Today on the Inland Journal podcast, the debate about Medicaid expansion in Idaho ratchets up another notch. A state representative from Nampa introduces a bill that would impose work restrictions on some Medicaid recipients. We’ll talk with him and with an opponent. And we’ll talk about the housing market, both in Spokane and nationwide, on the eve of a Spokane Home Builders Association conference.

Monday on the Inland Journal podcast, to Olympia we go to talk about health care bills and a proposal to move Washington to Daylight Saving Time on a permanent basis. We’ll talk with a University of Washington law professor who is a big supporter of that idea. And we talk with a Spokane youth counselor who sponsored a fun run last Saturday to draw attention to the needs of teens and young adults.

Friday on the Inland Journal podcast, Spokane County sues the state to challenge a new law that requires Spokane move from three county commissioners to five. We’ll talk with Commissioner Mary Kuney and Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane). A WSU researcher is using a new computer model of Spokane’s West Central neighborhood to explore ways to reduce neighborhood crime. And we’ll talk about what’s the next step in improving downtown Spokane.

Thursday on the Inland Journal podcast, Avista announces it will begin installing new ‘smart meters’ that will allow it to more quickly measure how its customers use energy. “Ask an Evangelical”: we talk with a man who identifies as evangelical about his views on immigration. And will this late blast of snow extend the ski season in the Inland Northwest? We’ll get the view from the Lookout Pass ski area.

Wednesday on the Inland Journal podcast, the debate about school levies in Washington. Last year, legislators shifted much of the tax burden for funding basic education from local property taxes to the state and limited how much local money school districts could raise. Now, school administrators are asking to ease the restrictions on local levy money. We’ll hear some of the arguments and talk with Spokane Superintendent Shelley Redinger. We'll also hear about how a Coeur d'Alene High School

Today on the Inland Journal podcast, we’ll hear about racially restrictive housing covenants in Spokane. Local historian Logan Camporeale has researched and written about this. We’ll hear part of a presentation he gave at Gonzaga University last month. And then we’ll hear about a lawsuit brought by a Spokane homeowner who wants language from one of the covenants removed from his home’s legal documents.

Monday on the Inland Journal podcast, we talk with a man who has been involved in the region’s toughest environmental issues over the last four decades. Grant Pfeifer played a role in developing regulations for grass field burning in eastern Washington. He helped implement tougher clean water standards in the Spokane River. And there were others. Now he’s retiring.

Today on the Inland Journal podcast, environmental groups are asking the Washington legislature to adopt firm timelines to wean the state from fossil fuels. We’ll get two views: from a member of the 350 Spokane group, which is lobbying for the bill, and a lobbyist for Avista. And we’ll meet a Maryland researcher who has created a map that projects what local climates like ours will be like in 2080.

Thursday on the Inland Journal podcast, we’ll look at electric cars and how Northwest utilities and states are progressing in creating public infrastructure to charge them. We’ll talk with a Kettle Falls man about his experience leasing an electric car. We’ll talk with a representative from Avista about incentives for businesses and others to create charging stations. And we’ll hear excerpts from an Idaho legislative hearing about electric vehicles.

Wednesday on the Inland Journal podcast, police officers and mental health professionals in Spokane are working together to divert people away from jail. We talk with Jan Dobbs from Frontier Behavioral Health and police Sergeant Nate Spiering about the project that pairs officers on patrol with mental health clinicians. We’ll learn about their respective roles and how their partnership is working.