Treva Lind

Irrigation canals once stretched for miles across the Spokane Valley by the late 1890s to open the flow of lake and river water to early settlers to plant orchards or start farms. They also offered unsanctioned summertime swimming for countless children. The largest and most ambitious irrigation project, was known as the Corbin ditch. The Spokane Valley Heritage Museum' is presenting “Flumes, Ditches & Canals, the Irrigation Story," for a 19th annual fundraiser and history program. It's scheduled 1-3 p.m. Oct. 28 at CenterPlace Regional Event Center.

A beloved Spokane musician and teacher, Quindrey “Drey” Davis stood out as a talented drummer as early as middle school.

Bobby Clark recalls earlier parts of a football game 12 years ago. He sounds excited, still, about being a senior player for his Priest River Lamanna High School's Sept. 11, 2011 homecoming. But he speaks with a slow, deliberate voice now that gets interrupted by unexpected emotions. Two separate hard hits causing concussions in that game – minutes apart – robbed him of life ever being the same.

It wasn't many years ago that football pros gained fame for delivering – or receiving – repeated, skull-shaking tackles. Within the past two decades, that perspective slowly changed as awareness grew about the risks of sports-related concussions, especially the dangers of a secondary blow when the brain hasn't recovered. It led to return-to-play protocols now standard – from the National Football League down to kids' sports. For younger athletes, Washington was the first state to create a 2009 law to block prematurely returning a player to a sport after a suspected concussion, until getting cleared by a licensed health care provider.

Likely in the next two years, a biomarker blood test is expected to emerge as a diagnostic tool to catch Alzheimer's disease earlier, said a University of Washington doctor scheduled to talk in Spokane Wednesday. Dr. Thomas Grabowski, UW Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center director, argues it's best to battle the disease at the beginning of cognitive symptoms, or if possible, decades before. "Most people when they think of Alzheimer’s, they think about dementia and the worst case that can happen," he said. "In fact, the dementia’s phase is like the last eight or 10 years in something that is really a 30-year process." These insights and the latest in Alzheimer's research will be part of the 6-8 p.m. Next Generation Medicine Lecture at Gonzaga University's Cataldo Hall. It's open to the public and led by Grabowski, medical director of the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center. Dr. Silvia Russo, a Spokane-based Providence cognitive and behavioral, is scheduled to join in a question-and-answer discussion.

A vision to widen access to youth and family mental health services became reality Tuesday as MultiCare opened a new Hillyard facility. The $2.58 million MultiCare behavioral health clinic opened with a waiting room, 21 treatment rooms, three large group therapy rooms and a community classroom. It's in remodeled 8,200 square feet of the former Hillyard Library and uses some original building features such as natural lighting and stained-glass artwork. But what drew the most attention this week was the start of those outpatient therapy services.

Nancy Webster worked at Spokane's only acute rehabilitation hospital as it opened 30 years ago – before it was called St. Luke's. At that facility's helm the past seven years, she keeps that perspective in mind. Under a short-lived name of Deaconess Rehab Institute, Webster first was hired at the site as a recreational therapist. In September 1994, Webster recalls looking outside to see a stream of therapists with patients in wheelchairs coming down the hill from Sacred Heart Medical Center. That day came after Deaconess and Sacred Heart leaders decided to collaborate to form a single long-term rehab facility, known today as Providence St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Medical Center. A shared goal for long-term rehabilitation services helped shape what is now a regional hub for patients recovering from brain injuries, strokes, spinal cord injuries and amputations, Webster said.

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture invited nine Spokane-area residents who are color blind to use the EnChroma glasses to view its “Minecraft: the Exhibition” and other displays. The group got to keep the glasses donated by EnChroma, which has a program for gifting the shades to museums and attractions globally, reaching more than 100 sites. This week, the MAC became the first Spokane museum now offering four of the specialty glasses – also EnChroma-donated – so that color blind visitors can borrow them to view displays.

An older sister had to talk Eli Waunch into going to his first ballet class at age 9. His two brothers also went along, so that the girls in the Deer Park program could dance with male partners. Before long, their mom started driving he and his sister to Spokane's Ballet Arts Academy. While his brothers bowed out long ago, he'll take a bigger leap this fall to study at a year-round ballet school, while finishing up his high school senior year online. He hopes to be a professional dancer.

Sarah Conover's parents disappeared in 1958 on a yacht in the Bermuda Triangle.

Dick Pruett, 76, could be a model in a poster promoting how seniors can reduce the risk of falling. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2008, Pruett calls that condition "the enemy." He fights back with regular activity to improve muscle strength, flexibility and balance – also among strategies to reduce falls. Pruet entered fitness classes at Touchmark on the South Hill after he and his wife moved there in 2022. After nearly two months of exercises, he advanced to walking around the grounds unassisted.

