A rainy morning in a North Spokane neighborhood erupted Tuesday with the kind of legal reckoning that’s uprooting families across Washington and the country A series of videos captured the confrontation that started when 35-year-old Martin R Diaz pulled his SUV in front of his home a few blocks south of Hays Park Diaz sits in his vehicle for a moment before another vehicle arrives Diaz then exits his vehicle and runs into his own yard He ditches what appears to be a coffee mug as a man gains ground and catches Diaz as he tries to enter the fence gate into his back yard (expletive),” said a man who was later identified as a federal agent as two more run into the yard to take Diaz into custody on a camera in Diaz’s back yard as the agents struggle with Diaz off camera “What are you guys doing?” Young asks as the agents wrestle for control over Diaz get back,” as Young replies: “You have no right to come onto my property who is wearing black civilian clothes and what appear to be long shorts “He’s a good guy.” The agent responds: “No The arrest is the latest chapter of a decades-long attempt by Diaz to become a U.S citizen after his family brought him here from Mexico when he was not quite 2 years old “He’s been dealing with this since he was 18,” said Kendall Diaz he’s done amazing things servicing our community “He’s tried his best to be a good human,” she said “He’s just living the cards he was dealt.” Kendall Diaz, 31, a real estate agent, wasn’t home when the federal authorities arrested her husband on Tuesday. She watched her husband being taken down on her Ring Home Security cameras Border Patrol agents that her husband had been sent to the Kootenai County Jail in Coeur d’Alene she had not been able to see Diaz since his arrest “He called me on Wednesday and said he had been placed in medical holding He started crying and then our phone cut off,” she said “All I got was that he had something that placed him in medical holding I have no idea still to this day what happened.” who is also known in legal documents as Martin R he messaged me that he was still in Kootenai County and that he wasn’t sure when ICE was going to transfer him They have now given him privileges to contact me and has been given a book to read,” she said Kendall Diaz has also been in contact with their attorney Frick “is still trying to formulate a game plan “He is going to try to push forward with the pending case with the Board of Immigration Appeals so that we can prove that we are working as efficiently and quickly as we can to get him legal status “Things are so different right now in this political climate.” President Donald Trump has promised to swiftly and aggressively deport immigrants with criminal records during his campaign and after the election, although some deportations included a child with cancer and a man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia mistakenly deported to El Salvador that the administration has refused to bring back Regardless of numerous reports showing some people deported were not criminals or gang members the president has refused to acknowledge it in prior interviews and press conferences Trump has also raised the idea of deporting not immigrants, but U.S. citizens, to the mega-prison in El Salvador. He was overheard in a meeting with the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, saying “The homegrowns are next.” The Trump administration claimed “record breaking” immigration enforcement levels this month a news release from the Department of Homeland Security said it appears ICE arrests have increased in the Kootenai County Jail where Spokane detainees are held before being transferred to the immigration detention center in Tacoma according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review An effort to interview Diaz in the Kootenai County Jail was not successful on Friday More sightings of ICE are being posted online and Spokane County citizens are reporting federal officials have come to their homes Immigration agents came to a family’s home in Spokane Valley in April They were looking for a 16-year-old Honduran immigrant for a “welfare check,” as part of a new policy under the Trump administration In March, ICE agents smashed a window of a car with a pregnant woman inside to try to get to her husband and his brother who had criminal records and were on their way to the Spokane County Courthouse for a hearing has witnessed numerous immigration arrests but believes the heightened awareness and increase in ICE presence is “the new normal.” ”We’re seeing how the Trump administration has ramped up this mass deportation – and is laying the groundwork to use branches of government that have not been involved in immigration … We’re seeing them use the IRS the Health and Human Services and other agencies,” Mesa said in a previous interview Longtime Spokane defense attorney Jeffry Finer said he is not representing Diaz but is representing other clients who face many of the same challenges after federal prosecutors recently began taking a harder line on laws that have been on the books for decades Finer said it doesn’t look good for the Spokane business owner “It’s very dark at the moment,” Finer said of the federal actions “I am afraid for people and their families It’s the darkest I’ve ever seen this country.” Kendall