2025 September Stream by westplainsstream

TAILGATING SEASON

The Water Front

Two Fairchild Airmen represented Team Air Force in 2025

DoD Warrior Games

By Senior Airman Morgan St Marks Stream news sources

The crowd was deafening – a roar so intense it drowned out her thoughts. Her heart pounded in her chest, the rhythm quickening with each passing second. Palms slick with sweat, she stepped up to the starting blocks, anxiety clinging to her like a second skin.

“You got this,” came a voice behind her. Steady. Familiar.

Her eyes locked onto the water ahead. The crowd faded. The noise softened. For a moment, it was only her and the pool – nothing else mattered. The starting light flashed. And she dove.

“It felt like my first 25 meters flew by, and suddenly I was on the last stretch, giving it everything I had,” Yates recalled. “I was thinking about how proud my coach was going to be. He believed in me and pushed me outside my comfort zone because he knew I could do it.”

Yates shaved 20 seconds off her trial time from March to her final swim in June, setting a personal record.

The DoD Warrior Games, a Paralympic-style competition for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, bring together athletes from across the U.S. military and allied nations. While competition is fierce, the focus is on recovery, resilience and camaraderie.

This year, two Fairchild Airmen represented Team Air Force, competing side by side in swimming and seated volleyball.

For Bergdorf, the 2025 games

were a long-awaited second chance. He first competed in 2016, excited to win a medal, but left empty-handed.

“I was really hungry to get a medal in 2016 and then walked away with nothing,” Bergdorf said. “Ever since then, I’ve wanted to go back. I want to take something. I know I can do this.”

Bergdorf joined the Air Force in 2006 from his hometown in Ohio, looking for a better career. He and his wife, high school sweethearts, weathered every challenge together. In 2012, the challenge became personal: a diagnosis of testicular cancer.

“Once I had chemotherapy, I gained about 40 pounds, and I was looking for a way to lose weight,” he said. “One of the guys in my shop rode a bike to work every single day, so I asked him about it. I ended up falling in love with it. Then the Wounded Warrior Program

introduced me to the competitive side of it.”

This year, Bergdorf returned to his cycling roots, also competing in track, swimming and seated volleyball.

Yates’ road to the Games was shaped by service and sacrifice. Inspired by her father, a former Air Force crew chief from 1955 to 1959, she joined to carry on a legacy he couldn’t finish after his passing in 2000. Over her career, she served at multiple bases and deployed several times receiving experiences that left both visible and invisible scars.

“I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, and during a rocket attack, I blew out my ACL trying to take cover and was saved by my partner from adversary fire,” Yates said. “I’ve struggled with PTSD from that, and I didn’t take care of myself the way I should have.”

More than a decade after her

injury, she entered the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, competing in the Warrior Games for the first time. In addition to swimming and seated volleyball, she tried recumbent biking, shot put, and discus, both brand-new sports for her.

“Competing wasn’t so much about medals or where you placed,” Yates said. “It was about doing your best that day, stepping outside your comfort zone, and being supported by those around you. We all cheered for each other because we’re all at different points, dealing with different things and just being there was a win.”

For both Yates and Bergdorf, the 2025 DoD Warrior Games were more than a competition. They were a testament to resilience, teamwork and the unbreakable bonds forged through shared challenges. All proof that sometimes, the greatest victories aren’t measured in medals at all.

hosting that year at Quantico, Virginia.

Air Force photo by Anthony Beauchamp

The Department of Defense Warrior Games is a Paralympic-style event used to showcase the power of adaptive sports

part of the recover process for wounded, ill or injured servicemembers. The US Olympic Committee hosted the Warrior Games from 2010 to 2014 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. DoD began hosting the games in 2015, with the US Marine Corps

Airway Heights council approves Rec Center measures

By John McCallum Stream contributor

The Airway Heights City Council addressed three issues concerning operation of the city’s Recreation Center at legislative meetings on Aug. 18 and Sept. 2.

The first was at the Aug. 18 meeting when council gave its authorization to Parks and Recreation Director JC Kennedy to apply for $200,000 in hotel/ motel tax money from the city’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. The funding will help support the center’s maintenance and operations budget in 2026.

At the Sept. 2 meeting, Kennedy requested and council unanimously approved authorization to use $286,483 in revenue from the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) 1 fund to pay for general facilities charges. According to information in the council packet, these charges are for commercial water and sewer connections that were not included in the council’s $17.26 million construction budget for the center.

