On Oct. 14, the Spokane Police Department, Spokane Fire Department and social service providers started a 30-day Crisis Outreach, Response, and Engagement, or CORE, program. The pilot added six additional police officers downtown and increased collaboration between behavioral health responders and social services, in the hopes of reducing low-level crime and increasing the perception of public safety. Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall discussed the program's findings in a virtual town hall focused on public safety on Nov. 13. According to preliminary analysis, data from the four weeks shows that police officers made about 200 contacts with 143 people, but most crimes were committed by relatively few offenders, probably around 20 people. Assaults during the four weeks of the CORE program also decreased slightly compared with the same four weeks last year. Hall said he's looking at how to discourage repeat offenders and wants to pinpoint why assaults decreased during that timeframe. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
HELPING HOMELESS STUDENTS
Close to 5% of Spokane Public Schools' nearly 30,000 students are homeless. That's 1,375 students in the Spokane area who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, according to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's yearly report card. The number has also increased by more than 23% from last year, when there were 1,115 students who were homeless. The district's Homeless Education and Resource Team, or HEART, has identified 277 students who are living without a parent or guardian. Because many of these students are unable to receive support without a guardian present, HEART is holding its annual gift card drive from Nov. 19 to Dec. 10 to ensure that these students can buy necessities to get through winter break. Gift cards can be dropped off or mailed to the district offices at 200 N. Bernard St., or brought to any school office throughout the district. Donations can also be made online to the HEART trust account at spokaneschools.org/page/support-heart. (COLTON RASANEN)
SPACE HEATERS ON SAWDUST
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has fined Fox Lumber Sales more than $126,000 for 61 safety and health violations at its Spokane Valley location near Flora Road and State Route 290. Fox Lumber Sales buys leftover wood, cuts it down, and sells pallet parts and wood stakes. The company, which has lumber mills in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Canada, has had two fires at the Spokane Valley location since it opened in January 2024. An inspection conducted in October found the lumber mill had 5 inches of highly combustible sawdust buildup, far exceeding the allowable amount of 1/8 inch. Inspectors also discovered several space heaters plugged in and sitting on sawdust. "Almost everywhere our inspectors turned, they found hazards that could injure or kill a worker," Craig Blackwood, assistant director for L&I's division of occupational safety and health, said in a press release. The company was also cited for lacking protective equipment for workers exposed to chains, saw blades, grinders and other woodworking equipment. Fox Lumber Sales is appealing the citation and fines. (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
