Inland Northwest Senior

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.

Cheney Care Community advances expansion plans

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:37:44 -0400

Nonprofit senior care provider Cheney Care Community is moving forward with plans to develop dozens of independent living duplexes expanding its campus at 2219 N. Sixth, in Cheney.

Providence ElderPlace supports senior autonomy

karinae@spokanejournal.com — Fri, 01 May 2026 16:37:32 -0400

Every weekday at 10 a.m., seniors whose lives have been impacted by issues such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, or injuries and frailties that come with aging arrive at Providence ElderPlace in Spokane's Nevada Heights neighborhood for four hours of adult day care.

May 2026 Activities

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:37:06 -0400

May 2026 Events Calendar

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:36:53 -0400

May 2026 Meals on Wheels menus

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:36:33 -0400

Charitable giving creates impact, reduces taxes

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

Charitable giving can be a powerful tool, not only to support important causes but also to create lasting impact, reduce taxes, and strengthen family values around generosity and community.

Business owners should plan for incapacity

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

When most people think about planning for the possibility of incapacity, they often focus on their personal affairs. However, small business owners should think beyond their individual needs and consider whether they should make specific arrangements to ensure that their incapacity doesn’t incapacitate their business.

Gonzaga program offers free legal help for seniors

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

Gonzaga's Elder Law Clinic supports a wide variety of legal needs, from planning for the future to addressing immediate challenges that could threaten the stability of everyday life.

Meet & Greet with Steve Wenig, Spokane Symphony executive director

dylanh@spokanejournal.com — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

Steve Wenig took over as executive director of the Spokane Symphony in January.

Wenig brings over two decades of arts administration experience to the Spokane Symphony, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of the Oregon Symphony for 10 years.

Cybersecurity can create unintended hurdles

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

The sudden loss of a loved one is difficult enough without the additional chaos of hunting down passwords, navigating locked devices, or guessing which financial institutions might hold accounts. In these moments, heirs and executors need a clear, centralized, and accessible record of what exists, where to find it, and how to unlock it.

April 2026 Meals on Wheels menus

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