A GRIP ON SPORTS • This weekend is going to be a bit weird. No, were not referring to the possibility of a cold, rainy Saturday. That happens in late April around here way too much for my tastes. Nor are we alluding to the M's facing the Red Sox at a half-empty Fenway Park. Nope, we talking about football. FCS playoff football. With Eastern on the road. ••••••• • What's up with that? When the Eagles have been good enough to make the FCS playoffs, they have hosted, seemingly every year. The red turf is a staple of postseason football at that level.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/22/grip-sports-ewus-fcs-playoff-opponent-familiar-tim/

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Make telemedicine your first choice for most doctor visits. That's the message some U.S. employers and insurers are sending with a new wave of care options. Amazon and several insurers have started or expanded virtual-first care plans to get people to use telemedicine routinely, even for planned visits like annual checkups. They're trying to make it easier for patients to connect with regular help by using remote care that grew explosively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates say this can keep patients healthy and out of expensive hospitals, which makes insurers and employers that pay most of the bill happy.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/02/employers-insurers-push-to-make-virtual-visits-reg/

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A GRIP ON SPORTS • Excellence comes in many forms. So many, it seems, sometimes sports fans forget how to recognize it. Years later, they will look back and wonder why they didn't celebrate the accomplishments more while they were happening. Don't make that mistake now. ••••••• • If you are of a certain age – old – you may just remember the halcyon NBA days of the late 1970s. That's actually only true in the Pacific Northwest. The decade was actually the low point of the league in many ways. But not in Seattle.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/17/grip-sports-enjoy-sounders-excellence-while-you-ca/

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News >  Crime/Public Safety UPDATED: Thu., May 20, 2021 Twitter Facebook Email Reddit SMS SEATTLE — Officers have arrested a man they think has been stealing purses and bags from more than a dozen women in Seattle's Chinatown-International District, Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, police said Wednesday. Detectives believe he's one of two men who has been approaching mostly Asian women between 40 and 80 years old outside grocery stores, then grabbing their bags and fleeing in a vehicle, the Seattle Times reported.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/20/man-arrested-accused-of-stealing-purses-from-asian/

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News >  Business UPDATED: Wed., May 26, 2021 Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks at the the Amazon re:MARS convention in Las Vegas on June 6, 2019. (Associated Press) Twitter Facebook Email Reddit SMS NEW YORK — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has picked a date to step down as CEO. Bezos, who grew Amazon from an internet bookstore to an online shopping behemoth, said Wednesday that Amazon executive Andy Jassy will take over the CEO role on July 5. 'We chose that date because it's sentimental for me,' Bezos said during an Amazon shareholder meeting Wednesday.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/26/jeff-bezos-says-will-pass-baton-to-new-amazon-ceo-/

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We are halfway through a season that began with such hope and optimism. The defending Pac-12 North champions have logged six games against opponents of all different talent levels. There have been moments of joy and occasional causes for celebration. But the reality is this: The Huskies just aren't a very good football team. Saturdays' 24-17 loss against UCLA was another reminder that Washington simply doesn't have the firepower to make a dent in the conference this season. The Bruins — as so many foes have done to UW this year — ran the ball with almost no resistance and finished with 237 rushing yards on 40 carries.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/oct/17/halfway-through-a-season-that-was-expected-to-be-s/

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MOSCOW — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike while behind bars, was moved to a hospital in another prison after his doctor said he could be near death, his lawyer said Monday. Navalny was transferred Sunday from a penal colony east of Moscow to a prison hospital in Vladimir, a city 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital, lawyer Alexei Liptser said after visiting the politician on Monday afternoon. 'Yesterday he was really unwell. … Given the test results and the overall state of his health, it was decided to transfer him here.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/19/putin-foe-navalny-sent-to-prison-hospital-amid-hun/

