First Night to proceed, minus snowed-out snowboard event

First Night Spokane’s snowboard rail jam event has been cancelled, a casualty of too much snow.

The irony of First Night’s only weather-related casualty being a snow event was not lost on executive director Chris Martin.

“Of all the things the snow would have the biggest effect on,” said Martin, who explained that Riverfront Park staff does not have the capacity to clear an area to allow trucks to bring in the necessary scaffolding for the event.

About 50 skiers and snowboarders would have participated in a demonstration of Alpine aeronautics from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

All other First Night events, including the fireworks finale in the park, will continue as planned tonight despite record snowfall in Spokane, Martin said. There will be free parking at the Spokane Arena and free STA bus service from the arena to downtown.

“We’re set up to move people around,” Martin said.

Kevin Graman

Olympia

More people light up during hard times

The stress of empty wallets and mounting bills is triggering a return to old habits: former smokers are lighting up again.

The calming satisfaction of a cigarette is how many Americans choose to cope with financial stress, according to a national study by the American Legacy Foundation. The report said 77 percent of smokers report higher levels of stress, which has led to more cigarette consumption or even a switch to cheaper brands, rather than quitting, to save money.

Health officials in Olympia noted the trends – especially among people living in households where paychecks total less than $35,000 a year.

“We know the tough economy is hitting people hard,” said Washington Health Secretary Mary Selecky in a press release. “It’s another good reason for those who smoke to try quitting.”

The average pack of cigarettes sells for $5.38 in Washington. For pack-a-day smokers, that’s about $2,000 a year.

The state offers the Tobacco Quit Line at (800) QUIT-NOW.

Smoking rates across Washington have dropped from 22.4 percent eight years ago to 16.5 percent in 2007.

But Spokane’s smoking rate is higher. About one in four people smoke. That statistic includes about 19.4 percent of pregnant women, despite the dangers posed to fetuses and health problems associated with secondhand smoke.

John Stucke

Region

Mountain snowpack still below normal

Mountain snowpacks remain below normal in the Inland Northwest, despite December’s record snowfall in Spokane.

In the Spokane River basin, the snowpack’s water content is 70 percent of normal for this time of year, according to data from the Natural Resource Conservation Service. In the Idaho Panhandle, the water content is 68 percent of normal. Other areas of the Columbia Basin are also reporting lower-than-normal averages.

“It didn’t really start snowing until late December,” said Scott Pattee, the NRCS’s water supply specialist. Frigid temperatures created light, fluffy snow.

Mountain snowpack is critical in the West, where it becomes the spring runoff that provides irrigation water; powers hydroelectric dams; creates whitewater for rafting; and flushes young salmon out to the ocean. Most mountain snow falls in December and January.

“Since we blew through December, we’re really counting on Old Miz January to bring us up to speed,” Pattee said. “But the next 15 days looks pretty decent.”

Storms predicted throughout the Northwest should help beef up mountain snowpacks, he said.

Becky Kramer