Bloglander

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What would make a festive photo? Ah, my cute little desk pumpkin.

Happy Halloween! We’ve got two weeks of food notes and tidbits to catch up on, so here goes…

Last week’s Entree newsletter mentioned the grand opening of Pete & Belle’s Ice Cream Shop in the Valley, which is featured in this week’s print issue, and also had news of a new mobile juice vendor. Since that newsletter link isn’t working so well anymore, we’ll just put Jo Miller’s whole writeup here:

Raw juice and reggae music has hit the Spokane streets in the form of a red, yellow and green 1969 Prowler trailer.

Beet It Up, the name of this mobile raw juice and smoothie bar, started up last weekend at the Barter Faire in Tonasket. But Brandi Elder and John Gardner, the Spokane locals who run the bar, plan to be in the downtown Spokane area, while occasionally traveling to music festivals and fairs.

One of the bestsellers during their opening weekend was their hot chocolate with raw cacao and wild medicinal mushrooms, Elder says.

Both Elder and Gardner are well versed in the juicing world. Elder has been into raw foods and juices for about 15 years and Gardner has been juicing for 17 years.

The two created four raw juices for their menu. One drink, named Beet It Up, combines apple, carrot, beet and lemon. It's a more basic juice that is the most palatable for juice-drinking beginners, Elder says. The Veggie Hut mixes apple, carrot, celery, cabbage, kale and lemon and the La-Beet-O blends pineapple, pear and carrot with ginger and a squirt of beet.
You can also choose from their organic fruits, roots and veggies to build your own juice or you can order organic tea and fair-trade coffee. Eventually, Elder says they'll serve seasonal raw salads.

Keep an eye on Beet It Up's Facebook page to find out where they park.

"We'll be bumping reggae music," Elder says. "John does African drumming and you're welcome to bring your drum."

This week’s Entree newsletter has news about the soon-to-open Boiler Room and Our Thai House, as well as Revel 77’s big birthday bash. This week’s issue has an update on Ferrante’s Marketplace Cafe and a story about the Service Station.

Kyla Goff, co-owner of the Tailgater Sports Bar near the Spokane Arena, was convicted in San Diego on fraud and embezzling charges and will be sentenced next week. The popular sports bar had reportedly been having some troubles recently and KXLY reported that the Tailgater is now closed with a For Lease sign out front. We’re looking into it.

Alberta Bake Shop in the Shadle Park neighborhood passed final inspections and is planning to open next Tuesday at 9 am.

The long-awaited Buffalo Wild Wings in the Valley officially opened last Monday.

Chairs Public House in the Logan neighborhood, an offshoot of the popular coffee shop, is now aiming for a mid-November opening.

This Saturday, all five Jacob’s Java locations will be donating 10 percent of sales to the families of the two University High students killed in a car crash several weeks ago. Their message online says: “Please stop by and celebrate their lives and help raise money for their families.”

No-Li

In beer news, No-Li put its beer in 12-oz. for the first time ever this week. They’re selling 4-packs of the Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout and Jet Star Imperial IPA.

Orlison continues its push to expand-and-rebrand with a nice new website featuring its brand-new cans.

Spokane’s burgeoning beer scene is getting national attention in Draft Magazine’s upcoming issue, KREM reports.

Trickster’s in Coeur d’Alene is planning to expand distribution into Washington soon — business paperwork says “in kegs initially with bottles soon after.”

Mad Bomber Brewing Company is hosting their grand opening tomorrow, Nov. 1.

The new taproom for River City Brewing is getting close enough that they’re hiring.

BiPlane Brewing Company has been having a volatile year after the split of its owners, and a message posted on Facebook indicates it may be closing up for good this weekend.

If you’re in Pullman for the Halloween football game, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe is staying open later than a typical school night — just get there before kickoff.

Can't get enough? Read previous food news here.

Several weeks ago, on a whim, we thought it would be fun to have a Cat Friday photo contest of cats wearing Halloween costumes. The Internet has clearly proven there's little else that people love more than silly cat photos, and what's more silly than a cat wearing a Halloween costume? We figured we would get maybe — maybe — five or so submissions, because frankly, putting a cat into a costume is a lot of work. Most people give up at the first scratch, as they probably should, and most cats will hate the experience so much you'll never get a good photo. (Note: We did not encourage anyone to force their cat to wear a costume.)

