Gonzaga students create Hope for Zambezi

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Thursday, May 2nd, 5:04 pm

Zambia is one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, but it is also one of the poorest and has one of the world's most devastating HIV and AIDS epidemics. In the village of Zambezi, many of the people lack food to take with their medication, but students at Gonzaga University are working to change that.

Zambezi has a population of about 7,000, similar to Quincy, WA. Now, imagine if 83 percent of Quincy lived in extreme poverty, many of them were positive for HIV/AIDS, and the life expectancy was only 49. That is the reality for the people of Zambezi.

Across the country of Zambia antiretroviral medication is readily available, but the people of Zambezi are too poor to maintain the proper nutrition for the treatments to be effective. The impact goes beyond individual health.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Become a Bloomsday VIP with SNAP

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Thursday, May 2nd, 12:10 pm

Right before you cross the T.J. Meenach bridge you'll hit mile four of the Bloomsday course. Doomsday Hill looms around the bend and you just might start to feel some pain in your feet and fatigue in your legs. Why not stop to reboot at the SNAP VIP booth?

SNAP will have a VIP photo booth set up just before the bridge so you and your friends and family can snap silly photos before huffing and puffing up the hill. You can also sip on coconut water to rehydrate you for the last half of the run. Pictures will print classic photo booth style and be ready to take home. SNAP will also provide a web link for you to check out and share your Bloomsday photos online.

However, the booth is VIP for a reason. SNAP only has 500 of the reflective VIP bracelets available for purchase. So, not everyone will get to taste the high life on race day. The VIP bracelets will be available for purchase at the Trade Show at SNAP's booth (#304) and are only $5. First come, first serve, and you won't be able to buy them on race day.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Spokane teen gets full ride to Eastern with College Bound Scholarship

Submitted by KXLY Web Staff

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013, 7:24pm

A remarkable young woman is receiving a full ride to Eastern Washington University thanks to Washington State's college bound scholarship which isn't all that well known.

Rachel Graham was home schooled most of her life and her first experience at public school wasn't what she had hoped for, but at the Community School she found the right environment to finish up her senior year with flying colors.

Graham, a Spokane native, left home school for North Central High School in 10th grade.

"That didn't work out that great and then I came here and it was really great," she said.

"Really good fit for her because she was really self motivated, really wanted to learn, had some really great ideas about what she wanted to learn," Robert Chadduck with Spokane school district said.

Her senior project was a feasibility study on upgrading the Community School to use partial solar panels, something the facilities board may actually consider.

"I found that the most feasible would be a ten kilowatt system to start with and then maybe grow from there," she explained.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Bloomsday orders 8,000 additional Boston Bracelets

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Wednesday, May 1st, 2:12 pm

Shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings, Bloomsday announced that they would be distributing 50,000 lilac bands etched with “Bloomsday Stands With Boston”. Now they have ordered 8,000 more bracelets so that volunteers can also show their support for the East Coast city.

The initial bracelets were purchased for runners participating in the world's largest timed road race this Sunday. The response to the idea has been so positive that Bloomsday officials decided it was something that volunteers and safety personnel should participate in as well.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Homelessness decreases in Spokane

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Wednesday, May 1st, 12:21 pm

Spokane's annual Point-In-Time Count of homelessness in Spokane shows a significant drop over the last year.

A census taken on January 24th of this year found 1,030 homeless individuals living in Spokane. This a 13 percent decrease over last year and a 19 percent change since 2011 according to the PIT Count. Spokane's first homelessness census was done in January of 2006 and counted 1,592 individuals.

The city cites increases in permanent and rapid re-housing options, and a coordinated regional assessment program for homeless families.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Link Up pairs elementary schools with the Spokane Symphony

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Tuesday, April 30th, 5:56 pm

The music room at Garfield Elementary was humming with the sound of recorders this afternoon as students prepared for the Link Up concert with the Spokane Symphony at the Fox Theater.

Link Up is national program from Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute that pairs orchestras with local schools for an interactive concert. The Spokane Symphony was invited to join the program last year and jumped at the opportunity.

“This enhances the whole community,” said Janet Napoles, Manager of Education Programs at the Spokane Symphony, “it's just a benefit no matter how you look at it.”

View Comments | Post a Comment

Bloomsday introduces character trading cards

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Tuesday, April 30th, 1:14 pm

Bloomsday expects 50,000 individuals to race this Sunday, and this year organizers are capturing the spirit of racers with new “character trading cards”.

The trading cards feature eight individuals unique to the Bloomsday course. You can collect Fast Start Bart, Doomsday Hill Billy, H2 Otis, Pain Jane, Shoe Lacy, Spaghetti Betty, and Timin' Simon. Leading the group is The Don, “Godfather of Bloomsday”, based on race creator and director Don Kardong.

Each character not only represents people, but aspects of the race that we all know and love. With Spaghetti Feeds happening all over town the night before race day, Spaghetti Betty is our “carbo-loader extraordinaire”. Doomsday Hill Billy is “always inclined to run” as he tackles the landmark Doomsday Hill. Who hasn't seen an “obsessive clock-watcher” like Timin' Simon, always trying to beat last year's race time.

View Comments | Post a Comment