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ON INLANDER.COM

Rally in Spokane Valley peaceful in the end
Joey Gibson, a candidate against Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and leader of the controversial group Patriot Prayer, held a rally Sunday. Though his events have attracted violence in other cities, the one in Spokane Valley went off without a hitch, according to KXLY.

Need something to do? We gotcha covered
Here's the list of hand-picked happenings for all things entertainment this week in Spokane.

IN OTHER NEWS

Adult film star tells of affair with president
Stormy Daniels shared details of the affair she says she had with President Donald Trump in 2006 on an episode of 60 Minutes Sunday. (CBS)

March for Our Lives draws support globally
On Saturday, people around the world marched in rallies supporting the March for Our Lives as students and activists called for changes to gun laws to prevent the type of violence seen in the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month that killed 17 people and injured many others. (New York Times)

Russian diplomats booted, Seattle consulate closed
Several countries, including the U.S., have kicked out Russian diplomats after the poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain. As part of the move, Russia's consulate in Seattle has been ordered to close. (Associated Press)

Most gun deaths in Washington by suicide
The Spokesman-Review reports that 78 percent of gun deaths in Washington are by suicide, but there's a new program training gun sellers and pharmacists that hopes to recognize signs of suicide.

As we barrel toward April, let's spend the last week of March raging full-on, mmmkay? For help deciding how, peruse our event listings or Staff Picks. Or read these highlights of the week ahead:

Monday, March 26

SPORTS | It's the regional final for the women's NCAA March Madness weekend in Spokane.

Tuesday, March 27

FOOD & DRINK | Clover and Iron Goat Brewing are teaming up for a beer dinner tonight. Reservations are required, and deliciousness guaranteed.

Violence, of one kind or another, tends to follow Joey Gibson, a Maria Cantwell opponent and leader of the controversial Patriot Prayer group. Gibson is speaking at Centerplace in Spokane Valley on Sunday at a "Freedom First Rally."

And that has people on the left worried.

"His events attract people who are really interested in violence and who are explicitly white supremacists," says Liz Moore, director of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS). "Local community folks are actively bringing him here, knowing full well what happens at his events."

Meanwhile, people on the right are cautious as well.

"I'm not going to talk to any media about this event," says Lesley Haskell, one of the event's organizers and wife of Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell. "It's too controversial and politically dangerous. I'm sure you can understand."

ON INLANDER.COM

Dawn of the Ted
Inlander Publisher Ted S. McGregor Jr. has been named a 2018 Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame honoree, along with Shawn Vestal, the star columnist of McGregor's bitter rival paper.

What Zinke Thinkes
Inlander writer Samantha Wohlfeil got a chance to ask Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke about the interior... of his mind.

Bumpy road
The city has tried to fix neighbors concerns through a North Monroe marketing campaign... but have they inflamed tensions further with who they picked?

IN OTHER NEWS...

What causes Risch to take a stand
How much does Idaho Sen. Jim Risch hate late former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus? So much he's willing to delay a federal omnibus budget bill because of a forest named after him. (Spokesman-Review)

There are some who say "Maria Cantwell" But I say to you, Maria CANwell!
How Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell is pushing to boost affordable housing. (Spokesman-Review)

McMaster of none
H.R. McMaster is out as national security advisor, being replaced by ultra-hawk John Bolton. (New York Times)

He has affairs with Playboy models for the articles
Karen McDougal, former Playboy model, says that she had an affair with Trump, after which he tried to pay her for sex. (CNN)

Each year, the Spokane Public Library Foundation, the city of Spokane and Spokane Public Library put out a call for nominations for new inductees into the Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame.

This year, the Inlander publisher and co-founder Ted S. McGregor Jr. is a finalist in the category of Innovation and Leadership.

The Hall of Fame recognizes Spokane individuals for achievements in six categories while also raising money to support the Spokane Public Library Foundation, which funds a range of programs and services offered by the city's library system.

Honorees in each of the six categories were chosen from more than 100 nominations; this year's are listed below. Final winners and inductees into the Spokane Citizen Hall of Fame will be announced at an event on Tuesday, May 1.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke met with leaders from the Spokane Tribe in Wellpinit Thursday in part to discuss legislation that would pay reparations to the tribe for land that was inundated with water after construction of the Grand Coulee Dam.