Kennedy told council the current balance of the REET 1 account is $879,500 while the current balance of the REET 2 account is $917,000. State law requires cities planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA) and with populations of 5,000 or more residents to spend REET 1 revenue on “capital projects.”

The timeframe in which the charges occurred began June 15, 2018 and concluded July 3, 2018, with some credits being applied this year.

Also, at the Sept. 2 meeting, council approved a Parks and Recreation Department request to make $6,206 in repairs to defective parts of the center’s fire suppression system identified in the annual fire inspection conducted this year. The total for the repairs with tax will be $6,776.95, and will be covered by revenue from the Admissions Tax Fund.

“This will have no impact to the General Fund,” Kennedy said.

Second quarter budget amendment approved

Council unanimously approved a second-quarter amendment to the city’s 2025 budget at the Sept. 2 meeting. The amendment addressed changes to expenses and revenues in three funds: the General Fund, Police Reserve Fund and the Public Safety Building Fund.

The largest adjustment came in the General Fund where an original budgeted expense of $2,119.607.33 in salaries and wages was adjusted upwards to a proposed $2,508537.13, a change of $388,929.80 to address the recently passed increases for Airway Heights police officers. Also part of the amendment was an increase of $24,828.56 — from the original $649,529.94 to a proposed $674,358.80 — for increased benefits in the Police Guild contract.

The council unanimously approved a new collective bargaining agreement between the city and the Airway Heights Public Safety Guild — the organization that represents all uniformed officers in the city’s Police Department — at the council’s May 5 meeting.

The previous agreement expired Dec. 31, 2023, with the new agreement effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2024 and running through Dec. 31. 2027.

Under the new agreement, Airway Heights officers receive an annual wage increase of 5% each year except 2024. In 2024 the officers receive a retroactive increase of 5.5%.

City receives Highway 2 safety

grant

Council unanimously approved receipt of a $5 million grant from the Spokane Regional Transportation Council for the city’s proposed U.S. Highway 2 Pedestrian & Safety Project. The award letter from SRTC indicates $3,165.386 of the award comes from the Surface Transportation Block Grants (STBG) program, with the remaining $1,834,614 coming from the STBG Set Aside Program.

Local matching funds of 13.5% is required for the program.

According to the city’s website, the “project will consider a complete redesign of the corridor between Lawson and Lundstrom, with new sidewalks and paths, intersection treatments, pedestrian crossings, effective speed controls, and an enhanced street front environment facilitating pedestrian activity and, by extension, local business success.”

A Washington State Department of Transportation Aug. 21 press release indicated Airway Heights is also the recipient of grant funding from the Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program, part of $15 million issued by the new state program. The award amount was not available at press time.

The program is named for the late Sandy Williams, a Spokane Black-community organizer and LGBTQ issues advocate who worked to reconnect her East Central neighborhood after the construction of Interstate 90 split the community in half. The founder of Eastern Washington's only newspaper focused on the Black community, The Black Lens, Williams died in a float plan crash in Puget Sound on

Sept. 4, 2022.

The crash also claimed the lives of nine other passengers and crew, including Williams’ partner, Patricia Hicks.

Hayford / McFarland improvements top legislative agenda

Given a choice among nine items recommended by staff to enhance public services, the City Council decided at their Aug. 18 meeting to prioritize designing improvements to the Hayford and McFarland roads intersection and procuring a backup generator for the new Public Safety Campus as projects they would like to feature on their 2026 state legislative agenda. The council was asked to selection 1-2 projects from the list, doing so by following the recommendations of City Manager Albert Tripp.

The coming session that begins in January is a “short session” of 60 days where state legislators generally deal with items that involve making corrections and changes to budget items adopted in the previous year’s session, which is longer and geared towards the various state budgets. As such, Airway Heights’ lobbyist Emily Shay recommended the council adopt priorities that fit in the $250,000 — $500,000 financing range.

The Hayford / McFarlane intersection design request as put at $350,000 as the project — including design — is eligible for a variety of grants. The backup generator for the Public Safety Campus request is $71,873, similar to another request on the list for a backup generator for the Recreation Center.

The total council agreed to ask the Legislature for is $21,873.

