Bloglander

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: We run down the constitutional reasons why the city of Spokane can't charge Joey Gibson extra security fees just because some of his previous rallies have turned violent.

FUN: At last, the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck has arrived in Spokane.

FUN: Visit Spokane creates a video celebrating the many wonders of the city and surrounding area.

IN OTHER NEWS

Special delivery?
It was pretty ridiculous to suggest Spokane would be in the running for Amazon's second headquarters. But an Amazon fulfillment center? Now that makes more sense. (KHQ)

How great thou art
An art piece that looks like a big wooden spaceship has been approved for Riverfront Park. (Spokesman-Review)

A fine and pleasant history
Every grandpa's favorite humorist, Idaho great Patrick McManus, has died. (Spokesman-Review)

Not a fan of the Trump man
Former FBI Director James Comey's book reveals just how little he respects Donald Trump. (New York Times)

Pardon?
Trump considers pardoning former Bush official Scooter Libby, convicted of perjury for lying to the FBI. (New York Times)

2018 or 1973
Possible secret recordings could impact the investigation into the president of the United States. (Washington Post)

Last time, nobody got hurt. 

Though there was a lot of concern about the presence of Washington Senate candidate Joey Gibson, whose rallies have exploded in fights between right and left-wing groups in the past, his appearance at a Spokane Valley rally last month was uneventful.

But now, according to his Facebook page, he's planning an event at Riverfront Park on Sunday.

"[Spokane police officers are] aware and are prepared to respond if needed," says police spokeswoman Michele Anderson. "We would respond as appropriate."

According to City of Spokane Special Event Coordinator Carly Cortright, Gibson won't be required to have a permit unless his event features vendors, amplified speakers or is large enough to block public traffic.

"As long as you’re allowing people to move freely, you have a free speech right to protest," Cortwright says.

But the Spokane County Young Democrats sent out a press release Monday, arguing that because Gibson events have lapsed into violence in the past, he should be charged for the additional security costs.

This country was built on the right to free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of association. However, those rights do not protect you from the consequences of those actions. Due to the history of violence and property damage at Joey Gibson events additional security is necessary in order to keep the peace. We call on the Spokane City Council to pass the costs of necessary security on to the Joey Gibson campaign. Taxpayers should not be asked to bear the financial burden of the people whom Joey Gibson chooses to associate.

It's an interesting question. If a controversial speaker requires a larger, more expensive police presence, should the speaker be required to pay more for the cost of those police officers? Or should the taxpayers pay the costs instead?

In fact, the Supreme Court has weighed in on almost this exact issue.

And it ruled that putting a greater financial burden on controversial speakers is blatantly unconstitutional.

Back in 1989, the Nationalist Movement — a pretty explicit white supremacist group —  wanted to protest the Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the front steps of a courthouse in Forsyth County, Georgia.

But in order to do that, they were told they'd have to pay a fee, one that could vary depending on the anticipated violent reaction of the audience. The Nationalist Movement sued, and the resulting case rose all the way to the Supreme Court.

The conclusion? While some security fees can be passed along to organizers of certain events, those fees have to be established in according to "narrowly drawn, reasonable and definite standards." Oh, and it's got to be content neutral — you can't charge different groups different fees because some groups may spark a more violent reaction.

"Speech cannot be financially burdened, any more than it can be punished or banned, simply because it might offend a hostile mob," Justice Harry Blackmun wrote.

It’s hard not to feel a tinge of civic pride and satisfaction after watching Visit Spokane’s newest promotional video of the city.

“Whoa, I live here?” you might think.

Yes. It’s a pretty cool place, and Visit Spokane's video does a good job of selling it.

Long, slow shots of the city and surrounding area depict its natural beauty and cool things to do. Aerial shots of the city’s neighborhoods, Spokane River, mountains and public parks (all in perfect weather, of course) set to some chill background beats show an ideal city to live in.

“What makes a region a destination? Everyone has their own opinion. But when a place like the Spokane region has it all, it's tough not to sing its praises. Blessed with a unique combination of outrageous outdoors and amazing attractions, incredible arts and delectable dining, and a historic past living seamlessly with a vibrant future. From thrilling whitewater or downhill adventures, to inspiring art and powerful Broadway performances, the Spokane region offers enough activities to pack any vacation calendar."

True enough. The video depicts something for everyone: delicious food, roasting coffee, a vibrant downtown, live music, public art, mountain biking, rock climbing — and it wouldn’t be Spokane if we didn’t have at least eight seconds of time dedicated to Gonzaga basketball.

Okay. Fine. We’re sold.

Calling all fans of the pink-bowed cartoon character known as Hello Kitty! The international feline is making a stop — sort of — in Spokane next weekend, on Saturday, April 21.

