Inlander 01/05/2023

EDITOR’S NOTE

There’s a lot to say about the news of last year. But if we’re looking for one overarching theme, we could say it was a bad year for authoritarians. By all accounts, Russia’s Putin expected his unjustified invasion of Ukraine to go smoothly and quickly. It didn’t. China’s Xi Jinping gave himself power only Mao had before him, and soon faced protests in many major cities demanding an end to his rule. Brazil’s Bolsonaro ignored COVID and was defeated at the polls. Trump tried to thwart democracy, but his central role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol was made clear in the congressional Jan. 6 hearings, and a majority of American voters turned their backs — at least for now — on Trump and his election-denying acolytes.

But, according to this year’s list of stories from PROJECT CENSORED, there’s still a specter haunting our civic life: extremely wealthy people and corporations. Their power and influence is outsized and wielded in unseen ways. From the dark money flooding our political system to the billions of dollars in subsidies to industries that continue to bilk consumers to the threat to journalistic independence, the excessive wealth and power of billionaires and multinational companies is something we should all be aware, and wary, of. Thankfully, an antidote is in your hands: a locally owned, family-run newspaper that’s been free since its founding in 1993.

— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor

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WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST NEWS STORY OF 2022?

KAREN LALLIER

Ukraine.

What didn’t the media cover that it should have?

There are so many mental health problems and very little help. Especially for children.

PAUL CHARBONNEAU

Donald Trump. The Jan. 6 hearings and what came out of it.

What was missed?

I’m very concerned about global warming. There should be more on that.

AMBER RAMIREZ

The Ukraine war.

Was something undercovered?

The big oil spill in Kansas from the Keystone pipeline. It was the biggest spill in 10 years.

Crowd New Twickenham Ballpark

FAITH SEYMOUR

Overturning Roe v. Wade, especially as a woman. I’m very supportive of the decision.

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Dee Ann Cook (x211)

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Kristin Wagner (x210)

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

CIRCULATION

Frank

LAURA ALVAREZ

Roe v. Wade

What was undercovered?

Roe v. Wade. Setting abortion aside, it also affects womens’ rights and health care.

INTERVIEWS BY NICHOLAS DESHAIS 12/29/22, RIVERFRONT PARK

Turning Points

From

ancient Rome

to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2020, the course of human events can sometimes turn on the slightest twist of fate

BY JOHN HAGNEY

What if on Jan. 6 the Secret Service had obeyed Trump’s profane injunction, “I’m the f—ing president! Take me to the Capitol now!” With a horde thrashing the guardians of our Acropolis, what would Trump have done and how might this dark day have turned out differently? Do you ever wonder why history turns out the way it does? Some believe that history is not arbitrary but rather subject to eternal laws.

The traditional Chinese view is that history reflects the seasons, an endless cycle of growth, fruition, decay and regeneration. Buddhists regard history as a repetitive circle of birth, death and rebirth (Samsara) from which one seeks to be free through Nirvana, the cessation of desire — hence the end of suffering. Ancient Greeks believed learning from history was requisite for improving oneself and the polis, today a central tenet of the liberal arts.

Medieval Christian thought was guided by Augustine’s notion that the humanism of the ancients (“City of Man”) was a necessary historical stage that humanity was compelled by God to endure, while subsequent history was a hair-shirt preparation for the “City of God.” Marx insisted that history was a conflict between opposing economic classes ultimately resolved by the end of history — communism.

What Augustine and Marx share is that nothing in history is by chance. History is predetermined and linear, each advancing to an appointed utopian destination — one heavenly, the other an earthly delusion eventually rationalizing the murder of millions by Stalin and Mao.

Whether part of a transcendent plan or the caprice of a random universe, there are definitive events that could have turned out differently and thus altered the course of history. These are the “what ifs” of history. The actual outcomes of these events were not inevitable and more probably could have been contrary. It is intriguing to ponder some of these plausible alternative scenarios and how fragile our historical fates.

GREECE 5th C. B.C.E.

The formidable Persian army incinerates Athens and occupies the Parthenon. In 480, the Athenians improbably rout the Persians in the naval battle at Salamis. What if the Persians had conquered Greece? Would Greek democracy, philosophy, literature and art that define Western culture exist?

German artist Heinrich Leutemann’s depiction of Hannibal crossing the Alps in 218 B.C.E.

ROME 3rd C. B.C.E.

Rome is not yet an empire, rather it only occupies the Italian Peninsula. In 241, Rome acquires Sicily through war with the Mediterranean superpower Carthage. In 218, Carthage retaliates as Hannibal crushes Romans in Spain and, with 40,000 soldiers and 37 elephants, crosses the Alps. Along the way, he loses half his soldiers, all but seven elephants and his one eye. (See J.M.W. Turner’s 1812 painting,“Hannibal Crossing the Alps.”) Despite these deficits, Hannibal demolishes the Romans in southeast Italy, annihilating 70,000 in one day. With Rome defenseless and panicking, rather than march on the city, Hannibal halts. Hannibal’s repose allows the Romans time to blockade Carthage’s winter provisions, and Hannibal’s allies defect to the Romans as his troops ravage Italian towns. What if Hannibal had pursued his advantage and conquered Rome. Would the Roman Empire have been pre-empted?

VIENNA 1241

A rapacious Mongol horde of 200,000 fortified with fermented yak’s milk swarm across the frozen Danube determined to decimate Vienna. Historian Timothy Snyder says, “No European army could have kept Mongols from reaching the Atlantic.” One fortuitous death grants Europe a perpetual reprieve: The Great Khan dies, and the Mongol general withdraws from Vienna to the Mongol capital Karakorum in order to choose a new Khan.

CHINA 1405-1433

The Ming eunuch Zheng He commands a flotilla of 28,000 sailors on 300 ships, the longest of which was 400 feet. By comparison, Columbus in 1492 had 90 sailors on three ships, the largest of which was 85 feet long. Zheng He’s fleet is equipped with navigational equipment, accurate maps and gunpowder cannons, all unknown to Europeans. Zheng He penetrates west to the Persian Gulf and could easily round the Cape of Good Hope and conquer Europe, its population diminished by two-thirds by plague and paralyzed by war. Abruptly the fleet is recalled and destroyed by the Ming emperor who forbade any further voyages, thereafter China retracting from foreign conquest.

MEXICO 1519

The Aztec king Montezuma believes that Hernan Cortes is the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Venerating Cortes with gifts of gold and thus disarmed, the Aztecs are unaware that the “white god” will, according to a Mayan prophecy, “castrate the sun and bring the night.” With its guns, germs and steel, 500 Spaniards conquer 200,000 Aztecs. (See Mexican director Rodrigo Reyes’ 2020 film 499.) By the mid-16th century, Spanish-imported disease alone annihilates 80 percent of the Aztec population.

MOSCOW 1941-1942

Within a few months of invading the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Nazi blitzkrieg is within 10 miles of Moscow. (See the 1957 Soviet film The Cranes are Flying.) So confident that the Germans would shortly take Moscow, Hitler does not equip soldiers to fight a winter campaign. Even by Russian standards, the early winter is brutal. Hitler demands that his military press the offensive rather than retreat. Did Hitler not recall Napoleon’s undoing by the fierce 1812 Russian winter (Turner’s painting is a veiled allusion to Napoleon’s disaster.). Like the French, the German war machine never recovers and even though the Nazis launch other Soviet campaigns, including the Battle of Stalingrad of 1942-1943, they are never so close to winning the war as when they are at the gates of Moscow. The ill-conceived Moscow campaign is Hitler’s Waterloo. We can only speculate about what might have been had the Persians, Carthaginians, Mongols, Ming and Nazis triumphed, or whether the Aztecs could have resisted the acquisitive savagery of Spanish manifest destiny, yet perhaps as Schopenhauer observed, “Fate shuffles the cards and we play.” n

John Hagney is a retired history teacher, spending 45 years at Lewis and Clark High School. He was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher and published an oral history of Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms that has been translated into six languages.

Readers respond to Chey Scott’s online article about Boots Bakery losing its longtime home on Main Avenue (“Boots

SHELLEY WILLIAMS: I’m sure there is more to the story. But it seems strange that a landlord would be able to tell a bakery what they can bake. Hopefully they will be happy in their new spot.

LEANNA MCMANUS: I am so happy Boots will still be in the same area of town! I work nearby, and I love to walk to Boots for a coffee and a little lunch.

RANDY ENGLAND: This sounds like a plot from one of those Hallmark Christmas movies.

MADGE MOUNT: Hopefully your eventual new home will be even better and in the meantime, you are across the street. The community loves Boots!

CARRIE PETTIBONE: Alison has a heart of gold and amazing business and family values. Boots will bounce back with her at the helm!

KATE ALLISON: Now I’m bummed to lose Stella’s sandwiches…

BARBARA KELLY ANZINVINO: Wtf? That doesn’t even make sense. Glad they are moving to Saranac.

BOB HAUSS: May your new home be the most wonderful place to continue your journey as a bakery. n

Are your kids up-to-date?

Getting your child up-to-date with their immunizations aren't only protecting them, it's protecting the community and their loved ones, including grandparents.

Children birth to 18 years old have a recommended vaccine schedule by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The flu and the COVID-19 vaccines (COVID-19 booster) are available for ages 6 months and older. The vaccines are safe for everyone! Schedule your appointments today.

JOSH BYRNE: The city needs to build more affordable housing because people with lots of money are moving in from other states and buying up properties left and right, pricing out the people that are from here. Growth is going to happen whether people like it or not. And the homeless are people that are from Spokane, not from CA. Tired of seeing the many comments about how the Spokane homeless, that are from here, should go back to where they aren’t from. Thereby moving the problem and not solving anything.

KRISTY LANGBEHN: Transplants? I guess that’s one word for them.

ALI KAY ORR: How novel to blame Californians and transplants. Are we over this yet?

KELLY TIMES: I love the line “there didn’t used to be traffic here.” There is STILL no traffic here. I graduated high school in Idaho and college at EWU. My kids were born here. So I don’t think that the fact I just moved back from Southern Cal makes me a transplant. But it does qualify me to say there is no traffic here. In fact, it only seems marginally worse that it was when I left 20 years ago. When politicians were winning campaigns based on their support of a north-south freeway… n

CORRECTIONS

A typo in the subhed of Bob Herold’s Nov. 10 commentary. We almost spelled “almost” correctly.

The same article inaccurately described how long Veterans Day has been a holiday and how it replaced the disarmingly and awesomely named Armistice Day.

A news story about the city’s budget troubles on Nov. 10 incorrectly described the haste with which the city hired a thirdparty firm to conduct an audit of fire department sick leave. We corrected it immediately — five days later, once the mayor’s spokesman told us he gave us the wrong info.

Contributing to these mounting embarrassments, we forgot to update our contributors list in the Nov. 24 issue.

We regret these errors.

1803 W Maxwell Ave, Spokane, WA 99201

(509) 483-7535 nativeproject.org

Seize the (snow) day.

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Daily - Enjoy $20 off a 90-minute Aroma Infusion Body Scrub & Massage Treatment

Daily - Glide around our free outdoor skating rink now thru Feb 12

Catch a show in the Pend Oreille Pavilion! See our lineup at northernquest.com

GREENING OLYMPIA

The top environmental bills on the upcoming Washington legislative agenda include planting trees and steering people away from gas-powered cars — but nothing as ambitious as years past

BY JOHN STANG, CROSSCUT

The Washington Legislature has passed some game-changing environmental bills over the past two years.

The nation’s second cap-and-trade bill on industrial carbon emissions. Low-carbon fuel standards. A soft goal of 2030 for the state’s residents to wean themselves from gas-powered vehicles, followed by Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandate that no new gas-powered cars be sold in the state as of 2035.

The upcoming 2023 session, starting Jan. 9, is expected to be less revolutionary, but environmental measures will still be part of the discussion.

“The biggest thing is to focus on implementing the things we said we’re going to do,” said Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-Seattle, the new chairman of the Senate Energy, Environment & Technology Committee.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm among House and Senate Democrats to keep the momentum going,” said House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Seattle.

Planting shade trees along streams to cool the waters for migrating salmon has bipartisan support. Recycling could be a big issue. Climate change considerations will likely be added to local governments’ land use planning. And legislators are expected to spend a lot of time divvying up income from the state’s new cap-and-trade law that went into effect on Jan. 1.

In 2021, the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed the nation’s second cap-and-trade law — behind California — along party lines. In 2022, the state’s agencies hammered out regulations to put that law into effect.

A yet-to-be-determined number of “allowances” would be set up four times a year and auctioned to smokestack industries. An allowance is a measure of carbon emissions that a facility would be allowed to emit. The first auction is scheduled for Feb. 28. A company would bid on the allowances, which would be made available in batches of 1,000. The first auction will cover 6.185 million allowances with a minimum allowed bid of $22.20 per allowance.

The number of allowances will decrease over time in order to meet 2035 and 2050 decarbonization goals. Companies will be allowed to trade, buy and sell those allowances among themselves.

All bids must be above a certain price level set in advance by the state. The highest bidder would get first crack at the limited number of allowances, the second-

highest bidder would get second crack, and so on. The auction ends when the last of the designated number of allowances is bid upon. Then all successful bidders will pay the same price per individual allowance as the lowest successful bid.

These auctions are expected to raise $500 million to $1 billion a year, depending on who is doing the calculating. Democrats and Republicans expect to decide in the upcoming legislative session how to spend that money, said Inslee, Nguyen, Fitzgibbon and Rep. Mary Dye, RPomeroy, the ranking Republican on the House Environment & Energy Committee.

Other environmental bills expected in the upcoming session include:

 The revival of House Bill 1099, which would add climate considerations to city and county land-use planning. This measure is considered likely to pass in 2023.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Davina Duerr, D-Bothell, would change Washington’s Growth Management Act, which regulates long-range land use planning for Washington’s city and county governments. It would require local governments to review — and if needed, revise — their comprehensive plans and development regulations every eight years.

Duerr’s bill would require climate change to be considered in land use and shoreline planning in the 10 largest of Washington’s 39 counties and in cities of 6,000 or more people. The 10 largest counties cover Puget Sound, Spokane, the Yakima River Valley and the Vancouver area.

Climate action is again at the forefront in the Washington state capital.

Last March, Republicans in the Senate and House used adept parliamentary maneuvering to kill the bill on the final day of the session.

 Nguyen sees recycling as a major subject of debate in the upcoming session. Trash haulers want to haul as much trash as possible to landfills because they are paid according to the amount they transport, Nguyen said. Environmentalists will want the greatest possible amount of trash to be recycled.

Nguyen predicts both sides will lobby hard against each other whenever a recycling bill is introduced.

Meanwhile, Republicans want to introduce a bill regulating the recycling of wind turbine blades and pieces from solar farms. Fitzgibbon said Democrats are open to recycling power industry parts, but wonder why the GOP’s plans don’t include recycling parts from natural gas plants and hydroelectric dams.

Both sides speculate that the disposal and recycling of batteries will surface in this session.

 Inslee and Dye want to introduce legislation to plant a massive number of trees along Washington’s rivers and streams to provide shade for migrating salmon. When water temperatures rise above the low 70s, the health of the fish are seriously threatened.

“This is a major, major threat,” Inslee said.