Other items on the list included a “shovel-ready design” of 21st Avenue improvements from Garfield to Hayford roads and a comprehensive security system for the city service campus that complies with U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommendations. Both of these items are also eligible for grant funding.

Craig Road interim pavement improvements, improvements to 12th Avenue on the south side of the fire station between Garfield Road to Lyons Road, emergency operations center equipment at city service campus and a study and design for a pathway to the Recreation Center rounded out the list.

Photo courtesy of the City of Airway Heights

The City Council approved a request from Parks and Recreation Director JC Kennedy to apply for $200,000 in hotel/motel tax revenue for

with

city’s Recreation Center 2026 maintenance and operations budget.

Public Safety Cameras get Green Light by Medical Lake City Council

By Ben Wick Stream Publisher

Councilmember Vacancy

Councilmember Keli Shaffer has resigned from the City Council at the end of August as her husband has been reassigned. “I want to thank everyone, I have loved doing this for the last two years, and thank you to the citizens of Medical Lake for allowing me to serve” added Schafer.

Per the City Councils policies and procedures around procedures on how the fill the vacancies. The City Council has 30 days to advertise for the position, and has 90 days to appoint (which is Nov 18th). Appointees will serve until the next election general election which would be November 2027.

Applications are open until October 10th, with the City Council having a discussion on October 14th and Candidate Interviews and selection being tentatively scheduled for October 21st.

In order to be eligible for the council position applicants must be a citizen of the United States, be at least 18 years of age, and have been a resident of the City of Medical Lake for the prior year. Applications are accepted on the cities website at https://medical-lake.org/citycouncil/city-council-vacancy/

Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR)

Automatic License Plate Readers

are fixed roadside cameras that capture still images of vehicles and their license plates as they pass by the cameras. According to the presentation from City Administrator Weathers, these cameras aren’t recording video but license plates are checked against hotlists, which then can trigger alerts to previously defined law enforcement personnel, and all data is erased after 30 days unless associated with a crime or investigation.

Mayor Cooper and City Administrator Weathers highlighted visits they have made to Liberty lake and the Spokane County Realtime Crime Center where they are using ALPRs with great success.

“Bad actors, know to avoid areas where they are monitored,” said Mayor Cooper. “As more cities continue to deploy cameras, it could drive bad actors to Medical Lake if we don’t.

Spokane County Sheriffs office presented two different vendors, FLOCK and Insight, for the cameras and discussed the differences between the FLOCK Safety cameras and the proposed Insight cameras. It was noted that while Cheney, Liberty Lake, and others have gone with the FLOCK cameras, the Sheriff’s office has confirmed their interoperability and is recommending the Insight brand in order to gain more interoperability with their other software systems.

In consultation with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, it was recommended that four ALPR Cameras be installed with each one at a different access point to the community and include the Northwest Gateway along Brooks Road, the Northeast Gateway along 902 at the east end of town, the East Gateway along Lake Street on the east end of town, and Southwest Gateway

along Hwy 902 south of Waterfront Park. The installation cost is estimated at $500 - $650 per camera with an annual licensing fee of $2,000 per camera per year for a total of $10,000 for the Insight Cameras.

The City Council gave consensus for the staff to bring back a resolution authorizing the camera installation at a future meeting.

Public Safety Cameras

Separating the conversation around cameras into two topics to be more clear City Administrator Sonny Weathers made sure to delineate the differences between the two camera systems.

Stemming from the increase in vandalism especially targeting the city parks the city council has been discussing the possibility of using cameras for public safety since July of 2024 and the council adopting a video surveillance policy in October 2024 which requires the approval of City Council prior to the placement of cameras throughout Medical Lake.

Administrator Weathers brought forward a proposal to purchase and install 5 video surveillance cameras across Medical Lake including at Waterfront Park ($16,000 upfront and $700 annually), Pioneer Park ($10,000 initially, and $350 annually), Coney Island Park ($10,000 initially, and $350 annually), and Shepard Field ($11,000 initially, and $350 annually).

The City Council operations specific locations, signage for the public to be notified of the system, and protection for privacy. Councilmember Chad Pritchard asked “What about the neighbors that might be adjacent to these cameras?” City Administrator Weathers answered that the cameras have a fencing option where areas can be blacked out or fenced off to avoid the areas from being recorded.

