Heaven LaFountain died after what her parents initially thought was suicide.

However, Dustin and Shannon LaFountain now believe their daughter's death is tied to an online trend where children make themselves pass out by cutting off their air supply.

"At first it wasn't clear what happened. We thought she had taken her life because of the way we found her," Dustin LaFountain said.

The parents say Heaven learned about the challenge while talking to people on Discord, a communication app popular with gamers.

"I had never really heard of Discord. I heard it was a gaming app but it evolved into something much more darker," Dustin LaFountain said.

Discord requires users to be at least 13 years old, but younger children like Heaven have bypassed age restrictions.

The platform says it has implemented safety features for teen accounts that restrict access to potentially harmful content.

According to a 2022 Bloomberg study, more than a dozen children 12 and under died from this type of challenge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar warning to parents in 2008, but incidents continue to occur.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office says there have been allegations linking Heaven's death to the "blackout challenge," but nothing has been confirmed.

The LaFountain family has now made it their mission to warn other parents about online dangers.

"She didn't deserve to die like this... no kid.. no family deserves to go through this and I just want to spread awareness that this is not okay," Shannon LaFountain said.

Sergeant Brad Johnson with the Post Falls Police Department, who works on internet crimes against children cases, emphasizes the importance of parental oversight.

"Giving a child unfettered access to the internet is likely going to create problems or so if you're not paying attention. You're kind of rolling the dice and playing with fire, in my opinion," Johnson said.

Johnson recommends parents have open conversations about online safety and monitor platforms that allow children to message others, which pose the most risk.

"Your child might be a good kid, and a lot of times kids are inherently trustworthy as well," Johnson said. "But the truth of the matter is, they truly don't know who it is. And even though the child is good and and means well, the person on the other end who has spent time grooming them over however many weeks or months, will likely gain trust of a of a well-meaning or good child."

Parents can turn off messaging features or download monitoring programs to track app usage. Johnson says it's never too late to implement safety measures.

"I think it doesn't serve anybody well to say. Well, they've already had it. What am I supposed to do now?" Johnson said.

The LaFountain family hopes their story will encourage parents to take online dangers seriously.

"There just needs to be education and people need to know what these apps are really about," Dustin LaFountain said.

Sergeant Johnson says Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are good places to start for parents looking for online resources.

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Plan Your Tuesday

It will be a hot afternoon, with widespread highs in the 80s. Parts of the Columbia Basin, like Moses Lake and areas around the LC Valley, will top out at around 90 degrees. Expect increasing clouds during the evening and an isolated shower or storm in the southern parts of Washington state before midnight.

What We're Tracking

Impactful weather arrives Wednesday as a Wind Advisory and High Wind Warning take effect. Foothills of the Blue Mountains could see wind gusts up to 55 mph, while gusts will reach up to 40-45 mph around Spokane and Coeur d'Alene.

This system brings a 15 to 20 degree temperature drop, with highs only reaching the 60s and 70s. Widespread showers and a few thunderstorms are expected on Wednesday afternoon, with a chance to pick up some decent rainfall.

Extended Forecast

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According to the Police Department, 15-year-old Elijah James Boerner ran away on Monday with another boy, 15-year-old Michael Robert Magee.

Police say before leaving, Elijah stole money from his parents and was trying to obtain a fake ID.

The families of the boys believe they may still be in the Spokane area or traveling south toward Los Angeles.

Elijah is 6 feet 1 inch tall, 150 pounds with brown eyes and short brown hair.

Michael is 5 feet 8 inches tall, 140 pounds with light brown hair and blue eyes.

If you see either boy, contact your local police department.

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According to the city, this program will streamline the permitting and licensing process to enhance engagement during festivals, parades and athletic events.

This new program will allow more sidewalk cafes, street eats, and parklets.

"We are not only enhancing our public spaces but also fostering a vibrant community where residents and visitors can come together to celebrate, connect, and enjoy all that Spokane has to offer,” said Council President Betsy Wilkerson.

The resolution will now head to the Community and Economic Development Division and the Mayor's office for implementation.

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According to the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center, the crash happened around 4:30 p.m. and is blocking all the lanes of traffic.

Drivers should expect long delays in the area.

This is a developing story.

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Finding the right career can be a difficult choice, especially for high schoolers looking to take the next step into adulthood. The trades day at The Hub in Liberty Lake was all about helping kids find the right path for their future, with private businesses and military branches on hand.

The Washington Army National Guard emphasized the variety of career options available to match students' interests.

"Best case scenario, we can find something that the guard relates to. If you're interested in social media, you can be a public affairs officer in the United States Military. Or if you're into outdoorsy stuff, almost every job relates to that," said Sgt. Noel Gonzales of the Washington Army National Guard.

One of the biggest focuses of military trades day was giving kids a hands-on opportunity to handle some of the equipment they might use in the military. The Army National Guard made it clear that there are many opportunities to pursue several different careers.

"It gets boring just hearing someone talk all the time. So when you come out here and you get to see an M-240 machine gun, and you can get behind it and look down the iron sights, you might think, 'actually, this is kind of cool!'" said Sgt. Noel Gonzales.

