Inland Journal
KSFC Weekdays 5-5:30 p.m.
November 24 (Thanksgiving) will feature a speech by the personnel head
of a Cincinnati hospital, where hiring disabled people has become a mission.
She gave this uplifting speech in Spokane recently.
RECENT PROGRAMS
  Inland
Journal, Wednesday, July 6, 2005
John Vlahovich speaks with Karl Kupers and Fred Flemings of Columbia Plateau
Producers of Rearden. Their group practices sustainable agriculture in
producing Shepherd's Grain Flour and other food products for wholesale
and retail. Phyllis Silver interviews Spokane resident Addison Pemberton
who is restoring a 1920's era Boeing commercial aircraft.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, June 29, 2005
John Vlahovich interviews Washington Governor Christine Gregoire about
her first half-year in office, Tom Banse goes in search of beauty and
poetry in Northwest Forests and correspondent Rachel McDonald travels
along with other visitors on a bus tour of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, June 22, 2005
We hear from Mark Anderson, Associate Superintendent for Spokane Public
Schools school support services about three new schools under construction.
Also an interview with a representative from the Coeur d'Alene Ironman
Triathlon event and various responses about opposition to Use Fees in
National Forests, Parks and Monument facilities.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, June 15, 2005
A report on the properties of mushrooms that may protect against bioterrorism-spread
diseases. A visit to the Lind, Washington farm implement demolition derby.
A piece about a fire-supression coalition composed of environmentalists
and a logging company and a look at the ongoing dispute in France over
the wearing of religious items in public buildings.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Spokane Public Radio's Suzanne Schreiner visits residents of Nettleton's
Addition located in Spokane's West Central Neighborhood and talks to them
about what may become Washington State's largest designated historic district
later this year. John Vlahovich interviews an official from the AFS Intercultural
Program about its exchange student programs.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Steve Jackson talks with a Washington physician who describes a new end-of-life
care document. John Vlahovich interviews the leader of a campaign to repeal
Spokane's new unmarried partner benefits ordinance. And a report on how
the finding of a historic native village on Puget Sound is helping tribal
members recover their history.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Excerpts from a Spokane City forum featuring Washington Superintendent
of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson. A Northwest News Network report
on how disease brought by European explorers devastated native peoples
living on Puget Sound.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, May 18, 2005
John Vlahovich and WSU Political Science Professor Thomas Preston interview
former U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter about the threat of nukes
in Iran. John also talks with Sidney Rittenberg who spent 35 years in
China from World War II to 1977. Rittenberg worked with the Chinese Communist
government and spent 16 years in a Chinese prison.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Spokane Public Radio's Tom Bacon talks with representatives from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about the overall efforts for salmon
recovery inside the Columbia and Snake River systems.
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Steve Jackson interviews the attorney for North Idaho grass growers about
the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal of a court decision
allowing grass field burning. Also John Vlahovich talks with the head
of the U.S. Interagency Council on homelessness for the region.
Inland
Journal, Thursday, April 28, 2005
We hear from Spokane Police Chief Roger Bragdon speaking at the Spokane
City Forum in April. The chief's topic "Community and Police Partnerships:
How We Can Get Involved in Reducing Crime."
Inland
Journal, Wednesday, April 20, 2005
An interview with Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Skibbie about "Project Safe
Neighborhoods." A report from the Washington Legislature about a proposed
study into why middle and high school students don't do as well on standardized
tests as their elementary school counterparts. Also a preview of the first
meeting of a task force studying possible changes to the National Environmental
Policy Act or NEPA. And Steve Jackson talks with U.S. Representative Cathy
McMorris.
Inland Journal, Friday, April 15, 2005
We hear Washington state House debate on two election reform bills and
several amendments, including one that would require voters to present
photo identification at the polls. We hear about a legislative proposal
to tax cable and satellite television to create a fund for financially-distressed
rural city and county governments. And we hear about work done by a regional
firefighting group to help rebuild a coastal Sri Lankan community overrun
by the tsunami.