The total cost for the Public Safety Cameras is estimated at $64,400 for installation ($47,000 for the individual camera installations and $17,400 for the server / software licenses necessary to operate the system) and $1,750 in annual licensing. Council member Speirs asked if the money was previously budgeted. City Administrator Weathers highlighted that there was previously $75,000 budgeted in the 2025 budget that they city council approved last year and just fits the proposed camera solutions.

The City Council unanimously approved the resolution authorizing the installation of all proposed

cameras.

Aerator Maintenance Contract

The City Council approved a three year maintenance agreement with IXOM Watercare Inc to maintain the cities five water aerator units that maintain the ecological health and water quality of Medical Lake. IXOM is the vendor the city originally purchased the aerators from and has been maintaining them since their acquisition.

“Seeing the escalating prices over the past and these pumps are doing an amazing job at keeping the lake water quality healthy, staffs recommendation is to go with the three year fixed price agreement,” said Weathers.

For reference two years ago the service agreement was $17,500, last year it was $19,500.

The council unanimously approved the three year agreement with IXOM Watercare for $20,500 per year.

FEMA Recovery Grant

The City awarded a paving contract to Shamrock totaling $606,000 to restore the damage done to South Lake Terrace, Fancher Road (just above WaterFront Park) and WaterFront Park during the Gray Road Fire and subsequently the recovery efforts. FEMA has agreed to pay 75%, with 12.5% being covered by the state, and the remaining 12.5% being the cities responsibility. “We have spoken with our state legislators about our 12.5%, and similar to when we received our other reimbursements, we have heard that they are willing to cover any additional expenses we incur,” said city Finance Director Koss Ronholt. The contract was approved unanimously, and the City hopes to get the work done this construction season [before November].

In Brief

The City Council approved a grant agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce to accept $40,625 to assist with the cities comprehensive plan update which is required under the Growth Management Act (GMA).

Spokane County Fire District #3, introduced their newest Fire Commissioner Tim Flock who was appointed to the board. Flock was most recently serving as the Battalion Chief and fire fighter for the district. According to Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach this was the first new member to the board in nearly 20 years.

EWU 2025 Football Schedule

September

November

Medical Lake High School 2025 Football Schedule

September

October

It’s Tailgating Season

By Danica Wick Stream Co-Owner

Dating back to fall harvest celebration in Ancient Greece and Rome, tailgating is a tradition that has become an American tradition attached to all levels of sporting events. It is a testament to the camaraderie of fans who love their teams.

Deputy Athletic Director Todd McGann told us, “Everyone is so friendly. Even people from the other team are welcomed in. It is such a fun atmosphere. We look forward to it every year.”

Although the team is focusing on preparing for the game, Swoop, the Eastern Washington University Band and administrative staff are usually in the parking lot participating in festivities to hype up for the game.

Tailgating & Full Season Parking

Arriving as early as 6 p.m. on the Friday before Saturday game days, Eagle tailgaters bring a tradition of fan excitement to every home game at Roos Field. Join the fun with a full season reserved tailgate spot or single car spot at every game! Learn more about how to qualify and purchase a tailgate spot or season parking pass at ewu.edu/eaf/gameday-parking.

Limited single game tailgating passes may be available. Contact the Athletics Ticket Office for more information.

Full season tailgate and single car permit holders must be football season ticket holders.

General Season Parking Information

To qualify for a season pass for both RV/tailgating and single cars, you must be an Eagle Athletic Fund member and donate at the assigned rate donation for the specific tailgate lot. To be eligible to request for the 2025 Eagle football season, you must make a gift or pledge to the Eagle Athletic Fund. The minimum donation amount is $300 for season RV passes. Please note that fullseason tailgate and single-car permit holders must be football season ticket holders.

Tailgate & Single Car Parking Pricing

COVER STORY

Type Location Price Donation Total Price/Game (5)

Tailgate P12 South $400 $750 $1,150 $230

Tailgate P9

$400 $750 $1,150 $230

Tailgate P12 North $300 $750 $1,050 $210

Tailgate P16 North $300 $750 $1,050 $210

Parking P16 $150 $300 $450 $90

Parking P12 East $150 $300 $450 $90

Parking P16 North $150 $300 $450 $90

*P16 North Tailgate & Single Car Season Parking is NEW in 2025 with limited availability.

To inquire about availability in tailgate and parking lots, contact EWU ticket office at tickets@ewu.edu or 509.359.6059

Cheney High School 2025 Football Schedule

September

October

Tailgating Essentials

By Danica Wick Stream Co-Owner

If you haven’t participated in tailgating previously and are looking to start we have compiled a list of items to consider to make your experience exceptional!

