Tracy Simmons

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.

FāVS Religion News Roundup: Christ Church vs. Moscow, Idaho, Spokane Non-Profit Suspended & More

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, three members of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, were arrested for their part in a maskless Psalm Sing. The service, organized by church leaders, was held outside, downtown and video of the arrests later went viral on social media.

Religion News Roundup: Spokane Church Mourns 3, Standing Against Hate and Feeding Hungry

Religion News Roundup: Spokane Church Mourns 3, Standing Against Hate and Feeding Hungry News Story by Tracy Simmons | FāVS News The big religion headline...

Abstaining from Intoxicants Is a Buddhist Precept I Use as a Guide, not Firm Commitment

Because the fifth Buddhist precept specifically says, “I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins …” I chose not to take this precept. I have a sweet tooth. I drink. I watch trash TV sometimes and knew this is a vow I would break from time to time.

FāVS Religion News Update: New Missionaries, Diversity in WA Universities, Native American Justice & More

Religion news is all around us, and although FāVS reporters are all over town working on stories, it's hard to cover it all in a timely and efficient manner. So, FāVS launched this weekly religion news roundup to give readers a synopsis of what's going on in this region.

FāVS Religion News Update: VBS Assault, Hate Crimes and UCC Leadership

FāVS is launching a weekly religion news roundup to give readers a synopsis of what's going on this region.

The Buddhist Precept of Refraining from Wrong Speech Teaches Me to Honor Others with My Words

The fourth precept I’m writing about for this series is on refraining from wrong speech.

Refraining from Sexual Misconduct Opened Me Up to Love

I didn’t really date in high school, or even college, so I didn’t have to deal with the same temptations my peers did. I was frightened by what my faith community had taught me about sex and romance, so gladly avoided it. I was also in the closet until my 20s.

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