Inland Journal, Thursday, April 14, 2005
We look at one election reform bill, dealing with political contributions,
approved today by the Washington state House. We talk with one of the
national leaders in the field of telehealth, which uses technology to
monitor patients in their homes, among other things. And we'll go to Boise,
where a strip club is using an artistic twist to lure new customers.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, April 13, 2005
We talk with a Spokane physician about how his practice has moved away
from keeping patient records on paper, putting them on computer instead.
We talk with the facilitator of the negotiations about phosphorous pollution
into the Spokane River. And we hear about people who went before a Washington
legislative committee today to ask for money for capital construction
projects.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, April 12, 2005
A Washington House committee approves the package of transportation projects
and taxes introduced by House leaders yesterday. A state Senate committee
approved a compromise medical malpractice bill, although doctors and many
Republicans say it's not much of a compromise. And we visit the Northwest
Museum of Arts and Culture to learn more about an exhibit of southwestern
art.
Inland Journal, Monday, April 11, 2005
Washington House Democratic leaders introduce their proposal for a new
transportation budget, funded in part by a nine-and-a-half cent increase
in the state gas tax, phased in over four years. We hear about the so-called
"sin" taxes that will help lawmakers balance the next general fund budget.
We talk about taxes with the director of the Washington Roundtable, a
group of chief executive officers from the state's largest firms. And
we explore the idea that Washington businesses are fleeing from the state
to Idaho.
Inland Journal, Friday, April 8, 2005
The Washington state House approves a compromise medical malpractice insurance
bill, while the state Senate puts off a vote to allow embryonic stem cell
research in Washington. We'll hear excerpts from both debates. A group
of Washington high school students try to convince legislators to lower
the voting age from 18 to 16. We'll hear their pitch. And we talk about
what's it like in Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with two members
of the Seattle Palestine Solidarity Committee, who will speak tonight
in Spokane.
Inland Journal, Thursday, April 7, 2005
We hear about a new Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce report about
why medical malpractice premiums are often higher in Washington than in
Idaho and Oregon. We talk with a Spokane physician and two Spokane attorneys
about dueling medical malpractice Initiatives 330 and 336, now before
the legislature. And we profile a northern Idaho man, one of America's
few living World War Two veterans with the nation's highest military honor,
who is in fragile health, but getting help from very high places.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, April 6, 2005
The Washington Senate votes to allow 20 of the 161 state-run liquor stores
to open on Sunday. We'll hear excerpts from the Senate floor debate. A
Washington Senate committee agrees to change the state's unemployment
insurance system. Washington Army National Guard soldiers speak about
their time fighting the war in Iraq. And we revisit a Spokane City Forum
speech about the American melting pot trickling down into every part of
the nation.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, April 5, 2005
We hear about proposed changes in Washington's unemployment insurance
system, who likes them and who doesn't. We visit the Northwest Museum
of Arts and Culture and learn more about the style of painting called
"impressionism". And we look at some of the not-so-serious issues the
Washington legislature considered today.
Inland Journal, Monday, April 4, 2005
We hear two reports about today's announcement of the Senate Democrats'
transportation budget. One report looks at where most of the projects
will be done and how they'll be funded. The second looks at how the budget
will affect rural eastern Washington. A proposal to allow for simple majority
approval for school levies in Washington was back before the legislature
today. We'll hear some of the testimony. And we talk about opposition
to potential new Western hemisphere free trade agreements with a leader
of the John Birch Society, in Spokane to speak tonight.
Inland Journal, Friday, April 1, 2005
We hear a rundown of today's work in the Washington legislature, including
a new construction budget, approved by the Senate. It includes several
million dollars for Spokane-area projects. A House committee approved
several election reforms and sent them to the full House. Another House
committee said yes to a compromise medical malpractice bill. We hear about
work aimed at lowering the accident rate on a stretch of a major north
Spokane arterial. We'll look at the debate about privately-run prisons
in the Northwest. And we hear about the big, new tourist attraction in
the little town of Soap Lake, Washington.
Inland Journal, Thursday, March 31, 2005
We'll hear a report about Washington communities, including Spokane, courting
the Boeing company's major competition, Airbus. We hear that a state Senate
committee approves a bill meant to improve rural people's access to higher
education. We hear about a bill that prohibits the use of a mercury-based
preservative in vaccines. And we talk with a Catholic priest who has long
spoken out against church doctrine on morality issues. Father Charles
Curran speaks tonight in Spokane.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, March 30, 2005
We hear about today's meeting between wastewater dischargers and state
environmental regulators about phosphorous pollution in the Spokane River.
