Bloglander

When we asked readers to send us photos of their animal companions for the Inlander's first-ever Pet Issue photo contest, we had no idea we'd receive as many as we did — well over 250 in just one week!

In hindsight, though, why should we have expected any less? Ask anyone you know to tell you about their dog/cat/rabbit/lizard/fish/pig/etc. and the outpouring of love for these special animal friends flows freely. Inlander readers are no different; you all were more than willing to send us adorable photos and heartwarming stories that each illustrate the palpable joys of the human-animal bond. Picking only three winners to highlight in this year's first-ever Pet Issue was really, really hard.

As the issue's editor and creator of this contest, I was truly gleeful each time another submission came through. We received stories of heartrending rescues, loyal best friends and even memorials to companions who've since passed on. The creative pet names I saw were also an absolute favorite. (Shoutouts to Meriwether Lewis, Kylo Rentriever, Noodle Sheets, Baby Godzilla, Lando and many, many more.)

So, to somewhat make up for my and our other contest judges' guilt that we had to make a decision, and to recognize that all pets are special in their own ways, we decided to share some of standout submissions from the 2018 #InlanderPets photo contest. Make sure to meet our three winners — a deaf rescue dog, a pokey, palm-sized buddy and an adventure cat — in this week's issue.

Whiskey, a shaded cream, long-haired dachshund
Owned by Cynthia Schoch of Spokane
"Whiskey deserves to be featured because he is the neighborhood's welcoming committee. He loves every person he sees and wants to meet all of the animals he sees, especially other dogs! He's stubborn and independent, like all dachshunds, but is so sweet and submissive that he goes belly-up to every creature he meets within minutes (begging, of course, for belly rubs), and is so well behaved that he can go for walks off his leash (in safe areas, of course). We have been together since he was a puppy and he is the little love of my life."

Roo, the rex dumbo rat
Owned by Megan Cuilla, of Spokane
"Rats don’t have the best reputation, what with the plague and all, but they make really great pets and are super friendly. 'But their tails.' Okay, okay. Their tails DO take some getting used to, but we humans have weird body parts, too, and our pet rats don’t judge us for that."

Berger Martina Haeger, a short-haired calico
Owned by Joseph Edwin Haeger and family, of Spokane
"Berger should be in the Inlander because she is gorgeous, and as the photo clearly indicates, she has a lot of personality. She’s a proud lady and wants things her way and isn’t afraid to tell it how it is. In her free time you can find her snuggling up with her family or stealing entire sticks of butter from the kitchen. Sometimes you just have to treat yourself. She fancies herself a hunter, but I’ve never seen her catch more than a cat nap. She would be an ideal candidate for the Inlander’s Pet Issue."

Willow, the Nigerian dwarf goat
Owned by Corinne Morse, of Spokane
"This is Willow the Nigerian dwarf goat. She's about 10 years old and has lived all her days in the Spokane area. She deserves to be featured in the Inlander because she has lived a hard life, she has had many babies and was abused early in her life. We have had the pleasure of sharing our farm with her for the last year and could not imagine a sweeter girl. Don't tell the others, but she is my favorite goat."

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: U.S. Border Patrol agents began questioning a Latino man getting off a Greyhound bus in Spokane. He showed them a "know-your-rights" card, given to him by his attorney. The agents used that as a basis to detain him, according to a legal claim filed by the ACLU.

PETS: On stands this week is our first-ever Pet Issue, featuring, of course, a photo contest.

ART: Meet the artist who dedicated herself to painting one Spokane-centric scene per week.

IN OTHER NEWS

Immigrant families to stay together now, but how?
President Trump said his administration's practice of separating immigrant parents from their children at the border could not be undone with an executive order. Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order undoing this administration's practice of separating immigrant parents from their children at the border. It's unclear exactly what will now happen to the approximately 2,300 children who were already separated. (New York Times)

Nine children
Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday at least nine children separated from their families at the border are residing in Washington state. He also announced an additional $230,000 in emergency funding, on top of the $1 million set aside by the state Legislature earlier this year to help provide legal services for immigrant families. (KING 5)

MC Shea
An expo for alt-right conspiracy theorists lands in Spokane this weekend with lectures and panel discussions on global warming, vaccines and the deep state. Washington State Rep. Matt Shea will be the "master of ceremonies" and will deliver a talk entitled "The Day I Took the Red Pill," at 8:10 am Friday. (Spokesman-Review)

The Mass Shooter
A new FBI study that analyzed 160 mass shooting incidents between 2000 and 2013 finds that most mass shooters are not loners finally pushed past a breaking point. Rather, they meticulously plan their attacks and almost always show warning signs, sometimes long before. The overwhelming majority purchased their firearms legally. (Mother Jones)

Andres Sosa was given a "know-your-rights" card by his attorney just in case he was ever stopped again by immigration agents. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington says that card asserting his constitutional rights led Border Patrol agents in Spokane to detain him.

