Latest news with #SpokanePoliceDepartment
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rain or shine, tens of thousands of people expected to take in Lilac Festival in downtown Spokane
May 16—It could rain on the Lilac parade Saturday night in downtown Spokane as parade procession numbers and, hopefully, the number of attendees inch closer to pre-pandemic levels, said Dave Weatherred, director of parades. "We are definitely ready," Weatherred said. "We hope the weather cooperates, but even if it doesn't, we had a bit of a rain shower last year, and everything we were told was people had a great time anyway." The 87th annual Spokane Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade starts at 7:30 p.m. at Washington Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard. The procession heads south on Washington before zigzagging east and west in a northerly direction until it finishes on Spokane Falls Boulevard near Post Street. A low pressure system moving through the region will bring about one-tenth of an inch of rain from late Friday night to late Saturday night to the Spokane area, according to Antoinette Serrato, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Spokane. Most showers are expected to fall Saturday afternoon, she said. Isolated thunderstorms that could bring heavy rainfall and high winds are also possible Saturday afternoon and evening, Serrato said. Rain and even a shooting inside P.M. Jacoy's convenience store that injured two people happened during last year's parade. The parade was paused and rerouted after the shooting. Weatherred said police officers, who were already spread out along the parade route, responded to the shooting in a hurry and collaborated with parade officials. A person at each section of the parade has a radio with them, so they were able to communicate quickly about next steps following the shooting, he said. "It showed, I believe, that we have some really good policies in place," Weatherred said. Spokane Police Department Officer Daniel Strassenberg, spokesman for the department, called the shooting an "anomaly." He said police are well-versed on where resources need to be and are always prepared. "We're always staffed appropriately to prepare for contingencies if they are to arise," Strassenberg said. Weatherred said the parade will have almost 160 "units." The largest Lilac parade was about 200 units, he said. The units include over 5,000 marching band members who will travel as far away as Seattle to perform in the procession. He estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people will watch the parade, but those numbers could dwindle if storms roll in. About 80,000 people watched before the pandemic. "It's slowly been building back up to the size it was before COVID," Weatherred said. He encouraged attendees to come early and prepare to park on the outskirts of the parade route and walk a bit for viewing.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Spokane City Council passes measure protecting LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming care
The city of Spokane, Washington has passed an ordinance solidifying protections for LGBTQ+ people and affirming the right to receive gender-affirming care. The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to pass the ordinance, which updated language in the city's Human Rights code — including by defining gender-affirming care — while mandating that city-provided healthcare cover the treatment. The measure also directed the Spokane Police Department to maintain an LGBTQ+ liaison officer to act as a point of contact. 'I want to thank all the powerful and heartfelt testimony in support of this ordinance that is about supporting safety, freedom, and dignity,' Council Member Paul Dillon, who sponsored the ordinance, said in a statement. 'Spokane is a city where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated, and this ordinance shows our commitment to our city motto that In Spokane, we all belong, especially in a time of targeting and discrimination by the Trump administration and states that seek to ban care.' While Washington already had in place a "shield' or 'refuge' law protecting access to gender-affirming care — HB1469, passed in 2023 — the city ordinance will specifically prohibit the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone's sex assigned at birth, unless it's related to a criminal investigation. Council Member Jonathan Bingle, who voted against the resolution alongside Council Member Michael Cathcart, protested the ordinance by proposing several amendments, including some which would have banned transgender people from using restrooms or participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity, and prohibited those under 18 from receiving gender-affirming care. The amendments ultimately failed to pass. Donald Trump signed an executive order in January attempting to prohibit gender-affirming care for those under 19, which has since been blocked by a federal judge after the Democratic attorneys general of Washington, Oregon, and Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the administration accusing it of overstepping presidential authority. The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the World Medical Association, and the World Health Organization all agree that gender-affirming care is evidence-based and medically necessary not just for adults, but minors as well. 'LGBTQIA2S+ people deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions and deserve to feel safe in our community,' said Council Member Zack Zappone. 'That freedom and safety are under threat across the country. This ordinance ensures the City continues to protect LGBTQIA2S+ people and that they know that in Spokane, we all belong.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane City Council approves law mirroring state LGBT+ protections after heated meeting
