Treva Lind

When Byron and Kim Brown sought a mainland site to expand Akamai Coffee Company and Maui restaurants, they settled on Coeur d'Alene. The couple opened The Lanai Feb. 7 in the city's midtown to bring the same food, vibe and decor of its Hawaiian counterparts.

Chef Adam Hegsted kept a busy pace with his regional eateries, but that was interrupted more than a year ago. A September 2023 open heart surgery repaired a life-threatening aortic aneurysm and leaking aortic valve – a congenital issue. After recovery and slow return, Hegsted has hit reset, with more time back in the kitchen.

 A Washington State University Spokane research team has made a breakthrough at the cellular level in studying the secrets of helping people live longer.

Theresa Fall of Otis Orchards first saw the dog Liberty in an online post about how the pup was left abandoned in a California almond orchard for about a month until her rescue. Wings of Rescue, a flight nonprofit for rescue pets to go to shelters with room, was helping Liberty as its 75,000th animal, and she was on her way to Spokane. Now, Liberty is an "early Christmas gift" for Fall and her husband Ed.

You can still dream about a white Christmas, but this year Spokane is likely to have rain and higher-than-normal temperatures for the holiday.

Syrian refugees in Spokane, who fled civil war that erupted in their country in 2012, have closely watched news unfolding since the Dec. 8 power shift in Syria by rebel forces. They're happy rebel fighters successfully advanced into capital, Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee and ending 54 years of tyranny under Bashar and his father beforehand.

Local therapy dog Rocket just took a ride to national recognition for his service in the Kootenai County Sheriff’s K9 unit. In a First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award contest, the U.S. vote results just came in for the Brittany spaniel and his handler, John McSwain, a department chaplain. Rocket earned a rare honorable mention nod.

Danielle “Dani” Golay, The Bohemian co-owner, met Stacia Garmon at the dentist when they learned of something painfully in common, a baby's death. Garmon cherises a blanket gifted by the hospital for her son. Now, she keeps her mind busy sewing and is selling her own crafted baby blankets and related items at in the Bohemian, with proceeds to donate baby blankets for parents experience such a loss.