Inlander 01/30/2025

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE

KNOW WHERE TO THROW

How to recycle tricky waste (like plastic mailing sleeves!); plus, what really happens with online returns

NOTE

eing a good steward of the Earth is hard. Recycling, easing back on needless consumption, and making other considerations for the impact we each have on the planet takes focused commitment and time, while most of us have limited mental and physical energy to spend. Not to mention, thinking about climate change’s wide-reaching effects and the planet’s many human-caused problems is truly anxiety provoking. Making a meaningful change requires acknowledgment of those issues but also finding hope in the solutions that can fix them.

On the bright side, forming good habits doesn’t have to be overly challenging, especially thanks to programs like curbside composting, startups that actually resell all those online returns versus trashing them, and kits that help ensure tricky-to-recycle items make it to facilities capable of actually turning waste into something new. All these topics and more are covered in detail in this year’s SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE, starting on page 20.

— CHEY SCOTT, Editor

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ARE THERE THINGS YOU DO TO BE A MORE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER?

ANGIE BROWN

I try to leave the smallest footprint I possibly can. Anytime I can bring my own utensils somewhere, bring my own water bottle, recycle, all the classic kinds of stuff. I’m kind of generic. [Laughs]

Generic works!

It adds up! [Laughs] I am the classic “leave the campground cleaner than you found it,” and I put that into every space I’m in.

JENNIFER EKSTROM

I feel like one of the most important things is to buy locally sourced meat and dairy from farms that I trust. I think it’s critical to care for our animals and to make sure the processes of raising them are regenerative rather than destructive to the Earth. I also personally find it critical that they aren’t transported for hundreds of thousands of miles around the world, burning fossil fuels in the process.

PETER BOHUSH

I recycle all the bags, things like that. I cook at home, so I try and buy a whole chicken and debone it at home myself, rather than just get the pieces I might like. So there’s a lot of prep at home, hopefully to save some money and help out.

SHANE PEARCE

We try to live a fairly minimal lifestyle. We have two young kids, and we try to make sure all their toys are mostly wood toys — stuff that’s going to break down over time — minimize the plastic. We use cloth napkins and try to eat with stuff that can be washed and reused. Basically just trying to minimize the amount of single-use plastic and just try to buy or consume stuff we really need.

LAUREN FAULKNER

We obviously [points to cart] get water [by the jug]. Instead of plastic bottles, we use stainless steel bottles or glass bottles. We get milk form [Huckleberry’s] because you get a deposit back for the bottle that you use. We really try to do recycling.

CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR INTERVIEWS BY SETH SOMMMERFELD 1/22/35,

Stress Testing the Checks and Balances

The Founders built the Constitution to resist the corrupting influence of too much money in too few hands

BY LAWRENCE B.A. HATTER

President Joe Biden sounded the alarm as he prepared to leave the White House. Speaking to the American people from the Oval Office, the outgoing president warned the nation that an insidious oligarchy threatens our democracy. Channeling Republican President Dwight Eisenhower’s critique of the military-industrial complex from his farewell address of 1961, Biden took aim at a rising “tech-industrial complex” of unelected billionaires, who he claims wield unchecked power over the spread of (mis)informa-

tion on social media. Biden’s warning is not new. The Founders also grappled with the danger that oligarchy posed to a new republican regime in America. Oligarchy — rule by a small group of people — threatened to undermine the checks and balances built into the new Constitution of 1788.

n Anglo-American 18th century political thought, oligarchy was one of several maladies that could infect the body politic. Before they soured on British rule during the imperial crises of the 1760s and 1770s, the Founders celebrated the genius of the English constitution, which deployed its own system of checks and balances to represent the interests of the Crown, the aristocracy and the common people (democracy). These three

Sir Robert Walpole was the oligarch-in-chief of his time as Britain’s first prime minister. He became the Founders’ poster child for not letting any one person get too much power over the young United States of America. PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGE

elements all posed different threats to liberty. Too much democracy led to anarchy. If the Crown gained too much power, the monarch would become a tyrant. And if the aristocracy became too strong, then oligarchy would threaten liberty.

