Chad Sokol

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News >  Higher education

Interim president David May: EWU will be ‘resized and refocused’ due to pandemic, budget cuts

Mon., Oct. 12, 2020

David May inherited a job with challenges both brought on by the pandemic and predating its effects in higher education. Eastern Washington will have to pare down some of its offerings and become more competitive in the field of higher education to thrive in the future, May said. 

News >  Idaho

Three candidates vying to become the next Kootenai County sheriff

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 25, 2020

The race for Kootenai County sheriff features two candidates with long careers at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a Rathdrum native who accuses local law enforcement officials of working with "the mob." Bob Norris, Mike Bauer and Justin Nagel are vying to replace Sheriff Ben Wolfinger, who is retiring after four two-year terms in office.

Man hospitalized after stabbing outside Bing Crosby Theater

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 6, 2020

The suspect, Patrick Page, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on a charge of first-degree assault, Spokane police Cpl. Ron Van Tassel said in a news release.

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News

Green Bluff growers adjust to pandemic during fall festivities

Sun., Oct. 4, 2020

Green Bluff's growers, who typically open their fields and orchards to the public during the spring, summer and fall, have taken different business approaches in response to the pandemic. While a few have closed, others are still open for this year's fall harvest festival, which runs each weekend through Oct. 25.

News

After case of mistaken identity, Spokane County prosecutors decline to charge new suspect in deadly brawl

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 2, 2020

The fight occurred in a parking lot outside Ichabod’s East, 12116 E. Sprague Ave., shortly after the bar closed in the early hours of Dec. 29. The victim, Daniel Jarman, a 40-year-old Army veteran and father of two, died of head injuries five days later.

News >  Idaho

Idaho lawmakers call on Panhandle Health District to rescind mask mandate in Kootenai County

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 2, 2020

State legislators accused the Panhandle Health District of "treating adults like children." The overwhelming consensus among scientists is that masks made of fine cloth are effective at capturing droplets that might contain the virus as they are emitted from the mouth or nose. 

News

Gonzaga to host candidates forum on climate change via Zoom

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 1, 2020

The Oct. 7 event will feature candidates for 11 county, state and federal offices in the Spokane area.

News

Breathe easy, Spokane: New wave of smoke should barely hurt air quality

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 29, 2020

Another wave of smoke is expected to blanket the Pacific Northwest this week, but don't hold your breath: Forecasters say it's high in the atmosphere and should have a minimal effect on surface air quality.

News

Former EWU President Mary Cullinan takes 9-month paid sabbatical to write book, hone teaching skills

Tue., Sept. 29, 2020

Cullinan resigned as president in early August amid faculty criticism of her leadership and a university financial crisis made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now she is taking nine months of paid leave to hone her teaching skills and work on a forthcoming book.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Officers with U.S. Marshals Service task force shoot wanted man in Hillyard

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 29, 2020

Kevin J. Gellnes, 42, was hospitalized after the encounter with officers belonging to the U.S. Marshals Services' local fugitive task force. Authorities did not disclose Gellnes' medical condition in a news release Monday evening.

News >  Washington

Stevens County GOP starts appointment process after county commissioners’ legal defeat

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 25, 2020

Wes McCart, Steve Parker and Don Dashiell, who are temporarily prohibited from serving as Stevens County commissioners, lost another crucial court decision on Friday and appear to have little chance of returning to elected office this year.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Two could face murder charges for shooting of 18-year-old at Spokane house party

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 26, 2020

Court records identify the victim as 18-year-old Jacquon D. Bailey.

News

Two arrested after man shot in head during Spokane house party

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 25, 2020

The man had been shot during an argument and other partygoers had taken him to the hospital before officers arrived, police said.

News >  Pacific NW

Post Falls High School graduate dies in fall from Utah’s highest peak

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 22, 2020

Kyle Wimpenny, 25, appears to have fallen about 1,000 feet while attempting to summit King's Peak, Utah's tallest mountain, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

News

Woman from Spokane dies in suspected road rage shooting in Las Vegas

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 21, 2020

Las Vegas police initially believed 37-year-old Kamiah Bird died in a collision after experiencing a medical episode, but several hours later the county coroner arrived and discovered she had been shot. Authorities believe she was shot shortly before the crash and are searching for her killer.

Tree on power line likely cause of fire that destroyed Malden, Pine City

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 2, 2021

A tree that made contact with an Avista Utilities power line on the southern edge of Spokane County appears to have started the Babb Road Fire, which raced through nearly 15 miles of dry brush and timber during an intense Sept. 7 windstorm, destroying the vast majority of homes in Malden and Pine City.

News >  Washington

With temporary restraining order, judge signals Stevens County commissioners ejected from office

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 25, 2020

The injunction follows 18 months of litigation between the commissioners and Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen, who sued them for misspending more than $130,000 in taxpayer funds earmarked for homelessness assistance.

News

Rosalia residents start donation drive for victims of Malden fire

Wed., Sept. 16, 2020

The Rosalia Community Center and three churches in town have been transformed into storehouses for donated goods, and volunteers say they plan to use a relief fund to provide gift cards and cash assistance to those in need.

News

West Plains fires 100% contained; Rosalia community collects donations for Malden residents

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 14, 2020

Fire crews have made progress on many explosive wildfires that started across Washington last week, while some new blazes continue to crop up.

News

Dashcam video shows cars swerving to avoid wrong-way driver before fatal crash on I-90 near Coeur d’Alene

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 15, 2020

A Coeur d'Alene woman was arrested on a felony vehicular manslaughter charge Friday afternoon after driving the wrong direction on Interstate 90 and causing a head-on collision that killed a 24-year-old Spokane Valley man, according to the Idaho State Patrol.

News

Motorcyclist dies after crash in west Spokane

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 14, 2020

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded shortly after 7 p.m. after the man crashed on Government Way near Greenwood Road. Deputies and medical personnel attempted to revive the man, who had severe injuries, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

News >  Pacific NW

Stevens County prosecutor declines to grant commissioners immunity while county business remains in limbo

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 15, 2020

An attorney working for Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen has roundly rejected a request to grant the county commissioners temporary immunity from gross misdemeanor charges, while the parties continue to dispute whether the commissioners can hold office.

Inslee offers cash assistance to Malden residents displaced by fire

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 10, 2020

"We want to get some cash to these families so they can eat and have a little bit of clothing, and a little bit of whatever they need to survive in the upcoming weeks," the governor said during a visit to the northern Whitman County community on Thursday.

News >  Education

EWU names new provost as university confronts major budget challenges

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 10, 2020

Brian Levin-Stankevich, a familiar face at EWU, served in various leadership roles at the university from 1995 to 2006, including a year as interim president and three years as provost.

News >  Education

Spokane community colleges get extra $4.3 million boost from CARES Act

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 10, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee dedicated $44 million in federal coronavirus assistance to Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges, and a state education board distributed it based on a formula that tracked enrollment declines and other factors, according to the Community Colleges of Spokane.