The concept of cooling streams with shady trees has been around for decades. But Inslee and Dye say this idea needs to be executed much more extensively than in previous proposals. Both speculated that cap-and-trade money could be used for this purpose.

 In the 2022 session, House Republicans introduced House Bill 1822 to allocate some cap-and-trade revenue to create an Office of Puget Sound Water Quality to provide help and supervision to municipal sewage treatment plants to decrease the amount of nitrogen-laden nutrients dumped into the Sound. These nutrients starve fish of the oxygen they need. The bill never made it out of the House Environment & Energy Committee in 2022. Dye plans to revive the bill this session.

 Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, the ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, has introduced Senate Bill 5092 to provide tax breaks to people buying hybrid gas-andelectric vehicles. Hybrids provide an affordable stepping stone for lower-income people who cannot yet afford electric vehicles, he said.

However, Inslee and Fitzgibbon believe boosting hybrids is an inadequate step in the state’s push to switch to a predominately electric-vehicle culture.

“Hybrid vehicles were a great solution for lowering emissions 20 years ago. But we need to be moving faster in reducing emissions and focus limited incentive dollars on truly clean vehicles,” Fitzgibbon said.

Inslee said the cheapest all-electric car — a Chevrolet Volt — costs about $25,000, making some electric vehicles more affordable.

Washington has two targets regarding gas-powered cars. In its 2022 session, the Legislature set a target of 2030 to encourage state residents to wean themselves from gas-powered vehicles. This is not a mandate, but a goal to strive for. On Aug. 24, Inslee announced a mandate that no new gas-powered cars would be sold in Washington beginning in 2035. Used gas cars will be allowed to be sold after that date.

 Senate Republicans want to introduce legislation to suspend the cap-and-trade program if gas prices get too high for too long. Democratic leaders say this bill doesn’t have a chance of getting out of committee. Senate Republicans also plan to introduce a bill to track the effect of the state’s new low-carbon fuel standard on gasoline prices. Nguyen said such tracking is already in the existing low-carbon fuel standards law.



Duerr has introduced House Bill 1078 to create “tree banks.” The proposal would respond to trees being cut down by developers and provide designated areas where replacement trees could be planted. n

Crosscut is a service of Cascade Public Media, a nonprofit, public media organization. Visit crosscut.com/membership to support independent journalism.

Defamation Damage

How the Spokane sheriff’s allegations of racism and sexism led to a defamation lawsuit and $19 million jury award

BY NATE SANFORD

On June 13, 2019, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich called a news conference to announce that he’d fired a sergeant for allegedly using a racist slur and sexually harassing a female deputy.

An internal affairs investigation, the sheriff said to reporters, had found that the sergeant had started a phone call to another deputy by saying: “You ready to kill some n----s tonight or what?”

The shocking comments had allegedly come from Sgt. Jeff Thurman, an 18-year veteran of the force. They were reported by former Deputy Andrew Richmond, who is Black. Richmond said he overheard Thurman use the slur to another deputy over a Bluetooth call.

Prior to the internal investigation, Thurman had been touted as one of the force’s star employees. He’d worked with the department’s K-9 unit and did community outreach with Laslo, an energetic German shepherd. Knezovich had twice awarded Thurman the “Sheriff’s Star” — one of highest honors any sheriff’s employee could receive.

But at the news conference, Knezovich described Thurman’s comments as “reprehensible” — letting down the community, the agency and the profession as a whole. Knezovich described the whole thing as “the lowest point” in his 29 years in law enforcement.

Three years later, on Dec. 23, 2022, just days before Knezovich’s retirement after 16 years as sheriff, a jury found that Thurman — who denies making the racist comment and filed the lawsuit shortly after losing his job — had been wrongly fired and defamed by the sheriff.

The Superior Court jury came to a verdict after less than a day of deliberation. Their ruling came with a steep price: $19.5 million.

Of the total payout, Thurman is getting $2.5 million for lost wages and $12 million for emotional damages. His wife, Kaycie Thurman, is receiving $5 million for emotional damages and loss of benefits her spouse’s employment provided.

That’s a huge sum of money, even in the context of other similar jury awards. In 2017, when the sheriff’s office was sued over the death of a child hit by a speeding patrol car, the county settled for $1 million. In 2013, when a Spokane Valley pastor was shot during a confrontation with a deputy sheriff, the county settled for $2 million.

And this year’s highly publicized defamation lawsuit that Johnny Depp filed against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, resulted in a $10 million jury award.

Mary Schultz, Thurman’s lawyer, says it’s her understanding that this will be the highest single jury plaintiffs’ injury verdict ever in Spokane County. (The previous record appears to be a $14 million oral surgery malpractice suit in 2008, also won by Schultz.) Thurman’s large award, Schultz says, shows the “egregious nature of what was done here.”

The county is looking at appealing the verdict. If they’re unsuccessful, the money will be paid out from the

In his lawsuit, Thurman claimed that Knezovich had caused significant emotional distress by mischaracterizing the results of the internal investigation. Thurman also argued that he was the victim of reverse racial discrimination by the sheriff’s office.

The history of the internal affairs investigation is messy. When Richmond first reported the alleged comments from Thurman, he thought it happened in 2018. Over the course of the investigation, the date changed to December 2016. The alleged comments were reported to internal affairs in May 2019.

When Sgt. Tim Hines, the investigator, asked about the comments, Tyler Kullman, the deputy on the other end of the call, said he couldn’t say whether it happened or not, and that he didn’t remember the specific incident.

When looking into the claim in 2019, Hines talked to two sergeants who said Richmond had told them about the incident and asked them to keep it quiet. During the investigation, a different deputy reported that she had heard Thurman use the racist epithet when he saw someone throw garbage out of a vehicle.

Hines also interviewed a female deputy, who said Thurman had made some comments about sharing a hotel room with her that were sexual in nature.

When interviewed by Hines, Thurman said he didn’t recall making the statement about killing Black people. When pressed by the investigator on the difference between “I don’t recall” and “I didn’t make the statement,” Thurman didn’t directly answer the question, and brought up his past problems blacking out because of alcohol.

“So, could there have been a time I talked to him and said some shit? Maybe. I don’t know. But, I can honestly say I 100 percent do not recall making that statement,” Thurman said in the interview.

Thurman had the same “do not recall” response when asked about the incident with the man throwing garbage out of his car. Thurman acknowledged that he had made

the hotel room comment to the female deputy, but said it was a joke taken out of context, and that the female deputy didn’t seem offended and understood he was joking. (She told Hines she thought Thurman was joking.)

Multiple deputies told investigators that they had heard Thurman use the racial epithet before. Thurman, in a written response to the allegations, acknowledged using the slur before, but claimed it was always in sarcasm or as a joke, and never to a Black person in a racist or biased way.

Richmond would later leave the sheriff’s office and file a lawsuit of his own against the department, claiming he was retaliated against. His lawsuit, which is still in federal court, opens with references to the “thin blue line” and claims Richmond was subjected to a hostile work environment because of his allegations. His lawyer couldn’t be reached for comment.

The two lawsuits put the lawyers representing Spokane County in a tricky situation. In the Thurman lawsuit, they had to defend Richmond’s credibility and argue that his story about Thurman’s use of the slur was accurate. But in the retaliation lawsuit, the county’s lawyers have to argue that Richmond was incorrect, that his claims of retaliation are misguided.

Schultz has argued that the evidence outlined in the internal investigation was flimsy and full of holes, and that the sheriff was aware of that when he held his press conference. She frames Knezovich’s June 2019 news conference as a stunt — an attention grab that the sheriff knew would draw national media attention.

“The sheriff knew that he was permanently nationally harming me at that conference,” Thurman wrote in his declaration to the court.

In court documents, Schultz questioned Richmond’s credibility, pointing to inconsistencies in timelines and the fact that the patrol car where the call allegedly took place wasn’t equipped with Bluetooth at the time. She argues that Richmond told investigators that “many people” had warned him that Thurman was a racist, but was only able to provide the name of one person.

In his declaration, Thurman also provided chat messages that show Richmond using racially insensitive jokes. He questions why Knezovich didn’t discipline Richmond for that. He also notes that the female deputy didn’t think his comments rose to the level of sexual harassment. (In a deposition, Knezovich argued that offensive statements can still be considered sexual harassment even if the other party doesn’t see it that way.)

Citing the ongoing legal process and possibility of an appeal, the various lawyers involved in Thurman’s and Richmond’s lawsuits are hesitant to go into details about the court proceedings.

Michael Kitson, a Seattle-based lawyer representing Spokane County, says the legal team was disappointed and admittedly surprised by the outcome of the Thurman trial. He declined to comment on how or if the verdict in the Thurman case might affect Richmond’s lawsuit against the county, which is set for a September trial.

Even Knezovich, famously talkative, declined to be interviewed on the record. In an emailed statement, he said his legal team is working on an appeal. “While I respect the jury’s work on this issue I respectfully disagree with the verdict,” he wrote.

Schultz says Thurman is working towards healing himself and his family. He wishes he could still be in a patrol car, she says, but knows the media coverage of Knezovich’s 2019 press conference makes that impossible.

In an emailed statement, Schultz writes: “As one deputy testified at trial, our community is less safe without Mr. Thurman on patrol, and in spite of the damage award, the damage to the community will remain.” n nates@inlander.com

Washington Counties Risk Pool, which insures a number of Washington counties against litigation.

Jeff Thurman pictured with Laslo, a German Shepard of the sheriff’s K-9 unit.

Arrested

A suspect is charged in the killing of four students in Moscow. Plus, Wallace loses its senior center; and Spokane passes a budget.

Relief. That was the word of the day in Moscow last Friday, after police announced the arrest of a person suspected in the grisly killing of four University of Idaho students in mid-November. The small college town has spent the past seven weeks on edge — frustrated by a lack of visible progress in the investigation, worried that the killer might still be lurking. The suspect, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, was arrested at his parent’s home in Pennsylvania. He had been pursuing a doctorate in criminology at Washington State University, and finished out the semester there after the killings occurred. In a Reddit post from earlier this year, a user who identified themself as Kohberger asked people with experience in the prison system to take a survey for an academic research project, and describe their “thoughts, emotions and actions” while committing a crime. (NATE SANFORD)

DROP-IN CENTER IS OUT

For decades, the Wallace Senior Drop-in Center has rented space in a building owned by Sue Hansen, wife of former Shoshone County Commissioner John Hansen. But after Hansen lost reelection in November, the Silver Valley senior center was told it must vacate and return the keys by Jan. 31. No reason for the decision was listed. While still on the commission, Hansen requested about $20,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to upgrade the building, which his two fellow commissioners approved in October. The paperwork listed senior center board President Denise Nelson as the applicant, but Nelson said she didn’t know the request would be made in her name. After community members questioned that process, none of the upgrade money was ultimately distributed. “We’re just so sorry that he evicted us because we were going to build up the senior center for people in the community, not just the elderly,” Nelson says. When reached by phone, both Hansens declined to comment. (SAMANTHA

WOHLFEIL)

DE-DEFUNDING THE POLICE

Spokane City Council member Zack Zappone emphasizes one thing about the 2023 budget the council approved last month: It “increased the number of police officers beyond what the mayor’s budget” had proposed. That might be a disappointment to those who bought into the attacks during the 2021 council campaign accusing Zappone of wanting to “defund the police.” Council President Breean Beggs, however, says that those positions won’t be able to be filled immediately. In the meantime, that funding will temporarily be dedicated to boosting the amount reserved for overtime costs. At $1.2 billion, the city budget manages to avoid spending from reserves and savings And considering the 5 percent pay raises given out to city employees with the new union contract, that wasn’t an easy task. It meant slashing spending in some departments, including imposing cuts on both the City Council and the mayor’s office. Conservative council member Michael Cathcart, meanwhile, said the administration had “shaped the budget into something much more sustainable than we thought possible.” (DANIEL WALTERS) n

What affects my energy bill in winter?

During the winter, your energy bill can differ from one month to the next for a lot of reasons.

A sudden cold snap may occur which requires your heating system to run more frequently. Fewer daylight hours mean your lights are on for longer periods. Having kids at home for school vacations and guests stay over the holidays can affect the amount of energy you use each month, as well.

Learn what else impacts your winter bill and better manage your costs using our helpful online tools. Go to myavista.com/winterbill

Bryan Kohberger was found at his parent’s home in Pennsylvania.

Censorship is defined as “the suppression of information, whether purposeful or not, by any method — including bias, omission, underreporting or selfcensorship — that prevents the public from fully knowing what is happening in society.”

Since its founding in 1976, Project Censored has been focused on stories that aren’t censored by an authoritarian government, but in this broader, expanded sense. There’s a reason that journalism enjoys special protection in the First Amendment: Without the free flow of vital information, government based on the consent of the governed is but an illusory dream.

Yet, from the very beginning, as A.J. Liebling put it, “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”

Obviously, this was written before Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, but Liebling’s observation perfectly frames the majority of stories in Project Censored’s top 10 list. Undue corporate influence is there from the beginning with the first two stories: massive subsidies of the fossil fuel industry and rampant wage theft. It echoes clearly through the stories on Congress members’ investments in the fossil fuel industry, the role of corporate consolidation in driving up inflation in food prices, Bill Gates’ hidden influence on journalism, and major media outlets lobbying against regulation of surreptitious online advertising. And it operates at only a slight remove in others having to do with dark money and the suppression of Environmental Protection Agency reports on dangerous chemicals.

Indeed, only one story out of 10 lies outside the sphere of corporate corruption concerns: the story of the CIA’s plans to kidnap or kill Julian Assange.

Every year, multiple patterns can be found in the list of Project Censored’s stories, and these different patterns have much to tell us about the forces shaping what remains hidden. That’s still true. But the dominance of this one pattern truly is remarkable. It shows how profoundly the concentration of corporate wealth and power in the hands of so few distorts everything we see — or don’t — in the world around us every day.

Here then, is this year’s list of Project Censored’s top 10 censored stories.

FOSSIL FUEL

STORY BY PAUL ROSENBERG | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANSON STEVENS-BOLLEN

INDUSTRY SUBSIDIZED

AT RATE OF $11 MILLION PER MINUTE

Globally, the fossil fuel industry receives subsidies of $11 million per minute, primarily from lack of liability for the externalized health costs of deadly air pollution, damages caused by extreme weather events, and costs from traffic collisions and congestion. And two-thirds of those subsidies come from just five countries — the United States, Russia, India, China and Japan. These are key findings from a study of 191 nations published by the International Monetary Fund in September 2021 that were reported in the Guardian and Treehugger the following month, but have been ignored in the corporate media.

No national government currently prices fossil fuels at what the IMF calls their “efficient price” — covering both their supply and environmental costs.

“Efficient fuel pricing in 2025 would reduce global carbon dioxide emissions 36 percent below baseline levels, which is in line with keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees, while raising revenues worth 3.8 percent of global GDP and preventing 0.9 million local air pollution

deaths,” the report stated. The G7 nations had previously agreed to scrap fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, but the IMF found that subsidies have increased in recent years, and will continue increasing.

“It’s critical that governments stop propping up an industry that is in decline,” Mike Coffin, a senior analyst at Carbon Tracker, told the Guardian

“The much-needed change could start happening now, if not for the government’s entanglement with the fossil fuels industry in so many major economies,” added Maria Pastukhova of E3G, a climate change think tank.

Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies could lead to higher energy prices and, ultimately, political protests and social unrest. But, as the Guardian and Treehugger each reported, the IMF recommended a “comprehensive strategy” to protect consumers — especially low-income households — impacted by rising energy costs, and workers in displaced industries.

Project Censored’s Top 10 stories of 2022 show the growing threat of corporate influence and excessive wealth

WAGE THEFT: U.S. BUSINESSES SUFFER FEW CONSEQUENCES FOR STEALING MILLIONS

FROM WORKERS EVERY YEAR

In 2017, the FBI reported the cost of street crime at about $13.8 billion. The same year, the Economic Policy Institute released a study saying that just one form of wage theft — minimum wage violations — costs U.S. workers even more: an estimated $15 billion annually, impacting about 17 percent of low-wage workers.

One reason it’s so rampant is that companies are seldom punished, as Alexia Fernández Campbell and Joe Yerardi reported for the Center for Public Integrity in May 2021, drawing on 15 years of data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

“The agency fined only about one in four repeat offenders during that period. And it ordered those companies to pay workers cash damages — penalty money in addition to back wages — in just 14 percent of those cases,” they wrote. “The division often lets businesses avoid repaying their employees all the money they’re owed. In all, the agency has let more than 16,000 employers get away with not paying $20.3 million in back wages since 2005.”

Halliburton, G4S Wackenhut and Circle K Stores were among “the worst offenders,” they reported.

That report kicked off the center’s “Cheated at Work”’ series, which showed that “U.S. employers that illegally underpaid workers face few repercussions, even when they do so repeatedly. This widespread practice perpetuates income inequality, hitting lowestpaid workers hardest.”

Wage theft also includes worker misclassification as independent contractors — long the case with port truckers, and more recently gig workers. A 2014 study from the National Employment Law Center estimated that “California’s port trucking companies are liable to drivers for violations of wage and hour laws for $65 to $83 million each month, or $787 to $998 million each year.”

Lack of resources is largely to blame for the lax enforcement, which is “especially problematic” in some 14 states that “lack the capacity to investigate wage theft claims or lack the ability to file lawsuits on behalf of victims,” according to a 2017 Economic Policy Institute report.

That could change. If Congress passes the “Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act of 2022,” it would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to protect workers from wage theft.

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Live Music is back at Coeur d’Alene Casino!

Every weekend, you’ll find live music at the Nighthawk Lounge with local bands playing past midnight. For a more relaxed vibe earlier in the evening, choose the option of live acoustic music in the Chinook Lounge.

Ron Greene

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 TH & SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 TH 6 PM - 9:30 PM

CHINOOK LOUNGE

Come on down to the Chinook Lounge and enjoy singer and songwriter Ron Greene’s blend groove oriented bluesy pop, rock and soul music.

DJ Crooze

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 TH & SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 TH 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM

NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE

Check out the Nighthawk Lounge to hear DJ Crooze for a night of great music and dancing.

EPA WITHHELD REPORTS ON DANGEROUS CHEMICALS

In January 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency stopped releasing legally required disclosures about chemicals that present a “substantial risk of injury to health or the environment.” They had previously been posted in a searchable public database called ChemView.

In November 2021, as part of the Intercept’s “EPA Exposed” investigative series, Sharon Lerner reported that EPA had received “at least 1,240 substantial risk reports since January 2019, but only one was publicly available. The suppressed reports documented “the risk of chemicals’ serious harms, including eye corrosion, damage to the brain and nervous system, chronic toxicity to honeybees, and cancer in both people and animals,” Lerner wrote.

The reports include notifications about highly toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, chemical compounds that are known as “forever chemicals” because they build up in our bodies and never break down in the environment. Very small doses of PFAS have been linked to cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases. Their spread throughout the world’s

oceans, along with microplastics, was a Project Censored story last year.

It wasn’t just the public that was kept in the dark, Lerner reported. “The substantial risk reports have not been uploaded to the databases used most often by risk assessors searching for information about chemicals, according [to] one of the EPA scientists… They have been entered only into an internal database that is difficult to access and search.”

“Basically, they are just going into a black hole,” one whistleblower told Lerner. “We don’t look at them. We don’t evaluate them. And we don’t check to see if they change our understanding of the chemical.”

However, in January 2022, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit to compel EPA to disclose the reports, following up on an earlier public records request which, the National Law Review reported, was “built upon information reported in a November 2021 article in The Intercept.” Just weeks later EPA announced it would resume posting the reports in ChemView.

AT LEAST 128

MEMBERS

OF CONGRESS INVESTED IN FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY

At least 100 U.S. representatives and 28 U.S. senators have financial interests in the fossil fuel industry — a major impediment to reaching climate change goals that’s gone virtually unmentioned by the corporate media, despite detailed reporting in a series of Sludge articles written by David Moore in November and December 2021.

Moore found that 74 Republicans, 59 Democrats, and one independent have fossil fuel industry investments, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats in both chambers. The top 10 House investors are all Republicans. But it’s quite different in the Senate, where two of the top three investors are Democrats, and Democrats’ total investments — $8.6 million — are more than double the Senate Republicans’ total of almost $4 million.

Topping the list is West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who has up to $5.5 million of fossil fuel industry assets. Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper is third, with up to $1 million.

Many top investors are Texas Republicans, including Rep. Van Taylor, with up to $12.4 million worth of investments.

In the House, nine of the 22 Republican members of the Energy and Commerce Committee are invested in the fossil fuel industry. As Project Censored detailed two years ago, these individuals’ personal financial interests as investors often conflict with their obligation as elected legislators to serve the public interest.

Oil and gas lobbying totaled $119.3 million according to OpenSecrets, while 2020 election spending topped $40 million for congressional candidates — $8.7 million to Democrats and $30.8 million to Republicans. This came as the International Energy Agency warned that no new

fossil fuel developments can be approved for the world to have a 50-50 chance to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, Moore reported. Still, production of oil and gas is projected to grow 50 percent by 2030 without congressional action.

DARK MONEY INTERFERENCE IN U.S. POLITICS UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY

The same group of conservative dark money organizations that opposed President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nomination — Judicial Crisis Network, the 85 Fund and their affiliated groups — also funded entities that played a role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to a report by the watchdog group Accountable.US. They’re closely linked to Leonard Leo, co-chair of the Federalist Society, with money coming from Donors Trust (a dark-money group backed by the Koch network) and the Bradley Foundation.

“These dark money groups not only funded Leo’s network of organizations to the sum of over $52 million in 2020, but also funded entities in 2020 that played a role in the insurrection to the sum of over $37 million,” Accountable.US reported.

While there has been coverage of dark money spending on Supreme Court nominations, Igor Derysh at Salon was alone in reporting on the related involvement in Jan. 6.

Just one group, JCN, spent $2.5 million before Biden even named Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee, Derysh reported. On the other hand, “JCN spent tens of millions helping to confirm Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, according to Open Secrets, and launched a $25 million effort to confirm Justice Amy Coney Barrett just weeks before the 2020 election,” he reported.

But more disturbingly, Derysh wrote that

“Donors Trust has funneled more than $28 million to groups that pushed election lies or in some way funded the rally ahead of the Capitol riot,” while “members of the Federalist Society played key roles in Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election,” including attorney John Eastman, architect of Trump’s plan to get Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election; Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and

Ted Cruz of Texas, who led the objections to the certification of Trump’s loss after the riot; and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed a lawsuit to throw out election results in key states, effectively overturning Biden’s victory. In addition, 13 of the 17 other Republican attorneys general who joined Paxton’s suit were also Federalist Society members.

“It should worry us all that the groups leading the fight against Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court are tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection and efforts to undermine confidence in the 2020 election,” Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US, told Salon

“Donors Trust has funneled more than $28 million to groups that pushed election lies or in some way funded the rally ahead of the Capitol riot.”

CONCERNS FOR JOURNALISTIC INDEPENDENCE AS GATES GIVES $319 MILLION TO NEWS OUTLETS

The list of billionaires with media empires includes familiar names like Rupert Murdoch, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and, most recently, Elon Musk. But, “while other billionaires’ media empires are relatively well known, the extent to which [Microsoft co-founder Bill] Gates’s cash underwrites the modern media landscape is not,” Alan MacLeod wrote for MintPress News in November 2021.

MacLeod examined more than 30,000 individual grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and found it had donated more than $319 million to fund news outlets, journalism centers and training programs, press associations, and specific media campaigns, raising questions about conflicts of interest and journalistic independence.

“Today, it is possible for an individual to train as a reporter thanks to a Gates Foundation Grant, find work at a Gates-funded outlet, and to belong to a press association funded by Gates,” MacLeod wrote.

“Recipients of this cash include many of America’s most important news outlets, including CNN, NBC, NPR, PBS and The Atlantic. Gates also sponsors a myriad of influential foreign organizations, including the BBC, The Guardian, The Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom; prominent European newspapers such as Le Monde (France), Der Spiegel (Germany) and El País (Spain); as well as big global broadcasters like Al-Jazeera,” he reported.

CORPORATE CONSOLIDATION CAUSING RECORD INFLATION IN FOOD PRICES

Corporate consolidation is a main driver of record inflation in food prices. As Food and Water Watch reported in November 2021, “while the cost of meat shot up, prices paid to farmers actually declined, spurring a federal investigation.” That investigation is ongoing, but meat conglomerates Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Smithfield Foods and JBS have paid just over $225 million to settle related civil suits in the poultry, beef and pork markets.

That’s just part of the problem. A July 2021 joint investigation by Food and Water Watch and the Guardian reported that a handful of “food giants” — including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Conagra, Unilever and Del Monte — control an average of 64 percent of sales of 61 popular grocery items. Three companies own 93 percent of carbonated soft drink brands, while another three produce 73 percent of the cereals on offer. And a single company, PepsiCo, owns five of the most popular dip brands — 88 percent of the market. Altogether, “four firms or fewer controlled at least 50 percent of the market for 79 percent of the groceries,” the Guardian reported.

It’s not just producers: “In an October 2021 article for Common Dreams, Kenny Stancil documents that food producers, distributors and grocery store chains are engaging in pandemic profiteering and taking advantage of “decades of consolidation, which has given a handful of corporations an ever-greater degree of market control and with it, the power to set prices,” according to research by the Groundwork Collaborative.

As for grocers, Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the country, cited rising inflation as the reason for hiking prices in their stores even as they cut worker pay by 8 percent. Yet, as Stancil explained, Kroger’s CEO publicly gloated that “a little bit of inflation is always good for business.” That CEO earned 909 times what the median worker earned, while worker pay decreased by 8 percent in 2020, and “the company spent $1.498 billion on stock buybacks between April 2020 and July 2021 to enrich its shareholders,” the Groundwork Collaborative reported. Kroger was one of just four companies that took in an estimated two-thirds of all grocery sales in 2019, according to Food and Water Watch.

More broadly, a report for the American Prospect by Rakeem Mabud, chief economist at the Groundwork Collaborative, and David Dayen revealed that one of the most common inflation scapegoats, supply chain problems, is itself a consequence of consolidation.

Supply chain consolidation reflects a broader shift in the global economy, the Prospect argued. “In 1970, Milton Friedman argued in The New York Times that ‘the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.’ Manufacturers used that to rationalize a financial imperative to benefit shareholders by seeking the lowest-cost labor possible.” This led to a surge in outsourcing to East Asia, and eventually China. “This added new costs for shipping, but deregulating all the industries in the supply chain could more than compensate.”

MacLeod’s report includes a number of Gates-funded news outlets that also regularly feature in Project Censored’s annual story lists, such as the Solutions Journalism Network ($7.2 million), The Conversation ($6.6 million), the Bureau of Investigative Journalism ($1 million), and ProPublica ($1 million) in addition to the Guardian and the Atlantic.

Direct awards to news outlets often targeted specific issues, MacLeod reported. For example, CNN received $3.6 million to support “journalism on the everyday inequalities endured by women and girls across the world,” according to one grant. Another grant earmarked $2.3 million for the Texas Tribune “to increase public awareness and engagement of education reform issues in Texas.” As MacLeod noted, given Bill Gates’ advocacy of the charter school movement — which undermines teachers’ unions and effectively aims to privatize the public education system — “a cynic might interpret this as planting pro-corporate charter school propaganda into the media, disguised as objective news reporting.”

“[T]here are clear shortcomings with this non-exhaustive list, meaning the true figure is undoubtedly far higher. First, it does not count sub-grants — money given by recipients to media around the world,” because there’s no record of them, MacLeod reported.

“For a tax-privileged charity that so very often trumpets the importance of transparency, it’s remarkable how intensely secretive the Gates Foundation is about its financial flows,” Tim Schwab, one of the few investigative journalists who has scrutinized the tech billionaire, told MintPress

“THE

CIA DISCUSSED PLANS TO KIDNAP OR KILL JULIAN ASSANGE

The CIA seriously considered plans to kidnap or assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in late 2017, according to a September 2021 Yahoo News investigation, based on interviews with more than 30 former U.S. officials, eight of whom detailed U.S. plans to abduct Assange and three of whom described the development of plans to kill him.

If it had been up to CIA Director Mike Pompeo, they almost certainly would have been acted on, after WikiLeaks announced it had obtained a massive tranche of files — dubbed “Vault 7” — from the CIA’s ultra-secret hacking division, and posted some of them online.

In his first public remarks as Donald Trump’s CIA director, “Pompeo devoted much of his speech to the threat posed by WikiLeaks” Yahoo News noted, “rather than use the platform to give an overview of global challenges or to lay out any bureaucratic changes he was planning to make at the agency.” He even called it “a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia,” a designation intended to grant the CIA wide latitude in what actions it took, while shielding it from congressional oversight.

“WikiLeaks was a complete obsession of Pompeo’s,” a former Trump administration national security official told Yahoo News. “After Vault 7, Pompeo and [Deputy CIA Director Gina] Haspel wanted vengeance on Assange.” It went so far that “Pompeo and others at the agency proposed abducting Assange from the embassy and surreptitiously bringing him back to the United States via a third country — a process known as rendition,” they reported. (Assassination entered the picture later on.) Since it would take place in Britain, there had to be agreement from them. “But the British said, ‘No way, you’re not doing that on our territory, that ain’t happening,’” a former senior counterintelligence official told Yahoo News.

There was also pushback from the National Security Council and the Department of Justice, which wanted to put Assange on trial. But the CIA continued to push for capturing or killing Assange.

Trump’s “NSC lawyers were bulwarks against the CIA’s potentially illegal proposals, according to former officials,” Yahoo News reported, but the CIA’s own lawyers may have been kept in the dark. “When Pompeo took over, he cut the lawyers out of a lot of things,” a former senior intelligence community attorney told them. “Pompeo’s ready access to the Oval Office, where he would meet with Trump alone, exacerbated the lawyers’ fears. [The NSC’s top lawyer John] Eisenberg fretted that the CIA director was leaving those meetings with authorities or approvals signed by the president that Eisenberg knew nothing about, according to former officials.”

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“Pompeo and others at the agency proposed abducting Assange from the embassy and surreptitiously bringing him back to the United States via a third country — a process known as rendition.”