1. A Slow cooker - You can cook in advance, keep food warm all game, and serve it right out of the pot. Make sure to choose on with clips on the lid to avoid mess when transporting

2. A Cooler - A sturdy cooler will hold ice and the frostiest beverages all game long. Make your life easier by getting a large capacity option with wheels and a handle, so you can simply drag it where it needs to go.

3. Portable gas grill - Burgers, hot dogs, brats―they just aren’t possible without a grill. A portable gas version is easy to transport and easy to start. Just twist the ignition button, and you’re off!

4. BBQ Tool set - If you’re grilling, you need a good tool set. Why not grab a set with your team’s logo? You’ll get a spatula, some tongs, and a BBQ fork, complete with bottle openers.

5. Portable power station - If you’re cooking and eating outside, you’ll probably need a portable generator to provide extra power to all your appliances. This is an affordable find that you can even charge in your car. It has also USB ports for your smaller electronics, too.

6. Extension cord - If you’ve got a big set up, an extension cord is a must. But don’t bring any ol’ cord. Nope, get one that is extra long (this is 25 feet!), rolls up for easy storage, and provides several outlets.

7. Outdoor blanket - It can get a little chilly during the later part of the season. An outdoor blanket is key to keeping warm. You can drape it over your shoulders or legs to keep the chill at bay while you root on your team!

8. Adjustable folding table - What’s the point of making all that food if you have nowhere to put it? An adjustable table will give you space for all those goodies, and then fold up for easy storage in your car.

9. Utensil and condiment caddy - You’ve grilled everything, and now it’s time to chow down. Create a space for all the utensils and condiments, so they are easy to find.

10. Portable Chairs - A must for both hanging out with friends and savoring all those tasty bites you bring to enjoy.

11. A pop-up canopy - Sometimes you need to shelter from the elements. Whether it’s super sunny or a bit rainy, a pop-up canopy tent will keep you and your food protected.

12. A Yard game - Whether its cornhole or horseshoes, something to keep kids busy and occupy time while things are cooking or you take a break is a must.

13. Blutooth Speaker - nothing says we are here to have fun like sharing your favorite music.

14. Clear Tote bag - Going into the game? Make sure you’re stadium compliant with a clear tote for everything you need inside. It’s big enough to hold your phone, wallet, keys, and even a cozy blanket if you get cold.

15. Team Gear - Don’t forget the name of the name is TEAM SPIRIT! So make sure to don your team apparel and show who you are rooting for!

Leah Pettet

Leah Pettet, while relatively new to Cheney High School, isn’t new to Volleyball. The Cheney High School senior has been playing volleyball since the 7th grade. Pettet is one of the team Setters and has the teams highest serving percentage. Leah also plays Tennis, where she plays both singles and doubles and was one of the top singles players on her team last year, and does weightlifting which she has done year-round since her freshman year. Last year she was recognized as the Female Weight Lifter of the year. The high school senior also maintains a 4.0GPA and is apart of the National Honor Society where she gets most of her volunteers by helping with her church group cleaning up after the recent fires in Elk, helping people move, and supporting our military. Last year Pettet also founded a Bowling Club , where she currently serves as club president. Leah is also apart of the New Tech Skills Dental Assisting program and wants to become a Hygienist or a Dentis. She is a also hoping to go to BYU to study their Pre Dental program.

Eleanor Roewe

Cheney High School senior Eleanor Roewe has excelled both in school and out. Having played her cello since the 5th grade Roewe is now apart of the Cheney High School Chamber Orchestra but also has been apart of the Spokane Youth Symphony having ascended all four levels of the program and enjoys getting to perform with the group at the Fox Theatre in downtown Spokane.

At school Roewe maintains a 4.0 GPA while taking numerous AP classes including currently taking AP Literature, AP Physics, AP Calculus, and AP Biology. She is apart of the Link Crew who helps welcome incoming Freshman students get acclimated to high school and hopes to continue this year as a Link Crew Commissioner who gets to help design the classes that other Link Crew members get to follow.

