Inlander 01/14/2021

HURRY UP AND WAIT

WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG TO GIVE OUT VACCINES? PAGE 8

SEEKING INSPIRATION

A NEW POETRY PROJECT CELEBRATES SPOKANE’S NEIGHBORHOODS PAGE 14

JANUARY 14-20, 2021 | LIBERTY, EQUALITY AND FREE PAPERS!

THE

HIGH LIFE Life at the top is just better PAGE 18

2 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

INSIDE

VOL. 28, NO. 14 | COVER PHOTO: SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT

COMMENT NEWS CULTURE COVER STORY

5 8 14 18

FOOD MUSIC EVENTS I SAW YOU

30 32 34 35

36 GREEN ZONE ADVICE GODDESS 38 BULLETIN BOARD 39

EDITOR’S NOTE

I

lived and worked in New York City when terrorists crashed a couple of hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center, destroying the Twin Towers, killing nearly 3,000 people and igniting fires that would burn for the next 99 days. I realized then that America wasn’t invincible — that as mighty as we were, with giant castles poking into the sky, we weren’t safe from a small band of misguided fanatics taught to see Americans as enemies. To a naive twentysomething, it was crushing.

I had that same sick feeling again last week as I watched an angry, gleeful, violent mob of Americans storm the U.S. CAPITOL, some in costume, some carrying weapons and zip ties, some chanting “hang Mike Pence.” They, too, had been taught to believe that Americans were enemies, that a grave injustice had been done, that an election had been stolen and that it was up to them to “show strength.” “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” President Trump told his followers moments before directing them to the Capitol. “I’ll be there with you,” he said. Five people would die as marauders paraded through the seat of American democracy on orders from the commander in chief.

This isn’t the end. The fires burned for 99 days at ground zero. But then, for a time, from where the towers once stood, the city beamed two columns of light into the heavens, a reminder of what was lost, and what was yet to come.

— JACOB H. FRIES, editor

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WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THE INSURRECTIONIST MOB THAT STORMED THE U.S. CAPITOL?

GENERAL MANAGER

ELISABETH PAGE: The actions of the mob in D.C. are those of desperate misled people led by a manipulative narcissist with no regard for life, liberty and the foundation of this country.

EDITORIAL Jacob H. Fries (x261) EDITOR

Dan Nailen (x239) MANAGING EDITOR/ARTS & CULTURE Chey Scott (x225) FOOD & LISTINGS EDITOR

CHRISTY BLOOM: It terrifies me to think that there are American citizens so filled with hatred of their fellow countrymen, that [they] would go to such extreme measures to destroy our nation.

Nathan Weinbender (x250) FILM & MUSIC EDITOR

Derek Harrison (x248) ART DIRECTOR

Chris Frisella COPY EDITOR

Wilson Criscione (x282), Daniel Walters (x263), Samantha Wohlfeil (x234) STAFF WRITERS

Young Kwak PHOTOGRAPHER

Caleb Walsh ILLUSTRATOR

Amy Alkon, John Grollmus, Bob Legasa, Will Maupin, Tara Ramos, Alex Sakariassen CONTRIBUTORS

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Emergency Contraception Vending Machines

EDITOR’S NOTE

Normally, we ask our question of the week of people we randomly encounter on the street. But with the coronavirus pandemic, we instead asked our followers on social media to share their thoughts.

ABOVE: Former state Rep. Matt Shea, at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Spokane last week, falsely blamed the Capitol siege on antifa.

RANDY ENGLAND: I was raised in a conservative family. I no longer understand what it means to be conservative if it means, well, this.

I’m very much a moderate (meaning some of my opinions run “right” and others “left”).

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ZACH ASIEN: Reaction? That it’s the least surprising thing in the world, and yet our police seem to have had no idea that it was coming despite the months and months of people screaming about this being exactly what they were going to do.

AMANDA CANTLON MIRELES: Shocked. We spend $700+ billion on defense and the duck dynasty took over our capitol in seconds?

DEBORAH JOYNER: I would like to see everyone who committed these heinous acts arrested and the politicians who supported them lose their seats. The fact that they call themselves “patriots” while trying to overthrow our democracy shows how ignorant they are.

KATE BRANTLEY: First, they were terrorists. Second, it glued me to the television all day yesterday and I woke up this morning wondering and hoping it was all a dream. It was frightening and disgusting. Third, it’s scary even today. If the police in the Capitol of the U.S. can be overrun, where else could this happen?

JASON FLEMING: The day an armed insurrection of the United States Capitol complex took place by a mob of domestic terrorists led by Donald Trump, his family and the GOP will be remembered the same way that the Oklahoma City Bombing and 9/11 are. n

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COMMENT | IN MEMORIAM

Deb Abrahamson, right, and Tara Ramos in Spokane at the march in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples March on Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19, 2019.

A Water Protector, a Human Saver A tribute to Deb Abrahamson, a prominent Spokane activist, who died Jan. 1 at age 65

BY TARA RAMOS

M

y name is Tara Ramos. My Inupiaq name is Qallaq. I am of the Atoruk family from Kiana, Alaska. I write to you from the ancestral lands of the Sp’q’n’i? in what is now known as Spokane. I ask that my elders and cultural leaders from the local tribes and the urban Indigenous people forgive me any break of protocol or tribal practices.

Deb Abrahamson is walking with the stars after she passed on New Year’s dawn in the town

6 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

that often forgets its first people. The cancer that so many get from the immoral and unethical mining practices finally succeeded in its destruction of a warrior of the highest caliber. It was a long-fought war, one in which Deb was the victor in many of the skirmishes that ravaged through her body until the very end.

Those of us who knew her also know she was the most humble leader, so a recitation of all her achievements would be tedious to her.

So I won’t bother to list all she did in her activist portfolio, but you should know that Deb Abrahamson lived and died fighting for clean water, air and land on and off the Spokane reservation.

She also stood for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and Black Lives Matter. Her activism was rooted in her identity, and that meant she stood up for any injustice to our people, our land, our water, our air for all of us.

There wasn’t an environmental fight she wasn’t willing to join. There was not a cultural preservation campaign she wasn’t willing to give all of herself to. There wasn’t an elder she wasn’t willing to give her shirt or her last penny to if they needed it.

There wasn’t a human suffering from mental health distress or drug/alcohol-related crisis that she wasn’t willing to help.

If you had the honor of meeting Deb, you know the quality of human she was. And as I try to write about her, I can’t help but feel completely inadequate as a writer for I am humbled by the power of her spirit. She was someone who wore her humanity on her sleeve, unafraid to face derision or hate.

Her eyes saw all. They took in your spirit and lovingly returned it to you soothed and comforted. That was just her eyes.

When she hugged you, it was a hug with the power to heal and you felt infinitely better even if you thought you were good. As you embraced her, her arms were like being hugged by Mother Earth herself; not an exaggeration I promise you. There are countless people on an online memorial saying similar things.

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When she hugged you, it was a hug with the power to heal and you felt infinitely better even if you thought you were good.

The thing about her embrace was that it made you feel good, but even more, it made you want to do good and do better. She held within her the standard for humanity and goodness and Indigenous love. Since I was a little girl, she inspired me to fight the destruction of our Earth. She was a walking call to action, and few could resist her siren.

And as she walks on, it’s my duty and my honor to write to you about how she taught so many of us to be good humans so that she can continue to inspire all us. So I want you to think about the power of this woman inspiring so many to stand up for what they believe in; fighting the good fight. Imagine standing next to her as she rises to meet the environmental and social justice issues that we face today. For she is with us, even now. Her spirit lives in me and in you, if you choose, for she was the most selfless human I know.

In Indigenous culture, auntie means so much more than just a paternal or fraternal aunt. Auntie means any woman older than you who takes on the role of loving you, looking out for you, guiding you, sharing knowledge, etc. It is both an honor to be able to call someone an auntie and to be called auntie by more than biological nieces and nephews. Deb Abrahamson was my auntie. I have no doubt that if COVID-19 wasn’t a thing, her memorial service would be packed by the hundreds, maybe into the thousands, for she was auntie to so many.

So as the family lays their mother, their grandmother, their sister to rest, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of loss for them, for myself, for Spokane, for we have lost one of the most important leaders of our time. I can only hope that through these words that she inspires you to stand up for our environment, stand for Black Lives Matter, stand for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, and stand for women’s rights. For Deb Abrahamson will be standing with you. n Tara Ramos is Inupiaq, a mother to three beautiful children and a champion of justice and equity for all people in our community. She is currently a consultant for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and is an occasional writer.

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A dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is administered at the Spokane Fire Department Training Center.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

HEALTH

SLOW-MOTION SHOTS Why is it taking so long to give out lifesaving vaccines in Washington state?

BY DANIEL WALTERS

O

n average, 3,000 Americans are dying from the coronavirus every day. A new COVID strain first identified in the United Kingdom has added to California’s woes. Hospitals in Los Angeles County have been so overwhelmed that ambulances can’t take some heart attack victims to the emergency room.

Washington state, however, has been one of the most successful states in slowing down the spread of the coronavirus. It went from the first state to be hit with the outbreak last March to the state with the fifth-lowest total number of cases today.

Yet, when it comes to the drugs that could end the thing, restart our economy and restore our way of life, Washington has been slow out of the gates.

By Friday, the Seattle Times reported, nearly 468,000 doses had been distributed in Washington, but only a third of those had actually been injected. Despite recent improvements, on Monday Bloomberg’s “vaccine tracker” ranked Washington state’s ability to get COVID shots into arms among the bottom third of the country.

8 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

And while some heap blame upon federal failures of the Trump administration, state House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm) notes that Gov. Jay Inslee had nine months to plan for efficiently distributing COVID vaccines.