NEW LAWS PREVENTING DARK MONEY DISCLOSURES SWEEP THE NATION

Since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision relaxed campaign finance regulations, dark money spending has exploded, and now Republican lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing legislation to make it illegal to compel nonprofit organizations to disclose who the dark money donors are. Recently passed laws in Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia are based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, which brings together corporate lobbyists and conservative lawmakers to advance special-interest, business-friendly legislation.

“ALEC is deeply enmeshed with the sprawling political influence networks tied to billionaire families like the Kochs and the Bradleys, both of which use non-disclosing nonprofits that help to conceal how money is funneled,” Donald Shaw reported for Sludge in June 2021. “Penalties for violating the laws vary between the states, but in some states could include prison sentences.”

Shaw explained how these bills create a loophole allowing wealthy individuals and groups to pass “dark money” anonymously to 501(c) organizations, which in turn can make independent expenditures to influence elections (or contribute to other organizations that make independent political expenditures, such as Super PACs), effectively shielding the ultimate source of political funds from public scrutiny.

The South Dakota law was overwhelmingly passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature despite the fact that voters passed a 2016 ballot measure requiring disclosure of “the identity of donors who give more than $100 to organizations for the purpose of political expenditures,” a requirement the Legislature repealed a year later, Shaw reported in February 2021.

There’s a federal impact as well. In a March 2022 article for Sludge, Shaw documented that the federal omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2022 contained a rider exempting political groups that declare themselves “social welfare organizations” from reporting their donors, and another preventing the Securities and Exchange Commission from “requiring corporations to publicly disclose more of their political and lobbying spending.”

Democrats and good government groups have pushed back. In April 2021, 38 Democratic senators sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig urging them to roll back an anti-disclosure rule put in place by the Trump administration. In addition, the Democrats’ comprehensive voting-rights bill, the For the People Act, would have compelled the disclosure of all contributions by individuals who surpass $10,000 in donations in a given reporting period. The bill was passed by the House but died in the Senate.

MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS LOBBY AGAINST REGULATION OF “SURVEILLANCE ADVERTISING”

“Surveillance advertising” — collecting users’ data to target them with tailored advertising — has become a ubiquitous, extremely profitable practice on the world’s most popular social media apps and platforms — Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc. But now, as Lee Fang reported for the Intercept in February 2022, the Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission is seeking to regulate user data collection. Lobbyists for the Interactive Advertising Bureau are pushing back.

“The IAB represents both data brokers and online media outlets that depend on digital advertising, such as CNN, The New York Times, MSNBC, Time, U.S. News and World Report, The Washington Post, Vox, the Orlando Sentinel, Fox News, and dozens of other media companies,” Fang explained. “The privacy push has largely been framed as a showdown between technology companies and the administration.” But “the lobbying reveals a tension that is rarely a center of the discourse around online privacy: Major media corporations increasingly rely on a vast ecosystem of privacy violations, even as the public relies on them to report on it.” As a result, “Major news outlets have remained mostly silent on the FTC’s current

push and a parallel effort to ban surveillance advertising by the House and Senate by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.,” Fang concluded.

The IAB argues that targeted advertising — and, by extension, the siphoning of user data — has become necessary due to declining revenues from print sales and subscriptions. Non-digital advertising revenue decreased from $124.8 billion in 2011 to $89.8 billion in 2020, while digital advertising revenue rose from $31.9 billion to $152.2 billion in the same period, according to Pew Research. Complicating matters, the personal information collected by online media is typically sold to aggregators, such as BlueKai (owned by Oracle) and OpenX, that exploit user data — including data describing minors — to create predictive models of users’ behavior, which are then sold to advertising agencies. The covert nature of surveillance advertising makes it difficult for users to opt out. n

Paul Rosenberg is a senior editor for Project Censored, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to media literacy and fighting censorship. Find out more at projectcensored.org

New food service provider, proudly serving at the Spokane Convention Center

THE MARYS’ MAGICAL TALE

Local writer and illustrator pair bring Riverfront Park to life in their new children’s picture book

BY LAUREN RODDIS

Smiling faces and cheers of laughter fill a room at Riverfront Park’s Looff Carrousel as children color scenes from a magical tale in which the ornate, magnificent horses spinning round its center come to life one special night. They’ve just heard this story read to them by its Spokane-based author-illustrator duo. The children’s warm animation and joy reflected on their parents’ faces lights up the snow-covered park, which the room overlooks.

Mary Carpenter is the author of Ponies in the Park, and has always felt Riverfront Park’s magic, too. With the help of local artist Mary Pat Kanaley, Carpenter was able to bring that magic to life in their newly published book.

In the story, a young girl named Grace is disappointed to be stuck in the hospital overnight on her birthday. Unexpectedly though, magic dust, moonlight, and a birthday wish bring the

historic Looff Carrousel and other art sculptures in the park to life, and together they help Grace save a puppy in need.

“The carousel and the history of the carousel is just so magical,” Carpenter says. “Wandering throughout the park and coming up with the story, I just thought it would be really neat to have the park come alive.”

After moving to Spokane 10 years ago from South Carolina with her daughter Grace — who the book’s lead character is named after — Carpenter’s family spent a lot of time in the park. Carpenter is the manager of Inland Neurosurgery and Spine at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, and this is the first book she’s written.

When Carpenter had the idea for the story, she decided to apply for a $10,000 Spokane Arts Grant Award to help fund the project.

WHERE TO FIND PONIES IN THE PARK

($21)

Looff Carrousel gift shop, Wishing Tree Books, Auntie’s Bookstore, Atticus Coffee & Gifts, The Small Biz Shoppe, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Sacred Heart gift shop, and online at ponies-in-thepark.myshopify.com

Mary Pat Kanaley (left) and Mary Carpenter read their new picture book to local kids. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

“I wanted to apply for the grant, but a children’s picture book is nothing without the pictures,” Carpenter says. “So I reached out to Mary Pat, told her about the idea, and we met and we hit it off immediately.”

Kanaley, an illustrator and former middle school teacher, describes writing with Carpenter as a dance. Carpenter had the story, and whatever Kanaley could illustrate from it without the need for extra words on the page, she did.

“The real challenging thing with a children’s book is normally you have to keep it under 1,000 words for the age,” Carpenter says. “And so you would think that writing a children’s book would be easy, but it’s actually really difficult because you have to be very selective in the choice of words.”

In the story, Grace finds a bottle of magic dust in an antique bag she’s gifted for her birthday. The dust brings her stuffed puppy, Lily, to life, as well as the carousel ponies. As she rides on one of the carousel pony’s backs around the park, Grace scatters the dust on other local landmarks throughout Riverfront: its Bloomsday runners, Native salmon fishers, red wagon, garbage goat and the purple butterfly from Expo ’74. When Lily accidentally falls into the Spokane River, these sculptures work together to get the puppy safely back into Grace’s arms.

Ponies in the Park is not just a magical story. It was also imperative for Kanaley and Carpenter to use the project as a means to give back to the Spokane community.

“The money from the grant went to help produce the book, but it also pays for us to give one to every second grade school teacher and elementary school library” in Spokane, Carpenter says.

Carpenter and Kanaley geared the book for second graders. In Spokane schools, second grade is when students write their first paper. Kanaley says one local mom already reached out to share that her daughter is planning to write her paper on Ponies in the Park

As a former teacher, Kanaley knows how much educators appreciate having authors and illustrators visit their classrooms. Both she and Carpenter plan to visit local second grade classrooms to teach students about the writing process and share their book with kids.

The last five pages of Ponies in the Park include a historical timeline of Riverfront Park and provide background on each art installation and landmark featured in the book. There are also two scavenger hunts in the back of the book, one to do inside the actual park, and one for hidden images in the book itself.

“My hope is just that it would allow people to have a love of Riverfront Park and learn more about the history, and then have the art appreciation because of the information in the back of the book,” Carpenter says.

The two have talked to a number of people who feel a connection to the park’s history, whether it be growing up in Spokane and going there as a child, or attending the World’s Fair in 1974.

Besides the SAGA funding, Carpenter and Kanaley did other fundraising to sponsor the donation of copies to Vanessa Behan, Isaac’s Bookshelf and the Hutton Settlement.

“It’s a big thing for Mary and I, you know, we want to give back,” Kanaley says. n

WITCHES, KOALAS AND WOLVES

Six new TV series to stream this month

BY BILL FROST

It’s a new year, so you deserve some new TV to stream… or maybe you don’t — I don’t know you.

Anyway: Here are six new series premiering this month that are worth a look. It’s not a bad bunch, considering the only exceptional shows to premiere last January were HBO Max’s Peacemaker and Apple TV+’s The Afterparty. We’ve all forgotten about Fox’s Joe Millionaire reboot, right? Good for us.

MAYFAIR WITCHES

AMC+ (SUNDAY, JAN. 8)

Aside from witches and the supernatural, the biggest Suspension of Disbelief ask of Mayfair Witches might be Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus) as a brain doctor. In this adaptation of Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches, saucer-eyed neurosurgeon Rowan Fielding (Daddario) learns that she’s descended from a powerful dynasty of witches. On the downside, the Mayfairs (which include Harry Hamlin and Annabeth Gish) are dogged by a dark spirit — there’s always a catch with family.

KOALA MAN

HULU (MONDAY, JAN. 9)

Middle-aged dad Kevin (voiced by Michael Cusack) dons a koala mask and battles low-low-low-level crime in his small Australian town — who says the superhero genre is exhausted? (Aside from anyone who suffered through Black Adam?) Besides show creator Cusack (YOLO: Crystal Fantasy, Smiling Friends), the animated Koala Man also features the Australian and New Zealander voices of Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), Sarah Snook (Succession) and Hugh Jackman (Swordfish).

VELMA

HBO MAX (THURSDAY, JAN. 12)

Looks like HBO Max didn’t get around to canceling everything. This new adult-animation series traces the high-school origins of Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling), the future brains and lesbian icon of the Scooby-Doo gang. Scooby himself doesn’t appear, but the present-day-set and hyper-meta Velma does have

Fred (Glenn Howerton), Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson), and a purposefully diverse cast of guest voices. Scooby purists — do they exist? — will probably hate it.

THE LAST OF US

HBO, HBO MAX (SUNDAY, JAN. 15)

Set 20 years after the fungal-pandemic fall of civilization, The Last of Us (based on the PlayStation videogame) follows a smuggler (Pedro Pascal, free of his Mandalorian helmet) hired to transport a teen girl (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones) out of a quarantine zone into a post-apocalyptic U.S. of A. Besides expansive sets and mutated monsters, The Last of Us also stars Anna Torv, Nick Offerman and Melanie Lynskey. The nine-episode first season only cost $100 million to make, no pressure.

POKER FACE

PEACOCK (THURSDAY, JAN. 26)

Like a road-tripping Columbo — Wiki it, kids — Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) travels the country solving criminal cases using her innate gift of detecting when someone is lying. Sound like a quaint USA Network episodic crime throwback? Think again: Poker Face was created and partially directed by Rian Johnson, who brought us Knives Out and the nearly-as-good Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (let’s not get into a whole thing here). Peacock may finally have a winner.

WOLF PACK

PARAMOUNT+ (THURSDAY, JAN. 26)

It’s about teenage werewolves, and it comes from the same showrunner — but Wolf Pack has nothing to do with Teen Wolf Wolf Pack, based on the 2004 Edo van Belkom novel, has a subtle environmental-impact impact message, with werewolves being dislocated from the wild by forest fires and logging companies — so California, it’s shocking the Red Hot Chili Peppers haven’t written a song about it. The big hype of Wolf Pack is the TV return of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself. Can we get a hairy Seth Green cameo? n

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

Competitive cooking shows are one of my biggest TV addictions, and Netflix’s new show COOK AT ALL COSTS hits the sweet spot of food drama and celebrity chef know-how. In each episode, three home cooks start with $25,000 apiece, betting against each other for ingredients. They first blindly choose whether they want to “save” on a box of humble ingredients, “spend” for more luxury items, or find out if they’ll get a “surprise” box with unusual ingredients. Each episode’s celebrity chef judge also sends out “upgrades” for bidding on throughout the cooking time, and later blindly rates the dishes. The show offers creative inspiration for ways to combine odds and ends you have in the pantry, while emphasizing flavorful ingredients that provide the most bang for your buck. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

DB COOPER REVEALED?

After 50 years, did we finally find out that the elusive DB Cooper is actually a Washington state man named Rodney Bonnifield? The new documentary I AM DB COOPER (roughly 70 percent dramatizations, with interviews sprinkled in) follows Bonnifield from his Skagit County home as he travels with local bail bondsmen to search the Columbia River spot where he claims to have buried most of the infamous $200,000 haul. Actors portray Cooper’s 1971 Portlandto-Seattle airplane hijacking as Bonnifield says it went down, and the skeptical bondsmen explain how Bonnifield’s detailed description seemed credible enough for them to at least go searching for the buried loot. The bondsmen met Bonnifield while he was going through court for a stabbing for which he’s currently serving time in Walla Walla. While it’s certainly interesting to hear this drugfueled take on the crime, the film (for purchase on Amazon Prime or Google TV) leaves the viewer wondering whether the title delivers on its promise in the end. (SAMANTHA

WOHLFEIL)

GAZING AT MALES

There’s a lot to unpack in Hulu’s new WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES, and we’re not talking about the spandex-wrapped packages wiggling their way to fame as the world’s first all-male erotic dance troupe. The men are gorgeous, the dancing top-notch, and the ’80s soundtrack is spot-on. But the deeper drama is more compelling, including the rags-to-riches-to-ruin story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee (played by Kumail Nanjiani), who founded Chippendales in 1979, and his business-partner-turned-rival, Nick de Noia (Murray Bartlett). Besides the eye and ear candy, Welcome to Chippendales also hints at significant cultural issues, including race, other-ism, and gender-based norms, plus the danger of growing too big for one’s britches in the lust for fame and glory. (CARRIE

SCOZZARO)

Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us

Goodwill Hunting

Local artists give thrifted art new narratives for a group showcase at downtown’s Liberty Building

BY MADISON PEARSON

When browsing the home decor section of a thrift store, typical findings aren’t anything to call home about — a high school student’s discarded photography final, a canvas depicting a nondescript landscape and, if you’re lucky, a muted pastel painting adorned with a Bible verse, like “Love is patient, love is kind.”

In a recently opened show at the Liberty Building, in its mezzanine gallery space above Auntie’s Bookstore, participating artists were challenged to create a new piece using artwork like this, salvaged from area thrift stores.

Traditionally, artists begin a new work with a blank canvas. They pull out their paint and bedeck a stark white background with color, creating something out of practically nothing. In this instance, however, each artist stretched their creative muscles and gave new life to their thrifted finds while also keeping some of that original piece intact.

For local artist Tracy Poindexter-Canton, the search was the easiest part.

“I went into Northwest Christian Thrift Store and just started browsing,” Poindexter-Canton says. “I found this painting right away. It really called out to me — spoke to me.”

The painting resembles classic impressionism era works — think Monet, Renoir and Matisse. A dirt path in the middle of the canvas meanders into a lush garden full of shades of green and pink. The closer the viewer gets to the painting, the more muddled the colors and shapes become. The further away the viewer stands, the more individual flowers and leaves start to make themselves known.

“Immediately I knew what I wanted to do with the piece,” Poindexter-Canton says. “I mostly work in mixed media and collage, so I thought about adding in some people to the foreground — I almost always have people in my work.”

