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Tracy Simmons

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Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.

Celebrating Epiphany by bringing light to West Central

Many residents may think West Central Neighborhood is disadvantaged. A 46-year-old man was shot to death there a month ago. Neighborhood Scout labeled it as low-income, and there are 19 registered sex offenders living within a 5-block radius of Salem Lutheran Church. Rev. Liv Larson Andrews, however, doesn't see it …

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Gays welcome: local church becomes open and affirming

It's been a long and difficult conversation. For two decades the Pacific Northwest Conference United Church of Christ tabled the gay issue. Should homosexuals be welcomed into the church? Should they be allowed to marry? Participate? Be ordained? Until last year no one could agree. Rev. Linda Crowe, of Veradale …

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Sravasti Abbey welcome home two ordained nuns

The Sravasti Abbeycommunity in Newport is now home to five officialbhikshunis, or ordained nuns. Ven. Chonyi and Ven. Jigme recently returned from Taiwan, where they participated in theInternational Triple Platform Full Ordination training and ceremony, making them the fourth and fifth bhikshunis at the abbey. According to the monastic ethical …

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2011: A year of taking it to the streets

By KEVIN ECKSTROM Religion News Service 2011 was supposed to be the year the world ended. Twice. But after evangelist Harold Camping’s doomsday predictions failed to materialize, all eyes are now on 2012 when, according to an ancient Mayan calendar, we need to once again prepare for the end of …

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Spokane area holiday listings

By TRACY SIMMONS SpokaneFAVS.com Christmas and Hanukkah are upon us, and that means worship services, pageants and concerts abound. Below is a list of Spokane area events. CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS All Saints Lutheran Church, Candlelight Service, Saturday, 5 p.m. All Nations Christian Center, Christmas Eve Service, Saturday, 7 p.m. Chattaroy Community …

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