Today's headlines:
- Thousands in the Inland Northwest remain without power after yesterday's windstorm.
- Washington legislators closed out their short session yesterday, sending budget bills to the governor.
- Colleagues say they'll remember Spokane Rep. Jenny Graham for her advocacy and intensity as she exits Olympia.
- Idaho GOP Senators reject further cuts to the state Health and Welfare Department in a rare break with the caucus.
- Sandpoint and other Idaho resort towns could see lots more Airbnbs thanks to deregulations at the state level.
- Educators and health care providers in Idaho could face stiff fines if they fail to notify parents that their child asked for help transitioning to a different gender.
- Idaho is doubling down on its library law banning "harmful" materials despite a federal court ruling.
Plus, Spokane's pro soccer teams are back at ONE Spokane Stadium this weekend. The Velocity are starting their season, while the Zephyr return for the second half of their season after a winter stint in warmer weather. SPR's Eliza Billingham reports on both clubs' strategies, identities, and goals.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting contributed by Owen Henderson, Sarah Mizes-Tan, Doug Nadvornick, Eliza Billingham and James Dawson.
Eliza Billingham provides digital support.
Owen Henderson hosts and produces the show.
TRANSCRIPT
[THEME MUSIC]
OWEN HENDERSON: From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today.
I’m Owen Henderson. It’s Friday, March 13, 2026.
On today’s show, state lawmakers are celebrating the end of the legislative session in Washington, with Democrats sending budget measures to Governor Bob Ferguson over some objections from Republican legislators.
But Idaho lawmakers are still having their own fights over spending with a looming deficit, even as they revisit culture war issues like book bans and parental rights.
And with spring just around the corner, professional soccer season is on its way back to the northwest.
SPR’s Eliza Billingham sat down with the head coaches of both the Zephyr and Velocity to preview the games coming back to ONE Spokane Stadium.
Those stories and more, coming up on SPR News Today.
[FADE OUT THEME]
Thousands of people across the Inland Northwest are still without power after yesterday’s strong winds.
As of 6 o’clock this morning, Avista Utilities reports more than 9 thousand customers don’t have electricity, largely in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area.
And Northern Lights Electric Cooperative says more than 10 thousand residents in North Idaho and western Montana are affected by outages.
The utilities say they’re working to restore power as quickly as possible.
And Avista says at the height of the wind storm, more than 60 thousand of its customers were without electricity.
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Lawmakers in Olympia cheered the conclusion of their 60-day short session last night.
State Government reporter Sarah Mizes-Tan has more.
MARCUS RICCELLI: “I move that the 2026 regular session of the 69th legislature do now adjourn, sine die.”
SARAH MIZES-TAN: That’s Sen. Marcus Ricelli from Spokane putting a bow on it.
On the final day of the session the House and Senate approved capital and transportation budgets, and an $80-billion-dollar operating budget, one that Democrats celebrated as responding to the moment.
It adds spending on food assistance and healthcare cut by Congress.
Republicans skewered the budget as gimmicky, balanced with rainy day funds and big cuts to education and childcare.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins says regulating AI and job creation were left on the to-do list.
LAURIE JINKINS: “I can’t believe I’m on Sine Die and already talking about what I’m going to do next session.”
SMT: Jinkins is also looking forward to 2029, when she expects an income tax on “millionaires” to kick in, along with some sales tax breaks for everyday Washingtonians.
In Olympia, I’m Sarah Mizes-Tan.
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OH: State lawmakers also took the last day of the session to recognize Spokane Republican Jenny Graham as she leaves Olympia.
Legislators approved a resolution honoring her four terms of service in the House, representing the Sixth District.
Colleagues say they’ll remember Graham for her fierce advocacy of crime and abuse victims.
Spokane Valley Rep. Suzanne Schmidt says she’ll also remember Graham’s intensity.
SUZANNE SCHMIDT: “I remember just really being in awe of her, her energy and her passion, and her just really clear-cut value system.”
OH: Graham says she and her husband are moving to Florida to be closer to family.
The representative spoke with SPR about her legislative career, controversies, and future plans, and you can find that conversation right now at Spokane Public Radio dot org.
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We turn now to the Idaho capital, where it seems that the state Health and Welfare Department won’t be hit with the spending cuts called for by the state budget writing committee.
Nineteen Republicans joined all six Democratic state senators yesterday to vote against further cuts to Medicaid and social service programs, enough to block the spending bill.
McCammon GOP Sen. Jim Guthrie told his colleagues Idaho’s financial pain is largely self-inflicted, kicking off a rare moment of senators publicly breaking ranks with their caucus to block the measure.
The budget committee will now have to return to craft a new spending plan before lawmakers adjourn at the end of the month.
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Lots more AirBnbs could be coming to Sandpoint and other Idaho resort towns, if the Idaho legislature gets its way.
SPR’s Eliza Billingham reports.
ELIZA BILLINGHAM: The most extreme version of short-term rental deregulation has passed both the Idaho House and Senate.
House Bill 583, sponsored by Coeur d’Alene Rep. Jordan Redman, directs cities statewide to treat vacation rentals—like Airbnbs and Vrbos—the same as any residential home.
That means no business licenses, no safety inspections, no city-wide caps.
The Idaho Vacation Rental Association and other supporters call it a win for property rights.
Opponents like Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm fear it’s the death of neighborhoods and affordable housing.
While the bill awaits a signature from Idaho Gov. Brad Little, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill aimed at increasing affordable housing.
That bill prohibits institutional investors from buying single-family homes, which is in line with an executive order from President Donald Trump.
