KEVIN
KEVIN MORRISON, SPOKANE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD "IMMEDIATELY WHEN I SAW
IT, I THOUGHT 'THAT'S
PRETTY MUCH ALBI!'
THAT'S
WONDERFUL."
THAT'S WONDERFUL." IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS
SINCE VOTERS DECIDED TO
REPLACE JOE
ALBI STADIUM.
TONIGHT, WE GET OUR
FIRST LOOK AT WHAT IT
COULD LOOK LIKE.
PLUS, THE PRESSURE IS
BUILDING. MAYOR NADINE
WOODWARD AND
COMMISSIONER AL FRENCH
SAY IT'S
TIME FOR OUR ECONOMY TO
FULLY RE-OPEN, BUT
HEALTH OFFICIALS
SAY THE DATA DISAGREES.
GOOD EVENING.
GOOD EVENING.
THANKS
THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR KREM 2 NEWS AT 11.
I'M
I'M REGINA AHN LIVE HERE IN THE NEWSROOM TONIGHT. THANKS FOR STAYING UP
LATE WITH US! I'M MARK
HANRAHAN JOINING YOU
FROM THE KREM 2 STUDIO.
LET'S GET RIGHT TO OUR
TOP STORY TONIGHT.
TODAY--
TODAY-- SPOKANE COUNTY SAW ANOTHER DOUBLE-DIGIT INCREASE IN COVID-19
CASES.
THE SPOKANE REGIONAL
HEALTH DISTRICT IS ALSO
REPORTING MORE
HOSPITALIZATIONS.
WHILE THERE IS
INCREASING PRESSURE TO
RE-OPEN THE LOCAL
ECONOMY, REGIONAL HEALTH
OFFICER DR. BOB LUTZ
MAINTAINS
THAT SPOKANE COUNTY IS
NOT YET READY TO MOVE
ONTO PHASE 3 OF
REOPENING.
REOPENING. "I CAN'T PROJECT WHEN WE
ARE READY TO GO THERE. BUT THE FACT THAT I'M
STILL
GETTING 10, 15, 20 CASES
A DAY, WHEREAS PRIOR TO
MEMORIAL DAY WERE
WERE GETTING SINGLE
DIGITS THAT'S CONCERNING
FOR ME. SO WE'RE NOT
READY
TO GO INTO PHASE 3 AT
THIS TIME."
THIS TIME."
DR.
DR. LUTZ
DR. LUTZ ALSO SAYS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE TESTING IS
BEING DONE.
ACCORDING TO THE HEALTH
DISTRICT, PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT SHOWING
ANY SYMPTOMS OF
CORONAVIRUS CAN NOW GET
TESTED IF THEY HAVE BEEN
IN
CLOSE CONTACT WITH A
CONFIRMED POSITIVE CASE
OF COVID-19.
ANOTHER BIG QUESTION
WE'VE SEEN IN RECENT:
WHETHER WE'D SEE
A BIG SPIKE IN CASES
RELATED TO RECENT
PROTESTS WHERE THOUSAND
OF PEOPLE WERE GATHERED
CLOSELY TOGETHER.
THE HEATH DISTRICT SAYS
IT HAS NOT SEEN ANY
CASES IN
SPOKANE COUNTY RELATED
TO THE RECENT PROTESTS.
MEANWHILE...
MEANWHILE... THE SPOKANE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HAS NOW
SIGNED A
LETTER ASKING ASKING
HEALTH OFFICER DR. BOB
LUTZ TO TAKE
"IMMEDIATE ACTION".
THEY WANT TO BEGIN THE
PROCESS TO MOVE AHEAD IN
REOPENING THE COUNTY.
COMMISSIONER AL FRENCH:
"...TO WEIGH IN AND MOVE US TO THE NEXT PHASE."
SPOKANE
SPOKANE MAYOR NADINE WOODWARD SAYS SHE HOPES TO
SPEAK WITH GOVERNOR
INSLEE ABOUT LOOSENING
STATE
REQUIREMENTS FOR PHASE 3
OF REOPENING.
SHE ADD'S THAT
NEIGHBORING COUNTIES ARE
NOW IN PHASE 3.
OVER TO CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.... YAKIMA COUNTY IS BEING
CALLED THE "EPICENTER"
OF THE CORONAVIRUS
OUTBREAK IN WASHINGTON
STATE. YESTERDAY,
GOVERNOR INSLEE TRAVELED
TO YAKIMA, CALLING ON
LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO DO
MORE.
SO WHAT ARE LOCAL
LEADERS THERE SAYING?
FIRST LETS TALK ABOUT
THE CURRENT SITUATION:
YAKIMA COUNTY HAS
250,000 RESIDENTS BUT
HAS MORE THAN 5,700
COVID-19 CASES.
THAT'S SECOND ONLY TO
THE MUCH LARGER KIND
COUNTY.
