________
________
________
from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
Spokane-based Copeland Architecture & Construction has filed a pre-development application with the city on behalf of property owner B&H Enterprises LLC Number 1 to convert a two-story building once home to Spokane Fire Station No. 1 for a project described as Firehouse restaurant at 418 W. First Ave.
When reflecting on his 21-year career as president and CEO of Rosauers Supermarkets, Jeff Philipps says he is most proud of creating a company culture that fosters personal relationships with employees and encourages giving back to the community. Philipps began his career in the grocery industry more than 49 years ago, starting as a service clerk at Buttrey Food & Drug in Montana and later rising through the ranks at various companies to become president and CEO of Spokane-based Rosauers Supermarkets in 2000. Under Philipps’ leadership, Rosauers expanded into six new markets, implemented online grocery shopping and grew sales to nearly $600 million. The company operates 22 stores in four states and employs more than 2,300 people. After leading the grocery chain’s expansion for more than two decades, Philipps retired as CEO of the company earlier this month. He is succeeded by Cliff Rigsbee, a grocery industry veteran who most recently served as CEO and chief marketing officer of Hawaiian Springs Co.
Aging towns are, eventually, shrinking towns. That’s one of the common characteristics of small towns and rural counties reflected in the latest census figures, which reinforce the long-term trend of slow growth, stagnation or even loss of population in rural counties. The 2020 census counts released earlier this month show a deepening of this trend – nearly every metro area in the nation grew, while more than half of all counties did not. And people older than 65 make up a larger proportion of the population in rural areas, at 18%, than urban ones, at 14%, according to census figures. There are exceptions, but the pattern is obvious.
Although safety concerns and other circumstances might make a hybrid model or online-only schooling appropriate for some families, a knee-jerk choice to go remote can create a slippery slope of avoidance of what may have caused distress before the pandemic.
It was a brief return to normal times this summer, with no mask mandate for three months. At the end of June, Gov. Jay Inslee addressed a roomful of local health care providers and politicians in the Riverfront Park Pavilion. No one was wearing a mask. Spokane was reopening. There was cause for celebration. Just a month and a half later, the tide has turned – drastically. COVID-19 cases are on an uphill, exponential climb. The Spokane Regional Health District reported 1,911 new cases in the past week alone. Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients are the highest they’ve been all pandemic in the state and county.
What once was known as the Rathdrum Prairie might more accurately be described now as the “shared tier.” That less bucolic and more bureaucratic term refers to the narrow strip of land that separates the cities of Post Falls, Rathdrum, Hayden, Coeur d’Alene and Hauser, at least for now. Kiki Miller, a Coeur d’Alene city councilwoman, said the land in that tier is “expected to eventually be annexed” by one of those surrounding cities. Mike Hill, a councilman from Rathdrum, said it won’t be long before all of it is, unless something is done.
Although Idaho was the second-fastest growing state in the country and home to one of the United States’ fastest-growing cities, U.S. Census Bureau data shows how unequally divided that growth was.
A cybersecurity firm plucked from relative obscurity to conduct an unprecedented review of ballots in Arizona’s largest country is readying to present its findings to Republican lawmakers. Experts say there should be little anticipation about the revelations from the Maricopa County audit – and whatever those revelations are, they cannot be taken seriously. “There are too many flaws in the way this review was conducted to trust it,” said Trey Grayson, a former Republican secretary of state in Kentucky who was the coauthor of a paper outlining the extensive problems. Grayson cites a series of red flags, from biased and inexperienced contractors to conspiracy-chasing funders and bizarre, unreliable methods.
Pop-up restaurants, many started as stopgap measures by struggling chefs and owners, may have staying power as consumers continue to embrace takeout and delivery and the delta variant threatens to make dining in less of an option. Pop-up restaurants can take a variety of forms, from a ramen maker appearing for one-night only at an established bar or restaurant, to a taco maker using an unused space to temporarily host diners, to a chef offering meatballs for delivery only. Cheaper to operate than regular restaurants because they have less overhead and staffing costs, pop-ups let chefs and owners keep working and making a living during the early part of the pandemic when dining rooms were closed and the economy was teetering. They’ve helped bring buzz to existing restaurants that host them. And some have even morphed into permanent new businesses.
With midterm election season rapidly approaching, Republicans and Democrats have something in common when it comes to recruiting candidates they hope will deliver majorities in Congress: a preference for military veterans. Both parties anticipate a significant number of races where veterans will be opposing each other, using their military service as a foundation of their appeal even as they hold widely diverging views on issues. Democrats are clinging to threadbare advantages in both the House and Senate, so the success of these candidates could determine the balance of power.
At least seven Afghans died in a panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul’s international airport, the British military said Sunday, as thousands were still trying to flee the country in a chaotic exodus a week after the Taliban takeover.
Given the resurgence of coronavirus cases, it’s clear that the way we work must change. COVID has taught us that workers want more than just a bigger paycheck, they also want flexibility, which for some is a priceless benefit. ,,, There’s a work benefits revolution coming. Companies that accept the changes will prosper. Those that don’t will lose their competitive edge. When possible, companies should allow employees to opt for full-time remote work or a hybrid option. If employees can’t work from home, there still needs to be flexible scheduling to allow them to take care of their families when the need arises.
Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to move forward stalled peace efforts for eastern Ukraine on Sunday and stressed Germany’s commitment not to let Russia use a new gas pipeline as a “weapon” as she made what is likely her last visit to Ukraine as Germany’s leader. Merkel’s trip came two days after she went to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The chancellor is not running in Germany’s national election next month and is nearing the end of her almost 16-year-long leadership of Germany.
Several thousand people demonstrated Sunday in Montenegro over the planned inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the small Balkan state. Ethic tensions have soared over the scheduled ceremony for Metropolitan Bishop Joanikije II. The protesters in Montenegro’s former capital, Cetinje, where the Sept. 5 inauguration is to take place, waved Montenegrin flags and chanted slogans against the country’s government, accusing it of being pro-Serb. ... Protest leaders said they do not oppose the naming of a new church leader but are against his enthronement in a shrine that symbolizes Montenegro’s centuries-old struggle for sovereignty and independence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope Sunday that the Kremlin’s United Russia party will continue its dominance in parliament after the country’s parliamentary election in September. The Sept. 19 vote is widely seen as an important part of Putin’s efforts to cement his rule before the next presidential election in 2024. The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through a constitutional reform last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036.
Tony Blair, the British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago after the 9/11 attacks, says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the country has “every Jihadist group round the world cheering.” In a lengthy essay posted on his website late Saturday, the former Labour Party leader said the sudden and chaotic pullout that allowed the Taliban to reclaim power risked undermining everything that had been achieved in Afghanistan over the past two decades, including advances in living standards and the education of girls.
________
No comments:
Post a Comment