Airway Heights would become the first town in Eastern Washington to mandate fire sprinklers in new homes with City Council approval the city fire department demonstrated the effectiveness of sprinkler systems Tuesday night by lighting on fire two identically furnished rooms inside a trailer One of the rooms was equipped with a sprinkler system and the other was not Sprinklers extinguished the small flames in the first room in a matter of seconds while the room without sprinklers reached “flashover,” or when all combustibles in a room simultaneously ignite That’s when Airway Heights firefighters doused the flames “Fire sprinklers buy you time that you need to get out and time buys life,” Airway Heights Fire Chief Mitch Metzger said Metzger used a microphone to talk to the crowd that gathered outside a facility on Garfield Road while the fires were set He said Airway Heights firefighters responded to three structure fires this month with an average response time of just under six minutes meaning Tuesday night’s fire inside the room without sprinklers would have been engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived Metzger said residents often have three minutes to get out of their home after a fire starts The flames and smoke were limited in the fire quickly doused by the sprinkler system in the first room The smoke alarm activated within 30 seconds of the fire starting and then the sprinklers Metzger said only a sprinkler head closest to a fire will activate first which are designed to flow at about 13 gallons per minute will only turn on if the temperature is hot enough “Having a sprinkler system in your home is like having a firefighter in every room of your house,” Metzger said Metzger told The Spokesman-Review after the demonstrations that he hopes to bring the proposed ordinance to the City Council in mid-May It would require new homes have sprinklers in living spaces He said the additional cost to add sprinklers to a new home would be “really insignificant.” Airway Heights Fire Marshal Mike Makela told the newspaper it would cost between $2.50 and $3.50 per square foot to install sprinklers in a home He said the largest recently built home in Airway Heights was about 3,200 square feet making it $8,000 to $11,200 to add sprinklers Installing sprinklers to a new 1,000-square-foot home would cost anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500 Metzger and Makela said there has never been a fire fatality in a building with sprinklers in Airway Heights we’re not going to have a fire fatality in any new construction that has a sprinkler system in it.” like the ones in the demonstration Tuesday but fires can grow rapidly and sometimes don’t allow residents to get out of the house in time but they can’t do what a sprinkler system does.” Other towns in Washington that have an ordinance similar to what Airway Heights is proposing include Mercer Island Makela said he hopes the council passes the ordinance and sparks support for other fire departments in Eastern Washington to bring similar legislation to their councils Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy A Spokane-area breeder’s kennel license was suspended following multiple inspections showing unsanitary conditions for dogs and a foul odor that left officers with burning eyes the owner of Wildwoof Kennels in Airway Heights was notified over the weekend that her facility violated multiple parts of the county code prohibiting unsanitary and unhealthy conditions according to a report issued by the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service The kennel’s website indicates McCoury breeds American and Australian shepherds When animal protection officers went to McCoury’s property off North Hayford Road this month Officers found many of the animals at the kennel did not have an adequate supply of drinking water and there was no area where sick animals could be isolated from healthy ones “The buildings which contained animals at the facility had a strong foul odor,” the report said “The odor was so powerful Animal Protection Officers had trouble breathing and their eyes burned.” SCRAPS has opened a large-scale investigation into McCoury’s facility McCoury claims her license was revoked because she had more than the amount of dogs allowed in a commercial kennel and because she had dogs sleeping in crates She is closing her kennel and re-homing the dogs and “the dogs that came from other breeders are being returned to them.” when she offered to trade handling services in exchange for puppies Zobell would breed the dogs and give them to McCoury who would parade them at dog shows free of charge the dogs have won multiple American Kennel Club awards “She kept saying she couldn’t have a lot of dogs and she was under the radar,” Zobell said Zobell contacted McCoury about a dog named “Pistol” she had wanted to breed because he was getting older When Zobell learned Pistol was suddenly in poor condition she offered to take the dog back to get him to a specialist to help but Zobell attempted to confront McCoury over the conditions at her home She was getting call after call from other Spokane breeders All of them wanted to go get their dogs back from McCoury’s property “You are euthanizing to cover up their lack of socialization.” McCoury then told Zobell she had euthanized the dog “Pistol was old and I put him down as he was starting to go downhill,” McCoury wrote McCoury maintains the allegations coming from Zobell and other breeders are false and declined to comment further “Treating animals with respect should be priority number one,” Zobell said Friday Ghana's economy has been hit by brutal inflation for years Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today there are no recent results for popular commented articles Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: The Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service seized 171 animals from WildWoof Kennels in Airway Heights on Friday a kennel that has been on the county’s radar for unhealthy conditions since January SCRAPS staff and other collaborating animal organizations examined the animals on site and then took them to SCRAPS or foster homes according to a news release from