The High Ground: Voices from Eastern Washington

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Grant Fredericks

A Silent Culling: What 51,000 Preventable Deaths Reveal About Trump’s Health Care Cuts

A Silent Culling: What 51,000 Preventable Deaths Reveal About Trump’s Health Care Cuts

“Are we just left to die?” Gail Halverson asks the question quietly, but it lands with weight. A retired resident of Spokane, Washington, Gail depends on both Medicare and Medicaid to manage her health. In March, she spoke at a roundtable hosted by Senator Maria Cantwell.[3] Her voice echoed

Revoked Welcome: Eastern Washington’s Humanitarian Parolees Left in Limbo

Revoked Welcome: Eastern Washington’s Humanitarian Parolees Left in Limbo

Personal Stakes Tymofii Shamota, an 18-year-old Ukrainian refugee now living in Spokane, told Rep. Michael Baumgartner at a community meeting on May 29, 2025, “My home was destroyed by a Russian missile. I’m afraid I’ll be deported now.” Shamota arrived in Eastern Washington under the Uniting for Ukraine

Rooted in Service: Spokane’s Scale House Market Redefines Local Food and Community

Rooted in Service: Spokane’s Scale House Market Redefines Local Food and Community

At 17, Brittany Tyler enlisted in the U.S. Navy, seeking structure and purpose. She served for six years as a linguist, decoding signals and supporting intelligence operations as a Petty Officer Second Class. Her work took her overseas, offering a global perspective and instilling the discipline that would later

The Disappearing Ladder: Trump’s DBE Rollback Abandons Small Businesses

The Disappearing Ladder: Trump’s DBE Rollback Abandons Small Businesses

A Calculated Dismantling President Trump’s January executive order dismantling key Biden-era diversity and equity mandates didn’t just make headlines. It sent shockwaves through communities that rely on fair access to public contracting. Critics argue that the rollback threatens the “infrastructure of opportunity” for small, historically excluded businesses. Now,

A Seat at Spokane’s Table: The Cultural Grace of Feast World Kitchen

A Seat at Spokane’s Table: The Cultural Grace of Feast World Kitchen

Introduction At a modest brick building on West Third Avenue, the scent of simmering spices drifts onto the Spokane street. Inside Feast World Kitchen, chefs from Syria, Uganda, South Korea, and many other foreign lands take turns behind the counter, each day serving food from a different homeland. But what

“Roots and Hope: Spokane’s Thrive Project Takes Hold”

“Roots and Hope: Spokane’s Thrive Project Takes Hold”

Cradled by Kindness: How Spokane Built a Home for Hope Nafisa Zafari fled Afghanistan with a single backpack after months in hiding from the Taliban. In her home country, she had partnered with the U.S. Army to open schools for girls, a commitment that put her in grave danger

The Cost of Silence: Baumgartner’s Budget Vote Sellout

The Cost of Silence: Baumgartner’s Budget Vote Sellout

When your member of Congress votes to give away your future, and says nothing about it. The federal budget recently passed by the U.S. House, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” proposes sweeping changes to how the federal government supports states. But in Washington State, and especially in