The Washington state Senate today voted for a 26-billion dollar budget
for the next two years. We hear arguments for and against it. And we talk
with state Health Secretary Mary Selecky about the drop in teenage smoking
rates.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, March 29, 2005
We hear excerpts from a hearing about the cigarette and liquor tax increases
proposed by Washington state Senate Democrats. The Democrats are also
looking at a new estate tax for families with more than two million dollars
in assets. And we talk with Dawn Sidell from Spokane's Northwest Autism
Center about raising public awareness of autism.
Inland Journal, Monday, March 28, 2005
We hear excerpts from a state Senate committee hearing on allowing embryonic
stem cell research in Washington. Election reform bills continue to work
their way through the legislature; we hear testimony on bills that would
change the primary election date and allow voting-by-mail. And we look
at the growing incidence of asthma in children in Spokane County.
Inland Journal, Friday, March 25, 2005
We hear about three education bills in the Washington legislature. A Senate
committee approved a measure that would expand the offerings at some of
the state's branch campuses and allow a few community colleges to offer
a few four-year degrees on a limited basis. The same committee is also
considering measures that would require the teaching of American Indian
history in high school classes and eliminate the standardized tests taken
by third, sixth and ninth graders. We'll talk about the Terri Schiavo
case with Derek Humphry, the founder of the "Hemlock Society". And we'll
hear about a new project to save sparse water for farmers in the Yakima
Valley.
Inland Journal, Thursday, March 24, 2005
We hear about several issues that are under consideration in Olympia:
a bill to penalize those who use computers to steal people's identities;
a paid state family leave insurance program; alternative school assessments
and strict auto emissions standards for new cars.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, March 23, 2005
We hear testimony from a Washington legislative hearing about a compromise
to two medical malpractice initiatives that will appear on the November
ballot. A proposal to allow simple majority approval for school levies
gets a second chance in the legislature. And we hear Secretary of State
Sam Reed and others testify about a well-traveled election reform bill.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, March 22, 2005
We hear pieces of a debate about censorship at the North Idaho College
Popcorn Forum in Coeur d'Alene. We hear about the growth of tribal economies
at a Washington legislative hearing in Olympia. We talk with a woman who
helps people on welfare navigate the system and get the information they
need to improve their lives. And we visit an unusual boarding house in
rural Oregon.
Inland Journal, Monday, March 21, 2005
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire today released her proposed state
budget for the next two years. We'll hear excerpts from her press conference
and we'll get a reaction from a leading Senate Republican, Vancouver Senator
Joseph Zarelli. And with the legal fight about Terry Schiavo's life in
the news, we talk about documents that can help families avoid end-of-life
disagreements.
Inland Journal, Friday, March 18, 2005
The Washington Department of Ecology and dischargers into the Spokane
River have begun negotiating phosphorous pollution limits. We'll hear
about their meeting today. We'll talk with the city of Coeur d'Alene's
Water Department Superintendent about a new agreement with the Kootenai
Environmental Alliance to promote water conservation. And we'll talk with
Spokane's representative to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council
about the Bush Administration plans to require the Bonneville Power Administration
to sell the region's hydropower on the open market.
Inland Journal, Thursday, March 17, 2005
Washington's chief economist offers good revenue news to the governor
and the legislature. We hear a state House committee considering two bills
related to computer spyware and "phishing". A Northwest Power and Conservation
Council analyst gives his power forecast for the summer. And we hear that
many Northwest coastal residents don't want big tankers that carry liquified
natural gas docking in their towns.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, March 16, 2005
We hear excerpts from three robust debates in Olympia. Today, the Washington
Senate said no to a constitutional amendment that would lower the school
levy threshold to a simple majority. Senate Democrats last night voted
to change state law to lower the threshold to a simple majority vote of
the legislature to approve tax and fee hikes. And the state House voted
to allow human embryonic stem cell research in Washington.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, March 15, 2005
In-depth coverage on competing medical malpractice insurance initiatives,
plus a third proposal just unveiled by legislative Democrats. And a feature
from Tri-Cities correspondent Rachel McDonald about science fair competition.
