Friday, July 5, 2013

Posted By on Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 1:19 PM

Though it's bound to be a quiet evening around the city — those of us who are working today have noticed that downtown Spokane has turned into a something of ghost town — First Friday is still on schedule and there is plenty of new art to see. 

If you plan to take advantage of the calmer downtown scene this evening, and the current abundance of parking meters, use this handy Google map showing where and when tonight's events take place. 


View First Friday - July 5, 2013 in a larger map

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Posted By on Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 8:48 AM

HERE

Fireworks are to blame for a one-acre brush fire yesterday near the intersection of Monroe Street and Cora Avenue. Several homes were threatened and witnesses say they saw someone shoot off the firework from a passing truck. (S-R)

Despite fireworks being illegal in Spokane and most of Spokane County, infractions for breaking that law are not frequent. (KREM)

If you're looking for a pet that disappeared during yesterday's fireworks, check Craigslist. The number of lost and found pet ads has surged since Thursday afternoon. (KREM) 

THERE

A 21-year-old man driving a stolen truck loaded with guns, Molotov cocktails and body armor was arrested on Wednesday night near the University of Washington campus. (Seattle Times) 

Illegal fireworks were the cause of a fire last night on North Lake Union in Seattle that destroyed 14 boats and damaged others. (Seattle Times)

Not to put a damper on everyone's lingering holiday mood, but here's a round-up of Fourth of July tragedies this year. (CNN) 

Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsy were met with violence as they stormed the building in Cairo where Morsy is reportedly being held. (CNN)

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Posted By on Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 8:42 AM

This week, Mike Bookey writes about the rise and fall of drive in theaters. The photos below give a glimpse into life at the Auto Vue Drive In theater in Colville, which will close at the end of the summer. The theater was showing a double feature of Fast & Furious 6 and The Purge that evening. Photos by Young Kwak.


Bobbi, left, and Gary Ebel wait for the box office to open. 

Employee Stephanie Clark makes popcorn before customers arrive.

Assistant Manager Laura Martin sells tickets at the box office. 

Employee Caitlyn Beatty, left, takes a drink order from Grant Swim, with his 9-year-old son Wyatt and 8-year-old daughter Aramay. 

Manager Ben Rochon threads film into an XH-4000 projector.

Hannah Grimm, 16, prepares to jump off a platform holding a couch on a truck. She and her friends watch the movies from the back of the truck. 

Adam Chavez and Alexandria Rushton wait for Fast and Furious 6 to start.

Josh Cournyer, right, makes sure his (left to right) 6-year-old son Zadin, 9-year-old son Tyler and 4-year-old daughter Cassidy are comfortable in the bed of the family truck. 

Manager Ben Rochon, right, and employee Stephanie Clark pour drinks for customers.

Left to right, 9-year-old Robbie Adam, his father Phil, 4-year-old brother Cody, mother Sheely and 5 1/2 month old Mallorie Sells wait for Fast and Furious 6 to start. 

Moviegoers watch a screening of Fast & Furious 6

John and Arden Kaliman, both 4, watch a screening of Fast & Furious 6.  

Customers watch a screening of Fast & Furious 6.

Left to right, Destiny Burpee, Tifanny Kinghorn and Heather Bishop watch a screening of Fast & Furious 6.

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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Posted By on Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 3:29 PM

For this Fourth of July, there are a lot of events you could go to. Here's a few that we'd like to highlight: 

Fourth-a-palooza

Coeur d’Alene does Fourth of July right with not just one, but two days of events. Festivities kick off with the annual Kids’ Parade on July 3, and this year’s theme is “Celebrating Ironman” (the triathlon, not the movie). Kiddos strut their stuff through downtown Coeur d’Alene on foot, bikes and floats donning costumes and with pets in tow. A second patriotic parade begins downtown July 4 at 11 am. The party continues with live music, food and games in the City Park all day long. Lounge on the city beach or take your boat out on the water to watch the fireworks display over the lake, ending the day with a bang.  