U.S. Border Patrol agents were waiting outside last July as Sosa got off a Greyhound bus at Spokane's Intermodal Center. He was on his way home to his wife and kids in Underwood, Washington, a town just east of Portland, when two agents stopped him.

The city-owned Intermodal Center, where Spokane's Greyhound station is located, has recently become a civil rights and immigration enforcement flashpoint. An uptick in the number of reports of Border Patrol agents questioning and detaining bus passengers has drawn outrage and concern from local politicians, activists and attorneys.

The ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project has filed a legal claim on Sosa's behalf, accusing the Border Patrol agents of illegally detaining him based on his race and his assertion of his constitutional rights. A legal claim is a precursor to a lawsuit.

"Do you have papers? Where are you from?" one of the agents asked Sosa as he stepped off the bus, according to the claim.

Sosa handed the agents a "know-your-rights" card that said he did not wish to answer any questions without an attorney, the claim says. Looking at the card, one of the agents then claimed to know that Sosa was "illegal" and led Sosa to a nearby parking lot to question him further.

We love any opportunity to share interesting stories about local pets and animals, so to mark the publication of the Inlander's first-ever Pet Issue, we thought it'd be the perfect time to reshare some more animal-related features we've published in recent years:

Boomer, an African serval of the Palouse
Boomer is a 1-year-old, 30-lb. African wildcat who lives in the Palouse town of Oakesdale, Washington, at Savannah Exotics cattery, with his owner Anna Spielberg. (April 2018)

Meet 2017 Inlander Peirone Prize winner Jamie McAtee, founder of Rescue4All
McAtee's creation more than four years ago of the local nonprofit animal rescue dedicated to saving the lives of often unadoptable and medically needy dogs has made a difference for hundreds of animals. (August 2017)

Washington Fish & Wildlife’s Karelian bear dogs
The six working dogs with Washington State Fish and Wildlife's Karelian Bear Dog Program work with their wildlife officer handlers to help mitigate human-wildlife conflicts with bears, cougars and other animals. (May 2016)

Spokane teen volunteers to train a guide-dog-to-be
At the time of this piece, then high school senior Alyson Galow was training a 6-month-old yellow Labrador puppy named Limerick for potential entrance into a training program with Guide Dogs for the Blind. (November 2016)

The tragedy of Arfee
In 2014, a mistaken tip led to a fast-on-the-trigger cop to kill Craig Jones' 2-year-old black Labrador in the parking lot of a Coeur d'Alene coffee shop. After the city of Coeur d'Alene smeared his dead dog as a "vicious pitbull," outrage poured in from throughout the nation. (August 2016)

The Seahawks’ official live mascot calls Spokane home
This fall will mark the African augur hawk Taima's (tay-ma, which means “thunder”) 13th season leading the team onto the field before every home game at CenturyLink Field. When he’s not rallying fans or players, Taima chills at home on Spokane’s West Plains. (September 2014)

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart says he’d like to start a “discussion” with Greyhound in an effort to limit Customs and Border Patrol’s presence at the city’s Intermodal Center.

"More than likely, this isn’t going to be resolving itself until our lease comes up," Stuckart says.

NEWS: Spokane Police Ombudsman Bart Logue is getting pushback from the Police Guild. According to Logue, the union is resisting three things: access to unredacted body cam footage, access to the department’s internal database and the ombudsman assistant’s attendance at the Deadly Force Review Panel. 

"In my mind, when we talk about what the Police Guild should have bargaining rights over, it should be anything that interfaces with the police department," Logue says. "How I work in my office, that's none of the guild's concern. It's not very independent if they control everything I do."

NATION: Governors from five states are recalling or refusing to send National Guard troops to the border. (New York Times)

IN OTHER NEWS

Shame! Shame! Shame!
Protesters with the Democratic Socialists of America heckled the Department of Homeland Security out of a Mexican restaurant (of all places!) where she was dining on Tuesday night. (Slate)

“The triumph of cruelty”
President Donald Trump’s policy on family separation will be one of the defining moments of his legacy, writes Dylan Matthews of Vox.

