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Local mom publishes book to help kids with hearing loss

Local mom publishes book to help kids with hearing loss

When Emily Mikoski's son was diagnosed with hearing loss, she set out to find a children's book that would help explain what he would be able to hear with hearing aids. After coming up short, she decided to write her own book and at the end of March she self published “Max and His Hearing Aids”.

 

Emily's son, Max, now four, was diagnosed with hearing loss as a newborn and has been wearing hearing aids since he was around five months old. Having never known a child with hearing aids, Emily says there was some initial uncertainty about what it would be like.

 

“For me it was very foreign,” says Emily, “It was very scary.”

 

The first hearing aids came with information pamphlets and booklets as well as book featuring an elephant who wore hearing aids. Emily says the elephant book was not only unrelated, but highly technical and difficult for a small child to understand.

 

Historic, Modern Home for sale on the South Hill

Historic, Modern Home for sale on the South Hill

One of Spokane's most historic homes is on the market for the first time ever. You can own the mid-century, Modern home of Joel E. Ferris, II and his wife Mary Jean for $1.1 million.

 

The South Hill home is one of only two Modern architecture homes listed on the Spokane Register of Historic Places. The home was designed by Bruce Walker and completed in 1955. Walker also designed the Ridpath Motor Inn (1964), the Spokane Opera House (1974) and the Metropolitan Financial Center which is now occupied by Wells Fargo (1984). In 1960, the Ferris home won the First Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.

 

Joel and Mary Jean loved the simplicity of Modern, post-war, design. They opened JOEL Inc. in Downtown Spokane in 1950 because the market for Modern furniture and home goods was lacking. The Ferris' wanted their family home to reflect this love, but the neighborhood association around Comstock Park didn't approve of the unique design.

 

LETEM Play expands beyond instruments to advocate music education

We first told you about LETEM Play in September, since then the non-profit started by two high school students has grown bigger than they creators could have ever imagined. Now, they are expanding and are offering more than just instruments.

 

LETEM- Life Enhancement Through Education in Music- was started by Katy Dolan and Philip Howard in February 2012. The Central Valley High School Juniors decided they wanted to share something they loved while making a difference in their community. LETEM provides instruments to students who can't afford them.

 

Now, a little over a year later, LETEM has branched off from just providing instruments. Dolan and Howard have also started providing music clinics to schools and groups that are trying to grow their music programs.

 

City Councilman brings his office to the people

City Councilman brings his office to the people

Residents living in District 2 had the opportunity to meet with City Councilman Jon Snyder in a more relaxed setting today. Snyder hosted his first Mobile Office Event in an effort to connect with the community.

 

“The more time I spend in City Hall the less I can do my job,” says Snyder. He and his legislative assistant answered questions and chatted about resident concerns at The Shop in the South Perry District.

 

Councilwoman Amber Waldref has also held Mobile Office events, and Snyder says it was peer pressure from her that inspired him to set up shop over lunch today. Not everyone wants to come down and stand up in front of the entire council in front of the Channel 5 cameras explains Snyder.

 

Kay Van Epps is one of those people and when she went to The Shop for coffee and a muffin she was more than willing to join Snyder's table.

 

Gonzaga students create Hope for Zambezi

Gonzaga students create Hope for Zambezi

Zambia is one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, but it is also one of the poorest and has one of the world's most devastating HIV and AIDS epidemics. In the village of Zambezi, many of the people lack food to take with their medication, but students at Gonzaga University are working to change that.

 

Zambezi has a population of about 7,000, similar to Quincy, WA. Now, imagine if 83 percent of Quincy lived in extreme poverty, many of them were positive for HIV/AIDS, and the life expectancy was only 49. That is the reality for the people of Zambezi.

 

Across the country of Zambia antiretroviral medication is readily available, but the people of Zambezi are too poor to maintain the proper nutrition for the treatments to be effective. The impact goes beyond individual health.

 

Leading interfaith relations speaker to visit EWU

Leading interfaith relations speaker to visit EWU

Next week one of the country's leading speakers on interfaith relations will at Eastern Washington University. Chris Stedman will be reading from his new book “Faitheist” as well as hosting a workshop and lecture on interfaith relations.

 

The event is hosted by EWU's Compassionate Interfaith Society, a group on campus that is dedicated to religious tolerance. The group was created after student Skyler Oberst witnessed Muslim peers being harassed for their beliefs by other students.

 

Oberst approached a professor and a discussion panel was set up to address the religious intolerance. For Oberst the panel didn't solve the problem.