Local companies also had their own booths at trades day, including local contract manufacturing company Altek. The Liberty Lake-based company says students can get their start in engineering there without having to go to college first.

"You can just start at the ground level at our company, and if you show a good attitude, you're willing to be on time and you're willing to learn, you can move your way up through the company. Other options are you can go to a trade school and learn machining," said Tony and Chris Marzetta, program managers at Altek.

Program managers Tony and Chris Marzetta say the manufacturing industry is an option not many kids are aware of for a potential career.

Altek also partners with Minds-I, an engineering school in Liberty Lake that gives people a chance to try robotics and programming.

"Kids will go, 'oh I really like drones' and then you have a conversation with them and in five minutes you can explain the hundred different things involved career-wise just to make that drone that aren't using that drone to do inspections or deliver something," said Levi Wilson, general manager of product development at Minds-I.

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Drivers heading southbound on the highway will need to use the Cheney-Spokane Road or White Road to reach their homes. The detour adds nearly seven minutes of travel time.

Meadowlane will be closed for the next month, as crews are installing a J-turn aiming to reduce congestion and car crashes.

Because of the road closure, nearby neighborhoods like Eagle Ridge and Eagle Valley will get more cars passing through. Some residents voice their concerns.

"I'm a little concerned with all the traffic coming through," said Andrew Cummings. "We got a little bunch of kids that play out in the neighborhood, and, I would prefer if people wouldn't speed through here."

Carol Mulholland expressed concerns about the timing.

"I don't know what's going to happen. It could be a disaster, to get the kids to school on time, get to your job on time. It's a lot," she said.

Those neighbors will have to take West Eagle Ridge Boulevard to South Cedar Street to get to 195 for the next month.

Some residents support the J-turn because they have seen serious crashes when people turn onto Highway 195, and they think the project will improve safety.

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Providence announced Monday it's changing the model for how it assesses and treats patients who need mental and behavioral health.

Right now, psych triage in the emergency department is done by unlicensed counselors. As of July 14th, those employees will be replaced by licensed therapists.

Mental health counselors who currently work in behavioral health will be replaced by certified nursing assistants who have special training in those roles.

Patients receiving group and individual therapy won't see a change and will continue to be served by a licensed therapist.

Providence says 40 positions will be impacted by the change.

"Behavioral health needs in our community have changed, and it is our responsibility to adapt," said Providence Chief Executive Susan Stacey. "It’s important to know that these services are not going away. By evolving our model of care, we are better positioned to provide the right level of clinical expertise for a vulnerable population."

Providence says the change aligns with best practices across health care systems.

"Providence is deeply grateful for the compassion and service these caregivers have provided to patients and families at Sacred Heart Medical Center, many of them for decades," Providence said in a news release announcing the changes. "This decision is not a reflection of their work, nor is it financially driven; it is to respond to changing behavioral health needs and ensure patients receive appropriate clinical care."

Providence says there will be no interruption to patient care during the transition.

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All affected customers will receive advance notification from Avista before the May 15 outage begins.

"Avista is committed to safeguarding the integrity of its infrastructure while enhancing the safety and reliability of the electric system," the company stated.

Customers should turn off electrical equipment and appliances to prevent damage when power returns. Residents should have flashlights, batteries and non-perishable food available.

Those with medical equipment dependent on electricity should make alternative arrangements. Avista also recommends avoiding opening refrigerators and freezers to maintain food safety.

For questions about the planned outage, customers can contact Avista's customer service line at 800-227-9187

Correction: Initially we reported it as Spokane Valley, when it was Valley, Washington

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Don't panic. You're not alone.

Mike Whipple, a branch manager with Numerica Credit Union, sees this all the time. Most people don't even know their score dropped until they apply for credit.

"They get that real big shock of oh my gosh this is way lower than what I had expected or what I had thought," Whipple said.

Start by digging into your credit history.

"The biggest thing that you can do is go ahead and check your account history and your credit cards," he said.

First, look for mistakes or fraud on your credit report. You can dispute errors for free, which might fix your score right away.

But often, there's a real reason your score dropped. Whipple says the issues are pretty predictable.

"If you're applying for credit and those credit pulls or if you're balancing the balances, get too high on your credit cards, or if they go into the delinquent status, which is normally about 30 days late," he explained.

Emergency expenses can also hurt your score, even when you're making payments on time.

"Let's say you have a $5,000 credit card. A big emergency comes up for medical emergency, and you have to pay $4,500 and you're making that minimum payment. Your balance is barely starting to go down with those minimum payments. You're still going to have a relatively high credit utilization score, and that is going to play a factor into having that negative impact on your credit," Whipple said.

Small drops are often temporary. How long it takes to recover depends on what caused the problem.

Want to keep tabs on your score without hurting it? Whipple recommends the official Annual Credit Report site.

"Annual credit report is great. You can pull your credit there for free. One time of year is not going to have an impact on your credit," he said.

You can also use monthly services like Credit Karma to watch your score bounce back.

Recovery time varies. "If it's one late payment that can start rebounding maybe in six months. But if it's a bigger thing, maybe like a repossession that can take quite a bit longer to be able to have a greater impact on your credit score," Whipple noted.

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