The Founders were no egalitarians. The conservative John Adams and progressive Thomas Jefferson both agreed that government ought to be the preserve of a “natural aristocracy.” Yet, they disagreed about what a natural aristocracy was. Adams believed that certain families, by virtue of their wealth and breeding, would inevitably produce America’s leaders. Jefferson, by contrast, argued for a more meritocratic natural aristocracy, defined by individual talent and virtue. He contrasted the natural aristocracy with an “artificial aristocracy,” founded on wealth and birth. For Jefferson, the artificial aristocracy was a breeding ground for oligarchy.

The Jeffersonian fear of oligarchy fed partisan divisions among the Founders during the 1790s. Jefferson and his followers were increasingly suspicious of the corrupting influence of money in American politics. And the main target of suspicion was the new treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton’s humble origins were hardly aristocratic. But Jefferson and the members of his nascent Democratic-Republican Party viewed Hamilton’s hold over the financial levers of power with deep suspicion. They feared that the Hamilton sought to emulate the rise to power of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first lord of the treasury and first prime minister.

For Jeffersonians, Walpole was the poster child for oligarchy. During the 1720s, Walpole used his power of patronage as finance minister to buy off British members of Parliament. Handing out sinecures, titles and other trinkets, Walpole and his cronies seized control of Parliament for over 20 years. By making himself indispensable to the king through his management of Parliament, Walpole was instrumental in creating the modern concept of a prime minister, which had no constitutional basis in 18th century Britain.

Hamilton, like Walpole, controlled government finances. Hamilton, like Walpole, appeared to be concentrating power in his own hands when he proposed founding the Bank of the United States to service the debts that the states had accrued to foreign creditors during the Revolutionary War. All that money at the heart of government reeked of corruption to Jeffersonians.

But Hamilton was no Walpole. He struck a deal with the Jeffersonians over the assumption of state debts in 1790. In return for urging his supporters in Congress to vote in favor of Hamilton’s proposal, Jefferson received assurances that the new U.S. capital city would be built in the South. Jefferson believed that this deal struck a blow against oligarchy by ensuring the separation of the new seat of government from the nation’s financial centers of New York City and Philadelphia.

What can we do to guard against oligarchy in 2025? Is it even possible to prevent the super wealthy from buying elections in an era when the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of unlimited spending by corporations? Jefferson’s solution was voting. While voters might sometimes get it wrong, he had faith that “in general they will elect the real good and wise.” But we live in an age when voting rights are under attack and social media is fracturing the electorate’s sense of a shared reality. Those people who can vote cannot agree on what is good or wise. Democracy begins at home. The vitality of the republic depends on each of us. No matter the headwinds we may face in 2025, it is our responsibility as citizens to do the hard work of democracy. What does this actually mean? Educate yourselves. Read, watch or listen with measured skepticism without spiraling down conspiratorial rabbit holes. Don’t let others create your reality for you. Value your freedom by recognizing that rights come with responsibilities. And if we don’t honor our responsibilities to be engaged and informed citizens, then we may soon discover that our rights are beyond recovery. n

Lawrence B.A. Hatter is

and associate professor of early American history at Washington State University. These views are

Spokane’s Scholastic Spectrum

Greater Spokane Inc. hosts first-of-its-kind regional K-12 public education summit to discuss issues facing local school districts

BY COLTON RASANEN

It’s a bitter cold Wednesday morning in Spokane as at least 300 people file into the grand ballroom of the downtown DoubleTree hotel for the Inland Northwest’s inaugural State of Education summit.

Inside, a who’s who of our region’s schools fills the room, including superintendents, teachers, students and even businesses invested in Spokane’s public education.

For about an hour, a panel of five local superintendents addresses the state of public education in the region.

“We’re continuing to reinforce the important role that public education plays in our community, not just for the empowerment of the individual, but the wellness of the community and the strength of our local economy,” Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard says. “Public education is consistently asked to step up and meet the needs of kids in our community, and we’re really proud of our consistent ability to step up and do that.”

The Jan. 22 event was organized by Greater Spokane Inc., the regional chamber of commerce, to showcase its belief that public education is directly tied to Spokane’s economic outcomes.

“At GSI we’ve always done work around education, and we think that the economy depends on education,” says Erin Vincent, GSI’s vice president of education and talent.

From school funding and student readiness to higher education and a new campaign to convince voters to fund K-12 schools, here are some of the takeaways on the state of Spokane’s education.

