From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today.
I’m Ember Braun. It’s Tuesday, October 20th, 2026.
- The Spokane County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing today on data centers.
- Spokane County prosecutor candidates go head to head at a N-double-A-C-P debate.
- And S-P-R’s Audrey Nelson takes us to the Spokane Showdown Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
Those stories and more, coming up on SPR News Today.
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Spokane County health authorities report the first flu-related death of the season. The health district reports the victim was a Spokane County resident in their 80s. That person had complicating health conditions and was one of 13 people who have been hospitalized for flu. It’s the start of influenza season. Last year, the health district reports, 28 people died from it and more than 500 were hospitalized. Statewide, 120 people passed as a result of the flu. There is a vaccine available at doctor’s offices and pharmacies. The symptoms of this year’s flu include fever, chills, sore throat, cough and nasal and respiratory stuffiness.
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The Spokane County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing today [TUES] at its 2 p.m. meeting to discuss whether to extend the pause on data center building permits.
Originally the pause was going to be through December 15. This extension could move it all the way to June 1, 2027.
The Planning Commission is working on an ordinance that would regulate data centers in the county. The commission is asking for more time to consider further adverse impacts that data centers could potentially have on health and the environment.
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United States Secretary of Education Linda McMahon joined Representative Michael Baumgartner in Spokane Valley Monday to discuss the new Education Freedom Tax Credit. The two spoke to students at Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame.
Individuals who donate to nonprofits that collect scholarship funds can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to one-thousand, 700 dollars per year, or twice that amount for married couples who file jointly.
These scholarships can cover private or religious school tuition.
LINDA MCMAHON: "Here at Chesterton, families have chosen a classical education rooted in the Catholic faith, one that challenges students’ minds, strengthens their character and prepares them for lives of purpose and service. And that’s education freedom at work.”
Any taxpayer in the United States can contribute to these funds, however, only students who live in states that have opted into this program can receive scholarships from the funds.
31 states have opted into this program, including Idaho. Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington state has not yet opted in.
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It’s two weeks before Election Day and candidates are in the homestretch of their campaigns.
That includes knocking on doors and participating in candidate debates.
The two candidates for Spokane County prosecutor made their case recently at an NAACP forum at the downtown library.
The incumbent, Preston McCollam, made his case that, even though he’s a Republican, that affiliation means nothing when he decides whether or not to try a case.
PRESTON MCCOLLAM: “This position is a non-political position. You are not a Republican or a Democrat when you're applying the law. The law is the law, and you're applying it based on the context and the experience that you have in front of a courtroom with a judge, a defense lawyer, and all the necessary players.”
McCollam was appointed prosecutor in September 2025. He’s asking for four more years in the job.
His challenger is independent candidate Danny Tarkenton.
DANNY TARKENTON: “It is all about restoring our community that has been harmed. That takes both consideration of the person that was harmed in that crime, but also of what the individual and their circumstances were when they caused that harm.”
You can hear more from that NAACP debate Thursday at 12:30 on Inland Journal, here on SPR News.
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The Spokane County Assessor and Treasurer have announced reduced property assessments for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the Spokane Complex Fires.
The offices are now processing adjustments to those properties.
The new lower assessed values will also apply to 2027 property taxes.
County Assessor Tim Konis says his office has changed the values of almost 700 parcels.
If your property was damaged and you have not received an adjusted rate, call the Assessor’s office at 509-477-3698.
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Washington state's Social and Health Services Department is hunting for savings as it heads into a lean budget year.
D-S-H-S is Washington's largest agency, with a budget of about $26 billion dollars.
Secretary Angela Ramirez says the department is finding efficiencies where it can.
But she said on T-V-W's Inside Olympia the agency won't be able to avoid cuts.
ANGELA RAMIREZ: "In practice that means if we have vacancies, we might not have them filled any more, so we need as few people as possible without having to go through any sort of termination. When we're looking at eligibility for some of our programs, we're trying to figure out how we cut down that eligibility with the least harm. But I want to be clear: least harm does not mean no harm."
The agency is also facing higher administrative and other costs as the federal government implements changes to programs like Medicaid and SNAP food assistance.
Washington state government is confronting a multi-billion dollar budget deficit.
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Washington wildlife authorities are looking for a person who illegally shot and killed a bull elk in Asotin County last Tuesday. The Department of Fish and Wildlife says the animal was shot and killed in the Chief Joseph wildlife area. Authorities say witnesses saw a dark gray truck with a large set of elk antlers drive away from the area. The carcass was left to rot. The agency is asking people who may know something about the shooting to report it to its poaching email address. That’s reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov.
