<p><p>Gardeners, especially those who have gardened for a long time, can be hard to shop for at Christmas. They already have every tool, book and garden gizmo.</p></p><p><p>Just ask my husband. One year he bought me the front bumper for my Troy-Bilt rototiller. Next it was a digging fork. Now it’s just a card with money…… Continue Reading
Weathercatch: While we froze, Alaska baked fostered by kind in jet stream
<p><p>Eight years ago this week, the Inland Northwest shivered through a blast of Arctic air as Alaska experienced record-breaking warmth.</p></p><p><p>This upside-down weather pattern compounded the oddness of us being mired in a deep freeze when it was only the first week of December.</p></p><p><p>On Dec. 5, 2013, the National Weather Service in Spokane issued a wind…… Continue Reading
Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Crews stop spread of house fire; no one injured
<p><p>A home was damaged in a fire on Dec. 3, but no one was injured and firefighters from Spokane Valley Fire Department were able to stop the fire from spreading further.</p></p><p><p>Neighbors called in the fire in the 1400 block of South Warren Road at 4:18 a.m. and reported the residents had gotten out safely. There…… Continue Reading
Christmas Bureau gifts offer solace to families struggling to pay rent, groceries, bills
<p><p>Leslie Ward took advantage of a rare day, when all of her children were in school, to visit the Christmas Bureau.</p></p><p><p>“Today is the only day I have,” she said. “We can’t afford Christmas when we have bills and rent to pay.”</p></p><p><p>She was looking for gifts for her four children still at home, ranging in age…… Continue Reading
Unvaccinated people still make up the majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations at Providence
<p><p> Most people hospitalized with COVID-19 at Providence continue to be the unvaccinated.</p></p><p><p>People who need ICU care for the virus, including 30- to 50-year-olds, are not vaccinated, said Dr. Dan Getz, chief medical officer at Providence in the Inland Northwest.</p></p><p><p>It’s still too early to determine what impact the omicron variant will have on local hospitals,…… Continue Reading
Pettis' daughter says mother took pain killers after injury from boar, leading to overdose years later
<p><p>Elizabeth Culp raised a boar’s tusk toward the jury and burst into tears Wednesday.</p></p><p><p>The boar gored her mother, Peggy Pettis, with its sharp tooth in 2016 while she was working on the Pettis’ Cheney farm, Culp said.</p></p><p><p>She said it left her mother with a limp and pain until her death in 2018.</p></p><p><p>“It’s the reason my…… Continue Reading
Realtor.com names Spokane third in nation for housing market growth in 2022
<p><p>The Spokane area’s housing market boom is likely to persist as Realtor.com forecasts the Lilac City will be among the top housing markets in the nation next year.</p></p><p><p>The real estate website projects the Spokane area will be the third-hottest market in the nation in 2022 based on levels of competition for homes, price and sales…… Continue Reading
Norovirus outbreak hits Spokane homeless shelter House of Charity
<p><p>The House of Charity is on lockdown due to a suspected norovirus outbreak that forced the shelter to close itself off to new guests.</p></p><p><p>The emergency homeless shelter stopped accepting new people on Dec. 1 and there is no definite timeline for when it will resume normal operations, but public health officials are optimistic the worst…… Continue Reading
Mike Hopkins says UW men’s basketball team still not practicing after positive COVID-19 tests, putting Sunday’s game vs. Gonzaga in question
<p><p>Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins spoke publicly Monday night for the first time since the Huskies suspended activities due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program.</p></p><p><p>On his weekly radio show on KJR, Hopkins said several players were placed into a 10-day quarantine, but did not specify how many players tested positive for the virus.…… Continue Reading
Remains of U.S. soldier killed in Korean War identified
<p><p>HARTFORD, Conn. – Beverly Guliuzza was overcome with a mix of shock, sadness and relief when military officials told her they had identified the remains of her brother, Benjamin Bazzell, an Army corporal who went missing in action during the Korean War in 1950 when she was just 12.</p></p><p><p>The notification to Guliuzza, now 84 and…… Continue Reading