UNDERFUNDED SCHOOLS?

“Since 2018 our legislators have mandated 77 new requirements in public education. That’s a lot for us as small

districts,” Deer Park Superintendent Alexa Allman tells the audience at the summit.

But it’s not just an issue for smaller school districts, Swinyard says. Asking any school district to implement a new policy or requirement without the proper time and funding can be challenging.

“Twenty years ago, the list of things a public school was required to do could fit on a page. Now the list of those requirements is a volume,” Swinyard says. “That’s not repudiation of public education, but it’s not sustainable to ask school districts to do more without extra funding.”

For example, a law passed in 2023 and enacted in 2024 requires all elementary schools to hold at least 30 minutes of daily recess for students’ physical health (something most schools already did). Additionally, in 2024 another law required all school districts to keep opioid overdose reversal medication doses in every public school, amending previous law that exempted school districts with less than 2,000 students.

The superintendents on the panel are also concerned about the state’s funding of public education. Riverside School District’s Superintendent Ken Russell says the state has been putting a smaller percentage of its budget into K-12 education in recent years. In 2019, 53% of the state’s operating budget went to public education, while in 2024, only 42% went to education, he says.

For reference, the state allocated $27.3 billion to K-12 public schools in the 2019-2021 budget while in its 2023-25 budget that funding increased to $30.6 billion.

“If I was an economist I would say, ‘Let’s put more money in the young people, and that likely will cut down on the cost of when they become adults if they get a solid

education,’” Russell says. “Whether it be incarceration, medication, whatever the case may be that we put state funds into, don’t you think we would diminish that cost from an economic long-term standpoint if we invest in [public education]?”

Beyond the operating budget, some administrators say that there are gaps in funding, especially when it comes to special education.

“There have been significant gaps in terms of what schools are expected or needing to fund, and then what we receive in terms of state funding,” Medical Lake School District Superintendent Kim Headrick tells the audience. “When it comes to special education we have about a $350,000 gap [in our district], which is small, but when you look at the percentage of our funding, is significant, and for us, it’s really important and critical.”

Medical Lake focuses on providing and building inclusive classrooms. This means that students with disabilities are learning alongside their typically developing peers, rather than being separated into another classroom.

“Those students have access and are able to succeed right alongside their peers. And you know what we found? It works. Our elementary school on [Fairchild Air Force] Base in two years has shown significant growth in both [English language arts] and math, and our students with disabilities are learning at high rates,” Headrick says. “What we need to do is really invest in that work. It takes dedication. It takes professional learning for all staff, and it takes opportunities for our kids to sit in those classrooms because they deserve it.”

Following the superintendents’ remarks about education funding, an audience member asks the panelists if they think a McCleary 2.0 lawsuit is a possibility in Washington. In 2007, two families sued the state for not meeting its

...continued on page 10

Rogers High School student Damarion Massenburg makes cookies in a nutrition class, a career and technical education offering that Greater Spokane Incorporated could highlight through its new IN Schools campaign. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

constitutional obligation to fully fund public education. By 2012, the Washington Supreme Court ordered the state to fully fund K-12 public schools in what’s known as the McCleary decision.

A week before the summit, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said the state could be sued again if it doesn’t meet its school funding obligations.

After a brief silence following the question, Central Valley School District Superintendent John Parker says it’s too soon to say.

“Perhaps that’s rhetorical and I shouldn’t be answering that, but from everything that I’m hearing so far, it’s really unknown,” Parker says. “It’s early in the legislative session to really know about. There are concerns that even our own state representatives and senators have expressed as far as the funding, but at this point I’m not aware of anything.”

STUDENT READINESS

“If you would have asked a kindergarten teacher 10 years ago, ‘Are there any kids in your class that aren’t potty training?’ they would look at you like you’ve lost your mind,” Swinyard said last week. “If you toured our schools today and you asked that same question, you would hear a shocking answer.”

Over the last decade, school districts have seen students coming into school less prepared than ever before. While part of that can be attributed to the pandemic’s effects on student learning, Swinyard argues that the issues impacting the entire Spokane community also impact students in public schools.

