Monday, April 17, 2017

Posted By on Mon, Apr 17, 2017 at 3:32 PM

click to enlarge Elkfest announces this year's lineup of artists, and it's as eclectic as ever
Afrolicious

Elkfest, the three-day music festival that takes over the Browne's Addition neighborhood every year in late spring, just announced its upcoming lineup. From June 9-11, you can get an earful of soul, reggae, folk, rock and blues tunes, and it's all free.

This year's Elkfest roster is as eclectic as ever, featuring the San Francisco R&B collective Afrolicious, the San Diego dream-pop band the Donkeys and self-described "traveling singer-songwriter" Dustin Thomas. Local artists include Marshall McLean, Folkinception, Griffey and Fat Lady, who's performing at the Inlander's 420 Party later this week.

Although standing around and listening to tunes won't cost you a penny, hanging out in the adjacent beer gardens (if you're 21 and older, that is) will run you just $2.

A detailed schedule has yet to be announced, but until then, here's a list of participating artists.

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Posted By on Mon, Apr 17, 2017 at 9:39 AM


ON INLANDER.COM


NEWS: The Spokane County Democratic Party not only filed campaign donations late or improperly, but also used money it had set aside only for scholarships to keep things running.

NEWS: A Spokane prosecuting attorney was appointed to fill the
Congress gets Obamacare, Spokane judge finds 3 men innocent, and morning headlines
When it comes to North Korea, the U.S. is running out of patience, says Tillerson.
late Judge Sam Cozza's spot on the Spokane County Superior Court bench.

NEWS: Three men who were wrongly convicted in a robbery and later found innocent due to lack of evidence have now had their names cleared after a Spokane judge found they were actually innocent, meaning that a lot of state money will likely be coming their way.

MUSIC: Miss the Outercourse and Dancing Plague of 1518 show last Thursday night? Tuck's got you covered.

IN OTHER NEWS

Congress gets Obamacare, too
The Washington Post takes a look at claims about the health coverage that members of Congress get; it's a little complicated, but many of them are on the exchanges. (Washington Post)

What to do about North Korea
Recent displays to show North Korea's nuclear strength and U.S. efforts to deal with the underlying issues have been compared to the "Cuban missile crisis in slow motion," with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently saying a strategy of patience is ending, the New York Times reports. (New York Times)

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Friday, April 14, 2017

Posted By on Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 5:08 PM


For those who were willing to come out on Thursday for a free local show at the Baby Bar, Outercourse and the Dancing Plague of 1518 kicked off their upcoming four-show tour last night, and it was a blaring launch.

Connor Knowles' solo project, Dancing Plague, opened the night with an equally haunting and thumping set of darkwave electronic music, using a beats machine, guitar riffs, synth layers, processed vocals and found sounds to pair with his projected visuals.

The Dancing Plague of 1518 will be damned if you don't find yourself at least nodding along to the whirling basslines or shifting your feet with his syncopated synthetic drums. Knowles' act is a refreshing addition to a local music scene that often gets labeled as being too genre-specific. Knowles has come out with two EPs over the short year or so he's recorded as this project.


Heavy Seventeen linked the two touring acts with a middle set that offered up plenty of lo-fi alt-rock vibes. There was plenty of bobbing and shuffling from the crowd as the band enjoyed playing slacker rock that feels timeless. It was a treat to listen to some good buzzing alt-rock and to see the fun that frontman Matt Lakin and company have.


Outercourse closed out the night with a set that seemed to only get better the further they got into it. Fresh off the release of their Spring '17 tape, the band, led by vocalist and guitarist Ben Jennings, showed the acumen it takes to be a solid lo-fi project.

Jennings and fellow guitarist Alex Smith adeptly slice through the mix of bassist Adam Smith and drummer Norman Robbins. Jennings' vocals rest atop the lo-fi buzzing and pinging guitars and will quickly swerve from yelps and singing into gravelly shouts whenever he and Smith rip into their next bouncing riff.

This is most likely the final lineup for Jennings' project, which has seen its current members swap instruments over the last three years. And it's the final roster for good reason, as their closing number, "Mel's Hole," played to the individual fortes of each member. It was a pleasure to see the band play off of each other in the closing break, with Robbins blasting through the solos on his battered drum kit.


Outercourse and Dancing Plague of 1518 will play Eugene (Old Nick's Pub), Tacoma (Bob's Java Jive) and Bellingham (The Swillery) over the holiday weekend, April 14-16.

