Bloglander

Tickets went on sale yesterday, so if you want to catch the illustrious crooner live in concert later this year when he comes to town to help the Spokane Symphony celebrate its 70th anniversary, either get them now or start saving. 

The 18-time Grammy winner and American music icon is performing on Saturday, June 4, at the Spokane Convention Center, following a gala dinner. Tickets for the event, which benefits the symphony's programs and mission, are offered at two levels, $225 for reserved seating and $275 per person for the "Golden Circle."

The age 21 and up event begins at 5 pm, with the concert to start at 8 pm. 

Bennett last performed in Spokane in June 2013 at Northern Quest Resort & Casino. The jazz icon also came through for the grand reopening of the renovated Fox Theater in November 2007.

Get excited to see the music legend live in concert with this video of Bennett singing "The Lady is a Tramp" with bestie Lady Gaga. 

In a month's time, the newly established Richmond Gallery in downtown Spokane (located at 228 W. Sprague, next door to The Bartlett) will host a multimedia exhibition all about the local ladies in our region's art scene. 

The inaugural WAM Expo is a twofold event, a juried art show and the debut of the Spokane WAM organization — the acronym stands for Women Art Media — a collective of local women artists across all creative disciplines, says cofounder Rebecca Chadwell. 

"It really grew out of a cup of coffee," Chadwell says. "We had a meeting and then kind of said it would be nice to show each other what we're working on, even if it's just in process — a casual space for friendly creative exchange, and that's what the expo is."

Submissions for the January 28 exhibition are being accepted through Sunday, Jan. 17. Women artists in the area are invited to submit their work in any media, including audiovisual, film, music, performance and literature. The call for submissions explains that the show isn't focused on art about or representing women, instead seeking to highlight the creative female minds in the arts community.

Chadwell says another goal of the event and future projects and programs of WAM is to encourage the sharing of technical skills in the creative industries. 

"A point of focus [Spokane WAM] wanted to address was how to acquire technical skills, like how to hook up certain equipment, how to throw events, how to write a press release, etc," she explains.

While the upcoming art show is Spokane WAM's first public event, future events to be planned should include networking opportunities, educational sessions, guest speakers and more. Stay up to date on the newly founded organization through its website and Facebook page.

On Monday, a federal judge heard arguments on a case that’ll have sweeping implications for one of the most vexing problems facing the legal marijuana industry: access to banking services.

At the center of the case is Fourth Corner Credit Union, a Colorado-based credit union set up specifically to provide much-needed banking services to the legal marijuana industry. Since states began relaxing marijuana laws, the nascent industry has had to operate using mostly cash, which has made it vulnerable to robberies and increased the need for security.

Spokane’s Numerica Credit Union offers accounts to marijuana growers and processors and retailers. Over the summer, Oregon’s MBank, which catered to the industry, announced it would stop offering its services. According to a survey from Marijuana Business Daily, 60 percent of pot business don’t have bank accounts.

With the blessing of Colorado’s governor and a state charter, Fourth Corner Credit Union applied for a master account with the Federal Reserve Bank. The bank denied the application after the National Credit Union Administration said it couldn’t provide Fourth Corner with insurance, reports the International Business Times. In response, Fourth Corner sued.

In court, Mark Mason, lawyer for Fourth Corner, argued that the State of Colorado uses Wells Fargo to deposit its tax revenue, according to the IBT, meaning the federal banking system is already servicing pot money.

“The Federal Reserve is not the enforcer of drug laws,” he said, according to the paper.

In court, the attorney for the Federal Reserve argued that federal law doesn’t even recognize medical marijuana and suggested that this was an issue that should be taken up by Congress, reports the IBT.

Judge R. Brooke Jackson seemed inclined to support this argument. From the IBT: 

Judge Jackson empathized with Mason, saying, “I think there's a certain unfairness to allowing these big banks to serve this business and keeping you out.” He also noted he “wasn’t too impressed” with the Federal Reserve’s other stated reasons for denying Fourth Corner a master account, such as its lack of deposit insurance and absence of a relationship with an established bank. But he suggested that his decision in the case — which he hinted might be issued fairly quickly — could hinge on the fact that marijuana is still prohibited in the eyes of federal law.

Update: In a follow up email, Numerica spokeswoman Elizabeth Giles noted that the credit union started providing banking services for marijuana retailers in October. 

ON INLANDER.COM 
• Mayor David Condon and Council President Ben Stuckart agreed on a Seattle-based investigator to look into the controversy surrounding Frank Straub's ouster. 

OTHER NEWS 
• Spokane is thinking about banning indoor vaping.
The Spokane Regional Health District is proposing a ban similar to those in King and Snohomish counties, which would bar vaping in indoor public spaces or worksites, including inside vape shops. (Spokesman-Review)

• POLICE SHOOTINGS

1. A grand jury voted not to indict a Cleveland police officer who shot and killed a 12-year-old boy.
Tamir Rice was carrying what turned out to be a pellet gun when he was killed. Demonstrations are expected in Cleveland today. 
2. The Chicago officer who shot and killed Laquan McDonald, 17, pleaded not guilty to murder. 
McDonald was holding a knife and veering away from officers when Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago cop, shot him 16 times, several of which after McDonald had fallen on the ground. 
3. Chicago police killed two other people over the weekend.
Police responded to a domestic disturbance call and ended up killing a 19-year-old engineering student. The second person, a 55-year-old mother of five, was killed by accident, police say.