Inland Journal, Monday, March 14, 2005
Democratic leaders in the Washington legislature today unveiled their
own proposal for medical malpractice reform. We'll hear excerpts from
their press conference. And we'll talk with a Spokane urologist about
a prostate cancer treatment that freezes tumors.
Inland Journal, Friday, March 11, 2005
We talk with a Washington Department of Social and Health Services official
about the state's mental health system, which some consider to be in trouble.
We hear excerpts from a legislative hearing about proposals to make health
insurance more affordable and available to small businesses. And we visit
the East Central Community Cener, where middle school students today had
fun solving math and science problems.
Inland Journal, Thursday, March 10, 2005
Today's program is about drought. Washington Governor Christine Gregoire
announced a statewide drought emergency. We talk with a state Ecology
Department official about how drought has hit various parts of eastern
Washington. We talk about how drought might affect the Spokane-Rathdrum
Prairier Aquifer and the Spokane River. And correspondent Tom Banse reports
on people who visited Mount Saint Helens in the days after its latest
steam plume eruption.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Several Washington legislative committees met today to talk about the
state of child care, especially the low rate of pay for child care workers.
We hear some of the conversation. And we talk with Alan Durning from the
group Northwest Environment Watch about the group's "Cascadia Scorecard".
Inland Journal, Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Members of the Washington state House and Senate spent a lot of time on
the floors of their respective chambers today. A few of those bills are
significant, most are mundane. We hear about a few of the bills, including
one that deals with a new trend called "evidence-based medicine". We'll
hear about that bill and talk with Washington State University Spokane
health analyst Melissa Ahern about that and other current trends in medicine.
Inland Journal, Monday, March 7, 2005
We hear excerpts from Spokane Public Radio's 2002 public forum on diabetes.
Inland Journal, Friday, March 4, 2005
The Washington state Senate today voted on several election-related bills.
We'll hear excerpts from the debate on the Senate floor and we'll talk
with moving the state's primary with Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton.
And we'll hear that a replica of part of one of America's most famous
warships will be open to the public this weekend in Spokane.
Inland Journal, Thursday, March 3, 2005
We hear Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed outlining a few of the
recommendations of the governor's Election Reform Task Force. We talk
with Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton about potential election system
changes and implementing them here. And Rachael McDonald reports on one
small central Washington's attempt to become a major regional destination
for wine connoisseurs.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, March 2, 2005
John Vlahovich reports on Tuesday night's Spokane County Commission hearing
on a proposal to cut the size of the county planning commission from seven
members to five. We hear about the mood of the Washington legislature
at the halfway mark of this year's session. We hear that a Washington
state Senate committee voted to let the state move ahead and negotiate
licenses with Canadian pharmacies. That same committee also voted to require
school districts that teach sex education to provide medically accurate
sexual health information provided by the state Health Department.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, March 1, 2005
We talk with Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler about his
office's new survey on medical malpractice claims in the state. We hear
about a proposal before a Washington state House committee that would
allow community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in certain areas.
And we hear more about a proposal to require Washington schools to teach
Native American history.
Inland Journal, Monday, February 28, 2005
A Washington state House committee considers whether to continue rewarding
public school teachers that become nationally-certified. We talk with
one former Spokane teacher who won that certification. We hear more from
Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, addressing problem election areas.
Reed and his colleagues on the state Election Reform Task Force are due
to hand their recommendations to the governor tomorrow (March 1). And
correspondent Tom Banse reports on where some disappointed Northwest skiers
have gone for fun this winter.
Inland Journal, Friday, February 25, 2005
John Vlahovich talks with the city of Spokane's new internal auditor about
how he sees the job. And we hear Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed,
in Spokane Tuesday night, explaining how the state's election system works.
Inland Journal, Thursday, February 24, 2005
We hear excerpts from a Washington state House Education Committee hearing,
which today considered whether the state should fund full-day kindergarten
for school districts that want to offer it. And we hear pieces of a mock
debate at Gonzaga Law School about the constitutionality of Washington's
Defense of Marriage Act. That will be argued, for real, before the state
Supreme Court on March 8.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Our Coeur d'Alene correspondent, Elizabeth Wynne Johnson, reports on a
north Idaho judge's decision, ordering Burlington Northern to temporarily
close its Rathdrum Prairie refueling depot because of public health concerns.
