30 Years of Inlander: 2003-2004

Since change is inevitable, it's fun when poring over old issues to see the things that still remain after 20 years. Looking at issues from 2003 and 2004, it's a joy to read about new openings and discoveries that have become staples of Spokane: a new Thai joint called Thai Bamboo, a new concert venue called the Big Easy (or as you might now know it, the Knitting Factory), a couple visits from a rising Seattle indie rock band called Death Cab for Cutie, etc. Perhaps funniest was seeing some writers and letters to the editor being aghast that Gonzaga's new basketball arena — McCarthey Athletic Center — might drive away fans with its less humble size and season tickets (which the public could still buy at the time) rising in price to *gasps* $400.

IN THE NEWS

The systemic abuse of children at the hands of Catholic priests started coming more fully to light in the early 2000s. Our community was not immune, as the Jan. 22, 2004, cover story "SINS OF THE FATHER" by Paul Seebeck offered a harrowing look at the admitted abuses by Patrick O'Donnell, a former pastor at Assumption parish. The story was a portrait of the legacy of trauma left in O'Donnell's wake, including the suicide of Tim Corrigan, who along with his friends suffered at the hands of the "trusted" religious leader.

CULTURE BEAT

As the headline of the Jan. 15, 2004, Culture section lead stated, Mead grad Troy McLain was TAKING ON TRUMP. But McLain wasn't a forebear of #TheResistance (not that there were hashtags back then), rather the entrepreneur was part of the first season of a new NBC reality competition show called The Apprentice. While he had to be mum about the show, his local friends recounted how in high school he'd carry around The Art of the Deal and his senior quote in the yearbook was "Trump, I'm coming after you." McLain finished 5th on Season 1 of The Apprentice and currently is the CEO of Tovuti. What became of his TV boss? Well...

ON THE COVER

The Dec. 18, 2003, issue of The Inlander was hobbit-heavy, boasting a review of the new film Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and culture write-ups about J.R.R. Tolkien's legacy. But the fantasy extended to the real world with our cover feature about the warring visions of downtown Spokane's future being framed as "THE TWO TOWERS." The battling parties with their respective towers were the Spokesman-Review's Cowles family and Metropolitan Mortgage's Sandifur clan. The factions waged a seven-year shadow war in local politics sparked by the Cowles River Park Square development and questionable public funding around a parking garage. With the historic collapse of Metropolitan Mortgage that would follow, it's not hard to see who won.

LOCAL FOLKS

What was the Inlander's introduction of Spokane's basketball superstar ADAM MORRISON? Why choking a band kid of course! Wait... what?!? To illustrate the preferential treatment of student athletes compared to artistic students in local high schools for the cover story "Artists as Underdogs" by Michael Bowen, we had the then-Mead hoops standout pose with his hand around the throat of a tuxedo-wearing band student. Ammo would go on to put a chokehold on the college hoops world while playing for Gonzaga, winning player of the year trophies in 2006 and becoming one of the most revered Zags of all-time.

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Seth Sommerfeld

Seth Sommerfeld is the Inlander's Music Editor, Screen Editor and unofficial Sports Editor. He's been contributing to the Inlander since 2009 and started as a staffer in 2021. An alumnus of Gonzaga University and Syracuse University, Seth previously served as the Editor of Seattle Weekly and Arts & Culture Editor...