“It’s not just that the policy is dumb, or wrongheaded, or unjustified. It’s cruel.” (Vox)

The timing on this one…
Amid his controversial policies at the southern border, the Trump administration has pulled the U.S. from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council. Supporters of the decision have said that the council was inept anyway. Ambassador Nikki Haley says the council is biased against Israel and includes major human rights violators on its board.

Either way, the optics in this moment are questionable. (Associated Press)

What say you, Condon?
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is off to Texas to protest the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy along with other mayors. (Seattle Times)

For over a year, City Council President Ben Stuckart has repeatedly raised concerns — and outrage — about the sweeps from federal Border Patrol agents at Spokane's Greyhound bus depot at the city-owned Intermodal Center.

The Border Patrol sweeps are why he's refused to support a new social service center being located at the center and why he was worried about the increased Border Patrol presence in Spokane.

Last Wednesday, Stuckart took it a step further: He sent Greyhound a letter, drafted with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, suggesting that, by allowing Border Patrol to conduct sweeps on their buses without a warrant, the bus company may be violating the city of Spokane's anti-discrimination rules.

"Greyhound's decision to allow [Customs and Border Patrol] agents to access their passengers in Spokane can create and maintain a fearful and hostile environment on buses and at the Intermodal Center for people of color in Spokane," Stuckart writes. "This is the type of situation our anti-discrimination ordinances seek to avoid."

The letter also quotes witness testimony that, at least in one sweep in March, Border Patrol agents allegedly "only spent time questioning individuals that had darker skin or had an accent."

If true, the actions of the Border Patrol agents raise constitutional concerns and may have violated the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency's own policy against racial profiling.

The letter requests a meeting with Greyhound, and notes the nature of the relationship that the city has with the bus depot.

"Greyhound has been a long-term tenant of Spokane's Intermodal Center and I look forward to continuing that relationship," Stuckart writes. "Spokane's anti-discrimination ordinances mean little if the city of Spokane cannot ensure compliance with them on its own property, such as the Intermodal Center."

So far, Stuckart says, he has not heard back from Greyhound.

"I’d like to start with conversation," Stuckart says. "If they don’t answer me, I could talk to [the city legal department] about the potential violation of the law."

Next year, the Greyhound's lease at the city plaza comes up for renewal. Theoretically, Stuckart says, the City Council could put a stipulation in the lease that says the company can't just allow Border Patrol access to the facility without a warrant.

"More than likely, this isn’t going to be resolving itself until our lease comes up," Stuckart says.

In a statement to the Inlander in March, Greyhound argued that they didn't really have a choice in whether or not to comply with Border Patrol search requests.

Greyhound is required to comply with the law. We are aware that routine transportation checks not only affect our operations, but our customers’ travel experience, and will continue to do everything legally possible to minimize any negative experiences. 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 ACLU has long argued otherwise — insisting that Greyhound has the constitutional right to refuse Border Patrol sweeps without a warrant.

Stuckart's letter also foreshadows another pending debate, over how far the new human rights section, Title 18 of the city code, can be stretched.

Most of last year's concern over the new city human rights code language had centered on restrictions on income discrimination from landlords.

The language of the bill that Stuckart references could have far-reaching implications: It states that it "is the intent of the city that all people have an equal opportunity to participate fully in the life of the city and that discriminatory barriers to equal participation in employment, housing and public accommodations be removed."

Depending on how future councils or mayors read that, the legal, regulatory or political impact of that language could be considerable.

"It applies to everyone," Stuckart says.

The ongoing feud between Spokane's Office of Police Ombudsman and the union representing Spokane's Police officers, the Spokane Police Guild, surfaced again recently.

During a special meeting of the Office of Police Ombudsman Commission, a five-member citizen panel, police Ombudsman Bart Logue laid out what he says is the guild's resistance to transparency with the public, with employees in his office and with the volunteer commissioners.

"In my mind, when we talk about what the Police Guild should have bargaining rights over, it should be anything that interfaces with the police department," Logue says. "How I work in my office, that's none of the guild's concern. It's not very independent if they control everything I do."

Two letters dated June 1 from the Police Guild president, Sgt. John Griffin, object to Logue's requests for information and cite the ongoing negotiations between the guild and the city for a new police contract.

