Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Posted By on Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 8:00 AM

HERE

VOTE: Cast your ballots today for the primary election to set candidates for Spokane City Council and Spokane Valley City Council. See drop-off locations. Polls close at 8 pm. (Inlander)

Nez Perce tribal members temporarily blocked a "megaload" of oil refinery equipment passing through Idaho this morning. (S-R)

Investigators believe butane and cigarette sparked the car explosion in the Garland District. (KREM)

Someone stole approximately $100,000 in gold and silver coins from a home safe in Coeur d'Alene on Sunday. (CDA Press)

THERE

Northwest firefighters brace for new round of lightning storms. (Oregonian)

Gunman kills three at Pennsylvania town meeting. (CNN)

Amazon mogul Jeffrey Bezos buys Washington Post. (NY Times)

WORLD OF WEIRD II

THE HORROR: A 100-pound python kills two Canadian children after escaping pet store. (AP)

Washington man jailed for blowing up dog with explosive device. (Seattle Times)

Beware the fat-berg: Waste workers find bus-sized, 15-ton glob of food fat clogging sewer system in London suburb. (BBC)



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Monday, August 5, 2013

Posted By on Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 3:39 PM

Turnout during local primary elections is historically lame. Last August it was 27 percent in Spokane County. Even that was higher than the 22 percent state average.

Let's try to break the 30 percent mark this time around, shall we?

Those of you who are registered to vote have received your ballots in the mail and (we trust) read our rundowns on who's asking for your vote for the Spokane City Council, the Valley City Council and the state senate seat representing the far-flung 7th District. If not, bone up, and/or check out the County's Voter Guide

Ballots must be postmarked or dropped at one of these locations by 8 pm tomorrow (results starting flowing at 8:15):

  • Airway Heights (1213 S Lundstrom St)
  • Argonne (4322 N Argonne Rd)
  • Deer Park (208 S Forest Ave)
  • Downtown (906 W Main Ave)
  • East Side (524 S Stone St)
  • Fairfield (305 E Main St)
  • Hillyard (4005 N Cook St)
  • Indian Trail (4909 W Barnes Rd)
  • Liberty Lake (23123 E Mission Ave)
  • Moran Prairie (6004 S Regal St)
  • North Spokane (44 E Hawthorne Rd)
  • Otis Orchards (22324 E Wellesley Ave)
  • Shadle Park (2111 W Wellesley Ave)
  • South Hill (3324 S Perry St)
  • Spokane Valley (12004 E Main Ave)
  • STA Plaza (701 W Riverside Ave)
  • Elections Office (1033 W Gardner Ave)
The two candidates with the most votes in each race will continue on to the general election Nov. 5. 


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Posted By on Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 9:08 AM

Amid debates about NSA surveillance and license plate readers on police vehicles, the Spokane City Council was set to vote tonight on an ordinance requiring council approval before city departments purchase or use of certain surveillance technologies. Now, after criticism that the ordinance didn’t go far enough, its sponsor Council President Ben Stuckart is making changes and postponing the vote until Aug. 19.

The ordinance defines surveillance equipment as anything “capable of capturing or recording data, including images, videos, photographs or audio operated by or at the direction of a City department that may deliberately or inadvertently capture activities of individuals on public or private property, regardless of whether ‘masking’ or other technology might be used to obscure or prevent the equipment from capturing certain views." That includes “drones or unmanned aircraft and any attached equipment used to collect data.”

Stuckart introduced the ordinance following Seattle’s consideration of a similar law. He told a Public Safety Committee meeting in June it would be “better to have this protection in place versus waiting for it to happen and then us be upset about police drones above us.”

But the original ordinance didn’t mention leased equipment and excluded a handful of technologies used by police that activists argued should be better regulated.

The ordinance did not require any pre-approval for handheld or body-worn devices used by law enforcement, traffic cameras, cameras inside or at entrances to city buildings, cameras in or on police vehicles or those on fire, emergency, utility or street maintenance vehicles “intended for safe operation of the vehicles,” or “a camera installed to monitor and protect the physical integrity of city infrastructure.”

In a letter late last month, the ACLU of Washington argued the ordinance should cover all surveillance equipment and activities “that pose a potential threat to privacy,” like red light cameras and cameras mounted on public buildings. Other community activists argued body cameras shouldn't be excluded, Stuckart says. So now he’s “stopped being so stubborn” and is looking at ways to balance “everybody’s needs and wishes,” he says.

Stuckart says in the new ordinance the requirement for council approval will still only apply to new technologies — not those already in existence, like license plate readers — but departments will be required to write protocols for existing and exempted equipment. Those protocols will be public and include things like how the department will use the data it gathers and how long it will be stored. Stuckart says he’s working with prosecutors, police and activists in rewriting the ordinance. He expects to send the revised ordinance to other council members by the end of this week.