Apr. 28—After a marathon meeting that occasionally grew fraught, Spokane's City Council has codified a number of protections for the LGBT+ community. While many are enshrined in state law or already in practice, advocates argue they signaled support amid a national firestorm, particularly over trans rights. There was a small taste of that cultural battleground during the Monday city council meeting, with dozens of supporters testifying that their right to exist is increasingly under question and political attack, while a handful of opponents argued that further protections were unnecessary or that gender-affirming treatments are harmful. In all, 67 people signed up to testify, and even with their testimony limited from the normal three minutes to two, the single agenda item dominated almost the entire meeting. The ordinance, sponsored by Council members Paul Dillon, Lili Navarrete and Zack Zappone, covers a lot of ground, including adding anti-discrimination language in city code and preventing city resources from being used to investigate or detain an individual for seeking gender-affirming care. It also protects against the release of information about a person's sex assigned at birth, which largely reflects current state law. The ordinance also would ask the Spokane Police Department to designate officers to act as dedicated liaisons for the LGBT+ community and event organizers to act as points of contact, advocate for community members, and ensure public safety at events such as the annual Pride parade. Finally, it would enshrine in code that the city's insurance policy must provide access to gender-affirming care. The city's current insurance policy for its employees, negotiated under former Mayor Nadine Woodward, provides this coverage. Emotions flared both from the ordinance itself and a series of amendments submitted by Councilman Jonathan Bingle and supported by Councilman Michael Cathcart, but rejected by the rest of the city council. Bingle and Cathcart also were the only "no" votes on the ordinance that passed 5-2. Those amendments would have restricted the access of trans people from the bathrooms of their choice, from women's sports and from accessing gender-affirming treatments if they are under the age of 18, among other restrictions. Rebecca Edwards testified that she moved to Spokane from southern Idaho two years ago alongside her trans son and his wife due to increasing hostility, stating her son was refused medical treatment, not for gender-affirming care, but for a life-threatening condition. "More than one doctor told him, I'm not going to help you," Edwards said. But they no longer feel like they escaped that hostility, she added. "With things like ongoing vandalism of inclusive crosswalks, a proposed amended version of this very ordinance that effectively did the exact opposite of its intention, and rising threats from the highest office in our nation, we are feeling the fear and strife we thought we left behind," Edwards said. Caya Berndt and several others argued that ordinances like this help assure queer people that Spokane continues to be a welcoming place to live. "A lot of queer people feel like they have to leave for Seattle, but a lot of us don't want to, because Spokane is our home," Berndt said. The vast majority of those who testified Monday were in support of the ordinance, but there were exceptions who made various arguments in support of Bingle's amendments or in opposition to the ordinance itself. Several argued that Monday's protections granted extraordinary rights for the LGBT+ community, stating it was itself a form of bigotry. "Will you continue to define what sexual practices are favored in Spokane, including those currently illegal in our state?" asked Cynthia Zapotocky, former chairman of the Spokane County GOP and co-president of the 2017 Spokane Lilac Festival. "Bestiality, or sex with animals, incest with close family members, adult sex with minor children? This remains to be seen, and I am concerned." Dr. Alfonso Oliva is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon whose listed specialties include breast augmentation and reconstruction, and announced himself as a member of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which lost a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2024 that attempted to challenge the FDA's approval of mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill. Oliva argued against the ordinance's provision ensuring that the city's health insurance for its employees include coverage for gender-affirming treatment, arguing that those treatments harm children and adolescents. "In brief, gender-confused youth truly and greatly suffer," Oliva said. "But their suffering can only be relieved by treating the underlying psychological problems. