Several restaurants around Spokane also have their own food trucks. But operating a food truck can be very different than a restaurant, especially when it comes to getting proper licensing and food safety permits.

The City Council is looking at an ordinance that will decrease some regulations for food trucks, including getting rid of a requirement for a separate food truck-specific license and allowing food trucks to operate with a general business license instead.

"I think making it easier for mobile food vendors such as ourselves to operate in the city and bring more activity downtown is always a good thing," said Jenny Slagle, co-owner of Indigenous Eats.

The Spokane Regional Health District will still be in charge of inspecting food trucks, but it recommended changing the ordinance to make sure it lines up with the state laws it enforces.

"I just wanted to make sure that we're all still working together and collaborating. We are regulating partners throughout all of the food establishments, whether it's a restaurant, a food vendor or a food truck," said Jessica Martin, food safety program manager for the Spokane Regional Health District.

The Health District says it doesn't have any issue with this ordinance making it easier for food truck operators to get proper licensing in Spokane. It just wants to make sure the city is still a partner in enforcing unpermitted food trucks from serving food.

Martin explained the risks of unpermitted food trucks: "There's a larger food safety risk. We don't know where the food is coming from. We don't know if the food is handled, whether it is safe or not. We don't know the source, we don't know if there is hand washing."

The co-owner of Indigenous Eats, which has a food cart, hopes the ordinance will streamline the process of getting the right permits and licenses. She says it can be difficult to deal with multiple agencies to make sure she can serve food.

After making some changes to the ordinance, the City Council will discuss it once again at Monday's meeting.

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Businesses are appreciating the recent wave of customers and thank the big events that the city has been hosting that have been drawing in more out-of-town visitors and locals.

Bruttle's Candy Shop is one business that has benefitted from the recent wave of customers. Melissa Nay, a Bruttle's employee, said the shop has seen new faces from distant places.

"There's been a lot of pop in people that aren't regulars or that have even heard about it, even though they're like from distant places," Nay said.

Jacquelyn Waggoner, who's was visiting from Oregon, was out enjoying the spring weather.

"A huge part of my travel is getting out in the sunny weather. I know that Bloomsday is coming around, so seeing a lot of people running and just getting outside is nice," Waggoner said.

The Downtown Spokane Partnership says more people have been walking the downtown streets after big sporting events like State B and the PNQ volleyball tournament.

"There was a lot of people from the volleyball tournament that came in that like they all were aware by and stuff for our girls were by and stuff for our parents. And like, yeah, it was really cool," Nay said.

DSP says there was a 27% increase in visitors from February to March of this year. The average visitor stay in the downtown area was 3.4 hours.

Kevin Campbell, DSP Economic Vitality Specialist, said the growth continues.

"We're excited to see that much more just vibrancy in downtown," Campbell said.

DSP tracks foot traffic numbers by using an analytics platform called Placer AI. They also partner with Spokane Public Library and Startup Spokane to the platform.

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The WIAA voted on 22 amendments, with most taking effect August 1. The transgender athlete amendment received majority support but fell short of the supermajority threshold required for passage.

The proposed amendment would have required transgender athletes and others to compete in boys' divisions, leaving girls' sports exclusively for biological females.

School districts across the state made their positions known on the issue. Colville School District Superintendent Kevin Knight said his district supported the amendment based on community concerns about competitive fairness and safety.

"The students, the staff, the community, the school board of Colville believe that it is inherently not safe or not fair for female athletes to compete against transgender students, and so they have asked me to support that and it's my duty as superintendent, that's what I do," Knight said.

However, the vote was advisory only and would not have changed existing rules because it would violate state law.

Following the vote, the WIAA released a statement emphasizing its commitment to current regulations: "Despite the results, the Association's message remains consistent: The WIAA remains committed to following Washington state law and will continue to do so moving forward. If state law changes in the future, the WIAA Executive Board holds the authority to revise policies accordingly."

Current WIAA rules allow students to participate in activities consistent with their gender identity. Districts like Colville will continue following these established guidelines despite their opposition.

"I want to continue to be a part of the WIAA and we are going to continue to follow the rules and regulations set up by the state," Knight said. "My job is to advocate for what our school and our community feels is right, and at this point in time we don't think it is safe or competitive for our female athletes to compete against transgender students."

The issue will reach voters this November through a ballot initiative. Conservative group "Let's Go Washington" gathered more than 400,000 signatures to secure the measure's placement on the ballot.

The proposed initiative would ban transgender students from competing with or against girls and would require all girls who wish to compete in sports to verify their biological sex.

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The advisory covers the Moses Lake area, Wenatchee area and Waterville Plateau, including Ephrata, Entiat, Moses Lake, Cashmere, Othello, Quincy, Waterville, Chelan, Mansfield and Wenatchee.

West winds will reach 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Some areas may experience localized gusts up to 50 mph.

The strong winds will blow around unsecured objects and could down tree limbs, potentially causing power outages. Driving will be particularly challenging for high-profile vehicles.

Residents should secure outdoor furniture and loose items. The National Weather Service recommends drivers use extra caution during the advisory period.

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City crews are actively monitoring the situation and prepared to respond as conditions change. Officials are taking precautionary measures to ensure public safety.

Residents can help by safely clearing leaves and debris from storm drain lids near their homes to prevent localized street flooding.

If creek levels rise, free sandbags are available 24/7 at the City Shop, 650 N Van Buren, for property protection.

For questions, contact the Street/Stormwater Department at (208) 883-7097. Officials will provide updates if conditions change.

Residents should stay informed by visiting weather.gov for current forecasts and warnings from the National Weather Service.

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The relaunched ALERT Spokane system, powered by Regroup Mass Notification technology, replaces CodeRED and delivers real-time alerts during emergencies through text messages, email, mobile app alerts and voice calls.

The system will notify residents about severe weather, road closures, evacuation notices and urgent public safety information throughout Spokane County.

"This new system allows us to communicate directly and immediately with our community when it matters most," said Chandra Fox, deputy director for Spokane County Emergency Management.

Residents who previously registered for alerts must re-register online at www.alertspokane.org. Completing full registration connects alerts to home addresses, ensuring residents receive notifications even when away from home.

County Emergency Management will conduct system tests over the next 10 days during daytime hours. Test messages will clearly identify themselves as tests.

"One of the new features we have with Regroup is the ability to send poll questions and request responses," Fox said. "So, if people receive a test alert asking for a response, please take a second to respond."

The interactive polling feature allows emergency managers to gather real-time feedback and improve the accuracy of geographically targeted alerts.

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