Our network

ZAGiving allows students to donate unwanted items as school ends

ZAGiving allows students to donate unwanted items as school ends

Gonzaga University has partnered with PODS of Spokane to give new life to unwanted items as students leave campus for the summer. 

ZAGiving encourages students to donated their unwanted apartment and dorm room items rather than throwing them out. PODS has provided containers for the students to drop off their clothing, household good and furniture around campus and the Logan neighborhood. 

Everything in the PODS will be donated to Catholic Charities of Spokane to help low-income and homeless families in the area.

"We make charitable work a priority at PODS and ZAGiving is a great way for college students to help give back," said David Henry, territory manager for PODS of Spokane. "We are honored to be providing our moving and storage services to help collect items for our community members who are less fortunate."

The PODS will be available May 8th-14th, just in time for graduation. Students who want to drop off goods should bag them up and and bring them to ZAGiving drop off spots marked with banners around campus.

Detectives investigating body found on railroad tracks

Spokane Major Crimes detectives are investigating a body found Thursday morning on the railroad tracks at 300 N. Crestline.

The body of a deceased male was found on the tracks Thursday morning. It is suspected the individual, whose identity is not known, may have been hit by a train.

Crews knock down E. Nora house fire

Spokane fire crews spent the afternoon Wednesday battling both high temperatures and a house fire on E. Nora.

It started around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon in the 12-hundred block of east Nora.

The first call for the fire came in around 3:30 p.m. and when crews arrived at the residence, a home that had been converted into two apartments, they immediately went inside to search for occupants.

The fire crews eventually cleared the house and determined no one was inside the multi-level residence, with the exception of an Australian Bearded Dragon in a terrarium, which was safely removed from the house.

Two firefighters were taken to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion, and a third suffered second-degree burns when the flames burned through his jacket. A fourth firefighter was also injured.

Nick Peraud was home at the time of the fire and says he barely had time to escape.

"There's nothing in my pockets, and I'm barefoot," he said. "Got a lot of friends and family though, so we'll just, I don't know, something works out, we'll be ok."

Gonzaga kisses COG goodbye

Sunday is graduation day for Gonzaga students, but before students move on they had to say goodbye one last time to the COG.

There are people who don't like change -- and those who embrace it.

"Freshman year, that's where we always ate, and then now that it's gone, it's kind of sad," Gonzaga student Kelly Kim said.

On Wednesday, Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh and school staff sent the COG -- Center of Gonzaga -- on its way with a celebration. Students got to sign their names on beams because the cafeteria will soon be demolished and be replaced with a new $60 million facility.

"I think it will be a lot better for all of the students. It's going to be a lot bigger and hopefully a bigger food choice," Kim said.

The new university center will be Gonzaga's most expensive construction project ever and one of the most pricy in Spokane in the last decade. It'll house the cafeteria, a ballroom, auditorium and even a pub on the second floor.

"We really are building a facility that is going to be much larger, but it's in line with what we need to be doing to support the size that we've grown to," McCulloh said.

City Councilman brings his office to the people

City Councilman brings his office to the people

Residents living in District 2 had the opportunity to meet with City Councilman Jon Snyder in a more relaxed setting today. Snyder hosted his first Mobile Office Event in an effort to connect with the community.

 

“The more time I spend in City Hall the less I can do my job,” says Snyder. He and his legislative assistant answered questions and chatted about resident concerns at The Shop in the South Perry District.

 

Councilwoman Amber Waldref has also held Mobile Office events, and Snyder says it was peer pressure from her that inspired him to set up shop over lunch today. Not everyone wants to come down and stand up in front of the entire council in front of the Channel 5 cameras explains Snyder.

 

Kay Van Epps is one of those people and when she went to The Shop for coffee and a muffin she was more than willing to join Snyder's table.

 

Remember to keep your pets safe as weather warms

Remember to keep your pets safe as weather warms

Spring is finally here and Summer is just around the corner, and with the onset of warm weather across the region Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service reminds us to keep our pets safe in the heat.

"Every summer, we respond to calls of animals being left in cars," says Nancy Hill, Director of SCRAPS. "Inside a car, the temperature will rapidly increase and can overwhelm a pet in a very short time period - sometimes with fatal consequences."

If you typically bring your dog or other pets along for the car ride consider leaving them home when temperatures rise. Dogs aren't able to sweat to cool themselves down so it doesn't take much for them to overheat. Cracking a window while you run into the store isn't enough to keep them healthy.

"The temperature outside doesn't have to be in the 90's or more for a problem to exist," says Hill, "On a 78 degree day, temperatures in a car parked in the shade can exceed 90 degrees, and hit a scorching 160 degree if parked in the sun."

May is for foster parents

May is for foster parents

May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month, a special time to recognize a group of people who sacrifice so much for children.

The city of Spokane and some businesses are honoring those who have offered their hearts, home, and time over the past year.

Tomato Street kicked off the celebration by offering free meals to foster kids. The Davenport Hotel is giving a special rate to foster families a weekend in May for Foster Parent Appreciation Month. Arby's is giving foster families a 1/2 off coupon for the entire family to go to dinner at a Spokane Arby's.

To see other events to celebrate what foster parents do for children everyday, check out the Foster Parent Association Facebook Page.

Did you know foster parents:

  • may be asked to take a child or children at any hour of the day or night, with little notice or information?