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that puberty blockers and trans sex hormones do not improve the dysphoria, but actually make it worse." Several trans speakers at the meeting argued that the research cited was flawed and pointed to their own experiences, noting the difficulties they experienced earlier in life exacerbated by their gender dysphoria and relieved by gender-affirming treatment. Those who had undergone a gender transition repeatedly called it lifesaving. "I am a gay man who was assigned female at birth," said Colton Gerard. "For 30 years, I suffered the many consequences that come with self-hatred. Today, I stand in front of you seven years sober and in the best health of my life, surrounded by a community that loves me and working toward becoming a commercial electrician." "The basis of my success is simple gender-affirming care and a city that, for the most part, has made me feel safe throughout my whole life," Gerard added. Dr. Pam Kohlmeier, an emergency room physician who ran unsuccessfully for the state Legislature in 2024, voiced support for the ordinance. "I'm very committed to saving lives, largely because I lost one of my own kids who was transgender nonbinary to suicide two years ago," Kohlmeier said. "I will tell you, gender-affirming care saves lives. Privacy of their medical records saves lives. Letting them compete in the sports that fit with their identity saves lives." Others disputed that the protections afforded by Monday's ordinance granted them special rights. "We're not asking for special treatment, like some people here are claiming," said Evee Polanski, operations director for Spokane Community Against Racism. "We're just simply asking to be able to access the same types of care that the rest of you do." A similar argument has been made by lawyers in the case U.S. v. Skrmetti currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, which involves a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth. Lawyers have argued that many of those same treatments are used by cisgender people, both for medical and aesthetic reasons. "I'd like to start by saying that Elon Musk has received gender-affirming care," said Courtney Anderson, the former diversity, equity, access and inclusion program manager for The Arc of Spokane. "If you've seen the two pictures of him side by side, one with a receding hairline, and the other in which he clearly had jaw reconstruction and hairline surgery, that is considered gender-affirming care." Navarrete teared up as she argued that these protections are necessary as the Trump administration continues to target the trans community. "Church-state separation means that Christian nationalists and their lawmaker allies cannot use our country's laws to improve their narrow beliefs on others, or we use misuse religious freedom to deny LGBTQIA2S+ people equal rights," she said. "But that is exactly what is happening now." Bingle invited anyone in the audience to join him for a coffee or lunch, arguing that he had been painted with a broad brush by some testifiers.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
'He meant the world to me': Loved ones reflect on 25-year-old who died in Hillyard motorcycle crash
Apr. 17—Cody Mayo's most notable physical characteristic was his long, red beard, earning him the nickname "Code Red" from some of his co-workers. "He was so proud of that thing," said Jessica Barth, Mayo's mother. Besides sporting long facial hair, Mayo exhibited a strong work ethic, dependability, good humor and a willingness to help others, according to his loved ones. The 25-year-old's life was cut short March 28 when he died riding his motorcycle on the north edge of Spokane's Hillyard Neighborhood. The crash that afternoon on Market Street and Francis Avenue involved another vehicle, according to the Spokane Police Department. Officer Daniel Strassenberg, spokesman for the department, declined to release the circumstances of the crash, citing the ongoing investigation, but he said criminal charges against the other driver are not expected. Barth said her son was wearing his helmet. Before she found out about the crash, Barth said Mayo did not answer her phone calls, which was unusual. Her friend then notified her of the accident, which was not too far from her northeast Spokane residence, so she headed to the scene. She saw his motorcycle and knew Mayo was involved. She said she and her son messaged each other on Snapchat, which showed her Mayo's location at the Hillyard intersection. "He meant the world to me," she said. "I mean, he was so special." Mayo was born and raised in Spokane and graduated from Rogers High School in 2018. He worked the past four years mowing lawns and landscaping. He started at Living Water Lawn & Tree Care before the company's landscape maintenance division split to form Ron Davis Lawncare & Landscaping, where Mayo worked most recently. Tristin Sparks, one of Mayo's friends and co-workers, said Mayo was one of the top employees. "He was the go-to guy at Ron Davis Lawncare when it came to if you needed someone to do something, and we weren't working that day, Cody would pick up anything and he'd get it done," Sparks said. "He was a good guy." Barth said her son enjoyed his job