RANGE

Luke was out sick, so Audience Editor Valerie Osier joined Erin to talk about RANGE’s newest labor story: a timely expose on union-busting at the local Planned Parenthood affiliate. If you’re not a big fan of reading 4,000 word stories, but you want to know about the CEO’s crazy-high salary, the high cost of union-busting ($425 an hour) and the employees caught in the crossfire, listen now!

Editor's Note: The Faviola Lopez working at UFCW 3000 is actually a different Faviola Lopez than who worked at PPGWNI. Additionally, Paul Dillon was demoted from his role at PPGWNI shortly before going on parental leave, not after.

Luke and Erin did a 2024 Wrapped, running through the interesting (and often depressing) coverage RANGE did in the last year. You can find all of our coverage here!

And, shameless plug, we just launched a merch line, which you should shop! Help us get sustainable, show your commitment to civic engagement, and look hot doing it.

Do you have questions about local government? Wondering who to complain to about an issue in your neighborhood? Wondering which agency governs certain things? Wondering why something is happening or how much it costs? Email us at [email protected] with your questions, and we’ll try and answer them next week!

Luke, Erin and guest Aaron Hedge — the environmentalism and County reporter at RANGE Media — chatted Spokane City Council rule changes (and the consequences for conservatives), the continued saga of Liberty Lake City Council’s growing control over their library and a grab-bag of other local news items! If you listened to our episode and want to learn more, here are the stories we referenced:

• Erin’s write-up for RANGE of Spokane City Council rule changes and what they mean
• Aaron and Erin’s stories on the Liberty Lake Library saga, and the national context of obscenity
• The new homelessness data dashboard
• Our coverage on the Spokane Regional Health District’s Feasibility Study on privatizing opioid treatment
• Stories on the downtown fires from The Spokesman’s Alexandra Duggan and Nick Gibson

Do you have questions about local government? Wondering who to complain to about an issue in your neighborhood? Wondering which agency governs certain things? Wondering why something is happening or how much it costs? Email us at [email protected] with your questions, and we’ll try and answer them next week!

Welcome to our very special Thanksgiving episode of Free RANGE, where Luke and Erin convened a panel of local notables Joni Harris, Sara Dixit and Kai Teo — a cook, an organizer and a data journalist, respectively, to discuss the political disconnection felt right now by working people in Spokane and one idea the nerds at RANGE have had to try to help struggling renters feel more protected by and connected to community:

• Working-class individuals often feel disconnected from political processes
• Service industry workers face scheduling barriers to traditional civic participation
• Many people are unaware of local political developments that affect them directly
• There's a perception that political engagement doesn't lead to material improvements

• Proposed tool would allow renters to check if landlords are registered and compliant with local laws
• Features could include:
• Form letters for renters to use when communicating with landlords
• Explanations of next steps if landlords don't comply
• City Council contact information for further assistance
• Optional data collection on rent prices and housing conditions
• Tool aims to provide tangible benefits while potentially increasing civic engagement

• Utilize existing community spaces and events (e.g., bars, trivia nights)
• Create physical flyers and place them strategically around the city
• Partner with local businesses to display information
• Host launch parties or social events to introduce the tool
• Leverage word-of-mouth and personal networks for distribution

• Focus on creating "third spaces" that are neither work nor home
• Avoid demonizing those with different political views
• Recognize the importance of coalition-building in worker movements
• Address root causes of political disengagement rather than symptoms

• Develop the renter rights web tool with suggested features
• Plan outreach strategy using multiple channels (events, flyers, partnerships)
• Consider hosting a launch party or series of events to introduce the tool
• Explore ways to create more "third spaces" for community building in Spokane

Luke, Erin and guest Aaron Hedge — the environmentalism and County reporter at RANGE Media — talked about the city’s will-they-won’t-they relationship with the C.O.P.S. contract, CEO Larry Krauter’s departure from the Spokane Airport and a short Civics round-up of all the biggest pieces of news that came out of local municipal meetings this week. If you listened to our episode and want to learn more, here are the stories we referenced:

• Our live post thread on Bluesky of the Spokane City Council meeting, including comments from C.O.P.S. volunteers
• Eliza Billingham’s story for The Inlander on the C.O.P.S. contract
• Aaron Hedge’s story for Spokane FAVS on Tactical CIVICS, the group one of the C.O.P.S. volunteers coordinates.
• Thomas Clause’s story for the Spokesman on Larry Krauter leaving the Spokane airport.
• Aaron Hedge’s coverage on Larry Krauter’s involvement with PFAS nondisclosure.
• Our weekly CIVICS coverage, which you can sign up to receive every Monday!
• Elena Perry’s story for the Spokesman on the CVSD’s decision to advocate against transgender athletes.
• Nick Gibson’s story for the Spokesman on Spokane Valley’s decision to further criminalize homelessness.
• Emry Dinman’s story for the Spokesman on the delay of the parks levy.
• Erin Sellers story for RANGE Media on the details of STA’s Connect 2035 plan.

RANGE Media’s Luke Baumgarten and Erin Sellers pay attention to news in Spokane and the Inland Northwest so you don’t have to.

Join them Thursdays at 3 pm on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio for a round-up of the serious (and not so serious) local news of the week, behind the scenes drama at public meetings and deeper dives on important stories with the journalists who broke them.

If you want to learn more about RANGE Media (or support us financially!) click here!

~ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE~

Luke and Erin discussed the closure of City Hall due to threats of violence, the most recent Spokane election results (and what they actually MEAN) and an update on gender-affirming healthcare options in Idaho. If you listened to our episode and want to learn more, here are the stories we referenced:

• Emry Dinman’s story for The Spokesman on the closure of City Hall and the threats that caused it.
• KUOW’s podcast Lost Patients that Luke referenced.
• Ellen Dennis’ story for The Spokesman on the Democrat legislative majority
• Ellen Dennis’ (now out-of-date) story for The Spokesman on Washington’s leftward shift
• Luke Baumgarten’s story for RANGE on the wealth tax initiative
• Erin Sellers’ story for RANGE on being queer in Idaho
• A story from The Idaho Capital Sun on the law in Idaho banning state funds for gender affirming care
• A story on Trump’s campaign promises to end federal funding for gender affirming care.

Behold the first episode of RANGE's new radio show, Free RANGE, produced at KYRS Thin Air Community Radio.

Hosts Luke Baumgarten and Erin Sellers are joined by Aaron Hedge to talk about the week in news.

Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) is amid a months long process to determine if it should privatize its treatment services division, which currently serves 1,000 patients, connecting them with methadone and mental health services to manage opioid addiction.

The process, which began last spring has been a tense one led by SRHD Administrative Officer Dr. Alicia Thompson. Thompson recently completed Phase One of the Feasibility Study, which is what they're calling the process to determine if the division should move forward towards privatization. During phase one, Thompson gathered and analyzed feedback from a variety of stakeholders, including patients, employees, and service providers identifying the impacts privatization could have on them.

At the September board meeting, Thompson presented her findings and two separate recommendations: One to end the process now and keep the division, establishing a designated fund for it within SRHD to ensure it can save and invest money in its future to grow. And another to continue the process and start looking into the legal ramifications and physical process of converting the division to private or selling it off to a private provider.

The board of health was scheduled to vote on those recommendations during the September board meeting, but after community feedback against privatization and a robust discussion among board members, they decided to postpone the ultimate decision until the October board meeting, which is set for Thursday, October 31.

Prior to the September board meeting, we sat down for a Q&A with Susie Saunders, the representative of Protec 17, the union for SRHD’s Treatment Services Employees. We asked Saunders to weigh in on the potential privatization of the division and what it could mean for employees. What follows is that conversation lightly edited for clarity and time.

This week, we’re telling you exactly how you can live your nosy dreams with public records. 

Join host Luke Baumgarten and reporter Erin Sellers as they explore the vital role of public records in holding our electeds accountable. 

First we have a lively roundtable with local reporters Nate Sanford of the Inlander and Daniel Walters of InvestigateWest (but formerly at the Inlander too!), who both submit a ton of records requests. We learned their best tips and tricks and how they use records to crack open stories that are crucial to our community. We also get to hear their stories from the journalism trenches. Walters recently finished an investigation into just how long 15 different Northwest governments take to respond to public records and — spoiler — it turns out the city of Spokane is the slowest. 

Next we talk to local dad (and Spokane Reimagined founder) Erik Lowe, who shares how public records play into his work as a traffic safety and urban planning advocate. 

Plus, in this episode we celebrate Sellers’ one year RANGE-iversary! Be sure to congratulate them on an absolutely stellar year in journalism and support their work!

12:44 Journalist roundtable with Nate Sanford & Daniel Walters

54:41 Public records with local Dad (and transit advocate!) Erik Lowe

01:10:00 Outtakes

This is now our THIRD episode in this new season of RANGE (see we can be consistent) and we’re still taking feedback. We’re the press for the people, and the pod for the people so you tell us: what do you want to hear? Submit feedback here! 

We’re also still taking voicemails at 509-508-1055.

The Pod stays back, baby! Episode two is out and only a few hours late. 

We’re still nailing down our format and process, so in the future, you can expect the pod a little earlier than 8 pm whatever time Luke actually gets this uploaded to the website…

Join host Luke Baumgarten and some of the RANGE team, Val Osier, Erin Sellers & our intern Holly VanVoorhis. Luke plays nature documentary voiceover artist to narrate a day in the life of a journalist navigating the treacherous waters of ethical audio use, then switches hats to lead a bit of reporter therapy. Unfortunately, it was virtual, so no one really knows what his couch looks like yet. 

Next, we did a bit of self-plagiarism and stole a segment from our Wide Range newsletter: Luke, Val and Erin each brought in a piece of good news, a piece of bad news and a piece of embarrassing news. We all learned about: 

• Statewide AI oversight 
• Local transportation and traffic calming 
• Some Idaho reproductive health news
• and Ellen Degeneres’ visit to Spokane (whether that one is good, bad or embarrassing is a bit subjective, but Val has thoughts.) 

Finally, Luke sat down for a short interview with our intern Holly, who wrote a story this week about the facts and fiction of fentanyl. She debunked some myths, gave some additional context and answered some burning questions on the top of our minds like, can cops actually get a contact high?

We’re just starting to get our wobbly baby deer legs under us, but we’re still taking feedback. We’re the press for the people, and the pod for the people so you tell us: what do you want to hear? Submit a feedback form here! 

We’re also still taking voicemails at 509-508-1055.

And we continue to want to take your questions about civic government, rumors you may have heard that you want us to fact check or inquiries about our reporting (or reporting in general), send them to us at [email protected] with “Mailbox” in the subject line. We may answer your questions or fact check your rumors on upcoming segments of the pod 👀