“We should have a top 10 United States plan, not bottom 20,” Wilcox says. “We are one of the slowest states rolling this vital thing out at the same time as we are squeezing down parts of the economy.”

The stakes, after all, couldn’t be more clearly a matter of life and death.

“How would you feel if it was your grandmother who contracted COVID this week because she should have been vaccinated two or three weeks ago?” Wilcox asks.

“I was worried there wasn’t a sense of urgency,” Billig says. “Once I communicated with the Department of Health, there was absolutely a sense of urgency.”

He says he emphasized that the Legislature would provide the department any funding necessary to complete the task.

“We are one of the slowest states rolling this vital thing out, at the same time as we are squeezing down parts of the economy.”

T

he frustration has been bipartisan. Sen. Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-Spokane) indicated that he initially had some of the same concerns as Wilcox.

“Our Senate budget team has met with the Department of Health and conveyed the message that we do not want a lack of resources to be in any way a hindrance for vaccine distribution,” Billig says. “This is too important to have us delay in any way that’s preventable.” ...continued on page 10

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Inslee’s administration has rolled out a plan with a series of phases, subphases and tiers within those subphases to determine who gets the vaccine first. Most residents under 70 who aren’t working in a high-risk setting likely won’t get vaccinated until at least May. But even the first tier of the very first phase — focused on hospital workers, first responders and nursing home residents — has been rife with delays.

Rep. Joe Schmick, a Republican who represents southeast Washington including the southern tip of Spokane County, set up meetings last week to try to identify the roadblocks.

One problem, he says, was that the distribution was interrupted by the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. There were also misunderstandings: While each vaccine recipient is supposed to get another shot a few weeks later, some hospitals and clinics incorrectly thought that they were supposed to reserve that second dose themselves, instead of trusting it would be delivered.

Though serious side effects are rare, Schmick says that enough of those who received vaccines didn’t feel well a few days after being vaccinated that it “precluded hospitals from going in and saying we’re only doing this floor or this whole wing.”

“Hospitals were staggering vaccinations,” Schmick says.

Some health care workers didn’t want to get vaccinated at all.

“There are health care workers who are on the front lines who are hesitating getting vaccines. That is a significant issue as well,” state Secretary of Health Umair Shah says.

Yet, there are millions of people in the state who do want to get vaccinated. But state rules require certain high-risk groups to get vaccinated first before others.

While the state has tweaked the rules to allow for a bit more flexibility, the process of vetting everyone can create a bottleneck, says Kayla Myers, lead of the Spokane Regional Health District COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force.

“We all are trying to make sure we’re vaccinating the right people, but we also need to determine if it’s time to move on to the next group,” Myers says.

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T

he Trump administration hasn’t helped. On Monday, Democratic senators sent a letter, co-authored by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), to Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, scolding the administration for failing to develop a comprehensive national vaccine plan.

“Jurisdictions and health care providers are not the only ones in the dark,” the letter reads. “Members of the public do not know when, where, or how they will be able to be vaccinated.”

Confusion has reigned. Last month, Washington state abruptly learned from the federal government that their first batch of COVID vaccines would be cut by 40 percent. Idaho, which has similarly struggled with effective vaccine distribution, saw their first batch cut by 44 percent.

States don’t know how many vaccine doses they’ll receive

Comfortable? until a week beforehand, giving local hospitals and clinics even less time to schedule patients.

At a single clinic, says Brent Albertson, director of pharmacy at Providence’s hospitals, it’s only possible to deliver a limited number of vaccinations a day. Not only is there all the paperwork to fill out, but each vaccinated person has to be monitored for 15 to 30 minutes to ensure they don’t have an allergic reaction.

“I wouldn’t call that a limiting factor,” Albertson says. “I just call it, ‘That’s kind of the way it is.’”

But there’s a solution to that, too: Add more vaccination sites.

Last week, the Spokane Regional Health District launched a large-scale drive-through vaccination clinic at the Fire Training Center for first responders and health care workers. While that clinic will only last 10 days, the health department plans to create smaller vaccination sites at fire stations throughout the county in the future.

In the meantime, thousands of clinics, pharmacies and doctor’s offices throughout the state are lining up to become vaccination sites.

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“Members of the public do not know when, where, or how they will be able to be vaccinated.”

Yet before receiving their first vaccine shipment, each health care provider has to get the greenlight from the Department of Health, a process that involves providing everything from the schedule of employees available to receive shipments to extensive documentation about refrigeration and temperature monitoring devices for vaccine storage.

For some, like Providence’s hospital pharmacies, the approval from the state came relatively quickly.

But for others, Schmick says, “it’s an agonizingly slow process.”

Only four providers had been approved to give out vaccines in his district. One of them started the process in October, he says, but it still took four weeks to get approved. A lot of others, he says, are still waiting.

“I’ve got hospitals in my district, and they’ve not been approved,” Schmick says. “As of last Monday, [the Department of Health] had 2,000 applications sitting on their desk.”

Spokane County has been having the same issue.

“We had a local large health care organization that hadn’t been approved yet. They’re going to become extremely needed in the community once we move through later phases,” Myers says.

“I reached out to DOH and gave them a list of the names of their clinics, and just said, ‘Can we expedite these people?’”

At least 160 providers in Spokane County have notified the Department of Health of their desire to administer vaccines, and as of Monday, less than a third of them had been approved.

While most applicants were still working through the application process, 33 providers had completed all their paperwork and were waiting to hear back from the state.

The Washington state Department of Health declined a phone interview request from the Inlander. In an email exchange, a department spokeswoman acknowledged that there were “many providers who have submitted enrollment applications and aren’t approved yet,” but that it was “hard to determine an exact count because there are many duplicate or accidental applications” and stressed that “staff are working with providers on completing applications and we add new enrollees every day.”

Still, Wilcox says even he’s been directly contacted by facilities in Eastern Washington who’ve been frustrated.

“For crying out loud, why the hell can’t we approve them. …

I grew up in an industry where I put in a lot of all-nighters,” says Wilcox, who’d worked on his family’s dairy farms. “For god’s sake, that was to get milk out. This is to get lifesaving vaccines out.” n danielw@inlander.com

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JAN, THE TOY LADY, HAS A WIDE SELECTION OF PUZZLES TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUZZLE MONTH:

NEWS | HEALTH

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Dr. Jonathan Staben is the principal investigator leading a clinical trial of a new COVID-19 vaccine developed by Novavax.

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Testing COVID Solutions Cheney clinic will test new coronavirus vaccine on hundreds of Inland Northwest volunteers

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

U

nder a new clinical trial, another COVID-19 vaccine is closer to becoming a reality, and hundreds of Inland Northwest volunteers can help researchers by volunteering to take the shots.

A MultiCare researcher in Cheney has been selected to lead the only phase three COVID vaccine trial in the region as part of the nationwide testing of a vaccine developed by Novavax.

Since 2007, Dr. Jonathan Staben has helped lead research on multiple vaccine trials at MultiCare Rockwood Cheney Clinic. When MultiCare acquired Rockwood Health System in 2017, Staben and others partnered with MultiCare’s Institute for Research & Innovation based in the Puget Sound area to continue their research.

That experience is partly how his clinic was selected as the only site apart from the University of Washington to test out the Novavax vaccine.

Up to 300 people can participate in the trial, and unlike most placebo trials where you have a 50/50 chance of getting the actual vaccine or a placebo of saline fluid, two-thirds of participants will receive the actual vaccine for this trial.

HOW THE VACCINES WORK

The vaccines being developed and those already being distributed are designed to help the body

12 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

target the spike protein on COVID-19 virus cells.

The spike protein helps the virus break into and enter your body’s healthy cells so it can then take over and use your cells to replicate itself.

“All of these vaccines are trying to train your body, for the most part especially with the ones we’ve all seen, to recognize the spike protein,” Staben says.

The two vaccines that have already been approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, produced by Pfizer and Moderna, use a new mRNA technology that essentially provides directions to your body to create the spike protein on its own, Staben explains. Your body then immediately recognizes it as a threat and attacks, creating antibodies.

Novavax’s vaccine is more like those that have been used over previous decades to prevent illnesses like hepatitis. The protein that the body needs to attack is created in a lab setting (not by the body), then injected via the vaccine along with an adjuvant that helps the body’s immune response to the foreign protein. Similarly, your body then recognizes the threat and creates antibodies, which later help you defend against an infection from the virus.

Growing the proteins in the lab takes longer than creating the mRNA vaccines, which is partly

why this vaccine is reaching its phase three trial later than the two that are already approved, Staben says.

Similar to Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, the Novavax vaccine requires two doses. None of those options contain the entire virus, so you cannot get COVID-19 from them, but some cold-like side effects are possible while your body reacts to the foreign proteins.

Significantly, the Novavax vaccine doesn’t require that doses be kept at incredibly low temperatures until they’re ready for use, as the Moderna and Pfizer options do.

“This vaccine doesn’t have any cold storage requirements; it’s stored at normal fridge temps,” Staben says. “So this will be a lot easier down the road to get in rural areas, third world countries, that kind of thing.”

Staben says he’s been on calls with officials planning for the country’s vaccine rollout and leaders have noted that it’s key to have a mix of options, especially those that can be stored without specialized equipment.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Volunteers can signal their interest in participating by going through MultiCare’s website at go.multicare.org/covid-vaccine. html. You do not need to be a MultiCare patient, and the available spots are expected to fill up quickly.

Generally, researchers are hoping to enroll people from a variety of age groups, racial groups, and health backgrounds.

While most of the in-person stages of participating in the trial will happen within the first three months, researchers will check in with participants over the course of 24 months to complete the study. Emergency use authorization could potentially come soon after enough participants have been given the second dose of the vaccine.