YAKIMA COUNTY IS HOME TO
A LARGE AGRICULTURE
INDUSTRY WHERE A
BIG PORTION OF THE
WORKFORCE IS CONSIDERED
"ESSENTIAL" AND
THE VIRUS HAS TAKEN OFF
AMONG THOSE WORKERS.
DESPITE THAT, COUNTY
COMMISSIONER VICKI BAKER
ARGUED THAT THE COUNTY
REMAINING IN PHASE ONE
ISN'T
ISN'T SLOWING THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS. THE COUNTY SAID THAT
SOME LOCAL BUSINESSES
ARE ON THE BRINK OF
PERMANENTLY SHUTTING
DOWN.
HOWEVER, YAKIMA'S MAYOR
SAID THAT THE CITY HAD
DISTRIBUTED
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
FACEMASKS THIS WEEK
THROUGH
LOCAL GROCERY STORES.
FRANKS, MEANWHILE, SAYS
HE FEELS IT'S A POSITIVE
SIGN THAT
GOVERNOR INSLEE VISITED
YAKIMA COUNTY.
THE AREA IS THE LONE
WASHINGTON COUNTY THAT
REMAINS IN PHASE
ONE OF THE STATE'S
REOPENING PLAN AND
DOESN'T HAVE ANY
MODIFICATIONS.
MODIFICATIONS.
MEANTIME,
MEANTIME, IDAHO ENTERED PHASE 4 OF REOPENING LAST WEEKEND.
AND, REGINA YOU'RE
TRACKING THE LATEST
CORONAVIRUS DATA
OUT OF NORTH IDAHO.
TONIGHT IN "BY THE
NUMBERS" LET'S TALK
ABOUT THE PANHANDLE
REGION
AND IDAHO STATE..
IT'S BEEN 4 DAYS SINCE
IDAHO'S "STAGE FOUR"
REOPENING
REOPENING OF GOVERNOR BRAD LITTLE'S IDAHO REBOUND PLAN.
SINCE THEN, WE'VE SEEN
THE FIRST "COVID 19"
RELATED DEATH IN
KOOTENAI
COUNTY.
KOOTENAI COUNTY. LET'S BREAK DOWN SOME
NUMBERS.
KOOTENAI COUNTY RIGHT
NOW HAS 105 CASES AND 1
DEATH
BENEWAH HAS 12
BONNER 10
BONNER 10
BOUNDARY,
BOUNDARY, AND SHOSHONE HAVE ZERO CASES AND ZERO DEATHS.
9 UNDETERMINED CASES OR
WHAT OFFICIALS SAY "A
POSITIVE CASE
WITH NO COUNTY
INFORMATION"
IN IDAHO STATE, THERE
ARE 3258 CONFIRMED CASES
88 DEATHS
61 CONFIRMED CASES TODAY
AGAIN, CONFIRMED IS
DIFFERENT FROM THE
PROBABLE NUMBER.
THE MAJORITY OF THE
CASES, ABOUT 908, ARE
OF THOSE BETWEEN THE
AGES
OF 18-29...
OF 18-29...
30-39
30-39 YEAR OLDS MAKE UP THE NEXT HIGHEST MAJORITY.
IF WE SEE THIS GRAPH, WE
WILL SEE IDAHO'S NUMBERS
AND THE
PANHANDLE REGION SIDE BY
SIDE.
THE PANHANDLE REGION, IS
STILL DOING ALRIGHT.
IN
IN THE
IN THE LAST 32 DAYS, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CASES WAS SEEN ON MAY
29TH WITH 7 CASES.
THE GRAPH SHOWS, THAT
THE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO
GO
DOWN, THERE WAS A TINY
BUMP UP JUNE 5TH WHEN
THE REGION SAW 6
CASES.
BUT STILL RELATIVELY
LOW.
THE 14 DAY MOVING
AVERAGE, SHOWS THE
PANHANDLE REGION....
YOU'LL SEE THE "DOTTED
LINES" GOING UP, BUT
AGAIN, IF YOU SEE
THE
THE NUMBERS, FROM THE LAST MONTH REALLY WE HAVEN'T HIT MORE THAN 8
CASES.. IN THE LAST 2
MONTHS.
SO KEEP IT UP IDAHO!
TURNING
TURNING THE PAGE TO WEATHER NOW.... WE GOT A TASTE OF SUMMER
LIKE WEATHER TODAY
FOLLOWED BY
SOME THUNDERSTROMS THIS
EVENING!
MICHELLE BOSS JOINING US
LIVE FROM HOME...
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US
FOR FATHER'S DAY
WEEKEND?
WEEKEND?
TWO
TWO YEARS
TWO YEARS AGO VOTERS DECIDED TO REPLACE THE AGING JOE ALBI
STADIUM.
NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME
- WE'RE GETTING A LOOK
AT WHAT
REPLACEMENT COULD LOOK
LIKE.
HERE'S KREM 2'S CASEY
DECKER.
DECKER.
DECKER. FOOD TRUCKS. GRASS
SEATING... A PLAYGROUND... AND A
SELFIE PLATFORM.
