Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Spokane teachers start school year while rebuilding homes lost to fires
And check out Belles at The District Bar on the Spokane Patch calendar
Good morning Spokane! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- Spokane teachers start school year while rebuilding homes lost to fires
- Man tied to Spokane's most destructive fire ruled competent for trial.
- How one Spokane family is rebuilding after losing everything to wildfire
Also on today's calendar: Candlelight: Tribute to Fleetwood Mac and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What did the wall say to the other wall. 🤔 (Answer below!)
From our Partner
Today's Spokane Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Spokane Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Spokane. 
- Wednesday: Hot, with a high of 95 and low of 62 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
- Thursday: Partly sunny, temps: high: 86, low: 55.
- Friday: Hazy sunshine, with a high of 81 and low of 55 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. 'It's like I'm living two lives right now': Teachers who lost homes in fires ready for first day of school (spokesman.com) — Spokane teachers and staff who lost their homes in the Spokane Complex fires are heading into the first day of school already exhausted, while still dealing with insurance, housing, and basic needs. At Flett Middle School alone, 35 students are displaced, and educators are balancing their own trauma with the desire to give kids stability and support in class. 
2. Court documents: Man accused of setting Old Trails Fire found competent to stand trial (krem.com) — A man accused of starting the devastating Old Trails Fire in northwest Spokane has been found competent to stand trial after a detailed psychological evaluation. The fire is described as the most destructive in Spokane's history, forcing about 68,000 people to evacuate and destroying more than 800 structures, though a trial date has not yet been set.
3. Spokane fire survivors who lost their home detail the long road to recovery (ideastream.org) — A Spokane family who lost their home in recent wildfires is sharing how they're navigating insurance, housing, and emotional fallout as they work toward rebuilding. Their story, originally aired nationally, highlights the long recovery Spokane residents face after devastating local fires and underscores how displacement is reshaping daily life well beyond the initial emergency.
4. A new round of tariffs on Canada could add to Spokane's economic uncertainty (spokesman.com) — Spokane-area builders and homeowners could face higher costs as new and proposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods threaten to drive up prices for lumber and other materials the local construction industry relies on, including for rebuilding after recent fires. Local economists and industry leaders describe an uncertain outlook, with possible price hikes, squeezed profits, and broader affordability pressures for households.
5. Los Angeles leads US metros in new wildfire maps tracking home-to-home fire danger (thecooldown.com) — Spokane is singled out among Western metros for significant home-to-home wildfire risk, with new mapping showing how one burning house could quickly endanger nearby properties. The analysis, driven by structure-to-structure fire modeling, suggests Spokane homeowners may face higher vulnerability, insurance pressures, and a drier Pacific Northwest outlook under a strong El Niño, underscoring the value of neighborhood-level fire-prevention work.
📸 Around Spokane
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Spokane
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Belles at The District Bar →
The District, 916 W 1st Ave, Spokane
7:00 pm
Friday August 28
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Dungeons and Dragons: Table 1
Spokane Public Library Shadle Park - Shadle Park Classroom
3:15 pm - Early-onset Dementia Caregiver Support Group
Spokane Public Library South Hill - South Hill Events
5:30 pm - CreativeMornings Spokane
Spokane Public Library Shadle Park - Shadle Park Events
8:30 am - Write Together
Spokane Public Library Hillyard - Hillyard Events
10:00 am - All in for the Orange & Black
Lewis & Clark High School 3508 S Grand Blvd, Spokane, WA 99203, USA
4:00 pm - Healing Hands Creative Hearts
Spokane Public Library Central -
11:00 am - Candlelight: Tribute to Fleetwood Mac →
Riverside Place, 1110 W Riverside Ave, Spokane
5:30 pm - Adaptive Tai Chi
Spokane Public Library Shadle Park - Shadle Park Events
10:00 am - Candlelight: Tribute to Michael Jackson →
Davenport Hotel, Autograph Collection, 10 S Post St, Spokane
6:30 pm - Candlelight: Tribute to Pink Floyd →
Davenport Hotel, Autograph Collection, 10 S Post St, Spokane
8:30 pm - English and American Masterworks →
127 E 12th Ave, Spokane
7:00 pm
Thursday August 27
Friday August 28
Saturday August 29
Monday August 31
Saturday September 5
Friday September 11
📣 Spokane Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Spokane PatchAM possible:
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- URGENT — TWO MISSING PUGS — SOUTH HILL
Max and Cooper are missing from the 57th Ave / Regal St / Crestline area on Spokane's South Hill. They may have gotten out sometime after about 9 PM… (Nextdoor South Hill) - Hey, my neighbor just found five kittens that are probably a little more than a couple weeks old.
They were under her wood pile. I'm looking for those who do fostering of kittens in Spokane? Spokanimal is closed right now. Not sure if the mom is… (Nextdoor Northern West Plains)
- Hot Topic posted a job opening for Part-Time Assistant Manager in Spokane. Apply here.
- Arcadia Home Care and Staffing posted a job opening for Home Care Service Coordinator in Spokane. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Spokane here.
Ok Spokane! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Meet me at the corner. (Thank you Earlene M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
👉 Help make Patch AM better
- Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
- Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
- List items for sale or services offered
We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.