From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today.
- Preliminary results for Washington state’s Initiative 001 show the measure trailing behind.
- A King County Superior Court judge finds Albertson’s violated state law for over-distributing opioids and ignoring red flags that could indicate abuse.
- Thrive International – a Spokane-based refugee resettlement agency— will close by the end of 2026.
- And SPR’s Lisa Leinberger chats with artist Melissa Cole and explains where you can catch her work this First Friday.
Those stories and more, coming up on SPR News Today.
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Voters are disagreeing with Washington’s Initiative 001, also called the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
If passed, the initiative would let parents access their students' medical and health records. It would also require that guardians get prior notification about medical services being offered to their child, among other things.
Anna Conner is a mom and substitute teacher in the Spokane area. She says she believes the initiative would keep students safer.
ANNA CONNER: “Our children are growing and developing. We even have so much research that shows that our brains aren’t fully developed until our mid-20s. And so having kids have full rights and abilities to make choices, like medical treatments as far as changing gender or making decisions in a lot of ways without their parents helping them, it just doesn’t make – it doesn’t make sense.”
49th Legislative District Rep. Monica Stonier is glad the initiative is trailing.
MONICA STONIER: “What isn’t going to change is that students won’t be fearful that anything they share about what might be happening to them at home that is unsafe or by another trusted adult in any other setting can be shared with a school counselor, a coach, an educator who can help them with resources.”
Election results are still unofficial until the count is completed.
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The Washington state Democratic Party is walking back its statement that it would sue over the passage of Initiative 638, which would ban transgender girls from girl's K-12 sports.
On Wednesday, party chair Shasti Conrad told partner station KUOW that the party would fight the initiative in court and seek to overturn it.
But Thursday morning, a party spokesperson contacted KUOW and said that the party itself does not plan to sue, although other groups might.
An AP Race Call issued Wednesday night said the yes vote on the initiative had won.
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Residents of western Montana have decided to go blue in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Associated Press called the state’s 1st Congressional District race in favor of Democrat Sam Forstag. Forstag is a 32-year-old smokejumper and union leader from Missoula. He’s the first Democrat to represent the district in the House since Pat Williams in the mid-1990s.
Forstag’s Republican opponent was Aaron Flint, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now a radio talk show host in Kalispell.
Forstag will replace Republican Ryan Zinke in Congress.
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Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown is celebrating a $900 million dollar judgment against grocery chain Albertsons.
A King County Superior Court judge Thursday found the company violated state law for over-distributing opioids, and ignoring red flags that could indicate abuse.
Brown says it's the largest single judgment ever awarded in Washington state.
NICK BROWN: "Between 2006 and 2022, Albertsons dispensed more than 641 million opioid pills into Washington state alone. Most of which had red flags, warning signs that weren't cleared before they were dispersed."
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 by then state attorney general Bob Ferguson, alleging the grocery chain's policies led to thousands of overdose deaths in the state.
A statement from Albertsons says they disagree with the ruling and are evaluating an appeal.
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Thrive International — a Spokane-based refugee resettlement agency— will close by the end of 2026. It’s the parent organization of Thrive Center Spokane, which shut its doors last month. SPR’s Audrey Nelson has more.
Since 2022, Spokane-based Thrive International has housed refugees at residential centers in Spokane and Tacoma. But the organization has run into legal and financial hurdles.
Earlier this year, an arbitration case with Thrive Center Spokane’s landlord left Thrive International on the hook for $3.3 million dollars. In March, the board voted to enter a legal receivership.
Shelly Crocker is Thrive’s court-appointed receiver. She says the loss of Thrive Center Spokane, declining government assistance and a difficult fundraising climate all led to Thrive’s dissolution.
SHELLY CROCKER: “And so we made the decision that while we had the resources available, we needed to help all of our residents find new housing solutions.”
All Thrive Center Spokane residents were relocated by the end of last month. Crocker says most Thrive Center Tacoma residents will be transferred to permanent housing. Thrive is expected to cease operations by the end of this year.
