Palouse Health Center moves to new location

PALOUSE — Primary care is being offered at Palouse Health Center’s new location in Palouse.

The clinic moved to 305 E. Main St., Suite 102, across the street from its former office, according to a news release from Pullman Regional Hospital.

The providers at the clinic are two physician assistants, Jen Davis and Teresa Cargill. They see patients from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.

They complete physicals for adults and children and care for patients with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The telephone number of the clinic is (509) 878-1890. Palouse Health Center is a secondary location for Pullman Family Medicine and a member of the Pullman Regional Hospital Clinic Network.

Avista Foundation awards grants to area nonprofit organizations

A $25,000 grant to the Tri-State Hospital Foundation in Clarkston is one of 48 that the Avista Foundation made to nonprofit organizations in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska in a round of funding announced last week.

Other groups in the area that received awards were Community Action Center in Pullman ($10,000) and Family Promise of the Palouse ($5,000).

The Avista Foundation gave a total of $403,700 in its most recent grants for efforts to support education, economic and cultural vitality, as well as individuals who are vulnerable or have limited incomes.

The Avista Foundation is a not-for-profit group established by Avista Corp. It does not receive money from Avista Utilities or Alaska Electric Light and Power through rates.

Clarkston business raises ‘oysters of the earth’

CLARKSTON — Gourmet mushrooms are the specialty of Hells Canyon Mycology, a business taking root in Clarkston.

Most of its mushrooms are raised in a storage unit behind The Hangar Antique Mall and the remainder are collected in the region with responsible practices, said the owner, Dillon Vopat, in an email.

It markets a number of kinds of fresh mushrooms to restaurants and consumers that are available by calling (509) 800-7530 or emailing hcmycology@gmail.com.

Among them are several types of oyster mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms known for their “earthy, nutty” taste.

Oyster mushrooms sell for $15 per pound and come in several varieties.

“The (Blue Oysters) have a spongy, dense and slightly chewy texture,” according to Hells Canyon Mycology’s website.

The raw mushrooms have a smell reminiscent of the seashore and anise. “Once cooked, Blue Oysters soften, developing a velvety, tender texture and contain a mild, earthy and savory taste with licorice-like nuances,” according to the website.

Some are dehydrated to be shelf stable and sold at local retailers, Vopat said.

“The main focus of Hells Canyon Mycology is to provide a healthy, gourmet alternative to the surrounding areas that is not only sustainable, but affordable,” he said.

Vopat developed his knowledge about propagating mushrooms by raising them at home before founding Hells Canyon Mycology last year.

He previously has been a supervisor at Lewiston’s Red Lobster and grown cannabis for Washington state’s legal industry.

Vopat has two business partners. They are Neil Switzer, a financial analyst at P1FCU, and Joe Ruggiero, a Clarkston retiree who has invested in a number of ventures, including a mushroom canning business in Turkey.

Vopat runs the farm with one apprentice, Dalton Neal, whose parents own The Hangar.

Living green wall is a feature of upgraded Lewiston dealership

LEWISTON — A living green wall with 298 plants has been completed at the recently upgraded Rogers Subaru at 1720 21st St. in Lewiston.

The 10-foot-tall, 12-foot-wide wall filtrates and can passively oxygenate about 3,000 square feet of the dealership, said Daniel Lorenson, a service manager of GSky Plant Systems, the vendor that created the installation.

It’s watered through an automatic irrigation system that has a soothing sound similar to a stream and the fresh smell of the plants permeates the area around it, he said.

GSky was founded in 2004 and has installed or is under contract for 1,400 plant walls with almost 450,000 square feet in 20 countries, Lorenson said.

Posters helping development agency set its priorities

CLARKSTON — Clusters of red dots on a white poster at the Asotin County Library in Clarkston reveal challenges that worry some of the community’s residents the most.

Housing availability and affordability, along with airport and bus transportation, are identified as issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible based on stickers placed by citizens.

The poster is one of about a dozen placed in towns in Asotin, Whitman and Garfield counties for a survey of Southeast Washington Economic Development Association, said Erika Stricker, the organization’s executive director.

Housing has surfaced as a key concern throughout the area along with the availability of child care, she said.

The posters, along with questions individuals can answer on the association’s website at seweda.org, will help the organization set priorities, Stricker said.

People can participate in the survey through the end of the month.

Workshop with tips on federal contracts planned May 3 at Lewiston library

LEWISTON — How businesses can increase revenue through federal contracts is the topic of a free, four-hour workshop set for 10 a.m. May 3 at the Lewiston City Library at 411 D St.

Reservations are required for the event and close Wednesday. They are available by calling (509) 758-7712. Lunch is included at no charge.

The Northwest Intermountain Manufacturers Association and Clearwater Economic Development Association are presenting the workshop that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Williams is the business editor of the Lewiston Tribune. She may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.