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Posted By on Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 4:56 PM

click to enlarge Drumheller No! Spokane County Dems used scholarship money for operations, leaving some members irate
Daniel Walters photo
Former Spokane County Democrats chairwoman Sally Jackson was irate when the Democrats took money from the fund that was supposed to be used for scholarships.

When Dan Lambert arrived at Lincoln Center for the Spokane County Democrats' viewing party of the second presidential debate, it wasn't just to watch Hillary Clinton duke it out with Donald Trump.

Lambert, a Spokane County Democratic party activist for 28 years, came armed with a copy of Spokane County Democrats' board minutes from 2009, and the copy of a dead party member's will. He wanted to show the minutes to Jim CastroLang — then both the chair and the executive director of the Spokane County Democrats. Lambert says that CastroLang looked shocked by what he saw.

“He turned a couple shades lighter [in] color,” Lambert says. “This was all new information. He did not know about this.”

This week, we have a story about the resignation of CastroLang after a Public Disclosure Commission complaint revealed the local Democratic party's error-strewn, heavily delayed reporting to the PDC. Internally, longtime party members' frustration regarding their leadership was about more than just mistakes with campaign finance PDC filings.

It was about CastroLang's decision to take money specifically set aside for scholarships (and nothing else) and use it to pay operating costs.

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Posted By on Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 12:08 PM

click to enlarge Spokane County prosecutor appointed to Superior Court bench
Courtesy of Tony Hazel
Hazel speaking at a Spokane County Bar Association luncheon during his tenure as president.

Gov. Jay Inslee appointed a career prosecuting attorney to the Spokane County Superior Court bench, replacing the late Judge Sam Cozza.

Tony Hazel, a proponent of criminal justice reform and a prosecutor in Spokane for the past 13 years, will fill the final spot on the 12-person bench. Cozza was Spokane's presiding judge when he died in mid-January, and Judge Michael Price has taken on that role. Details on what types of cases Hazel will handle as a judge are still being worked out, he says. He expects to be seated on the bench within a couple of weeks.

"I'm honored to have been selected, and I look forward to pursuing the judgeship for some time," Hazel says, indicating that he intends to run for re-election when the term is up in 2020. "I'm committed to public safety and fairness, and ensuring that I run the people's courtroom in a manner that gives justice a chance to prevail."

Hazel, a graduate of Gonzaga University and the Gonzaga School of Law, started his career as a prosecutor in Yakima before taking the job in Spokane. The bulk of his experience is in criminal prosecutions, he says. Hazel helped establish the identity theft task force in Spokane, and has handled multiple homicide cases.

Recently, though, Hazel has worked on the civil side of the law, specifically on cases involving mental health.

Throughout his tenure, Hazel has been one of the leaders in local criminal justice reform within the prosecutor's office. Hazel served on the public safety transition team when Mayor David Condon was first elected in 2011, and was part of the panel pushing to reactivate the Regional Law and Justice Council.

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Posted By on Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 10:26 AM

Shoddy police investigation leading to wrongful convictions will cost the state more than $750,000
Young Kwak photo
FROM LEFT: Robert Larson, Paul Statler and Tyler Gassman.

Reckless police work and careless prosecution cost three men years of their lives when they were wrongly convicted in 2009 of a drug-rip robbery. The three men were released from prison, and their convictions were overturned in 2012 when a judge ruled the men were "legally" innocent, meaning the evidence against them was insufficient.

But earlier this week, another Spokane judge ruled that the men are "actually" innocent. That means law enforcement's mistake is going to cost the state at least $751,465.75, attorneys say, under the state's wrongly convicted persons law.

According to the law, people wrongly convicted of felonies are entitled to compensation from the state only if there is "clear and convincing" evidence that they did not commit the crime. A conviction overturned due to a procedural error or deficient evidence doesn't count.

"[The police] were locked in on these guys and doing everything they could to get them convicted," says Toby Marshall, a Seattle attorney who worked on the civil compensation case. "They weren't searching for the truth."

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Posted By on Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 9:49 AM

click to enlarge A rogue bulldozer, a big bomb, exploding rocket fuel and other morning headlines
Daniel Walters photo
The ospreys are back at Kendall Yards, and their talons are sharper than ever!

ON INLANDER.COM

Brothers, can you spare some dimes?

Catholic Charities asks Spokane Valley and Spokane County for, well, charity to help fund their 24/7 shelters.

The yeast of these
How yeast can give vegans protein and make vegan food taste less bland.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Spokesman Boys and the Mystery of the Runaway Bulldozer
Who approved the illegal road on the South Hill bluff? The contractor who bulldozed it is playing coy. (Spokesman-Review)

Public records for thee, but not for me
Unlike Idaho, Washington legislators exempt themselves from the public records act, because the business of the public is — Shhhhh!a secret. (Spokesman-Review)

The walls in the way of the wall

Does the city's Bosch Lot plan for a new climbing gym violate the city's charter? (Spokesman-Review)

Okay, actually it is rocket science
A rocket club experiment goes bad and injures four University of Idaho students — one critically.

