Treva Lind

Local leaders also describe the same wave of reported trauma among children and adolescents as highlighted in a mid-February federal analysis showing increases in rape and sexual violence among teen girls, as well as their record levels of feeling sad or hopeless. 

A recent statewide survey found that food insecurity remains high among low-income residents as they face increased food prices and ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. University of Washington and Washington State University professors tapped more than 5,000 people, with nearly half reporting they experienced food insecurity. In Spokane County, 48% among about 400 people reported using food assistance in the past month.

Community Cancer Fund has turned assists on the basketball court into an assist for local cancer patients, by teaming up with five Gonzaga players: Rasir Bolton, Nolan Hickman, Malachi Smith, Hunter Sallis and Julian Strawther in a community pledge drive to support local cancer patients in its "CCF Assists Program." The players on Monday visited children in the pediatric cancer wing at Providence Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, as well as touring in other pediatric units.

Dancing since age 2, Avery Denney has taken a leap closer to her goal to become a professional ballerina after receiving a first place award in January. The Rathdrum resident, 17, took the top position in a senior classical ballet division of the Youth America Grand Prix, among about 140 solos. She plans to go to the grand prix finals competition this April in Florida.

Stretches, hip openers, ball squeezes and a touch of yoga took center stage for two couples who recently took a new class at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital with an unusual name, Spinning Babies. 

More parents are struggling to find refills of Adderall and other attention-deficit disorder drugs for children with ADHD. Part of a national shortage, it's also affecting adults with ADD or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who rely on the stimulant medications to help them focus. Since fall, Adderall shortages have since caused tighter supplies among similar drugs as people seek other options, such as Ritalin and Concerta, said Dr. Brian Simmerman, a Spokane pediatrician. Parents worry that if children with ADHD run out of daily meds, they'll lose focus at school or for homework.

Mead High School cheerleaders scored big this past week, with an elite team's first-place trophy at a state championship. The program also garnered a second-place for a full-team routine.

For the 2023 Super Bowl pregame national anthem, a Navy flyover formation will feature four Navy aircraft, including two F/A-18F Super Hornets that can claim a little Spokane support. Petty Officer 1st Class Ashley Clifford, Spokane-raised, is among crew maintaining that aircraft. The F/A-18F Super Hornets are aircraft depicted in the recent "Top Gun: Maverick" movie.

As Spokane's icy conditions linger, more people get injured in slips or falls. But such accidental falls can be a year-round hazard – or fear – for older adults. It doesn't have to be that way, said Phil Helean, a coach for a free fall prevention class called A Matter of Balance. Demand has risen for more in-person classes at senior centers, churches and fire departments, but more volunteer instructors are needed. There's a Feb. 22 information session in Spokane for potential volunteers.

SCC culinary teacher Duane Sunwold knows what it's like to struggle with kidney disease while gaining weight. He nearly lost kidney function 22 years ago. He recently helped brainstorm ways doctors can talk to patients about obesity and kidney issues, among a panel of medical specialists and patients. Sunwold also shared his success story of a plant-based diet, and eventually going into remission by 2005.

Sodium can sneak up to high levels in daily eating, while stroke patients and people with kidney or heart disease are told to cut it significantly. Bland can be the result, and a grab for the salt shaker. Seeking flavor sans sodium, local culinary instructor Duane Sunwold and a former pupil partnered in 2020, and now Spokane-based Spiceology has a line of 17 salt-free herb blends, launched two years ago.

Parents can view a free online session 5:30 p.m. Tuesday that will offer tips on how to prevent youth from vaping, along with medical experts explaining the health risks from inhaling from electronic cigarettes.

As a kid, Dean Cameron built airplane models and hung them from the ceiling, while dreaming about a future in aerospace. Today, Cameron wants to inspire youth similarly through the recent launch of a Spokane-based magazine, "Let's Go Aerospace." The quarterly publication is geared to readers ages 11-17 across the U.S. to learn about the aerospace industry, from manufacturing to space. It's produced by Cameron's Top Drawer Media, publisher of "Northwest Aerospace News" and other regional work.