“There’s several key factors we’re kind of targeting here,” Staben says. “First they have to be over 18. They have to be medically stable, and that would be determined by our staff, especially me as the principal investigator.”

Participants can still have medical problems, for example diabetes or hypertension, Staben says, as studying the vaccine’s safety for all types of people is one of the goals.

“It is important to study these in people that have health care problems, not just young, healthy people,” he says. “We just want people who are not medically fragile and undergoing frequent changes in their medications and so forth.”

People that are over 65 are important to enroll, Staben says, as well as those who may have risk factors for getting COVID, such as those who work in crowded industrial plants or as first responders.

Researchers are also hoping to enroll people from racial backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials – in part due to distrust built over time by the medical system’s mistreatment of minorities – and whose communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

“That would include African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx populations,” Staben says.

You don’t need to meet all of those factors that researchers are looking for, but those are things they’ll look for as they select participants.

A few things may disqualify people from participating, including if you’ve already tested positive for COVID (from a PCR swab test, not a rapid test). However, while participants will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies, a positive antibody test wouldn’t disqualify them from the study, Staben says. It’s important to note that participants won’t be told the results of those tests, though, he says.

Additionally, if it’s likely you’ll be among the groups with early access to the other vaccines that are already approved, you may just want to wait your turn for that vaccine rather than trying to sign up for this trial, Staben says.

“We don’t want someone enrolling in the trial and then having something offered to them and feeling like they can’t get it,” Staben says.

More information about the Novavax vaccine can be found at novavax.com/covid-19-coronavirus-vaccine-candidate-updates. n samanthaw@inlander.com

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WORDS

Around the Block In the Neighborhood is a public poetry project that honors the distinct charms of Spokane’s various districts

BY NATHAN WEINBENDER

A Chris Cook in his Browne’s Addition home.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

14 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

t least once a week, Chris Cook uploads a photo to Facebook that features an unusual sight he encountered on one of his long walks through his Browne’s Addition neighborhood. Maybe it’s of a sleek vintage car parked near the curb, or of a witticism scrawled in chalk on the sidewalk, a striking piece of midcentury architecture or an admittedly phallic rock formation that the current poet laureate has playfully dubbed Bonehenge.

Each of the photos is captioned “I love my neighborhood” and tagged with “#onlyinbrownes,” and there are now more than a hundred individual posts. Cook, Spokane’s current poet laureate, says the ideal subject of an “I love my neighborhood” photo is a landmark or found object that’s unusual and maybe even confounding — something that’s distinctly Browne’s Addition. ...continued on page 16

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CULTURE | WORDS “AROUND THE BLOCK,” CONTINUED...

+

Now on Inlander.com: National and international stories from the New York Times to go with the fresh, local news we deliver every day 16 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

“Maybe I’ve passed it for years without stopping and reflecting, ‘I know exactly what that is, and how stupid of me for not noticing the first time,’” Cook says.

And once he started keeping his eyes peeled for odd sights, they seemed to pop up in every direction.

“I thought to myself, ‘This doesn’t exist anywhere else on the planet,’” Cook says. “And all you have to do is look down at your feet or above your head. Anywhere. It’s all around you.”

These walks and the resulting social media posts sparked the idea for Cook’s new poetry project, a series titled In the Neighborhood, which is funded through Spokane Arts and is encouraging others to explore their familiar surroundings in the same way and write a poem about it. Spokane Arts is accepting submissions through Feb. 12, and selected poems will eventually be included in a printed collection.

This is, of course, not a project without precedence.

Cook points to several local poets who have highlighted specific regions of Spokane in their work, and who have influenced his own poetry — Thom Caraway’s poems about West Central, Dennis Held’s about Vinegar Flats, Tom I. Davis’ about Peaceful Valley. Anthony Brighton has also memorialized Browne’s Addition in his poems.

What’s different about In the Neighborhood, though, is its community angle, and its platform that will let other Spokane residents reflect on the specialness of the streets where they live.

“As poet laureate, you always have in your mind that you’d like to do a signature project,” Cook says. “And so I’ve been thinking about this probably since day one, when I wanted it to be something that was important to me, and show my pride in my city, and to allow others to show that same pride.”

“I think that Spokane thinks of itself as a smaller town than it is,” says Spokane Arts Program Manager Mika Maloney, who was enthusiastic about the project when Cook approached her with it. “We’re a city with these different neighborhoods and areas, and there are interesting things happening all over the city, things worth noticing and writing about and reading about.”

In a way, this is a distinctly COVID-era project, Maloney says, because so many of us have been confined to our neighborhoods for months at a time.

“You’re going on walks by yourself, [taking] a lot of the same routes and engaging less with the whole city like a lot of us normally do,” Maloney says. “So I think this project fits with where people are right now, but also we’ll end up with

a collection of poetry that is interesting and fun and good to look back at later.”

Submissions for In the Neighborhood started coming in at the tail end of 2020, and Maloney says they’ve already received work from as many kids as elderly people who are writing about neighborhoods where they’ve spent most of their lives.

“We’re getting poems from published authors, and people that we know as poets and writers,” Maloney says. “We’re also getting poems from people that maybe haven’t submitted poems before, or haven’t written a poem before.

Maybe they write a ton of poetry, but they don’t share it with anyone beyond their family or their close friends.”

“I love my neighborhood, part 86.” CHRIS COOK PHOTO Cook hopes that those authors, whether they be veterans or neophytes, will find new ways of appreciating their own hangouts much like he stumbles upon the unique charms of Browne’s Addition — from its century-old mansions that have been repurposed into apartments, to the cobblestone side streets that recall a time before automobiles.

“I like the fact that long after we’re gone, a neighborhood identity can remain,” Cook says.

“I also like that they can run the gamut from Mr. Rogers’ vision of a neighborhood to the one described in the Tom Waits song that gave me this project name. There’s love in both of them, it’s just expressed very differently.” n To see the poetry parameters and submit your own poem, visit spokanearts.org/opportunities/ in-the-neighborhood-poetry-project.

CULTURE | DIGEST

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES I knew the Bee Gees were more than a disco-fied punch line before watching the new HBO documentary about the Aussie stars, but The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart effectively makes the case the Gibb brothers deserve a lot more love. Instead of an utter hagiography, it delivers a concise band history, from Beatles-esque power-poppers to disco kingpins to elder statesman. It’s not a warts-and-all doc — there’s nary a mention of their disastrous Sgt. Pepper’s movie — but it doesn’t shy away from rivalries among the brothers, or the overindulgence that killed their youngest brother, Andy. Be forewarned: Viewing will plant their otherworldly harmonies in your head for days afterward. (DAN NAILEN)

Good Bakes, Bad Decisions

T

BY DAN NAILEN

he turn of a new year always seems to give rise to bad decisions.

When I was a (much) younger man, that meant things like going to a “rave” under the influence of some mystery substance from a buddy’s stash and blowing a whistle all night on the dance floor. You thought Tambourine Man was annoying (if admittedly charming)? Hold my Zima.

As a (much) older man, most of my new year bad decisions come these days in the form of resolutions, those dastardly promises we make ourselves to Be Better than whatever we were on Dec. 31.

More often than not, resolutions involve taming my appetites for, well, basically anything delicious, and therefore unhealthy.

Drink less beer. Drink more water. You know the drill.

This year, my partner and I decided to put the clamp

THE BUZZ BIN

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST There’s noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online this week. To wit: MATTHEW SWEET, Catspaw. If anyone can use power-pop to cut through the darkness, it’s this guy.

ACCEPT, Too Mean To Die. German old-school metal — perhaps the perfect soundtrack for these gloomy times?

BLOODY HAMMERS, Songs of Unspeakable Terror. Wait, no, these cartoonish goth-rockers are the perfect soundtrack of a discontented winter. (DAN NAILEN)

down on our refined sugar intake for at least a couple weeks. I’m not the instigator, but I’m supportive. There’s no question our December was ridiculously full of cookies and candies. The pandemic didn’t cramp our style, although it did cut down on sharing our goodies.

Writing this seven days into our newly sugar-free life I’m cranky, but it’s getting easier. And the information we’ve looked up on what sugar does to our bodies is certainly inspiring/scary enough to keep me going.

Quitting sugar isn’t this year’s new year bad decision, though. No, that would be our decision to start binging The Great British Baking Show at the same time.

Timing is everything, and it couldn’t be worse for delving into the cultural phenomenon built around amiable Brits creating towering testaments to all things sweet. Two weeks ago, we would have cuddled on the couch with some Christmas cookies, or a bowl of ice cream and breezed through a few Netflix episodes judged by lovable rogue Paul Hollywood and the austere Mary Berry. Now we’re churning through seasons with nary a treat in sight except on the screen.

I can admit I’ve probably drooled, and not just because I’ve fallen asleep during our viewing. (That’s no shot at the show, just at my inability to sit on my couch vertically for longer than five minutes). The show is unfailingly charming; its contestants all seeming extremely friendly and supportive of each other. It’s certainly not cutthroat enough to be a product of American television executives, and it’s all the better for it.

Has it inspired me to bake? No. Do I understand the apparent British obsession with meringue? Again, no.

