Friday, July 7, 2017

Posted By on Fri, Jul 7, 2017 at 4:10 PM

click to enlarge Anti-transgender bathroom bill won't go on the ballot
Caleb Walsh Illustration

An initiative sold as a privacy and safety measure that would have taken away the rights of transgender people to use the bathroom of their gender won't go on the ballot this fall after backers failed to turn in the required number of signatures.

The group expected to bring in signatures for Initiative 1552, which would require people to use the bathroom that matches their sex at birth, cancelled their appointment with the Washington Secretary of State's office Friday, the last chance to turn in the required number for verification.

The initiative was touted by supporters as a safety measure to reverse December 2015 guidance from the state Human Rights Commission, which clarified that state protections guaranteed access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and facilities according to someone's gender identity, including for students.

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Posted By on Fri, Jul 7, 2017 at 2:54 PM


Washington will fund a pilot project that will provide legal representation to foster kids in two counties where those kids would otherwise be left navigating court proceedings with no attorney.

Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill Thursday — Senate Bill 5890 — that makes improvements to the state's foster care system, including a total of $1.4 million over the next two years for the project to test legal representation for foster kids.

"We are definitely considering this a win," says Alicia LeVezu of the UW School of Law's children and youth advocacy clinic.

Inslee also signed a separate bill that creates the Department of Children, Youth and Families, which will combine multiple agencies overseeing services for vulnerable children into one.

Currently, Washington has no law that requires abused or neglected children to have an attorney during dependency proceedings. In Spokane County, children are automatically appointed counsel starting at age 12, but other many other counties don't have similar rules or policies. That can effectively leave kids without a voice during critical conversations about where they will live and their future, according to several lawyers, children's advocates and state lawmakers.

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Thursday, July 6, 2017

Posted By on Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 1:47 PM

click to enlarge Spokane hantavirus death, hot times for your doggies and more
It's the season for preventing heat-related injuries to your dogs.

Hantavirus death

The Spokane Regional Health District announced Thursday that a Spokane County man in his 50s died from complications of hantavirus, the disease spread by deer mice excrement and saliva. “We want to acknowledge how tragic this unexpected death must be for this man’s family and friends,” said Dr. Bob Lutz, Spokane Regional Health District health officer in a statement. “Although the reality is this type of death is rare in our area, we need to balance it with a message of precaution.”

The man is suspected to have come into contact with the virus in an Adams County barn. Health officials say precautions should be taken when cleaning or working in barns, sheds, warehouses and “summer cabins that have not been occupied.”

The health district has detailed instructions on cleaning up mice poop. Here’s the gist of it: Vacuuming is a no-no as it may make the virus airborne; to be really safe you have to open windows to air out the space for at least 30 minutes. Then don a half-face H.E.P.A.- filter air-purifying respirator, long sleeved work clothes and rubber gloves. Spray the affected area with a diluted bleach mixture, wait 30 minutes and clean up the droppings using paper towels and rubber gloves.

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Posted By on Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 11:36 AM


When the year-round, indoor Spokane Public Market closed due to lagging traffic and sales back in 2014, the city’s downtown core was left with one fewer option for residents to shop from local produce and food vendors and artisan makers. The building near the corner of Second and Browne has since been razed, but the Spokane Public Market is being reborn this summer, in a new location and with a new weekly format.

Starting next Tuesday, July 11, and through the end of September, the Spokane Public Market will be open weekly on Tuesdays, from 4-7 pm, in the Parkade Plaza at 110 N. Howard, between Main and Riverside.

The market’s rebirth has been spearheaded by a five-year resident of downtown Spokane, Arhen Resleff, who says he wanted to establish a local market for the growing number of downtown dwellers like himself.

“It’s something Spokane needed downtown, and we’re right downtown, so it’s geared toward residents already living downtown, and new residents in the M building and the Ridpath; those are within a block of the Parkade Plaza,” Resleff says.

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Posted By on Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 9:32 AM


ON INLANDER.COM


MUSIC: The Spokane band The South Hill will debut their new album today!

SPORTS: With pitching problems, Mariners fans may have their optimism for the season dashed, again. In other news: sky still blue, grass still green, hope still clings eternal here in the PNW.