We hear excerpts from the Washington Election Reform Task Force hearing
Tuesday night in Spokane. We learn about competing bills in the Washington
legislature that would move the state's primary election from mid-September.
And we learn about how Northwest ski owners are trying to make a living
during this slow season.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, February 22, 2005
We'll talk with Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed about his election
reform proposals before the legislature. We'll hear a report about two
bills that move the state toward voting by mail. And we hear excerpts
from a legislative hearing that featured a bill that would have eastern
Washington secede from the state
Inland Journal, Monday, February 21, 2005
We talk with two Central Valley School District representatives about
the district's growing pains. And we hear the Washington state House of
Representatives has voted to make it easier for school districts to pass
school levies.
Inland Journal, Friday, February 18, 2005
The Washington state House today approved two bills related to prescription
drugs from Canada. We'll hear several members speak before their vote.
And we'll hear excerpts from a state House hearing on a bill that would
have Washington adopt California's vehicle emissions standards.
Inland Journal, Thursday, February 17, 2005
We hear Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler before a state
House committee, lobbying for a bill he says would stabilize medical malpractice
insurance rates. And we talk with a Washington state deputy superintendent
about the mandates the federal No Child Left Behind Act gives to states.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, February 16, 2005
John Vlahovich tells us about this afternoon's meeting of people involved
in the debate about phosphorous pollution in the Spokane River. Business,
community, state and environmental leaders hope to agree on a proposal
that would relax state water quality standards to allow wastewater discharges
into the river to continue. We also hear from an attorney for the Sierra
Club. We hear excerpts from a Washington legislative committee hearing
in which state leaders criticize the Bush Administration for not providing
enough money to help the state fully implement the federal No Child Left
Behind Act. And we hear about how much of a melting pot the U.S. has become
in an excerpt from today's Spokane City Forum.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, February 15, 2005
We focus on the medical malpractice debate in the Washington legislature.
We hear testimony from a state House Judiciary Committee hearing Monday
night and talk with a Spokane doctor and two Spokane attorneys about Initiatives
330 and 336, the two malpractice measures before the legislature.
Inland Journal, Monday, February 14, 2005
We talk with two members of a Spokane group that's trying to find compromise
in a debate about wastewater disposal into the Spokane River. And we hear
about a new study that postulates the Northwest may be at the start of
an extended drought.
Inland Journal, Friday, February 11, 2005
We hear testimony from a hearing in the Washington state Senate Transportation
Committee, which is considering whether the state should adopt California's
stringent auto emissions standards. John Vlahovich reports on how decisions
are made to spend four million federal dollars to help homeless people.
And we hear that people on Washington's coast are embracing the possibility
of a tsunami there.
Inland Journal, Thursday, February 10, 2005
We hear that the Washington state House Appropriations Committee approved
four bills aimed at helping the state and its people buy cheaper prescription
drugs from Canada. We hear testimony from a Washington state House committee
meeting today on a bill that would allow the state's colleges and universities
to consider race, color, ethnicity and national origin in admitting students.
We hear about efforts by Washington lawmakers to prohibit people from
using their cell phones and driving at the same time. And we hear about
a Gonzaga University readers' theatre project that focuses on letters
from U.S. soldiers abroad.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, February 8, 2005
We hear excerpts from Washington state House committee hearings on several
election reform bills today. And we reach into our "Growing Up Healthy"
series archives for a conversation about bonding with babies.
Inland Journal, Monday, February 7, 2005
We talk with Dylan Malone, the public face for Washington Initiative 336,
one of the two medical malpractice initiatives before the legislature
this year. Malone's son, Ian, died a few years after Malone says the boy
was harmed by an obstetrician's mistake. And we hear excerpts from today's
hearing about two bills that aim to legalize prescription drug imports
from Canada.
Inland Journal, Friday, February 4, 2005
We hear about votes this week by two Washington legislative committees
to allow a public vote on a proposal to lower the approval threshold for
school levies and bond issues from 60% to a simple majority. We talk about
the state of Spokane's neighborhoods with Bonnie Mager from the Neighborhood
Alliance. And we look at efforts in the Washington and Idaho legislatures
to stiffen penalties for those who prepare animals for fighting.