Kids’ Parade, July 3 at 10 am; Fourth of July Celebration, July 4 from 10 am-dusk • Coeur d’Alene City Park • 115 NW Blvd. • cdachamber.org • (208) 292-1635

Fourth of July Celebration

To some, there’s arguably no better way to celebrate ’Merica than in small town ’Merica. The Sandpoint Lions Club hosts its annual Fourth of July party starting at 9 am in Sandpoint’s cozy downtown. After you’ve had your fill of patriotic floats, grab family and friends and head over to City Beach. Take a dip in Lake Pend Oreille or spend the day on the beach catching rays while listening to live music and joining in games. At the end of the day, snuggle into a blanket while lying back in a chair to watch the firework show beginning at dusk. 

July 4 from 9 am-dusk • Downtown Sandpoint • sandpointlions.org • (208) 263-4118

Independence Day Festival

The people at Riverfront Park must bleed red, white and blue because they make Fourth of July one of the biggest events of the year. Jam-packed with festivities, the park offers a bouncy castle, live music, performers, food and beer gardens. Plus, all of the usual games and rides in the Pavilion amusement area are at a discounted price. Discounted ($10) tickets, which also include IMAX exclusives and access to mini-golf, will be available from 10 am to 1 pm. For the kids, performances by Magician Dick Frost and Spokane Area Square Dancers can be found in the Children’s Meadow, and the Spokane Jazz Orchestra will headline the day’s musical entertainment. Make sure to stake out a spot to watch the park’s always spectacular fireworks display at dusk.  

July 4 starting at 11 am • Riverfront Park • 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • spokaneriverfrontpark.com • 625-6601

Fireworks Extravaganza

Nothing quite beats a community barbecue and fireworks display to raise patriotic spirits. At Pullman’s Sunnyside Park, all-American grub will be served starting at 5 pm in the park shelter. Live music starts at 5:30 pm featuring the Pullman Community Band, and folksinger Dan Maher, and The Fabulous Kingpins take the stage at 7 pm to rock your socks off with classic rock ’n’ roll hits. The city of Pullman promises this year’s fireworks will be substantially larger than last year. The bigger, better, booming fireworks take off at 10 pm. Pullman Transit is offering free rides to and from the park, so skip the hassle of parking and take the bus. 

July 4 at 5 pm • Sunnyside Park • Old Wawawai Rd., Pullman • pullmanchamber.com • 334-3565

See our full July 4 events calendar here.

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Posted By on Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 12:20 PM

We're packing up our office for the big move into our brand new news factory and preparing ourselves for an explosive (pun intended) holiday super-weekend. For many, the Fourth is a chance to get out of town, drive into the open, swim in one of the billion lakes surrounding our beautiful city and escape the confines of the normal day-to-day life. Some of us don't have the best gas mileage in the world and must remain in Spokane. But that's alright because we have some pretty awesome music to get us through this weekend.

Thursday, July 4

Before you trek your way downtown, take a quick detour through Coeur d'Alene Park (in Browne's Addition, not Idaho) and enjoy the country goodness of Daniel Mark Faller. This is the first of the park's FREE concert series and will continue every Thursday until Aug. 29 from 6-8 pm.

When walking to Riverfront Park from Browne's Addition, stop by Luxe Coffee House around 8 pm-ish. The little cafe was featured in last week's Food Update and will feature the music stylings of Dirk Lind before the big firework show. A singer-songwriter with worldly roots, (he spent his childhood in India and was in an African-inspired band back in Virginia), he'll chat the night away, tell you the story behind many of his tunes and most importantly, blow you away. Lind magically creates the sound of a full band by himself and occasionally asks his audience to join in on the fun. Drink some coffee and snag a CD while you're there — you'll find yourself listening to it every time you're in the car.

