Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Posted By on Wed, Sep 21, 2016 at 3:14 PM


Fans of the Syracuse, New York-based five-piece Ra Ra Riot best get their tickets when they go on sale this Friday morning, otherwise there might be a riot...

All puns aside, the recent announcement that the upbeat indie rock group — which counts a violinist among its members, hence their oft baroque/orchestral categorization — was planning a quick stopover in Spokane had this fan beyond excited, and I've got a Google alert set to remind me this Friday morning, Sept. 23 at 10 am, to grab my own tickets ($22 for the all-ages event) to the show on Saturday, Oct. 29. 

Currently on tour to promote their fourth full-length album released back in February, Need Your Light, the band is heading to downtown Spokane's intimate venue The Bartlett, which is known to sell out when hot acts like this come through.

When the band previously announced their new album's fall tour, Spokane was not included on the list, but we're glad they decided a trip over the mountains between gigs in Seattle and Portland was worth it. Ra Ra Riot was last here back in April 2009 for an amazing show at Gonzaga University, joining Cold War Kids and Death Cab for Cutie.

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Posted By on Wed, Sep 21, 2016 at 12:13 PM

click to enlarge Why was Spokane Police Capt. Brad Arleth removed from his big race-data project?
Young Kwak Photo
Acting Chief Craig Meidl speaking at a nomination ceremony in 2016.

A long-anticipated research project into Spokane police contacts with the public, and how race informs those contacts, will move forward after spending a year on the shelf. The Spokane City Council Monday night approved $16,000 to fund the second phase of Eastern Washington University professor Ed Byrnes' research.

Byrnes began working with SPD Capt. Brad Arleth on the project back in 2012, and released a preliminary report in 2015. But as the next, more in-depth phase of the project gets underway, Arleth has been replaced.

One month after Spokane's acting Police Chief Craig Meidl was nominated by the mayor as Spokane's top cop, he sent an email to Byrnes. Arleth would no longer be working on the research project digging into minority contacts with police, Meidl informed Byrnes. Instead, Asst. Chief Justin Lundgren would be the liaison between Byrnes and the department.

Results from the first report indicated some disparities in contact between officers and certain minority groups, though Byrnes and Arleth cautioned that they needed a bigger data set to paint a more complete picture. That report also showed that Spokane police were more likely to search and arrest certain racial minorities, though there were not racial disparities in uses of force. 

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Posted By on Wed, Sep 21, 2016 at 9:30 AM

click to enlarge Police chief candidates speak, protests in NC and morning headlines
*Results may vary. May not represent the final police chief pick. Void where prohibited.

HERE


Opiate of the masses 
How a drug could help opiate addicts stabilize before getting long-term treatment. [Spokesman-Review]

Is that your Meidl answer? 
The police chief candidates are back at it again, talkin' at forums, and answerin' all manner of questions
[Spokesman-Review]

The Fosters

Five years ago, I dug into the broken Washington state foster care system. Now, InvestigateWest takes another look at the system — and still finds it a mess. [InvestigateWest]

THERE 

One man's hero is another man's Bin Laden. 
The alleged NY bomber's personal hero is Bin Laden. Me, my dad's my personal hero. Not Bin Laden. [New York Times]

Violence begets violence 

The shooting of an allegedly armed black man in North Carolina leads to violent protests. [Washington Post]

Please rise for President Bauer

Vox.com's Todd VanDerWerff thought the new TV show about Keifer Sutherland building the government up from scratch was pretty awesome. [Vox]

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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Posted By on Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 9:11 AM


ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS
: Former city attorney Nancy Isserlis is digging into the Straub investigation, and more specifically, into investigator Kris Cappel herself. 

TV
: Our own Chey Scott really thought she would like Netflix's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. But in the end, she was let down. 