As the days after announcing the contest went on, we were delighted by the submissions we received, and then absolutely surprised. Either by a chance Google search for "cat halloween costume photo contest" or some other act of fate, people from all over the U.S. submitted photos of their cats in cute costumes. In the end, around half of the submissions were from outside the Inland Northwest. That alone made it hard for us to pick a "favorite" or a winner, and really, let's be honest: ALL of these cats deserve recognition for their efforts. So, we decided to feature all of the submissions here for everyone to enjoy, as we did so much. There is a small catch, though. We will feature one "winner" in a special Cat Friday ad in an upcoming print edition of the Inlander. There was no plan for a prize at first, since we doubted we'd receive more than a few submissions at all. Next year, though, we'll plan to have some exciting treats in store.

So, without further delay, we present the amazing submissions in this year's Inlander Cat Friday "Halloween Cats Photo Contest." Thank you to everyone who participated! We'll notify our "winner," to be featured in an upcoming print edition of the Inlander, via email.

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Harley the "Bat Cat" from Howard, Penn. Submitted by Beth and Colleen.

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Leaper the vampire kitty, a Siamese and Abyssinian mix from Columbia, Penn., submitted by PJ.

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Peaches the cowgirl (cow-cat?), from Spokane, submitted by Holly Prosser.

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Bali the kitty-shark, from Denver, Colo. Submitted by Christel.

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Polly, a nine-month-old "Dracula" kitten from Atlanta, Ga. Submitted by Kristie Feltner.

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If the name New Approach Oregon sounds familiar, it should. New Approach Washington led last year's successful push to legalize recreational marijuana in Washington. Now, the Oregonian reports our neighbors have filed a new initiative following Washington's (and Colorado's) lead. If state legislators don't approve New Approach Oregon's measure, the group plans to begin collecting signatures to put it on the ballot in 2014. With more than $100,000 raised — $50,000 from the George Soros-backed Drug Policy Alliance, which also supported Washington's effort — resources shouldn't be a problem.

While the group's law is similar to Washington's I-502, it doesn't establish the same explicit driving-while-high regulations and it would allow home grows, which are illegal in Washington. A legalization measure in Oregon last year would have allowed home grows and didn't place limits on possession, but it failed at the ballot box. So, a measure with more regulations — like the strict age, possession, location and advertising limits in Washington's 502 — could gain more widespread support.

Meanwhile, the ACLU of California announced a panel led by the state's governor to explore legalizing marijuana there. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says it will push for legalization in Maine. And the owner of a hemp clothing store who's helping to push a legalization measure in Washington, D.C. told reporters earlier this month, "I imagine the president rolling up a tobacco-marijuana cigarette with John Boehner and sitting on the back porch of the White House to work out their problems."

Yeah, OK.

But while that may be a long shot, the public tide appears to be turning. According to Gallup, for the first time in history, a majority of Americans (58 percent) support legalizing the drug. Among young people, support for legalization is at 62 percent, and nearly 40 percent of Americans say they've tried marijuana.

As a teaser for the big reveal of the winners of the first-ever Cat Friday Halloween Cats Photo Contest later today, several Inlander staffers dressed up their own kitties in adorable Halloween get-ups, and we want to share them with you.

We didn't think it would exactly be fair for our kitties to compete with the awesomely adorable reader submissions we received, so we're featuring them here instead. Check back later today for the results of the official Cat Friday photo contest! We can hardly contain ourselves.

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Piccola the Holstein dairy cow-cat rules the household with an iron paw at former Inlander music editor and now contributing writer Leah Sottile's house.

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Alice "Laggy" Scott, the beloved cat of Listings/Cat Friday editor, Chey Scott, as a little witch-sorceress. Alice is working on spells to create an invisible barrier around her yard to keep the annoying neighbor cat across the street from bothering her.

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Thunder the shark-cat installed a laser on his dorsal fin to blast away any terrifying enemies. Thunder belongs to Inlander Events Coordinator Raevyn West.

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Mick the Mummy prefers a messier look to his toilet paper wrappings. Mick and his sister Clementine, who wanted nothing to do with silly costumes, steal pens and iPhones from their owners, Inlander Web Editor Lisa Waananen and Staff Writer Jacob Jones, on a regular basis.

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Rafi is a big fan of Star Wars, and donned a themed collar and bow tie for the occasion of Halloween. Reportedly, right after this photo was taken he furiously ripped the adornment off in a fit of feline rage. Rafi terrorizes the home of Inlander staff writer Heidi Groover.

