Good morning, Spokane Valley.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department’s Swiftwater Rescue team worked with City of Spokane and Snohomish County agencies to rescue residents from Western Washington floods, including efforts in King and Skagit Counties, before returning to standby for further storm-related calls + additional state resources were mobilized.

Nicholas Newell, born on Christmas Day, spread holiday cheer with his Saint Nicholas Christmas Foundation which bought presents for assisted living residents and supplied teddy bears for children’s hospitals and first responders — a tradition that began in 2018 and now reaches six states.

Washington, Montana, and Oregon announced future increases to their minimum wage; Washington will raise it from $16.66 to $17.13 and Montana from $10.55 to $10.85 on January 1, while Oregon plans a raise in July with details pending.

Medical Lake School District received $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to train school psychologists with graduate interns serving in local and rural schools in ESD 101.

The grant—spread over four years—will pay interns who work for a year and then serve for two more years.

Washington shoppers will pay 12 cents for a plastic bag at checkout starting Thursday, Jan.

1, 2026, up from 8 cents, as the state aims to curb plastic waste; many plan to use reusable bags (to save money and reduce waste) instead of buying new ones.

Flags in Washington will be lowered to half-staff from Saturday, Dec.

27 to Monday, Dec. 29 to honor trooper Tara-Marysa Guting — who was killed while investigating a crash — and Spokane facilities will follow the same directive.

Mary Jo Trombley, PhD, explains how holiday stress can make people vulnerable to emotional manipulation and advises setting clear boundaries + detaching from harmful emotional traps.

She highlights signs such as guilt and confusion that signal an imbalance in personal interactions.