Happy Friday and welcome BACK to Wide RANGE, where we keep track of (and joke about) the news, in case you didn’t have the time or energy to. MIA health district administrator mystery gets more interesting, *several* opportunities for cake in community and Big Bird’s bosses go after Washington journalism. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Read on!
Wide RANGE is usually available through email only, but we’re giving all our readers, fans and haters a peek at the sheer perfection of our fun Friday round up newsletter. If you don’t already get it, subscribe here!
In Case You Missed It
Political arrests
Since Trump took office, our region has cycled through US Attorneys. Richard Barker, the attorney two attorneys ago — who resigned shortly before the Spokane 9 were federally charged for protesting ICE’s detainment of two young asylum seekers — is now speaking out about why he left. According to Barker, there was pressure from the national Department of Justice as national news broke the DOJ was directing attorneys to prioritize and publicize cases against protesters defying federal immigration enforcement. ~ ES
New shelter operator
As the city of Spokane launches a new coordinated street outreach model (you can now call 311 to get unhoused people help in nonemergency situations) and moves to a daytime navigation center, a new shelter operator is taking the reins: Jewels Helping Hands, in collaboration with Providence hospital. The $1.7 million, 18-month contract will pay JHH to coordinate services, place people in the shelters that are the best fit for them and connect people in need to key resources. The 30 beds being lost as the navigation center moves away from including nighttime stays are going to be absorbed and replaced elsewhere in the scattered-site system, the city says. ~ ES
SRHD fires their administrative officer
In a move that may be causing war flashbacks for anyone familiar with the Spokane Regional Health District’s illegal termination of health officer Dr. Bob Lutz in 2021, administrative officer Alicia Thompson was fired by the SRHD board this week. We reported in CIVICS that the board was mysteriously appointing interim replacements for her at the meeting yesterday, but The Spokesman got the full scoop on her termination, complete with this detail: “As part of the separation agreement, Thompson was required to write an involuntary resignation letter. In return, she received six months severance pay, which amounts to $107,000.” Interesting… ~ES
RANGE News
This week we brought you a personal essay from our Christian Nationalism reporter, Aaron Hedge, on the Eastern Washington players that helped Charlie Kirk and his organization Turning Point USA spread their message across our region and the nation.
As far as election content, we have 20 questions with District 1 city council candidates AND our announcement that PolitiCrawl is back this October!
We’ve also got a candidate forum (yes, another one!) coming up next week! Join all six Spokane City Council candidates and journalists from RANGE, The Inlander, Spokane Public Radio and the Gonzaga Bulletin for a two-hour candidate forum at the Spokane Central Library on Thursday, October 2 from 6 to 8 pm. If you missed our last candidate forum, you can watch it in full here or listen to the District 3 portion in our podcast here. Plus, stay tuned for social media clips if you have a Tiktok-length attention span.
Also coming up is a Week Without Driving, from September 29 through October 5, where you can challenge yourself to get around town without the help of a vehicle. Learn all about it in this column from local transportation advocates here. ~VO & ES
The Good, The Bad and The Embarrassing
The Good: One of the men who was detained while fighting a wildfire in Washington has been released by ICE. The US Government has dismissed the removal proceedings, according to reporting from the Washington State Standard. ~ ES
The Bad: The great divorce between the city of Spokane and Spokane Regional Emergency Communications continues to flare up, sending warning signals to residents that due to the break-up, county-wide response times to fires may be delayed. ~ ES
The Embarrassing: Imagine soliciting donations from people to save local news only to keep the money, cut the news team and pivot to video content… This week’s embarrassing move comes from Cascade PBS, a statewide nonprofit news outlet. The decision came following Trump’s budget cuts for PBS, but seems a little fishy when the CEO makes over half a million dollars. Anyways, you can support the journalists, who are all out-of-work starting October 31, here.
The National: Nationwide, indigenous tribes stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. Currently, Washington tribes get $1.81 billion from the feds, but with many of those programs on the Big Beautiful Bill’s chopping block, it has left financial futures, especially for Northwest tribes, uncertain. ~ ES
The More You Know
Got Zucchini problems? Donate your extra garden produce!
It’s that time of year where some green-thumbed home gardeners have produce coming out of their ears and they’re running out of ways to use it — there’s only so much zucchini bread you can consume and room in your freezer for tomato paste. If you’re in this pickle and not equipped with canning supplies, consider donating your extras.
Food pantries across the state have been impacted by federal funding cuts and rising food costs have people relying on food pantries more than ever. If you have a surplus of home-grown fruits or vegetables, consider donating them (as long as they’re uncut and fresh) to local food banks.
Southside Food Pantry put a call out to gardeners for donations earlier this month and Spokane Valley Partners also accepts garden produce. You can also check Second Harvest Food Bank’s food bank finder to find the closest pantry near you and register your edible trees with Spokane Edible Tree Project. If you know of other pantries accepting fresh produce, let us know at team@rangemedia.co and we’ll add them to the list! ~VO
Things You Can Do
🎂 Let them eat cake, but make it community. SpoCake is holding a cake potluck at the Pavilion in Riverfront Park on Sunday from 2 to 4 pm. Register in advance here, and be sure to bring a cake to share! ~ ES
🌙 Celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival downtown on Saturday from 1:30 to 4:30 pm with live performances, family friendly activities and traditional mooncakes. ~ ES
🔥❄️ Share your experiences with extreme weather and climate impacts such as rising temperatures, wildfires, poor air quality, flooding and drought to help Spokane County do climate resiliency planning! Take the survey here.
