Latest Spokane Stories

By Jim Kershner, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Jun. 19--I can't say whether "dinner opera" -- an opera staged at a restaurant -- appeals to hard-core opera buffs. Yet I can guarantee that it's a great way for the non-cognoscenti to discover how much fun this time-tested art form can be. Mozart's "The Impresario," the seventh annual dinner-opera presentation by Spokane Opera, turned out to be an ideal way to sample the decidedly light side of opera. Here are a few reasons why: --...

By Amy Cannata, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Jun. 14--Seeing pounds and pounds of farm fresh produce land in compost piles was too much for Korrine Kreilkamp. Kreilkamp knew there were so many mouths that could benefit from wholesome, local vegetables and fruit, so last year she found a way to get farmers' market and backyard gardeners' extra harvests to Kootenai County soup kitchens and food banks. The Community Roots program salvaged and delivered 3,340 pounds of fruit and...

The boys didn't know much about their attackers except the nickname of one. So they turned to MySpace.com for help. The three teens scoured the social networking site for a "Serge" or "Sergey," the apparent nickname of one of the young men who jumped them on Mission Avenue in Spokane Valley in mid-February. A profile popped up claiming the name, and the picture showed one of their assailants. They called police, and the Spokane County Sheriff's Office served a search...

SPOKANE, Wash., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- HollisterStier's Allergy Business Unit announced today the launch of the ComforTen(TM) Multiple Skin Test System, its newest allergy testing device. The device features ten surgical steel 1.2mm lancet tips, which create minimal skin trauma for comfortable allergy testing. ComforTen is the only 10-test, self-loading, surgical steel testing device on the market. ComforTen is competitively priced relative to other multiple skin test devices available...

By Sara Leaming and Meghann M. Cuniff, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Oct. 7--A $1 MILLION -- dollar life insurance policy. A $700 monthly car allowance. Extra pay for attending football games, plays and other school events. Those are some of the perks taxpayers are providing for various public school superintendents. A review of contracts for school districts' top executives in Spokane County and North Idaho show some superintendents earning thousands more than their base...

By Virginia De Leon, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Sep. 16--As he joined the congregation in a hymn of thanksgiving, the Rev. John Sowers began to weep. "It was so uplifting," he said, describing last Sunday's service at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Spokane. "You couldn't help but feel the Holy Spirit at work." It was an emotional moment -- not only for the man chosen to lead the largest Presbyterian church in the area, but also for the congregation, which has struggled...

By Shawn Vestal, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Jun. 17--In this graduation season, Bryson Toth had more commencements on the calendar than most. Toth earned both a high school diploma and an associate's degree this spring. He'll enroll in college with a two-year head start, paid for by the state. It wasn't easy, but "I'm glad I did it," Toth said. "If you really apply yourself, you can do it." Toth is one of 84 graduating high school seniors who earned full AA degrees through the...

By Sara Leaming, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. May 24--OLYMPIA -- A former Spokane Valley private school teacher appeared before education officials here Wednesday in an attempt to clear his record. "I have nothing to hide," said Steve Altmeyer, a former boys basketball coach and teacher at Valley Christian School accused of physically and verbally abusing students. After a two-year investigation into his behavior, state officials proposed suspending Altmeyer's teaching license for...

By Sara Leaming, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Apr. 12--It took two weeks for about 60 parents, faculty members and students from Eastern Washington University to organize a march through campus Wednesday afternoon in an effort to save Reid Elementary School from closure. Now those school advocates may have two years to convince EWU to keep the small school open. The Cheney School Board decided Wednesday night to keep the school open for at least a year, on the condition that it...

By Doug Clark, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash. Dec. 31--Greetings and salivations, my gleeful monkeys. Today, we salute the area's most memorable dubious achievers of 2006 with the 20th running of the Budnick Awards. This event is not to be confused with the Budnick Awards' 20th anniversary. That will take place 12 months from now, provided I'm still employed or haven't been Tasered by a county cop to a medium rare. The Budnicks began on Dec. 31, 1987. The first award went to an...