The Spokane City Council will face a choice Monday between more taxes or fewer affordable housing projects in the city.

Ivan Kriger, owner of the property at 3011 E. Wellesley Ave. in Hillyard, was charged in October with following an investigation by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner's Criminal Investigations Unit. Kriger took out an insurance policy the same day the fire that leveled the building occurred, Nov. 7, 2017, according to court records, and sought $324,000 in damages. The claim was denied because he didn't have coverage at the time of the fire. The property's assessed value that year was $202,000. 

Paul Means, and his firm Abilia Healthcare, were targeted following an audit of its billing by the Washington State Healthcare Authority revealed irregularities, according to court records. Investigators believe the proceeds of the scheme, which involved billing the state for intensive, in-person examinations when they were conducted over the internet or not at all, were used to buy a $300,000 home on Spokane's South Hill and several vehicles. 

Clarence Dibble, 13, learned the hard way that treehouses can be dangerous.

The statue of Abraham Lincoln in downtown Spokane has been vandalized.

Like many things this year, the 44th annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Show hosted by Jim Custer Enterprises has been canceled this year, but only the in-person event. The show is continuing online with a virtual show featuring more than 100 crafters and artists.

So, Thanksgiving.What is it looking like at your house?

Cranberries have been a part of Thanksgiving from its very first celebration in 1620 when Squanto and the Wampanoag people of current-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, added them to the celebration of the Pilgrim’s arrival in America. 

Spokane Valley lost another piece of its history recently with the death of Bert J. Porter, a lifelong resident raised on his parents’ farm who would spend his later years giving back to the community where he grew up. Longtime friend Jayne Singleton said Porter was a true farm boy.

Mark and Sandi Sannes celebrated their 25th anniversary in April, a milestone to be sure, but enduring marriages run in the family. After all, Mark’s aunt and uncle recently marked their 65th anniversary and were featured in this series on Oct. 15.

Mandi Rehn is in her ninth year as principal at Opportunity Elementary in Spokane Valley and transitioning to a new job in the Central Valley School District main office. As she juggles both jobs, she was just named the Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year by the Association of Washington School Principals.

Chances are wherever the extended McHugh family and friends are gathering today, they’ll be tucking into matriarch Barbara McHugh’s turkey dressing. While the group may be smaller than usual, Barbara, 92, hasn’t retired from the kitchen. “I’ll be making my dressing,” she said.

With the arrival of cooler weather and the lifting of the burn ban, more residents are taking the opportunities to have backyard fires.

A year ago today, more than a thousand people bundled up to brave cold temperatures and winds at the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in Spokane. As runners and walkers congregated at the starting line, the temperature was 25 degrees. With winds gusting up to 38 mph, the windchill “feels-like” temperature made it seem even colder.

It may be tough, when sitting down to a less crowded table after a year of living apart, to county your blessings on this Thanksgiving Day. But they are out there, and experts say focusing on the positive can help build resiliency for the next time things get tough.