Friday, July 5

Forget any ideas you have that hip-hop is all about gold chains and big fancy cars. New York artist Omega Jackson is a rapper — in that he rhymes. But that’s where the similarities end. Wayward thoughts and observations seem like they just fall out of Jackson’s mouth, and most times they’re layered with the strangest of sounds. With Jackson on the mic, this is an artsy kind of hip-hop that feels like there’s someone out there thinking about adding something brand new to the rap conversation, not just repeating what other people have done before him. He's bringing his style to Carr's Corner at 9 pm.

Saturday, July 6

In order to find any snippets from the band Monuments, I had to go onto MySpace where their last recordings were from 2008. The instrumental alternative rock group has since broken up since those tracks were uploaded on the extremely outdated social network, but they will be reuniting for a show at Baby Bar with Drag Like Pull. Listen through some tracks and familiarize yourself with the new Myspace — you'll find yourself wishing that the band will stay together and that somehow, Justin Timberlake can renew the site's popularity.

Sunday, July 7

Usually Sunday is a slow day for music, hence the little coverage on the gigs going on. This weekend is special, though. Bad Company is coming to town. For some reason, Northern Quest has to emphasize that the band WILL have frontman Paul Rodgers, who has been touring with a revived Queen for a few years now. The classic rock fan in all of us is giddy to the extreme. Time to break out the long, crazy mane (or wig, if you went the Metallica route and have since conformed to the strictly business haircut), sleeveless band shirts and tight pants. It's throwback time and it's going to rock.

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Posted By on Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 9:15 AM

HERE

The federal sequester is expected to result in drastic layoffs later this year for federal defenders — who represent the poorest defendants — in Eastern Washington. (S-R)

The Washington state Legislature and Gov. Jay Inslee yesterday approved an undergrad tuition freeze for public colleges and universities for the 2013-14 school year. (S-R)

Goats are good for a lot of things — milk, cheese and just being cute pets — but they're also helping control weeds for Avista Utilities. (KHQ) 

THERE

A Seattle man caught a 40-lb. shortraker rockfish off the coast of Alaska that's estimated to be at least 200 years old. (Yahoo) 

The Vatican is close to declaring the late Pope John Paul II (pope from 1978-2005) a saint. (CNN) 

Not really news, if you ask us, but apparently hipsters are taking over Portland. (KREM) 

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Posted By on Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 3:24 PM

click to enlarge PARADISO: Everyone's Mom is Freaking Out
French DJ Madeon mixed an energetic set on the Paradiso Main Stage Saturday, playing original favorites "The City" and bars of "Finale," but surprised the crowd with remixes of throwbacks "Heads will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Basement Jaxx's "Where's Your Head At."

I woke up on Sunday, the day after Paradiso, on the hard ground in my tent. Just a few hours of half-sleep stood between me and the end of the festival. The campsite was already bustling with people packing up their sleeping bags and coolers, still in denial that the weekend was actually ending.

We said our goodbyes — man, what an incredible two days. We’ll be talking about this one for years, I’m sure. Hugs, high fives, and a long line to exit the Gorge would send everyone back to the West side, Spokane, Walla Walla, Pullman. It felt surreal.

My phone had been dead the whole weekend, and it felt nice to be off the grid. My boyfriend and I rode back to Spokane mostly in silence, giving us a chance to sift through the different performances and rest our ears.

It will be one of those legendary weekends I remember best for camping with my best friends, seeing some of the scene’s best DJs live with thousands of other ravers, and bitching about the heat. Factors like those have a way of pulling crazy people together, and when I came through the gates I felt like I’d begun some sort of dubstep pilgrimage. We the pilgrims had come to rave.

click to enlarge PARADISO: Everyone's Mom is Freaking Out
Mt Eden, a dubstep duo from New Zealand, performed on the Bass Haven stage Friday.

DJs like the female twin-duo Nervo delivered with brand-new songs, and seasoned crowd-pleasers like Zeds Dead balanced the new with the remixed old — and in this genre, old is practically last month’s beats.

