In 1995 and '96, I was in the first and second grade at Lake Spokane Elementary out in Nine Mile Falls. So reviewing these old issues was a fun trip back, seeing what all the grown-ups were up to while I was busy playing with Barbies. Local issues worthy of Inlander coverage nearly three decades ago weren't too different from topics we still cover almost every week: the need for more affordable housing, reining in urban sprawl, protecting the environment, potholes and how to revitalize downtown. But guess what else was happening around this time? The widespread adoption of the internet! As part of a cover story examining the many possibilities, good and bad, that this newfangled tech could bring was a small note in which the Inlander itself announced that "Inlander On-Line" would be "an exciting new addition to the World Wide Web" later that summer, joining the likes of Yahoo and a site called "Links from the Underground."
IN THE NEWS
If you lived here in 1996, chances are high you didn't walk away unscathed from ICE STORM '96. When freezing rain, followed by snow, started falling on a Tuesday the week before Thanksgiving, trees and powerlines were quickly overloaded with the weight of ice and began snapping like twigs. In our Nov. 27 issue, published a week after the storm, more than 18,000 homes were still without power, even after crews had been working around the clock. Three people died due to storm conditions, while hundreds of others were forced to emergency shelters to stay warm. "We've probably endured the most destruction to our electrical system in the history of our company," said Rob Strenge, spokesman for Washington Water Power, which is now Avista.
CULTURE BEAT
In our Jan. 4, 1995, issue we investigated the likelihood that MICROBREWERIES would outlast other alcoholic beverages, specifically wine coolers. At the time, the region was home to a whopping four microbreweries, among the 150 nationwide. "It's easy to see how microbreweries have the advantage over domestic and imported beer in the freshness department: You can get a beer from a local brewery as soon as it's released. It's like buying bread from the bakery."
ON THE COVER
Waaaay before "Netflix and chill" became part of our cultural lexicon, young'uns of 1990s Spokane had a far more pervasive social outlet: CRUISIN' RIVERSIDE. To find out what it was all about, Associate Editor Amy Cannata (with assistance from publisher Ted S. McGregor) headed downtown for a ridealong with Spokane Police on a busy Saturday night. "When you really think about it, cruising seems to be the silliest thing imaginable," Cannata wrote. "But upon further reflection, and after spending some time among the cruisers, you see it's all part of that crazy thing called growing up."
LOCAL FOLKS
While he's now a household name, back in 1995 JESS WALTER was just starting out. The 30-something-year-old, former Spokesman-Review reporter had just published his first book, Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth & Tragedy of Ruby Ridge and the Randy Weaver Family. Despite the weeks Walter spent reporting on the 1992 federal standoff with the separatist Weaver family in remote North Idaho, the book almost didn't happen. "I always expected I'd be able to do this, but I never knew how difficult it would be," Walter says. "It's strange because as a writer you have real vivid ideas of what kind of response you want. It's been pretty heartwarming to see how quickly I could fade back into obscurity."
