Vol. 17, No. 15
Where the Sidewalk Ends
River Park Square has had a testy relationship with street musicians — but is the mall itself violating city noise ordinances?
By Daniel Walters
The Decade When Spokane Grew Up (Again)
Cleaning up the park in the ’70s was great, but Spokane finally became a real city in the 2000s
By Joel Smith
The Felon Vote
How Gonzaga law students helped refine a legal case poised to change Washington prisons dramatically
To Market
The search for a spot for the Spokane Public Market may have ended — in an unlikely location
R-71, Hession and the Public Library
The controversy of Referendum 71 heads to the Supreme Court; plus, former Mayor Dennis Hession and a run on library books
By Nicholas Deshais
Amber's Alert
Spokane’s youngest-ever councilwoman on block watches, light bulbs and the Fightin’ First
Ka-Boom
A Spokane Valley man was arrested for possessing bomb-making materials last week, but what exactly did he have?
Bad Medicine
Forget meth, cocaine and heroin: Prescription drugs are the No. 1 killer in the Inland Northwest. And the epidemic shows no end.
Language Barriers
Inside an English Language Development classroom where students hail from Nepal, Russia, Thailand, Cuba and Afghanistan
By Don Gronning
Reefer Lawfulness
How budget troubles in Olympia might make marijuana legit
Fine Line
With his district to the right of him and Pelosi to the left, Congressman Walt Minnick has walked a tightrope through his first year in office
By Kevin Taylor
French and the Clunkers
An ethics committee clears Al French; plus a new, local Cash for Clunkers program
By Joel Smith, Nicholas Deshais and Kevin Taylor
Winter Readiness?
Spokane’s new snow strategy; plus, a ban on surface parking and an election challenge in Coeur d’Alene
Roping the Budget
Lassoing a steer may be more fun than wrestling a budget into balance for Idaho’s governor
Chamber Cleaning
The new Spokane Valley City Council starts its 2010 term with a boom
Something's Fishy
Two respected biologists say President Obama must make good on his vow to “restore science” to salmon restoration
No P on Grass
Limits on phosphorus lawn fertilizers is the latest wrinkle in meeting water-quality targets
What Are The Chances…
We asked those in the know what to expect in the next decade
The Demon Rum
A fired officer’s $4 million claim about alcoholism is a 100-proof insult to protesters
Thank a Reporter
Journalists keep an eye on the prize, reporting on humanity’s contextualized struggle
By Paul K. Haeder
Damn Gub'ment, Damn Taxes
Why we should kill sales tax and consolidate government services
By Robert Herold
System Failure
Before we criticize Obama vs. terrorism, let’s remember “Brownie” vs. Katrina
College, the Last Refuge
Just when more people want to attend college, state governments are slicing higher-education budgets
Obstructionism
We ought to reach into the crybaby Republicans’ pram and throw away their filibuster toy
"I See Rude People," Amy Alkon
Hard-bound lessons from our own advice goddess
By Tammy Marshall
Of 40s and Facebook
Whoa, Spokane pretty much looks the same in the new age of social networking
Bang the Drums Quickly
The Spokane Symphony’s timpanist discusses pop-bottle plastic, dental floss and what he thinks about during those long, long rests
By Michael Bowen
Edible Taxidermy
Colleges are starting to think about sustainability in food service. For one night at NIC, this includes locally sourced wild animals
By Carrie Scozzaro
From Brahms to "A-Punk"
Forget the BBC’s Desert Island Discs. Let’s have Spokane Symphony musicians pick their favorites in Palouse Valley Playbacks
The Decade On-Screen
We watched TVs become more like theaters and computer screens become more like TVs. Nobody watched commercials …
By Marty Demarest
The Decade in Arts & Culture
The Oughts transformed Spokane from a place that felt like a big town to what’s feeling more like a vibrant small city.
By Luke Baumgarten
German Efficiency
If you’re sloppy defending Gonzaga’s Elias Harris, he’ll organize a dunk in your face
By Howie Stalwick
"Love and Summer," William Trevor
Big Birds
Embracing the earth without being a jerk about it
By Jeff Echert
Bearded
Facial hair is cool again. What’s a guy to do?
"A Common Pornography," Kevin Sampsell
Former Spokanite Kevin Sampsell pieced together his memoir the same way he pieced together his childhood porn collection
In Defense of Michael Pollan
The Omnivore — in Pullman this week — wants an immediate ceasefire in the war on food
By Molly Templeton
Motive, Method, Opportunity
Curtains is an insult to critics everywhere. This critic is out for revenge.
"Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman," Jon Krakauer
Open this book to page 152 and grasp it firmly. Now rip it half in and throw away the chunk in your left hand.
"How to Teach Physics to Your Dog," Chad Orzel
You think you understand the Heisenberg uncertainty principle? You don’t. But now Bowser does.
Vandals Go Bowling
Who would have imagined University of Idaho going to a bowl? Robb Akey, for one.