Jacob Jones contributed to this report.


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Posted By on Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 8:16 AM

HERE

Mobius science museum struggling with finances, seeking new location. (S-R)

Car explosion in Garland District sends man, 3-year-old daughter to hospital. (KXLY)

A suspected drunken driver crashed into a Skipper's on North Monroe this morning. It's the second time this year. (KREM)

THERE

A US military helicopter has crashed in Japan. (Reuters)

A-Rod facing suspension for alleged drug and collective bargaining violations. (NYTimes)

Trial for Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger wrapping up closing arguments today. (Boston Globe)

WORLD OF WEIRD

Scientists serve up first test-tube hamburger for London news conference. (BBC)

California deputy faces jail time for allegedly spraying teen's pizza with pepper spray during traffic stop. (NBC)

Japan launches first talking humanoid robot into space to keep astronaut company. (Time)

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Posted By on Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 1:51 PM

In May we showed you Teen Wolf. In June you voted for Office Space. Now, after a summer hiatus — we were busy moving to our new HQ — we've got a date for the next Suds & Cinema event on Sept. 11.

Now all we need is the movie. Vote from these five suggested by readers, including a reappearance from last time's runner-up, Spaceballs. Scroll down for trailers if you're not sure which way to cast your vote. Voting ends at 5 pm on Tuesday, Aug. 6.


Airplane!


Animal House


Harry and the Hendersons


Hot Rod


Spaceballs

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Posted on Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 8:24 AM



Thank you to whoever found my wife's purse in the Fred Meyer parking lot
and took it to the customer service counter. She didn't realize that she
had dropped it when she was putting our baby in the car. We had just gotten
paid and we would have been in a world of hurt if we lost our rent money.
Thank you!

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Posted on Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 8:24 AM



I Saw Duane12 from St Maries, Idaho on a website, and am waiting a
response. Pass this message on to him if you know him. Please send your
reply to amtrueblue@yahoo.com. I will know who you are by certain responses
from that website, from funthebesttime.

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Posted on Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 8:24 AM



To the blonde woman driving a silver SUV the morning of Monday, July 29th
at Dutch Bros on Freya Street: Thanks for the horning blaring and nasty
gesturing because you thought I intentionally cut in front of you in line
for coffee. I honestly didn't see your SUV, and I apologized when "you
brought it to my attention", but that didn't seem to matter to you. For a
relatively attractive woman, no amount of makeup could have covered
the "ugliness" that everyone saw in your face that morning! Your reaction
was pretty severe considering it was just a cup of coffee...or was it? Yet
when they took your order a few minutes later, you were all smiles?
Obviously you need some kindness sent your way, so, oh
yeah...that "mysterious" cup of coffee someone bought for you..that was me!
I sincerely hope you enjoyed it, and my hope is that a random act of
kindness might make you be kinder to people.

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Posted on Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 8:24 AM



Jeers to the person who tried to break into my car the other morning. And I
apologize to the neighbors who had to hear my car alarm going off at 6am. I
honestly didn't awake until it was too late and had been going off for far
too long. I'd like to apologize to everyone except the next door neighbors.
I'd like to jeer you even harder than whoever tried to break into my car.
My car alarm did what it was supposed to do, it alerted people to a
possible break in. It's not like i was sitting in the window pressing the
button to wake everyone up for shits and giggles. I realize that it was
going off for a bit and I am truly sorry for that. I even understand why
you took it upon yourself to be very noisy after that insuring an
insomniatic atmosphere for us the rest of the morning, however, your antics
soon went from slightly overreacting to down-right childish when you
decided to put a very inappropriate sign in the window across from my
friend's window, Insanely meow like cats to direct our attention to the
window and then dump garbage in the yard. If you want to blame anyone,
blame me, not her. Communication is the adults way, passive aggression is
for children.

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Posted on Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 8:24 AM



I first have to start out with how I really don't like going to the mall.
Although, my daughter likes to go there more often than I like to. Going
there earlier this year for the first time stumbled onto this very cool
store to say the least. I have only been there a few times, but just
noticed you this time. You, beautiful dark hair and the coolest eyes. You
were mostly at the counter on the right as you enter the store. No nametag,
but I'm pretty sure your hair is darker than the rest of your coworkers.
Me, the guy that never purchases anything. Just wanted to say that it's
well worth the trip to the mall just to see you. Got my attention. If your
not seeing anyone, it would be cool to hang out and listen to some metal
with you. Did I mention you have cool eyes?

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