Poindexter-Canton’s usual art is vibrant with color, stacked with layers of texture, and often features African American figures. In the store’s music section, she found a vinyl record featuring The Platters, an R&B/Soul group from the 1950s.

“I think it’s going to be really fun to change their outfits,” Poindexter-Canton says. “I could even change the background. The possibilities are endless.”

Poindexter-Canton’s coworkers at her day job at the NorthEast Washington Educational Service District are well aware of her love of mixed media collage, often supplying jewelry, beads and other knickknacks to incorporate into her art. One coworker brought her a vintage wall decoration featuring a tutu-clad ballerina to use for the exhibition.

“A lot of my coworkers come to my shows,” she says. “And they notice that I’m using all of the materials they brought me. It adds a layer of sentimentality to my work that I really enjoy.”

When Spokane artist Terri Griffin began brainstorming ideas for the show, she started by asking herself the question: “What do I want to say?”

The thrifted art Griffin transformed began as a neon pink, blue and orange, fourpanel canvas featuring symbols representing peace and love in each section: a hand holding up the index and middle finger into the universal “V” gesture, the word “love,” and the written peace symbol.

“First off, I love pop art,” Griffin says. “When I decided I would be participating in this show, I went to Goodwill and brought this piece home because it reminded me a bit of Andy Warhol.”

The canvas sat in Griffin’s home studio for months before inspiration struck.

“It has a bunch of iconic images — things that have really significant meaning to a lot of people,” Griffins says. “I was like “What if I juxtapose a toy soldier on top of that and showcase two opposite icons on top of each other?”

Griffin began the transformation by

printing out four images of a female toy soldier with a laser printer and placing them on top of each symbol. After applying layers of paint to dull down the neon colors underneath, she outlined each soldier with metallic silver acrylic paint, making the soldiers seemingly pop off the canvas, creating dimension in a unique way.

When asked about the meaning behind the piece, Griffin is reluctant to divulge exactly what led her to juxtapose symbols of peace with symbols of war.

“Personally, I really care about what my work means to you, the viewer,” she says. “Art is meant to start a conversation. I don’t like to divulge the whole meaning.”

Griffin mentions that participating in this show has been one of the more liberating experiences of her art career.

“I got my fine art degree in 1995,” Griffin says. “When you’ve been in the game that long, you’re expected to kind of stay in your ‘lane,’ if you will. The art world won’t take you seriously if you divert from the norm.”

Griffin’s “norm” is realism. The art she most often creates are landscapes of the Inland Northwest, scenes from her travels as part of a military household and portraits of animals. But, she dabbles in illustration and glass art, showing that she’s multifaceted and proud of it.

“The thing that’s become most important to me is keeping art relevant to the community,” Griffin says. “Artists have the power to connect people through projects that we participate in. Artists always have something to say, so there’s always something to be heard through every piece of art.” n

Thrifted Art Show • Through Feb. 25, open daily from 9 am-9 pm • Free • The Liberty Gallery (second level; above Auntie’s) • 203 N. Washington St. • potteryplaceplus.com

Spokane artist Tracy Poindexter-Canton adds new layers of material and meaning to a piece of thrifted art. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

OPENING

House & Home

Juli Norris opens Kasa Taphouse, the first of her two new restaurants in Spokane’s Papillon Building

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

The new Kasa Restaurant and Taphouse is a reflection of what’s important to chef-owner Juli Norris, from the eatery’s name and graphics to its menu and unique customer service interface.

Kasa, for example, is a play on casa, the Spanish word for home, but with a “k” that also figures into the restaurant’s logo.

“If you look closely,” says Norris, who opened Kasa on the ground floor of Spokane’s Papillon Building in December, the logo is “a little house with a ‘K’ that goes up over the top” of it.

The signage for Kasa includes the word “Spo” in it, short for Spokane, and is meant to read “Spokasa,” Norris says, “because Spokane is home.”

And the letters KASA are the first initials of her four children’s names, says Norris, “so that was another tie-in, like home doesn’t just mean Spokane to me,” she adds. “It also means family.”

Kasa’s menu is a blend of family and personal favorites. Norris’ family’s favorite meal is the braised short rib in the Bomb Me sandwich ($17), a play on Vietnamese bánh mì. Kasa’s version includes pickled carrot, and a radish and cabbage slaw.

The menu also reflects Spokane’s diverse community, says Norris, who describes the menu as “flavor fusion.”

For example, like all of Kasa’s sandwiches, the Bomb Me is served on homemade bread, which is somewhere between an Italian-style flatbread and Indian naan bread. Kasa’s Double Dirty Fries ($14) feature Latin American-inspired adobo pulled pork, a roasted corn and bean salsa and cotija cheese, but also a cheese sauce using beer from local Paramour Brewing. Basmati rice, typically associated with Indian and Pakistani cuisine, is the foundation for all the rice bowls ($13$17). The pork belly curry bowl ($15) has an Indian-style tomato and citrus chutney, while the red Thai curry bowl ($15) includes grilled chicken and a spicy peanut sauce.

“It’s kind of like saying, you know, all of us are in this together, all of us can call this place — Spokane — that we have ‘home,’” Norris explains. “And [at Kasa] we’re going to highlight the best flavor combinations, combining all of those wonderful flavor profiles to create something that’s kind of new, but that celebrates everybody.”

Also look for hummus ($13) and Mo Rockin’ Veggie ($13), a Moroccan-style carrot and chickpea stew over basmati rice (add $2 to substitute white cheddar fries).

ABOVE: Kasa Taphouse brings home the flavor with fusion dishes.

FACING PAGE (from left): Executive Chef Robert Estrada, Owner Juli Norris and General Manager Tyler Gardner YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

The familiar combination of crunchy chicken and orange glaze you’d find in Chinese restaurants appears in both the Sticky Orange Crispy Chicken bowl ($16) and chicken tenders Norris calls Not Chicken Wings ($15).

The wings can also be ordered with Kasa’s proprietary spice blend, which initially resembled Indian tikka masala, Norris says. She kept tinkering with it, finally incorporating Jamaican jerk seasoning and other Caribbean spices.

“I think people don’t realize how well all of those flavors go together when they’re balanced correctly,” Norris says.

Kasa’s front-of-house format is another kind of blend: fast casual dining and upscale pub.

“You can order at the counter, but then you can also order straight at your table,” says Norris, adding that it “doesn’t mean we’re not going to pay attention to our tables.”

The dual-format ordering system is more customer-driven, she says, minimizing wait times, for example, for the folks who want to grab a quick drink before an event at nearby Spokane Arena.

That beverage list has a little something for everyone, with a rotating selection of mostly Spokane-area beers on 16 taps, like YaYa Brewing Company’s blueberry peach sour ($7) and Lumberbeard Brewing’s Märzen ($7). Kasa also carries two wines on tap ($8), currently Townshend Cellar’s chardonnay and malbec.

“We’re going to be handpicking the barrel of wine that we use on our red wine tap,” explains Norris. “And so basically, we’re gonna go taste the barrel, and then that’ll be the one that we’ll have on tap until it runs out.”

Kasa also offers cocktails, like their take on the classic old fashioned, called the Wrecking Ball Ol’ Fashion ($10).

Fresh Start at 50

Historic Iron Horse Bar & Grill in Coeur d’Alene has a new chef-owner, plus other food news

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

Coeur d’Alene’s downtown corridor is rich with restaurants and assorted drink spots, but few have endured as long as the Iron Horse Bar & Grill, which opened in 1972. The Sherman Avenue business is actually two-part. The large bar area, well-known for serving “derailer” cocktails in a white plastic bucket, has an adjacent live event space with one of the better dance floors in town, especially in the summer when “the Horse,” as this beloved establishment is known, rolls up its garage doors. The other part is the old-timey steakhouse, which since October 2022, is under new ownership.

Fifty years after the launch of the Iron Horse, longtime North Idahobased chef and restaurateur Jason Rex has taken over the kitchen, balancing longstanding favorites with the upscale pub food he’s known for, including at his nearby Collective Kitchen Public House (501 E. Sherman Ave.).

The revamped Iron Horse menu includes updated faves like smash burgers ($10-$11), 8- to 16-ounce steaks ($19-$36), and the ubiquitous weekend prime rib dinner ($22). Weekends also mean breakfast, with stick-to-your-ribs classics like biscuits and gravy ($6) or steak and eggs ($14).

like cookies and avocado toast. The larger space will also allow Lunarium to expand its menu and pop-up event offerings. Visit lunariumspokane.com.

“Not to be cliché, but it’s the bomb,” quips Norris, who co-owned Downriver Grill in Spokane’s Audubon neighborhood until 2019. Before that, she ran her own catering company, Simply Gourmet, started when she was fresh from culinary school in 2006.

Simply Gourmet is where Norris met Robert Estrada, one of two chefs getting Kasa off the ground and geared up for an additional business in the same building as Kasa, but on its lower level.

When Lorèn, a French-inspired speakeasy opens in late spring, Tyler Gardner will transition from Kasa, leaving Estrada to run the upstairs spot, Norris says.

In addition to working on Lorèn, Norris and the kitchen team are fine-tuning menu items they expect will be ideal for warmer weather, taking advantage of Kasa’s location adjacent to Riverfront Park’s northwest entrance.

“We’re doing a fun play on an ice cream sandwich where we have a browned butter coconut cookie at the bottom and then vanilla ice cream in the middle and then a double chocolate brownie on the other side,” says Norris of the Brookie ($10), one of several rotating desserts.

“And we’re gonna serve them now so we can get really good at it,” she says. n

Kasa Restaurant and Taphouse • 908 N. Howard St. • Open Mon-Sat 11 am-9 pm • kasataphouse.com

The menu also includes new dishes like ahi poke bites ($6), a black bean burger ($11) and lamb in a red wine butter sauce ($23). Happy hour from 2 to 5 pm daily is a good deal, too, with shareables like poutine ($6), loaded nachos ($8) and crispy Asian beef strips ($7), plus drink specials. Follow @IronHorse Cda on Facebook for more.

TRANSITIONS

Is it a bagel shop that sells ice cream? Or an ice cream shop that sells bagels? THE SCOOP is both and has recently expanded its offering at its Kendall Yards location (1238 W. Summit Pkwy.) to include scratch-made bagels from its sister bakery, HIDDEN BAGEL, based inside the Scoop’s South Hill headquarters (1001 W. 25th Ave.). Visit hiddenbagel.com.

You can also find bagels at TWENTY-SEVENTH HEAVEN bakery, which relocated late in 2022 from its South Hill spot to a new, larger space at 105 S. Madison St. Baked goods include scones, cookies, coffee cake, and several sizes and flavors of scratch-made bread, as well as a few quick lunch and breakfast snacks and assorted coffee, tea and related beverages. Visit twentyseventhheaven.com/menus.

In related news, LUNARIUM, a late-night popup inside Twenty-Seventh Heaven’s space, closed in August 2022 and is counting down until it reopens in its new home at 1925 N. Monroe St. in the former Atomic Threads Boutique (now on the corner). Look for popular beverage options — Vietnamese coffee, tea by the pot — plus both sweet and savory treats

SOUTH HILL GRILL is relocating from the Lincoln Heights retail area farther south to 2911 E. 57th Ave., in the former Rock City Grill location. The move concludes a challenging time for the popular eatery, which faced losing its original space to make way for a Chick-fil-A restaurant that’s reportedly since been halted. Stay tuned for details on South Hill Grill’s new digs or visit on Facebook @SouthHillGrill.

In Spokane Valley, MARANDO’S BAR AND RESTAURANT (11420 E. Sprague Ave.) is shuttered while it searches for a new spot to serve up its wide array of Latin American dishes. In the meantime, MARKET STREET PIZZERIA is slated to go into the Sprague Avenue space, expanding from its original Hillyard location at 2721 N. Market St., so stay tuned for details on both businesses in the months ahead.

CLOSURES

Although 2022 brought more restaurant and related food business openings than closures, we recently said goodbye to the following places:

� Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters, inside the Wonder Building at 835 N. Post St.

� Fresh and Foraged, 410 E. Holland Ave.

� Gross Donuts, Coeur d’Alene location only at 445 W. Cherry Ln.

� Jimmy B’s Pizza Parlor, 7115 N. Division St.

� Lone Mountain Farms & Brewery, Hayden Taphouse location only, 324 W. Lancaster Rd.

� New Harbour Restaurant, 1830 N. Division St.

� Wasabi Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar, 10208 N. Division St. n

To-Go Box is the Inlander’s regular dining news column, offering tasty tidbits and updates on the region’s food and drink scene. Send tips and updates to food@inlander.com.

Crispy Asian beef strips pair well with beer at Iron Horse. CARRIE SCOZZARO PHOTO

OPENING IN THEATERS

M3GAN

Thanks to artificial intelligence, the lifelike M3GAN is supposed to be a child’s new best companion. But when a prototype becomes overprotective of the young girl she’s supposed to befriend, the robot begins leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake in this sci-fi horror flick. Rated PG-13

A MAN CALLED OTTO

An adaptation of the bestselling novel A Man Called Ove, Tom Hanks plays a cranky old man who lost his wife and has been forced to retire. His attempts to kill himself keep getting accidentally thwarted by his immigrant neighbors, leading to a heartwarming and unlikely friendship. Rated PG-13

THE OLD WAY

Somehow Nicolas Cage had never starred in a Western on the big screen. That changes when he portrays Colton Briggs, a reformed gunslinger who gets back in the killing game (with the aid of his daughter) to avenge his murdered wife. Rated R At B&B Theaters Airway Heights

THE WORST FILMS OF 2022

Our critics kick dirt on their least favorite movies of last year

BY SETH SOMMERFELD, JOSH BELL, CHASE HUTCHINSON, NATHAN WEINBENDER

It’s always great to share your favorite things from a given year (as we did last week with our look at the best films of 2022). Turning people on to amazing movies they might’ve missed can be an incredibly rewarding and invigorating experience.

But sometimes, it’s also fun to wallow in the muck.

There were plenty of big screen duds in 2022, so our critics gathered together to take a few final potshots at the films they hope will be forever forgotten now that the calendar’s flipped to 2023.

