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News Broadcast 6 AM, stories by Brooke Nicholson

The Colville Confederated Tribes have received a Treatment as a State designation from the Environmental Protection Agency giving the tribe full authority over implementing water quality standards and certification programs on the reservation according to the Tribal Tribune.

In 2014, the Colville tribes completed an application for TAS status with the Federal Clean Water Act and they have worked with the EPA over the years to complete the process and develop its own water quality standards. With the designation approved, the EPA will review the standards created by the Tribes in one final process.

Michael Marchand, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation stated, “We appreciate the years of hard work by the staff of the Tribes’ Office of Environmental Trust to achieve this designation. We will continue to promote and expand Tribal jurisdiction over the lands and waters in our territories, and to protect all the natural resources which have sustained our people since Time Immemorial.”

Idaho is attempting to modify the state’s health care law by removing Affordable Care Act provisions and adding state-based policies according to the Spokesman-Review.
Dean Cameron, the Idaho Department of Insurance Director, stated, “Idaho officials are proposing a slightly different approach to determining premium costs and some other regulations though the details are still under discussion.” Cameron also voiced concern regarding the cost of premiums causing residents to remain uninsured.

In January, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov. Brad Little allowed insurance companies to offer less expensive policies not in 100% compliance with the Affordable Health Care Act without regard for federal approval. This action received a letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stating the proposal was illegal.
Previously, the Affordable Health Care Act required every policy cover 10 essential health benefits such as maternity and newborn care, substance abuse treatment, mental health, emergency services, prescription drugs and outpatient services. Idaho’s solution was to selectively bypass some of those benefits for certain policies. Cameron has stated Idaho will now adhere to the 10 requirements.
Due to the conflict, the agency extended a 30-day deadline set to expire on May 5. The deadline may be extended again since both parties are still seeking a resolution.

News Broadcast 4 PM, Stories by Megan Burton

For the past few months, the city of Spokane and social service centers in Spokane, have been throwing around the idea of a central social service station. This would be a place where a vulnerable member of our community could go and connect with multiple services at once. The Inlander mentions that this could be a place where someone could apply for housing assistance, get employment advice, apply for state benefits for food and even receive mental and physical health screenings. The main issue holding this idea up, is the location. The downtown Inter-modal Center also contains the Greyhound bus station. The Greyhound station has been a hot spot for Customs and Border Protections agents to make sweeps and ask riders for identification. We covered this issue back in March, when Enoka Herat, an attorney with the ACLU of Washington, along with eight other states wrote a letter to Greyhound asking them to stop allowing Border Patrol agents to conduct searches without a warrant. City Council President Ben Stuckart says that he will not vote in favor of this project until a solution can be reached for dealing with the location being so near the bus depot. The concern is that Spokane residents who are not citizens or are unsure of their immigration status may be wary of coming near the area, despite the access to services.

The Spokane area parks may see reduced hours and more restrictions on marijuana use and fishing, as the City Council meets to discuss legal changes. According to the Spokesman Review, the new law will make camping or sleeping in the parks in a way that disrupts others enjoyment of the park, a criminal misdemeanor. Spokane isn’t looking to punish these individuals but allow law enforcement to direct them to Community Court where they can receive resources from the several social service agencies that are there. In addition there will be new fines for those caught opening or consuming marijuana on parks property, for fishing in ponds, and for operating drones in a dangerous manner. The hours will also change, with parks opening an hour later at 6 am and closing an hour earlier at 10 pm.

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