In a sit-down with Spokane Tribal Chairwoman Carol Evans and members of the Spokane Tribal Business Council, Zinke also spoke about approaches to deal with the nationwide opioid epidemic in ways that are culturally appropriate in Indian Country. Members of the council also took the chance to share their thoughts on other issues important to the tribe.

As Interior Secretary, Zinke oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the hundreds of federally-recognized tribes around the country.

For years, the Spokane Tribe has asked for reparations due to land lost after Grand Coulee's construction, but legislation has stalled in Congress. In addition to devastating historic salmon runs, the tribe points out that the dam took away more than 3,000 acres of land belonging to the tribe; flooded tribal communities, schools, roads, orchards, farms, and burial sites; and forced the tribe to change the way it accesses the river and participates in commerce.

Aside from a payment in 1940 of $4,700, the tribe has not been compensated.

"The Spokane Tribe has, in our opinion, not been properly compensated," Evans says. "So every year we continue to go back and ask for congressional leaders to support that legislation."

A current version of the bill introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, largely mirrors a settlement the federal government came to with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in 1994, which resulted in a lump sum payment and annual payments of between $14 million and $22 million, depending on the value of the power sold by the Bonneville Power Administration.

Under the bill, the Spokane Tribe would get a one-time payment of $53 million, as well as annual payments. The payments would be about a quarter of what is paid to the Colville Tribes, and not have a perceptible rate impact to Bonneville's utility customers, according to a Feb. 13 letter sent to Cantwell by Elliot Mainzer, CEO of Bonneville Power.

"This is one area where Maria Cantwell and I can work together," says Zinke, who served as Montana's lone Representative in the House from 2015 to 2017 before being confirmed as Interior Secretary last March.

Asked how he would support the legislation's passage, Zinke says making the face-to-face visit was a good start, so he could put a nation and story to the pieces of paper in D.C.

"Certainly as a former congressman of Montana, I was aware of [the legislation], but now I'm Secretary of the Interior," Zinke says. "We are the champion of Indian Nations. There is no other department within the United States, historically, that has the mission we do of being a champion for Indian Nations."

Zinke acknowledges that Interior has not always had a good relationship with tribes.

"Interior’s been around since 1849. There are dates within our history that the relationship between Indian Nations and Interior has not been good," Zinke says. "We look forward now to being partners, talking on a nation-to-nation view, and looking at how we could support the sovereignty of a nation. Because sovereignty should mean something. It’s more than a word. It should mean something. And in this case, there was a wrong that we need to look at what path to make it right."

Asked if he supports Cantwell's legislation specifically, Zinke says he supports finding a solution to the wrong that was done.

"Clearly the tribe, in my judgment, was wronged," he says. "The legislation itself has passed the House at one time, it's passed the Senate, but never in the same year. So my job is to meet with the leadership in the Senate and the House and emphasize that Department of the Interior stands by our duty of being a champion of the nations, and Spokane feels very strongly about this and they have for generations."

OPIOIDS

Zinke's trip also included a meeting with the Colville Tribes Thursday afternoon and he was expected to continue to Bellingham on Friday for a visit with Lummi Nation. On the trip, the Secretary is making a point to speak with tribes about President Trump's plan to address the opioid epidemic.

"Tribes have been affected disproportionately," Zinke says. "[We discussed] what we can do as Interior, looking at group law enforcement ... we have a number of U.S. law enforcement agencies within Interior that we can coordinate with the tribes."

The department is also looking for opportunities to support community-based treatment, he says.

"We strongly believe the best treatment is at the community and the tribal level," Zinke says.

And Interior can also draw from what is working among the more than 500 tribes it works with to help target programs to kids, mothers and grandmothers, particularly because many tribes are matriarchal and when those members of the community become addicted, it can have the most detrimental impact, Zinke says.

"A lot of the opioid and drug information has to be culturally relevant and it has to relate to the targeted population, which is kids, moms and grandmas," he says.

Spokane Tribal Council member Glenn Ford says the tribe is in the process of reaching out to membership to get people involved and get a sense of the impacts locally.

"We’re taking it at a slower pace that gives us the ability to draw more information and get a better understanding of what we need to do to address it," he says.

When the orange construction signs and chain-link fences go up, storefronts become obscured, sidewalks are diverted and business ultimately slows as a result.