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MADRID — The Super League is far from dead and its clubs have not given up on the idea of the breakaway competition despite having to shelve the project just a few days after it was announced, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said on Thursday. Pérez, who would have been the new league's founding chairman, said the clubs behind the Super League will continue working on a way to make the competition work, even if changes have to be made to its format. He said the Super League is on 'standby' and the group is open to discussing ideas with European soccer's governing body and other entities to help the game amid the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/21/super-league-backer-says-breakaway-competition-is-/

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UPDATED: Thu., May 6, 2021 The Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C. (Patrick Semansky) WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is warning that prices of stocks and other financial assets are rising to levels that could set investors up for big losses from sudden declines. A Fed report released Thursday noted stocks and other risky assets have increased in value since November, in some cases to record highs, as the outlook for the post-pandemic U.S. economy has improved with increases in vaccinations and business re-openings.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/06/fed-warns-high-asset-prices-could-make-investors-v/

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TOKYO — Japanese video game maker Nintendo's profit dropped 19% in the first half of its fiscal year from the previous year, when it received a big lift as people stuck at home by the coronavirus pandemic turned to its products. Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. reported Thursday a $1.5 billion profit for the April-September period, down from 213 billion yen in the same period the previous year. Fiscal half sales slipped 19% to $5.5 billion. It did not break down quarterly numbers. Nintendo, which is behind the Super Mario and Pokemon games, was among the global companies that received a boost from the pandemic by providing at-home entertainment.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/nov/04/nintendos-profit-drops-from-last-years-pandemic-bo/

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TOKYO – The new medal standard in Olympic women's track has been set. American Allyson Felix stands alone at the top and still has a chance to go even higher. The 35-year-old Felix won her record 10th Olympic track medal Friday night at the Tokyo Games with a push down the home stretch of the 400 meters to take the bronze medal. Felix has more Olympic track and field medals than any woman in history in a career that goes back to 2004 in Athens. She came to Tokyo even with Jamaican runner Merlene Ottey.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/06/american-felix-sets-new-womens-olympics-medal-reco/

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Reactions across the Middle East to the stunning Taliban victory in Afghanistan have focused mostly on what it says about the United States. For many, it shows how America's standing is diminishing; how the United States has betrayed its allies, leaving behind those who believed its promises - yet more proof that 'those whose only cover is America are naked,' as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reportedly once said. Some are deliriously convinced the United States 'handed over' Afghanistan to the Taliban as part of a plan to use the Sunni Islamists against Iran.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/23/ezzedine-c-fishere-what-the-taliban-victory-spells/

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News >  Nation/World UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 31, 2021 FILE - Producer Mike Richards poses in the pressroom at the 43rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on May 1, 2016, in Los Angeles. Richards is out as executive producer of 'Jeopardy!', days after he exited as the quiz show's newly appointed host because of past misogynistic and other comments. Richards is also no longer executive producer of 'Wheel of Fortune." (Richard Shotwell) Twitter Facebook Email Reddit SMS FILE - Producer Mike Richards poses in the pressroom at the 43rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on May 1, 2016, in Los Angeles.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/31/mike-richards-is-out-as-producer-of-jeopardy-and-w/

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BOISE, Idaho — The dream world for Idaho's ascendant far right is one where state lawmakers run a sovereign nation-state free of federal oversight. It would be a place where they can outlaw all abortions, dictate what is taught in schools, have complete say over public health rules and gun laws, and take control of federal public lands, which make up more than 60% of the state. And many believe they've never been closer to achieving their goals in what is already one of the most conservative states in the country.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jun/08/deep-red-idaho-sees-growing-clash-between-gop-and-/

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HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court ordered the top editor of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and the head of its parent company held without bail Saturday in the first hearing since their arrest two days ago under the city's national security law. Ryan Law, the chief editor, and Cheung Kim-hung, the CEO of Next Digital, have been charged with collusion with a foreign country to endanger national security in a case widely seen as an attack on press freedom in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Chief Magistrate Victor So said there was not sufficient grounds to believe they would not violate the security law again, and ordered them held at the Lai Chi Kok detention center.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jun/19/editor-ceo-denied-bail-in-apple-daily-case-in-hong/