Diaz said her husband’s family brought him to the United States from Mexico when Martin was a toddler The family fled persecution and gang violence in their Mexican city and attempted to seek asylum Her husband even has a letter from a Michoacan government official explaining the dangers the Diaz family faced “His family members have been hunted and slaughtered It’s not safe for him to be there,” Kendall Diaz said The family initially lived in the Yakima area His family still doesn’t have a lot of resources His mother just got her green card and his sister got citizenship but it took so much time,” Kendall Diaz said he saved every penny to try and get any legal filings paid.” Martin Diaz got arrested in a case that continues to complicate his efforts to achieve legal status Diaz was initially charged with third-degree rape when a girl alleged that the couple had sex without her consent Diaz later pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced to a couple months in jail That prompted what’s called an “order of removal” regarding his legal status In an effort to continue his efforts to get legal status sought to have the order of removal vacated Diaz filed for divorce from his first wife in 2015 he had another scrape with the law that landed him a second felony conviction Diaz was charged with felony domestic violence Kendall Diaz explained that the ex-wife wanted Diaz to leave her house and he refused and he and Diaz got into a fight in the front yard That further complicated efforts to get legal status Kendall Diaz estimated that couple has spent more than $100,000 on efforts to have Martin Diaz stay in this country But she said she feels the paperwork is a process “set up to fail.” “We’ve been constantly filing legal documents another ruling happens in Virginia and then everything changes Despite all that, the couple had filed their I-130 form that provides a pathway to citizenship through his marriage to a U.S Kendall Diaz said she was home with the couple’s roommate when she noticed a couple standing in her front yard looking at her vehicle The couple appeared to be checking Diaz’s car for damage Kendall Diaz walked out to investigate and asked the couple why they were there Can I get your guys’ information,’ ” she said As the unknown woman and Diaz walked around her car looking for damage Diaz noticed that the man was staring into her home’s windows ‘I think his meds are acting up,’ ” Diaz said of the woman’s comment and Border Patrol agents with AR-15 rifles swarmed Young and got him onto the ground citizen.,’ They ended up leaving after I told them to get off my property,” she said Kendall Diaz now believes the agents were there for her husband She noted that the agent with black shorts from the arrest video from April 29 was the same man who was posing as the husband on Feb the couple kept up its effort on the I-130 form and finally had a breakthrough the couple got a letter from immigration officials asking them to apply for a visa the Border Patrol agent showed back up with other agents Young argued during the incident that the agents were violating Diaz’s rights by coming onto his property said that it appears the agents were within their rights for the actions as they were described to him there’s not a lot of protections … against arrest and seizures,” Finer said that might fall under the doctrine of ‘hot pursuit,’ which allows law enforcement in an active chase to go into a private home to make an arrest.” As for the efforts to keep Diaz in the country He’s in all respects Americanized,” Finer said They are street-level minor in the world of big offenses It’s who he was on the two worst days of his life.” those felony convictions will label him as “undesirable even though a lot of young folks have engaged in similar behavior and become solid people,” Finer said A lot of people came over as children and never got around to it “But his circumstances reveal a broad pattern throughout the country.” The current fear and shock caused by the shift in immigration enforcement is personal to an attorney whose grandfather came to the U.S as a refugee at age 14 and lived his entire life in fear of being removed It wasn’t just a generation or two ago that my forebearers were trying to get to America to escape tyranny or the Holocaust,” he said the young wife faces an ocean of uncertainty because they are on this side of the border,” she said “People will say he is a criminal and should be removed – but how can he go back to a country he hasn’t stepped foot in since he was a year old?” but Martin Diaz’s siblings have a friend-of-a-friend with an apartment available if he ends being deported to Mexico she will continue the fight the only way she knows how “My husband doesn’t have a voice or any rights “It’s my job and my duty to stand up and say what is happening to our neighbors and explain why they are going missing.” The Yakima Herald-Republic contributed to this story 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 TDS Telecommunications continues expanding its high-speed all-fiber internet network into more Spokane-area neighborhoods © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION The Spokane City Council has unanimously passed a one-year ban on new alcohol retailers within 500 feet of schools and libraries BY GEE SCOTT AND URSULA REUTIN SHOW City officials say the measure aims to reduce public drinking and safeguard vulnerable neighborhoods, especially as alcohol-related crime is on the rise, according to the Spokesman-Review.  