Amanda Sullender

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News >  Health

Kaiser Permanente workers across Washington preparing for possible November strike

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 27, 2023

Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in Washington are preparing for a possible November strike with an authorization vote.

News >  Health

Free COVID tests are back amid national uptick in the virus

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 26, 2023

Following a national uptick in COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization, free coronavirus tests are once again available through the federal government.

Sports >  WSU football

‘We want to control our own fate’: WSU, Oregon State show unity before weekend matchup, plan future of Pac-12

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 21, 2023

Ahead of a weekend showdown on the football field, Washington State and Oregon State universities are coming together to reassure their fans the future of the Pac-12 is in safe hands – even as it totters on the brink of extinction.

A&E >  Stage

‘Tina’ gets the music very right, even as it glosses over Tina Turner’s story

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 20, 2023

Propelled by an at-times uncanny tour de force performance at its center, “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” got people to their feet while chronicling the life of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll – even if the frenetic pace of the story prevented greater insight into her motivations.

News >  Higher education

Some Northwest colleges bounce back from pandemic enrollment slump, while others are still seeing fewer freshmen

Wed., Sept. 20, 2023

Hannah Hollenbeck, a freshman at Eastern Washington University from the Tri-Cities, met her roommate, Sarah Hamilton, only a few days ago.

News >  Health

New COVID vaccines may be a ‘few weeks’ from becoming common in Washington, the state Department of Health says

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 19, 2023

Formulated to target emerging variants, newly approved COVID-19 vaccines may still be a “couple weeks” from becoming widely available in Spokane and the rest of Washington, according to the state Department of Health.

News >  K-12 education

Candidates to replace longtime incumbent on Mead School Board differ on funding, diversity issues

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 4, 2023

Mead School District voters have a choice in November to either elect a progressive focused on inclusion of students of all backgrounds or a conservative concerned that state-required diversity standards may harm the academic performance of students.

Sports >  WSU football

Pac-12 turmoil: Who is Gary Libey, the small-town judge overseeing a court case with national significance?

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 11, 2023

Just down the road from Washington State University’s Pullman campus, Whitman County Superior Judge Gary Libey has found himself at the center of a massive battle over the survival of the Pac-12 Conference – with national implications for the sports world.

Sports >  WSU football

Judge grants temporary restraining order in favor of Washington State, OSU against Pac-12

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 11, 2023

COLFAX – Washington State and Oregon State universities won a court action Monday granting a temporary restraining order to prevent the Pac-12 Conference from meeting as a board until further ruling.

News >  K-12 education

Mead School Board incumbent casts himself as candidate of change, challenger critical of political element on board

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 4, 2023

Known for authoring a controversial proposal to ban critical race theory from Mead’s curriculum, school board member Michael Cannon is running for a second term, saying he’ll defend parental rights. He faces an engineer who hopes to make Mead’s school board less political.

News >  Health

Spokane Mama provides support to moms experiencing postpartum depression

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 8, 2023

Waking up her husband with their newborn in hand, Erin Skoog saw herself as entirely incompetent and incapable of taking care of their son. But as soon as the baby was placed in the arms of her sleepy spouse, she felt the “shame of it all come crashing down.” Then she tried to take her child back.

News >  Health

FDA approves oral medication treating postpartum depression

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 8, 2023

A new drug treating postpartum depression was approved earlier this month by the Food and Drug Administration – possibly filling a gap in care, depending on the drug’s accessibility to the general public.

News >  Health

Spokane health district encourages vaccination against annual respiratory illness as COVID shot targeting new variants likely to be approved this month

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 7, 2023

As an updated COVID vaccine is likely to become available in the next few weeks, those preparing for the fall and winter respiratory virus season can get their new vaccine the same time as their annual flu shot.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Will they be made whole? Fire cleanup full of complications as federal aid remains far off

Sun., Sept. 3, 2023

Driving through the remains of Medical Lake, State Farm insurance agent Clyde Gillespie has spent his time since fire engulfed much of his town personally handing out checks to nearly 100 homeowners covered by State Farm.

News >  Health

‘You can save a life’: Spokane Regional Health District encourages inclusion of Narcan in your first aid kit

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 31, 2023

Amid a spike in Spokane drug overdoses in recent years, the Spokane Regional Health District spent Thursday afternoon distributing Narcan in a park and teaching members of the public to administer it properly.

News >  Health

Rabid bat bites cat in Spokane County

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 29, 2023

A bat with rabies attacked a pet cat in Spokane County last week – the first known rabies case in the county this year. 

News >  Spokane

Innovia Foundation emergency fund raises $700,000 in less than a week for wildfire victims

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 25, 2023

More than $700,000 has been raised in less than a week since the Innovia Foundation launched the Eastern Washington Wildfire Emergency Response Fund to help victims of area fires that broke out Aug. 18.

News >  Health

Driven by their kids’ time in neonatal care, couple gives $1 million to Providence Sacred Heart NICU

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 24, 2023

Driven by experiences with their own children, philanthropists Pete and Anne Mounsey have donated $1 million to the neonatal intensive care unit at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

News >  K-12 education

Spokane’s refugee communities treated to annual back-to-school block party

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 23, 2023

Local nonprofits partnered to hold an annual back-to-school resource fair and block party Wednesday for the many refugee families with small children in Spokane.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

‘That’s just who he is’: Father suffers widespread burns after trying to help neighbors in Oregon Road fire

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 23, 2023

Desperate to reach four of her other children at her parents’ house, Larissa Knutsen jumped into her SUV with her 7-week-old baby just minutes after receiving evacuation orders because of the Oregon Road fire. But her husband was not in the car.

News >  Health

Providence doubles its mental health program for middle-schoolers at new facility in North Spokane

Tue., Aug. 22, 2023

After being hospitalized for his anxiety-related seizures, 12-year-old Liam Stretch found ways to cope through Providence’s BEST program – which helps youths develop behavioral and emotional skills .

News >  Health

How to stay safe while ‘hazardous’ levels of smoke and dust blanket Spokane from weekend fires

UPDATED: Sun., Aug. 20, 2023

Air quality improved throughout the day Sunday, but remained in levels hazardous and very unhealthy for most people. Experts suggest limiting the amount of time you're outside and wearing a well-fitting mask to avoid exposure that can cause both short-term and long-term symptoms. 

News >  Weather

Following near-record heat streak, Spokane to encounter weekend of smoke

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 18, 2023

After a string of days with near record-breaking heat that topped 100 degrees, Spokane is supposed to cool down. But smoke was already creeping into town Friday from a large fire in Medical Lake, and meteorologists also expect a northerly wind to blanket the city with smoke from Canadian fires this weekend.

News >  Weather

Heat expected to break records in Spokane on Tuesday and Wednesday

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 14, 2023

The dangerous heat wave throughout the Pacific Northwest is set to break records Tuesday and Wednesday in Spokane.

News >  Weather

Here’s how to stay safe as scorching weather bakes Spokane

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 14, 2023

High temperatures forecast for Spokane this week will create “deadly” conditions for those who cannot protect themselves, according to a National Weather Service warning.