Sanrio's Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is setting up shop outside River Park Square from 10 am-8 pm (outside Williams-Sonoma on Main) to serve up giant cookies, pocket pies ($10), three-piece boxed cookie sets ($12), keychains ($6.50), stainless steel thermal bottles ($29-$36) and bow-shaped water bottles ($3), according to organizers.

There will also be Hello Kitty Cafe-branded T-shirts ($27), bow headbands ($30), boxed petit fours ($14) and boxed macarons ($15) for sale. While supplies last, customers can get a free mini-tote bag when they make a $25 food purchase.

ON INLANDER.COM

COVER: This week’s latest issue is out and we have a TON of stuff to check out. In our cover story this week, Samantha Wohlfeil travels to Central Washington to learn more about the Bitcoin craze.
NEWS: Also, the Washington state Supreme Court just made it easier for courts to weed out racial bias in jury selection. It is the first state to do so, according to a Tacoma lawyer who helped draft a new rule.

NEWS: Youth suicide rates have increased in Spokane County. How are school officials handling the problem and what do experts say the culprit is?

IN OTHER NEWS

257 dead
A plane crashed in Algeria, killing 257 people on board. There were some survivors, but their condition is unknown. Most of the victims were military personnel and their families. (BBC)

Guns vs. Healthcare
Eastern Washington voters are in favor of raising the age limit for buying a semi-automatic rifle. Overall, 62 percent support the idea, while 33 percent do not. Voters are also “evenly split on whether they think Congress should repeal the Affordable Care Act.” (Spokesman-Review)

#MeToo: Microsoft
Despite Microsoft’s own proclaimed gender equality, women at the tech giant say the company isn’t there yet.

“Interviews with more than three dozen current and former employees and a review of hundreds of pages of court filings and internal documents illustrate why Microsoft has failed to hire more women or retain those within its ranks: Widespread complaints focus on a culture of casual sexism, a male-dominated hierarchy slow to change, and poor resolution of employee grievances,” writes Seattle Times technology reporter Matt Day. (Seattle Times)

For decades, people of color have been excluded from jury panels, research and history has shown, in part because the rules protecting against racial and ethnic bias are ineffective.

Some Washington State Supreme Court justices have been vocal about the safeguards currently in place.

Much of the attention has been on "peremptory challenges," which allow lawyers for both sides to eliminate a potential juror without giving an explanation.

"The time has come to abolish peremptory challenges," Justice Steven Gonzalez writes in a 2013 opinion. "The use of this procedure propagates racial discrimination, contributes to the historical and ongoing underrepresentation of minority groups on juries, imposes needless administrative and litigation costs, results in less effective juries, amplifies resource disparity in jury selection and mars the appearance of fairness in our justice system."

But rather than eliminate peremptory challenges altogether, the state Supreme Court recently adopted new rules (below) to expand protections against implicit and unconscious biases.

Washington's new rule establishes an "objective observer" lens through which to evaluate whether elimination of a particular juror is related to race.

"For the purposes of this rule, an objective observer is aware that implicit, institutional and unconscious biases, in addition to purposeful discrimination, have resulted in the unfair exclusion of potential jurors in Washington state," according to the rule.

Spokane County Public Defender Jeremy Schmidt says the rule helps clarify a longstanding issue. Schmidt raised the question of racial bias in jury selection in a Spokane case last year. Spokane Superior Court Judge Julie McKay called a mistrial, but stopped short of finding that the prosecutor was racially biased.

"This acknowledgement of a systemic statewide issue, whether current or historical, is an incredible step forward for the assurance of equality in the most fundamental of our constitutional rights, a trial by jury," Schmidt says. "Justice should be blind, but also aware."

The longstanding and ineffective rule for checking racial bias in jury selection is known as the "Batson Rule," named for the U.S. Supreme Court case Batson v. Kentucky. Under that system, lawyers can be asked to give a "race-neutral" reason for eliminating a juror.

Acceptable reasons in the past have included: living in a high-crime neighborhood, having interactions with the police, receiving welfare benefits and speaking English as a second language.

Washington's new rule specifically lists several reasons that are presumed not to be race neutral, and therefore invalid: Prior contact with police, expressing a distrust of police or the belief that police engage in racial profiling, living in a high-crime neighborhood, having a child outside of marriage, receiving welfare benefits and speaking English as a second language.

Washington state is the first to establish these protections by court rule, according to Sal Mungia, a Tacoma attorney who had a hand in drafting the new rule.

"This is truly historic — legal scholars, commentators and courts/judges have for years acknowledged and criticized the shortcomings of Batson in preventing attorneys from excluding persons of color from serving on juries," he writes via email. "This rule acknowledges bias exists within the justice system, but that implicit bias is preventing people from serving on juries."

