Wednesday, February 25, 2015
"He's world class," beamed onlooker Seiko Miki after Zuill Bailey's Flash-Bach performance in River Park Square. "Though I prefer the more grand scale venues, it's so great that he's bringing this talent to the public like this. It's incredible what he is doing here in little old Spokane."
The afterglow was undeniable. Though the urban setting of a mall atrium seemed a stark contrast to elegant concert halls, Bailey seemed quite at home simply to be in the presence of listeners. From the front door to the escalators, Bailey's music stopped people in their tracks. Closed eyes and soft smiles covered the faces of listeners young and old as the atrium filled with the soothing sounds of Bailey's museum-worthy cello that seemed to be an extension of himself. As the crowd began to disperse after today's free performance, it was as if they time had stood still for those serene 30 minutes.
Bailey is the suave artistic director for the Northwest Bach festival and is back with even more concerts than last year. Take a look at Laura Johnson's article on this year's Northwest Bach Festival here.
Here are a few snapshots from today's concert.
Tags: Bach , classical music , free concert , cello , Culture , Music , Arts & Culture , Image
Frank Straub is the chief of the Spokane Police Department. A native New Yorker, and a bit of a foodie, he’s been making the restaurant rounds in Spokane since he arrived in 2012. He dined at Wild Sage during Inlander Restaurant Week and shared his thoughts.
Straub writes:
This past Saturday, my wife Amber and I went to Wild Sage for dinner with our friends as part of Inlander Restaurant Week. It was, to say the least, an outstanding dining experience.
We each chose from the prix fixe menu and began with a flight of red wine. Among the four of us, one chose the steelhead and clam chowder, one the wild sage salad, and two of us selected the crisp bacon and blue salad. We were all very happy with our selections. They were very well presented, sized appropriately and delicious.
For the main course, two of us selected the steelhead; the other two chose the Korean-style pork shank. I am particularly fond of pork shank and found Wild Sage’s to be exceptional. The steelhead was also well prepared and served on the plank it was cooked on. The waiter, who was excellent, made a point, in a humorous way, of telling us the plank, although it looked inviting, probably would not taste very good. We sampled all three of the desserts — coconut cream cake, vanilla crème brulee and chocolate pot de crème. The coconut cream cake with its lillikoi (Hawaiian passion fruit) sauce was incredible.
I’ve had the opportunity since I was young to experience a wide variety of foods at home and in restaurants in New York and other large cities. As an adult, I have had the good fortune to travel throughout the world, particularly during my time with the U.S. State Department. Despite having a one-year-old, Amber and I have had the opportunity to eat at many of Spokane’s restaurants; we thoroughly enjoyed Wild Sage and would put it at the top end of the list.
Restaurant Week is a great idea. It’s an opportunity to show off our great and growing selection of restaurants, as well as to encourage folks to enjoy good company and outstanding meals. Wild Sage will be just one of the restaurants Amber, Ava and I visit this week.
Last week was the cutoff for any new policy bills in the Washington State Legislature. Any bills that didn’t make it out of committee by Feb. 20 are likely dead for the session. Although many bills were introduced, only a handful will become law. Here are the marijuana bills that made the first cut and might just be signed into law.
HB 2000 authorizes the governor to enter into agreements with federally recognized tribes concerning marijuana.
BB 5002 requires drivers to stow away their marijuana while driving
SSB 5051 allows people in the marijuana business to transfer product between one another.
SB 5121 allows people to grow marijuana for research purposes.
SB 5130 prohibits marijuana businesses from being in the proximity of many places children congregate, including arcades (do those still exist?)
SB 5379 adds post-traumatic stress disorder to the conditions that qualify for medical marijuana.
SB 5398 prohibits eating pot food in public.
SB 5401 allows the Liquor Control Board to accept grants and donations to help with weed-related educational efforts.
SB 5402 imposes penalties on adults who help kids acquire pot.
SB 5467 Changes how recreational marijuana is taxed.
SB 5052 overhauls the state’s pot laws putting the largely unregulated medical marijuana market in harmony with the tightly regulated market.
