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The Inlander is pleased to announce that former staff writer Nicholas Deshais is a finalist for journalism’s prestigious Livingston Award. Deshais was nominated on the strength of an Inlander cover story about (now former) Assistant City Attorney Rocky Treppiedi and his role in the Otto Zehm case. He is one of 41 finalists for the prize, which is given each year to three journalists under the age of 35 for local, national and international reporting across print, broadcast and online platforms (making it one of the most competitive contests in American journalism). This year’s contest was judged by ABC News foreign affairs anchor Christiane Amanpour, former World News anchor Charlie Gibson and New Yorker media critic Ken Auletta.

Deshais left The Inlander in March to pursue freelance writing. He’ll find out if he made the final cut on June 6.

HERE

Homeland Security is using unmanned drones to monitor the U.S.-Canadian border in Washington. (SR)

Retail sales were up throughout Washington in 2011...except in Spokane. (SR)

The Spokane river is getting mighty high. (KXLY) 

THERE 

King County deputies find a man wanted for the killing of his wife and daughter dead inside an elaborate hillside bunker. (Seattle Times).

Today in bored rich people: Australian billionaire wants to rebuild the Titanic. (LA Times)

Jimmy Kimmel's performance at Saturday's White House Correspondent's Dinner pissed off some people. Of course.

Here

Dozens of fake ID's seized around Gonzaga (KXLY)

Man pleads guilty of bilking investors of $2.5 million (SR)

We're throwing a block party June 1!

Elsewhere

Sigh: U.S. economic growth slows (NYT)

Lehman elite stood to get $700 million (L.A. Times) 

As if day tornadoes weren't shitty enough: night tornadoes (ST)

See you again 

Spokane

MAC director fired (SR) 

Comedian Jim Gaffigan coming to Spoketown

Shooting on lower South Hill (KHQ)

Not Spokane

Woman dies in 'random' Seattle shooting (Seattle Times) 

Ex-Liberian president convicted of war crimes (NYT)  

Mullahs & Masturbation: When clerics turn sexologists (FP)

People Under The Stairs

It's perhaps not surprising that Daryl Romeyn, the former Spokane weatherman, hedges his forecast slightly when asked about whether he'll run for Mark Richard's vacant County Commissioner seat. 

"It looks like I’m going to be doing County Commissioner," he says, but he qualifies it by saying he's that the "90-percent" level. He reckons he'll put a press release together soon. 

In 2010, Romeyn surprised local Democrats by beating their pick -- Clyde Cordero -- in the primary for a U.S. House of Representatives spot. He went up against incumbent Cathy McMorris Rogers. but she won with about 64 percent of the vote.

For the past two years, Romeyn has been considering running against her again. But his plan -- to build up name recognition in the meantime -- hasn't panned out, he says. Now Rich Cowan, the creator of North by Northwest productions, is running against McMorris Rodgers, and Romeyn is heavily leaning toward competing for County Commissioner. 

He's a bit disappointed, he says, that Richard isn't running. While Richard was the incumbent, he says, he also had a record that Romeyn was looking forward to criticizing.  

"I’ve seen my property taxes go up probably 40 to 50 percent," Romeyn says. He also says his experience as a weatherman will give him insight into how to save money on road construction and maintenance. 

Ironically, if Romeyn and John Roskelley are the two Democratic competitors, that means that we'll have a race where both Democrats are criticizing the Republican status quo by calling for lower taxes and more fiscal responsibility. 

Meanwhile, State Rep. Matt Shea, another name mentioned in speculation over who would run for commissioner, has announce he'll seek a third term in his current job instead. 

While reporting on this week's cover story, "The Last of the Herd," I found it remarkable how many people could get so riled up over a couple dozen caribou hanging out on the edge of the U.S. border. Animals, no less, that people rarely see.

But the plan to designate a critical habitat for caribou lies at the intersection of a bunch of conflicting groups: local government, federal regulatory agencies, Priest Lake's recreation economy, wildlife conservationists, and the animals themselves. Fireworks are inevitable any time so many interests smash into each other, but the discussion has benefits, too. It brings up big questions, like what role government should play in protecting endangered species. Or how much leeway local communities should have in deciding how their land is used for snowmobiles or logging.

While the policy discussion hooked me from the start, there was adventure, too. Exploring towns like Ione and Bonners Ferry, Idaho, as my travel companion and I drove a giant loop around the Selkirk Mountains. Driving into British Columbia and hiking the backcountry in avalanche areas, searching for a practically invisible animal with antlers like bony arms. 

I learned a lot about conservation, snowmobiling, wildlife and all the ways people depend on public land. And I had a blast exploring the region. Hopefully you'll get that from my story. Read it here.

Hereabouts

Kooetnai County Commissioners cut bus service (CdA Press) 

Spokane River thinks about flooding (KREM)  

Browne's Addition needs a safe word (Spovangelist) 

Thereabouts

After months of irrelevance, Gingrich leaves prez race (WashPo) 

White orca visits Wash. from Alaska (Seattle Times) 

Justices seem sympathetic to AZ immigration law (NYT)  

Newt Gingrich, Moon President

Inland

Spokane City Council lightens water rates for heavy users (SR) 

U of I student charged in alleged knifing attempt (KREM)

Inmate shift may close the county's clinker (KXLY)

Across the great yonder

Billionaires to bankroll asteroid mining (Seattle Times)  

Economy sucks so bad immigrants going home (L.A. Times) 

Congressman calls up 4k constituents - just to talk (NYT) 

Don't be sad

Here

Cleanup at St. Margaret's after fire (KXLY) 

Town fathers, tribe oppose CdA recall (CdA Press) 

STA seeks grant to turbocharge bus route (SR)

Elsewhere

Meteor shower booms in the sky (L.A. Times)

Have fiction and philosophy parted ways?  

No city for old ships (NYT) 

DANGER ZONE

Around Town

Figure this one out — A man police thought committed suicide mailed out a suicide note after his death and signed it with a signature that was not his own. Police think this was no suicide at all. (KREM)

"Gas bubble in my chest" — It was a rough Boston Marathon for the mayor of Colfax. (Is there any other kind?) (SR)

Thirteen years on — State Rep. Kevin Parker remembers the Columbine Massacre thirteen years later. (KXLY)

Out There

Florida congressman alleged to have killed facts (Chicago Tribune)

Lean times in the Evergreen State (Seattle Times)

George Zimmerman's freedom has a price: $150,000 (AP)