In possibly the most unique visual and musical act, Infected Mushroom brought its hypnotic “Fungus Amongous” trance tour to the festival. Duv paced the stage tapping the microphone on his bald head singing live to songs, which included a hard as hell remix of Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender.” The pair stood inside custom white globes projecting psychedelic images, so if their performance of “Heavyweight” didn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what would.

Kaskade performed the two-hour finale, returning to headline at the Gorge after his 2011 Identity Festival performance. As expected, his set was fluid and fantastically produced, never a repeat of any other. He infused us with big-room house and words for our generation:

“We're not searching for a name
Or looking back the way we came
We're not lost, we're not ashamed
We are right now”

click to enlarge PARADISO: Everyone's Mom is Freaking Out
Tiesto, Friday night's (but more like Saturday morning's) headliner dropped the bass – and the confetti at the Paradiso Main Stage.

As soon as we got home, we napped. Hard. Right after a shower, of course. The weekend of dancing and hot sun wore me out.

I plugged back in the next morning and checked my messages. Mom: “Did you hear about the ods at Paradiso? 1 dead and 100 sickened! Molly the cause.” Oh no. Facebook feed: Right at the top, news articles about a death, missing persons, dehydrated and hospitalized kids.

I can’t say I was surprised. It had been nearly 100 degrees the entire weekend. People leaving from both sides of the state had just experienced days of cool rain, so none of us were ready for the heat wave. The two days were intense, in little shade with plenty of activity between shows and the water spigots, even for those who brought camelbacks and water bottles. While drugs were indeed prevalent last weekend, throw 25,000 sober people into the Gorge and some are still going to drop in the heat.

MDMA (Molly) was there too, in abundance. And it’s a shame that people took the drug without investigating its side effects, two of which are raised body temperature and dehydration. At an 18-and-over festival, adults should have known better. While it is not certain that anyone technically took a lethal overdose of Molly, it’s clear people were taken down by its effects combined with the heat, lack of water, alcohol and other drugs.

The Festival at the Gorge was beautiful, musical, full of friendship and amazing moments. It’s a real shame that people got hurt and someone died. It’s also shame that headlines of death and drugs have been splashed all over the Paradiso experience, diminishing what was otherwise a truly fantastic weekend. 


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Posted By on Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 1:31 PM

Independence Day. That time of year when we celebrate our country’s independence from British rule by blasting copious amounts of chemically modified gunpowder into the air. 

It's also the time of year when the Inlander HQ gets bombarded by press releases from government agencies concerned about public safety. Cough, cough, Office of the State Fire Marshal.  

As fun and patriotic as shooting roman candles out of your barehand in your driveway can be, fireworks are dangerous. (And illegal in most of Spokane County.) Here are resources if something goes wrong or if you just can’t handle your neighbors’ flashing smoke bomb dance party at 3 am.

For buying fireworks: Purchase fireworks from licensed fireworks stands only. If the packages aren’t clearly labeled with a warning, a caution or a statement of hazard, they’re probably not legit. Fireworks with no name, manufacturer or country of origin probably aren’t either. Another telltale sign of sketchy fireworks is lack of color in packaging – brown paper bag wrapping and electrical tape is often a sign of illegal or homemade fireworks. Buying fireworks on the Internet is also a bad idea. The Fed-Ex guy might not like that.

For using fireworks: Find a safe place to shoot off your fireworks. Right now, the potential for fires caused by unsafe fireworks use is high because of the heat in the area, so be aware that flammable things might be extra flammable this year. Wear nonflammable clothing, read instructions, use proper lighting utensils, keep a bucket of water handy – here’s a list of safety guidelines from the Fireworks Alliance.

For being considerate: Fireworks are fun, but they’re not everyone’s favorite. That doesn’t just mean the balding neighbor across the cul-de-sac ­— fireworks scare and stress out many household pets. Keep your furry friends safe and calm by keeping them inside, distracting them with radio or TV noise, even staying with them or calming them with medication (talk to your vet first). If you decide to take them out, make sure they’re collared, tagged and leashed. Do not leave them in the car – heat exhaustion can be accelerated by stress and cracked windows just won’t cut it.