But it’s light, fluffy, predictable entertainment during trying times, and I can’t wait to keep watching in a couple weeks with a pint of Cherry Garcia at the ready. n

HANKS, BUT NO HANKS On the audio series Dead Eyes, actor/comedian Connor Ratliff performs exhaustive forensic analysis on a crucial moment from his career: After being cast in the Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg miniseries Band of Brothers, he was fired unceremoniously because Hanks thought Ratliff had — well, it’s right there in the podcast title. Although Ratliff sets out to clear up the circumstances behind his sacking, the Hanks angle is sort of a MacGuffin, because the true purpose of the show is to reflect on the rejection and humiliation that goes into being a working actor, and all of his guests (including A-listers Jon Hamm and Seth Rogen) have audition horror stories. (NATHAN WEINBENDER)

THE FIG TREE In The Bell Jar, Slyvia Plath writes of a person who ponders all the many lives they could live, each represented by a different fig in a fig tree. Eventually, they starve rather than making a choice of which path to take. In The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Nora finds herself between life and death, similarly experimenting with the many different lives she could have lived. A glaciologist, a rock star, an Olympic swimmer, a nobody. The more she dreams of the lives that could have been, the more evident it becomes that all we ever have are the choices that lie ahead. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

GIRL MEETS ALIEN As a regular watcher of YouTube critic Lindsay Ellis’ essays, I was eager to settle in with her debut novel, Axiom’s End. The book follows Cora, estranged daughter of a Julian Assange-esque whistleblower, as the world experiences first contact with an alien species. While the government scrambles to keep it secret, Cora finds herself center stage as one of the ETs, a leader she calls Ampersand, picks her as his sole interpreter. Cora and Ampersand’s relationship deepens as they grapple to understand each other and the worlds each calls home. Axiom’s End is less an intergalactic romance than a thoughtful examination of the communication barriers that may arise when humans actually do make first contact. (CHEY SCOTT)

JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 17

MOUNTAIN PEOPLE

18 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

MOUNTAIN PEOPLE

BACKCOUNTRY AMBITIONS A young couple inches closer to their dream of owning a cat-skiing operation in British Columbia BY BOB LEGASA

C

assandra and Kerry Penney, a young Canadian couple developing Powder Renegades, a snowcat skiing operation in British Columbia, are the picture postcard of what life in the mountains is all about.

Cassandra grew up skiing in Ontario, and Kerry snowboarding in New Foundland. They met while working in Fort McMurray, Alberta, an oil field town about 270 miles north of Edmonton, near the Northwest Territories.

“Most people get divorced there,” Cassandra says jokingly. “We actually fell in love there. So, it’s kind of a nice story.”

After their days working in the oil fields, Kerry and Cassandra moved back to Ontario, where their baby Claire was born. It didn’t take long for the Penneys to realize they wanted to raise a family in the mountain environment of western Canada. They moved to British Columbia, where Kerry found work as a stone mason.

One of Kerry’s masonry jobs put him deep in the Monashee Mountains at a remote backcountry ski lodge owned

by Nick Holmes-Smith.

“I was at Mustang Powder building a stone fireplace and some other stuff for Nick. It was the start of their cat-skiing season when guests started rolling in. I got to see this operation come to life. I was just blown away and knew I wanted a piece of this,” Kerry says enthusiastically.

That was the spark that ignited what was soon to become a firestorm.

K CONTENTS

LIFE AT THE TOP WINTER EVENTS LAST RUN

Skiing the Monashee Mountains

22 26 29

BOB LEGASA PHOTO

erry couldn’t wait to get home to talk to his wife about his new vision. Cassandra was intrigued, as she had always dreamed of living in the mountains. During Kerry’s short time working at the lodge, he had struck up a friendship with the owner. Later that winter Kerry and Cassandra asked Nick to advise them about starting their own cat-skiing operation. Soon they all sat down for coffee, and Nick was intrigued with the couple’s ambition. He told them they reminded him of his younger days when he and his wife, Ali, had started Mustang Powder. Nick opened up his playbook and shared his knowledge, successes and failures with the Penneys.

Kerry and Cassandra make perfect business partners with complementary assets, Cassandra says. “We both have very different strengths, but combined, it’s such a good combination,” she explains. “My passion is kind of business development and Kerry as well. Kerry is the creative mastermind, and I’m the one that can put it down.

So with those two things in play, it makes a really good partnership, marriage, parenthood — with everything.” ...continued on next page

JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 19

MOUNTAIN PEOPLE

Why Visit Lookout Pass?

Impeccable Grooming

Kerry and Cassandra Penney.

COURTESY PHOTO

“BACKCOUNTRY AMBITIONS,” CONTINUED...

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#SkiLookout 20 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

With some knowledge, insight and plenty of drive, the Penneys started researching government land tenure leases and other cat-skiing operations in British Columbia and Alberta.

Kerry stumbled across Highland Powder, a catskiing operation that was no longer operating.

The tenure happened to be a little over an hour east of Nelson, B.C., in a zone historically known to receive some of the most snowfall in the B.C. interior.

After a few emails and phone calls, they arranged a meeting with the owners of the defunct operation. “We met, and we ended up striking a deal,” Cassandra says. “The owners had already met numerous people about the operation, but all of the prospective buyers just wanted to throw money at the operation and not actually be involved in day-to-day operations.”

On the other hand, Kerry and Cassandra had limited funds, but they wanted to run and operate the service. The couples worked out a deal, Cassandra says: “We were going to be 51 percent, and they were going to be 49.”

From there, things progressed quickly.

Kerry and Cassandra began drafting a business plan. They reached out to Nick from Mustang again, and he offered to provide his professional input and even hired a helicopter on his dime to explore the new tenure. Nick recommended building a backcountry lodge where guests could stay rather than commuting in daily.

Then the wheels started to fall off the cart.

Cassandra submitted a management plan and a request to build a lodge on their tenure to the B.C. government. The government’s response was not what the Penneys were expecting. According to Cassandra, the government’s reply was something like, “Oh, by the way, we were sorry that this happened: The federal government is going to pull your tenure because of the Woodland Caribou, you have 12 of the last 26 Woodland caribou living in your tenure.”

That definitely took the wind out of their sails and made them seriously reevaluate their future. “We had a huge setback,” Kerry says.

“But from that setback, we realized this is what we want to do. So we became even more laser-

focused and kept charging ahead to find a new area. It also really taught us a lot about our relationship, our passion and our resiliency for life.”

A

fter much research, they found an old heli ski tenure with nearly 53,000 acres in the southern Monashee Mountains.

As any powder enthusiast knows, the Monashees have some of the deepest, driest snow in North America. It seemed an ideal location not only because of the mountain range but because it’s only a few hours east of the large city of Kelowna, B.C. With paperwork submitted, the Penneys are awaiting approval of what they hope will be the new home for Powder Renegades cat-skiing operation. The zone is set among several prominent 7,000- to 7,500-foot peaks. Kerry’s eyes light up as he spoke about this tenure. “You essentially have three or four different distinct mountains that you can ski on,” he says. “They’re very accessible as the cat can drive on the ridgelines to connect the mountains, and there’s really nice tree and open glade skiing.”

Nick Holmes-Smith has been there helping and again provided a helicopter for exploratory skiing in the zone and to find the ideal location for a lodge. They have marked the site for the planned 10,000-square-foot timber frame lodge that will house up to 24 guests at peak season.

“We’re giving ourselves essentially almost 18 months,” Kerry says. “We’re projecting winter ’22 for limited skiing and then full bore 2023.”

The Penneys have been down a road filled with highs and lows, but their vision looks one step closer to fruition. Cassandra says the journey has taught her lessons. “What I’ve learned, it might sound sort of standard, but follow your dream,” she says. “Like really do it, because once we lost it, we had nothing. When you have nothing, you ask yourself, what am I about? You realize you are about your dream. You got to fail to realize what you’re all about. It’s about rising up stronger and harder than when you fell.”

“Once you knock on enough doors, eventually one will open and say yes,” Cassandra says.

Stay tuned. n

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MOUNTAIN PEOPLE

LIFE AT THE TOP

Skiing might just help you live longer

22 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

BY JOHN GROLLMUS

I

f you’ve spent even a passing bit of time hanging around in lift lines, on chairlifts or in an après ski hot spot, you’ve undoubtedly heard someone say, “There’s just something in the air up here.” Or maybe something like, “Why is everything so much more fun up here?” Or maybe even, “Every day on the mountain is a good day.”

Could there be any truth to these statements? Is life at a high altitude somehow better? And if there is some truth to them, then why would that be? Furthermore, might the answers to these questions hold the key to a better, happier and perhaps even longer life? ...continued on page 24

Schweitzer_Snowlander_011421_10H_CPW.pdf

JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 23

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24 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

While life expectancy here in the United States is on the decline overall, many of the places with the longest life expectancy are in ski country. As it turns out, the residents of Summit County, Colorado, live the longest, with an average life expectancy of 86.83 years.

In addition to that, the second and third counties as ranked by life expectancy are also high-altitude ski communities in Colorado.

Also included in the list of the top 50 counties with the longest life expectancy are places like Teton County, Wyoming, home to Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee, as well as Summit County, Utah, home to Park City and Deer Valley. While the altitude and high percentage of skiers in these communities may play a role in the longer-thanmost life expectancies, other factors such as annual income almost certainly are a factor.

So, what other things might lead skiers to live longer?

For one, exercise.

While skiing itself is quite good exercise, it can also generally be said that most skiers also engage in other forms of regular exercise. Skiing as exercise helps strengthen your core muscles along with being particularly good at strengthen-

ing joints and bones, which helps to prevent one typical old age ailment, osteoporosis. While alpine skiing itself is an aerobic exercise and burns calories, thereby promoting overall health, ski communities also contain large numbers of Nordic skiers who are engaging in one of the most efficient forms of aerobic exercise every time they take to the trails. Both alpine and Nordic skiing

Skiers know that “mountain friends” are a thing and that a high five at the bottom of a particularly excellent powder run makes those turns all the more rewarding. help improve overall balance and flexibility, which have been shown to decline with age, so regular skiing can help stave off those decreases as well.

Every skier has heard the expression “No friends on a powder day,” but this statement is almost always made in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

What is certainly more accurate is that skiing promotes and helps maintain strong friendships.