IN OTHER NEWS

Football priorities
Following three felony arrests of WSU football players last week, and the media attention sparked by coach Mike Leach's accusation that his players are being targeted by police, and the fact that apparently none of those players have been disciplined by the team at all — one player has been expelled by the school and still played on Saturday — WSU president Kirk Schulz says the school may reconsider how it handles athlete arrests. Of course, that can't happen until after the season. (Spokesman-Review)

Budget plan
Mayor David Condon wants to address property crime in Spokane, so he's calling for an increase of 16.3 percent in funding to do so in his 2017 budget plan. And it's a budget the Spokesman-Review really wants you to click on, apparently, since the entire body of the article links to it. (Update: they fixed it)

click to enlarge Trump Jr.'s Skittles, Tulsa cops kill unarmed black man, WSU may rethink athlete arrests and morning news
The image tweeted by Donald Trump Jr. yesterday
Skittle controversy
Donald Trump Jr., remarkably, may be getting more media attention than his father this morning (but probably not) because of a tweet. The tweet had a picture of a bowl of Skittles, and asks, "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That's our Syrian refugee problem." This has caused outrage because, as many have pointed out, refugees are not pieces of candy

Terror suspect found
Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect in bombings Manhattan and on the Jersey Shore, was caught yesterday following a manhunt. 

Shooting of an unarmed black man
Video surfaced yesterday of a white Oklahoma police officer shooting and killing a black man who can be seen walking away from officers with his hands up seconds beforehand. The officers were responding because the man's car had stalled. 

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Posted By on Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 4:55 PM

click to enlarge TV: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, new to Netflix, leaves questions unanswered
The BBC's adaptation of Susanna Clarke's popular book was engaging, but misses the mark in some major ways.

After breezing through the incredible first season of Stranger Things, and also recently tearing through the thrilling The Night Manager (which won an Emmy last night), this past weekend I faced the challenge of what to binge-watch next. After a cursory scroll through Netflix's homepage, there was one title that caught my eye: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, new to the streaming service this month.

No one wants to waste a weekend binging a show that ends up being terribly written or produced, so after a quick check on Rotten Tomatoes (90) and Metacritic (73), I was satisfied that jumping into this seven-part miniseries from the BBC, released last year, would be worth the time. A brief summary of the show had me sold, too — a tale set in an alternate historical universe, early 1800s England, in which magic is real but has been seemingly lost on the British Isle for the past 300 years. Two magicians, the show's title characters, set out to bring magic back into a respectable status fit for the "modern era." 

The series is adapted from a 2004 bestselling novel of the same name by British author Susanna Clarke. As a major fan of both period pieces and anything relating to sci-fi and fantasy, I thought, this is it — this is my next series to obsess over!

However, after finishing off the seventh and final episode last night, I was left quite disappointed, confused and let down by my high expectations for the magical world of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

While I've not read Clarke's epic, 800-page novel that the series was adapted from, I have to hedge a guess that many of the world's intricate details — such as background on the multitude of its characters — simply did not translate well to screen. Though I can't imagine this story would have been better served if condensed into a feature film-length format. Nor does it seem that more episodes were needed to fill in the gaps.

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Posted By on Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 4:13 PM

click to enlarge Isserlis's lawyer is using public records to dig into the Straub investigation — and the investigator
Daniel Walters photo illustration
Basically like this, but more exciting.

Nancy Isserlis is no longer the city attorney of Spokane. Kris Cappel has already completed her independent investigation into the way the City of Spokane handled the resignation of former Police Chief Frank Straub. 

But a fight between the two over the Cappel report's conclusion has continued. Cappel had accused Isserlis of intentionally withholding crucial documents until after the election. Isserlis, through her attorney, accused Cappel of defamation.

And now, in a poetic touch, both sides are gathering ammunition through the City of Spokane public records process — the same records process that Isserlis has been accused of impeding. 

On August 19, John Spencer Stewart made a huge records request to the city of Spokane, focusing — not on Straub — but on Cappel's investigation. Stewart, part of the team that successfully defended Isserlis in the lawsuit filed by Straub against her and other city officials, requested a vast variety of documents pertaining to the investigation, including:
"email, text messages, voice messages, telephone logs which including the time and date of telephone calls made and received, and any other form of communication between and among City employees, City Council members including, but not limited to, Council President Ben Stuckart and their staff, the investigation liaison group of four (Laura DeBacker McAloon, Brian McClatchey, Breean Beggs, and Rick Romero), and the Kutak Rock, LLP." 
On Aug. 29, Stewart followed up with the clerk's office, clarifying that he wanted his request to go back as far as when "discussion of the engagement of a private investigator or firm [first] took place."