IN OTHER NEWS

Shake shake shake
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake in western Montana was felt in Spokane and other areas within a few hundred miles around 11:30 p.m. yesterday. (KHQ, Spokesman-Review)

Hot pursuit
Police in Arizona are searching for a man suspected of starting eight fires Monday and shooting at a U.S. Forest Service employee, about 75 miles southeast of Flagstaff, the Associated Press reports. (U.S. News and World Report)

Thou shalt not steal
click to enlarge That was an earthquake, Hobby Lobby dinged for looted biblical artifacts, and morning headlines
U.S. Department of Justice
A cuneiform tablet smuggled into the country by Hobby Lobby.

The craft and decor chain Hobby Lobby smuggled biblical artifacts looted from Iraq into the country, labeling them as tile "samples," and now has to return the artifacts and pay $3 million, McClatchy reports.

The Christian chain previously earned fame when it fought the Affordable Care Act mandate to provide birth control through employee health plans, taking the case to the Supreme Court, which agreed that in some cases, religious exemptions apply at for-profit chains.

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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Posted By on Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 1:29 PM

click to enlarge Mariners Briefing: Pitching woes leave little optimism in once-promising season
King Felix has been less than regal this year, and his fellow Mariners have scuffled to a below-.500 season so far.

Being an approximate .500 baseball team for half of a season will offer fair arguments for both optimism and pessimism. The 41-44 Mariners have found a way to showcase that duality in any given series, let alone any given week.

Two games into their mid-season homestand, the Mariners pitching has offered little parting thoughts that this high-wire act will result in playoff baseball. They didn't do so on the mound, with Felix Hernandez offering yet another multi-homer game on the Fourth of July. But the news off of the diamond has been far less reassuring.

News came out last week that sidelined starter Drew Smyly wouldn't be throwing a single pitch this year. Smyly opted for Tommy John surgery after dealing with yet another setback in his recovery from an elbow injury that progressed to a torn UCL. Smyly's recovery will be finished long after his one year contract with the Mariners will expire.

And then on July 4th it was revealed that Hisashi Iwakuma received platement-rich plasma treatment and a cortisone shot in his shoulder after his bullpen session. Iwakuma's return is now two weeks later than initially projected, and the soonest possible return is mid August.

If Iwakuma doesn't return, it's hard to see the Mariners maintaining their .482 winning percentage, let alone improving upon it. And that's a shame, considering the commendable efforts by Ariel Miranda, the return to form of James Paxton and the promising replacement starts by rookie Andrew Moore.

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Posted By on Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 11:03 AM


We've all heard of album release parties before, but the South Hill are premiering their new LP in an unusual way.

The Spokane quintet, which has built up quite a following since forming two years ago, will perform a stripped-down version of their upcoming debut record on Facebook Live Thursday, starting at 7 pm. They'll also be discussing the inspirations behind some of the songs, as well as answering fan questions.

To tune in, visit the band's Facebook page. You can pre-order the album and listen to the lead single "Bigger Plans" here; they'll also be performing at the Lantern Tap House (1004 S. Perry) on Saturday night.


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Posted By on Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 9:25 AM

click to enlarge North Korea tensions rise, hating on NPR, and morning headlines
North Korea had a successful missile test on July 4.

ON INLANDER.COM


Good times, bad times
Sammy Hagar's set last week gave fans a taste of the prodigious rocker's continuing talent, but left some feeling the show must go on after a 15-song set that ended before the sun had fully set.

IN OTHER NEWS

North Korea tensions rise with intercontinental missile test
With the reportedly successful test of a missile that could reach Hawaii, the New York Times reports, "'Self-restraint' is all that is keeping the United States and South Korea from going to war with the North, the top American general in South Korea said on Wednesday." (NYT)

Woman attacked by bear near Priest Lake
A woman and her dogs were attacked by a bear near the Priest Lake visitor center yesterday, the Spokesman-Review reports. She was seriously injured and taken to Sacred Heart. (S-R)

Not my...declaration?
NPR tweeted out the full text of the Declaration of Independence yesterday, and as could be expected, some people didn't catch on, and others who did were upset, because why not, it's the internet after all? Some folks went so far as to call the 241-year-old political language propaganda, in a perceived jab at the president. (Mediaite, Buzzfeed)


The few angry tweets that got the most attention got plenty of backlash:

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Monday, July 3, 2017

Posted By on Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 11:24 AM

click to enlarge CONCERT REVIEW: Sammy Hagar's well-rounded night at Northern Quest (4)
Dan Nailen
Sammy Hagar played some guitar between shots of booze.