I’m Audrey Nelson, reporting.
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Meals on Wheels Spokane and the Fairmount Memorial Association are hosting a 5K run or walk Sunday to benefit local veterans.
The run starts at 10 a.m. Sunday at Fairmount Memorial.
Runners, walkers and families are invited to hit a course that will run through Riverside Memorial Park and Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
There will be chili and beer to follow the race. Participants are invited to bring new socks and canned food to donate. They will go to homebound seniors and veterans.
Registration is $25. Visit mowspokane.org. The proceeds will benefit Meals on Wheels Spokane.
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Today is First Friday, the day that many galleries, restaurants, bars and coffee houses celebrate the work of local artists in downtown Spokane. The Marmot Art Space in Kendall Yards will feature one of Spokane’s most established local artists. SPR’s Lisa Leinberger reports.
Melissa Cole’s artwork has been recognizable for many years. She’s had public art displayed in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Anchorage and many more places throughout the Northwest. She’s also been featured in solo and group art shows for almost two decades.
She always figured she’d have a day job and create art on the side. But the opposite happened — art is her fulltime job.
For this month’s First Friday, Cole will show about 28 pieces and include both paintings and sculptures.
MELISSA COLE: "It’s about letting love rule. And so, instead of dwelling on the world falling apart and the environment falling apart and all of the things that are happening that are so overwhelming right now, I really wanted to focus on the connections of many different things. Of people with people, of people with the environment, things that bring us passion and joy and love and sense of connectivity."
Growing up, Cole lived in many places around the world. Her father was a pilot and she spent time in Hong Kong, London and Bombay.
Her mother was a painter and there were always supplies around the house.
MC: "I have many memories of chasing creatures and making art growing up, so when it went to go to — time to go to school, I ended up choosing science and went to school in zoology and marine ecology, figuring I would always be able to do art."
Cole’s husband, Brandon, is an underwater photographer. She works as his assistant. While he takes pictures of orcas in the San Juan Islands, she brings her sketchbook and watercolors.
She got her start by approaching coffee shops in Spokane, asking if she could hang her work. Then she bought a book — Art Marketing 101.
MC: "It actually really helped me learn to approach galleries and to act as a business, rather than just doing it as a hobby. And it worked really well, with being able to go with Brandon on trips and act as his assistant and then come back and work on my artwork."
Her art has a distinctive look — bright colors, textures and lots of brush strokes.
She uses texture in many of her paintings. She began adding it when she’d been working on mosaics.
At this month’s First Friday show, Cole will exhibit a large painting called, “Smitten.” It features two peacocks with their necks entwined, the feathers accentuated with blue glass. Cole bakes the glass herself in one of her kilns.
MC: "It’s the bird of India, is the peacock. And they do mate for life. And so, I really love the way that their long necks wrap around each other. They’re just so much fun to paint."
She also has another large piece, "Poppies in Winter." The poppies are striking pops of reddish-orange surrounded by swirls of brown and green.
MC: "And though I do love the four seasons in Spokane very much, I sometimes get tired in the middle of winter when everything’s gray and I don’t have my garden anymore. And so, I just cheered myself up with that one by creating the poppies."
Cole says she’s excited to have a show at the Marmot, since she hasn’t shown there in about six years.
She says she’s looking forward to this show, since it’s been a nice change of pace from the work she’s been doing lately.
MC: "I’ve been working so hard on a lot of the big public works of art in the area that to just be able to sit down and paint all of these things has been a joy."
You can see Cole’s “Let Love Rule” starting tonight at the Marmot Art Space in Kendall Yards. The First Friday event is from 5 to 8 p.m.
I’m Lisa Leinberger reporting.
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SPR News Today is a production of Spokane Public Radio.
Reporting today was contributed by Audrey Nelson, Lisa Leinberger, Doug Nadvornick, KUOW’s Kim Malcolm and Derek Wang, and me, Ember Braun — today’s host and producer.
Web support is provided by Anna Gyure Havlek.
Thanks for listening. This is SPR.