So, Idaho’s deregulation could conflict with the spirit of the national approach to affordable housing.
But some citizens told Idaho legislators that operating a vacation rental on the side is the only way they can afford their own home in their community.
I’m Eliza Billingham reporting.
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OH: Educators and health care providers in Idaho could face stiff fines if they fail to notify parents that their child asked them to help with transitioning to a different gender. James Dawson reports.
JAMES DAWSON: The bill passed by the Idaho House Wednesday would require school staff and others to notify parents within 72 hours if the student asked to go by a different name or to use different pronouns.
If they fail to do so, they could be sued in civil court and face an additional fine up to $100,000 from the state attorney general’s office.
Each Republican supported the bill, including Rep. Clint Hostetler.
CLINT HOSTETLER: “Protecting our children is contingent on parental rights and parental authority and this is a great step back in the right direction.”
JD: Democrats say the measure will further drive out professionals who are desperately needed here.
ILANA RUBEL: “They leave the state or they don’t come here to begin with and these are professions that we can least afford to lose: educators, health care providers, childcare providers.”
JD: State senators will consider the issue next.
James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio News.
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OH: Idaho legislators are also moving to reinforce the state’s law banning <quote> “harmful” materials from libraries.
The bill headed to the state House floor comes nearly two months after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Idaho’s library law could be unlawfully broad.
Opponents offered nearly all of the public testimony yesterday, saying the measure is still unconstitutional.
Lance McGrath is the president of the Idaho Library Association.
LANCE McGRATH: “If a statute treats references to same-sex relationships differently from comparable references to heterosexual relationships, courts may view that as content-based regulation of speech raising constitutional concerns.”
OH: Critics say it also restricts First Amendment rights for library patrons.
Idaho Solicitor General Michael Zarian rejects that argument.
MICHAEL BAKER: “There’s a difference between a right to get a book from the government and from a public library and being able to buy the book online on Amazon or any of the many retailers that sell books.”
OH: The House State Affairs Committee passed the bill largely along party lines.
It now goes to the House floor for debate.
[SHORT MUSIC BED]
Spring means pro soccer is back at ONE Spokane Stadium.
SPR’s Eliza Billingham reports on how seasons are shaping up for the Zephyr and Velocity ahead of their home openers this weekend.
EB: Sunday is the first game of the season for the Velocity—Spokane’s pro men’s team in United Soccer League’s League One.
Velocity made it to the league final in both of its first two seasons, but fell just short of hoisting the trophy each time.
So, is head coach Leigh Veidman feeling the pressure to make this third year the charm?
LEIGH VEIDMAN: “I wouldn't say pressure. I want it. I think the guys want it. But we know just to get to a final alone is incredibly difficult. The fact that we got to two finals in two years is anomaly in itself. But I think the big thing for us this year is, how do we go another level in the league specifically? Last year we finished third. We were in first for a while…So for us, a big focus of ours is finishing in that number one spot this year to see if we can get ourselves on a home play-off run and hopefully it helps us do a championship.”
EB: The club lost a few key players during the off-season. Fan favorites Pierre Reedy and David Garcia moved up a tier to the USL Championship. A handful of other contracts weren’t renewed. Yet Veidman and his team have been slow to refill the roster.
LV: “The market has been rather inflated in terms of finances around players. We're trying to build a club that is sustainable for the future. And a large portion of being sustainable is making good financial choices. So not just with that, I'm trying to find the right people to fit our culture and the right players that are going to take us to another level.”
EB: In the week leading up to its game, the Velocity signed three defenders, two of which have experience in the higher-tier USL Championship.
LV: “The biggest thing for me is, how do we just go that 1% more and find guys who are bringing in valuable, quality, winning experiences from their career? To have that across the board from No.1 to No. 22 on the roster is incredibly helpful when you get into that back end of the season, when the pressure's on to get into a playoff spot to stay or hold that first place position to get into playoffs, win games on playoffs, to get in a final and win a final.”
EB: Spokane’s top tier women’s team is in the middle of its season, which started in the fall and aligns with international play.
The Zephyr spent the winter playing in warmer weather down south, but it’s back home for its spring opener this Saturday. The team is currently in the middle of the league’s standings.
Players have struggled on attack, both taking shots and converting those shots to goals, especially in the first half of the season.
Head coach Nicole Lukic, who joined the team last October in the middle of their fall schedule, says fans will see a new team this spring.
NICOLE LUKIC: “I do think the fans will see a difference. They'll see our improvement. So definitely see more numbers in our attacking box, more organized on defense. And like you said, more shots. And hopefully that will lead to more goals. And I'm hoping it will lead to goal celebrations. I'm confident fans will see a difference in the team and the work that they've put in over the last couple of months. We're starting to have a team identity in the way that we want to play. And we're still in a great spot to chase a playoff spot.”
EB: Lukic says team identity is as important for fans as it is for the team. She wants to win, but she also wants to put on a good show.
NL: “Because at the end of the day, players love scoring goals. That's why we play, to score goals and win games. And fans would, I would bet, would rather see a five to two match than a one to zero match because they're being entertained.”
EB: Zephyr plays Saturday night and Velocity plays Sunday afternoon at ONE Spokane Stadium this weekend.
I’m Eliza Billingham, reporting.
[SHORT MUSIC BED]
OH: SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting today was contributed by Sarah Mizes-Tan, Doug Nadvornick, Eliza Billingham, James Dawson and me, Owen Henderson
I’m also the host and producer. Eliza Billingham provides digital support.
Thanks for listening.
It’s SPR.