"Thus, the guild believes that the appropriate place for talking about this is at the bargaining table," the letter says. Griffin did not respond to requests for comment.

The department is currently operating under the contract that expired in 2016, city spokesman Brian Coddington confirms. Coddington could not say when negotiations are expected to be completed on a new contract.

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: On Sunday night, WSU football coach Mike Leach tweeted a fake Obama video obviously doctored to make it look like he said something he didn't. When called out on it, he dismissed that it might be fake and said he wanted to start a "discussion." Finally, yesterday, he admitted the video was "incomplete."

FOR FUN!: A man with Spokane connections appeared on Jeopardy! last week. Not to be outdone, his brother will appear on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

NEWS: Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is a Christian. So how does that square with Trump's policy on separating children and parents at the border?

IN OTHER NEWS

Listen to the children
When 10 Central American children are wailing after being separated from their parents, one Border Patrol agent jokes, "Well, we have an orchestra here." Listen to the audio of the children's cries here. (Propublica)

Trump's pen pals
Gov. Jay Inslee and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson wrote President Trump a letter condemning the administration's policy of separating families at the border, saying the policy was inflicting "intentional, gratuitous and permanent trauma" on children and parents. Trump has remained defiant in the face of the criticism. (Spokesman-Review/New York Times)

Tariffs fired
Trump has told the U.S. Trade Representative to prepare new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports. The move is sure to move the two countries that much closer to a trade war. (Associated Press)

Ring, ring...
Spokane Valley, getting less money than it thought from a telephone tax, has to dip into reserve funds to pay for street repairs. (Spokesman-Review)

Suddenly, for a moment last week, Biblical exegesis became a national news story.

Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to defend the Trump administration's family separation policy that has led at least 2,000 immigrant children to be separated from their parents, many of them held in cages, by citing scripture.

“I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders echoed the idea: “It is very biblical to enforce the law.”

The claim was inaccurate — family separation wasn't mandated by law, it was a Trump Administration "zero tolerance" policy introduced specifically to discourage illegal immigration.

But many others pointed out that it seemed wildly contrary to the orthodox Christian reading of the Bible. After all, according to the Bible, Jesus had explicitly condemned leaders who obsessed about the fine details of the law and neglected mercy and compassion. Some pointed to verses about commands to help the foreigners, strangers and children. Others noted the historical context: Romans 13 had been used to justify all matter of evil, including slavery.

Heck, Hillary Clinton weighed in: "Those who selectively use the Bible to justify this cruelty are ignoring a central tenet of Christianity," Clinton said. "[Jesus] did not say, 'Let the children suffer.'”

At its heart, it's another moral dilemma that Christian Republicans face. In one sense, Trump, a guy who likely cheated on his third wife with porn stars and brags about assaulting women, is everything that conservative Christians have spent their life decrying.

And yet, white evangelicals support Trump in insanely high numbers.

In fact, white Evangelical Christians are one group that has been much quieter to object to the family separation policy.

Which brings us to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. McMorris Rodgers attended Pensacola Christian College, a very conservative then-unaccredited independent Baptist college. ("We reject the man-made theory of evolution occurring over millions of years and believe that the earth is approximately 6,000 years old," the Pensacola states in its articles of faith.)

What started off as a daydream of Deb Sheldon’s has turned into a reality.

It was more than 10 years ago that the idea for an annual art festival hosted in the South Hills of Spokane first popped into the painter’s head. But it wasn’t until five years ago that she was able to turn it into a reality.

Today, Art on the Blacktop is a popular event for both local artists and people in the community. The festival this year features 22 local artists showcasing their craftsmanship. Sheldon’s goal is to introduce the people of Spokane to the artists living among them in order to build a connection between the two groups.

“It’s sort of understanding what an artist community looks like. I think the world has kind of a wacky vision of what artists are, and it's not always an appealing image,” says Sheldon. "And so to be able to come and have everyone be friendly and inviting and respectful and incredibly talented, it's a really good thing.”

The artists at Art on the Blacktop are selected by Sheldon. From young artists in need of exposure to more seasoned veterans, the event is full of people with a range of skills and crafts. The idea is to showcase as diverse of a group as possible, Sheldon explains. A little bit of everything at the festival works best, and for Sheldon, only the best will do.

“These are people I’ve either worked with for years or I’ve seen work and been really impressed and thought, 'These are people that I think the people in the South Hill ... should meet,'" Sheldon says.