co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio arguing it will only address symptoms without solving the root cause “I think that even if liquor isn’t sold right there it’s still just a band-aid solution,” Ursula said “People will find alcohol elsewhere and still end up in parks or near schools Spokane clearly has a problem it’s trying to address but I believe the focus should be more on helping people struggling with addiction rather than shutting down stores that sell liquor.” co-host of “Gee and Ursula,” supported the measure mentioning his experience with liquor stores in Chicago and Seattle “I’m good with the ban because growing up in Chicago—and I’m sure it was the same here in Seattle—there was liquor being sold on every corner,” Gee said “It felt like there were more liquor stores than anything else Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m It was the perfect spring morning for a run as people lined up by the thousands for the 49th annual Lilac Bloomsday Run but crisp enough to keep someone from overheating on the seventh mile this was the culmination of months of hard work and preparation and they were laser-focused on beating their personal records For others who may have forgotten about Bloomsday until it was already May this is at the very least the reason they and their family didn’t sleep in on a Sunday The pros were quiet and eyes forward when the starting gun went off but the later groups shrieked and cheered when it was their turn to bolt from the starting line Nearly 33,000 racers crowded Riverside Avenue Sunday communications coordinator for the Lilac Bloomsday Association Denise Attwood jogged in place to warm up before her group was given the go-ahead She was in the orange group but held back to run with her extended family in the lavender section running as part of a fundraiser for the Conscious Connections Foundation which funds girls education and rural healthcare in Nepal and we do Bloomsday every year,” Attwood said “We were just talking about how we have all of these retrospective pictures now of us and the kids when they were really small Some of the younger street trees quickly became laden with the dozens of sweatshirts thrown into their branches where they are later picked up to be donated A homeless man in a tattered top tried to cut out the middleman and pick through the selection before someone accused him of theft and a police officer yelled at him to leave some dressed up in tie dye or as Minions and chickens or as Grogu or Darth Vader in celebration of May the Fourth This is the second year Staci Heidenson and Rachel McMackin dressed up for Bloomsday throwing together whatever costumes they had in their closets They decided to coordinate this year as Minions from the “Despicable Me” franchise Bloomsday is about “the community and just getting together with some friends and getting outside everybody’s been stuck inside for so long,” Heidenson said nephews and their friends wore handmade tie dye T-shirts hoping to stand out and make it easy for the kids “We were supposed to have words on the backs of our shirts ‘May the Fourth be with you on Doomsday Hill.’ ” Friends Karlos Stewart and Shaymus McInelly wore matching Darth Vader T-shirts that said catching his breath near the top of Doomsday Hill In observation of Monday’s Cinco de Mayo holiday duo Francie Tupper and Payten Somes handmade colorful felt piñata costumes for Tupper’s first Bloomsday The two stretched and took in the crowd as they waited in the blue section for their turn to approach the start As Tupper took in the mass of bodies ready to race she noted there were more entrants in the race than people in her hometown in Montana “It is so cool that you can have so many people from different walks of life but it’s such a staple in the Spokane community The two became friends while in college in Montana and were reunited when Tupper moved to Spokane grew up in Spokane and began running Bloomsday as a teenager roping in Tupper this year with the allure of handmade costumes and glitter smeared across their faces “We love to dress up for fun,” Tupper said “So it’s a double-whammy,” they said in unison They’d practiced running the course before the race Somes took a moment to share some wisdom with the new Bloomie “We’re definitely walking up Doomsday,” Somes said steep grade up Pettet Drive just before the fifth mile Of the smattering of bands set up along the course to re-energize racers their first serenade was from Crimson Creek the five-person band specializes in “post-metalcore” sound evident by guitar shreds of Sorin Botezatu and Ember Velazquez Rowan Aikman on bass and screaming vocals of Elias Pyritz and Atticus Burgett many threw up “rock-on” hand signs or screamed back They met through the organization of Sean Burgett director of music lesson service Rock Club Though exhausted and hands cramping by the end of their set having replayed their set list three times over they appreciated the massive audience of over 30,000 “It’s a privilege,” said 14-year-old Ember Asked if they’d ever consider taking on the course in a different