the organization which found many of the animals at the kennel did not have an adequate supply of drinking water and there was no area where sick animals could be isolated from healthy ones “The buildings which contained animals at the facility had a strong foul odor,” the January report said claimed her license was revoked because she had more than the amount of dogs allowed in a commercial kennel and because she had dogs sleeping in crates Police arrested a 52-year-old Airway Heights woman Thursday on suspicion of possessing multiple explosives faces eight potential charges of manufacturing possessing or disposing of an incendiary device Airway Heights police found one device in her apartment at 13660 W according to a news release from the department Police first arrived at the residence to serve a search warrant for alleged identity theft when they found a device Those living in the apartment complex were evacuated as a precaution Court records say Andreas-Miller at first told police she never knew about any bombs at her apartment and that friends had access to it When police confronted her about finding notes on making bombs in her room Andreas-Miller said she was working on a novel about a U.S Marshal and had to look up how to make fireworks online to “understand what she was writing,” according to court documents The explosives were found to be “very combustible.” They were made from a pipe with a fuse inside and packed with screws Police safely collected the devices and are investigating in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol Jake Keith said he cannot answer any further questions due to the ongoing investigation TDS Telecommunications continues expanding its high-speed all-fiber internet network into more Spokane-area neighborhoods Department of Commerce on Tuesday awarded a $48 million grant to establish an aerospace manufacturing hub in Airway Heights that promises to make the Inland Northwest a national center for composite materials used in next-generation aircraft The program was created through the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act that Congress passed in 2022 After the Spokane-area proposal missed out on the first round of funding the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee a Spokane Republican who then led the House Energy and Commerce Committee to approve an additional $500 million for the program in a year-end defense spending bill in December That money is supposed to come from the future sale of rights to use radio frequency bands “The country that figures out how to use advanced materials to increase manufacturing capacity and aircraft fuel efficiency is going to have a huge competitive advantage,” Cantwell said in a statement “America is handing the baton to Spokane – establishing it as an innovation testbed for high-rate aerospace materials manufacturing We’re betting on Spokane’s leadership and manufacturing base to solve the aviation challenges America faces This important R&D mission will help ensure our nation’s future aerospace leadership.” Those auctions will also be used to fund a “rip and replace” program to remove telecommunications equipment made by companies with ties to the Chinese government McMorris Rodgers said she “was pleased to find common ground” with Cantwell before the end of 2024 to fund the two priorities adding that she is “thrilled” the tech hub funding will let the Spokane area “continue its vital aerospace research and testing so that America wins the future in the sky and space.” The facility west of Spokane will be the first in the nation that can produce advanced thermoplastic materials that can replace metal to make airplanes lighter and more fuel efficient Cantwell recalled a conversation in which an executive approached her and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at an event in Seattle and told them the senator said: There’s too much need for innovation in the United States for all of it to happen in a handful of tech meccas like Seattle and the Silicon Valley If the federal government invests in places like the I-90 corridor around Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Asked why such a large federal investment is needed rather than using tax breaks or other incentives to spur the private sector to innovate Cantwell said the cost of research and development is “a real barrier” for companies that stand to benefit from the materials that will be produced at the Airway Heights facility When news of the grant broke Tuesday morning statements from stakeholders showed broad enthusiasm for the investment A statement from the aerospace giant Boeing which has weathered several tough years amid problems with its aircraft and spacecraft suggested that the Inland Northwest facility could help the region remain a leader in an industry the company pioneered after it was founded in Seattle “Advanced materials are critical to the future of aerospace manufacturing and this funding for the Spokane Technology Hub will help ensure the Pacific Northwest remains an industry leader in innovation and job creation,” said Boeing spokesman Connor Greenwood The composite materials produced in Airway Heights could also be used in space travel is part of the consortium along with Blue Origin the Kent-based space tech company created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that the new tech hub “will ensure that the U.S remains competitive in the global marketplace.” to “winning the Super Bowl” and said the investment should create “a nucleus for companies to locate” in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area and build the nation’s manufacturing capacity for the future Several secondary and higher-education institutions are also part of the consortium the University of Washington and the University of Idaho Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh said he is pleased that the Commerce Department made such a significant grant to the region The initial round of 12 tech hubs received between $19 million and $51 million “We have been confident from the beginning that the Spokane-North Idaho Tech Hub holds tremendous potential for the development of advanced technologies and production that will