After all, most skiers know that “mountain friends” are a thing and that a high five at the bottom of a particularly excellent powder run makes those turns all the more rewarding.

Dozens of studies have shown that people who have strong relationships with friends and

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W HI T EF IS H M OUN TA IN RES O R T

Commitment to character.

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great people and deep snow. In Whitefish you’ll find a community true to itself and a deep-rooted lifestyle where character is encouraged.

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COURTESY OF JOHN GROLLMUS

their community are happier, have fewer health problems and live longer. In fact, one recent study concluded that having fewer close friends presented a greater health risk than obesity or lack of exercise. The skiing community is certainly a tight-knit group and spending time on the chairlift with a friend is definitely a way to strengthen that bond, so it’s reasonable to say that in this way skiing also promotes longer life.

Everyone who spends time on the slopes knows about the tradition of après ski, but can partying after a day on the slopes actually help lengthen your life?

Maybe so.

Many studies have shown that mood boosting and stress reduction can create better health. The social aspect of skiing plays heavily into both of those factors and can certainly be linked to psychological improvements. While just the simple act of getting outside and into the sunshine during the cold and dark winter months helps stimulate vitamin D and raises one’s spirits, après ski specifically creates an environment that promotes upbeat social activity, laughter and good times. Laughter has been scientifically shown to reduce stress and tension, increase brain function and antibodies, and improve circulation and blood pressure, so it might just be a good idea not to skip the après but to remember that “everything in moderation” is a good motto.

Is it an indisputable fact that skiing makes you live longer?

Can it be said with any amount of certainty that life on the ski hill is more fun? Is there really something in the air up there?

Well, maybe and maybe not. However, what can be said for sure is that it certainly can’t hurt, so get up to the mountains soon. Try rubbing Gore-Tex-covered elbows with mountain folks on a more regular basis. Maybe even try developing a really regular skiing habit because who knows, you might just live to be 100 if you do. n

JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 25

WINTER EVENTS

Silver Mountain is offering full-day lift tickets for $17 during it annual Jackass Day.

JANUARY

LEARN TO SKI & SNOWBOARD MONTH AT 49 Commit to learning something new this month and get outdoors on a snowboard or a pair of skis. Details TBA. Events set to occur throughout January. 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd., Chewelah. Ski49n.com (935-6649) JACKASS DAY This annual throwback day to the beginnings of Silver includes a $17 lift ticket special for a full day of skiing and boarding. Tickets must be reserved in advance. Thu, Jan. 14. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave., Kellogg, Idaho, silvermt.com (208-783-1111) NORTHERN LIGHTS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR Spend the MLK weekend at Schweitzer and enjoy this annual fireworks

26 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

display in the village. (Event is subject to change due to current safety and health precautions.) Sat, Jan. 16.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort, 10000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd., Sandpoint, Idaho. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555) MLK WEEKEND AT SILVER Plan ahead to book your lift tickets, lessons and rentals in advance for this busy three-day weekend on the mountain. Tubing sessions are also available.

Sat, Jan. 16-Mon, Jan 18. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave., Kellogg, Idaho, silvermt.com (208-783-1111) TOYOTA SKI FREE FRIDAY Visitors who head to Schweitzer in their Toyota, Scion or Lexus vehicle are eligible to receive one free adult lift ticket for use that day. Fri, Jan. 22.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort, 10000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd., Sandpoint, Idaho. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555)

MOONLIGHT SNOWSHOE HIKE Quietly explore the meadows and woods around Mount Spokane.

Guides, transportation (departs from Mead Yoke’s Fresh Market, 14202 N. Market St.), headlamps, walking poles and snowshoes are all provided.

Additional information to be emailed after registration. Ages 16+. Offered Jan. 23, Feb. 26 and March 26 from 6-9 pm. $29. Register at spokanerec. org (625-6200) SNOWSHOE TOUR OF 49 DEGREES NORTH Tour the trails of Chewelah Peak and learn tips for better control and more fun on your snowshoes. Lunch is included after this trek, and your registration fee includes equipment rentals, trail pass and lunch. Pre-trip information to be emailed after registration. Transportation is participants’ responsibility for this event. Ages

15+. Offered Jan. 23, Feb. 20, March 6 and March 20 from 10 am-4 pm. $43/ session. Register at spokanerec.org (625-6200) CROSS-COUNTRY SKI LESSONS (49 DEGREES NORTH) Learn to cross-country ski and tour the trails of the 49 Degrees North Nordic Area with the mountain’s certified ski instructors. Ticket includes equipment, trail pass and instruction (students must provide their own transportation to the mountain this year). Additional information to be emailed after registration. Ages 13+. Offered Jan. 30, Feb. 21 and March 7 from 10 am-2 pm. $53. Register at spokanerec.org (625-6200) MOUNTAIN BREWFEST & SNOW BOWLING The mountain’s fifth annual snow bowling contest takes place on the

SILVER MOUNTAIN RESORT PHOTO

slope side of the lodge deck, just above the mountain brewfest tent.

Sign up a two-person team (one adult or sibling pushes a kid, age 12 or under, on a saucer, acting as the bowling ball). Contest starts at 2 pm; brewfest available from 11 am-2 pm. Sun, Jan. 31. Lookout Pass, I-90 Exit 0 at Mullan, Idaho. skilookout.com (208-744-1301)

FEBRUARY

CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TOUR WITH FRIENDS OF MT. SPOKANE Learn about the mountain from Friends of Mt. Spokane member and local expert Chris Currie, who has published two books on the park and the history of skiing in the region. This guided interpretive tour on the crosscountry ski trails is not a lesson, and is thus for experienced hikers. Tickets include equipment rental. Ages 13+. Sun, Feb. 7 from 9 am-3 pm. $35. Register at spokanerec.org (625-6200)

Falul yolurlfamvorietensideus

and dressings to�go� 10 growler fills� $ 15 bottles of wine� $

Best cocktail kits in town Open 11am daily� Catch the Let It Glow fireworks show at Schweitzer on Sunday, Feb. 14.

LADIES-ONLY CLINIC With three different days to choose from this season, women can enjoy a fun-filled day on the mountain led by Mt. Spokane’s best women instructors. Open to all skills, with groups divided by ability to allow all participants to learn and have fun at their pace. Lunch is provided, and the day ends with door prizes and drinks. Offered Fri, Feb. 12 and Fri, March 12 from 8:30 am-2 pm. $79-$140/session. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr., Mead. mtspokane. com (238-2220) LET IT GLOW FIREWORKS SHOW Spend the long Presidents Day weekend at the mountain and enjoy a Sunday night fireworks show in the village. Sun, Feb. 14. (Event subject to change due to health and safety precautions.) Schweitzer Mountain Resort, 10000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd., Sandpoint, Idaho. schweitzer. com (208-263-9555) PRESIDENT’S WEEKEND AT SILVER Plan ahead to book your lift tickets, lessons and rentals in advance for this busy three-day weekend on the mountain. Tubing sessions are also available. Sat, Feb. 13-Mon, Feb. 15.

Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave., Kellogg, Idaho, silvermt.com (208-783-1111)

FAT TUESDAY ON A SUNDAY A celebration full of party beads, gumbo, an outdoor barbecue and specialty drinks in the Loft Pub. Beads are being given out with the first few hundred lift tickets purchased at the start of the day. Masks and social distancing requested.

Sun, Feb. 21. Lookout Pass, I-90 Exit 0 at Mullan, Idaho. skilookout.com (208-744-1301) TOYOTA SKI FREE FRIDAY Drive any Toyota (or Scion or Lexus) vehicle to 49 Spokane and receive a free lift ticket, courtesy of Toyota. Lift tickets (driver only) will be passed out in the parking lot as you arrive.

Fri, Feb. 26. 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd., Chewelah. Ski49n.com (935-6649)

MARCH

MEGA DEMO DAY Join Schweitzer as it raises money for the Panhandle Alliance for Education (PAFE) while offering a chance to sample 2022’s newest skis and boards. More details to come. (Event subject to change due to current COVID-19 regulations).

Sat, March 6. Schweitzer Mountain Resort, 10000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd., Sandpoint, Idaho. schweitzer. com (208-263-9555) TOYOTA SKI FREE FRIDAY Head to Silver in your Toyota

SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT PHOTO

vehicle for a free lift ticket (only driver eligible). Representatives from Parker Toyota will be in the parking lot passing out the free lift tickets, no reservations required. Fri, March 5.

Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave., Kellogg, Idaho, silvermt.com (208-783-1111) FIFTH GRADE FAMILY PASSPORT DAY Area fifth-graders and their families can receive half-off lift tickets for a day on the slopes. Sun, March 7. 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd., Chewelah. Ski49n. com (935-6649) TOYOTA SKI FREE FRIDAY Drive any Toyota vehicle to Mt. Spokane and receive a free lift ticket, courtesy of Toyota. As you pull into the parking lot, you’ll be handed one free adult direct-to-lift ticket.

All other passenger lift tickets ($29$67) must be purchased online in advance. Fri, March 12 from 9 am-9 pm. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr., Mead. mtspokane.com (238-2220) SHEIMO CUP The annual all-ages race, sponsored

by Hale’s Ales, benefits 49’s FAST racing program. Details TBA. Sat, March 13. 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd., Chewelah. Ski49n.com (935-6649) n

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LAST RUN

DAY

BY DAY After 2020, uncertainty has begun to feel normal BY ALEX SAKARIASSEN

C

ruising up U.S. Highway 12 west of Missoula, I stare through the windshield and try to ignore the growing pit in my stomach. The steep hills on either side of the pavement are brown, with only the occasional patch of snow clinging to what little shade there is among the charred toothpicks left by the 2013 burn along Lolo Creek. So far New Year’s Day hasn’t done much to erase the strange, snowless vibe of December in the Northern Rockies.

