From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today.
- The U.S. Air Force has awarded a new five-year contract to continue investigations into PFAS contamination on the West Plains.
- Several Spokane organizations are distributing free energy saving kits.
- Idaho’s version of the Liberty Bell is coming to north Idaho.
- And SPR’s Jordy Jones talks to Patricia Lee Williams about her upcoming comedy shows in Spokane.
Those stories and more, coming up on SPR News Today.
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Old houses, apartments and mobile homes can be drafty. With the winter weather on its way, three Spokane organizations are offering a little warmth to the chill. SPR’s Lisa Leinberger reports.
For the last several years, SNAP, Avista and McKinstry have distributed free energy savings kits to anyone who wants one.
Dean Henrich from SNAP says the kits contain window plastic, LED light bulbs, weather stripping and draft stoppers.
DEAN HENRICH: "Well, it will not completely solve your problems with whatever happens to be causing the draft to come into your house. But if you use them, they will make your house more comfortable. It will keep the draft, you know the draft stopper, it will keep the wind from coming in from under the door and whatnot."
Sara Hofstee from McKinstry said she was once a single mother living in a drafty apartment. She found a SNAP energy kit on her doorstep.
SARA HOFSTEE: "And that was a crazy moment for me because that was really when I needed it the most."
Volunteers gave away a thousand kits.
I’m Lisa Leinberger reporting.
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The city of Hayden and Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office have come to a draft agreement for providing police services to the city. In a press release, city officials say the draft has been presented to the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners for review.
The city says this is a month-to-month agreement. It addresses deputy overtime and a direct overhead charge. These are both items that caused the city not to renew its original contract with the sheriff's office back on September 30.
The city will review the agreement at its regular meeting on October 27.
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Policymakers, veterans and advocates convened a legislative roundtable on veterans’ affairs at Gonzaga University yesterday.
Many participants expressed support for the federal Major Richard Star Act, which has not yet passed the House. It would allow combat veterans to receive both retired pay and VA disability benefits.
Christopher Carver is with the Wounded Warrior Project.
CHRISTOPHER CARVER: "I say the civilian equivalent is if you get injured on the job and go on an L&I so they take away your 401k. The retirement and the disability are not...they're not equal. They're not the same thing."
Roundtable participants also discussed a proposed state bill that would offer Washington employers tax incentives for hiring veterans and active-duty spouses. The state’s previous incentives expired in 2023.
Lani Kelp with the Wounded Warrior Project organized the roundtable. He says he’s aiming to host similar events every six months.
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The U.S. Air Force has awarded a new five-year contract to continue investigations into PFAS contamination on the West Plains.
More than 400 private wells have been tested so far. A little more than half show PFAS levels that are higher than safe drinking water standards. The PFAS came from firefighting foam used for decades at Fairchild.
The state Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are playing an oversight role in the study.
Ecology site manager Brianna Brinkman says testing will be done at sites northeast from the current zone.
BRIANNA BRINKMAN: “I would estimate it’s about two miles to the river from where their current boundary is. Basically, the direction of the ground water flow towards the river, and the river is the boundary.”
Brinkman says there are fewer private wells in the new area, which includes a section of Riverside State Park.
Work will also be done to monitor potentially contaminated sites and eventually remove and dispose of soil with PFAS.
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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing changes to its “caught-in-the-act" provision on killing wolves caught attacking livestock.
This is the rule that allows a livestock owner, their family, agent, or employee to kill one gray wolf without a permit if it's caught doing this.
Mick Cope is the wildlife program director for the department.
MICK COPE: “The overarching goal of the proposed changes is to clarify the rules, so it’s easier to interpret and try and address some questions we’ve had come to us over the years as we’ve tried to manage through different scenarios using this rule.”
He says those clarifications include narrowing down who fits the role of “agent” and how often this rule can be applied.
The department is accepting public comment, and will hold a public briefing on these proposed changes, likely in November. That meeting will be in Spokane, with the Fish and Wildlife Commission.
You can submit comments at the meeting, or right now. Online comments are accepted until November 23.
Find out more online at: engage.wdfw.wa.gov
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The City of Liberty Lake and the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District will soon open their annual leaf and beach drop-off.
You can dispose of leaves and yard waste at the Water Reclamation Facility on Indiana Avenue. Do not dispose of trees, branches, rocks or garbage at this site.
The drop-off site will be open from November 2 to December 4. The district and city will not be picking up leaf bags curbside. But, those who are physically unable to drop bags off can contact the district for help by emailing: info@libertylake.org
The district says the purpose of this program is to protect the lake, aquifer and river from nutrient loading. That can happen when stormwater carries decaying vegetation to these waterbodies.
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Many of the high profile events marking America’s 250th birthday came during Independence Day weekend in July. But Idaho has continued the celebration into the fall. As SPR’s Doug Nadvornick reports, one part of that celebration is coming to north Idaho for the next few days.
Idaho’s version of the Liberty Bell is in the middle of a road trip that began around Labor Day in eastern Idaho.