way each of the five emphatically shook their heads and twisted their eyebrows “I’m slow,” 11-year-old Elias put it simply it’s common to see people figuratively running for office literally running the route and politics still abound on one of the few days a year that tens of thousands are on Spokane’s streets Spokane City Council candidate Kate Telis waited near the starting line alongside Carmela Conroy who ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year and has signaled she will run again in 2026 Carlolyn Scott held a dummy with a Donald Trump mask from a pole with a cardboard sign attached that said “Punch Trump,” encouraging runners to smack the commander in chief as they passed the presidential dummy was visibly crumpled and piles of stuffing blanketed the sidewalk as Bloomies had their way with the puppet At a pro-Palestine, anti-Trump rally past the top of Doomsday Hill organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Spokane, protesters called for the release of Martin Diaz, a Spokane man who was brought to America as toddler Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faces possible deportation to Mexico At the top of Doomsday, the iconic 7-foot vulture loomed ominously as usual greeting worn-out Bloomies to the hardest part of the course But there’s someone new under the feathers who has worn the suit most years since 1987 “My knees are giving me trouble,” said Robinson who has recovered from heart problems in recent years He said he’s feeling better but worries about the strain from the weight of the costume “I just don’t dare; my knees would buckle from doing this The community event includes people of all ages and abilities pushed his four-wheel walker steadily up the hill “This is third time I’ve done it with my wheelchair,” Voiland said and said it usually takes him about five and a half hours then go a little ahead and let him catch up stretched his quads next to the 5-mile marker at the top “I feel great other than a tight leg,” Hanson said but I said we could just walk it,” said his son Jonathan Hanson Carl Hanson has been a frequent participant over the years and remembers pushing Jonathan up the hill in a stroller when he was a baby “He had a little baseball cap and sunglasses and drool,” Carl Hanson recalled Bloomsday was a training opportunity for a bigger challenge preparing for a 50-mile hike later this summer in the Sawtooth Mountains Situated on the intersection of Lindeke and Broadway where racers turn and wince through the last mile-and-a-half sat a group of friends with a long tradition on Bloomsday of abstaining from the exertion you need runners and you need cheerleaders,” explained 76-year-old Gloria O’Connell from her friend Sue Thompson’s front yard Friends from across Washington convened at Thompson’s corner residence where she’d used the prime real estate to show off her Bloomsday finishers shirt collection dozens hung on her chain link fence amassed through opportune thrift finds kids pointing out their favorites and many complimenting Thompson Some stopped to say they’d bring her an addition While retirees filled her front yard in lawn chairs Thompson and O’Connell reminisced on Bloomsdays past when visitors would fill Thompson’s house with air beds to have friends and family over,” Thompson said It’s the only time she sees some of the visitors each year O’Connell recalls passing out chicken drumsticks to racers on one Bloomsday after cooking too many for their gathering and watching runners drool over their food as they passed She thought of the chicken she’s cooking this year needing to go in and check on it but fearing once she did she’d miss her sister a 91-year-old with a freshly replaced knee who ran this year “It just makes me cry; it’s so awesome to see all these people in love with what they do,” O’Connell said The Rainwater family took an entrepreneurial approach to the race Angus and Atlas Rainwater selling cups of lemonade and Otter Pops to Bloomies they tempted wincing racers with the cold treats It’s the first year the kids have watched Bloomsday “It’s a fun way to introduce it to them,” said Miranda Rainwater last competing in a princess dress before she had kids his 11-year-old sister Annalise likes “watching them run,” she said extending her hand to high-five as many passing Bloomies as possible 7-year-old Alice loved “that it’s summer,” she said with a twirl That was certainly the case for the Kalu family mom and dad Anna and Mandela speed walking with their four kids and Mandela’s father a bit behind them sprinted ahead a few yards before returning to their parents only to turn and run a short distance again through a hose someone had set up to spray Bloomies though she’d recovered when asked in the final mile Sibling Temina was having perhaps the easiest among them: the 10-month-old strapped happily to her father’s chest as a slight breeze tousled her dark curls Though Mandela carried her across the finish line her mom took the extra weight the first half of the race The couple have set up their daughter to be a perennial since before she was born only missing a handful of Bloomsdays throughout his life As thousands crossed the finish line in front of city hall evidently in the best shape of their lives whether they jogged another 100 meters to O’Doherty’s for a