The Sammy Hagar show Friday night was a good news/bad news situation for fans of the Red Rocker on hand at the nearly sold-out Northern Quest Resort & Casino outdoor stage:


THE GOOD NEWS

Hagar still sounds great as he prepares to turn 70 later this year, and he's the same happy-go-lucky party monster fans have come to know and love through four decades of hits as a solo artist and with bands like Van Halen, Montrose and Chickenfoot.

Hitting the stage after a video montage showcasing his time in the rock 'n' roll spotlight, Hagar played guitar, took slugs of booze out straight from the bottle, danced and chatted up the crowd between giving a lot of good-hearted shit to bass player Michael Anthony, a longtime friend and musical partner since their time together in Van Halen.

click to enlarge CONCERT REVIEW: Sammy Hagar's well-rounded night at Northern Quest
Dan Nailen
Jason Bonham (left), Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar braved some serious sun.

Hagar's band this tour is The Circle, and it's an all-star crew consisting of Anthony, Jason Bonham (son of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham) on drums and guitarist Vic Johnson — the least-known musician on stage, and probably the most impressive on Friday, as he knocked out killer solos and lead-guitar work on songs originally done by guitar geniuses like Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani.

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Posted By on Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 9:40 AM

Trump wrestles with CNN, poll says civility on the decline, Christie's day at the beach, and morning headlines
President Trump was busy on Twitter again this weekend, with CNN the latest object of his cyber-scorn.

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: The President of the United States tweeted a video over the weekend showing him wrestling with and punching "CNN." (via the New York Times)

NEWS: Proposed cuts to Medicare in the stalled Senate Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would put life-changing services at risk for millions of Americans most at risk. (via the New York Times)

THIS WEEK: Celebrate your independence from run-of-the-mill July events with La Luz at the Bartlett, Fred Armisen at the Bing, and bucking bulls at the 50th annual Cheney Rodeo.

JULY 4: When it comes to celebrating the holiday, don't be a knucklehead when it comes to fireworks; the hand you save may be your own.


IN OTHER NEWS

Uncivil behavior
On the eve of our nation's 241st birthday, 7 in 10 Americans believe that civility in the U.S. has declined since Trump's election, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist University poll; 61 percent said they do not place much trust in the Trump administration. Trust in Congress and the media is low, while trust in the intelligence community and the courts is high, according to the poll. (NPR)

Differing opinions
White House official Thomas Bossert said on ABC 's "This Week" that he's "proud" of Trump's tweets: "He's the most genuine president... I've seen in my lifetime." But the conservative National Review says that Trump's obsession with the media will be his undoing.  

Wrestling's fake; this isn't
In other politics-related wrestling news (or wrestling-related politics news), there's a new "heel" unlike any other on the Appalachian Mountain Wrestling circuit: the Progressive Liberal, whose signature finishing move is the "Liberal Agenda." (NPR/Sports Illustrated)

Mitch, please!
A reflection on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Worst Week in Washington. (CNN)

Shutdown times 11
Eleven states, including New Jersey (see below) enter the new budget year with their governments shut down; Washington is not one of them., as Gov. Jay Inslee signed a two-deal budget deal in Olympia with minutes to spare Friday night. (ABC News/ USNews.com)

Drawing a line in the sand
After ordering the state's beaches closed due to a budget impasse, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his family spent their Sunday on one of the same beaches he had ordered closed down. Not surprisingly, Garden State beachgoers aren't happy. (CNN)

One dead in South Hill shooting
One man is dead after an officer-involved shooting following a domestic violence incident Sunday night on Spokane's South Hill. (KHQ)

Two killed in SR 27 crash
A fiery crash off of State Route 27 early Saturday morning claimed the lives of a 20-year-old woman and 21-year-old man from Spokane Valley. A 21-year-old Spokane Valley man who was driving under the influence is being held on two counts of vehicular homicide. (KREM/Spokesman-Review)

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Why We Explore Deep Space @ Camas Wellness Center

Sat., July 26, 6 p.m.
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