Spokane Located on the South Hill 2525 E 29th Ave, Ste 1B Spokane, WA 99223 (509) 535-4864

This summer, Eleanor got selected to be one of sixteen students to participate in a summer emergence experience at Gonzaga where she got to spend a week on campus getting to experience all of the different engineering labs and better realize opportunities for young women in the engineering field. It was there that she solidified that after high school she wants to attend college studying Bio Engineering and then go on to Medical School, hopefully somewhere in Washington State.

Family is also important to Elanor, who is the oldest child with two younger siblings that she loves to help.

North Spokane Located in Northpointe

across from Target 9706 Newport Hwy, Ste 29 Spokane, WA 99218 (509) 204-5435

North Spokane Located in Northpointe Plaza across from Target 9706 Newport Hwy, Ste 29 Spokane, WA 99218 (509) 204-5435

Discover “Wonderful, Weird, and Worrisome Objects in Washington State Museums”

By Erin Dodge Stream Guest contrinutor

If you’re a fan of interesting facts, history, and potential trivia ideas, then Spokane County Library District (SCLD) has a program for you. In partnership with the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, author Harriet Baskas discusses the “Wonderful, Weird, and Worrisome Objects in Washington State Museums.”

This program takes place at Cheney Library (610 First St) and simultaneously online on Wednesday, October 1, at 6:30pm. No registration is required for inperson attendance at the library. To view it online, you can sign up at scld.org/humanities-wa.

Baskas shares that “most

Taste the world from your kitchen with the library’s World Cooking workshops

By Dana Mannino Spokane County Library District

Picture this: You are visiting another country, and you make friends with a local resident. You tell them how much you are enjoying the regional cuisine. They respond, “Come spend an evening in my grandmother’s kitchen! She’ll teach you how to make this food yourself.”

Believe it or not, you can have this experience without boarding a plane and traveling the globe! The online World Cooking workshops from SCLD bring live cooking demonstrations by chefs from around the world into your home kitchen.

museums display no more than 10 percent of their holdings, often citing ‘not enough space’ as the reason. But there are also a wide range of cultural, philosophical, political, environmental, historic, and even superstitious reasons why museums keep some objects from public view.”

In this talk, she explores a wide range of hidden objects found in the backrooms of museums in our state and around the country. Examples include a Spokane institution that holds Bing Crosby’s toupées and a museum in Lynden that’s home to a 150-year-old pickle. When possible, Baskas will have a local museum curator on hand to answer questions, participate in the discussions, and unbox a few hidden treasures.

For participants, the adventure starts about a week prior to the program. When you sign up, you receive an email with the recipes and their ingredients to purchase in advance. If a dish calls for an uncommon ingredient, we include a photo of the ingredient and suggestions for where it can be purchased in the greater Spokane area.

After questing for the ingredients, you get ready for cooking by peeling, chopping, and measuring them according to each recipe’s instructions. On the day of the cooking workshop, sign into the online Zoom meeting using an internet browser and the link provided in the email and wait for the demonstration to begin.

The Zoom meeting opens to reveal a chef in their home kitchen ready to lead the group on a delicious cooking adventure. The chef demonstrates the preparation of the dish so you can follow along in your home kitchen and ask any questions as you go.

During slower times in the

Harriet Baskas has a strong interest in the unusual things found in the mundane world. She is the author of nine books, including “111 Places in Seattle That You Must Not Miss” and “Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You.”

Baskas writes about airports, museums, travel, and a variety of other topics for outlets such as NBC News, The Points Guy (thepointsguy.com), and her own site, StuckatTheAirport.com. She produced a radio series on hidden museum artifacts that aired on National Public Radio. Baskas has a master’s in communications from the University of Washington and lives in Seattle.

The Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau connects you with fascinating topics both in-person and online. In towns across the state of every size, speakers present hundreds of events each year on topics such as Northwest rock n’ roll, Black activism in Washington State, turning deceased loved ones into AI, the history of our state’s iconic oysters, and much more. Learn more about Humanities Washington at humanities.org.

cooking process, the chef shares information and stories about the food and history of their culture(s) of origin.

As the dishes come together, you can bet that your kitchen will fill with savory aromas. As the program comes to a close, the chef demonstrates how to plate the dish according to cultural customs, and we all fall quiet as we savor that first bite.