and would always leave home right away when he got an unexpected call to go to work, showing his dedication to his work and those around him, she said. "He was always willing to help people," Barth said. Besides his long beard, Barth said he loved riding his 2009 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, wearing his SpongeBob SquarePants-themed socks and shoes and drinking Monster Energy drinks. She said he had a case of Monsters with him riding his motorcycle. He also liked playing with his many RC cars and "blowing things up," she said. He liked to ride motorcycles with his only sibling and older brother, Jared Barth. Barth said her two sons got their motorcycle endorsements together. "He was doing what he loved, being free and riding his bike," she said of Mayo's death. Barth said she and her son lived together, and he also cared for her because her hip and back problems make it difficult to perform certain tasks. Photos of her son, posing by himself and with family members, are stationed by the front door of her apartment. "It's hard, you know, because I think Cody should walk through the door," she said. "I mean, I just don't understand why it had to be Cody." Carolyn Dunlap, general manager at Living Water, was a friend of Mayo's and his former boss. "Cody was just like one of my kids," she said. Dunlap, who is Davis' daughter and Sparks' mother, said Mayo's strong work ethic shot him up the company ladder to "mow lead." But when it was time to relax at the end of the day, he was a "goofball" who made people smile. "He was just a good kid," Dunlap said. "He died too young." She called him a great man who worked hard to take care of himself and his mom. His death left a big hole in people's hearts, she said. "Cody was just a young man when he started here," Dunlap said. "He was really just a young man learning what he wanted to do in life."
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane leaders announce ban on right turns on red lights at some downtown intersections and other safety initiatives
Apr. 16—Noting a rising rate of traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Spokane, Mayor Lisa Brown, members of her cabinet and several City Council members announced a slate of initiatives aimed at making the city's streets safer for pedestrians and drivers. The city will soon roll out a pilot program banning right turns during red lights on Main Street downtown between Monroe and Division, as well as reprogramming crosswalk signals to give pedestrians a head start before vehicles get a green light. The Spokane Police Department will rebrand its traffic enforcement unit as the Traffic Safety and Education Unit, a four-officer unit on motorcycles focused broadly on traffic safety and another three officers focused on DUI patrols. Information from the unit and crash data will inform a new Traffic Fatality Review Team, which will have members from various city departments who will evaluate contributing factors to fatal crashes within the city and make recommendations to reduce the risks of further fatalities. Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall also reiterated ongoing efforts to expand the city's use of red light and speeding cameras. The first of these new cameras, which will be installed on two approaches to the city's most dangerous intersection, Mission and Greene, are expected to roll out this summer. Additional locations will be chosen later this year. These initiatives are "aimed at taking even more decisive action to protect everyone who uses our streets, including walkers, bicyclists, drivers, people who are in wheelchairs, the kids on their way from child care," Brown said Wednesday. The Spokane City Council also will soon consider rolling out a program to make it easier for neighborhoods to request to shut down a non-arterial street for community events, such as block parties, called the "Play Streets Program." The program is expected to start in June and run through the end of October. "Whether it's neighbors wanting to come together and close our street to allow kids to play on the street, do a spontaneous chalk art festival, close down the street and have a barbecue ... this is an opportunity for people in your neighborhoods to come out, meet your neighbors, have that connection and bring back that life to our neighborhoods," said Councilman Zack Zappone. There are already several intersections where right turns on red lights were recently banned, including at 29th and Perry, Cincinnati and Mission, and North River Drive and Washington Street. Those intersections also give pedestrians that head start on crossing ahead of a green light for cars, as do Desmet and Hamilton, 44th and Regal, and Main and Post. That head start also will be implemented this year at Monroe and Summit Parkway, various locations along Riverside Avenue, and where Howard intersects with Spokane Falls Boulevard, Main and Sprague. Interest in restricting right turns on red lights on Main Avenue grew after the death of 78-year old author and foster advocate Janet Mann, who was killed in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Main and Browne as she was crossing the street by 42-year-old Gary Burns. Burns had made a right turn onto Browne Street during a red light before striking Mann, Zappone said Wednesday.
