Stories by Jim Allen for the Spokesman-Review

Sports > EWU basketball

Former Eastern Washington basketball standout Austin McBroom has turned his attention from points to clicks with successful YouTube channel

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 2, 2019

Austin McBroom’s world is overflowing – with fame, fortune and lately a few hundred gallons of water.

Sports > Gonzaga women

Gonzaga women’s basketball picked to repeat as West Coast Conference champions; pair of players honored

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 2, 2019

There’s nothing like winning to inspire respect from your rivals.

News > Education

Dolan and Long vie for seat on Central Valley School District board

Wed., Oct. 2, 2019

Candidates Susan Dolan and Debra Long are running for a position on the Central Valley School District board.

News > Education

Largest city-school partnership in Spokane history breaks ground at Shaw Middle School

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 1, 2019

Almost a year after Spokane voters approved $575 million in school and library bonds, 20 ceremonial shovels were turned toward a project that Mayor David Condon calls the cornerstone for a “safer, smarter, healthier community.”

News > Spokane

Survey finds 3,300 homeless students in Spokane County

Tue., Oct. 1, 2019

The homeless problem in Spokane can’t be measured by the sleeping bags in downtown streets and alleys.

Sports > Gonzaga women

Gonzaga women begin practice loaded with confidence

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 30, 2019

Considering they lost three starters from last year, the Gonzaga women are walking and talking with a lot of confidence. And they should.

News > Education

Spokane Public Schools includes climate change in curriculum, though striking students say it’s not enough

Sun., Sept. 29, 2019

Last wekk’s climate protests highlighted an ongoing disconnect: While most states and many school districts have classroom standards that at least mention human-caused climate change, many teachers aren’t dealing with the subject.

News > Education

Spokane Public Schools, teachers union reach tentative contract agreement

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 28, 2019

“There is an agreement in principle,” Brian Coddington, the district’s director of communications and public relations, said Saturday evening. Until Oct. 8, no details will be revealed – not even the length of the proposed contract

News > Education

Northport school cuts costs, reduces air pollution emissions

Sat., Sept. 28, 2019

Thanks to a $400,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce, the students at Northport School will no longer need to wear overcoats in class. On Thursday afternoon, Commerce Director Lisa Brown toured the campus, which now features a wood pellet boiler heating system that uses biomass, or renewable low-value wood products.

News > Spokane

New group aims to shelter animals when animal shelter is closed

Fri., Sept. 27, 2019

The group’s mission is to provide rescue and short-term foster care for up to 72 hours for lost, found or displaced pets during hours when Spokane Regional Animal Protection Service, or SCRAPS, is closed.

News > Education

Spokane school board candidates offer differing plans to solve budget issues

Fri., Sept. 27, 2019

The candidates for the Spokane Public Schools board of directors are fixed on looking ahead, not back, as they consider the district’s current fiscal troubles.

News > Spokane

Spokane teachers pack school board meeting to express frustration over effects of budget cuts

Thu., Sept. 26, 2019

Jeremy Shay, president of the Spokane Education Association, was the only speaker, but he was backed by about 200 teachers and other staff, most wearing red T-shirts and carrying “Union Strong” placards as they packed the board room.

News > Education

Plans for new Shaw Middle School unveiled at school board meeting

Wed., Sept. 25, 2019

Plans for northeast Spokane also include improvements at On-Track Academy and the Hillyard Library.

News > Education

Spokane school board begins discussions about changing electoral system

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 25, 2019

At the instigation of Board Member Mike Wiser, board members offered general observations on the current at-large system and the pros and cons of switching to a district format. Wiser brought up the topic partly because the current board and most of the six candidates running this year are drawn from the South Hill.

News > Education

With no members north of the river, Spokane school board considers changing electoral system

Wed., Sept. 25, 2019

If you live north of the river and feel underrepresented on the Spokane Public Schools board of directors, you’re right.

News > Education

Sensory pathway leads unfocused students back to learning at Balboa Elementary

Wed., Sept. 25, 2019

The sensory pathway allows students to spend a few minutes walking, jumping, bouncing and otherwise pushing themselves through their distractions. Experts believe the pathway is a good way for kids to develop motor skills such as balance, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.

News > Education

McMullen and Myers bring experience in race for Central Valley School Board

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 24, 2019

When the state changed the funding model for public education, Central Valley School Board member Cindy McMullen likened it to a working family who just lost half a paycheck. In Central Valley’s case, that meant a $12 million budget deficit that left McMullen and her colleagues to pick up the pieces.

News > Education

Election preview: Mead School District board member Dorcas Wylder faces challenger Michael Cannon

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 27, 2019

Wylder, who was appointed to the seat at the beginning of the year, defended the school board’s decisions to end programs while facing a projected budget shortfall next year. Cannon said those decisions were “short-sighted” and have left parents and students without needed support.

News > Education

Mead school board race pits veteran against newcomer critical of how district handled recent cuts

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 27, 2019

Bob Olson, who has on the Mead School District board for 34 years, says stability on the board will help the district navigate a difficult period. His challenger in the Nov. 5 election, John Hatcher, disagrees. Hatcher says the district “needs new ideas and input.”

News > Spokane

Russian athletes visit Spokane area to learn about parasports

Sat., Sept. 21, 2019

The athletes came to Spokane thanks to the Open World Program. Since its launch in 1999, nearly 23,000 individuals from a wide variety of professional fields have traveled to communities in all 50 states to meet and share knowledge with their professional colleagues and to learn about life in America.

News > Education

$14.6M Mead schools levy would mitigate effects of recent budget cuts

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 26, 2019

Alone among the larger districts in Spokane County, the Mead School District decided this year to mitigate its budget problems by offering a two-year supplemental levy on the Nov. 5 ballot. If the $14.6 million measure passes, the district will reinstate some paraeducators who were let go in recent cuts, maintain nursing staff at current levels, increase safety and security personnel, and expand learning opportunities for nontraditional students.

News > Education

Safety and security a key topic in Spokane School Board elections

UPDATED: Sun., Sept. 15, 2019

All six remaining Spokane School Board candidates agree that the question of improving security is more complicated than the black-and-white question of whether the district should arm its campus resource officers or contract with law enforcement for similar services.

News > Education

Women of the Year: Maura Ruiz leverages her struggles to make a difference in the lives of students

Sun., Sept. 15, 2019

Maura Ruiz welcomes them every day in her office at Lewis and Clark High School: dozens of young men and women who desperately need her help.

News > Education

Spokane schools are adapting to increased class sizes, principals tell school board

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 11, 2019

Schools are doing their best to cope with larger class sizes and other budget-related challenges, a trio of principals told Spokane Public Schools board members Wednesday night.

News > Education

Budget reckoning has left Spokane schools with bigger classes

Wed., Sept. 11, 2019

At almost every school in Spokane, classrooms are filled with more students after

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