Registration is now open for four online World Cooking workshops, all starting at 6pm: South Indian food with chef Kavita Terrells on Thursday, October 16; Colombian food with chef Jacky Londoño of Antojitos Colombianos on Wednesday, November 12; Ethiopian food with Chef Hibra Tsegay of Amen Ethiopian Café on Monday, December 1; and Korean Food with Chef Sangmi “Claire” Lee of Gangnam Eats on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Check Out a New Outdoor Adventure

Explore nature in state parks near and far with a Discover Pass Backpack from the library.

Available to borrow for 28 days.

Get started at scld.org/discover-pass

STA Touch-a-Bus

For ages 2–5 & their families

Enjoy entertaining stories about buses and ride a Spokane Transit Authority bus!

MEDICAL LAKE LIBRARY

321 E Herb St Wednesday, Sep 17, 10:30am

CHENEY LIBRARY

610 First St Friday, Sep 26, 10:30am

AIRWAY HEIGHTS LIBRARY

1213 S Lundstrom St Thursday, Oct 9, 10:30am

West Plains Clean Water Task Force Has First Meeting

By Nina Culver Stream contributor

The new West Plains Clean Water Task Force has met for the first time, setting ground rules for further work coordinated by the cities and government agencies that make up the task force.

PFAS are a group of chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” because of how long they last, found in private and municipal wells across the West Plains. Both Fairchild Air Force Base and the Spokane International Airport used a firefighting foam for decades that contained PFAS. Well testing is still underway and no cleanup plan has yet been finalized.

The health effects of PFAS contamination is still being studied, but it has been linked to several types of cancer, kidney and liver issues, high cholesterol, thyroid problems and low birth weight in children.

In August, the Washington State Department of Ecology added the City of Spokane and Spokane County as parties considered responsible for the investigation and clean up of the contamination. So far efforts have focused on testing wells to determine the spread of the contamination and providing bottled water or filtration systems to families with contaminated wells.

The idea of creating the task force was first discussed last fall after Spokane County Commissioner Al French, who was running for reelection, promised to solve the PFAS contamination issue. “French said he had a plan for fresh water on the West Plains by next summer and everyone laughed,” said John Hancock, president of the West Plains Water Coalition.

With “next summer” over, there has been no solution to PFAS contamination and it took nearly a year to launch the task force, Hancock said. “We’re just getting started,” said Hancock, who was one of four people named to the task force as community members. “There’s no pre existing model for this.”

The task force is co-chaired by French and Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Frank Velazquez. It also includes representatives from Spokane, Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Cheney as well as the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Washington State Department of Health and local tribes. Eastern Washington University professor

Chad Pritchard, who has been studying the PFAS contamination and water flow on the West Plains, has also been named to the task force.

The official goal of the task force is to identify and recommend mitigation measures to help provide clean drinking water. It is considered an advisory body, not a decision making body.

The state legislature set aside $7.5 million to be used to address PFAS contamination and the task force discussed spending the bulk of it on whole-house PFAS filters in homes with contaminated wells, Hancock said. “It’s going to help a lot of people,” he said.

Velazquez said he has been talking to experts about different water filtration systems and which might be best for West Plains residents. Factors like mineral content and hardness of the water can help determine which filters will be most effective. Velazquez said he hopes to have results to report at the next meeting.

During the first meeting, there was also discussion about how to prioritize who gets filters first, he said. There are a large number of factors to consider, Velazquez said, including the level of contamination in the wells and whether there are children in the home. “The goal is not paralysis by analysis,” he said. “The goal is to move forward with the best information we have. I think a more simple risk stratification model is better.”

The immediate work the task force needs to tackle is to mitigate the PFAS contamination by eliminating or decreasing exposure to the toxic chemicals, Velazquez said. “Right now the highest exposure is in the water,” he said.

Once well testing is complete and filters are installed where necessary, then the task force can turn to long term solutions, Velazquez said.

Though the task force meetings are open to the public, community members will not be allowed to speak during the meetings. The role of Hancock and the three other citizen task force members will be to bring forward concerns from residents, Hancock said. “Commissioner French’s idea is that people speak through the four of us,” he said.

Hancock said he is encouraged that all the different municipalities and agencies involved in the PFAS contamination will be sitting down at the table together to discuss solutions. “It’s an aquifer wide problem, which makes it an interagency problem,” he said. “Political boundaries don’t correlate with where the water flows. That’s what makes this PFAS contamination so complicated.”

Velazquez said he also considered the meeting to be encouraging. “There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said. “There was a lot of energy in that room. It was collegial, collaborative. We were all focused on solutions. I was very encouraged by that.”