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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is scheduled to hold a public meeting on proposed changes to its “caught-in-the-act” wolf provision.
This is the rule that allows a livestock owner - and several others - to kill one gray wolf without a permit if it's attacking livestock. This is allowed in the eastern third of Washington, where wolves are protected by the state but not listed as endangered under federal law.
The commission is holding a meeting to get public comment over proposed changes to the rule. The WDFW says the changes are to “clarify ambiguities.”
The meeting is expected to be in November in Spokane, but you can make comments about the rule right now. Comments are accepted until November 23rd. Find out more online at: engage.wdfw.wa.gov.
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This past weekend, athletes and fans flocked to Eastern Washington for the annual Spokane Showdown. Co-hosted by ParaSport Spokane and the Providence Saints, it’s the largest wheelchair basketball tournament in the Pacific Northwest. SPR’s Audrey Nelson takes a look at what makes the weekend so special.
At the HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lake, a young boy in a Spokane jersey guides his wheelchair to the baseline. He gets the pass, lobs a shot, and…
Misses by a hair.
But there’s no time to dwell on the mistake. As someone grabs the rebound, the ten players spin their chairs and take off like rockets down the court.
The fast-paced wheelchair basketball game is part of the Spokane Showdown tournament. ParaSport Spokane, a local adaptive sports organization, has co-hosted the showdown for almost ten years.
This year, 25 teams from 12 programs are competing. Some have traveled from as far away as San Diego. Others are based in the Inland Northwest.
Chelsea McClammer is a 3-time Paralympian who coaches and plays for the ParaSport women’s team.
CHELSEA MCCLAMMER: “I’ve had a few athletes come up to me on their way out and say they love this tournament so much because of all the different age groups and divisions that we host here.”
In addition to its women’s division, ParaSport Spokane also offers co-ed prep, varsity, military, recreational and competitive teams.
Z Zubrick is on the military team. He says the atmosphere is uniquely supportive.
Z ZUBRICK: “I'm actually a rehab counselor. And so when I work with civilian counselors, I let them know, ‘Don't ever tell a vet you understand. You've got no clue.’ Whereas when we're talking with these guys, after the game, before the game, we're able to talk, ‘How you doing in real life? … What are you going through right now? How can I help?’”
That mentorship Zubrick describes is part of a broader culture at ParaSport. David Grieg is the organization’s development director.
DAVID GRIEG: “Sometimes when we travel, we’ll have athletes with lower, or — higher functional capabilities room with an athlete with lower functional capabilities who does their stuff really well and is very independent, and then that person, they're just like, oh, shoot.”
Grieg calls that phenomenon “positive role modeling.” Players who have experienced it agree that it’s powerful for athletes with different disabilities and life experiences to spend time together.
For years, Cathy Muñoz played and coached standing basketball. When she had her leg amputated later in life, her prosthetist referred her to ParaSport Spokane.
Now, Munoz plays alongside at least one fifteen-year-old.
CATHY MUÑOZ: “Actually, it's very fun. The coach in me loves it because I can give them pointers on actual basketball things, and then they can give me pointers on how to control a wheelchair, which is very foreign to me. And so it's very cohesive and very fun, actually, to have, because I'm definitely much older than all of them."
Muñoz isn’t the only athlete who’s learned something from a younger player.
ZZ: “So I’ve only been in the chair since 2015.”
That’s Z Zubrick again.
ZZ: “I hadn't been home from the hospital just a few weeks. My wife comes in and I'm scratching all over my leg. And she's like, what are you doing? I have an itch. Where? I don't know. It keeps moving. Well, I talked to one of the younger players, and they're like, oh, that's easy. If you think you have an itch on your leg, scratch your elbow. I'm like, what? And it works.”
This year’s Spokane Showdown comes at an interesting moment for ParaSport Spokane. The organization, which offers six adaptive sports and a strength and conditioning program, is entirely volunteer run.
But David Grieg says his team is looking into hiring full-time staff.
DG: "We had so many new athletes these last couple years… So it's just making sure we're imbuing our culture as a program and our vision of values as a program appropriately and having new staff that are on board with that. You know, winning is not the ultimate outcome. It's better human beings."
That’s certainly a noble mindset. Still — at the Spokane Showdown, the trash talk, clutch shots and competitive play make clear that wheelchair basketball is just like any sport: When the ball hits the court, all bets are off.
I’m Audrey Nelson, reporting.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting today was contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Lisa Leinberger, Audrey Nelson and KUOW’s Gabe Spitzer.
Thanks for listening. This is SPR.