AMSTERDAM

I mean, sure, Amsterdam is a complete mess — amateurishly directed, horribly written, awfully acted — but what can you expect from a student film of a nepotism baby? What’s that? You’re telling me this is a big budget David O. Russell film? The guy who wrote and directed Three Kings and American Hustle? … And those actors are Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, and John David Washington? … No, no, no. That simply can’t be true. Everything about Amsterdam is embarrassing: laughably bad camera work and editing, just about every actor turning in the worst performance of their career, Taylor Swift’s inclusion for… reasons?, the comedic beats that never land, a script where nobody acts or talks particularly human while also doing a slapdash commentary on facism, all of it. It’s a pantheon-level example of having an amazing assemblage of talent and doing the absolute least with it. (SS)

THE BUBBLE

During lockdown, most of us took up innocuous hobbies like knitting, Animal Crossing and sourdough starters. Judd Apatow spent that same time making one of the worst mainstream comedies of the century so far, a pathetic, half-assed, tone-deaf slog about some Hollywood idiots quarantining in a British estate while working on their latest franchise cash-in. The cast is stacked with comic ringers — Fred Armisen, Leslie Mann, Pedro Pascal, Peter Serafinowicz, Keegan-Michael Key, Rob Delaney, Maria Bamford — and yet there’s not a single genuine laugh, unless gags about nose swabs, social distancing and TikTok dances are your cup of weak tea. Apatow coursecorrected later in the year with the terrific HBO documentary George Carlin’s American Dream, but the bad taste of The Bubble lingers. (NW)

OPEN ENROLLMENT

BONES AND ALL

This might be the most controversial inclusion on this list, but good lord was Bones and All ever an interminable slog. While the dark romantic, teenage cannibal drama is well-made film from a technical standpoint, the story is just a nothingburger (served the rarest of rare). There was never a moment over the course of its two-plus meandering hours at which I remotely cared about any of the characters, and its commentary on love and addiction seemingly had no points beyond the ultra obvious (teenage love is thrilling and messy; addiction leaves literal bodies in its wake). If director Luca Guadagnino and star Timothée Chalamet were determined to go to the trouble of making a ghastly cannibal flick, they could’ve at least had the decency to invite their canceled but actually cannibalistic Call Me by Your Name pal, Armie Hammer! (SS)

ELVIS

Despite being a person who’s devoted a large portion of their writing career to music and film, I tend to loathe musical biopics and their insipid formulaic nature. Even with that said, I struggle to recall a single one that I’ve felt was more hollow than Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Obviously Luhrmann was going to lean heavily on glitzy style, but there’s absolutely no substance under the pizazz. It’s hard to come away from this movie feeling like you know anything about the King of Rock and Roll despite an interminable 2.5-hour runtime. It also boasts the worst performance of Tom Hanks’ career, trying a befuddling and inaccurate accent as Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Elvis is a colorful splash of glittery vomit and nothing more. (SS)

FIRESTARTER

This year was full of films that played around with the horror genre in exciting ways. Alas, just as there are great new works, there are those that lack any redeeming qualities. Firestarter, the second cinematic adaptation of the Stephen King story, was a film that boasted some game performances and potentially interesting alterations. Unfortunately, the film wrapped all of them in a painfully superficial story that felt more like a forgettable TV movie and smothered any hint of a spark. (CH)

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION

The previous Jurassic World movie ended with dinosaurs roaming the Earth, so it’s baffling that this sequel focuses instead on corporate intrigue about genetically engineered locusts. Director Colin Trevorrow squanders the return of original Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum, all of whom get bogged down in the tedious, convoluted plot. The shapeless, interminable movie meanders through meaningless action set pieces, ineffectively rehashing the same dinosaur-attack scenarios. The sense of wonder that Steven Spielberg created in the original Jurassic Park has been degraded beyond all recognition. (JB)

THE KING’S DAUGHTER

Some may call it cheating that we’re including The King’s Daughter, as it was technically supposed to come out nearly a decade ago, but its release this year still was a baffling one consider-

ing how little life the story had to it. An attempt at blending the magical with the historical, it had mermaids, prophecies and a luxuriously long-haired Pierce Brosnan. All of these promising assets amounted to nothing, doing a grave disservice to both the original source material and some of the talented performers caught up in this catastrophe. (CH)

ME TIME

Never has a film’s title conveyed the opposite of what the experience of watching it is like so completely. Me Time is not something you watch to relax or to have a laugh at a few jokes. It is an endurance test, cooked up in a lab to mimic a buddy comedy. There’s not even a hint of charm or mirth to be found. No matter how much it repeatedly shouts at you that it is really funny, there is the sense that not even stars Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart believe in what they are saying in this woeful slog. (CH)

MORBIUS

All the memes about “morbin’ time” might have made this misguided superhero movie seem like campy fun to people who never saw it, but the actual experience is so dispiriting that it’s barely worth the mockery. The licensing agreement that allows Sony to make Spider-Man-free movies about Spider-Man-adjacent Marvel characters just highlights how difficult it is for these characters to stand on their own. No one bothered to find a reason for Dr. Michael Morbius — who gains vampire-like abilities thanks to a serum he creates to cure himself of a rare blood disorder — to carry his own movie. Jared Leto’s intense, mannered performance is completely wrong for the character, and the disjointed story is a mess of half-formed references meant to set up sequels and spinoffs that will never be made. (JB)

OUT OF THE BLUE

Remember when Neil LaBute was a provocative indie auteur with bold new ideas (In the Company of Men)? Those days are long past, and his first feature film since 2015 is a sad reminder of where he ended up. It’s a laughable pastiche of film noir, starring Diane Kruger as the femme fatale and Ray Nicholson as the sucker she convinces to kill her rich husband. It’s filled with nonsensical twists, terrible acting, awkward title cards and some of the least erotic sex scenes ever filmed. (JB)

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

Even diehard Marvel fans will tell you that the Thor movies weren’t exactly appointment viewing until Taika Waititi injected a mischievous comic spirit into 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. But the director’s follow-up, Thor: Love and Thunder, is a weirdly slapdash, tonally miscalculated franchise installment that swings gracelessly between middling comedy, contrived melodrama and indifferently staged action. What’s most frustrating about Love and Thunder is that it has promising individual pieces — including Christian Bale’s committed performance as the tortured villain Gorr — but they simply don’t click together into a coherent picture. It has been made with all the verve and panache of a contract negotiation, a fate that could befall the next phase of the MCU if the studio keeps recklessly cranking out content. (NW) n

MOVIE TIMES

Cultivating the Scene

Jinx Universe, ExZac Change and Iyzlow Matisse

attempt to get the Spokane musical community to blossom with their special show, “Good Growth”

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

The calendar turning over can only mean one thing — New Year’s resolutions. And the core of all those aspirational goals we set for ourselves is simple — growth. We want to grow into better versions of ourselves over the course of the year.

For Spokane hip-hop/R&B artists Jinx Universe (Derrick Jenkins), ExZac Change (Zac Hawkins) and Iyzlow Matisse (Mike Barnes), that core principle isn’t just a whim to hope for in January and soon forget. It’s with that idea in mind that the performers are coming together for “Good Growth,” a special concert at Lucky You Lounge on Jan. 5 that will serve as a sort of belated double record release show for their 2022 albums: ExZac Change & Iyzlow Matisse’s Growth Spurt and Jinx Universe’s Make It Look Good.

The three connected through local beatmaker DJ Donuts. He happened to send a particular beat to both Jinx and the duo of ExZac Change and Iyzlow Matisse. When they both realized they were working over the same music, they decided to collaborate on the song “After the Rain,” which ended up as a track on Growth Spurt

“Jinx has a line on ‘After the Rain’ that I think sums it up real well,” Iyzlow remarks. “He says, ‘The Avengers got solo movies, [but] the real blockbusters [are] when they get together [and] go Wu-Tang on them suckers.’ Because it’s like, individually, we all kinda doing our own shit, but when we all link up to do something that’s larger than each of us, it’s like it’s a testament to the community and what we can all do when we collaborate.”

Jinx Universe is hard to categorize. As he says himself, “I am a rapper, but I’m also a singer. Sometimes I’m a f—--- rock guy. And sometimes I’m a pop artist. The people

that inspire me are the Pharells, the Andre 3000s, the Kanyes — the ones that just do whatever the f— they want to do. … My music is my personality.”

That varied outlook can be heard all over Make It Look Good. On one song it might feel like a funky R&B album (“Let’s Do It Again”) and the next moment it can seem more like a rap record (“Jump”). The album’s most noticeable element might be just how much swagger Jinx puts into the tracks, but that outward confidence belies the actual frame of mind the songwriter was in when making the record. Coming out of a personal dark period, he wasn’t even sure he could still write songs.

“Make It Look Good is deeper than what people think,” says Jinx. “I think that this record really helped get me out of a bit of a depression. I think that this album has brought a lot of positivity to my life that I really needed. Honestly, I truly needed so badly. And I think that’s what I’m the most proud of. I was like, ‘Yo, I’m still dope. And the music’s great, and it’s positive.’”

ExZac Change and Iyzlow Matisse have been collaborating for well over a decade — making mixtapes in closets, putting out a couple EPs and sharing the stage — but Growth Spurt marks a new high point for the duo. Raised on lyrically driven East Coast boom bap hip-hop, ExZac and Iyzlow display a chemistry in their energetic flow that feels effortless over the LP’s 15 mostly breezy tracks. While their origins were just making records for fun — and there’s still plenty of stoner rap fun to be found on Good Growth — the impending arrival of Iyzlow’s second daughter and ExZac’s first son refocused the writing and the reasons for writing songs for the pair.

“The vibe with the way Zac writes his

Jinx Universe went through so dark times but came out smiling.

ALICIA HAUFF PHOTO

songs, he always inspires me to be a better writer,” says Iyzlow. “So I feel like iron sharpens iron and we level each other up a little bit. But I feel like this latest album, Growth Spurt is kind of like the culmination of us really honing in on our sound and leveling up our sound and experimenting with new harmonies and things that we’ve never really done before. We branched out from just rapping and did singing and other stuff on this album that we’ve never done before. I feel like we’re finally at a point where we’re so comfortable with how we work well together, because of the foundation that we’ve built, that we’re able to kind of take those risks and chances and come up with something that far exceeds anything that we’ve done till this point.”

There’s also a power of positivity that undergirds Growth Spurt and all the music the duo creates.

“Zac always says that we’re more than just rappers, we’re motivational speakers, man,” says Iyzlow. “It’s how we kind of categorize what we do a little bit. On Growth Spurt we got a song called ‘One Inch,’ and the hook is, ‘Every day we grow. Every day we reach. Every day we sow. Every day we reap. And I just wanta know when I go to sleep, that the moves and mistakes I made got me one inch further than yesterday.’ So it doesn’t take a lot of progress, but if you just try to move one inch further than you were yesterday, then you’re in a pretty good spot.”

The vibes of Jinx, ExZac, and Iyzlow sync, so doing a joint album release show seemed like a natural fit — one based on mutual respect and camaraderie.

“Zac and Mike are my favorite rappers in Spokane,” says Jinx. “And I think that our messages and our music intersect very well. And we’re all dads, most importantly,

so I think that the connection is just so natural. …We’re actually friends. Like we’re around each other’s kids and shit. … So we all are big champions of community and bringing ideas. You know, just coming together like Voltron.”

When talking to the guys, “Good Growth” seems less about celebrating the new albums and more about building a stronger music community in Spokane.

“[The scene] needs a major push,” says Jinx. “I think I gravitate towards these guys, because they really are what they say they’re about, and that’s community and supporting each other. And I think that a lot of people around the city claim to be about that, but they’re really not. I hope that we’re leading by example, and showing them how powerful we can be together.”

“It’s getting out of the comfort zone and having that collaborative spirit,” ExZac adds. “It’s easy to collaborate within your own circles and your own groups. It’s something that we’ve even struggled with in the past. We want to have a collaborative spirit. What do you do? You play the bass? You shred guitar? You sing? There are places on our songs for people who do all sorts of things, and vice versa. So kind of opening those doors for people to feel comfortable to get in a room and collaborate with some people they don’t know. We’re in the same city, we’re in the same scene, but we remain strangers if we keep that mentality.”

“Especially after the pandemic, everybody’s kind of stretching their legs and getting back outside again” Iyzlow continues. “I think some people kind of have to learn — or relearn — how to play nice with others again.”

The crew hesitates even calling “Good Growth” a “show” because they don’t want it to feel like any average Spokane hip-hop

concert — they want it to be an event. To that end, the guys are bringing in designer Jáiz Boyd of Birds in the Coast to build sets for the night to add a theatrical element. They’re also making one-night only custom merch for the gig. It’s all an effort to make the local scene feel seen — not a random hodgepodge of sound that people might check out at a few shows a year, but an active and thriving symbiotic community.

“We’re trying to create a real special vibe, where you got to be there to experience it and take something away from it,” says Jinx. “And if you don’t make it out, you’re gonna miss out.”

Good Growth: Jinx Universe, ExZac Change & Iyzlow Matisse, DJ Donuts • Fri, Jan. 6 at 8 pm • $12 • 21+ • Lucky You Lounge • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • luckyyoulounge.com

Thursday, 1/5

J BOTTLE BAY BREWING CO., Justyn Priest

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam

CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

THE MASON JAR, Mason Jar Open Mic

J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin

STEAM PLANT RESTAURANT & BREW PUB, Jacob Burrows

Friday, 1/6

THE BEE’S KNEES WHISKEY BAR, Pamela Benton

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Eternal Jones

THE DRAFT ZONE, Agápē, The Red Book

HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Into the Drift Duo

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Good Growth: Jinx Universe, ExZac Change & Iyzlow Matisse, DJ Donuts

OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Son of Brad

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, One Street Over TAPS BAR AT SCHWEITZER, Quarter Monkey

Saturday, 1/7

ARBOR CREST TASTING ROOM, Pamela Benton

CHALICE BREWING CO., Son of Brad CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, The Usual Suspects

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Red Books, Bailey Allen Baker, Pat D’Angelo HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Into the Drift Duo

J LEBANON RESTAURANT & CAFÉ, Safar

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Never Come Down LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Alcohol & Feelings (Covers Show) NOAH’S CANTEEN, Just Plain Darin OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Tod Hornby

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Jason Evans

J SNOW EATER BREWING CO., Just Plain Darin

Sunday, 1/8

HOGFISH, Open Mic

Monday, 1/9

RED ROOM LOUNGE, Open Mic Night

Tuesday, 1/10

LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs

Wednesday, 1/11

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Dwayne Parsons

RED ROOM LOUNGE, The Roomates ZOLA, Runaway Lemonade

DJ Donuts provides scene-uniting beats. ALICIA HAUFF PHOTO

ExZac Change (left) and Iyzlow Matisse have a rap flow chemistry that can’t be manufactured. CHRIS BERTRAM PHOTO

COMEDY MAKING IT UP

It’s often hard to know what to say in a given situation in our day-to-day lives, so why not ratchet up the difficulty of dealing with that feeling on a stage? Florida-based MGTeams seeks to improve the way people communicate by using improvisational comedy. The squad of performers both teaches and entertains with a spontaneous mix of games, scene work and even musical improv. MGTeams members and Spokane locals Michael Glatzmaier (right) and David Honeycutt (left) co-lead this event at Spokane Civic Theatre, teaching two improv workshops for kids before showcasing their talents with a full family-friendly show later that evening.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

COMMUNITY VERY MYRRH-Y

ARTS FULLY BOOKED

Improv Workshops & Showcase

• Sat, Jan. 7; show at 7:30 pm, workshops at noon and 2 pm • $10-$15 •

All ages • Spokane Civic Theatre • 1020 N. Howard St. • spokanecivictheatre.com

The Gospel of Matthew speaks of three Magi (better known as wise men) who followed a star from the East toward Bethlehem in search of a newborn king. For one day only, those three wise men have followed a star east toward Spokane for this event put on by the local nonprofit Mujeres in Action (MiA). In celebration of Día de los Reyes Magos, aka Three Kings Day, the first 50 families in attendance receive a free box of food gifted by Spokane’s Hispanic Business and Professionals Association. In addition, all in attendance have the opportunity to take photos with actors dressed as the three wise men and share community stories.