Kid Dynamite
Hedonistic, unrepentant, childlike: Ruben Villarreal is his own kind of Renaissance Man
By Leah Sottile
Solitary Man
He’s done the rock thing, but now A.A. Bondy is trying to make music that makes him happy
By Alan Sculley
Made-up Macbeth
Do you remember the plot of Shakespeare’s Macbeth? Apparently, neither does anybody else
For the Birds
Funding is problematic for Saranac Art Projects, and they’ve come up with a real chicken-shit solution
A Boy and His Dog
Two Spokane teenagers with a brainy game concept competed against a bunch of grownups who just wanted to kill people
Nuclear Family
Your clan will probably go ballistic over Mission Bistro’s comfort food
The Decade in Food
Locally, we became a much more adventurous area. Nationally, things got scary and voyeuristic
Deduce and Pummel
Sherlock Holmes was always smarter than you. Now he can kick your ass, too.
By Ed Symkus
Assassin’s Creed II
Sluggish and simplistic, Assassin’s Creed II may be the most artless work of art ever to emerge from the Renaissance.
Surreally Disappointing
Terry Gilliam’s new film is nothing but cunning
By Maryann Johanson
American Dad
It only took two episodes of American Dad to dismiss the show as a Family Guy re-hash. But it's long since surpassed its predecessor.
50 Dead Men Walking
An Irish Catholic in '80s Belfast walks the line between the IRA and the British police
By Jacob H. Fries
The Cove
A documentary that tried to film dolphin slaughter the legal way
(500) Days of Summer
I’m a girl, but every moral I cherish is opposed to romantic comedies. Then a movie like this comes along and gets me.
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
A lesser directorial virgin would've chosen an easy movie. The Office's John Krasinski took on a David Foster Wallace book.
Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal
All that kid from The Sixth Sense had was a psychiatrist. Today's gifted child has infrared gear and paranormal research teams.
By Lisa Fairbanks-Rossi
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Equal parts zany and conventional, Ratchet & Clank needs to get past the overdone Future series
Not Quite Ready To Wear
Despite beautiful performances, Tom Ford’s first film looks like a fashion designer made it
Red Dawn
Everything’s been all Twilight for so long, we’re thanking God for Daybreakers
Modern Warfare 2
Modern Warfare 2 is the multiplayer shooter of the future.
Pan Apocalypticon
Soon we’ll tire of genre films that mash up every convention to create something new the way Book of Eli does, but we’re not there yet
Give It a 10
You know the Madonna/ whore dichotomy? Nine has that and several other stereotypes
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead has been left 2 die
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel stands up to the popular kid in late-night television
The Daily Show
Sure, speaking truth to power can be funny — but not nearly as funny as making fun of the powerless and crazy.
Family Guy Presents: Something, Something, Something Darkside
The second installment in Seth MacFarlane's Star Wars parodies
Frequent Liar
Jason Reitman’s directing George Clooney’s acting = the best Great Recession movie yet
Mouldering
Peter Jackson turns a novel about a girl’s murder and ascent to heaven into a psychedelic special-effects bonanza. Bad idea.
Deliver Us From "Nice Guys"
Michael Cera offers a young man’s vision of what young women want. Memo to Michael: You got it all wrong, buddy
The Saboteur
Paris is burning. Who cares?
Top Albums of the 2000s
Our music team took a stab at picking their Top 10 best records of the decade
"Contra," Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend takes a cue from the Clash on their sophomore record
"If You Hear Birds Chirping it’s Going to Be Clear," One Gun Galleria
Halfway through this record, Elijah Mink's talent doesn't just shine — it gleams
"Echo Party," Edan
Edan retains his spaced-out style and his twisting, complex ethos, but the result is nowhere near as compelling as his previous efforts.
Out on a Limb
After nine years, local extreme metal outit Doom Lit Sky is calling it quits
Shake, Rattle, Roll
Ain’t nothing gonna get Sammy Eubanks down
By Jordy Byrd
's/t,' pe-rad
It's pronounced "parade."
What's in a Place?
The indelible mark left by Spokane’s Empyrean
'When the Devil's Loose,' A.A. Bondy
Sad music for sad people
Rites of Punk
Ceremony is making new punk rock with an old-school mindset
By Dustin Carroll
"Scrambles," Bomb the Music Industry!
Scrambles blazes through 13 tracks and uses nearly as many musicians — on everything from drum machines to Game Boys.
By Chris Dreyer
Heart in Your Mouth
Katie Herzig may be nervous, but she isn’t scared
Sealed Deal
James Pants passes up the Big Apple to play a New Year’s gig at the Swamp
Breaking the Monotony
Liberty Lake’s Le Train Train Quotidien is just trying to make life a little more interesting
The Decade in Music
There’s a lot of things Spokane’s music scene doesn’t have, but let’s talk about all the things it has become in the last decade
"Dark Side of the Moon," The Flaming Lips
When the Flaming Lips announced that they'd recorded the Pink Floyd classic in its entirety, a man in the audience blurted out: “Whaaaat the f---?! Yeah!”
The Good Word
Whiskey Dick Mountain preaches — just not about the usual church stuff
Midnight Music
Saturday nights on KYRS are a psychedelic Land of the Lost
By Jon Brown
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Why the Department of Natural Resources is trading a Spokane forest for a Bellingham grocery store
By Eliza Billingham
New in Hayden, B. Boulangerie offers a wide selection of sweet and savory traditional pastries
By Bob Johnson
Spokane's Best Bookstores
By Inlander Staff
Producer tiers are a lesser-known regulation affecting Washington’s cannabis growers
By Will Maupin
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