This is a feared scenario for businesses on North Monroe as a major road revitalization project slated for April between Indiana and Kiernan avenues looms ever nearer. To ease concerns, the city of Spokane has set forth a pilot project that includes a media campaign, business consulting and a $150,000 “facade improvement.” But not everyone is on board.

While some business owners agree that the project is needed in the burgeoning district, the anxiety remains despite the city’s effort. This is something the city is well aware of, says spokeswoman and director of strategic development Marlene Feist. This is directly impacting people’s livelihoods, she says.

Brianna Troutt, who owns the barber shop Classic Cuts with her husband, worries about the potential loss of walk-in customers.

“I know Monroe needs to be fixed and updated, but the construction will prevent some people from coming down,” Troutt writes.

All told, about 80 businesses will be affected by the project, which is expected to last eight months, Feist says.

But not all of the business owners are as compromising as Classic Cuts. Prohibition Gastropub, which initially declined to comment on the story, expressed its concern via Facebook last week, not only regarding the impending construction, but the way the city has handled its concerns:

“We won't try to lie to you and tell you we aren't scared to death about the road project on Monroe. We are. And, it is with heavy hearts that we share that the city of Spokane - Municipal Government awarded a $50,000 contract to Rogue Heart Media Inc. to promote businesses along Monroe during construction.”

The post included a photo of a letter from Rogue Heart Media sent to the city of Spokane last year, which appeared to deride the pub (and others) for its opposition to the project, though it did not call them by name.

“We do not feel that we will receive adequate marketing representation while the project is underway based on the tone of the letter,” the pub wrote. “The project is going forward regardless. We will survive. It's all just very disappointing.”

Rogue Heart, also located in the North Monroe Corridor, came out in favor of the revitalization project in a strongly worded letter to the city last year. Megan Kennedy, principal producer for the media company, says the letter’s language doesn’t reflect the character of Rogue Media and that its sorry for any harm it may have caused. The letter was written “at a time in the planning process when everyone was at their worst behavior,” Kennedy says.

“By nature, we are a very collaborative company. Our entire structure is based on authentic creative nonfiction,” she says.

Rogue Media was awarded the $49,000 marketing contract a couple weeks ago in an effort to remind locals that the businesses are still open.

“Monroe is a vibrant and somewhat eclectic destination, in my opinion,” Kennedy writes to the Inlander. “The businesses that are here offer such a mix of experiences: from retail shopping and dining, to professional services, to personal essentials and education, etc. We have businesses that have been here for decades, as well as new entrepreneurs currently working toward their grand opening.”

Some of Kennedy’s main goals are to make sure people know how to navigate the upcoming construction “as well as highlighting more reasons to show up and support” the businesses in the construction zone and highlighting the major construction milestones.

The marketing approach is meant to be more general, rather than targeting specific businesses in the area, Feist says.

“Achieving success demands the help of our community, too,” Feist writes. “We need citizens to do their part by continuing visit their favorite businesses during construction projects.”

The construction project itself, budgeted at more than $8.7 million (including stormwater improvements to the hill west of Monroe) is intended to improve pedestrian facilities by reducing traffic lanes, widening sidewalks, adding on-street parking and lighting and other facilities. The revitalization is intended to make the busy road safer for pedestrians and more “economically vibrant.”

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: This issue is hella phat. It's the 25th Best of the Inland Northwest comin'atcha with 132 pages of the most bangin' food, drinks, music, arts, shopping, recreation and people that the area has to offer.

We even threw in a little '90s nostalgia for you.

Pay to play
Elkfest, the free three-day music festival/block party in Browne's Addition, is facing a tangle of red tape this year. Can it survive?

'Are you illegal?"
For years, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have boarded Greyhound buses in Spokane and asked passengers to prove they are in the country legally. Some say the process is completely legal. The ACLU says it's not.

CdA High School principal dead by apparent suicide
Troy Schueller was found in his home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

IN OTHER NEWS

Washington leader in #MeToo
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a series of bills aimed at bringing complaints of sexual assault and harassment out from behind secret meetings and nondisclosure agreements. (Spokesman-Review)

Biden v. Trump
The former vice president says he would have "beat the hell" out of Trump for his abusive behavior toward women. (ABC)

Gail Gerlach gets the irony here
The Spokane man was acquitted of manslaughter after he shot and killed another man trying to steal his SUV. Gerlach's daughter is now convicted of stealing a car. She was sentenced to 13 days in jail. (Spokesman-Review)

Group homes in Washington are failing
Surprise visits from the feds to 20 Washington state group homes found that almost all of them failed to meet some standard requirement for safety, equipment, environment, space or medical needs of kids. (Seattle Times)

Troy Schueller, the principal at Coeur d'Alene High School, died today in an apparent suicide, according to the School District.