victory pint or limped to their cars for a dearly needed nap they could proudly say they completed the 12-kilometer course and attended one of Spokane’s most important gatherings Hannah Ge and Nora Lonam accomplished their goal for the year of breaking the one-hour the gradual but punishing hills on the route that had vexed them when they first ran Bloomsday were a breeze this year and the vibes are great running with other people,” Ge said “It’s definitely more fun than running alone on a country road.” Clayton Early traveled to Spokane from Seattle for his fourth Bloomsday and crossed the finish line after about an hour His wife and 15-month old son were waiting for him His goal this year was just to finish and enjoy the run “So it’s harder to get time to run that it used be but also this race has all different abilities and it’s just – the city is so welcoming.” This year is the 30th Bloomsday for Geoff Pinnock former design director for The Spokesman-Review so this is always one of our primary focus events I just feel like I have to do it every year.” Seemingly everyone who could stuff themselves into the crowded restaurant went to O’Doherty’s Irish Grille after finishing the race celebrate and meet up with the friends and family that straggled “We’ve been coming (to O’Doherty’s) for a long time,” said Kevin Boerker “This dates back to the Flying Irish (running club) and we’ve just been hanging out here since then,” added Matthew Kee you’ve got to go to the Irish pub,” Boerker said joked he only comes to Bloomsday to beat Boerker “Last year I beat him by one second,” Morse smiled Morse noted he lost a friend who died just days before the 2024 Bloomsday race and he now runs with his friend’s name written on his shoe “And I’m kinda doing the race for him now,” he said Morse isn’t the only one with a companion to best year after year came to Bloomsday this year determined to finish under an hour James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper’s managing editor. when Martin Diaz realized his truck was being followed and black Dodge Charger were tailing him around the streets of Spokane That’s when he decided he was better off at home After parking his car in front of his house Diaz made a dash for a gate into his backyard he was grabbed by men who were apparently federal immigration agents Amid a mix of expletives in Spanish and English “Get out of my house,” to one of the first men to grab him They pulled him off the swinging gate that led into his fenced backyard got him down on the wet grass of the front lawn The whole time Diaz’s roommate was watching and yelling at the men She ran home to watch the surveillance video and see firsthand what had happened to her husband “My initial reaction is just like this physical wave of sickness because I don't know when I'm gonna see him again,” she said dozens of people who otherwise weren't a priority for ICE in Washington state have been arrested because of their immigration status More than 1,300 people were reportedly detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma at the end of April up from 880 people reportedly held there in March RELATED: Tacoma ICE center detentions spike by nearly 50% since March, says U.S. Rep. Randall more people are documenting their abduction by federal agents people in ICE custody unsure about their future and others in their community fearful of future raids and arrests Kendall and Martin Diaz had been married for six and a half years but setbacks like important immigration letters from federal agencies being sent to a wrong address When he was arrested by federal law enforcement Martin Diaz was well on his way to solidifying his legal status “Last year we filed our I-130 through our marriage and it was accepted We received a letter in the mail last week requesting his application for his visa,” wrote Kendall on her post on social media sharing the video of her husband's arrest this week citizen to petition for a spouse to get legal status Citizenship and Immigration Service is the department that manages the process The federal law enforcement officers who showed that April morning had different priorities into our backyard without a warrant,” Kendall Diaz said tackled and assaulted my husband and then detained him.” RELATED: Trump aims to 'unleash' local police, but cautions against standing in the way of ICE A federal database shows Martin Diaz previously had an immigration case that was dismissed in 2012 after which he was told to self deport — but federal agencies have received a motion to reopen his case in February of this year The family’s immigration attorney submitted the motion soon after federal immigration officials first came to the couples home back in February Kendall Diaz took video of that interaction Border Patrol surrounding and interrogating her roommate and deport serious criminal offenders who are not authorized to live in the United States Martin Diaz was charged with sexual assault but was convicted of assault in 2008 when he was 18 years old He also had a malicious mischief conviction from 2017 she added Kendall and Martin were friends throughout these years including when he was convicted of malicious mischief there was a physical altercation between him and his father in law and he still grieved the relationship that he thought