Regional News

Washington voters will decide races for three state Supreme Court seats in November. In one, Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis faces Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson.

Here are their statements for TVW’s Video Voters Guide series.

Washington voters will decide races for three state Supreme Court seats in November. Two of the races are contested. In the third, Chief Justice Debra Stephens is running unopposed.

Nonetheless, we present Justice Stephens here as part of TVW’s Video Voters Guide series.

Firefighters share a common bond with police officers and soldiers. Their job is to respond to the most dangerous of situations and protect the rest of us. That kind of pressure takes a toll. Many firefighters die early from stress-induced illnesses. Others take their own lives.

Today [Tuesday], the Spokane Fire Department will call attention to that, using a symbol meant to encourage firefighters to seek help when they need it.

For years, the biggest issues in rural America have revolved around natural resources and access to wild areas. But Covid is bringing attention to another issue.

“When I first got here, I felt like I was the wallflower at the dance. Now I really feel like broadband is the prom king. It is the conversation piece now that everybody is looking to and trying to figure out," said Russ Elliott, the director of the Washington State Broadband Office.

College football fans in the Northwest can rejoice. Some of their teams will apparently grace the gridiron later this fall.

The Pacific-12 athletic conference, which includes Washington State and Washington, has announced that its teams will play football this fall, after all. The season had been cancelled because of the risks of players spreading Covid to other players.

Construction has begun on a new home for the Gonzaga-University of Washington Regional Health Partnership.

The universities held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the building, which will be located in Spokane’s University District.

Spokane County’s daily coronavirus case number was back in the triple digits on Wednesday. That’s the first time it’s crossed the hundred mark since August 8.

It means the post-Labor Day Covid spike continues to grow in magnitude. And it comes just as the flu season approaches.

Washington voters will vote on Referendum 90 in November. Shall the state’s public schools teach a comprehensive sex education program approved this year by the legislature? Opponents of the bill, in the middle of the pandemic, gathered enough signatures to put it to a vote of the people.

Here are two views, one pro, one con. These are part of TVW’s Video Voters Guide series.

Spokane area health care providers are in vaccine mode as we head into cold and flu season.

MultiCare on Tuesday announced a series of eight flu vaccine clinics over the next two months. The Spokane Regional Health District held a curbside vaccination clinic for both children and adults Tuesday at Rogers High School. Another one is scheduled for next Tuesday at Mead High School.

At some of those clinics, nurses will be joined by students from the Washington State and Gonzaga nursing schools and the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Spokane health officials today [Monday] reported the release of improper personal health information.

The health district says it accidentally released the information on September 8 to Educational Service District 101 and one other party.

This week, the Pacific-12 Conference in college sports may follow other big-name conferences around the country in announcing a shortened fall football season. The conference cancelled its season because of the health risks to the players.

But other conferences around the country have decided the reward is bigger than the risk and have begun modified seasons.

Washington public health authorities say Covid is at least partially responsible for a lull in childhood immunizations this year. They’re working to encourage parents to make sure their children are up-to-date on their shots.

A 43-year-old Spokane sports tradition will take place this weekend, about four months later than usual.

The 12-kilometer Bloomsday run is one of the nation’s largest timed road races, with 35,000-to-50,000 participants, depending on the year.

It’s usually run the first Sunday in May. This year, because of the coronavirus, it was postponed. But there will be a 2020 version, in a different form, even with one last obstacle.

Idaho Governor Brad Little said Friday the Gem State will remain in the final phase of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan.

“In nearly all the metric categories, we are seeing encouraging trends. However, our Covid hospitalizations statewide remain too high, again, to move out of stage four. Idaho will remain in stage four for another two weeks," Little said.

Washington’s Department of Commerce says it’s working with a Spokane non-profit organization to make money available for rural counties working to improve broadband service.

Better Health Together is distributing about $200,000 to help people in six eastern Washington counties develop stronger cases for federal broadband grants.