MultiCare is taking sign-ups for its Bridge to Brunch 5K fundraiser Sept. 30 that will benefit Deaconess Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Grandparents came through for grandkids as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, with unexpected numbers of elders moving in or opening homes to about 460,000 children, said a Washington State University researcher. A study found these co-residences made up a majority in a 2020 surge of nearly 510,000 children in all pandemic-era "doubled up" residences. That meant kids and at least one parent lived with another adult who isn't a parent figure – grandparent, aunt, cousin or roommate. Mariana Amorim, a WSU sociology assistant professor and lead author, said mainly grandparents stepped in to provide a safety net for their families, particularly for six months beginning spring 2020.

People seeking to quit stimulants drugs have few clinical interventions, except for an incentive-based approach shown effective in longtime Washington State University research. Contingency management is a behavioral approach using gift cards and small prizes to help motivate people to quit stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine. Typically, visits are twice weekly for at least 12 weeks, with weekly drug-free urine samples to gain rewards. Just since 2020 in the state, the method has moved outside of research walls and into real-world clinics.

Nostalgic neon from Spokane's past glows by dusk each night in the yard of Chris and Liz Bovey's West Plains home. The original signs came from regional favorites like White Elephant Surplus, Dempsey’s Brass Rail, Luigi's, Holiday Motel and the Italian Kitchen chef, who flips his pan again. With Vintage Print & Neon in the Garland District, Chris Bovey is known for his art of local iconic sites. It seems a natural fit to have now 16 historic signs scattered near his home – most with neon. But what's now called Bovey Boneyard didn't start intentionally. The lights first came on three years ago, when he was offered a sign from Wolffy's, a 1950s-style hamburger joint.

Rick Hosmer, a longtime Spokane ad agency principal, has kept fit doing regular outdoor activities. A year ago, he had a heart attack often called a "widowmaker" when cycling at Mount Spokane State Park. With fast help and being healthy beforehand, Hosmer survived and is about to set out again on a hike up Quartz Mountain, where a friend, trail workers and first responders helped him on Aug. 21 last year.

Joe and Crystal Ossello braced themselves for perhaps only five minutes to meet their daughter, Harlow. They got 15 ½ hours together. Harlow had a neural tube defect called anencephaly, which means that babies – if they survive in utero – are born without parts of the brain and skull. Surviving infants typically die at birth or within minutes.

Around jokes about a seagull circling to land on him, it's clear Tom Peterson doesn't mark victory by the time it took to do the recent Sandpoint Long Bridge Swim. The win came from his son, Seth Peterson, being with him to finish the 1.76-mile race on Lake Pend Oreille Aug. 5. The elder Peterson has multiple sclerosis, but for years, he has done regular lap swimming to stay healthy. Father and son plan to do the race again next year.

Claire Cardwell didn't want to use her $6,500 Make-A-Wish gift for a lavish shopping spree. The 16-year-old chose instead to give the dollars back, to honor her cancer caregivers. Now in remission, Cardwell traveled Monday from Lewiston to Spokane to thank her pediatric oncologist and nurses at Providence Sacred Heart Children's Hospital. She delivered hugs, balloons, cupcakes, boba tea and a ceremonial Make-A Wish check for a donation through Providence's foundation to a patient assistance program.

Drew and Lisa Repp knew something wasn't right when their first son fell behind in kindergarten. While bright in many ways, he struggled with reading. About two years ago at age 8, he got a diagnosis of dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects reading.

Shalynn Shepherd almost gave up on school years back. That changed because of what she calls her support system. In June, the former foster youth graduated from Spokane Valley High School. Educational specialist Jonathan Chavez made sure he didn't miss that ceremony. He works for nonprofit Treehouse and had met regularly with Shepherd, 18, during her senior year to set goals. Another Treehouse specialist worked with her during junior year in what is called Treehouse's Graduation Success program. Shepherd is among nearly 200 foster youth supported by Treehouse in Spokane County during the 2022-2023 school year. Statewide, the nonprofit offers support for foster youth to attain milestones, such as entering college.

A Fred Hutch Cancer Center outreach office recently opened in Spokane to offer educational programs and seek community input. This month, the office is holding a naming contest for a large inflatable colon display set up at health events to teach about the importance of colon-cancer screening. The contest entries will be accepted through Aug. 31.

Only those close to George Maupin knew that the beloved Spokane TV weatherman faced a personal storm of Alzheimer's disease soon after he retired in 2012. Today, Nancy Maupin credits her husband's early diagnosis and taking drugs aimed at easing the disease's symptoms for giving him "seven good years." They took overseas trips. He enjoyed books and wine. Maupin had endeared himself to local residents with his folksy style during 12 years on the KHQ morning news show, where he coined an on-air phrase, "Spokomojo." He died Feb. 14 at age 79. His wife and their friends have formed Team Maupin Mojo to fundraise for the Sept. 30 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Riverfront Park.