Quotes & amp;amp; Notes

by Inlander Staff


Change of Heart - "I don't feel I was wrong last time. But times have changed, and it is time to change our minds about creating a city of our own here in the Spokane Valley."


-- Dick Denenny, past chairman of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, quoted in the Chamber's May newsletter on why he now supports Valley incorporation





Oh, Cascadia! - "The first power reserved by the people is the initiative."


-- Washington State Constitution, Article II, section 1 (a)


To date, residents have filed 24 citizen initiatives for the 2002 ballot, according to the Secretery of State's Web site. Our favorite is I-796, which proposes to change the state's name to "Cascadia."





So Long, Doc - Speaking of initiatives, universal acclaim this one did not get. Universal health care, that is, or more properly, a Washington initiative effort to put the subject to a statewide vote this November. Organizers of Initiative 262 threw in the towel earlier this month after "our failure to reach fundraising and other milestones for a successful initiative campaign," according to a press statement. The organizing group, Health Care 2000, promised to seek legislative support next year.





Release the (News)Hounds - Gosh, we're glad the Spokesman-Review kindly pointed out our error in a map of Spokane Valley last week; they're right, Pines Road is between Argonne and Sullivan. We blush with embarrassment. Yes, it's heartening to see the area's daily paper willing to tackle big issues like that. We wait with bated breath for what's next. Comprehensive River Park Square coverage, perhaps? Oh that's right, they're waiting to see if we write about it first.





En Garde, CCX! - Sunday, the Spokesman's editorial page included the paper's editorial endorsing convention center expansion -- The Inlander has also endorsed it -- plus two pro-CCX pieces by Shaun Cross and Ron Wells. In the right corner, on the far side of the section, was a single column expressing an opposing view, written by Clark Hager Sr. He subsequently wrote a letter to Spokesman publisher Stacey Cowles thanking him for the space.


Quipped Hager: "I'm used to such odds, and some might say you were outnumbered."





We Have a Winner - We -- all of us here, not just the editorial "we" -- have committed some dumb mistakes in our youth. Some people would argue that certain writers here at The Inlander continue to engage in random dumbness. But for sheer lack of thought, it's hard to beat placing half a dozen homemade chemical bombs in mailboxes, as happened in North Spokane last week.