— MADISON PEARSON

The Three Wise Men • Sat, Jan. 7 from 11 am-2 pm • Free • All ages • West Central Community Center • 1603 N. Belt St. • miaspokane.org

Have you reached the end of your bookshelves? Run out of things to read? Take matters into your own hands by learning how to create your own books! Spokane Art School’s beginning book arts class led by Allyson Moyes is a six-week, deep-dive introductory workshop into the world of folding and binding your own paperback and hardback books. With the skills you’ll learn in this class, the world is your oyster from then on out. Write in your newly bound books, decorate the covers, make them an art piece, spruce up your bookshelf, etc. When it comes to books, there are no limits on what stories you can tell — on the inside or the outside!

— MADISON PEARSON

Beginning Book Arts with Allyson Moyes • Jan. 12-Feb. 23, meets Thursdays from 12:30 pm-2:30 pm • $140 • Spokane Art School • 811 W. Garland Ave. • spokaneartschool.net

Submit events online at Inlander.com/getlisted or email relevant details to getlisted@inlander.com. We need the details one week prior to our publication date.

VISUAL ARTS LUCKY NUMBER SIX

Saranac Art Projects is unique in that it’s a member-run organization, so its artists show their own work, but also design exhibitions to highlight the work of others, like for the upcoming show “6,” featuring six local and regional artists. Some guest artists, like Becky Busi (featured art above) and Grace Flott, have been residents at The Hive, while Jun Soo Oh (who also goes by Juno), and Eric Sanchez have both exhibited at Terrain. Jamie Nadherny, who exhibits as Lou Lou Pink, is an adjunct instructor at Gonzaga University and also works at Spokane Falls Community College, which is where Cozette Phillips is an instructor and the college’s art gallery director. Expect to see a wide range of media, technique and content on display at the SAP gallery, which is one of the few unrestricted venues in the region, ideal for up-and-coming artists to exhibit cutting edge work.

— CARRIE SCOZZARO

6 • Jan. 6-28, open Fri-Sat from noon-8 pm • Free • Saranac Art Projects • 25 W. Main Ave. • sapgallery.com • 509-350-3574

ARTS COMICAL CRITICISM

Local visual artists and standup comedians unite for this unexpected take on art criticism. Organized by Spokane painter Audreana Camm (who occasionally takes the stage at comedy open mics), and held at the eclectic Shotgun Studios in Peaceful Valley, this First Friday event features local comedians reviewing surrealist art that’s wacky, outlandish and otherwise unusual, says Camm, who will then do her part to let the audience know how close the comics came to cracking the code. Shotgun Studios is operated by John and Kathy Thamm, and is a home for misfit art, so to speak, like a large iron fist sculpture that was rejected for install in Coeur d’Alene for being “too political,” as well as art depicting “a giant crucified pregnant alien,” Camm says, along with her own psychedelic art. As Shotgun’s current artist in residence, Camm hopes this lighthearted and unlikely merging of artforms encourages locals to check out the gallery.

— CHEY SCOTT

These Artists Seem Sketchy • Fri, Jan. 6 at 7 pm • $10 suggested donation • Shotgun Studios • 1625 W. Water Ave. • fb.me/e/30D3LWF54

I SAW YOU

SOUTH HILL ROSS 12/23 in the midst of holiday madness I noticed you as we passed in the aisles numerous times. You seemed calm navigating through the intensity of Xmas consumerism at its best. You wore boots, dark jeans, a black jacket, black hat and black-trimmed glasses. I dug your style and how you carried yourself. Me a tiny blond who wore a grey jacket, black scarf, baggy jeans and Doc Martin boots... just a land-locked surfer living nomadically between this area and Central America for a number of years now embracing the winter and crowded streets. It is a rarity that I see anyone who catches my eye here, but you did. ... Hope our paths cross serendipitously again. Salud to fine print and old school attempts.

NYE AT THE PUB! I went to the amazing Burlesque show on NYE at Prohibition, and was seated by three super awesome people. I couldn’t tell if you were dating or not, or if you’re open to new friends or more, and I was chatting with a cast member when you made your exit. Wish I had thought to exchange info sooner in the night cause you were cute ... Happy New Year, and I hope to see you again soon!

NATURAL GROCERS CURLY HAIRED BEAUTY

You worked at Natural Grocers on Division, around 2.5-3 years ago.. We flirted as you checked my groceries a few times. You once said to me “if you feel called;” I replied, oh I def do.. You turned around and told me you really liked my hair as another woman checked my groceries; I was on the phone

and shot you down. I hope to see you again soon! Mjpd18@yahoo.com

YOU WERE DRINKING JACK I saw you sitting at the neighborhood dive, at the bar, regularly. You drink whiskey with a little coke, wear a hat over your shaggy longish hair, and are always generous and a gentleman. Sipping and talking and smoking and sometimes dancing after or between your team’s many games, you try to make me want to keep a guy like you around for a while. ... We reject the others trying to pick us up, pick the best songs, and play some decent games of pool together over stories and laughs. You still owe me a REAL dinner date at my favorite restaurant, tho. Put which bar we drink at and my name in the subject line to schedule it with me- TIGRRRLILLY2000@ GMAIL.COM

CHEERS

“I WILL HONOR CHRISTMAS IN MY HEART....” “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.” A personal thank-you of deep gratitude to the kindly old woman with a magical bird who when I was counting my last few dollars for Christmas at the checkout line paid for my gifts for Christmas for my family and handed me the change from the 100-dollar bill. It was the most moving kindness I have seen in years. ... I promised to light you a candle at church, and I will at St. Als at Gonzaga. Sending love.

FUNDING CHOICES All you have to do to support normalization of the degradation, humiliation, and remote termination of employees, help eliminate worker self-esteem, undo 100 years of fair labor practices, enable the rise of white supremacist platforms, ... defend fascism, give to the desecration of the Constitution, encourage the defamation and belittling of all union workers, show your support for anti-Semitism, give an audience to Holocaust deniers, promote ignorance, end democracy... is just keep your Twitter account, then go out with your transportation spending choices and buy a Tesla.

BROWNE’S ADDITION HELPER A big cheer to the men helping pull out person on mobility scooter who was either stuck or couldn’t get across the snow berm across

FASHIONABLE NEWS ANCHOR Got to compliment Channing Curtis on KREM afternoon news for her charming, stylish, smart & “out of the box” attire. So delightful.

SAME OLD LANG SYNE I didn’t look up as he called out your name over and over. When he was suddenly at my elbow I told him: “But that’s not my name.” He said that I looked a lot like you and struggled to realize that I wasn’t you. He watched me walk away as I returned to shopping with my family. I don’t know him. I don’t know you, but it’s New Year’s Eve… so maybe you

human for that. ... Don’t scream at me for being off a leash.

WALKING AND RUNNING TRAILS This is probably both a cheers and a jeers. Let’s start with the positive. Spokane has an amazingly beautiful river that runs right throught the middle of it. At a cost, the city decided to create wonderful running and

YOU ARE KIND To the old lady with the long, neat braid. You are so kind. You shop my store and have never failed to remind me to treat myself well. What a concept to remind others they matter; you make a difference, and I am thankful every time I see your smile and hear your kind words. Keep it up — we need more of that.

STRANGER WITH A TOW TRUCK ON CHRISTMAS Major, major cheers to the kind stranger who helped me out late Christmas evening. I was high-topped on a snow berm, and, after several unsuccessful attempts, was entirely stuck. I had slipped and fallen on a patch of ice earlier... I was exhausted, in pain, and panicked when someone knocked on my window and said they were going to pull me out. Without another word, they hooked my car to their truck and rescued it from heaven knows what. ... I guess it’s true what they say about Christmas miracles. Thank you so much, whoever you are, and I hope your new year is safe, bright, and full of wonderful things!

HILLYARD SAFEWAY THANKSGIVING DAY

Thank you to the man with the paw print who paid for my sad-looking haul of groceries for one on Thanksgiving day. I was headed to work next and just needed a few things to get me through the OT that day, and your very kind action truly lifted my spirits. ... Thank you, your kindness is a bright spot in this world.

COSTCO CHRISTMAS To the BEAUTIFUL short-haired girl checking receipts at the exit. Thank you for saving me almost $100! I never thought you guys looked at those receipts. But I guess you do! THANK YOU again!

should know that he is still alive and well … But his disappointment that I wasn’t you was visible for miles. Whatever the two of you had between you… all that love and all that pain was still written on him ...

JEERS

DECADES OLDER When we first met, I was barely 19 and you were decades older than me. Due to our age difference, and other factors, a relationship between the two of us could never be fair and equal. I ended up changing who I was for you, and it hurts knowing that I won’t get my youth back. Why did I give up so much? I don’t know, I guess I was just a naive young girl being taken advantage of by an older man. ... I’ve spent years moving on, and you had the audacity to contact me and bring me right back to that space again. So this is me saying for the last time that I’m NOT interested in hearing from you! And to everyone reading this, don’t ever let a subpar man disrespect, gaslight, and/ or guilt trip you for expressing your wants and/or needs. You owe them nothing, and you deserve peace.

FREAK ON A LEASH I’m a dog. I hate leashes. I have to wear a collar. I don’t know why. Yet when my human takes me out to chase squirrels, a leash is the last thing I need around my neck, besides the collar. I don’t even know if this microchip thingy in my neck is updated or if it even works, but I’m a dog and really don’t care. What bugs me is, as a fun-loving dog, that some crazy, out-of-state transplant (yes I can smell them, I’m a dog) screams about my leash being left at home. Yeah, I blame my

walking trails along it that ANYONE should be able to enjoy. ... Now for the “jeers.” Why are people still allowed to live along those same trails? Why are they allowed to litter the forest and the river? ... Why are walkers and runners now deprived of access to the same river because of blockage by multiple tents? Law enforcement, please remove them.

GO AWAY PERMANENTLY USA to Trump: You are NOT special and we DON’T love you. You are forever disgraced and may you and all your minions be brought down by the House Jan. 6th committee with their four referrals to the DOJ.

CATS To the guy who called me a “s—volunteer” when as a SCRAPS volunteer I was taking TNR cats back to their neighborhoods: I hope you at least had the decency to offer some food and shelter to those three cats you claimed to love. n

from Browne’s Addition Rosauers two weeks ago. Same to those who provide shoveling and other aid to their neighbors who need help!

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers

BENEFIT

SKATE FOR A CAUSE: ODYSSEY YOUTH MOVEMENT This program supports community-centered nonprofits in fundraising efforts. At this edition of the event series, a portion of proceeds goes to Odyssey Youth Movement. Jan. 11, 4-8 pm. $12. Numerica Skate Ribbon, 720 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. riverfrontspokane.com

COMEDY

ANTHONY JESELNIK The stand-up comedian from Pittsburg can currently be heard on the Comedy Central podcast, The Jeselnik and Rosenthal Vanity Project. Jan. 5, 7:30 pm, Jan. 6, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and Jan. 7, 7 & 9:45 pm. $35. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

CHOOSE TO LOSE An all-improvised game show comprised of audience members. In order to win, you must lose. Jan. 6-27, Fridays at 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com

BRENDAN GAY The national touring comedian was a finalist on TruTV’s Comedy Breakout, a semi-finalist in NBC’s Stand Up Diversity and part of the San Francisco International Comedy Competition. Jan. 7, 8-9:30 pm. $12. Black Diamond, 9614 E. Sprague Ave. fb.me/e/45QstXe5V

NEW TALENT TUESDAYS Watch comedians of all skill levels work out jokes together. Tuesdays at 7 pm (doors at 6 pm). Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

LEANNE MORGAN Drawing from her personal experience as a mom and wife, Morgan performs clean comedy with a Southern charm. Jan. 11, 7:30 pm. $59$89. Northern Quest Resort & Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd. northernquest.com

OPEN MIC STAND-UP Wednesdays at 7:30 pm. See site for advance sign-up details. Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

DAVE LANDAU The third chair on Louder with Crowder has been featured on Comedy Central and NBC. Jan. 12, 7:30 pm, Jan. 13, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and Jan. 14, 7 & 9:45 pm. $25-$35. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

COLIN MOCHRIE & BRAD SHERWOOD:

SCARED SCRIPTLESS The Whose Line comedians improvise original scenes, songs and more from audience suggestions. Jan. 13, 7:30 pm. $28-$58. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxthe-

aterspokane.org (509-624-1200)

COMEDY AVALANCHE: GABRIEL RUTLEDGE The stand up comedian has performed on Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and multiple comedy festivals across the U.S. Jan. 14, 8 pm. $25-$40. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org

COMEDY NIGHT WITH DAN BROWN A night of comedy featuring Dan Brown and Charles Hall Jr. Jan. 14, 7-8:15 pm. $25-$35. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. merlinscomedyclub.com/ DAN CUMMINS The stand-up comic and podcaster and has been a guest on multiple late-night shows. Jan. 15, 7 & 9:30 pm. $29-$49. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com

COMMUNITY

COWLEY PARK LIGHTS Presented by the KXLY Extreme Team, the park is lit up for the kids at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. Through Jan. 31. Cowley Park, Sixth Ave. and Division St. kxly.com

GOLDEN HARVEST: FLOUR SACKS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION

The MAC’s collection of cloth flour sacks offers a window into the early development of Eastern Washington’s wheat industry, which today contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy. The sacks are also a tangible reminder of the mills that played a critical role in Spokane’s early growth. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm, third Thursdays from 10 am-9 pm through Jan. 22. $15-$20. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

QUESTMAS VILLAGE This holiday event features a “glice” skating rink, photo ops and visits from Santa and his reindeer. Through Jan. 8. Northern Quest Resort & Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd. northernquest.com (509-242-7000)

FIRST FRIDAY AT CENTRAL LIBRARY

In collaboration with the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Central Library becomes a hub for First Friday activities like art classes, swing dancing lessons, live music and more. Jan. 6, 4-8 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5336)

ROLE-PLAYING GAME DROP IN Improve your RPG skills by watching and participating in games. Fridays from 4-8 pm and Saturdays from 1-5 pm. Free. RPG Community Center, 101 N. Stone Street. rpgcenter.org (509-608-7630)

DROP IN & RPG Stop by and explore the world of role playing games. Build a shared narrative using cooperative

problem solving, exploration, imagination and rich social interaction. Ages 5+. First and Third Sat. of every month, 1-3:45 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org (509-279-0299)

THE THREE WISE MEN An El Dia de los Reyes Magos celebration with the three wise men. The three wise men give out gifts to the first 50 children that come to visit, take photos and provide a catered lunch for families. Also includes vendors and access to resources. Jan. 7, 11 am-2 pm. Free. West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt St. miaspokane.org

SOUTH HILL BINGO HALL GRAND OPENING This grand opening features concessions, a full bar and bingo with a $5 buy-in. Jan. 9, 4-9 pm. $5. Southside Community Center, 3151 E. 27th Ave. southsidescc.org (509-535-0803)

MAD CADDERS Learn 2D and 3D digital design or brush up on your skills with these two-hour sessions in Fusion 360 or Inkscape. Jan. 4-18, Wed from 6:30-8:30 pm. $10. Gizmo, 283 N. Hubbard Ave. gizmo-cda.org (208-929-4029)

OPEN STUDIO AT THE HIVE Stop by to check out Artist-In-Residence studios, tour The Hive and ask questions. Jan. 4-Feb. 22, Wed from 4-7 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)

PRO-CRAFT-INATORS ACCOUNTABILITY CLUB Are you a crafter who has unfinished projects around your home? Join your fellow pro-craft-inators and finish a project (or several) that you’ve started. Registration required. Jan. 1-25, Wed from 7-8 pm. Free. Info at scld.org

