Europe build entire academy teams they can pull from.
Some American clubs have academy teams. USL Spokane doesn’t, but it lets young local players train informally with its clubs.
The two current academy contracts came out of those community relationships.
With one eye on going pro, keeping college eligibility is often really important to young athletes.
ALEX ASHTON: "The best players can get a choice, basically."
EB: Alex Ashton runs the national newsletter League One Updater.
AA: "They have exposure to the professional side."
EB: So if they stand out, they can get offered a professional contract.
But they also have that option of going on to NCAA and continuing their development.
That was one of my biggest confusions about the academy system.
EB: "Are you guys hoping to go straight from academy to pro, or how much are you considering going to college?"
RW: For me, the goal is to be at Spokane Velocity for as long as I can, I think it’s just such an amazing opportunity and such a great team and staff. But the option for college is always there. So I would just say playing it by ear and seeing how the season goes.
EB: For some players, they aren’t wondering if they’ll go pro, but when.
AA: "Nick Simmons was an academy player with Richmond, who also had played professional minutes as an academy player. And then he was offered a contract, but he decided to go NCAA, went to UVA, where he had a breakout season and then got drafted number three in the MLS draft this year."
EB: Now, all this talk about college eligibility might remind some people of current situations in other sports.
The NCAA is currently facing scrutiny for letting a G League player return to a college basketball team and allowing an NFL draftee who didn’t sign to play college football again.
But that’s different than what we’re talking about here.
The G League is a professional league that pays players.
Entering the NFL draft is considered renouncing college eligibility to go pro.
We’re talking about high school students who aren’t making any money, even though they’re giving up certain parts of being a kid.
RW: "One of the main sacrifices we’ve had to make is like, we’re taking online classes. We don’t get the normal high school experience I feel like some other kids get."
AV: "Yeah, I’d have to agree, like maybe hangouts with friends or something like that. But there’s always time to make that up. I definitely think it’s just such a great opportunity to be a part of the team. It’s nothing I would change."
EB: And there’s definitely something in it for the clubs, too.
AA: "I think another thing about local talent, especially young local talent, is that it's generally cheaper for the clubs because a lot of them still live with their parents, so they don't have to pay housing."
EB: Ashton knows a lot about the Richmond Kickers, since he’s a USL fan in Virginia.
AA: “At our level, you know, most of the teams are operating on the margins or at losses…Richmond has said that it's great to find local people who live here, especially on the younger side—like, our goalkeeper who started most of our matches last year lives with his parents down the street from the stadium.”
EB: Ashton says one or two academy players probably don’t have a huge financial impact on a team.
But the more local players on a first string roster, the better it can be for everyone.
AV: "Being in that environment, like, competitive environment, where we all hold each other to a certain standard, it’s very different to club and high school, because we’re so young and I feel like the main focus is having fun. Whereas on this team, I really feel like they push me."
RW: "My growth as a player and a person since I’ve been involved with Velocity has been great…At the end of the day, it’s totally worth it. Like, there’s no place else I’d rather be."
EB: Moments after this interview, Wells announced on social media his verbal commitment to play D1 soccer at Oregon State University.
I’m Eliza Billingham, reporting.
[SHORT MUSIC BED]
OH: SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting today was contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Rachel Sun, Eliza Billingham, James Dawson and me, Owen Henderson. I’m also the host and producer.
Thanks for listening.
It’s SPR.