I ditch off the highway at the Howard Creek trailhead, and it’s a relief to see snow blanketing the ground beyond the Forest Service gate. My friend Lindsey pulls in next to my car. Her dog, Milo, circles the parking lot as we unload our Nordic gear. Just past the gate, I clip into my skis and casually inspect the hills farther up the drainage for backcountry skiing potential. There’s not nearly enough snow, at least not yet. Lindsey and I keep our distance as we glide up the track, catching up on how our respective Christmases went.

For me, the holiday was my first away from North Dakota in 34 years. Travel seemed like an extremely bad idea in the midst of a pandemic, so I opted to remain

North Dakota’s Huff Hills in Missoula, breaking a tradition that I feel lucky to have kept up so long. Instead, I cut my own Christmas tree, opened presents via Zoom and spent a delightful afternoon sledding and exchanging snowball barrages with several of my closest friends. The experience was so novel, so contrary to every Christmas past, that it almost felt ordinary. And that’s 2020 in a nutshell, right? A full year of fear and uncertainty and chaos gradually conditioning us to view the abnormal as normal.

What stung the most, besides not seeing family, was missing out on my annual reconnecting to the slopes at Huff Hills. For my entire skiing life, shredding runs like Rattlesnake and Buffalo Jump has been a holiday norm.

December’s abysmal snowpack conspired to keep me off the mountains near Missoula, too. Some resorts simply

HUFF HILLS SKI AREA PHOTO

weren’t open yet. Others posted snow reports so skimpy that even rock skis seemed a dicey prospect.

The narrative appears to be changing across the region. Scattered dustings that made early December a point of frustration have given way to a few winter storm systems and powder dumps — exactly what we skiers were all hoping for from a La Niña year. Winter has a lot left to give us before we can truly call this season a win.

Gliding up Howard Creek, I begin to pick out a few lines and ridge ascents that could hold promise once the white stuff piles up. The mess that was 2020 is lingering, for sure. But if 2021 can shake off its sluggish start we can all start moving in a brighter, snowier direction, hopefully toward a healthy balance point somewhere between abnormal and normal. n

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Q&A

CHEF CHATS:

JARED SCHLOSSER The new corporate executive chef of Spokane’s Twigs chain on getting through COVID and his culinary journey

BY CHEY SCOTT

A

fter 12 years with Spokane’s Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar, chef Jared Schlosser has reached the top of the ladder. A few months ago, Schlosser was promoted to Twigs’ corporate executive chef, going from overseeing the kitchen of its River Park Square location to all nine of Twigs’ regional restaurants in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver and outside Washington in Utah, Idaho and Texas.

Born and raised in the Inland Northwest, Schlosser says he’s always loved to cook, and became hooked after landing one of his first restaurant jobs at the now closed El Sombrero Mexican restaurant in North Spokane. In 2004, he enrolled in the culinary program at Spokane Community College, and afterwards bounced around among a few local restaurants (Anthony’s, Prospector’s) before landing in 2008 at Twigs’ original location in Wandermere.

While 2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges for all restaurants, Schlosser is optimistic about the future of Twigs. But he also worries about the lasting impacts on his laid-off staff during Washington’s second

30 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

dine-in ban this winter.

“It’s heartbreaking to have to go tell them, ‘Hey, we’re closing up shop again,’” Schlosser says. “You wonder if they’re going to come back, and are they going to keep coming back. I would hope they would. The hardest part is looking out for everyone.”

We recently chatted with the newly promoted chef about subjects both fun and serious. Here’s what he had to say.

INLANDER: When did you know you wanted to become a chef?

SCHLOSSER: I don’t know if there was a specific time. My dad was a general carpenter, and I did a lot of construction with him growing up, so when it was time to figure out what I wanted to do — keep cooking or go work with him and do some carpentry — I just kind of did some pros and cons: Well, people gotta eat and there’s always gonna be a job, we’ll see where that takes me, and that was when I decided to look into culinary school. I always had a good time in the kitchen — there’s

loud music and it’s fast paced and hot and there’s fire and it’s just really intriguing.

Name one restaurant in the Inland Northwest you return to over and over again, and share why.

Probably the Flying Goat. I know a lot of people who have worked there. It’s a date spot; me and my wife can go down and grab some beers and pizza. My wife really likes the Lacrosse [pizza], and I just try whatever they’ve got. The way they put their flavors together is really nice.

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget?

I don’t know if I could survive without a KitchenAid mixer.

Who’s a chef you look up to and why?

I’d have to probably go back to culinary school and say chef Peter Tobin. When I was in school I ended up spending one extra block of a year with him, and it was fun to go do Epicurean Delight with him and see how he worked. He was fun to be around.

What’s the hardest thing about your job?

Finding a way to keep your staff accountable and still being the guy they want to see come through their door. I think as an executive chef I always have had cooks that really love to work with me, and when things got shut down it was not a question of whether they’d come back, it was ‘whenever you need me, I’m there.’ I have always had really loyal people working for me, so now that I’m in charge of not just one but nine restaurants it’s, I guess, trying to find that balance where you’re keeping the other restaurants in check and making sure they’re doing the right thing and, you know, managing their staffs appropriately without being one of those stern people.

What’s your favorite thing to eat from your own menu?

I really like the Morrocan beef as an appetizer. I always go to the pesto-crusted chicken for my entree. It’s simple but still delicious.

You can never have too much ____.

Whipped cream on your pumpkin pie.

Where would you travel just for the food and why?

I’d probably say somewhere in South America. I just really love Spanish flavors and Mexican-influenced food, whether it’s chili peppers or corn and the different ways they make tortillas.

There’s just something so simple about a flour tortilla, that you can make it by hand on stone. I think a lot of the flavors I enjoy would be in that region.

What’s the biggest myth about chefs we should know?

That we’ve cooked everything that you could possibly think of cooking. People think we’re the know-all, tell-all, but it comes down to opinions and what we think is the best.

What can you give this week?

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOSTER PARENTS NEEDED - LUTHERAN COMMUNITY

SERVICES NORTHWEST

Can you provide a safe and nurturing environment for refugee children permanently separated from their parents or for Washington children struggling to find the right place? Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW) is looking for foster parents, as well as respite foster parents to provide breaks to their families. For more information, please call 747-8224 or email ktolley@lcsnw.org.

VOLUNTEER CASE MANAGERS NEEDED - UGM

MEN’S SHELTER

Union Gospel Mission is looking for one or two volunteer case managers to work with their guests. Case managers listen, build a relationship and help connect Union Gospel guests to available resources. Volunteers are asked to dedicate about four hours a week. Learn more on UGM’s website. uniongospelmission.org/volunteer

STATION VOLUNTEERS WANTED - SPARK CENTRAL Station Volunteers help make Spark Central run! During a 2- or 2.5-hour shift, they manage Spark Central’s small library and check materials, computers, and technology kits in and out to patrons. With access to libraries and educational resources limited, offering a safe and welcoming community space is more important than ever. Station Volunteers also assist patrons with creative and educational projects — teaching someone to use their first email account, finding the right kind of book for a project, or building their first LEGO robot! Sign up to volunteer online. spark-central.org/volunteers

FACING PAGE: Twigs executive chef Jared Schlosser ABOVE: A balsamic ribeye YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS What’s your favorite “guilty pleasure” boxed, frozen or fast food meal?

Probably boxed mac and cheese. It could be either the cheese in a weird package or the super salty cheese in a bag poured over some cooked noodle mix. Whenever I sneak away from the wife and get to eat some unhealthy food, that’s what I’m going for.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?

I’d probably be stuck doing woodwork, some sort of construction. I really like working in finish work in construction, doing tile and different remodels of basements and kitchens. That was always fun to get into, and I always like demolition — ripping down walls and cabinets and seeing it go from bare bones into something new.

Describe the Inland Northwest’s culinary culture in one word.

Energetic. We have a lot of chefs in the Inland Northwest who are super creative and super smart and have awesome ideas.

You visit some of these places and the menus you see with the different combos of flavors and ingredients they put together is really fun to see. I feel like there is always something different and something new popping up. Maybe not recently since everything is plagued by the pandemic, but I think before this, that is how it felt — the scene is super energetic. n

DONATIONS NEEDED LUTHERAN COMMUNITY SERVICES NORTHWEST Restore dignity to survivors leaving the hospital following a forensic medical exam.

Shop Lutheran Community Service Northwest’s Amazon Wish list, and you can make sure assault victims aren’t sent home in a hospital gown. You can find their wish list on Amazon.com.com. Search for LCSNW Spokane.

COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS Communities in Schools is seeking corporate sponsorships and donations for its Blue Jean Ball. Silent auction items like weekend getaways, family fun packages, and adventure experiences, like whitewater rafting, are particularly appreciated.

Communities in Schools provides critical support to low-income children in Spokane schools to empower them to stay in school and achieve in life. To make a donation, contact Development Director Debra Raub at debra@cisspokane.org or 413-1436.

Inlander.com/giveGUIDE2020

SPONSORED CONTENT

JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 31

VIDEOS

VIDEO VILLAGE

Art Means Business pairs Spokane musicians with filmmakers to create music videos with a local focus

BY NATHAN WEINBENDER

L

ast summer, Olivia Brownlee shot a two-and-a-halfminute music video at the Rockin’ B Ranch, the rural Liberty Lake spot that serves as a year-round wedding venue and plays host to Wild West-themed dinner shows. In the clip, Brownlee performs a twangy, gleefully law-skirting ditty called “Don’t Tell the County,” while her mom and dad, the owners of the Rockin’ B, do-si-do around the barn.

