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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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John Stucke

John Stucke

Current Position: Asst. Managing Editor (Front Page)

John Stucke joined The Spokesman-Review in 2000. As Metro Editor, he directs local news coverage and oversees newsroom reporters. He has reported on business, health care, bankruptcy and agriculture for the paper.

Email
johnst@spokesman.com
Phone
(509) 459-5419

All Stories

News >  Spokane

County jobless rate holds steady

About 1,100 jobs were created in Spokane County during November – a bright spot in an otherwise difficult year for those seeking work. Doug Tweedy, the regional labor economist who tracks employment data for Spokane, said the county’s jobless rate remained stuck, however, at 8.1 percent. That’s the same as October.
News >  Spokane

Providence layoffs reach 172

Providence Health Care has accepted 172 voluntary layoffs as part of its move to cut $61 million from its operating budget next year. Most of the employees worked at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital, said Providence spokesman Joe Robb.
News >  Spokane

Talk at federal, state levels alarms rural hospitals for future

Many of Eastern Washington’s small hospitals are bracing for cutbacks as federal and state governments look to save money. Consider Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Chewelah: On any given day perhaps nine of its 25 patient beds are occupied. Two of those patients might have private insurance. One might not pay the medical bill. The rest will be covered by government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
News >  Spokane

State commission approves Avista rate increases

Avista Corp. received state approval to raise rates starting Jan. 1. The utility’s Washington ratepayers will pay 4.6 percent more for electricity. That’s about $3.10 more per month, raising the average bill to about $81.93.
News >  Spokane

Health insurance ranks fall further

About 1 million people across Washington now lack health insurance, according to a new state report released Monday. It’s a trend that’s been on the rise for years, forcing families into bankruptcy and pinning residual debts of more than $1 billion on hospitals and clinics, said Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.
News >  Spokane

Rose Parade has gift reminder

The memory of Drew Swank will be celebrated in the New Year amid a whirl of flowers and tears. His death in the aftermath of a 2009 high school football game may have robbed his family of his companionship and promise, yet good has come from the tragedy. Surgeons were able to collect organs from Drew’s body and successfully transplant them into people desperate to live.
News >  Spokane

Providence bringing billing jobs to Spokane

Providence Health & Services is moving 250 medical billing jobs to Spokane from its headquarters in Renton, Wash. It’s the largest influx of new jobs by a single employer in recent memory, said Rich Hadley, chief executive of Greater Spokane Incorporated. He said the move would give a $30 million economic punch to the region.
News >  Spokane

Report details safety errors in Lucky Friday cave-in

Federal mine safety regulators have accused Hecla Mining Co. of safety failures that led to the death of a Lucky Friday miner in April. Hecla chief executive officer Phil Baker acknowledged Friday afternoon that the mine received four citations and faces nearly $1 million in penalties following the cave-in that crushed miner Larry “Pete” Marek.
News >  Business

Regulators slam Hecla for miner’s death in April

Federal mine safety regulators have handed out four citations to Coeur d'Alene-based Hecla Mining Co. after a miner died in the company's Lucky Friday Mine in April. Hecla acknowledged fines for the citations could run as high as $1 million, although the company said it will appeal those findings.
News >  Spokane

Clinic staff, patients rally against cuts to health services

Medical clinics for the poor are fighting proposed government funding cuts that they say will undo basic health care services and send thousands more people to emergency rooms. “We’re down to the bones,” said Peg Hopkins, chief executive of Community Health Association of Spokane. “We can’t do any more cuts without cutting services.”
News

CHAS rallies to preserve state funding

Medical clinics for the poor are fighting proposed government funding cuts that they say will undo basic health care services and send thousands more people to emergency rooms.
News >  Spokane

Physical therapy billing fraud case settled

A Spokane physical therapist has escaped a 52-count felony case that accused him of overbilling the state for patient care. The Spokane Superior Court case filed in 2009 against Patrick Schmidt of Star Physical Therapy ended with a fizzle last week after he paid about $22,400 in restitution and agreed to 240 hours of community service as part of a plea agreement.
News >  Spokane

Some Medicare patients could face insurance ouster

Group Health Cooperative says it plans to drop Medicare patients who are not enrolled in a supplemental plan that costs an additional $20 a month. It’s a step the Seattle-based managed care company has been considering for years as Medicare’s fee-for-service reimbursements don’t adequately fund nor fit Group Health’s integrated care model, said Dr. Tom Schaaf, medical director of the organization’s Eastern Washington operations.
News >  Spokane

Filling a family need

There are at least 40,000 children from struggling families in Spokane who could be eating more nutritious meals if their parents enrolled in a long-standing government program designed to put healthy foods into homes. So this holiday season health officials are trying to sign more people up for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. That could mean more fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, bread and other wholesome foods on the dinner tables of families, said Tiffany Muller, who manages the WIC program for the Spokane Regional Health District.
News >  Spokane

Extravagance alleged in fraud indictment

Federal prosecutors filed a 110-count felony indictment Thursday against Doris “Dee” Nelson, architect of an alleged international Ponzi scheme that netted $126 million to prop up payday lender Little Loan Shoppe. Nelson asked for a federal public defender during an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Thursday afternoon. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno wanted to review financial disclosures before giving Nelson a taxpayer-funded defense attorney.
News >  Spokane

Providence eyes cuts

A $61 million budget shortfall has prompted Providence Health Care to seek voluntary layoffs by offering severance pay and cash bonuses. Letters have been mailed to the organization’s 8,500 employees, most of whom work at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital.
News >  Spokane

Region’s economy may stay flat

Brace for another year of economic malaise. Economists told some 700 people attending Greater Spokane Incorporated’s regional economic forecast Tuesday morning that this year has been worse than they initially anticipated and that next year holds little promise.
News

Local economy will still struggle in ‘12, forecasters say

Brace for another year of economic malaise. Economists told some 700 people attending Greater Spokane Inc.’s regional economic forecast Tuesday morning that this year has been worse than they initially anticipated and that next year holds little promise.
News >  Spokane

Budget cuts have public health agencies slashing staff, services

The steady erosion of public health funding and services in Washington has spurred a statewide review of how shrinking agencies can adapt to meet the growing needs of communities with fewer dollars. “Almost unbelievably, unless we change course, for the first time since statistics started to be kept, today’s youngest generation may not live as long as their parents,” Washington’s health secretary, Mary Selecky, wrote in a report asking public health officials statewide to find ways to prioritize and address health issues with less money.