THOSE ARE JUST A FEW OF
THE UNIQUE DESIGN
ELEMENTS IN THE
PROPOSAL OUTLINED BEFORE
THE SPOKANE SCHOOL
BOARD.
THE CURRENT JOE ALBI
STADIUM IS 70 YEARS OLD
AND HOLDS NEARLY 30
THOUSAND PEOPLE.
BUT ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE
IS PREP SPORTS. WHERE
ATTENDANCE
RARELY EXCEEDS A COUPLE
THOUSAND.
SUCH A LARGE STADIUM
REQUIRES A LOT OF
MAINTENANCE.
AND A LOT OF PARKING.
IN 2018. VOTERS DECIDED
IT WAS TIME TO REPLACE
IT WITH SOMETHING
MORE MANAGEABLE.
THEY APPROVED A NEARLY
HALF- BILLION DOLLAR
SCHOOL BOND
MEASURE BY A WIDE
MARGIN.
OF THAT MONEY. ABOUT 30
MILLION IS GOING TOWARDS
REPLACING JOE
ALBI.
THEY ALSO OVERWHELMINGLY
VOTED TO KEEP THE
STADIUM
STADIUM IN NORTHWEST SPOKANE. RATHER THAN MOVE IT CLOSER TO
DOWNTOWN.
AND DESPITE SOME
LAST-MINUTE ALTERNATIVE
PROPOSALS TO
BUILD A VENUE DOWNTOWN
ANYWAY. THE BOARD HAS
REMAINED FIRM IN ITS
STANCE THEY'LL BE GOING
WITH THE VOTERS.
NOW. WE'RE SEEING WHAT
THAT LOOKS LIKE.
THIS STADIUM DESIGN
HOLDS JUST ABOUT 5
THOUSAND.
BOARD MEMBERS SAID THEY
LIKED HOW IT RETAINED
THE JOE ALBI FEEL.
KEVIN MORRISON, SPOKANE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD
"THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT
MEMORIES OUT THAT WAY.
IMMEDIATELY WHEN
I SAW IT, I THOUGHT
'THAT'S PRETTY MUCH
ALBI!' THAT'S
WONDERFUL."
IT INCLUDES THE
AMENITIES YOU'D EXPECT
FROM A SPORTS VENUE.
LOCKER ROOMS. PRESS BOX.
CONCESSION STAND.
THERE ARE LOTS OF
DESIGNATED DROP OFF
AREAS TO KEEP TRAFFIC
FLOWING.
AND THERE ARE SOME MORE
SPECIALIZED COMPONENTS
SPECIALIZED COMPONENTS
AS
AS WELL.
AS WELL. ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS OF THE DESIGN. TO FURTHER
ENHANCE
THE SENSE OF IDENTITY
THE STADIUM PROVIDES
SPOKANITES.
AND ONE WAY OF DOING
THAT. LARGE LIGHTING
STRUCTURES THAT
CHANGE COLOR TO
REPRESENT EACH OF THE
DISTRICT'S HIGH SCHOOLS.
JENNY SLAGLE, SPOKANE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD "I
LIKE THE BRANDING.
THERE'S A LOT OF
POTENTIAL THERE NOT ONLY
FOR SPS MANY OTHER
GROUPS THAT ARE GOING TO
BE USING IT."
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF
DESIGN WORK LEFT TO DO
BEFORE CONSTRUCTION
CAN BEGIN.
IF EVERYTHING GOES
SMOOTHLY. THAT WOULD
HAPPEN SPRING OF
NEXT YEAR. AND THE
STADIUM WILL BE FINISHED
BY JUNE OF 2022.
BUT COVID-19 COULD PLAY
A ROLE IN THAT TIMELINE.
THE ARCHITECTS MAY MAKE
ACTUAL CHANGES TO THE
DESIGN THAT
COULD HELP IMPROVE
SOCIAL DISTANCING OR
OTHERWISE
PREVENT THE SPREAD OF
DISEASE. THEY'RE HOPING
TO GET GUIDANCE ON THAT
FROM HEALTH OFFICIALS BY
SEPTEMBER.
NIKKI LOCKWOOD, SPOKANE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD
"I'M REALLY CURIOUS TO
SEE WHAT WE'LL BE ABLE
TO DO
RELATED TO THE PANDEMIC
AND SPORTS. I THINK
THAT'S A BIG, BIG
QUESTION MARK."
IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
CONSTRUCTION COULD BE
DELAYED
UNTIL GUIDANCE IS
PROVIDED.
CASEY DECKER. KREM 2
NEWS.
NEWS.
FOUR
FOUR LEADERS OF THE SPOKANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
RESIGNED
RESIGNED LAST SATURDAY. STILL AHEAD... WE EXPLAIN WHAT LED TO
THE RESIGNATIONS AND
WHAT'S NEXT FOR
THE LOCAL DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
PARTY.
FOUR
FOUR LEADERS OF THE SPOKANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC