October 21, 2009 in Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is defending a move to sharply increase health insurance costs for part-time state employees, even though some will face premiums that exceed their take-home pay. “This is … 1

October 21, 2009 in City A 5-month-old baby from Franklin County died at Sacred Heart Medical Center Monday of complications from H1N1 influenza. 3

October 21, 2009 in City The man found dead near Green Bluff Sunday died of a single gunshot wound to the head, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced today. 8

October 21, 2009 in News, Business WASHINGTON — Improvements in housing and manufacturing are driving the early stages of the economic recovery, according to a Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday.

October 21, 2009 in Idaho GRANGEVILLE, Idaho — Changes have been made at the North Idaho Correctional Institution in the wake of five prisoner escapes this year, the warden says.

October 21, 2009 in Nation/World, City Taser International is advising police agencies across the nation not to shoot its stun guns at a suspect’s chest. The Arizona-based company says such action poses a risk — albeit … 18

October 21, 2009 in City, Idaho Light rain is reaching Spokane area and should continue into the evening as a Pacific frontal system brings the next in a series of rainstorms to the Inland Northwest. 2

  October 21, 2009 in City on Page A1 Opponents of Proposition 4 have complained that out-of-town influence helped shape the proposed amendment to the Spokane City Charter. But the opponents rely heavily on national and state development interests … 6

October 21, 2009 in City on Page A1 Community Health Systems Inc., the owner of Deaconess Medical Center, has struck a deal to buy the Rockwood Clinic, the Inland Northwest’s largest specialty medical provider. Terms of the deal … 5

October 21, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 With the economy struggling, parents and students dared to hope this year might offer a break from rising college costs. Instead, they got another sharp increase. Average tuition at four-year …

October 21, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 Tehran, Iran – Iran ignored appeals by Hillary Rodham Clinton and even rock star Sting and sentenced an Iranian-American academic to 12 years in prison Tuesday for his alleged role …

October 21, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asked the Interior Department’s inspector general Tuesday to investigate a controversial, last-minute move by the Bush administration to lock in favorable royalty rates and …

October 21, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 Fort Collins, Colo. – The Federal Aviation Administration has opened its own investigation into the 50-mile flight of the helium balloon that briefly delayed flights at Denver International Airport after …

  October 21, 2009 in City on Page A5 Spokane Police Guild members say they remain open to contract concessions to help the city balance its 2010 budget. 1

October 21, 2009 in City on Page A5 The smoky-winged ash aphid – a little gray-blue critter flittering around tree-lined residential areas in the Inland Northwest this month – is a harmless but sometimes annoying insect that typically …