Treva Lind

Regional economists expect positive economic growth for 2025, but at a slower pace than this year. That's offset by a few trouble spots in the region, primarily housing and insurance costs. Mortgage rates likely will hover at between 6% and 7%. In the big picture, the perception of the economy is good for some but bad for others, with many small businesses and households struggling.

Regional baker Casey Bates landed a dream stint on Food Network's "Christmas Cookie Challenge" that airs Thursday night for a $10,000 prize. Fittingly, the show's farm theme of "Christmas on the North Pole Farm" made her feel right at home, because Bates runs her cookie business – Casey Bates Creates – from her home in Colton, Wash.

Providence Health has agreed to spin off its home health services, hospice and palliative care programs to a joint venture with for-profit company Compassus, a Tennessee-based company that provides home-based care services in 30 states. After a regulatory review, Compassus is expected to begin managing operations, locally in early 2025 for Providence Visiting Nurses Association Home Health and 2027 for Providence Hospice Spokane.

Education to train dentists will expand in Spokane, with the University of Washington School of Dentistry's lease for a new oral health training center in the UW-Gonzaga University Health Partnership’s building. The move is for the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education program, partnering with Eastern Washington University, that got a recent $2.5 million from the Legislature to expand education for future dentists to work in rural and underserved areas, now doubling the student numbers and creating space for a second year in Spokane.

McKinstry employee Sara Hofstee gave the go-ahead Wednesday, starting a whirlwind line-up of 65 volunteers walking by stations to stuff energy-saving devices into 600 bright orange bags. They filled a fifth-floor common space in the Catalyst Building, a project partnering with SNAP and Avista to help Spokane residents save on energy costs and keep homes warmer this winter, and in less than 40 minutes, the bags were ready to give away free to families from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, in a drive-thru at 601 E. Riverside Ave.

Anne Snyder is editor-in-chief of Comment Magazine and author of the 2019 book, "The Fabric of Character: A Wise Giver's Guide to Renewing Our Social and Moral Landscape." Snyder plans to bring such perspectives to a Whitworth University's election year series talk, "Social Architecture: Creating a Scaffold of Social Life for the Common Good," 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bing Crosby Theater. Northwest Passages is co-hosting the event.

A group of elderly refugees – originally from Congo and Afghanistan – recently learned healthy habits together in a downtown class arranged by the nonprofit Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane. Among services, the nonprofit's Refugee Elders program has over 40 people who are 65 and older, attending in small groups for activities and education to connect, learn and feel less isolated.

Aidan McCrum plans to run a fourth MultiCare's benefit 5k, but this Saturday morning's fundraiser focus to support mental health strikes him as more relevant than ever. He works as a Spokane Public Schools nurse and is an on-call psychiatric nurse for the Tamarack Center, a local adolescent residential behavioral health site. Daily, he sees a need for more youth mental health services in Spokane.

Working in a mock abdomen cavity, high school freshman Dakota Unterberg moved a laparoscopic grasper as she watched a screen showing where she placed the tool. Twelve Ferris High School students toured Providence Holy Family Hospital on Tuesday, among 100 total high school students also from Rogers and North Central going to different Providence hospitals for a career day to see medical fields.

Cancer vaccines are closer to reality as shots delivered to trigger a body's immune response to fight a tumor, said Dr. Nora Disis, a Seattle oncologist and researcher. Director of the University of Washington Medicine Cancer Vaccine Institute, Disis will speak in Spokane 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gonzaga University on, "How Close Are We to a Breast Cancer Vaccine?"

If some moviegoers think Hollywood has abandoned faith and spiritual themes, that's all set for debate next week in a public series at Gonzaga University. Gonzaga's Faith & Reason Institute hosts its Faith, Film, Philosophy 2024 series: "Spiritual Film Themes in a Secular Age." Free nightly sessions begin at 7 p.m. Monday and run through Friday.

ParaSport Spokane has a new home: the former Mountain View Middle School in Newman Lake. The group's seven-year lease at Valley Christian School ended this fall, requiring the nonprofit to move its sports programs for 200 youth and adults with disabilities. The Sheriff’s Office Training Center previously was at Mountain View until fall 2023, when a newly-built training facility opened in Airway Heights.

Spokane likely has about 20,000 children and teens experiencing mental health disorders a year, based on national psychiatry data. But the county has less than 15 child psychiatrists for a total estimated 117,000 population under age 18. Those shortages are impacting care locally and nationally, while the solutions aren't simple.

About eight years ago, DeeDee Moore realized with her first grandchild how much has changed for modern parents, who track new research on child safety and development. In 2019, she created More Than Grand, a blog to help educate new grandparents about changes in parenting approaches, while giving tips to help elders strengthen bonds with grandchildren and both parents.

Spokane-area residents can learn more about their health risks for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis or diabetes through Life Line Screening events this month through Sept. 25. A screening package starts at $159, designed for people ages 40 and older, but it can be arranged based on age and risk factors. The company requires pre-registration.

Dan and Carol Taylor parked their camper van in a Green Bluff empty parking area, after visiting the store at Walters' Fruit Ranch to buy treats ahead of a one-night stay. The orchard is among more than 5,500 sites for Harvest Host, a RV membership company that coordinates brief stops at a network of farms, wineries, breweries or small businesses. Electric, water, and sewer hookups typically aren't available, but the benefit is a free night's stay. Most RVers buy products or donate at sites.

In Washington and three other states since July 1, Medicare patients with both parts A and B can talk to a dementia expert for regular video or phone chats at no cost. It includes family caregivers, often spouses or adult children of Alzheimer's patients, under a partnership of the Alzheimer's Association and Seattle-based company Rippl Care.

As '80s tunes played and people queued up at an ice cream truck, Touchmark South Hill senior living center staff began hosing water onto a 75-foot-long orange Slip ‘N Slide Thursday for a summer camp-themed afternoon. The water feature drew a lineup of seniors seeking to slide down nostalgia lane.

At Spokane Symphony's helm since 2016, Jeff vom Saal is departing to take a job as Nashville Symphony's chief operating officer. Russ Lee, former symphony board chair, will step in as interim executive director until a search for vom Saal's replacement starts later this symphony season.

Former Frontier Behavioral Health CEO Jeff Thomas built a legacy as a key architect of the region's shift to integrated mental health care, a practice that considers both physical and mental wellbeing. A year after his death from respiratory complications, both a local university scholarship and a Frontier outpatient site are being named for him.

After decades in construction, Bert Rohrbach two years ago found what he considers the right tools to help a coworker struggling with mental health. He previously lost three close coworkers who died by suicide, but he learned in recent training to notice signs, ask questions and use intervention tools – steps he wants others in the industry to learn.

North Idaho officials issued a harmful algal bloom alert on Monday for Fernan and Avondale lakes, after recent water sampling indicates the presence of toxic cyanobacteria – previously called blue-green algae. People and pets should avoid swimming or water sports in bloom areas until the advisory is lifted, as symptoms of exposure can include rashes, hives, diarrhea, vomiting, coughing or wheezing.

Lindsey Klein felt inspired by her pediatrician, who talked directly to her during 18 years of visits. Growing up in Kent, Washington, Klein recalls how the doctor made sure she understood her health, including early severe asthma.