Week in Review

After 23 years, Judy Hurt never dreamed she’d lose her job at Sacred Heart Medical Center. But she and 87 other licensed practical nurses – as well as 86 other employees – will be laid off as part of a cost-cutting move at the region’s largest medical facility. “I’m too old to start over and too young to retire,” said Hurt, who faces bleak prospects in a community where nurses are plentiful and openings for LPNs are rare. Sacred Heart is not alone; hospitals nationwide are struggling with increasing numbers of charity cases. Empire Health Services, which operates Deaconess Medical Center and Valley Hospital and Medical Center, announced earlier this summer it will cut 150 positions. Sacred Heart officials say they’ve been moving away from LPNs for years, divvying up their work among higher-paid registered nurses and lower-paid nursing assistants. Hurt has begun looking for work outside the region. “You know, at Sacred Heart our mission is to take care of the poor, and here that’s the reason we’re losing our jobs,” she said.

MONDAY

A record 140,000 obese Americans are expected to have gastric bypass surgery for weight-loss this year, at a typical cost of $20,000 to $30,000. Some Inland Northwest residents have convinced their health insurers to pay for the procedure, while others have paid the entire amount themselves. Medicare and Medicaid sometimes cover the cost for those covered by the government programs, but only if it’s considered medically necessary.

“ About 94 percent of motorists use their seat belts in Washington, where non-users face $101 tickets. That compares to 74 percent in Idaho. Surveys show that city folks are more likely to use seat belts than rural residents, and nationwide statistics show that seat belts in pickups get less use than those in cars.

TUESDAY

Lake Coeur d’Alene is Idaho’s top fishing destination, with 92,000 anglers spending at least a day there last year. It beat out previous favorites Cascade and Brownlee reservoirs, which are suffering from southern Idaho’s ongoing drought. State officials say better management of the lake has led to better fishing.

“ A draft proposal before the city of Spokane’s Public Safety Committee would ban the use of motorized foot scooters for those under age 16, require motorcycle-style helmets and prohibit the scooters’ use in congested areas or on streets where the speed limit is greater than 25 mph.

“ Spokane County CEO Francine Boxer has resigned her position as the county’s top non-elected official, a little more than a week after she was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. It is the second DUI charge against Boxer in three years. She contends she wasn’t driving the car in the most recent case.

WEDNESDAY

The U.S. Department of Education has ruled that the school district in Brewster, Wash., violated the civil rights of Latino students when it singled them out to attend a meeting last year. They were required to sign a contract accepting harsher disciplinary action than white students.

Expanding the Spokane Convention Center will mean removing mature willow trees along the Centennial Trail in Riverfront Park. City officials say the trees will be replaced with hardier species.

“ About 1,000 Washington residents will qualify for thousands of dollars in refunds from a Florida-based company that charged customers a fee in exchange for help paying off debts. The state Attorney General’s Office alleges DSI Financial used “high-pressure tactics and misleading pitches.” The company says it did nothing wrong, but agreed to offer the refunds, pay a $25,000 civil penalty and $35,000 in state attorneys’ fees.

“ Pilot John J. Cooley of Cheney died when he lost control of his helicopter while stringing power lines in North Spokane for the Bonneville Power Administration.

“ Scaling a fence and ignoring warning signs, a Post Falls man was killed when he jumped from a 65-foot cliff into the Spokane River. Aaron Hayes, 25, had told friends he had made the plunge before uninjured.

THURSDAY

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to deny Hecla Mining Co.’s request to discharge more heavy metals into the Coeur d’Alene River from the Lucky Friday mine near Mullan, Idaho. Hecla doesn’t want to build a $5.5 million water treatment plant.

“ Burglars stole about 70 guns from Double Eagle Pawn. Spokane Police have assigned “a significant complement of officers and detectives” to the case.

“ A premature infant delivered by C-section while doctors temporarily kept her Spokane mother alive has been brain-dead since the Aug. 11 birth, members of the woman’s family say they’ve recently learned. The infant’s father, who is being investigated in the mother’s mysterious death, will decide whether to remove the baby from life support.

FRIDAY

A state Department of Revenue study concludes that Washington residents pay a smaller share of their income to state and local taxes than at any time since 1981. The tax burden was $101 for every $1,000 of income in 2002, down from $123 in 1995. Idahoans pay $100.

“ Wildlife agents are investigating the poaching of a bear that apparently was killed for its paws and gallbladder. The carcass – minus those body parts – was recently found rotting on a remote corner of the Washington State University campus. Black bear paws are considered a delicacy in some cultures, and gallbladders can fetch as much as $25,000 for use in Asian folk remedies.

COMING UP

Parents used to leave their college freshmen at the dormitory doors at the start of the school year, promising to see them at Thanksgiving. But administrators say parents these days are much more reluctant to let go. Read about the phenomenon in Monday’s Spokesman-Review.