Chad Sokol

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News >  Spokane

Student’s arrest at EWU protest prompts First Amendment arguments

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 16, 2020

Invoking the First Amendment, an attorney questioned the right of law enforcement to separate protesters and counterprotesters into different sections of the campus mall based on their appearances and perceived political viewpoints.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County renews contract as Daybreak Youth Services struggles to fix budget shortfall

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 15, 2020

“We feel extremely optimistic and hopeful,” a Daybreak spokeswoman said. “What is clear is that no one wants to lose these vital services for youth in our community, and everyone agrees that Daybreak is a community asset that provides imperative services for youth across the state.”

News >  Spokane

WSU fraternities make new rules on drinking, partying after freshman’s death

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 15, 2020

In addition to education and reporting requirements, the new rules from the Interfraternity Council include a ban on liquor at fraternity houses and fraternity-sponsored events. Beer and most wine will still be permitted.

News >  Spokane

Stormy Daniels to perform stand-up comedy in Spokane on Presidents Day

UPDATED: Tue., Jan. 14, 2020

“Spokane! Are you ready to get weird?” the adult film star, who received hush money to hide an alleged affair with President Donald Trump, said on Twitter.

News >  Spokane

Stripped of party support, Rep. Matt Shea arrives in Olympia amid calls for his resignation

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 13, 2020

Shea started the 2020 legislative session on a defiant note Monday, continuing to refuse bipartisan calls for his resignation even as he was stripped of his committee assignments and relegated to a seat in the back of the House floor.

News >  Spokane

Woodward taps former city spokesman Brian Coddington, county budget director Tonya Wallace

UPDATED: Tue., Jan. 14, 2020

If confirmed by the City Council, Brian Coddington, who worked for more than five years under Mayor David Condon, will return as the city’s director of communications and marketing, and Tonya Wallace will become the city’s chief financial officer.

News >  Spokane

Man, 38, killed by semitruck while crossing I-90 near Coeur d’Alene

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 13, 2020

The Idaho State Police said Joshua C. Brown, of Rathdrum, had parked his pickup truck and was attempting to walk across the freeway when he was hit Monday afternoon.

News >  Idaho

From mining towns to ski resorts, avalanches have killed dozens in North Idaho mountains

Sun., Jan. 12, 2020

“The Coeur d’Alenes face this menace of snowslides nearly every winter,” read one Spokesman-Review story in 1937. “There have been many slides through the years, most of them claiming some lives. There is little that can be done about it.”

News >  Spokane

Friday snow dump causes more than 100 collisions in Spokane, cancels classes

UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 10, 2020

The first major snowstorm of the season brought more than half a foot of powder to the Spokane area on Friday, creating hazardous driving conditions, prompting colleges to cancel afternoon classes and forcing Spokane Public Schools to call off after-school activities.

News >  Spokane

Two teens arrested after car chase through Perry District

UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 10, 2020

Spokane police alleged the driver, 19-year-old Haylie M. Pariseau, shifted into reverse and attempted to ram a corporal who had just stepped out of his patrol vehicle.

News >  Spokane

City, county prepare for days of plowing ahead of weekend snowstorm in Spokane

UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 10, 2020

Due to the back-to-back nature of snow events expected over the weekend, city officials predicted it could take days to fully plow the 2,200 lane miles of city road.

News >  Spokane

Up to 8 inches of snow expected to fall on Spokane starting Friday

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 9, 2020

The snow is expected to snarl traffic on Interstate 90 from Ritzville into North Idaho, on Highway 195 from Spokane to Uniontown and on Highway 2 in the West Plains area. Parts of North Idaho, meanwhile, could receive up to a foot of snow.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Fight that left man with fatal head wounds followed night of bar-hopping in Spokane Valley

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 8, 2020

Daniel Jarman and Joseph Riley had been friendly with each other while hanging out with several women on the night of Dec. 28. Then the two men started arguing, and Riley punched Jarman in the face, knocking him to the ground, according to court records. One witness said Jarman was immediately “knocked out cold” when his head hit the pavement, but Riley kept throwing punches.

News >  Spokane

EWU to vacate building on WSU Spokane campus after lease talks

UPDATED: Tue., Jan. 7, 2020

Leaders at both schools say they will continue working together, but there are still many details to be worked out, and it’s unclear how much EWU will pay WSU to continue using other spaces on campus.

News >  Spokane

Man dies after Spokane Valley bar fight; detectives looking for witnesses

UPDATED: Tue., Jan. 7, 2020

A 40-year-old man died Friday evening after five days in the hospital with severe head injuries. The fight occurred in the early hours of Dec. 29 in the parking lot of Ichabod’s East at 12116 E. Sprague Ave.

News >  Spokane

Split over LGBT issues shakes United Methodist churches in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene

Sat., Jan. 4, 2020

A 16-member committee of bishops and other church leaders announced Friday they had agreed to spin off a “traditionalist Methodist” denomination that would uphold bans on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy.

News >  Idaho

Railroad should reopen on Saturday after rock slide; 1 locomotive still in Kootenai River

UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 3, 2020

Gus Melonas, a spokesman for BNSF Railway Co., said the rock slide measured about 50 feet wide and 10 feet deep and fell onto the track from a 150-foot embankment. He said geotechnical engineers were at the scene Friday morning, assessing the stability of the slope.

News >  Spokane

Registration opens for Bloomsday 2020

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 2, 2020

If a New Year’s resolution isn’t enough to convince you to lace up your running shoes, perhaps you need a reminder that Bloomsday is four months away.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County Jail, DOC to continue negotiations under 1-month contract

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 2, 2020

The county previously warned it would stop jailing people for probation and parole violations unless the state Department of Corrections agrees to increase its reimbursements to the county.

News >  Spokane

NBA star’s lawyers warned Spokane company to rename ‘Greek Freak’ spice blend

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 31, 2019

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Athens, is the league’s reigning MVP and has trademarked his nickname, the “Greek Freak.” In early August, his lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Spiceology Inc., a Spokane company founded in 2013 that sells herbs and spices, including a savory Mediterranean blend called “Greek Freak.”

News >  Spokane

Border Patrol agent injured, dog killed in rollover crash near Colville

Mon., Dec. 30, 2019

Rescuers extricated the agent from the vehicle with a Jaws of Life hydraulic tool, and she was taken to a hospital with multiple injuries that were not life-threatening, the agency said.

News >  Spokane

Spokane expected to have a windy, snowy New Year’s Eve

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 30, 2019

A National Weather Service meteorologist said a narrow corridor of moisture known as an “atmospheric river” will affect weather in the region in two waves starting Tuesday night.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Police: Spokane man says he killed girlfriend because he ‘couldn’t let her go’

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 30, 2019

A detective wrote that Joshua Forrester had planned to kill Alicia Marie Johnson “at least several hours before he actually did it.”

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Tips, videos lead Spokane police to suspected package thief

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 27, 2019

The department is now working to return dozens of stolen gifts.

News >  Spokane

Christmas is over. Here’s how to get rid of your tree

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 27, 2019

The city is offering free curbside pickup of discarded Christmas trees. Residents who celebrated the holiday with fresh-cut trees can leave them beside their trash and recycling bins on regularly scheduled pickup days.