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The president of Activision's Blizzard Entertainment is stepping down weeks after the maker of video games like 'World of Warcraft' and 'Call of Duty,' was hit with a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit in California as well as backlash from employees over their work environment. The state sued Activision Blizzard Inc. last month citing a 'frat boy' culture that has become 'a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women.' The lawsuit alleges that female employees face constant sexual harassment, that few women are named to leadership roles and when they are, they earn less salary, incentive pay and total compensation than male peers.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/03/hit-with-metoo-revolt-blizzard-entertainment-chief/

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Two weeks from the 2021 season, the majority of Pac-12 football programs are approaching a COVID vaccination rate that could limit the disruption caused by the Delta variant. At least seven teams have reached or surpassed the 90% mark, while two more have topped 85%, according to data provided to the Hotline by the schools. The vaccination rates for Arizona State and Cal were not made available. Of the 10 schools for which data is available, Washington State has the lowest rate: The Cougars have vaccinated 80% of their players, according to a school spokesperson.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/18/pac-12-vs-covid-vaccination-rates-climb-as-season-/

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No suspense at the top of this NFL draft: Quarterback, quarterback and, yep, quarterback. With fans in attendance, prospects on hand and Commissioner Roger Goodell dispensing greetings to players being selected Thursday night, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence went to the Jacksonville Jaguars to get things started. Next was BYU's Zach Wilson going to the New York Jets, and North Dakota State's Trey Lance landing with the San Francisco 49ers. That matched 1971 (Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, Dan Pastorini) and 1999 (Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith) as the only drafts with quarterbacks taken with the top three picks.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/29/nfl-draft-no-suspense-as-3-qbs-dominate-early-pick/

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News >  Pacific NW UPDATED: Fri., April 30, 2021 Twitter Facebook Email Reddit SMS Associated Press RIDGEFIELD, Wash. – A Kelso, Washington man who is banned from a casino in southwest Washington is accused of stealing $12,500 in chips after a casino break-in Tuesday. Police said Lucas Bunn entered the ilani Casino Resort Tuesday while disguised in a gray wig and construction vest, The Columbian reported. Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency advised authorities at about 7:50 a.m. that a man was in the casino's high limits area using a drill to break into the chips table, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/30/man-arrested-after-thousands-in-chips-stolen-from-/

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It's rare that a sitting president is an underdog in a reelection campaign, but that's where Harry S. Truman found himself in 1948. He had ascended to the office after the death of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945 and was up for reelection. In the first presidential contest of the postwar era, both of the major parties were involved in internecine battles behind the scenes, and the impact of the squabbles could decide the election. The Republicans were in a tight primary featuring 1944 nominee and New York Gov.

https://www.spokesman.com/then-and-now/2021/may/10/president-truman-spokane/

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GENEVA — The U.N. refugee agency made an unusual plea Thursday for the Biden administration to lift pandemic-related restrictions on people seeking asylum in the United States. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi asked for an end to so-called Title 42 authority, named for a section of an obscure 1944 U.S. public health law that former President Donald Trump used in March 2020 to effectively end asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. President Joe Biden has kept the policy in place, though he has exempted children who are traveling alone.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/20/un-refugee-agency-calls-on-us-to-end-asylum-restri/

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ALMIRA, Wash. - Smoke billowed from the ashes of the Almira school Wednesday morning as a young student walked around the building and firefighters battled hotspots. The student then spotted one of his teachers, huddled near her car. The pair embraced. 'It's going to be OK,' she said to her student as tears streamed down both their faces. The town of Almira is home to about 300 residents, many of them farmers who have lived in the area for generations. The Almira School was built in 1952 after another fire damaged the existing school in 1951, said Denny Pinar, fire chief at Lincoln County Fire District 8 Almira.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/oct/13/after-fire-destroys-almira-school-community-gather/