Inland Journal, Thursday, February 3, 2005
We learn about the history of Spokane's airports and what it takes to
lure an airline to Spokane. And we talk with Ben Cabildo from AHANA, the
Spokane business organization that represents African Americans, Hispanic,
Asian and Native Americans. AHANA celebrates its sixth anniversary this
weekend.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, February 2, 2005
We follow up yesterday's election in Coeur d'Alene, where voters approved
two bond issues, one to build a new library, the other to satisfy public
safety needs. We mark the retirement of a woman who helped people who
didn't have attorneys navigate the Spokane County court system. We learn
more about the Hanford plant where nuclear waste will be treated and turned
into glass for permanent storage. And we mark today's big day for college
football fans; it's National Letter of Intent Day, when high school players
pledge the next four or five years of their life to the school of their
choice.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, February 1, 2005
We hear voices from a Washington state House Health Care Committee hearing
about allowing embryonic stem cell research in the state. And we talk
with Washington State University Spokane health analyst Melissa Ahern
about the systemic problems that are behind the high rate of health care
inflation.
Inland Journal, Monday, January 31, 2005
We talk about a proposal to require children to pay to swim at Spokane's
city pools. Two city Park Board members and the city's Aquatics Program
Supervisor will join us. The Intercollegiate College of Nursing's People's
Clinic, which offers health care to low-income people, has expanded its
YWCA facility. We learn more about that. And we hear about Inland Northwest
mine owners who plan to expand their operations because of high metals
prices.
Inland Journal, Friday, January 28, 2005
We talk about the lessons learned from the February 1, 2003 Space Shuttle
Columbia accident with Pete Scobby, a former safety training instructor
who worked on the Space Shuttle for 19 years. And we hear that archaeologists
have found what they say is a 200-year-old Indian camp site near the mouth
of the Columbia River.
Inland Journal, Thursday, January 27, 2005
We hear testimony from a hearing today in Olympia on four potential changes
to Washington's election system. Also, we hear testimony on a legislative
proposal to lower the voter requirement for school bond issues and levies,
from 60% approval to 50% plus one vote. And we talk with "Movies 101"
co-host Mary Pat Treuthart about the just-completed Sundance Film Festival
in Park City, Utah.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, January 26, 2005
We talk with one of the researchers studying the Spokane Rathdrum Prairie
Aquifer. The researchers will hold a public meeting to explain their first
year of work Thursday night in Post Falls. Empire Health Services, in
cost-cutting mode, announces it is merging its Deaconess Hospital employee
child care center with the Catholic Diocese's St. Anne's Children's Center
near Sacred Heart. And we hear excerpts from a Washington legislative
committee talk about potentially changing the state's tax system.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, January 25, 2005
John Vlahovich talks to Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk about how money
from the new one-tenth-of-a-cent sales tax increase is being spent. Sterk
had hoped more would help to refurbish the county's older communications
equipment, but much has been diverted to keep officers on the street.
We hear from the leader of a citizens' committee promoting a bond issue
that would partially pay to build a new library in Coeur d'Alene. The
vote will be February 1. And we re-air a 2003 feature about Spokane County's
ABCD program, aimed at encouraging parents to take their infants and toddlers
to the dentist.
Inland Journal, Monday, January 24, 2005
We hear the January 19, 2005 Spokane City Forum, sponsored by the First
Presbyterian Church. The speaker is Hollister Stier President and CEO,
Tony Bonanzino, talking about his impresssions of Spokane and its future.
Inland Journal, Friday, January 21, 2005
We talk with a Spokane man who has just returned from the devastated areas
of Indonesia's Banda Aceh province. And we talk with Washington State
University Spokane sleep researcher/psychiatrist Greg Belenky about his
work counseling U.S. troops behind the front lines during the first Gulf
War.