he was going to have for his life,” she said Over those years she’s seen him change and grow and in turn their friendship turned into a marriage Through those years they’ve helped each other She said recently her husband has been there to help her quit drinking and stay sober “He'll always remain my best friend and my partner in life And then he's also the biggest thorn in my ass and he loves jokes and getting under my skin Diaz said she expects her husband to be sent to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma where the family expects he’ll have time in front of an immigration judge to plead his case They’ve also now hired a criminal attorney to help get his convictions pardoned by the governor’s office in hopes of giving Martin a chance to stay in the U.S RELATED: Lawmakers demand answers after a Haitian woman dies at an ICE detention center The family is fundraising to help pay for the legal fees I get to be there for him when it comes to immigration,” Kendall Diaz said 5/5/2025 at 12:29 p.m.: A previously version of this article stated Martin Diaz was charged with assault in 2008 It has been corrected to reflect he was charged with sexual assault but convicted of assault Gustavo covers the intersection of race and identity for KUOW writing stories that center voices often not catered to in typical news He's most interested in covering how communities effect the levers of power they hold nonprofit news organization that produces award-winning journalism — The Spokane Chiefs will face the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien and will host game three in the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Tuesday Game four will be played in Spokane on Wednesday Tickets for games three and four are on sale by visiting spokanechiefs.com/playoffs or calling the Chiefs office at (509) 535-PUCK Spokane advanced to the WHL Championship Series by earning a round one win over Vancouver and a Western Conference Championship sweep over Portland Medicine Hat advanced by beating the Swift Current Broncos (4-1) and sweeping both the Prince Albert Raiders and Lethbridge Hurricanes Game details including dates and times for potential games 5-7 will be announced at a later date All games will be heard live on 103.5 the Game This marks Spokane’s first appearance in the WHL Championship Series since winning the Memorial Cup in 2008 The Spokane Chiefs are a member of the U.S the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players Since 1985 the Chiefs have been a pillar in the Spokane community offering family-friendly entertainment and a winning tradition which includes: two Memorial Cup Championships in 1991 & 2008 two WHL Championships in 1991 & 2008 and four Western Conference Championships in 1991 Over 60 alumni have gone on to play in the National Hockey League CRIME BLOTTER 8:36 AM | Updated: 10:23 am BY FRANK SUMRALL The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is investigating a fatal car accident in downtown Seattle that occurred Monday morning and is rerouting traffic An 83-year-old woman was walking west in the crosswalk when an SUV made a right turn onto Spokane Street from Fourth Avenue and ran her over When police arrived at the scene of the crash Seattle police are investigating a fatality collision at 4th Avenue South and South Spokane Street — Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) May 5, 2025 SPD detectives with the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) are at the scene collecting evidence Morning commuters should look for alternate routes “We are definitely seeing the impact of this crash in SODO at Fourth Ave “This is a fatal crash investigation that’s only about 15 minutes old right as it goes underneath the Spokane Street viaduct This has basically backed up Fourth (Street) all the way back to Dawson Airport Way is going to be your best option because First Ave Airport Way is the way to go to get around this.” Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use Washington has passed an ordinance solidifying protections for LGBTQ+ people and affirming the right to receive gender-affirming care The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to pass gender-affirming care protections while rejecting proposed anti-trans amendments The city of Spokane, Washington has passed an ordinance solidifying protections for LGBTQ+ people and affirming the right to receive gender-affirming care The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to pass the ordinance, which updated language in the city’s Human Rights code — including by defining gender-affirming care — while mandating that city-provided healthcare cover the treatment The measure also directed the Spokane Police Department to maintain an LGBTQ+ liaison officer to act as a point of contact “I want to thank all the powerful and heartfelt testimony in support of this ordinance that is about supporting safety, freedom, and dignity,” Council Member Paul Dillon, who sponsored the ordinance, said in a statement “Spokane is a city where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated and this ordinance shows our commitment to our city motto that In Spokane especially in a time of targeting and discrimination by the Trump administration and states that seek to ban care.” While Washington already