Spokane has received its expected multimillion-dollar windfall from a yearslong lawsuit against a chemical manufacturer whose products have polluted the Spokane River. As one of a dozen named plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Monsanto, which focused on toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the city of Spokane received $6.7 million last week in a settlement. Spokane County and Spokane Valley could also get a combined $6 million or more. "It isn't often that polluters are actually held accountable, and I commend the City's legal team and public works staff for their efforts in supporting a cleaner Spokane River for all people," said Council President Breean Beggs in a statement. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
JAILHOUSE COMICS
Prison can be a frightening, disorienting and confusing experience. But in Idaho, people facing incarceration have a new guide to help make sense of it all. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho published a graphic novel to help incarcerated people understand their legal rights. The guidebook "Your Rights on the Inside: A Handbook for Incarcerated Idahoans'' contains information about medical care, dietary requests, voting, LGBTQ+ rights and education. Dina Flores-Brewer, an attorney for the Idaho ACLU, said in a statement that the book aims to cut through the jargon by giving people an easy to understand guide to their rights. Incarcerated people can request a free copy from the Idaho ACLU or look for a copy in their prison law library. (NATE SANFORD)
RIP MIKE SHAW
Mike Shaw, CEO of the Guardians Foundation, the nonprofit running two of the city's major homeless shelters last year, was found dead at his organization's headquarters last month. "His heart finally gave out," says Howard Ricco, a close friend. Shaw wasn't originally intending to run homeless shelters — just help homeless veterans. But he repeatedly stepped up when the city needed someone to wade into shelter operations. That ended late last year after Shaw alleged that a trusted employee confessed to stealing money from the organization. He was "a gruff old man," says Chauncy Welliver, a local boxer who's worked with the Guardians, but ultimately, "he pulled a lot of people out of the shelter situation and helped them." (DANIEL WALTERS)
RESTORING THE SNAKE
American Rivers, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers, says the Snake River, which serves as a vital habitat for the region's native salmon and steelhead populations, is the nation's fourth-most endangered river. Activists and environmentalists have been calling for removal of the Snake's dams for decades. This year, Washington state lawmakers devoted $2 million to look into replacing the energy, irrigation and transportation services the dams currently provide to the area, as well as to research future effects dam removal would have on grid reliability, consumer pricing and pollution. "We're running out of time to save these species," says Kyle Smith, who focuses on the Snake for American Rivers. (SUMMER SANDSTROM)
