Regional News

While spring prepares us to spend time outdoors, it also welcomes bears back out of hibernation. One wildlife expert wants campers, and northwest residents, to be bear aware. Chuck Bartlebaugh says “The closest they’ve come is the Red Wagon, that’s downtown Spokane.”

Spokane County may see some new companies set up shop on the West Plains soon. As Steve Jackson reports, that’s the word from County Commissioner Al French. In Commissioner Al French’s recent state of the county address, he talked about the importance of expanding aerospace businesses on the West Plains.

In Riverside State Park, you can’t help but notice that there seems to be lots of what appear to be dying Ponderosa pines this year, trees that look like all the needles are turning red. Forester Guy Gifford of the Department of Natural Resources says he has seen this happen before, in 5 to 7 year intervals. The trees are being hit by fungal or insect related pathogens that are related to weather patterns.

The city of Spokane will use April, the National Volunteer Month, to formally kick off a new volunteer database and a week of doing good. The initiative ‘Spokane Gives’ will direct volunteers to the organizations that need help.

More than 20 years ago, Spokane became sister cities with Limerick, Ireland, a river city and regional capital. This year, Irish people in Spokane are giving a couple nods to the sister city.

In an agricultural area of the state, residents of Spokane County spend only 2% of their food money on goods produced regionally. The goal of Friday’s food economy conference is to brainstorm ways to boost local food revenues.