had in place a "shield” or “refuge” law protecting access to gender-affirming care — HB1469 passed in 2023 — the city ordinance will specifically prohibit the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth unless it’s related to a criminal investigation “LGBTQIA2S+ people deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions and deserve to feel safe in our community,” said Council Member Zack Zappone “That freedom and safety are under threat across the country This ordinance ensures the City continues to protect LGBTQIA2S+ people and that they know that in Spokane downtown sparrows chirped in the treetops and the cheers of more than 30,000 Bloomies ricocheted through the downtown corridor former Seahawk offensive lineman Justin Britt fired the first shot of the starting gun sending the international group of elite racers whizzing through the 12-kilometer course through Spokane crossing the finish line over the Monroe street bridge in just over 34 minutes The fastest woman came in four minutes later, Veronica Loleo winning her division in around 38 minutes and setting a new course record by a mere one-hundredth of a second Hermin Garic took the crown with a time of just over 31 minutes Hannah Balboa crossed first among the elite wheelchair women racers with a time of 40:30 32,926 people registered to take the course in person while 2,242 signed up for the virtual edition in its last year they secured a cream-colored finishers shirt with a lilac design in the shape of a shoeprint designed by Spokane graphic designer Leslie Douglas Spokane firefighters treated no major medical emergencies this year according to Ryan Reding with the department A handful of racers collapsed on Doomsday Hill but medical volunteers addressed their maladies and returned them all to the course – The Western Hockey League has announced the initial schedule of games for the 2025 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien featuring the Western Conference champion Spokane Chiefs and Eastern Conference champion Medicine Hat Tigers This marks the first time the Tigers and Chiefs have battled for a league title The 2025 Championship Series will follow a 2-3-2 format The action will shift south of the border for Game 3 at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Tuesday All seven games of the WHL Championship Series will be broadcast live by TSN – the national broadcast partner of the WHL and Canadian Hockey League- for Canadian viewers Spokane punched its ticket to the big dance by completing a sweep of the U.S Division rival Portland Winterhawks on Thursday The Chiefs are the highest-scoring team in the postseason breezing past the Vancouver Giants (4-1) in Round One and eking out a pair of double-overtime thrillers to down the B.C Division Champion Victoria Royals (4-2) in the second round Medicine Hat has only lost one game in the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien and is 22-1-0-0 dating back to February 22 The Central Division Champions dispatched Swift Current (4-1) in the first round before dominating in sweeps of Prince Albert (4-0) in Round Two and Lethbridge (4-0) in the Eastern Conference Championship This is the first time in WHL history that the two remaining teams swept their respective Conference Championships The matchups will see three WHL Player of the Year finalists Berkly Catton and Andrew Cristall (Spokane) face off against Whitehorse Wizard Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat) McKenna will put his modern CHL-record 53-game point streak on the line in hopes of helping Medicine Hat lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time since 2007 Both teams won the WHL Championship in their last trip to the final round with Spokane clinching the Ed Chynoweth Cup and the Memorial Cup in 2008 Which team is the favourite to win the 2025 WHL Championship View Results We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at q6news@khq.com or call us at 509-448-6000 Jackie Van Allen didn’t start running to circle the earth She also didn’t start running to pile up miles It’s just part and parcel of what has become a passion Van Allen has run the equivalent to 2½ trips around the globe (the earth’s circumference is 24,901 miles) Although not as fast as she once was in her 30s the 61-year-old Van Allen isn’t showing any sign of putting the brakes on what has been an ardor for more than three decades She admits she’s closer to the end than she was when she hit the roads and trails 37 years ago “I know a lot of recovered runners who can’t run anymore,” Van Allen said Van Allen will take to the streets of Spokane for the 49th running of Lilac Bloomsday Sunday morning but the number includes years she did Spokane’s favorite road race twice on the same day – on the north end of Monroe Street Bridge and jogging back to Riverside to head west for a second time around That’s just one example of many eye-popping feats accomplished by Van Allen’s feet • A yearly average of 1,703 miles (although that’s up recently at about 2,000) • Weekly average of 33 (although this goes up to about 40 when she’s training for longer races) That and more is documented in 38 running logs Van Allen has kept since immersing herself in running She said her background in accounting is why she’s been meticulous in keeping track