• At least 22 people are dead after a suicide bomber struck a government building in Mardan, Pakistan.

• Universities could relax punishment for athletes caught with pot.
The NCAA's chief medical officer is pushing for college sports' governing body to stop testing for recreational drugs altogether. An Associated Press investigation of 57 schools found that since 2005, 23 have reduced penalties or given athletes a second or third chance before suspension. 

Here's some Motörhead for your Tuesday — RIP Lemmy

Spokane Mayor David Condon and Council President Ben Stuckart selected a former federal prosecutor and civil litigator with experience in employment law as the top candidate to investigate the city's handling of sexual harassment allegations against the former police chief, among other issues surrounding the recent scandal in the city. 

The city council will vote to approve the recommendation at its Jan. 4 meeting.

Kris Cappel, an investigator for the Seattle-based Seabold Group, has experience prosecuting and investigating a variety of crimes during her 11-year career as an attorney. As a federal prosecutor in New York, Cappel prosecuted crimes such as fraud, murder, racketeering, drugs, kidnapping, extortion and public corruption. 

Cappel was also hired by the Wenatchee school district to investigate an alleged rape on a high school football trip last year. Her investigation concluded that there were no systemic problems in the district, though supervision on the bus was "lax and ineffective at controlling students' conduct." 

Cappel's investigation in Spokane will focus on the process, policy and timeliness of personnel moves within the police department and the release of public records, as well as the process for city employee complaints and investigations, according to a news release from the city. 

At the center of the investigation is Straub, who was ousted from his position as police chief in September. Since then, details coloring Mayor David Condon's decision have trickled out: former police spokeswoman Monique Cotton accused Straub of sexual harassment in April. She was transferred to a new position in the parks department in May without an formal investigation into her accusations. Police brass have also accused Straub of vulgar and appropriate language, yelling and threats on their jobs. 

Meanwhile, Straub remains on the city's payroll as the highest paid employee. Oh, and then there's the matter of his claim against the city for $4 million. 

A joint committee made up of Councilwoman Karen Stratton, council attorney Brian McClatchey, Laura McAloon, a private attorney, and City Utility Director Rick Romero continues to narrow the scope of the investigation that will address issues raised in the city council's Nov. 30 letter to the mayor.

RELAX, SEAHAWKS STILL IN THE PLAYOFFS
Well, it could have been a nice little bit of revenge for the Seahawks if they would have taken care of business at home against the Los Angeles St. Louis City To Be Determined for 2016 Rams. But instead, the Seahawks lost 23-17 in a game that was eerily reminiscent of some of the early season clunkers the team delivered. Russell Wilson had a couple turnovers and was hit too often by the Rams defenders. The running game was virtually nonexistent. The defense gave up more points than we're accustomed to seeing when the team's playing at home.

And they had to put up with indignities like this Rams punter acting the fool: 

Know what, though? None of it really matters. 

Sure, there's some questions still about whether the Seahawks end up at the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. And they're going to play Washington, Minnesota or Green Bay. Any of those teams really scare you? They shouldn't. The D.C. Native Americans are the awful winners of the worst division in the NFC. Minnesota has already felt the Seahawks' wrath once this year, at home, and there's little reason to think it would be different with a second game. And the Packers suddenly look ripe for a whooping by a team with a good defense. A team like, say, the Seahawks, who also have been shredding on offense lately, Sunday's game excepted. Did you see how the Packers looked Sunday against the Cardinals?

WSU WINS FIRST BOWL IN MORE THAN A DECADE
Remember earlier this season, when the Cougars lost to Portland State and all of us thought coach Mike Leach might not make it through the season without getting canned?

The day after Christmas is pretty much the very definition of a letdown. How can anything you do compete with the fun of gathering with friends and family and opening presents? 

If only we could have Brian Setzer for our post-holiday entertainment every year. Leading his Brian Setzer Orchestra, a 19-piece big band of talented players, at the Fox Theater Saturday night, the retro-rocking guitar man delivered in ways Santa could only dream of — unless the fat man has some six-string chops he's been hiding. 

Veering from holiday songs to cuts from his work in the Stray Cats and as a solo artist, Setzer kept all the spirits in the house high with energetic tunes, thankful stage banter and incredible musicianship on songs that moved from jazz to swing, rockabilly to, during the encore, classical. 

Any fans of Setzer know he has the chops to play pretty much any kind of music he wants to, so the dive into Christmas tunes every few years might seem a little odd at first. But as he opened the show with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" before giving the Spokane audience a taste of his breakthrough band with the Stray Cats' "Stray Cat Strut," it was clear the combination of old-school rock 'n' roll and even older holiday music would work. 