He also requested the curriculum vitae for Cappel and any other members of her investigatory firm who may have authored the report.

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Posted By on Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:40 AM


Hey there sports fans. Here's hoping everyone had a great weekend of football watching, but if you missed out, let's get you caught up.

EASTERN WASHINGTON GOES BONKERS
On a blustery evening out in Cheney, things did not go well for then-8th-ranked EWU to start out. The Eagles were down 24-7 at halftime to 10th-ranked Northern Iowa in a game in which all-universe wide receiver Cooper Kupp sat out with an injured shoulder, and their starting quarterback Gage Gubrud had been benched.

But then Antoine Custer, a freshman, took back the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown and backup quarterback Reilly Hennessey led a number of miraculous drives that culminated in Eastern lining up for a field goal that would put them up by a point. Then this happened:
Boom. Eagles win 34-30. They are now ranked 4th in the FCS ranks.

WSU SAVES SOME PUNCHES FOR IDAHO
There was a only one way things could get worse for Washington State's football program on Saturday, and that would be if they lost to historically terrible Idaho in the Battle of the Palouse.

The week leading up to the game included the following: 
• Head Coach Mike Leach calling his team a "junior college softball team"
• Leach indicting the everyone-gets-a-trophy culture that's apparently ruining humanity and, in turn, football
• Leach claiming that the Pullman Police Department was conspiring to arrest his football players
• Three more WSU players getting arrested for various physical altercations

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Posted By on Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 9:38 AM


ON INLANDER.COM 

Ready to Rummmmbbllle
click to enlarge Hero thieves, villainous football players and other morning headlines
Mayor David Condon wants to see fewer of these. Thieves, not hamburgers.
Our education reporter has a big summary of all the trouble that the fightin' Cougar football players have gotten into off the field

Piping Up 

We have a roundup, complete with pictures, of the recent North Dakota pipeline protests

Slammin' and Jammin'

Tonight's head-to-head poetry slam and other cool events this week

HERE

Shea's Shade
Rep Matt Shea and Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich's long-running feud continues, with Shea speculating, without evidence, that a sheriff's deputy was tied to a triple-homicide case. [Spokesman-Review

Unthickening Thieves
Mayor David Condon wants to pour more money into fighting property crime, and hopefully finding my three stolen bikes. [Spokesman-Review]

Para-thetical!

A Spokane Paralympian has won gold — and broken the world record— in the discus throw. Nice work all around, people. [KXLY] 

THERE

Water under the Bridge over Troubled Water

Yeah, prosecutors say, Chris Christie totally knew about the bridge lane closures. And so does the defense. [New York Times

The Heroes of De Blasio's New York

Thieves in New York and New Jersey helped foil a terrorist's bombing attempts. [DNAInfo]

If the glove fits...

The People vs. OJ wins big at the Emmy's. [The Atlantic

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Sunday, September 18, 2016

Posted By on Sun, Sep 18, 2016 at 1:00 PM

click to enlarge THIS WEEK: Dolly, Dierks, Destroyer, craft beer fest, Fiesta Spokane and more
Tacocat headlines a show in Spokane Tuesday.

You can ward off the oncoming cold seasons by staying active — it's true! And by "active," I mean by getting out and about for some fun that you can find in our event listings and Staff Picks. 

In the interest of collective warmth, here are some highlights of the week ahead: 

Monday, Sept. 19

WORDS | The Spokane Poetry Slam is changing formats to feature a head-to-head poetry tournament, with the audience deciding who wins. This Monday's edition is the first, so taking your judging (friendly judging, but still judging) seriously. Also part of the evening are performances from two Portland poets, Jane Belinda and Jamie Mortara. 

