James Hanlon

COULEE DAM – Rumors are swirling in the towns around the country’s largest hydroelectric dam that employees are being quietly laid off amid the recent slashing of the federal workforce.

Members of North Idaho’s interlibrary loan collective on Wednesday pressed the director of its largest member about a policy that seems to exclude children from accessing other member libraries’ materials.

The library system in Kootenai County is moving 16 young adult books into its new adults-only room as it vets materials that have drawn concern from members of the community as being inappropriate for children.

As the Community Library Network of Kootenai County works to restrict children and teen access to books in the district’s collection that its board deems inappropriate, those restrictions will also affect minors from other libraries.

Camp Fire Inland Northwest sold the last of its classic mint patty candies this month, ending an 80-year tradition of fundraising for summer camp.

Voters in Moses Lake approved a $51 million school levy Tuesday that will help the district recover from a budget shortfall that included an $11 million accounting error. The levy passed with about 59% voting in support.

A week of bitterly cold temperatures should improve Thursday as a fresh layer of snow falls across the Inland Northwest.

A 66-year-old Spokane man who was driving a charter bus on state Route 28 east of Wenatchee died Sunday when a passenger car attempting to pass opposite traffic collided head-on with the bus.

PULLMAN – Washington State University’s 12th president, Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, will take the helm April 1 at a crossroads for both the school and the country.

PULLMAN – The developer behind a wind farm project near Colfax says it has enough leases from landowners to move forward with 45 turbines, but plans to work with Whitman County as it writes new wind energy rules at the urging of upset neighbors.

The man accused of stealing a display of handmade baby moccasins from Northern Quest Resort & Casino over four years ago will face trial in Spokane federal court next month.

As the Community Library Network in Kootenai County plans to open an adults-only room for mature content, other Idaho libraries have reacted with a range of alternatives to comply with a new law about separating materials that have been labeled “harmful to minors.”

The Community Library Network is sifting through 140 books that could be among the first titles added to its mature content collection to be held in a room accessible only by adults at the Post Falls Library. The Spokesman-Review obtained the full list of titles through a public records request. The records did not clarify how many copies of those titles exist in the catalog or which library branches held them. The majority of the books are young adult novels.

One of President Donald Trump’s first executive orders signed on his first day back in office strictly recognizes only two sexes – male and female – and rolls back transgender protections within the federal government.

A new four-lane divided highway is expected to make travel between the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla safer and faster.

Hollywood actor Eric Edelstein, a Gonzaga University alum, spoke fondly Thursday of the late director David Lynch.

David Lynch, the prolific artist and filmmaker who created the television show “Twin Peaks,” died Thursday, four days before his 79th birthday. His early childhood in the Inland Northwest left a lasting impression on his psyche.

The Lakeland Joint School District will run a $7.52 million levy in May after its $9.52 million levy failed in November.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Spokane Transit Authority a $2 million grant Friday to further the design of transportation improvements through one of Spokane’s busiest streets.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little stopped in Hayden Monday to tout his funding proposals for the 2026 budget first unveiled in his State of the State address last week.

Residents and irrigators in Newman Lake will pay a $309 assessment fee on top of their regular water rates this year in lieu of a 45% rate increase.

The Biden administration on Friday extended temporary protections for nearly 1 million immigrants from several countries in high conflict who are living in the United States.

A fire at Felts Field gutted a popular and historic breakfast and lunch restaurant early Thursday.