"We are deeply saddened to inform you of a tragic event involving a member of the Coeur d'Alene Public Schools family," the district says in a news release this afternoon. "Earlier today, Coeur d'Alene High School Principal Troy Schueller was found at his residence with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."

He was transported to Kootenai Health where he passed away at about 2 pm, the district says.

This was Schueller's second year as principal at Coeur d'Alene High School, where he previously served for eight years as assistant principal. He is married and has two children, according to his bio on the district website.

Staff, families and current students have been notified of Schueller's apparent suicide. The district canceled school Thursday in light of the news, though crisis counselors will be available at the school from 7:30 am until 2:30 pm.

"Anyone who needs to speak with someone about this tragedy is urged to seek out a member of the crisis team," the news release says.

The district has also activated its crisis assistance team, which will be at the high school this evening and tomorrow.

"Words cannot express the sadness that I feel and that is shared by our school board, our staff and our community by this loss," says superintendent Stan Olson in a statement.

He says Schueller was respected and appreciated by anyone who knew him.

"Troy was a person who wanted to be a better professional and a better person," Olson says. "He was a person who lived life and had known the joys of life and the difficulties along the way, and anyone who knew him well greatly appreciated him."

He added that nearby school districts like Post Falls and Lakeland, along with other community partners, have offered support.

"This is a horrific incident that we all need to help each other recover from," Olson says. "This will not be over in an hour or day or week."

For years, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have climbed onto Greyhound buses at the station in Spokane and demanded that passengers prove they are in the country legally.

"Where's your papers?"

"Are you illegal?"

"Do you have your documents on you?" the agents ask.

The warrantless sweeps by armed agents are "business as usual," Border Patrol spokesman Jason Givens told the Inlander last November, and now the ACLU has taken notice.

In a letter to Greyhound Lines Inc. (embedded below), the ACLU asks the bus company to stop allowing Border Patrol agents to board its buses and question passengers without warrants.

"These invasive raids are not only a blatant disregard of passengers' constitutional rights, they are also clearly driven by racial profiling," Enoka Herat, ACLU of Washington Police Practices and Immigrant Rights counsel says in a statement.

In an emailed statement, Greyhound says it has received the ACLU's letter and will "do everything legally possible to minimize any negative experiences" of its passengers.

"Greyhound has opened a dialogue with the Border Patrol to see if there is anything that can be done to balance the enforcement of federal law with the dignity and privacy of our valued customers," the statement reads.

Givens, the Border Patrol spokesman, was responding last year to concerns raised by local immigration attorneys, who had noticed a shift in immigration enforcement priorities following President Trump's election.

Rather than focus on undocumented people accused or convicted of crimes, attorneys said, it appeared as if agents were going after everyone — even people like Manel Perdomo, who was on her way home from Seattle and was still recovering from a recent stroke.

Other similar examples then began to surface, including news earlier this year of a father and son, who was a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Both were arrested from the bus station in Spokane and sent to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

In 2017, at least 34 people were arrested from buses in the Spokane area, according to stats provided by the ACLU. The ACLU letter cites other examples from California to Vermont.

Border Patrol has argued that it has unique legal authority to conduct warrantless searches within 100 miles of U.S. borders. Spokane falls just inside that range, effectively making its Greyhound bus station a de facto checkpoint.

But the 100-mile rule doesn't mean agents can board buses without warrants, the ACLU letter says.

"They still have to have a reason to ask someone for their papers," says Nicole Herrera, an attorney and one of the ACLU volunteers passing out "Know Your Rights" cards at the Spokane Greyhound station Wednesday afternoon.

The volunteers' presence is in direct response to the Border Patrol arrests, she adds. "The racial profiling undertones of this are scary."

Herrera encourages all Greyhound passengers to refuse to answer questions from Border Patrol. "You can't arrest someone for exercising their right to remain silent," she says.

ACLU Affiliate Letter to Greyhound - FINAL by Mitch Ryals on Scribd