SB 5519 is another bill with the same goal. It’s sponsored by a Democratic state senator and, while it isn’t getting as much traction as the other bill, the two are starting to look a lot alike.
SB 5493 exempts cannabis beauty and health products from the same regulations placed on recreational pot.
SB 5673 would make synthetic cannabinoids, a substance that mimic pot’s effects, illegal.
Here’s the news elsewhere:
Researchers at Yale think they have figured out why weed gives you the munchies.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is also the front-runner in the race for U.S. Senate in her state, is pretty much cool with marijuana legalization.
Two bills have been introduced in Congress that would legalize recreational marijuana.
Marijuana is a pretty low-risk recreational drug compared to pretty much everything else, according to a recent study.
Ohio’s attorney general is harshing on efforts to legalize pot in the state.
Get ready for kosher pot food.
Get ready for legal pot in Washington D.C. (sort of).
Get ready for legal pot in Alaska.
Tags: Washington State Legislature , Marijuana , News , Image
Humpday arrives with a bevy of awesome options for you waiting in our event listings and Staff Picks, so hop to it!
No time? No prob. Here are some highlights we found for Wednesday, Feb. 25:
LIVE BANDS | If you're an amateur musicologist like me, you've heard about folklorist Alan Lomax and his incredible recordings of folks songs in the fields of the American South. Banjo ace Jayme Stone was so inspired by Lomax's work that he's put together Jayme Stone's Lomax Project to pay tribute to some of the amazing music Lomax found. Tonight, you can hear it at the Bing. Here's a bit of what you'll get:
Goodbye, Old Paint // Jayme Stone's Lomax Project from Blayne Chastain on Vimeo.
MUSIC EVENTS & CONCERTS | If you're the sort of person who only makes your way to the Palouse for special occasions, today is one of those occasions as the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival kicks off. They have a pretty stellar lineup this year, as per usual, including the Grammy winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album in Dianne Reeves. I don't know jack about jazz, but I've seen Reeves and she's a remarkable performer and singer. And she's just one sliver of what's in store.WORDS | Ever had the desire to test your verbal acuity in front of a room full of kind-hearted, perhaps tipsy new friends? Broken Mic at Neato Burrito is your chance, and it's happening tonight.
Tags: What's Up? , Image , Video
HERE
The newly expanded Spokane Convention Center re-opened its doors last night. (Spokesman-Review)
Local businesses Chaps and Lucky Detour were vandalized, leaving the owner of both to wonder if the burglaries are connected. (KHQ)
It’s home fire season. (KREM) (CdA Press)
THERE
Last night we said goodbye to NBC’s Parks and Recreation and it was sad. (A.V. Club)
Obama vetoes the Keystone XL pipeline, which no one is surprised about. (USA Today)
More than 100 Iraqi men, including nine boys, have been kidnapped by ISIS. (Al Jazeera)
The troubled ex-Marine accused of killing Chris “American Sniper” Kyle was sentenced to life in prison. (LA Times)
Tags: Morning Briefing , Chris Kyle , fire , local news , Spokane Convention Center , News , Image
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Inlander Restaurant Week is at the halfway point today, and you still have five days to get to one of the 97 area restaurants involved in 2015.
If you need some information on Inlander Restaurant Week, hit our complete guide online, our coverage in the new issue of the Inlander, and our handy how-to for first-timers. And be sure to help your fellow diners out by letting us know what you think of what you're eating. Hashtag your posts #INRestWeek on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot us some photos directly @TheInlander and @InlanderRW.
Here are some photos and Tweets from happy eaters from last night and the weekend. Stay tuned for more shots through the week:
Tags: inlander restaurant week , #inrestweek , Food , Image
Welcome to our weekly look at the new DVDs and album releases, in which we try to steer you toward the awesome and away from the awful. Let's do it.
MUSIC
There's a lot to love for classic-rock and hard-rock fans this week. First and foremost is the reissue of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, a stone-cold classic brought to new life under the knife of Jimmy Page. Also arriving this week are new sets from Kid Rock, a live album from Rob Zombie, and some Southern swamp-blues from JJ Grey.
