ALT MEDICINE  Bobby definitely knows more than I do. In a Thursday afternoon class at the Aiki Institute of Spokane, the 10-year-old boy wears his experience — an orange belt — around his waist.
Bobby is patient and serious as I nervously laugh: I’m supposed to push him down. He wants me to. And James Landry, the sensei and chief instructor of the Institute’s Roshinkan Aikido dojo, is saying to do it, too. Grab his elbow. Take a step. Push Bobby on the mat. Read More>>

PEOPLE  “You got a puppy?!” The boy, a little guy with blonde hair, not more than three years old, nods at Dick Boysen, who puts his hands on his knees and says, “Wow! What kind?” While he talks to the boy about his puppy, a little girl in a hula skirt and a lei shuffles by. Boysen stands up and smiles as he looks around the classroom — there’s a girl making art out of glue and sand on construction paper, a teacher working with a group of youngsters on their colors. There’s the little hula girl. Read More>>

PEOPLE  There haven’t been a lot of things that have stood in Anna Mae Ericksen’s way. You could argue that Ericksen, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday at a party with more than 200 guests, has been one of the most influential developers of Spokane’s thriving medical industry. But you wouldn’t really need to argue — there aren’t many who’d disagree. Read More>>

PEOPLE  Mary Ann Wilson is the kind of person you want to spill your heart to.

I’m 20 minutes late for our interview — there are too many Starbucks locations in this town — but Mary Ann still greets me with a smile, warmly touching my arm with sincere “it’s all right” understanding. Read More>>

SENIORS  “My role is to keep the highways healthy — I like to think,” Amy Doneen says. But she’s not wearing an orange vest and toting a trash bag — no, Doneen is talking about the practice she’s built here in Spokane that centers around keeping arteries clean and clear. Healthy. Free of any obstruction that could turn into a heart attack or a stroke. Read More>>

PEOPLE  The clanging chatter of health care reform is nothing new to John Driscoll — it’s always been there as he’s navigated the choppy waters of the health care industry as a case manager, a health care administrator and in his current posts in the Washington State House of Representatives and as the executive director of Spokane’s Project Access. Read More>>

PEOPLE  For most of us, the workday starts when we reach the office. For Dr. William Sayres, work starts when he flips on his kitchen light. As the 52-year-old family physician prepares breakfast in his Valleyford home, he often gets calls from nearby neighbors needing a little medical assistance. How about a quick check on Mom? Could he answer a couple of quick questions about a prescription?
Sure, he says. He’ll come by. Making house calls is just a part of what he does. “It’s fun, and families are so appreciative,” he says. Read More>>

INNOVATION  Santiago Acosta watches his mother across the table from behind the lenses of his neon green eyeglasses. He scoots slowly down the table — slow enough not to garner any attention — with his cup of macaroni and cheese. His eyes are on her as he attempts to sit under the table with his lunch. Read More>>