Inland Journal, Thursday, January 20, 2005
We hear about the economic contribution of the Spokane airports and the
Airport Business Park. And Rachael McDonald reports the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Reservation are trying to diversify the tribal economy,
dipping into the energy business.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Shall the city of Spokane charge an admissions tax for arts events sponsored
by non-profit organizations? The city is considering that. We'll hear
from Arts Commission Director Karen Mobley. And we'll talk with George
Cole, one of the founders of KPBX, on the eve of the station's 25th anniversary.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, January 18, 2005
We talk with Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler about
medical liability reform, specifically two initiatives now before the
state legislature. We hear excerpts from a speech today by Washington
state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander about the need for better
funding for local courts. And Austin Jenkins previews Thursday's hearing
in Wenatchee, where Republicans will ask for a new vote for governor.
Inland Journal, Monday, January 17, 2005
On the day a Washington state Senate committee starts to consider reforming
the state's medical liability system, we talk with the leaders of competing
initiatives. Spokane physician Jeff Collins talks about Initiative 330,
a tort reform measure backed by doctors. Dylan Malone of Seattle speaks
for Initiative 336, supported by trial lawyers.
Inland Journal, Friday, January 14, 2005
We hear excerpts from Spokane Mayor Jim West's "State of the City" speech
today. And John Vlahovich reports on the pollution potential of dry wells
in Spokane County, which sit over the aquifer.
Inland Journal, Thursday, January 13, 2005
We hear excerpts from a panel at today's Spokane Farm Forum about a proposed
national animal identification program. The program could eventually require
farmers to tag their animals to allow the government to track them, in
case of harmful and infectious diseases. Steve Jackson talks to farmers
exhibiting at Spokane's Ag Expo who are making energy out of farm products.
And we talk with a Washington State University professor about how farmers
are using the internet.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, January 12, 2005
We hear Washington's new governor sworn-in today in Olympia and segments
of Christine Gregoire's inaugural address, along with a short response
by House Republican Leader Bruce Chandler. We hear Spokane Police officials
have seen more gang-related crime the last few months. Reporter Tom Banse
has the second in his two-part series about the U.S. Forest Service, in
the year it turns 100. Today, Tom looks at the changes the agency has
undergone during the last 10 years.
Inland Journal, Tuesday, January 11, 2005
We talk with Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed about his proposal
to reform the way the state does elections. Reporter Tom Banse has the
first in his two-part series about the U.S. Forest Service, in the year
it turns 100. Today, Tom looks back at the founding of the agency.
Inland Journal, Monday, January 10, 2005
Our Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins gives us a theatrical and musical
work Washington legislators will do this legislative session. The session
opened today. And we talk with WSU Spokane Professor Greg Belenky about
sleep research that will soon be done in Spokane.
Inland Journal, Friday, January 7, 2005
Our Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins talks with us about the start
of the Washington legislative session on Monday. We hear from Spokane
state legislators Lisa Brown and John Ahern about their respective priorities
for the session. And we talk with Seattle political consultant Sharon
Gilpin about revotewa.com, a website that has collected 150,000 signatures
from voters who want a new vote for governor.
Inland Journal, Thursday, January 6, 2005
District has decided to build two new schools, one an additional grade
school to relieve overcrowding, and a middle school to replace the 77-year-old
Mead Middle School. And we hear about work by Sacred Heart Medical Center
to reduce the wait for the patients in its emergency room.
Inland Journal, Wednesday, January 5, 2005
We replay part of our August, 2004 interview with new Washington U.S.
Representative Cathy McMorris, who was sworn in yesterday. Also, we talk
about doctors, doctor training and other medical issues with Spokane radiologist
Ben Strong, who has written a novel about the American medical industry
("The Forest and the Trees").
Inland Journal, Tuesday, January 4, 2005
Organizers of the new Spokane River Gorge Park plan to go to the legislature
for money to build a wastewater kayak area on the river. We'll hear about
that. We'll hear about progress on raising money to renovate the downtown
Spokane Fox Theatre. And we'll learn about a new agreement between Gonzaga
and Eastern Washington Universities that will allow law students to get
social work training and social work students to train for the law.
Inland Journal, Monday, January 3, 2005
We talk about the progress made in improving Spokane County's air quality
during the last 10-15 years with Eric Skelton, the director of the Spokane
County Air Pollution Control Authority. And we talk with an IRS spokeswoman
about the new option for Washington residents to deduct state sales taxes
on their federal tax returns.
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