For reporting fireworks: Remember that calling 911 is for emergencies only. Emergencies are instances when immediate action poses a threat or danger to yourself or others. In the case of fireworks-related injury or fire or illegal or homemade fireworks, don’t hesitate to call 911. For fireworks violations, such as ignoring bans or time of use limitations, call your local police department’s non-emergency phone number.

For your information: Keep in mind that fireworks are banned in Spokane County (exceptions are Airway Heights, Deer Park and Medical Lake) and restricted in other areas. The Washington State Fire Marshal reports that 2012 saw 354 fireworks-related fires and injuries, including 128 fires and 226 injuries, most of which happened on Independence Day itself. With fireworks, it’s best to follow the fire marshal’s three Bs of safety: be prepared, be safe, be responsible.

For your non-fireworks-related information: Garbage pickup and curbside recycling will be a day late after the Fourth of July with Thursday’s pickup on Friday, July 5, and Friday’s on Saturday, July 6. Here’s a list of places that will be closed in observance of Independence Day: City Hall, Municipal Court, the Waste-to-Energy facility, garbage transfer stations and public library branches. City Council took the week off and will resume Monday, July 8. And finally, parking is free. 

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Posted By on Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 9:07 AM

HERE

More details have been released concerning drug overdoses at the Paradiso Festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre this past weekend. (S-R) 

After a nine-hour stand-off yesterday the Coeur d'Alene Police arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting his niece. (KXLY)

Marijuana users, the Washington State Liquor Control Board wants to know your usage habits as part of the process to create rules and regulations for new marijuana consumption and production laws. (S-R) Access the survey here.  

THERE

Protestors in Egypt continue demanding the removal of democratically elected President Mohammad Morsi one year after his election (Guardian) 

The 19 firefighters killed while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire in west central Arizona did not have a planned escape route in the event the blaze overtook them. (LA Times) 

Apple is registering the trademark name iWatch in several countries, giving proof to the speculation that a wristwatch-like gadget is on the horizon. (NYT) 

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Posted By on Mon, Jul 1, 2013 at 2:23 PM

The weather forecast is predicting highs of 100 degrees this week. Not only will this summer be the best ever, but it also could very well be one of the hottest ever. So what do you do when you want to get out of the house, but you don’t want to die of heat exhaustion? Here are our picks from Summer Guide of things to do when it is just too hot outside to do anything else.  

1. Head to a museum like the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) where you can explore the ongoing art exhibits while enjoying the cool AC. 

2. See a summer blockbuster at the movie theater, check out the IMAX, or watch an indie hit at the Magic Lantern while snacking on popcorn and sipping on an ice-cold Coke.

3. Go to Lake Coeur d’Alene for the day and rent a stand up paddleboard. Coeur d’Alene Paddle Board Co. rents out surfboard-like boards and paddles by the hour or for a full day.

4. When it gets toasty outside, the last thing you want to do is stand in front of a hot stove and cook. Check out a local restaurant and grab a bite to eat or go out for drinks with friends. At Boots, downtown on Main Avenue, they’re serving up a cocktail of gin and Method’s cucumber juice.

5. Here in Eastern Washington, it can get pretty hot. So get out of town and road trip over to the cooler (temperature-wise) west side. Take I-90 to Seattle, or go through the Tri-Cities and head to Oregon for scenic roads, national parks, and maybe a stop in Portland.

6. Cool off in the pool at any of Spokane’s six public aquatic centers. Get there early to save lounge chairs in the shade.

7. For the kids, Mobius Science Center is a great place to go for some fun—and some air-conditioning. The different activities provide hours of entertainment while actually learning something.

8. Get a slice of culture while watching a performance in a cool, dark theater. Check out our summer guide calendar for theater performances throughout this summer.

9. For some peace, quiet, and AC, the public library can be a great place to relax and catch up on reading or flip through picture books with the kids. 

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El Mercadito @ A.M. Cannon Park

Last Saturday of every month, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
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