The video serves two purposes, Brownlee says: It’s a way to share the song, of course, but it’s also an advertisement for the ranch itself, which has been closed since March due to COVID-19 restrictions.

It was around this time that Brownlee had her lightbulb moment: “Why shouldn’t it be that artists support businesses?” she tells the Inlander.

So Brownlee approached the nonprofit organization Spokane Arts and received a grant through the Spokane County CARES Act, and the result is a project called Art Means Business. It paired local musicians with local

32 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

Liberty Lake musician Olivia Brownlee. filmmakers, and tasked the teams with shooting music videos at local businesses of the artists’ choice. It’s similar to a previous Spokane Arts endeavor called Music Video Jams, though with an extra focus on Spokane’s economy.

“The No. 1 priority of creating these videos was to support the local businesses in question, to promote them and kind of tell their story and give people some insight into local businesses that maybe they otherwise wouldn’t be familiar with,” says Spokane Arts Executive Director Melissa Huggins. “It also felt like a really great way to be able to put some artists to work, to be able to give filmmakers and musicians a project … and feel like they were doing something to support the broader community.”

Art Means Business has thus far produced four music videos — rock quartet Buffalo Jones at the Big Dipper (directed by Michael Notar), harpist Kathlyn Kinney at the Spokane Boxing Gym (directed by Darrien Mack), and rapper Ayre at the Rain and Scratch restaurants (directed

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

by Misty Grace Shipman).

Brownlee chose to center her video on the Northwest Mediation Center, where she has participated in classes.

The clip, directed by Miguel Malton Gonzales, features the song “No Man’s Land.”

L

ocal filmmaker Juan Mas has worked on a few small sets since COVID-19 protocols became standard, and he was brought on as a producer of Art Means Business to ensure the video shoots moved smoothly and met the proper safety standards. The pandemic has changed the way film sets run: Crews must be pared down to the most essential roles, and on-screen performers still need to keep a distance of six feet.

“You have to think outside the box and be even more creative,” Mas says. “How are you going to tell that story without just using your standard coverage tricks?”

“It was constricting in some ways,” Brownlee says of

her own COVID-compliant shoot. “But it was fun, because you’re on a very small, very stripped-down film crew, and you’re all there experiencing the same limitations. It’s like, ‘OK, we can have camaraderie over this.’”

That sense of camaraderie extends to the businesses themselves, which not only get to serve as backdrops but are able to tell their stories in behind-the-scenes clips that accompany the respective music video drops.

“[The artists] have a sense of local pride, because they knew exactly which business to pick right away.”

“Being an artist myself, we always hear that chant of ‘businesses need to help support the arts.’ And this became an opportunity for artists to help support local businesses,” Mas says. “It was really heartfelt from everybody involved — the filmmakers, the businesses and musicians. And I think some relationships really got built because of that.” “[The artists] have a sense of local pride, because they knew exactly which business to pick right away,” Brownlee says. “In my ideological mind, it’s about cultural identity. These aren’t songs about Wal-Mart.”

“What I hope that people take away from them is how crucial artists are to telling stories,” Huggins says. “It’s such a great illustration of how creatives can solve problems, and how creatives are crucial to telling these stories.” n The Art Means Business videos are available on the Spokane Arts YouTube channel, and at spokanearts.org.

A weekly email for food lovers Subscribe at Inlander.com/newsletter JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 33

MORE EVENTS Visit Inlander.com for complete listings of local events.

WORDS WISE UP

Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College are opening up an amazing opportunity for the region by bringing Seattle-based author Ijeoma Oluo (pictured) to town (virtually) as its Martin Luther King Jr. speaker for 2021.

The author of New York Times best-seller So You Want To Talk About Race and the new Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America has had essays appear in the New York Times and Washington Post, and her ideas on race, feminism, social justice and community are sure to be both inspiring and thought-provoking. Oluo’s appearance will stream free for the entire community, and marks the launch of a series of “Diversity Dialogues: Conversations on Race and Equity” coming up through the spring and presented by SCC’s Hagan Center for the Humanities.

— DAN NAILEN “So You Want to Talk About Race” with Ijeoma Oluo • Thu, Jan. 14 at 10:30 am • Free • Online; details at scc.spokane. edu/News-Events/Live-Events

GET LISTED!

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.

34 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

MUSIC LIFE IS A CABARET

WORDS DARK TIMES

Northwest Bachfest: The Singing Siren • Sat, Jan. 16 at 7:30 pm • $20 • Online; details at nwbachfest.com/calendar

Let it Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion • Fri, Jan. 15 at 6:30 pm and Mon, Feb. 8 at noon • Free • Online; details at humanities.org

In normal times, Northwest Bachfest would be staging concerts all over the region. But in these exceptionally not normal times, the group has instead created an online performance series called Across the Miles, which has turned the virtual spotlight on artists from all over the country. This weekend’s web event will feature New York City-based cabaret performer Shelly Watson, a Juilliardtrained singer who puts on a show that promises to blend bawdy comedy with great old standards. Along with the performances, the Across the Miles series will also feature conversations between the artists and Grammy winner Zuill Bailey. Upon purchasing a digital ticket, you will be sent an access code through Bachfest’s YouTube channel; the event will be broadcast live followed by a four-day viewing window.

— NATHAN WEINBENDER

While we’re living in a dark moment of the present, a different grim time in American history was also taking place more than 75 years ago. During World War II, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced from their homes and unjustly incarcerated in remote camps. Learn more about this dark time from Bainbridge Island resident Clarence Moriwaki, who’s been dedicated to preserving the memories of more than 200 Japanese American residents of his island home, during his upcoming talk for Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau program. Moriwaki shares how Bainbridge was the starting point for this forced imprisonment of America’s own citizens, and asks listeners to compare these past events with the country’s current racial and political tensions.

— CHEY SCOTT

NICE WORK, REPRESENTATIVE Good for you, Representative. You didn’t object to certification of the Electoral College results. It probably feels good to demonstrate you have a backbone along with some moral authority over the 120 representatives that support a right-wing fascist government.

I SAW YOU TO THE SKY GOD I saw you smokin’ your cocoa baton stogies from the old year into the new. We sent 2020 packing with a giant octopus, a shark, and a dancing skeleton, and welcomed 2021 with a game of Peek-a-boo in a downpour. You are my greatest adventure. And all I can think to say? “Hi. I like you.” We’ll make it through this, count on it. Know that you are loved.

DOUG FUNNIE AT THE TARGET It was brief, but I passed you at Target and I hope I didn’t make you feel self-conscious when I giggled. You were humming/whistling the theme song to the cartoon show Doug, and I couldn’t help my smile as nostalgia overtook me. Thank you for giving a stranger a smile without even realizing it.

You’ve got good taste, friend!S A FRIEND YOU WANTED NOT THE LOVER I DID.

CHEERS MASK SMILE I apologize to the woman in My Fresh Basket last Tuesday. You were getting something cooked at the deli counter, and I made a snarky remark.

Though I made it as a joke, I realized after I walked away that you couldn’t see my smile. So looking forward to the future where we can share comments/jokes/ snarks, ... and smiles again. Peace.

SOUND OFF

CHEERS TO ------- Cheers to whoever it was that decided NOT to have an armed force waiting at the Capitol for the Pretend Patriots. If there had been soldiers, if there had been SWAT, if they had started shooting, even with legitimate reason, it would have been like 9/11 and Kent State had a baby. I cannot imagine the gut-wrenching imagery of Americans killing Americans on the steps of the Capitol!

PLANT FARM POINSETTIAS There I was, frosting Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve when I heard a knock on my door and saw a white van in front of my house. After wiping the remnants of colorful sugar of my hands, I hurried to the door where, through the half opened blinds, I saw a silhouette of a person holding some type of object.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by a woman holding a bouquet of fully matured, white leaved poinsettias. It was enormous! The plant was full, healthy and so beautiful. Imagine my surprise when the woman said, “Merry Christmas from the greenhouse.” After a few seconds of shock, I replied, “really, for me?” and before I knew it, I was holding the poinsettias, and she was off in her van to the next house. The greenhouse she was referring to was the Plant Farm, which is a few blocks from where I live. In these days where it seems like nothing is free and people can’t seem to catch a break, what a refreshing surprise to have a local business travel around their neighborhood delivering a gift like this to brighten people’s spirits. Thank you to the Plant Farm. The plant is still the centerpiece on my table, full as the day it was delivered.

INTERNET HEROS Cheers to the people who sleuthed around the internet and helped authorities identify many of the Capitol insurgents last week. That right there is people being awesome and using

their internet powers for good! Some of us don’t have internet powers. Thank you for helping us all!

JEERS

rible outcomes. What — if anything — can be done to slow this dizzying descent into national chaos? Should we ask ourselves whether jeering at the other side, even if it feels good in the moment, even if it’s just about a trivial matter, is going to change anything or anyone?

DIRTY Little secret. To the married

“

again by mail in ballots tenth year in a row. Must be fixed. You have added $8,000,000,000,000 to the debt but today you do not to give any more then $600 to people who have lost everything.

It has been 127 days since Malden and Pine City have burned. I hope they don’t spend this largesse from you foolishly.

What — if anything — can be done to slow this dizzying descent into national chaos?

“dudes” putting up your hotties in cutesie-condos. Your wives know. To the involved guys claiming you’re single on “sites.” Your S.O.s are chatting with your hookies!. Not so secret...at all. Dirty yes, but very clearly seen.

CMR: TOO LITTLE TOO LATE Plenty of us knew from the 2015 presidential campaign that Donald Trump was a sick and dangerous man. So don’t expect a pat on the back for accepting that while you’re sheltering in the tunnels of the Capitol Building at the 11th hour. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has been a Trump sycophant for the last four years. It is time for her to go! The citizens of the 5th Congressional District deserve someone with a spine and a conscience.