of her miles Van Allen admits she’s turned into a “mileage junkie.” “I probably should be more diligent about doing things not for a number but to be efficient,” she said Van Allen plans to do a 31-mile (50K) run next month and a marathon in June She has nothing planned for the second half of the year but hopes to be at 80 marathons by year’s end Van Allen will be pushing 64,000 miles Sunday by the time she finishes Bloomsday She discovered running when her first husband was a geologist in North Dakota where he worked on oil rigs Then when he took a job at a small engineering firm in Spokane running Bloomsday was something company employees did together “I thought I could do it with him,” Van Allen said He passed away unexpectedly at age 19 after complications from muscular dystrophy Three years later she did her first marathon after a co-worker asked her to start training with him She did the 2000 Bloomsday in a career-best 46 minutes “I’ll never do that again no matter how hard I try,” Van Allen said She finished third at Bloomsday last year in the 60-64 age group in 1 hour By the time Van Allen had done her second marathon in 1989 she was hooked “Then I thought I could run faster,” Van Allen remembers Once I got a little faster I thought I could break three hours.” in 1999 when she broke three hours (2:58:31) She hasn’t been under three hours since and concedes it won’t happen again “As much as I’d like to break three hours again I’d like to get under 3:30 again,” Van Allen said That’s what is cool about an age-group win Van Allen is 5-foot-10 and weighs 126 pounds She has won the Coeur d’Alene Marathon twice and runner-up once She won in 2000 (3:04:16) and three years later (3:10.34) But the race was also memorable for another reason – it’s the only one she hasn’t finished Van Allen had never quit a race until 2002 “I thought I could have pushed myself a little more but I didn’t.” She was so disappointed in herself that she signed up for a run that no longer exists – Let’s Climb a Mountain a 34.2-mile race that started at the Riverfront Clocktower and finished at the top of Mount Spokane “I had never trained for that distance or the elevation climb,” Van Allen said “I don’t know if I wanted to redeem myself after Coeur d’Alene or what but in my mind I needed to get past that pain point I had a great race and won the women’s division.” Van Allen redeemed herself in Coeur d’Alene by winning the marathon the following year She’s done the Boston Marathon five times and would like to do it one more time Chicago and Los Angeles marathons multiple times Van Allen has done one international marathon in Athens “There hasn’t been a marathon I’ve finished where I haven’t cried,” Van Allen said You meet people in the race who are inspiring you and you’re trying to inspire them Van Allen hopes to reach 100 marathons before her body tells her it’s time to stop And she thinks it’s conceivable to reach 100,000 total miles “The way I’m still training I see myself as still competitive I’m hoping I’ll find a happy balance when I get to that point of pulling back The miles might increase once she retires from working She retired briefly from her job at Gonzaga in 2023 Only two things have slowed her down – pregnancy (she had to stop running in the fifth month) and a stress fracture in 2019 kept her on the sidelines for six weeks She chalks up her longevity to warming up properly and listening to her body One race she won’t do again is the Death Valley Marathon but the course was mostly on the shoulder of a road I finished but it was one of my slowest marathons The most challenging race came in 2016 at the Rut a 31-mile multiple terrain race with a 10,000-foot elevation climb near Big Sky A snowstorm rolled in the morning of the race forcing event officials to shorten it to 27 miles and essentially take out the most steep portions of the run “They wouldn’t let us go to the top – it’s called Lone Peak,” Van Allen said They had these warming huts along the course I went into one because I was so cold and was trying to change my clothes I spent 30 minutes in the hut trying to get warm and deciding whether to finish I just remember telling myself I’ve got to finish In a steep stretch about a mile long through a rugged rock field participants are rendered to almost a crawl – moving two steps and stopping “I still marvel that I finished it,” she said Van Allen looked at her running partner immediately after the race and they knew “We had to go back the next year and do the full race,” Van Allen said Even with better weather the following year the 20th mile took Van Allen 74 minutes to complete but it was still easier than the prior year when I got so cold,” Van Allen said Van Allen wears her inspiration for running on her right wrist but mostly in her heart as reminders of her late son “I always have a pink ribbon on my wrist and I replace it when it breaks,” Van Allen said “And I pin a photo of him on the back of my shirt when I run He’d ask me every time I came home from a run ‘Did you have fun?’ He was always so inspiring to me It amazed me that somebody could be dealt a really crappy hand of cards and still be happy.” And he’s always remembered – every mile of the way Get the day’s top sports headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox by subscribing here