The bell is a replica of the iconic one that rang in Philadelphia during the American Revolution. Its usual resting place is on the Statehouse steps in Boise.
But state Treasurer Julie Ellsworth says state officials thought the 250th birthday was an appropriate time to take the historic piece to the people.
JULIE ELLSWORTH: “We mounted it on an F-450 flatbed and we have been taking it to every county and additional towns and different things in the way that the map flows.”
The bell will be part of a parade in Moscow Saturday during the University of Idaho’s homecoming weekend. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Ellsworth says the bell will make more than a dozen stops in the five northern counties.
JULIE ELLSWORTH: “I look forward to seeing the children ringing the bell in Boundary County, you know, all the little outskirts, I feel that's part of my job.”
She encourages community members to stop by and ring the bell when it comes to their town.
I’m Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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Patricia Lee Williams is known as a comedian, actress and author. She takes the stage at the Spokane Comedy Club tonight and tomorrow. This week, she told Jordy Jones about her act and what it’s been like as a black woman in the entertainment industry.
Jordy Jones: Ms. Pat: author, comedian, actress and so much more. She’s coming to Spokane this weekend. How are you? Thank you so much for sitting down with Spokane Public Radio.
Patricia Lee Williams: Thank you all for having me. I'm just fine. Busy, but blessed and I'm fine.
JJ: You've had a busy fall. You had your book, Ms. American Dream, come out last month. Tell us about writing that book and having that come out into the universe for you.
PW: If you read Rabbit, like most of my fans have, it's to pick up from Rabbit. It takes you into where that book ended into my marriage, the ups and down in my career, from the Ms. Pat show and to all the other shows. And did I get my American dream, which I truly believe I did get my American dream. And it wasn't a house, the car, the purse or the white picket fence. For me, it was just happiness and peace. I don't know if this is what I wanted, but I can tell you it's not what I foresee. I didn't see this coming.
But, you know, sometimes I do have a conversation with the little girl, Rabbit. And I always say, you know, ‘thank you for not giving up.’ Cause so many people in my family gave up and went other ways, you know, to me, the wrong way. And I just thank the little person, the little girl that makes me thrive just never gave up. And I truly believe that that's the reason why I'm at where I’m at today.
JJ: The book has done so well. And then the Ms. Pat Show has gotten multiple Emmy nominations since you've started. Tell us about the show and what it means to be able to be recognized like that.
PW: Well, we're in our sixth season. We just wrapped our sixth season. And again, you couldn't have never told me that I would have been, you know, that the show would have been nominated for an Emmy at all. We was on BET+, a news streaming platform that may be one of the smallest ones out there.
And the recognition that we have gotten for that show over the last six seasons is just crazy. And sometimes I say, you know, I was a part of a six season Emmy nomination show, Emmy nominated show and it's still going.
JJ: And now you're coming to Spokane. Tell us about your comedy show and what everyone can expect Friday and Saturday night when they see you.
PW: Well, I just finished, I just taped my second special. Can't say where it's coming out yet because the ink is not dry.
But I'm working on a whole new hour. I'm going through menopause. I'm still living life. So you're going to hear all about what's going on in my house, my health, my life and just the things I'm doing every day.
JJ: As a black woman to black woman, I was excited to have this chance to speak with you. Tell us about what it's been like for you in this industry getting to where you are.
PW: You know, I tell people all the time it's the way you go in this industry is almost the way you're going to come out. I just went in as who I am. You can't change me. You know, if this is not what you want, then move on to the next thing. So I thank God for other people before me that doors were already open, but it's hard as a black woman because, you know, we get criticized a lot.
We do comedy and a man can do the same thing and the first thing they say, ‘well, we already heard that before. Oh, all women do that.’ No, all men do the same things too. And running a show. I almost got stomped on when we first started this show, but I had to go to my street sense and say, ‘look, I didn't get pushed over in the street. So y'all definitely ain’t going to push me over on no TV show, over no TV show or on no set.’
So I just learned to stand, stand up for myself. I had to do a lot of standing up for myself and a lot of canceling from not slapping people because where I'm from, you can slap people. But you can’t do that in this industry.
JJ: What do you want people to know going into coming to see you this weekend?
PW: Well, you know, if you read the book, if you saw my comedy before, it's not my first time in Spokane, I keep it real, I'm not a filter. This ain't church. We’re gonna talk about everything, you know, from abortions, to hot flashes, to getting married, to everything that I go through, we're going to talk about it. I just started working on a bit about a conversation I had with my sister that is very dark. And people was like, ‘what the hell?’ I said, ‘but if you don't think about the situation and just think about what I just told you, it's really funny.’ So, I mean, just have your grown people panties on. That's what I tell people.
That’s Patricia Lee Williams, also known as Ms. Pat. She’ll perform two shows this weekend at the Spokane Comedy Club.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting today was contributed by Lisa Leinberger, Audrey Nelson, Doug Nadvornick, Steve Jackson, Jordy Jones, and me, Ember Braun - today’s host and producer.
Web support is provided by Anna Gyure Havlek.
Thanks for listening. This is SPR.