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BURLEY, Idaho — School district officials in Idaho have started offering a full summer school program to catch up all students who may have fell behind academically during the coronavirus pandemic. The Cassia County School District was prompted to move to a full program to fill the educational gaps caused by the pandemic during remote learning, the Times-News reported. In previous years, the district offered limited summer school to migrant programs or after-school programs, Cassia County School District spokesperson Debbie Critchfield said.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jun/10/idaho-district-begins-summer-school-to-address-edu/

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HONOLULU — William Edward Mann enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school in rural Washington state. A guitar player, he picked up the ukulele while stationed in Hawaii. He's been presumed dead since Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor and set off a massive explosion that sank his battleship, the USS Arizona, launching the U.S. into World War II. Now, his niece is among some families of crew members who are demanding the U.S. military take advantage of advances in DNA technology to identify 85 sailors and Marines from the Arizona who were buried as unknowns.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/02/families-urge-using-new-dna-tech-to-id-pearl-harbo/

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News >  Nation/World UPDATED: Mon., April 19, 2021 Walter Mondale campaigned for president in Spokane on Oct. 29, 1984. (Kit King/THESPOKESMAN-REVIEW) Twitter Facebook Email Reddit SMS Walter Mondale campaigned for president in Spokane on Oct. 29, 1984. (Kit King/THESPOKESMAN-REVIEW) The political winds were strongly against Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale when he came to Spokane on Oct. 29, 1984 for a rally at the old Davenport Hotel. It was one week before the election. The polls had him down around the country, including in Washington, where he was 6 percentage points behind President Ronald Reagan.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/19/mondale-made-a-late-campaign-pitch-in-spokane/

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Dozens of celebrities including actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix on Tuesday called on U.S. President Joe Biden to refrain from signing any environmental agreement with his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro. The open letter signed by the artists comes just days Bolsonaro joins dozens of other foreign leaders at a U.S.-led summit to tackle the climate crisis, which will be held online. The U.S. and Brazil have been holding bilateral talks since February, and Bolsonaro's environment minister has been outspoken about his desire for U.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/20/dicaprio-fonda-urge-us-not-to-sign-climate-deal-wi/

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ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Eric Gala passed up an opportunity to get a coronavirus vaccine when shots became available in Michigan, and he admits not taking the virus seriously enough. Then he got sick with what he thought was the flu. He thought he would sweat it out and then feel back to normal. Before long, the 63-year-old Detroit-area retiree was in a hospital hooked up to a machine to help him breathe. He had COVID-19. 'I was having more trouble breathing and they turned the oxygen up higher — that's when I got scared and thought I wasn't going to make it,' a visibly weary Gala told The Associated Press on Wednesday from his hospital bed at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, north of Detroit.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/25/michigan-became-hotspot-as-variants-rose-and-vigil/

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News >  Nation/World UPDATED: Tue., April 27, 2021 FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden pauses after signing an executive order relating to U.S. supply chains, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Biden is preparing to sign an executive order to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors. Administration officials say it will provide a pay bump to hundreds of thousands. (Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors, providing a pay bump to hundreds of thousands of workers.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/27/biden-to-sign-15-minimum-wage-for-federal-contract/

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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Amid the wind and the havoc at Kiawah Island, there was a semblance of simplicity to the way Corey Conners navigated his way around the Ocean Course for a 5-under 67 and a two-shot lead Thursday in the PGA Championship. He birdied all the par 5s. He made a couple of long putts for birdie. He dropped only one shot. The scorecard alone made it look like a walk on the beach. It just didn't feel that way. 'I'd say it's impossible to be stress-free around this golf course,' Conners said.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/20/corey-conners-keeps-it-as-stress-free-as-possible-/

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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The vote by El Salvador's new congress to remove the magistrates of the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber and the attorney general on the newly elected legislative body's very first day drew concern and condemnation from multinational groups and the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday about the previous day's vote, saying ″that an independent judiciary is essential to democratic governance,″ the State Department said.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/02/us-expresses-concern-over-el-salvador-vote-to-remo/

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