Bomb away!
Trump drops the "Mother of All Bombs" on Afghanistan. (New Yorker)

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Thursday, April 13, 2017

Posted By on Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 5:30 PM


People who are chronically homeless, and often most visible when they have nowhere to go during the day, could soon be back in downtown and other common areas, as House of Charity will have to shut down its daytime hours and extra sleeping space as of May 1.

Almost as soon as Spokane's pilot 24/7 shelter system 
click to enlarge As House of Charity plans to cut hours, a call for Valley and county to step up with funding
Samantha Wohlfeil photo
Rob McCann speaks during a press conference at House of Charity on Thursday.
was completely up and  running, with places for single people, families and children to go during the day, it became clear that the funding would quickly run out, says Rob McCann, president and CEO of Catholic Charities.

At least, that's the case for the House of Charity's expanded evening sleeping space that allowed an extra 200 people to sleep on the lower floor of the shelter since last November, and its daytime hours that started in January.

Before the lower floor was opened so more people could stay, House of Charity accepted only about 100 men per night to sleep upstairs. With the expanded space, women were allowed to stay for the first time, and HOC allowed people with pets as well. Significantly, the space was open every night all winter, where normally it was only open when the weather dipped into cold enough temperatures.

Since January, the shelter has been open during the day, so anyone can stay inside as they need.

But by February, it was clear that a boost of money from the city that allowed for those extra hours wouldn't be enough to keep things going after May, McCann said during a press conference Thursday morning.

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Posted By on Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 10:47 AM


Future doctors tested at WSU med school

As WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine prepares to greet 60 first-year medical students this fall, they’ve added a perk to the program. The future doctors will be able to enroll in a “Scientific Wellness” program offered by Seattle biotechnology company Arivale, featuring assessment of their DNA, blood and even saliva — all aimed at discovering potential areas of health vulnerability. Arivale dietitians and nurses will then follow up with monthly coaching based on “actionable” information the tests uncover.

“We are going to be the first medical school in the country to offer a scientific wellness program (to our students) so that they can learn firsthand what it means to be involved in precision or personalized medicine,” says the medical school’s founding dean, John Tomkowiak. The goal is to produce physicians who are not only proficient in the use of cutting-edge technology to optimize wellness, but also empathetic to the struggles of making lifestyle changes based on the findings. The Arivale program is also available to the public; the first year costs $3,500.

Marathon risks aren't just for runners
Runners in marathon races face fatigue, blisters and dehydration, but for people in the vicinity of the race, the risk of death from a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest is increased simply because of the crowds. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that ambulance times were increased by four minutes on average in neighborhoods near a marathon, and the rate of death within a month was 28 percent, versus 25 percent for other days. The study examined marathons in 11 cities, including Seattle: “Any event that draws a crowd and causes traffic detours — parades, ballgames, concerts, fairs — may cause similar problems, researchers warn.”

Delicious recipes feature nutritional yeast
Nutritional yeast offers 3 to 6 grams of complete protein per tablespoon and as a bonus, it is a “great flavor booster,” says Alison Collins of Spokane’s Boots Bakery. Find recipes for Boots Bakery’s Power Salad Dressing and Versatile Vegan Cheesy Sauce in the newest issue of InHealth.

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Posted By on Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 10:05 AM


ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: How the Spokane County Democrats came crashing down.

MUSIC: Supervillain, the local rock trio, not comic-book characters, are celebrating the release of their new album. It's probably not what you were expecting.

PICKUP ARTIST: I followed a local pickup artist on a recent date.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Down by the river
The city of Spokane considers selling off a piece of Riverfront Park in order to build a rock-climbing gym along the shore of the Spokane River. (Spokesman-Review)

"Imperial Wizard"
A "celebrity" Klansman from Mississippi showed up at a Donald Trump rally in Portland last month. (Willamette Week)

United we fall
The man who was yanked from his seat aboard a United flight and dragged down the aisle has a concussion, a broken nose and is missing teeth, his lawyers say. (Associated Press) ICYMI, watch the video here.

New York judge found dead
Police pulled the body of Sheila Abdus-Salaam from the Hudson River on Wednesday. Abdus-Salaam, a judge on the state's highest court, was the first African American woman to serve on that bench. (New York Times)

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Global Food & Art Market @ The Gathering House

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