At the end of September 2022, a blue bicycle appeared atop a pylon in the middle of the Spokane River near the Sandifur Memorial Bridge in People's Park. Who put it there? How did they get it up there? What does it mean? Not only do these questions go unanswered, but another mysterious, miraculous bicycle has suddenly arrived upstream from the original Banksy-esque bike in Peaceful Valley, this time with a rider. A sculpture of a woman riding a bicycle appeared on a support pillar of the Maple Street Bridge on the Clarke Avenue cul de sac around Friday, Oct. 20. She seems happy, with flowers in her basket and the ability to defy gravity, since she's pedaling straight up the vertical edge. (Don't worry, she's wearing a helmet.) How did she get there? What is she trying to tell us? Do we have a pro-cycling guerrilla artist in our midst? (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
SWAYNE'S SUIT
After months of litigation, a Kootenai County District Court judge has awarded North Idaho College President Nick Swayne nearly all of his court costs after winning his lawsuit against the college for permanent reinstatement. NIC must pay Swayne's attorney fees and costs in the amounts of $150,882.50 and $433.73 respectively, according to a written decision. Between Nov. 28, 2022, and Aug. 4, 2023, his attorneys billed a total of $153,630 for 527.5 hours of work. The court reduced the fee award, meaning that Swayne will need to pay $2,747.50 out of his own pocket. First District Judge Cynthia Meyer wrote in her decision that Swayne's fees were incurred under the circumstances of this novel and unique situation. She also ruled that because NIC failed to object to Swayne's motion for fees and costs within the allotted time frame, the college waived any objection to paying those costs. This isn't the end of Swayne's lawsuit though. The attorneys representing NIC have appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court seeking to block Swayne's reinstatement. (COLTON RASANEN)
BROADCASTING THE BUDGET
In the midst of a challenging financial year, Spokane City Council members are hoping to improve the city's budget process with a new law that requires monthly budget updates from the mayoral administration. The ordinance — sponsored by Council President Lori Kinnear and Council members Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart — would require the mayor's senior Cabinet members to make themselves available for budget deliberations with the City Council on the second Thursday of each month. The ordinance stems in part from council members' past complaints about sporadic budget communication from the mayoral administration. "As a council member not on the budget committee, I'm kind of left in the dark," Bingle said while discussing the proposed changes during a Monday meeting. "Even if you're on the budget committee, you're in the dark," Cathcart added. The ordinance would also require the monthly meetings to be publicly broadcast. The city's recent budget discussions have technically been open to the public, but unlike most City Council meetings and study sessions, they've been held away from City Hall, and haven't been broadcast or recorded. The ordinance is scheduled for a vote on Nov. 6. (NATE SANFORD)