A holiday guide for the Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Millwood, Otis Orchards, Newman Lake, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, and West Plains areas

“Eat, Shop and Be Merry” is a special cover section that will champion what the Valley area has to offer in the way of gifts and food. Advertise in this holiday guide aimed at area consumers and businesses — and as a bonus we’ll include your idea as part of our story featuring can’t-miss local gift ideas. Restaurants are encouraged to advertise and contribute a tantalizing menu item for our article on dining out.

On November 24 and 25, the guides will be distributed throughout the greater Valley and West Plains areas via The Splash, The Current and The Stream. The December issues are strategically scheduled to land before Thanksgiving, just in time to remind residents about supporting local businesses on Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season.

A total of 39,500 copies of this guide will be included in the December issues of The Current, The Splash and The Stream. That’s right-be part of all three publications for one price!

1/4 PAGE: $650 (normally $1,185) 1/2 PAGE: 1,000 (normally $2,160) 1/2 PAGE: $1,000 (normally $2,160) FULL PAGE: $1,850 (normally $4,050) * Contract discounts do not apply Nov. 5 Nov. 11

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Fairchild conducts no-notice power outage exercise

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What happens when the lights go out and the phones fall silent? The 92nd Air Refueling Wing conducted an Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise which affected the functions of many buildings at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, August 1115, 2025.

The exercise demonstrated the 92nd ARW’s ability to successfully conduct critical operations for nearly 48 hours with no access to power, internet or phone services.

“This ERRE was specifically designed to test DoD installations’ backup power systems and ability to maintain critical operations,” explained Tyler Smith, Emergency Operations Center director. “Unlike regular exercises, the purpose of this ERRE was to flush out unexpected mission limitations in a controlled, real-world kind of way.”

The extended power outage challenged each agency to execute their contingency plans and maintain a consistent line of communication. One key factor in these plans was the designation of “runners” – personnel responsible for physically checking in on team members at different locations and relaying vital information.

“Enduring hardship is a great motivator for improvement,” Smith mentioned. “Prior to this exercise, many unit and base leaders may have stated, for example, “we’ll just use runners” in a comm-out scenario. But this ERRE showed us it’s not that simple to ‘just’ do something new we’ve never practiced. From my perspective as one of the EOC Directors, I expect that our base emergency management experts will recommend exercising comm-out procedures more often to encourage development of, and competency in, several work-around strategies.”

Smith said each squadron ranging from the 92nd Communications Squadron to the 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron uses power and network capabilities to a

different degree, so some units were more impacted by the exercise than others.

“My section manages network switches on the base, and they completely rely on power,” explained Tech Sgt. Paul Arrington, 92nd CS network infrastructure non-commissioned officer in charge. “We were very well prepared so when it was time to make sure the switches came back on, we had very little challenges getting the network back. There’s always going to be an ‘unknown’ as far as recovery efforts, but my team killed it!”

To prevent critical disruptions, some facilities, such as the Commissary, dining facilities, and Child Development and Youth Centers, experienced only brief outages. This decision prevented potential issues like food spoilage and childcare difficulties.

“The minimum outage required by law is 10 hours, and installations typically stay in that ballpark,” said Smith. But Fairchild, a leader in the Air Force in everything we do, held our outage to nearly 48 hours, destroying the previous record for ERRE duration!”

97th ARS wins

2024 Gen. Carl A. Spaatz trophy

U.S. Air Force Gen. Johnny Lamontagne, Air Mobility Command commander, Chief Master Sgt. Lindsay Moon, 92nd Air Refueling Wing command chief, and Airmen assigned to the 97th Air Refueling Squadron pose for a photo with the 2024 Gen. Carl A. Spaatz trophy at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, Aug. 28, 2025. The Spaatz trophy is awarded annually to the U.S. Air Force’s best air refueling squadron.

Congratulations 97th ARS for receiving the Spaatz trophy for "Outstanding Air Refueling Squadron 2024!"

Way to go 97 ARS!!!

Photo by Senior Airman Morgan St Marks

A U.S. Air Force 92nd Maintenance Squadron aircraft hydraulics technician performs hydraulic system testing on a KC135 Stratotanker boom during a no-notice power outage exercise at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, August 14, 2025. This was a DoD-mandated energy resilience exercise designed to test installations on their response to base-wide power outages and mission sustainment.