An AED – or automated external defibrillator – is a medical device to restore a normal heart rhythm if someone goes into cardiac arrest. The lifesaving devices – and CPR – recently gained a nationwide spotlight when an AED was used for Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin, 24, who collapsed on the field Jan. 2 after a tackle and went into cardiac arrest. Health experts in Spokane say it's key for people to know where AEDs are and about how easy the machine are to use, because seconds matter in cardiac emergencies.

MultiCare Health Systems deployed four robots, each called Moxi, at Deaconess on Thursday as errand-runners for the hospital's nurses. The "nurse robots" do basic chores normally handled by those employees, such as picking up and delivering lab samples, PPE supplies and medicines. Such simple tasks fill up about 45 to 75 minutes of a nurse's shift and take away from patient care, said Jennifer Graham, chief nurse executive.

Gonzaga University School of Law won't participate this year in the U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of law schools, a decision that will continue under current metrics, the program's dean Jacob Rooksby said Wednesday.

Spokane developer Dick Vandervert had a habit of planning the big picture for a project by writing overall details down on a single sheet of a yellow legal notepad. His one-page outlines gave rise to many prominent commercial spaces – among them the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center redevelopment that drew Trader Joe's, Wandermere Business Park, Hampton Inn Spokane Airport, the Hilton Garden Inn Spokane Airport, and recent West Plains commercial development. Today, Vandervert Developments' portfolio of office buildings, retail centers, hotels and land totals more than 2 million square feet of leasable space. Vandervert, 78, died Jan. 4 in Spokane. He was in the hospital for a bad appendix, then had septic shock and heart failure.

A Kootenai Health cardiac nurse, Windy Manzardo first noticed that she had irregular heart palpitations. At work, she hooked herself up to a telemetry monitor. She and coworkers saw "ugly ventricular tachycardia," a heart rhythm problem caused by irregular electrical signals in the heart's lower chambers. She went straight to the ER, but more problems unfolded. It took six months until diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disease. She's showing signs of heart failure. Manzardo is now on a waiting list for heart transplant surgery in Spokane.

Veterans needing acute psychiatric services can get that care again at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, which reopened its 12-bed inpatient unit Tuesday after a more than two-year remodel. Paid for by Veteran Health Administration, the $3.5 million project includes upgrades such as reinforced security windows and room designs following national standards to prevent self-harm, harm to others and suicide attempts that might occur in facilities.

Cyrus, a black lab-heeler mix, sat contently near a wheelchair at Prestige's Sullivan Park Care Center. He arrived Jan. 3, staying until someone took him home within two days. He's senior dog No. 13 saved by a resident-run program and partnership with SpokAnimal C.A.R.E., called Hearts and Paws. The residents foster one senior dog at a time for several days, or a few weeks, until adoption.

Violinist Abigail “Abi” Stephens, 17, considers it a blessing that she took up her instrument 12 years ago. Today, she performs in youth symphony and professionally. Around Thanksgiving, Stephens set out to help more students have access to music education. Throughout December, she requested donated instruments on social media and contacted people with regional Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace listings that had musical instruments for sale, asking it they'd be willing to donate their instruments instead to the Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene, a nonprofit organization that promotes music education. On Dec. 29, Stephens delivered 16 donated instruments to the music conservatory, for its students as low-cost rentals.

From newer diabetes medicines to unexplained "atypical" forms of the disease, University of Washington expert Dr. Irl Hirsch said he plans to cover a lot of ground in a free webinar at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Hirsch is a researcher, diabetes treatment doctor and teaching chair at the UW School of Medicine. The free online session is for the Next Generation Medicine lecture, by the UW-GU Health Partnership, with registration at bit.ly/nextgenmeddiabetes.

A national selection narrows to 40 players for Team USA in the Junior Roller Derby Association World Cup 2023, scheduled in France this summer. That U.S. roster recently named two local teens who compete in Spokane on the Pixies Roller Derby team. Gracie Goodnature, 15, of Hayden and Brisa Aragon-Ocampo, 16, of Spokane Valley got word of their selection in November. They practice at Roller Valley.