Treva Lind

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.

In May, MultiCare Deaconess launched a virtual nurses pilot among other initiatives to lighten the load for onsite nurses and offset a national shortage of those professionals. The virtual registered nurses are Banyan Medical Systems' employees based in Nebraska and Florida. 

A stately brick building in northwest Spokane once served as an 1890s orphanage. Today, it holds Transitions' Transitional Living Center – updated with 16 apartments for women and children experiencing homelessness. 

Recent Spokane Falls Community College graduate Mary Ann Matheson says that witnessing the toll of the pandemic shifted her career goals from becoming a teacher to getting her degree in the medical field. She hopes to become a nurse to do more to help tribal members of Colville or Coeur d’Alene reservations. She's a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation but currently lives with family, including her son, on the Coeur d'Alene reservation.

As pickleball's fan base grows in Spokane, Coeur d'Alene can claim one home-court advantage – hosting a tournament this month with 430-plus players. The Inland Northwest Pickleball Club will run the July 13-16 CDA Classic Pickleball Tournament at Cherry Hill Park, and it's expected to draw visitors from 20 states and a few other countries. As the sport gains popularity, it can be challenging to find courts.

Spokane County might see a public initiative to expand the region's tree canopy, a priority that drew wide appeal among four potential goals. Planting more heat-resistant trees could help cool off 90-plus degree days and improve air quality. However, it still needs to get measured against improved access to mental health services, expansion of child care options and creation of alternative housing sources. Priority Spokane, a nonprofit that collaborates with multiple agencies and public input to identify and address priorities, will select a No. 1 goal by year's end.

The Inland Northwest has five cancer-support summer camps for children – all free – but many families aren't aware of them, according to Cancer Pathways for Eastern Washington, which launched this spring. The group recently created a one-stop listing with basic details on each of the region's cancer support camps. 

Spokane beer is going international, thanks to a push by No-Li Brewhouse. No-Li is now on store shelves in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. And Vietnam could be next in a growing market for the Spokane brewery.

Washington State University recently lowered its nonresident tuition for the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' Doctor of Pharmacy program by $12,000 a year, effective this fall.

As a Spokane child living with Type 1 diabetes, 8-year-old Natalie McNichols wants people to know why research dollars are needed toward fighting the disease.

SNAP’s Neighbors on the Go launched in fall 2021 as a volunteer driver program that connects seniors and disabled residents who have transportation challenges with reliable rides to medical appointments. It needs more volunteers, because the agency has had to turn people away who need those rides.

This Father's Day, James Tidwell and his four children have plans for a picnic and hike. The Spokane dad, 39, spends mid-week visits and every other weekend under a co-parenting plan with daughters Nevaeh, 14, and Jazmin, 13; son Blaze, 12; and daughter Kihya, 10. But these moments once seemed out of reach. Tidwell, who admits to past mistakes with drug use and anger, wasn't allowed to see them for nearly seven years – until he completed a series of court orders. He also voluntarily took parenting classes in the faith-based Spokane Fatherhood Initiative, including "24/7 Dad." They were reunited in October 2021.

A gardener for 60 years, Bill Palmer still tends to thriving greenery.

Journalist and author Sam Quinones is scheduled as the keynote speaker 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Post Falls for the Panhandle Health District Substance Use Summit. The free, all-day summit will be held at the Red Lion Templin’s on the River, with sessions by health care professionals, clinicians, law enforcement, first responders and community experts on drug prevention. 

A five-member crew on Mount Rainier Tuesday removed the body of a dead man along the route where missing Spokane mountaineer Dawes Eddy had ascended. The Pierce County medical examiner will identify the climber.

A search continued Monday for longtime Spokane mountain climber Dawes Eddy, 80, who was reported missing Thursday during another solo climb to Mount Rainier's summit. He'd left May 30 to ascend the Ingraham Direct route, and Eddy said he planned to return the next day. Eddy, an experienced climber, reported ahead of his departure to park rangers that this trip marked his 50th ascent of Mount Rainier. "Starting on Thursday, June 1, the park initiated a search using both ground and aerial resources," said Terry Wildy, a Mount Rainier National Park ranger, on Monday. Wildy said the search is ongoing and that weather conditions are favorable.