Free Lunch

Riccelli proposes free school meals for all students. Plus, Lisa Brown is mum

on a mayor run; and the county considers a ballpark upgrade.

Overdrawn school lunch accounts could be a thing of the past if the Washington Legislature likes a Spokane lawmaker’s idea. State Rep. Marcus Riccelli’s House Bill 1238 would provide free lunch and breakfast to all students who request the meals starting in the 2023-24 school year. Already, about 700,000 of the state’s 1.1 million K-12 students receive free school meals, but the bill would make the policy universal. Not everyone is a fan: Chewelah School District Superintendent Jason Perrins testified to the House Education Committee in January that he doesn’t think schools are responsible for feeding kids. “To have a generation grow up believing that the state will feed them and take care of them undermines everything we are trying to do,” Perrins told lawmakers. “Is a life free of troubles the new standard?” Meanwhile, Riccelli told his peers “food is health” and that “consistent access to nutritious food is part of how we protect kids from getting sick while ensuring they have the fuel they need to learn, grow and play.”

(SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

HOW NOW, LISA BROWN?

After four years leading the Washington state Department of Commerce, Lisa Brown is stepping down. In a phone call, Brown wouldn’t say if she’s running for mayor of Spokane. “I’m going to talk about what’s next in early March,” she says. Brown did say she’s not planning to move to Northern California, despite her husband’s working remotely in Spokane for a law firm located there. Former City Council President Ben Stuckart, who had been interested in running (again) for mayor if Brown didn’t, is uncharacteristically circumspect. “I’m not in a place where I’m allowed to say anything, or could say anything, or should say anything,” he says. If Brown does run for mayor, she and Mayor Nadine Woodward will both face questions about their leadership — especially on Camp Hope, the large East Central homeless encampment on state-owned property. Despite efforts by the commerce department to find alternative housing or shelter for residents, the camp still stands. “The city administration ... thought the state involvement meant they could just make the camp go away,” Brown says. “The concept of ‘we’ll just sweep it’ … wasn’t, in my opinion, humane, practical or legal.” (DANIEL WALTERS)

Stadium Sharing

Avista Stadium is turning 65 this year, and the county-owned ballpark needs upgrades in order to comply with Major League Baseball requirements. On Monday, Spokane County commissioners moved one step closer to an agreement with the Spokane Indians baseball team that would help pay for the $22 million project. The county has committed up to $8 million, on the condition that the team match the funds. As part of the deal, the county wants to raise the team’s rent, charge them for maintenance and get a cut of revenue. On Monday, the commissioners discussed an offer from the Indians that would see them give the county $1 for every ticket sold after the first 250,000 of the season. Spokane Valley is putting $2 million toward the project, which includes upgrades to the stadium’s lights, locker rooms and field surface. The Indians have pledged $2 million so far and are seeking money from other sources, including the state Legislature, so they can match the rest of the commissioners’ funds. (NATE SANFORD)

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