Treva Lind

A year ago, Samantha "Sam" Williams got airlifted to MultiCare Deaconess Hospital at 24 weeks into her pregnancy. She had early signs of labor, but Williams never expected the cesarean-section birth that day of twins Lorenzo and Layla. Both had health struggles during months of care in the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care but are now thriving. Near their 1-year-old birthday, Williams last week took them to visit the nurses who became like family during nearly five months of NICU care.

Melissa Bedford, an educator and former elementary school teacher, always loved to read and use imagination as a child. Today, she can meld all her many interests into a new job as Spark Central's new executive director.

Spokane mom Kimber Erickson wants to spread education on suicide prevention, including insight on the effect of depression in boys and young men and how their brains can be wired toward addictions and violent self-harm. After her 19-year-old son Kellen died in January 2020 by suicide, she and her husband Mike Erickson founded the KellenCares Foundation. On Saturday, the group will host an all-day seminar for parents, teachers and counselors at Summit Church on the South Hill. Along with break-out workshops for age groups, the event is scheduled to have speaker Dr. Michael Gurian, a Spokane family counselor and author of more than 30 books, including “Saving Our Sons."

On April 25, a new Spokane autism clinic is set to open with multidisciplinary specialists collaborating on diagnosis to help close a gap of an average wait time of 12 months for initial evaluations. A group ranging from a pediatrics expert to a psychologist will evaluate patients for autism spectrum disorder, starting by 18 months and up to age 18. Called the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Clinic, it's through a partnership between Range Community Clinic and Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, located in its WSU Health Sciences Building.

Distance, time and a hard-to-spell road name didn’t help the odds for Dave Lohman. At his farm near Oakesdale in November, he suddenly lost all feeling on the left side of his body while operating a tractor.

Actress Ellen Travolta and regional foster youth nonprofit Safety Net will host a 2 p.m. Sunday fundraiser featuring the film, "Short Term 12," in Coeur d'Alene. The 2013 movie that will be shown at Regal Theater at the Village at Riverstone depicts a foster-care group home for at-risk teenagers, where the character Grace is a young counselor trying to do her best for kids who often have been pulled from the worst kinds of home situations.

Local history buffs plan to serve parts of a 2,700-year-old meal: Nutty sheep's milk cheese, lentil-lamb stew, a Midas-touch brew. While it's all with fresh ingredients, experts believe King Midas of the Phrygians served this food for his father's funeral in modern-day Turkey. Open to any guest who registers, "The Feast of King Midas" is a May 6 anniversary event with dinner and lecture scheduled by the Spokane chapter of Archaeological Institute of America, which is marking 75 years since it launched here.

Growing up in Madagascar, Tongasoa Jefferson Julianot Rakotomalala had a dream by age 14 to get an education at a U.S. college. He lived in poverty in the town of Moramanga. None of his family finished high school or college, and they discouraged him.

Taija "Tay" Nelms arrived early on March 23 for her calculus final at Eastern Washington University. A few students sat down, and the lights weren't on yet. Moments later, a classmate at a nearby desk collapsed. 

This is the first year for a Spokane Public Schools mentoring program for female students called Ladies Investing in Noble Character. 

MultiCare updated a mask policy for its Inland Northwest facilities on Monday, when Washington state ended its mask mandate for health and long-term care facilities.

The Eastern Washington Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program says it's in dire need of new volunteers, because those ranks have shrunk significantly since the pandemic. An ombudsman provides support for residents of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and adult family homes in Spokane County and adjoining counties of Pend Oreille, Ferry, Stevens and Whitman. 

Knit-a-thon fundraiser has teams creating blankets go to a child-centered need in the community, and people make pledges per square to benefit the school.

Come Monday, masks will be requested but not required at many health care facilities in the Spokane region.

Providence and the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine announced a partnership Tuesday that launches a pediatric residency program at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital. The program will have an inaugural group of six residents begin training July 1, 2024. The WSU-sponsored program is a three-year residency. For each academic year, another six residents will be admitted for a total of 18 when all three cohorts are filled.

Since 1975, Canine Companions has placed more than 7,300 service dogs nationwide free of charge to men, women, children and veterans with disabilities. An Inland Northwest chapter is focused on recruiting more of those volunteers – especially in Spokane – as puppy raisers willing to offer care and training for about a 15 month-stint. They agree to pay for dog food, supplies and other costs during the stay.

Rich Hadley, who for 21 years led the region's business chamber now called Greater Spokane Incorporated, died on Sunday. Hadley is credited by many Spokane leaders for his vision and partnerships that created the University District and Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. A former U.S. Navy air intelligence officer during the Vietnam War, Hadley also forged a strong relationship with Air Force officials, becoming one of the region’s foremost advocates for protecting Fairchild Air Force Base and boosting its future role.

Spokane County Library District offers "Lego Stop-Motion Animation" for children ages 8-12 to learn using a free animation app for smart devices in storytelling videos of Lego characters moving, jumping and talking to each other.

More than 100 students applied for 40 seats in Eastern Washington University's new four-year nursing program's upper division classes that start in August. In 2022, the state Legislature funded $6.1 million for EWU to expand to a full four-year program. Leaders cited the need to train more nurses, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened shortages. But other issues that limit admitting more students to regional BSN programs include faculty recruitment and hospital training availability, educators say.

Local leaders also describe the same wave of reported trauma among children and adolescents as highlighted in a mid-February federal analysis showing increases in rape and sexual violence among teen girls, as well as their record levels of feeling sad or hopeless. 

A recent statewide survey found that food insecurity remains high among low-income residents as they face increased food prices and ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. University of Washington and Washington State University professors tapped more than 5,000 people, with nearly half reporting they experienced food insecurity. In Spokane County, 48% among about 400 people reported using food assistance in the past month.