JEERS ... TO “JEERS”? The very first thing I read in the Inlander is “Jeers” — I’ve even had a few published on this page — but I am beginning to think the self righteous pleasure it evokes in me when I read something I like (and the anger I feel when it’s something I don’t) is, to quote The Godfather, “a little dangerous.”

I am no Pollyanna about human nature and our capacity for violence and willful ignorance. Free speech is central to our democracy, but we have seen this week how unbridled and incendiary speech, when lies are repeated until they become plausible to the gullible, can lead to ter-

1. Visit Inlander.com/isawyou by 3 pm Monday. 2. Pick a category (I Saw You, You Saw Me, Cheers or Jeers). 3.

Provide basic info: your name and email (so we know you’re real). 4. To connect via I Saw You, provide a non-identifying email to be included with your submission — like “petals327@yahoo.com,” not “j.smith@comcast.net.”

UNITED MY ASS Been a heck of a week huh? Covid continues to spread like wildfire. We, the people of the United States of America, are number one, numero uno, top dog, in cases and deaths around the World. Way to do. We are sooo smart and pompous. Oh yeah...then there’s the domestic terrorists who call themselves Law and Order people, among other things, who stormed the Capitol and caused the deaths of five people.

Egged on by a president who thinks grabbing a woman’s genitals is okay, gaveup on the pandemic, and fomented a riot. Apparently Republican pimp CMR believes that Twitter’s decision to block Trump for live is censorship. You cannot shout FIRE in a theatre because (Supreme Court, Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1918) “The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.” By the way CMR, where were you when your Republican Brothers and Sisters stormed the House? These United States. Beacon to the world. Being torn-apart by politics led by a maniacal president. United we stand, divided we fall. United? My ass. $600??? Dear Cathy Must Retire, You make $174,000 a year. Corporate gave you $3,303,000 to get re-elected

”

DUMPING THE AMERICAN FLAG The Cult Leader called TDUMP and his antipatriotic, violent, racist, sexist, cult followers have trashed the American Flag.

I have never seen so many atrocious flag crimes in all of my life as I have seen in the last 4 years. Never!...do you Ever!... fly any other flag with the American flag!

Ever! Flying Dump flags anywhere close to the American flag is unacceptable and a pathetic, horrible irony. If you do this you are un-American and should be fined and go to jail. You are a criminal.

These DUMP F#%KS arrived at Our White House did this and worse. Confederate flags! American Flag Upside Down! Flags on the ground! American flags replaced with DUMP flags! American flags with snakes on them! Even altered flags with a blue line is absolutely not right in any way! OMG! All my Veteran Friends are Appalled! This is a massive trashing of our Symbol of Freedom, Democracy and Country. n

THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS B O N E S U P

A B O U T T O

W O R D I E R

F B I F I L E

R O S A L Y N

I F A T A L L

L D E I M E M A N B O R A L N T U S E R A V R O G E A S E F O A C H A T E R L E Y L A E S O S

A G A T E

L A T K A

I S R A R G A Y S A B R B E A G

T S Y P A S O S N N R L U H G I L S E I S L J D D O O O N J L O E S

K U W A I T I

I R O N M E N

M E L I S S A

B R A V A D O

L E T E M I N

O V E R S E E

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 35

NEWS

A Busy Week Washington acts to keep products safe, while South Dakota’s governor tries to keep recreational use illegal

BY WILL MAUPIN

T

he first week of 2021 was a busy one for news, and cannabis news was no exception. Get caught up on the handful of cannabis-related news items from the past week, both locally and around the nation.

BAN ON ADDITIVE EXTENDED

Vitamin E acetate, the chemical responsible for a rash of vape-related lung disease that popped up around the country in 2019, will remain a prohibited additive in the state of Washington. In a Jan. 6 meeting of the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, an emergency rule was put in place to extend the current ban on the chemical. It has been banned as an additive since November 2019, but for now the ban is not permanent.

During the previous legislative session, Gov. Jay

Washington state officials extended the ban on vitamin E acetate in vape devices. LINDSAY FOX/CC BY 3.0 PHOTO Inslee requested a bill, SB 6254, which would have permanently banned vitamin E acetate. Despite bipartisan support, the bill did not become law.

LEGAL CHALLENGES IN SOUTH DAKOTA

On election night, 54 percent of South Dakota voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis. Considering the state’s official motto is “Under God the people rule,” you would think the will of the voters would be respected. But Gov. Kristi Noem disagrees, and on Jan. 8

Noem issued an executive order allowing for a challenge to the constitutional amendment.

Noem publicly voiced her opposition to the amendment prior to Election Day and called its passage the “wrong choice” for the state. Last week’s executive order will allow a lawsuit against the amendment, brought by Rick Miller, superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, to go ahead. Miller is acting under the direction of the governor by challenging the constitutionality of amendment, which is set to become law on July 1.

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36 INLANDER JANUARY 14, 2021

MEDICAL MARIJUANA WITHDRAWALS STUDIED

A study published Jan. 5 in the journal Addiction shined a light on some negative effects of the use of medical marijuana for pain management. The team of researchers from the University of Michigan surveyed 527 state-certified medical marijuana users over two years to track their withdrawal symptoms.

Over half of those in the study reported experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as sleeplessness or irritability, the sort of things you’d hear listed off at the end of a commercial if medical marijuana was advertised on television.

“Our findings suggest a real need to increase awareness about the signs of withdrawal symptoms developing to decrease the potential downsides of cannabis use,” says Lara Coughlin, the clinical psychologist and researcher who led the University of Michigan study. n

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JANUARY 14, 2021 INLANDER 37

GREEN ZONE

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.

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 five-year sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.

RELATIONSHIPS

Advice Goddess EMILY POSTAL

Bright red lipstick is my trademark. It makes me feel attractive and confident: ready to take on the world. A female friend criticizes me at parties about my leaving a lipstick mark on my glass, even when it’s a plastic cup. She says it’s disgusting, often when guys are listening. Is this her problem or bad etiquette I need to change? —Girl Unpowered According to annoyed caterers ranting online, lipstick on glass has staying power second only to nuclear garbage and nightmare party guests (“But there was no checkout time on the invitation!”). So, it’s possible this woman is a well-meaning etiquette activist acting on behalf of beleaguered dishwashing staff everywhere. Except — wait, she also bashes you when you’re drinking out of a plastic cup, and I’m guessing the garbagemen don’t get miffy when there’s a lipsticked Dixie cup next to the corpse in the dumpster they’re emptying.

Your experience reminded me of a meangirling a friend got when she was 11. A cute French boy sat next to her during the school assembly. She was basking in crushy happiness when the girl in front of her turned and gave her the dagger-eye. “You’re ugly,” she announced and turned back around. Luckily, French Boy was kind of awesome, and as my friend sat there speechless — feeling head-to-toe soggy-diapered in shame — he pointed at the mean girl and made the hand-twirly “she’s nuts” sign.

Girls and women are rarely so direct — so openly and transparently aggressive.

Though men compete openly and even proudly for mates, jobs, and social status, psychologist Anne Campbell finds that female competition is usually “covert” (meaning hidden or camouflaged and easily denied or explained away). Basically, it’s like poison gas. You only learn you’re under attack when you’re writhing on the floor seeing the tunnel at the end of the light.

Campbell believes this strategy — avoiding direct confrontation that could lead to physical retaliation — evolved to protect women’s reproductive machinery and keep them alive to feed and care for children. Women’s indirect aggression plays out in sneaky sabotage tactics like using malicious gossip to get another woman ostracized and noxious criticism like you’re experiencing (often dressed up as “I just want to help!”) to shame hot women in sexy little outfits into going around in more tarplike attire.

As for how you get a meangirl to stop meangirling on you, there’s a bit of a problem. Psychologist Joyce Benenson explains that “women honestly do not believe they compete with one another.” This belief helps them compete far better — with more social and psychological leeway to do rotten things — than if they were aware of their competitive nature. Benenson observes, “Nothing works better than self-deception” to give a woman the upper hand in conflicts of interest with other women while helping her avoid retaliation.

While from boyhood war games on, to be male is to be openly competitive, Benenson finds that girls and women get outraged when they see another being unapologetically ambitious. Sure, there are social alpha girls, girls who have more power — like to choose which new girl in school will be the group’s kickball for the year — but girls long to be seen as “nice,” and nice girls don’t stand out above the others. Girls who dare show superiority or boast set themselves up as targets of girl-group punishment.

Looking at your situation through the lens of female competition suggests an approach: pulling her aside and being assertive one-on-one. If you instead do this publicly, it gives her an audience to play to, allowing her to act all wounded that you’re so “mean” to her when she’s, yes, just trying to help! Supposed public meanness on your part might also energize her to seek revenge, like with post-event whispers about your attention-seeking with the “trashy” lipstick that reels in all the boys.

Assertiveness is at its most powerful when it’s brief, firm, and unapologetic. A helpful guiding principle is security expert Gavin de Becker’s line, “No is a complete sentence.” So, for example, you could say: “Stop making comments about my appearance. My lipstick or whatever. Now. No more.” Expect her to make excuses, but don’t engage with her. Just say: “We don’t need to talk about it. Just stop.” This shows her you won’t be a compliant victim.

Ideally, this experience will serve as a template for dealing with ugly “helpfulness” from women. Despite women’s reputation as the kinder, gentler sex, we just come off that way because female aggression goes around in a disguise. If the Miss America pageant really wanted to showcase women’s special abilities, they’d have a talent competition with each contestant using sneaky psychological warfare to destroy her social and romantic rivals — like by suggesting a competitor heal the world with some comfort-eating. (“Give pizza a chance!”) n

AMY ALKON

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©2020, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. • Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

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