help meet critical demand for aerospace components,” McCulloh said “We are committed to pursuing additional funding to support educational programs and workforce development that will be essential to the success of the Tech Hub.” who worked on the tech hub effort in her previous role as Washington state commerce director said the city “will benefit tremendously from the business expansion and good jobs that will result from this unprecedented federal investment.” president of the IAM aerospace machinists’ union District 751 said thousands of workers will benefit from the investment “Spokane’s Tech Hub positions our state at the forefront of sustainable aviation innovation ensuring we remain a global leader in aerospace manufacturing,” Holden said in a statement “By advancing cutting-edge thermoplastics and advanced manufacturing this initiative not only bolsters our economy but also creates remarkable opportunities for the next generation of machinists and aerospace workers.” The facility will be operational by the end of 2026 When Gracelynn Stimson decided she wanted to open 1902 Coffee Co. she followed the procedure typical to starting a business Where her story veers from the typical is all in the timing: Stimson was a student at Medical Lake High School when she applied for her permit and my parents had to open the business name for me because I was 17 just so we could get the ball rolling,” Stimson said Stimson worked for coffee shops throughout high school and my long-term plan forever and ever was to go to vet school,” Stimson said but then I did Running Start and I was like Stimson had the example of her small business owner parents and opened her doors exactly three years later A big part of the delay was the roundabout construction on U.S “I couldn’t get my Airway Heights permit until they’re done,” Stimson said But 1902 was built on land leased from her parents to sit on the same parcel as Stimson Contracting Stimson’s parents also helped with the build though my parents helped us,” said Angela Stimson Gracelynn’s mother and co-owner of Stimson Contracting the business that we’re sitting on right now – I bought this property from my parents We thought we’d just do the same for her because we had a great location Angela is thankful her mother – Gracelynn’s grandma Donna – is able to see the next generation small business in their family “1902,” was named after the birth year of Gracelynn’s great-grandma and namesake “I actually never really got to know her,” Gracelynn said and then we are really popular for a cool brew so far,” Gracelynn said All my drink names are named after my animals.” but not surprised that she was eager to take on this responsibility Gracelynn grew up competing in horseback competitions “Growing up in the sport she did was a big game-changer personality-wise for her,” Angela said “Any time that you’re in any kind of livestock sport You have an actual heartbeat that you’re having to take care of “She learned very early on that it’s not just her and her sports bag it’s her and her horse and her horse’s feet You actually have a life that you’re taking care of too so I think that had a lot to do with it.” Gracelynn said she put an emphasis on healthy options for her food menu including items like protein balls and oat bowls and I’ve always wanted to do my own thing,” Gracelynn said Get the day’s top entertainment headlines delivered to your inbox Thursday afternoons Locals should have an easier time running errands around Airway Heights thanks to an expanded thoroughfare on the city’s north side The city hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for a new stretch of West 10th Avenue that connects the roadway all the way from Garfield Road to Hayford Road the roadway wasn’t much more than a 300-yard paved offshoot of Garfield As Airway Heights’ Hank Bynaker said while standing on the newly laid asphalt “the city’s growing,” and with that growth comes a need to accommodate more drivers It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the state The city’s population has nearly doubled since 2010 which was right around the time the Washington State Department of Transportation advised the city to expand local roadways to support the impending population and development boom Highway 2 and improve travel for local residents Airway Heights City Manager Albert Tripp said the project is part of larger efforts to institute WSDOT’s recommendation He said work is already underway on the second phase which involves reconstructing and extending Sixth Avenue west to Craig Road the more people are going to have to channel down to Highway 2,” said Airway Heights City Council Chair Larry Bowman “These connecting roads are just kind of key pieces of the puzzle to alleviate traffic congestion.” Bowman said the work also helps build a more connected community and a sense of identity for the burgeoning city “Everybody kind of looked at us as a pass-through city,” Bowman said The new section of 10th Avenue intersects with Lyons Road, providing easy access to the Yoke’s Fresh Market that opened a few weeks ago It boasts a wide concrete sidewalk to the south a wide multimodal asphalt trail on the north side of the street and a newly installed traffic signal at the Hayford intersection Bowman said it’s already made it easier for him to get around town and he expects the same for his fellow residents It’s also prime real estate for prospective businesses with a couple commercial outfits already located in the area and easier in and out access than the bustling highway More than 40 companies and government entities came together to complete the roadway the Spokane Transit Authority and the West Plains Public Development Authority Airway Heights Project Manager ReBecca Fouts said Bowman said collaborating with local partners particularly the Indigenous tribes that own large swaths of land and operate a pair of casinos within city limits has been instrumental not only for the connectivity work but also in planning for the city’s future the better we can make things for the community,” Bowman said working together instead of thinking about it as separate entities “We’re neighbors; we have to do these things together,” he added