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Bubba the Great Pumpkin, Inlander Senior Account Executive Bruce Deming's cat, gives a cute little wink as he gets ready for tonight's Meow-loween festivities.

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Obviously Zooey the sheltie isn't a cat, but her feline siblings Grey Boy and Lola were too scared to wear any costumes this year, so she stepped up to the plate instead. Zooey and her kitty siblings are the light of Inlander graphic designer Jessie Spaccia's life.

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Moof, the Himalayan cat of Inlander graphic designer Ali Blackwood Mead, looking dapper in his Halloween-themed jingle collar.

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Angus the "sad alligator," the adorable Airedale terrier of Inlander Editor, Jacob Fries.

It’s Halloween! Enjoy these photos from back when people took the scary part seriously. (BuzzFeed)

HERE

The 16-year-old driver in the crash that killed two University High girls several weeks had gotten his license the previous day and may face charges. (KXLY)

Spokane Valley’s City Council says they won’t support Prop. 1 because county commissioners should have looked for other ways to relocate residents living in the Fairchild crash zone. (S-R)

Washington state wants to make sure no liquor establishments allow marijuana use. (AP)

THERE

You now have to be 21 to buy cigarettes in New York City — not that many young adults could afford $15 for a pack anyway. (CBS/Awl)

Syria met a major chemical weapons deadline to destroy its production capabilities. (Reuters)

A little boy decided to hang out on stage with Pope Francis during an address at St. Peter’s Square and the pope was cool with it. (NBC)

EVERYWHERE

The NSA infiltrated Google and Yahoo data centers to access user information worldwide. And that’s on top of the PRISM program that already forced those companies to turn over certain information. Google is understandably outraged. (WaPo/BBC)

Speaking of planes, Virgin America has a new, musical in-flight safety video:

Yesterday, President Obama called him “a man who embodied the virtues of devotion and respect.”

Tom Foley, a Spokane native and former U.S. Speaker of the House, will be honored Friday at a memorial service held at Gonzaga University, and we have more details in this week’s paper. Our publisher also devoted his weekly column to Foley and the era of politics he represented.

When Foley spoke in Spokane 2006, the local Hamilton Studio prepared this documentary — poignant but often funny — about his life and career. It has been updated with an introduction that includes some of his remarks from that 2006 appearance. (For those who know little about him, you may want to start at the 4:15 mark.)

In it, Foley says: “Public office is a gift — it’s a gift of a free people. It’s the greatest gift that anyone interested in public life can receive — the confidence, the support, the hope of the American people who give you that great gift.”

Here are the requirements for a Marvel poster:

1. Hero looking off to right. Check.

2. Girl clutching said Hero's chest. Check.

3. Bad guy huge in background. Check.

4. Bunch of minor characters smaller surrounded by destruction. Check.

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Look for a review of Thor: The Dark World in next week's issue.

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Young Kwak

Temperatures are dropping and decorations are going up — the holiday season is returning to the Inland Northwest. Pat Domy, left, and Rich Clark install Christmas lights on a bridge near the boat docks at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday.

HERE

Here’s a local contractor you should probably never hire to build you anything. (S-R)

Authorities think you should be aware that a 55-year-old man with a history of stalking and luring crimes has been talking to kids at West Plains bus stops. (KXLY)

A Spokane Valley man was injured by his own machete during an argument over an ex-girlfriend’s stuff. (KREM)

Sandpoint-based Coldwater Creek announces layoffs and major restructuring. (Idaho Statesman)

KHQ has the dashboard cam footage from the ISP-involved shooting near Lookout Pass back in June. (KHQ)

NEAR

A Skagit County couple found guilty of their adopted teen daughter’s death were sentenced to many decades in prison. (AP)

Seattle police watching speeding in school zones are handing out tickets to bicyclists, too. (Seattle Times)

Some people in Boise are pretty excited about getting rid of their one-way streets. (Idaho Statesman)

ELSEWHERE

Kathleen Sebelius is testifying about problems with the online health insurance exchanges run by the federal government. (WaPo)

Almost 50 people were killed in a fiery bus crash in southern India. (BBC)

China says that car crash in Tieneman Square earlier this week was a terrorist act by religious extremists. (NYT)

The Jonas Brothers explain their breakup. (E!)