Mike suffered from knee pain off and on for several years, a condition that slowly worsened over time. He liked to remain active, but with every step he felt pain, which limited his activity. Slowly, the weight started coming on, which only compounded the pain.
Seeking help from his orthopedic doctor, Mike was told he would need a knee replacement, one of the hardest and most painful surgeries to recover from. He could not afford six weeks off work to recover, and he knew too many friends who did not find relief from this surgery.
Instead, Mike decided to try something new, a stem cell injection in the knee. At Healthy Living Liberty Lake, umbilical cord stem cells were injected in the knee, a 15-minute procedure. After just one month, he noticed an improvement in pain, and at three months he was walking 3 miles a day and able to play tennis. The knee continued to improve over the next year, and he is now completely pain free with cartilage restored in the joint.
Dr. Susan Ashley of Healthy Living Liberty Lake said patients like Mike are seen every day at the clinic, and their lives are restored through the use of stem cells.
As technology and interest in renewable energy options grow, consider how you might incorporate these options into your home and life.
Electric Vehicles Considering going electric on the road? It’s a big change, but one that’s getting easier, thanks to the expanding number of vehicle options and charging locations. Avista is ready to be your resource with information and programs to help you install an electric vehicle (EV) charger in your home or business.
Driving an EV can save you more than 70 percent on fuel costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent and local pollution from tailpipe emissions by up to 100 percent.
EVs are cars or trucks that run on battery technology with an operational range of 10-300 miles.
Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) — run on electricity only
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) — run on a blend of electricity and gasoline
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) — powered by electricity only
Most EV owners install a charger in their home. A Level 1 connector (comes with your vehicle) with a 120 volt AC outlet in your garage will gain 3 to 5 miles per hour of charging. Most drivers of today’s PHEV vehicles, like the Chevy Volt, find that a Level 1 charger in their garage works just fine. Owners of all-electric BEVs, like the Nissan Leaf, have larger battery packs and often need a Level 2 connector with a 208/240 volt AC receptacle to gain 10 to 25 miles per hour of charge, or a full recharge overnight.
Public EV charging stations are popping up all over, making EVs more accessible for many drivers. In the Liberty Lake area, Avista partnered with the city to install a public charger in Town Square, and with STA to install a DC fast charger site at the nearby Park and Ride.
Residential Solar Another renewable option on the mind of some homeowners is solar. With solar you can produce your own electricity (when the sun is shining), reduce your electric bill and shrink your carbon footprint.
Because onsite solar installation can be expensive and is a long-term commitment, there are some important questions to consider as you evaluate whether solar is right for you:
Will solar installation affect my roof warranty?
Are there restrictions from my HOA, city or county?
Will solar affect my homeowner’s insurance premium?
What are my goals? Am I seeking to offset all or a portion of my energy use?
Avista’s solar estimator tool can help you compare your options and calculate estimates for varied systems and financial models at avista.wattplan.com/pv/.
My Clean Energy Interested in showing your support for renewable energy without installing solar panels on your roof? Consider Avista’s My Clean Energy program, a flexible way to directly support our transition to clean, renewable energy.
By adding as little as $1 to your monthly Avista payment, you are greening your energy. Your dollars go toward the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) with a mix of wind, solar and other clean generation. A $1 subscription buys one block of 100kWh regional energy. You decide on the number of blocks you want to purchase. For each $1, you’ll offset greenhouse gas emissions from an average car driving 173 miles. There is also a national energy option.
In just one year, Avista My Clean Energy customers contributed to offsetting more than 73 million kWh of electric use with clean, renewable energy — enough to power more than 6,000 homes for one year.
Frannie’s Kitchen at Chevron 1109 N. Liberty Lake Road, Liberty Lake
Featuring sausage, eggs, peppers, onions, hashbrowns and cheese, this breakfast burrito is freshly made in Frannie’s Kitchen inside Liberty Lake Chevron. Full-pound burrito option also available.
Why you’ll love it
When you think of food prepared fresh by a trained chef with years of experience, you probably aren’t thinking about gas station fare. Yet that’s exactly what’s offered in the northwest corner of Liberty Lake Chevron through Frannie’s Kitchen.
People walking in for the first time often expect prepackaged items that have been sitting in a food warmer for who-knows-how-long.
“That’s not what this is,” said Fran Stevens, the 10-year Chevron employee and longtime Liberty Lake resident behind Frannie’s Kitchen. “It’s not been sitting there for hours. You always have people who are prejudiced against gas station food, and we just have to fight the stigma.”
For someone with culinary training and experience working in catering and for resorts, Fran might seem overqualified for the job, but she loves the community environment, repeat customers and ability to surprise people with what they can find inside their local convenience store.
“Once they come in, they come back, and they tell their friends,” she said. “I just have to get them in the door.”
After establishing a loyal lunch crowd with gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Liberty Lake Chevron expanded this past year to provide breakfast offerings from 7 to 10 a.m. The combination of fresh-made food with grab-and-go convenience was already a hit, and a crowd of breakfast regulars formed quickly.
Owner Don Douglas said credit goes to Fran, who works behind the register for Chevron when she’s not behind the grill a few paces away. Fran makes the burritos and sandwiches to order, usually while visiting with the customer. She uses hearty meats, real cheese and fresh, store-bought ingredients she hand-selects. Customers also love her homemade cookies.
In addition to the Southwest Breakfast Burrito, Fran said morning commuters love grabbing the Three Little Pigs — a ham, bacon and sausage burrito — and the Southern Style, highlighted by sausage and gravy.
Lunch standouts include grilled-to-order specialty sandwiches from the Pulled Pork and Cheddar, to the Italian, to the ever-changing Specialty Sandwich of the Week.
“It’s not what you would expect from a gas station,” Don said of Frannie’s Kitchen. “We don’t know what’s next in her fresh kitchen, but we know it will taste great!”
