Inland Northwest Senior

July 2026 Events Calendar

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Annuities can function as 'personal pensions'

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Private citizens, business owners, and self-employed professionals can create their own version of a pension — guaranteed income for life — by using annuities.

Business succession requires preparation

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Spokane is in the early stages of one of the most significant economic shifts our region has seen in a generation. Tens of thousands of baby boomer business owners across the country are approaching retirement, and many have not yet reckoned with what that means for the businesses they spent decades building. Here in Spokane, that wave is already arriving.

Former Bulldog Tavern site sells for $1.6M

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

The former Bulldog Tavern property in Spokane's Logan neighborhood has changed hands. Erik Morris and J.D. Winn, co-owners of Logan Tavern — which occupies the site — acquired the property in April for $1.6 million through their company Morrwinn LLC, from Willard Quinn III.

Chinook introduces dry-aged beef program

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

A new dry-aged beef program at the Chinook Steak, Seafood & Pasta restaurant in the Couer d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel is driving both flavor innovation and increased sales, says executive chef Alex Santos-Cucalon.

Restaurateurs' journey one of grit, resilience

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

As owners of the Italian Kitchen in Spokane, Bryce and Lyndsay Kerr successfully navigate a very difficult middle ground. Their restaurant is a locally-owned, hospitality-driven, relationship-based business operating in an economy increasingly dominated by convenience apps, chain restaurants, social media influencers, and ever-shortening attention spans.

Longtime pump expert comes out of retirement

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

A Spokane entrepreneur is leveraging 62 years of experience in the industrial pump industry by offering educational seminars to maintenance workers and engineers here and across the Inland Northwest.

Real Meals adds partnerships to meet demand

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Spokane-based meal preparation company Real Meals, a scratch-made meal delivery and pickup service, has doubled its workforce and expanded partnerships with gyms and senior living facilities as demand for convenient, prepared meals continues to grow, says Real Meals owner and chef Jenny Finau.

Active aging: YMCA offers classes for older adults

virginiat@spokanejournal.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

From exercise routines and tips for staying active to opportunities for camaraderie, YMCA of the Inland Northwest offers a host of classes aimed at supporting older adults in the region.

July 2026 Meals on Wheels menus

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

July 2026 Activities

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0400

June 2026 Events Calendar

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Retirees should consider ways to stay engaged

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Retirement planning shouldn’t just be about quitting a job and getting away from work. It should be about what’s next. What does a person want to achieve as they author the next chapter of their life?

Care connections: SimpliAge matches seniors with resources

samh@spokanejournal.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

SimpliAge LLC is a Spokane-based company that advises seniors and their families for free as they navigate senior living options.

SpokAnimal partners with Pets for the Elderly

samh@spokanejournal.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Spokane-based humane society SpokAnimal recently announced a new partnership that will help place pets with elderly community members for no or low cost, says Dori Peck, the nonprofit’s executive director.

2026 Icons: Ray Lawton

dylanh@spokanejournal.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Four generations of the Lawton family have led Lawton Printing Inc. and FILE-EZ Inc. — an accomplishment most family businesses can’t claim. Instrumental to that level of continuity has been Ray Lawton, 79, who, along with his late brother Gary Lawton, represents the third generation to lead both Spokane companies.

2026 Icons: Phyllis Campbell

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Phyllis Campbell, 2026 Spokane Journal of Business Icon, led an accumulative 50-year career in banking, philanthropy, and board service across the Inland Northwest and western Washington.

2026 Icons: Bill Simer

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Retired certified public accountant and Spokane community leader Bill Simer says his life would have looked much different had he not met a young woman and her brother in Spokane more than 50 years ago.

2026 Icons: Elaine Couture

ericab@spokanejournal.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Elaine Couture, former regional chief executive at Providence Health & Services who retired in 2021, is currently living her "best life," staying active and involved following a move to Arizona three years ago. Despite her relocation, her impact on the Spokane community remains anchored in the medical institutions she helped lead and expand over a distinguished 34-year career.

2026 Icons: Jeff Philipps

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

From a service clerk in Montana to the leader of a regional grocery chain in Spokane, Jeff Philipps says his legacy was built by consistently restocking a few simple ideas: "Businesses succeed when they invest in people, and communities grow stronger when leaders choose to give back."

2026 Icons: Barry Baker

mikem@spokanejournal.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Barry Baker, longtime head of prominent Spokane-based general contracting company Baker Construction & Development Inc., says he doesn’t need to go into the office every day, but now he’s having too much fun there to stay away for long.

June 2026 Activities

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

June 2026 Meals on Wheels menus

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Behind Bloomsday: The club that helped shape Spokane's iconic 12K

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:38:52 -0400

The Bloomsday Road Runners Club functions as a nonprofit running club that organizes races, publishes a monthly newsletter, and supports Spokane’s broader running community.

Traveling during retirement requires structure

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:38:42 -0400

If you want to enjoy travel throughout retirement — not just at the beginning — you have to give it structure. Not to limit it. But to protect you.

Billiards, bingo, and book clubs

samh@spokanejournal.com — Fri, 01 May 2026 16:38:26 -0400

On a bright Friday morning in April, the Spokane Valley Senior Center buzzed with activity. A table tennis meeting appeared in full swing, plastic balls pinging back and forth. Groups of people stared at the cards in their hands, deep in focus during a bridge tournament. On the bottom floor, pinochle players congregated in the art room, and across the hall, a handful of men shot pool.

State expands property tax relief program

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Fri, 01 May 2026 16:38:18 -0400

A newly expanded Washington property tax relief program is expected to lower tax bills for the households of more than 10,000 Spokane County seniors and people with disabilities, with thousands more newly eligible individuals expected to enroll.

Eastern Coffee Roasters opens at train depot

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:38:10 -0400

After more than a decade of fundraising, planning, and restoration, the Cheney Depot Society has reopened the city's historic train depot as a community gathering space anchored by a growing coffee company at 15 Union, in Cheney.

Positive outlook projected for '26 golf season

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:38:03 -0400

Many Spokane-area golf courses opened for business ahead of schedule despite a mid-March snowfall and other temporary closures, and managers say they’re cautiously optimistic for the season.

Spokane Winery Association builds momentum

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Fri, 01 May 2026 16:37:54 -0400

After a quiet period of low activity following the pandemic, the Spokane Winery Association is reemerging with new programming, expanded membership, and renewed momentum, even as the broader wine industry faces uncertainty.