It's Primary Day in Idaho, and Vaughn Ward wants desperately to be the Republican to unseat Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick. The guy, however, has some troubles. Like charges of plagiarism and delinquency in paying his taxes.
The latest in Ward's bad news is being called "the most incompetent candidate in America" by Salon.com. Ouch.
Not really the press you want on the day the ballots come in. But check it out here!
UPDATE: The day keeps on giving. Ward made the front page of Talking Points Memo as well. It's headline: "Vaughn Ward: Worst Candidate Ever?" And the Guardian, in Great Britain, chimed in, calling Ward the "dumb and paste Republican candidate."
Here's a taste of Ward's incompetence — if you're gonna copy any speech, why would you pick the one that launched the career of Barack Obama?
Tags: Vaughn Ward , politics , idaho , News , Video
"Agenda 21 is evil!!" This declaration comes from the new Website put forth by the Spokane Patriots, proving once again the Patriots are way more active than the Tea Party of Spokane. Their ongoing target: sustainability programs at City Hall.
Articulating further on their theory that the United Nations is planning on undermining U.S. sovereignty one city at a time (through the sustainable development program Agenda 21), the group's Website puts forth this helpful primer on "Agenda 21 buzzwords":
Thanks. Super helpful.
Tags: politics , sustainability , News
Two days until Volume! And our fourth video is up. Meet Ze Krau: some of the baddest punk rockers around. Read our story on the band here and watch the video below.
Tags: local music issue , ze krau , video , Music , Video
Flag on the play The U.S. Flag Code doesn't take kindly to the national flag being flown alongside the Arbor Day flag, and neither have the veterans in Kellogg. That, along with moving the memorial that flew both flags, has several Kellogg veterans incensed. (KREM)
Cop out, for now The battle over the powers of the police ombudsman has been extended — stemming from a confidential memo from city attorneys that supposedly details the possible cost of giving the ombudsman more power. (SR)
And then there were two (semesters) University High School is becoming like the rest of the school districts. It's changing from the trimester system to the usual semester system. One big reason: staffing cuts. (KXLY)
The budget axe continues its swath of destruction Meanwhile, in the Coeur d'Alene School District all salaries have been cut by 3.2 percent. Teachers will also be required to take six unpaid furlough days. It's all part of the challenge to cut $4.8 million from the budget. (CdA Press)
The DOW downfall continues This time, its not just Greek debt that's to blame. Spanish debt has joined the slew of European economic problems. (NYT)
Tags: morning headlines , News
The friendly folks at CheckItOutMusic.com interviewed me today about our Local Music Issue and Thursday's once-a-year local music extravaganza, Volume. Give it a listen here.
Tags: local music issue , volume , Music , Image
Earlier today, we posted a blog about all the hardware we brought home at the recent Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition, presented by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Here are links to the winners:
FIRST PLACE
Wasteland
Spokane native Todd Carmichael and the Pig race against time frostbite and insanity. Jacob H. Fries
Child's Gambit
At the Elementary Chess Championships guileless children became ruthless competitors. Luke Baumgarten
Practical Jokes
On the eve of his biggest performance ever, Dan Cummins has learned nothing so much as this: It's complicated being funny. Luke Baumgarten
An Art History of Violence
Meditations on art's oldest obsession. Luke Baumgarten
Saving Salish
Salish isn't just a language. It's a bridge between generations. And for the Kalispel, it's dangerously close to being lost forever. Kevin Taylor
A Delicate Proposition
Envision Spokane's Prop 4 could either revolutionize Spokane or destroy it. Depends who you ask. Kevin Taylor
SECOND PLACE
Put Your Finger On It
For 20 years Bruce Bodden has been playing the flute part in Dvorak's Eighth Symphony. He's still searching for perfection. Michael Bowen
Misdiagnosed
Why Spokane's infamously high MS rates may be nothing more than a self-fulfilling myth. Nicholas Deshais
THIRD PLACE
Great White
The giant Palouse earthworm can't be found — yet it's dividing the Palouse. Leah Sottile
State of Debate
Former debaters and current coaches lament the state of high school debate in the Spokane area. Feel free to argue. Daniel Walters
* Our art director, Chris Bovey, also took home three awards for graphics and page design.
Tags: awards , journalism , News
Three days until Volume! And performing right smack in the middle of the event will be Jaeda, the reigning queen of Spokane hip-hop. Check out our video on her, the third in a series of five videos on this year's Bands to Watch, below. And read our profile on her here
Tags: local music issue , jaeda , video , Music , Video
Tags: I Saw You
Tags: I Saw You
Tags: I Saw You