Tuesday, Sept. 20

FESTIVAL | The annual WSU Humanitas Festival kicks off Tuesday, bringing all manner of cool events and activities to the Pullman campus. Be sure to check the schedule and see something stunning, mmmkay?

LIVE BANDS | The oh-so-entertaining Seattle rockers Tacocat have been through the area a couple times in recent years, and I've heard nothing but great things about their shows. Tuesday, they headline the Bartlett, where they'll be joined by Dude York. 

COMMUNITY | It's time for another Pop-up Power Hour, where you can mix and mingle with all manner of nice folks at the Lincoln Building in downtown Spokane, while enjoying a drink and a nosh. 

Wednesday, Sept. 21

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Saturday, September 17, 2016

Posted By on Sat, Sep 17, 2016 at 8:00 PM

click to enlarge What one member of the Spokane Tribe saw at the ND pipeline protest
Photo courtesy of Alex Flett

Since this August, hundreds of Native American tribal members and environmentalists have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, an oil pipeline that could carry half a million barrels of crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois each day.

The project is near the reservation of the Standing Rock Sioux. The tribe says that pipeline would desecrate its ancestral homelands that include gravesites. They also say that a breach in the pipeline would be environmentally catastrophic and would jeopardize its drinking water.

Last week, a judge ruled that the project can proceed. But the Obama administration intervened, effectively pausing work on key portions of it. For many supporters of the Standing Rock Sioux, the pipeline’s construction is about tribal sovereignty and environmental protection.

David BrownEagle, vice chair of the Spokane Tribal Business Council, made the trip to North Dakota along with photographer Alex Flett, who shared some photos with us. BrownEagle spoke to the Inlander about what he saw there. His remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Inlander: What did you see there?

David BrownEagle: I saw beauty, power and communities coming together.

What was beautiful and powerful?

All the people coming together: different races, backgrounds. The young people stepping up. The young people leading the rally at the state capitol on Friday and Saturday.

Were you protesting the whole time?

I don’t know if “protest” is the right word. There was also a number of canoes from an Alaskan tribe. People came down with canoes. The Kalispel, the Coeur d’Alene, the Colville and other tribes from the coast, they came over because it was the protection of water so they paddled down the Missouri River.

There were a number of tribal flags and some bands from Canada. The roadway into the camp had flags all around. It was beautiful.

If it wasn’t a protest, how would you describe it?

I would say it’s an awareness that our planet is suffering. It was like all the awareness in the United States came to a head with the Standing Rock Sioux. I think we as a people in this country and all people are realizing that our resources are limited and we are finally figuring that out. And the awareness in North Dakota is really bringing that to the forefront finally. It’s been going on for years but it came to the forefront.

I was at Seattle City Council and I spoke up there and they brought a resolution there and it was unanimous.
click to enlarge What one member of the Spokane Tribe saw at the ND pipeline protest
Photo courtesy of Alex Flett
Does the situation in North Dakota speak to any issues here?

Well, one is the crude oil and the shipment of oil through our community and how it might get into the water.

I remember Spokane River was pretty polluted years ago. It’s getting better.

It sounds really positive, but wasn’t there violence?

Part of that violence — my understanding is, I was reading one of the newspapers — is that the security they hired they were looking into if they were even licensed.

That was the violent part the protestors were very, very peaceful. It was really nice when the protesters went by the highway patrol and they shook their hands.


Is there anything about the situation there that is of particular significance for the Spokane Tribe?


You know about the uranium mine and the impact it had on our river? That’s having an impact and the radioactive material we’re finally getting cleaned up, but it will be years and years.

What are you hoping will happen?

What I hope will happen is more and more people will become aware of the impact we're having on our water, our air and on our ground.

I think there’s an awareness growing that it is going to have an effect on the future. Maybe not on you, but our children and our grandchildren, they will suffer more than we do.

click to enlarge What one member of the Spokane Tribe saw at the ND pipeline protest
Photo courtesy of Alex Flett

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Global Food & Art Market @ The Gathering House

Tuesdays, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Continues through July 29
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