Here, though, are some new releases that rise to the top of the pile:
Screaming Females are a New Jersey-based punk trio who have been around for about a decade, but still seem like fresh faces on the scene. Their new album, Rose Mountain, is their fourth, and marks another leap forward into more melodic songwriting. Here's a taste:
Torche is metal with plenty of hooks, including some killer vocal harmonizing few of their peers would dare to try. Their new release, Restarter, is their fourth full-length, and its easily as aggressive and heavy as their previous releases:
Tags: screaming females , torche , gang of four , Film , Music , Image , Video
So many opportunities are waiting for you in our Event Listings and Staff Picks, it's understandable why it would be difficult to choose.
That's where we come in. Here are some highlights among the to-dos for Tuesday, Feb. 24:
LIVE BANDS | You like your tunes hard and heavy? Call of the Void is here to satisfy. You can read our interview with the band, then go give them a spin — just note that the show has moved to The Hop! tonight. Here's a bit of Call of the Void:
WORDS | Local author Jess Walter is the new writer-in-residence at Whitworth for the spring semester, and tonight he's hosting In The Writer's Studio, a chat that's free and open to the public.
THEATER | The National Geographic Live shows are pretty damn cool, offering audience members the chance to interact with the people behind some of the most stunning photography and amazing stories around. The latest edition is Grizzles, Piranhas and Man-eating Pigs, hosted by photographer extraordinaire Joel Sartore.
Tags: What's Up? , Image , Video
HERE
Oops. Idaho Rep. Vito Barbieri drew national criticism with a pair of questions he posed about the female anatomy during a hearing about the morning after pill. (CdA Press)
The big question: Is winter over? (KHQ)
The lawyer who represented a family in Ferguson, Missouri, says he’ll represent the parents of an unarmed Mexican man shot to death by officers this month in Pasco. (Spokesman-Review)
Restaurant Week is here and people/local celebrities are already loving it. (Inlander)
THERE
It’s now legal to smoke pot in Alaska, the third state to legalize it. (NPR)
ISIS has reportedly kidnapped 90 Christians in Syria. (The Guardian)
A Seattle missionary is missing in Nigeria. It is believed she was kidnapped. (Seattle Times)
A Metrolink train slammed into a truck this morning in Oxnard, California, injuring nearly 30 people. (LA Times)
Tags: Morning Briefing , Alaska pot , ISIS , local news , News , Image
As the Washington State Legislature prepares to conclude its current session, the future of police body cameras in the state could be coming into focus. Lawmakers have allowed a law enforcement-backed bill related to body cameras to clear a key legislative hurdle while letting perish a competing measure supported by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Police body cameras have been adopted by law enforcement agencies across the state, and elsewhere, as a way to bring more accountability and transparency to policing. However, the implementation of police body camera programs in Washington have collided with existing state laws governing privacy and public records that were never designed for the new realities presented by the proliferation of the surveillance devices.
Law enforcement agencies have expressed concern that the state’s public records law allows for broad and burdensome requests of footage of people in police encounters. Some of this footage, released under Washington’s public records law, depicting people in difficult positions has made its way onto the Internet for the whole world to gawk at. The situation is concerning to law enforcement agencies, and they want the law changed. The Spokane Police Department has encountered these issues as well and, because of them, has been slow to roll out its body camera program pending changes to state law.
One of the bills seeking to make Washington state law more congruent to police body cameras was written with heavy input from law enforcement and would make the state’s public records law less public.
“Law enforcement, they don’t want to be in a situation where people aren’t going to call 911 because they don’t want the police officers’ visit to their house to be on YouTube,” Rep. Drew Hansen, D- Bainbridge Island, said during a hearing on the legislation.
Tags: Roger Goodman , Matt Shea , body cameras , Spokane Police Department , American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State , Washington State Legislature , Drew Hansen , News , Politics , Image
Moonshine: Artisan Night Market & Moonlit Movie @ Commellini Estate
Wednesdays, 5:30-10 p.m. Continues through Aug. 27