UNPLUGGED FAMILY NIGHT An unplugged evening of games, crafts and quality time. Watch Jeopardy on the projector if you’d like. A light dinner and snacks are provided. Jan. 12, 6:30-8:30 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org

NORTHERN LIGHTS FIREWORKS This event features a torchlight parade, a fireworks show and a party in Taps after the festivities. Must be 18+ and have a valid lift ticket/season pass to participate in the torch parade. Jan. 14, 6 pm. Free. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555)

LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Celebrate with a cultural fair and performances of traditional Chinese folk dances, a Chinese choir, taichi, Chinese martial arts and more Jan. 15, 1 pm. $15-$20. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.com (509-280-0889)

FILM

PERSEPOLIS This Oscar-nominated film follows a precocious and outspoken Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution. Jan. 5, 7-9 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org

AFTERSUN Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father 20 years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t. Jan. 6, 7 pm, Jan. 7, 4 & 7 pm and Jan. 8, 4 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)

BACKCOUNTRY FILM FESTIVAL This annual festival features grassroots and professional films about the outdoors. A portion of proceeds benefit the Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education program. Jan. 6, 7 pm. $10-$30. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org

TOTALLY TUBULAR TUESDAY A weekly screening of a throwback film. Check the website for each week’s film. Every Tuesday at 7 pm. $2.50. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com

PAPRIKA When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it. Rated R. Jan. 12, 7-9 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org

FOOD & DRINK

FIRESIDE DINNER & MUSIC SERIES Enjoy selections from Arbor Crest’s seasonal menu along with wine and beer from Square Wheel Brewing. Music lineup varies, see website for more. Thu-Sat from 6-8 pm. Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, 4705 N. Fruit Hill Rd. arborcrest.com

DRAG BRUNCH The cast of Runway performs while enjoying a full breakfast menu and mimosas. Hosted by Savannah SoReal. Sundays from 10 am-2 pm. Globe Bar & Kitchen, 204 N. Division. globespokane.com (509-443-4014)

WINE WEDNESDAY All seven dinners in this ongoing series feature food from culinary regions south of the equator. Each meal comes with three wines paired by owner Josh Wade. See menus at link. Wednesdays from 6-8 pm through Feb. 22. $27.50. Fête - A Nectar Co, 120 N. Stevens St. nectarcateringandevents.com

BEER DINNER WITH WALLACE BREWING Kick off 2023 with this beer dinner

featuring brews from Wallace Brewing and four chef-curated courses. Jan. 12, 5:30-8 pm. $55. Coeur d’Alene Taphouse Unchained, 210 E. Sherman Ave. bit. ly/3hupoQc (208-765-4000)

MAC & CHEESE FESTIVAL Various local chefs prepare mac and cheese dishes in competition for the Golden Noodle award. Taste the mac and cheese dishes paired with craft beer and vote on your favorite. Jan. 14, 11 am-6 pm. $12-$50. Downtown Coeur d’Alene, Sherman Ave. cdadowntown.com (208-667-5986)

NOVA KAINE’S DON’T TELL MAMA CABARET & DRAG BRUNCH Inland Northwest drag performers take the stage and perform pieces choreographed by Troy Nickerson. First and third Sun of every month at 11 am. Highball A Modern Speakeasy, 100 N. Hayford Rd. northernquest.com (877-871-6772)

MUSIC

GREAT MASTERPIECES FOR CELLO AND PIANO This concert features Kevin Hekmatpanah on cello and Yoon-Wha Roh on piano playing selections including Schumann’s “Five Pieces in Folk Style” and “Le Grand Tango” by Piazzolla. Jan. 7, 2-4 pm. Free. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. kroccda.org (208-763-0681)

FESTIVAL OF CAROLS The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes Choir, Schola Cantorum, Diocesan Youth Choir and instrumentalists present a traditional service of scripture readings, carols and choral pieces about the birth of Jesus Christ. Jan. 8, 2:30-3:30 pm. Free. Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, 1115 W. Riverside Ave. spokanecathedral.com/sacred-music-concert-series (509-358-4290)

SPIRIT OF SPOKANE CHORUS REHEARSAL Sit in on the rehearsals of the Spirit of Spokane chorus. Tuesdays from 6:30-9 pm. Free. Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Rd. spiritofspokanechorus.org/ (509-866-6354)

VERN WINDHAM: MY LUCKY LIFE Windham is the founder of the NW Bach Festival and the program director, on-air classical music and performing arts host at KPBX in Spokane. Jan. 10, 6:30 pm. Free. Rockwood Retirement Community, 221 E. Rockwood Blvd. (509-995-2264)

LIVING VOICES: WITHIN THE SILENCE Understand the impact of Executive Order 9066, which imprisoned thousands of innocent Japanese Americans during World War II, through the experiences of one young incarcerated citizen. Jan. 13, 7 pm. $18. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. artinsandpoint.org (208-263-9191)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

MT. SPOKANE NIGHT SKI Ski in the dark on Mt. Spokane’s 16-lighted runs. Wed-Sat from 3-9 pm through March 11. Free. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com (509-238-2220)

DJ NIGHT ON THE ICE DJ A1 provides tunes for themed nights, contests and more. Fridays at 6 pm through Jan. 27. $7$10. Numerica Skate Ribbon, 720 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. riverfrontspokane.com

SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. VICTORIA ROYALS Promos include the Fred Meyer Wall Calendar Giveaway. Jan. 6, 7:05 pm. $12$30. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com (279-7000)

CROSS COUNTRY MOONLIGHT TOUR & DINNER Take a guided cross-country skiing trip through the woods and enjoy a made-from-scratch meal of lasagna, salad, breadsticks and more afterward. Fee includes skis, boots, poles and dinner. Jan. 7, Feb. 4, and March 4, 6-9 pm. $51. Selkirk Lodge, N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. spokanerec.org (509-755-2489)

SNOWSHOE AT MANITO PARK Grab some snowshoes and join Spokane Public Library for a walk through the historic Manito Park. BYO snowshoes. and meet at the swan near the duck pond. Jan. 7, 11 am-noon. Free. Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand Blvd. spokanelibrary.org

SNOWSHOE MOONLIGHT TOUR & DINNER Take a guided snowshoeing trip through the woods at Mt. Spokane and enjoy a meal of lasagna, salad, bread-

sticks and more afterward. Fee includes snowshoes, headlamps, poles and dinner. Jan. 7, Feb. 4, and March 4, 6-9 pm. $51. Selkirk Lodge, N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com (509-755-2489)

SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. VANCOUVER GIANTS Promos include the Seattle Kraken Trip Giveaway. Jan. 7, 7:05 pm. $12-$30. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com (279-7000)

SNOWSHOE TRIP & MEAD TASTING Take a tour of Mount Spokane while snowshoeing 2-3 miles through forested trails. After, head to Hierophant Meadery on Green Bluff. Jan. 8, Feb. 19 and March 19 from 9 am-2:30 pm. $47. Mt. Spokane State Park, 26107 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. spokanerec.org (509-755-2489)

SNOWSHOE TOUR Tour the trails of 49 Degrees North with a guide who gives tips leading to better control and more fun on your snowshoes. Jan. 8, Feb. 5,, Feb. 25, and March 11, 10 am-2 pm. $45. 49 Degrees North, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd. spokanerec.org (509-755-2489)

SPOKANE AUDUBON SOCIETY MEETING WSU wildlife student Mason Maron, who spent the spring 2022 semester in Patagonia, shows photos of and describe birds he encountered there. Jan. 11, 7-8:30 pm. Free. audubonspokane.org

SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. EVERETT SILVERTIPS Promos include the TicketsWest Player Magnet Giveaway. Jan. 11, 7:05 pm. $12-$30. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com

JACKASS DAY Celebrate Silver Mountain’s roots with $19 lift tickets, vintage ski gear and riding the resort’s original chairlift. Jan. 12. $19. Silver Mountain Re-

sort, 610 Bunker Ave. silvermt.com

THEATER

ACTING WORKSHOP WITH DAVID LIVINGSTON This six-week workshop addresses all facets of the professional actor’s agenda: exploring and expanding the range of the acting instrument, improvisation and auditioning. Jan. 9-Feb. 13, Mon from 6-10 pm. $225. Emerge, 119 N. Second St. emergecda.com

PHOTOGRAPH 51 A portrait of Rosalind Franklin, one of the great female scientists of the 20th century, and her drive to map the DNA molecule. Jan. 13-Feb. 5, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2pm. $10-$25. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard. spokanecivictheatre.com

VISUAL ARTS

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM: TREASURES FROM THE DAYWOOD COLLECTION This exhibition features 41 paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries with distinct impressionistic brushstrokes and various subjects ranging from outdoor scenes to portraits. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Jan. 8. $10-$20. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

LILA SHAW GIRVIN: GIFT OF A MOMENT Living and working in Spokane since 1958, Girvin has used vibrant color, form, and unassuming techniques with oil paint to explore new dimensions of feeling through ethereal, abstract paint-

ings. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through March 12. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

JUAQUETTA HOLCOMB January’s guest artist hand spins local wool into rustic art yarn. Jan. 2-29, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free. Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com

THRIFT STORE ART SHOW Various artists find art from thrift stores and transform it. Featured artists: Tracy Poindexter-Canton, Terri Griffin, Andrea Parrish, Juno Stubbs, Mary Pat Kanaley and more. JDaily from 9 am-9 pm through Feb. 25, 9 am-9 pm. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com

FIRST FRIDAY Art galleries and businesses across downtown Spokane and beyond host receptions to showcase new displays of art. Jan. 6 from 5-8 pm. Details at firstfridayspokane.org.

INTERTWINED A group show exploring the ways in which complex narratives and experiences tie us to one another and the natural world. Jan. 6-31, Mon-Fri from 8 am-5 pm. Free. Chase Gallery, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. spokanearts.org

SARANAC ART PROJECTS: 6 This exhibit features six local artists displaying various paintings, sculptures and installations. Jan. 6-28, Fri-Sat from 12-8 pm. Free. Saranac Art Projects, 25 W. Main Ave. sapgallery.com (509-350-3574)

MICHAEL SONNICHSEN: COLOR FORMS

This exhibition of prints and objects provides new ways of seeing the familiar through the play of color and form. Jan. 6-28, Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm. Terrain Gallery, 728 N. Monroe. terrainspokane.com

THESE ARTISTS SEEM SKETCHY Local comics take over the gallery and try their hand at live art commentary. Jan. 6, 7-9 pm. $10. Shotgun Studios, 1625 W. Water Ave. shotgunstudiosspokane.com

JOHN J. DEROULET: VANITAS New work during the last three years while observing and living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Jan. 6-27, by appointment. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. johnderoulet.com (509-458-5517)

DOG SCULPTURE CLASS WITH COLLISTA KREBS A fast-moving clay sculpture class to capture the pose and swag of your favorite dog. Ages 12+. Jan. 8, 10 am-noon. $50. Spokane Art School, 811 W. Garland. spokaneartschool.net

WORDS

3 MINUTE MIC This edition of Auntie’s long-running First Friday poetry open mic features Jonathan Potter, author of the new photography/poetry collection, Sunrise Hexagrams. Open mic readers may share up to three minutes worth of poetry. All ages. Jan. 6, 7-8 pm. Free. Auntie’s, 402 W. Main. auntiesbooks.com

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICAN DIVERSITY Dr. Meredith T. Shimizu discusses Robert Henri’s portraits of individuals from extremely diverse backgrounds — both immigrant and indigenous. Jan. 8, 2 pm. By donation. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

BROKEN MIC Spokane Poetry Slam’s longest-running, weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm; signups at 6 pm. Free. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD n

Booze-free Buzz

Infused beverages to help you navigate the post-holiday hangover

BY WILL MAUPIN

The holidays can be a time of extended overindulgence. For many, January becomes a time to return to a healthier normalcy. One increasingly popular way to do that is to cut out alcohol for a “dry January.” Setting aside the booze doesn’t mean spending the month drinking nothing but boring old soft drinks. Cannabis-infused beverages are alcohol-free, but still bring some buzz.

SUNGAZE CANNABIS SELTZER

The Yakima Valley is a prolific locale in the world of alcohol, as both a hotbed for growing hops and the first officially recognized wine producing region in the state. Unsurprisingly, it’s starting to make a name for itself in the world of cannabis as well. One of the hottest products out of the region right now is Sungaze Cannabis Seltzer by Bale Breaker Brewing Company. Unlike most infused beverages on the market, Sun-

gaze products come in a familiar serving size. Their 12-ounce cans contain 2.5 milligrams of THC and 5 milligrams of CBD, allowing for a paced drinking experience and buzz equivalent to cracking open a few cold ones while watching the game.

LIL RAY’S LEMONADE

Ray’s Lemonade is a staple on dispensary shelves around the region, but one of their newer offerings is generating some sizable buzz despite its small stature.

“Some of our biggest products right now are our 100 milligram mini-drinkables,’’ says Jesse Rogers, purchasing manager at The Top Shelf. “They’re just basically like a Five Hour Energy looking thing, but there’s 100 milligrams in this tiny little bottle.”

Like their larger cousins, Lil Ray’s come in a dozen fruity flavors. They’re great for high-tolerance users who just want to get the job done, or for adding flavor and fun into a mocktail of your making. Beware, though, as they pack 20 servings into less than 2 ounces of liquid.

CYCLING FROG TINCTURE

Seattle’s Cycling Frog may have helped inspire the theme of this week’s Green Zone with their dry January discounts and promotions. The company offers a wide variety of edibles and beverages derived from hemp, which thanks to a loophole in a gray area between numerous overlapping and contradictory laws, means they can legally ship their infused products direct to your door.

Known for versatility, tincture can be consumed directly, held under the tongue, or if you’re like me, mixed into another beverage. Because servings are just 1 milliliter, tincture imparts very little flavor and even less volume into your beverage of choice, making them ideal for those who want the THC but not the taste. n

NOTE TO READERS

Be aware of the differences in the law between Idaho and Washington. It is illegal to possess, sell or transport cannabis in the State of Idaho. Possessing up to an ounce is a misdemeanor and can get you a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine; more than three ounces is a felony that can carry a fiveyear sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.

Marijuana use increases the risk of lower grades and dropping out of school. Talk with your kids.

BE AWARE: Marijuana is legal for adults 21 and older under Washington State law (e.g., RCW 69.50, RCW 69.51A, HB0001 Initiative 502 and Senate Bill 5052). State law does not preempt federal law; possessing, using, distributing and selling marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In Washington state, consuming marijuana in public, driving while under the influence of marijuana and transporting marijuana across state lines are all illegal. Marijuana has intoxicating effects; there may be health risks associated with its consumption, and it may be habit-forming. It can also impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. Keep out of reach of children. For more information, consult the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board at www.liq.wa.gov.

POINT BATTLE DATES: JANUARY 1 ST – 28 TH WINNERS ANNOUNCED: JANUARY 29 TH | 2 PM

The top 10 Coeur Rewards points earners from 12 am on January 1ST to midnight on January 28TH will enjoy a week-long cruise for two to Alaska on Norwegian Cruise Line’s award-winning Norwegian Encore cruise ship departing from Seattle, Washington on August 5TH and returning on August 12TH

Cruise Giveaway