Setzer and his band rarely stuck to one style for more than a song or two. He would follow-up a sing-along Christmas carol like "Here Comes Santa Claus" with an '80s-era MTV Stray Cats hit like "Sexy + 17," bringing his two excellent backup vocalists from the Orchestra, Leslie Spencer and Julie Reiten, up front to trade lines on the latter. He following up "Angels We Have Heard on High" with one of his solo tunes, "Let's Shake," on which numerous members of his band got exhorted to stand up and offer a solo on trumpet or trombone or saxophone. 

What could have been a night simply of Christmas cover tunes was so much more thanks to Setzer's desire to showcase both his band and the old American music that made him a star in the '80s, playing rockabilly on the radio right alongside the synth-pop of Duran Duran or the dance tunes of Michael Jackson.

His cover of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire" was a highlight, with Setzer sending much of his orchestra off stage and paring the group down to just drummer Daniel Glass, standup bass man Johnny Hatton and a piano player (sorry, didn't catch his name). He followed with the Stray Cats' "Fishnet Stockings," another rockabilly rave-up that nearly made me forget I was at a Christmas show. 

Setzer's biggest commercial hits — the Stray Cats' "Rock This Town" and Brian Setzer Orchestra cover of Louis Prima's "Jump, Jive an' Wail" — were the obvious crowd pleasers, and with good reason. They're both upbeat, fun songs that are virtually impossible to sit still to while you listen. But the most impressive musicianship might have come in the encore, when the the orchestra followed up the silly Fred Flinstone tribute "Yabba Dabba Yuletide" with a hectic run through "The Nutcracker Suite."

It was a lovely way to end a spirited night out, and after a sing-along of "Jingle Bells," Setzer and his 19 companions took a well-deserved bow as the man promised to come back to Spokane for a second visit someday. 

Perhaps Dec. 26, 2016?

FROM INLANDER.COM
• What to do this week

• Deadly weather kills at least 43 people
Tornadoes and flooding struck Texas, Missouri and parts of the Southeast

• ICYMI: The Cougs won the so-called Sun Bowl in Texas, but snow stranded fans
A freak storm dropped 8 inches of snow. (Behind pay wall, S-R)


• Peyton Manning disputes report linking him to doping
The Al Jazeera report had, as a source, a "doctor of pharmacy," who's now taking back his remarks, saying he was untruthful. 

• Spokane police take step toward transparency, announce the department will release evidence sooner 
Following a recommendation from the Justice Department, SPD says it will release evidence in fatal incidents when it turns over records to prosecutors. (KREM)

You survived Christmas and have New Year's Eve to look forward to later this week. Maybe you have a lot of extra time off, or maybe you need to entertain visiting friends and relatives. We have what you need, just check out our event listings and Staff Picks for some great options. 

Here are some highlights of the week ahead: 

Monday, Dec. 28

ETC. | The Satori Dance Studio is hosting a Festivus in Pink party, where you can dance, eat and drink the night away, as long as you do it in pink. No word on whether the Festivus pole will be pink as well, but if it's not, perhaps include that in the Airing of Grievances. 

DANCE | If you watch the show, or just love seeing people with mad skills cut a rug, head to the INB Performing Arts Center for the touring show of So You Think You Can Dance, this time featuring folks from season 12. 

Tuesday, Dec. 29

LIVE BANDS | The Mentors have been creating legendarily sleazy and over-the-top rock music for decades; they were one of the bands who inspired the formation of Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center. I had no idea they still existed, but they apparently do, and they're playing The Pin Tuesday. 

It's Christmas Eve, that day of the year when all families get together, turn on the Christmas tree lights, gather around the laptop, and binge the best Christmas-themed TV episodes of all time. 

So what makes an archetypally great Christmas TV episode? 

It starts with winter. Not just the season of winter, but the tone of winter.

It's dark, cold and lonely. But then, just when things look the bleakest, something breaks through that darkness. It could be the jingling of sleigh bells or a Star of Wonder shining in the sky or a thoughtful gift that, for a moment, makes everything right. It recognizes that, in this crappy world of soot-soaked slush and shopping mall parking fights and burnt Christmas cookies and greedy screaming kids, there are brief moments of love and joy. 

Not every great Christmas TV episode is on this list, of course. No "Christmas Party" from The Office or "An Echolls Family Christmas" from Veronica Mars. Sorry, you don't get everything on your wish list. 

You'll have to be satisified with just a few of my favorite helpings of Christmas TV stocked in your binge-watching stocking.  

“The Constant” | Lost

My favorite TV episode I’ve ever seen, The Constant at once makes takes Lost to its most science-fiction strange and its most raw and emotional. On the strange mysterious island, due to an explosion of electromagnetism, Scotsman Desmond Hume finds himself “unstuck in time” his consciousness helplessly flashing back and forth between the present and eight years ago, when he self-destructively destroyed the relationship with the love of his life, Penny.