The rules will apply to all criminal and civil trials and are set to take effect later this month.

Jury Selection GR37newrule by Mitch Ryals on Scribd

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: More security officers in Idaho schools? That's what state Superintendent Sherri Ybarra wants.

RECIPE: Gander this easy, five-ingredient gooey apple cake, for all the extra apples you got laying around.

IN OTHER NEWS

For real this time
The race between Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and her Democratic challenger Lisa Brown is the closest in the 5th District in years, a poll suggests. (Spokesman-Review)

Paul, bye
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-WI, will not seek re-election, ending a 20-year run in Congress. (New York Times)

Facebook goes to Capitol Hill
Mark Zuckerberg will return to Congress for the second day in a row. Read his notes from the first day (The Verge). Lawmakers wondered whether the social media giant should be more heavily regulated. (New York Times)

Sheriff Joe's grandma was a chain migrant
The controversial former sheriff of Maricopa County (Arizona), who has built his brand on disobeying a federal judge, getting pardoned by President Trump and really really not liking immigrants, is a first-generation American. His parents were born in Italy, and his grandmother is a chain migrant. (Medium)

They 'will be coming'
The missiles, that is. Toward Syria. And Russia better be ready, according to President of the United States Donald Trump, who tweeted a threat of military action this morning. (Washington Post)

Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018

Ever get a hankering for something sweet, but not too sweet, except you don't really want to put in the time to make something?

That's where this recipe for apple sharlotka comes in. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's recipe for the Russian apple treat, it only has a handful of ingredients, and while it does involve some baking, it's super easy to make.

Other than peeling and cutting up the apples, the recipe only takes a few minutes to throw together, and with only five ingredients (OK, six if you count the optional powdered sugar for decoration) it's also something you can probably make with stuff you already have at home.

EASY APPLE CAKE

6 large apples
6 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
powdered sugar (optional)

For this recipe, I used four GIGANTIC Honeycrisp and one normal apple. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.


Peel the apples, then cut them into chunks and put them in a greased 9 or 10-inch springform pan (depending on how many apples you use and what size they are). It should be filled to the top.


In a large glass bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined then add the vanilla.

Stir in the flour with a spoon until just mixed and then pour the thick batter over the apples to cover them.


Bake for an hour, and then check every 5-10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

The cake forms a nice crust on top, but the center may take a while longer to cook. Depending on your oven, this could take another half an hour or more to fully cook the cake so be patient.

Let it cool in the pan, then remove the springform and dust with powdered sugar.

Boom, you have a super simple cake you can enjoy hot or cold!

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, had his office raided by the FBI yesterday on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller. (New York Times)

ART: WSU's Pullman campus opened its new Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art last week. Here are five things that are worth checking out there now. 

IN OTHER NEWS

Increased homelessness
The city of Spokane released its point-in-time count of homeless people for 2018, and it shows an increase of 14 percent from 2017. However, the increase is likely due, at least in part, to a change in the way the data was collected. (KXLY)

Opening a new door
John Reed, a longtime Davenport Hotel doorman who started as a Davenport bus boy in 1942, has died. (Spokesman-Review)

Watch for pedestrians
The streets of Spokane are becoming more dangerous for pedestrians, who are hit by cars at a rate ranking third-highest in the state. Now, the city is trying to make roads safer without increasing commute times for drivers. (Spokesman-Review)

Zucked out
Mark Zuckerberg will face Congress today to apologize for the network failing to protect the privacy of Facebook's users. He'll likely be asked to answer for Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and the spread of fake news. (New York Times)

On Friday I visited Washington State University in Pullman for the grand opening of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, a remarkable addition to both the campus and Eastern Washington for fans of visual arts of all types.

The so-called "Crimson Cube" is a work of art in itself, its gleaming exterior designed, according to architect Jim Olson in his remarks at the ceremony, to "reflect the world outside" the museum, but most importantly, giving visitors a chance "to see ourselves in the building."

Jordan Schnitzer was on hand as well, and passionately discussed his love of the arts that led him to donate a sizable chunk of change — $5 million — to create the new space, which features seven total gallery spaces and 10,000 more square feet of exhibition space than the old museum. One of the spaces, the Harmon/Wright Gallery, currently features a show of works from Schnitzer's private collection until Aug. 4, and anyone with a taste for contemporary art will want to check it out.

Here's a picture of Schnitzer fighting with WSU President Kirk Schulz and architect Olson over who gets to cut the ribbon to open the galleries to the public:

Okay, they weren't really fighting. The whole vibe was mighty cheery for the hundreds of folks who glutted the new space's pavilion for the opening party.

Here are five works on display right now that you really need to see in person:

1. WITCH from Andy Warhol's Myth series. So colorful, so cool.