“We’re a community that’s struggling with some pretty significant issues around employment security and housing security, and we have challenges with drug and mental

health use that are impacting the community at large, and those things touch kids in a pretty intimate way,” he says. “We have more kids coming to us with more challenges that are less ready than ever, and those kids all come into our public schools. We don’t pick and choose who we serve, and that’s something we’re really proud of.”

Additionally, that lack of school readiness in some areas can be directly connected to a lack of adequate child care. That’s an ongoing issue in the Medical Lake School district, Headrick says.

“The West Plains is considered a child care desert. We have over 40% of our families that say that they are currently not accessing early learning at all,” Headrick explains. “So we need to step into that [because] I think that gets kiddos off on that right foot.”

HIGHER EDUCATION OPTIONS

Before Allman, the Deer Park superintendent, moved to rural Eastern Washington, she worked in the urban Bellevue School District for nearly two decades. After moving, she began to notice that her rural students didn’t all have access to the same opportunities to explore higher education or technical career fields.

“I think the biggest difference … is that not all of the students have equal opportunity and access to exposure, to see what all is out there,” she explains. “It’s part of our responsibility to partner with institutions such as the Spokane Colleges and our universities that are right here.”

Higher education partnerships are important as they allow schools to offer opportunities for students to do college courses in high school and even get an associate’s degree along with their high school diploma. These partnerships also allow districts to offer students more career and techni-

cal education classes, such as construction, culinary arts, automotive technology, web design and even photography.

Through partnerships with local universities and colleges, as well as nonprofits and businesses, Swinyard says communities can work together to meet some of those needs.

“We will not always agree on the solutions, that’s just the way of the world, but we have to work together to operate on the same set of facts,” Swinyard tells the audience. “A key part of that is the work that Greater Spokane Incorporated is going to be doing with their IN Schools campaign.”

IN SCHOOLS

At the end of the education summit, GSI announced its new IN Schools campaign, a five-year effort to help people better understand public schools through workshops and community conversations.

“We’re going to share the real stories that highlight the successes, but also the challenges,” says Lisa Poplawski Lewis, GSI’s vice president of development and partnerships. “Because we all have successes and challenges in our business, and schools are a business.”

At its core, Lewis says this campaign is meant to push back against any misinformation.

“It’s not uncommon for people to approach me in public and say, ‘I saw something on social media, and I can’t believe you guys are doing that in your schools,’ and it’s like, we don’t do anything even remotely like that,” Swinyard says. “It’s critical that we’re operating off the same set of facts, but I think it takes some different type of intentionality in this day and age to share information, talk to people about the work that’s happening in our schools and then provide a healthy space for us to have discourse

New Look, Same Values

as a community on how we move forward.”

Behind the scenes work has been underway for months as GSI leaders have coordinated conversations with local school districts, higher education institutions and businesses, in an attempt to raise $1 million over five years. That money will be used to fund public conversations and workshops to increase the public’s knowledge about what’s going on in schools.

One issue GSI hopes to tackle with this campaign is the bond failures that school districts have experienced, sometimes multiple times, in the last year. By providing educational information to the public, the organization hopes to fight blatant misinformation regarding school funding.

“Tax funding around education in Washington state is super complicated,” GSI’s Vincent says. “We want to demystify some of those things that get in the way of people hearing the K-12 story.”

As GSI works to make it easier for schools to pass their bonds, the Legislature is already taking its own steps to address the issue with Senate Bill 5186. The proposed legislation, which is supported by many of the superintendents on the panel, would change the required 60% voter approval for construction bonds to 55%.

So far, a majority of the region’s school districts, 11 to be precise, have signed on to support the IN Schools campaign as it rolls out over the next half decade.

“It’s really important right now to talk about what is good in our institutions if we want them to survive. We can’t expect that our 250-year-old American K-12 education system just survives without positive energy and reinforcement,” Vincent says. “I think the business community and GSI see that it is necessary and that it is good to create the conditions in our region for thriving. We want our amazing K-12 schools to innovate and to be strong and to continue to support our kids and create opportunities for our future workforce.” n

coltonr@inlander.com

Double-decker buses will provide more space on Cheney routes.

Back to the Future

Spokane Transit Authority introduces double-decker buses and plans for more rapid transit

BY VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ

In 1889, Spokane was an early adopter of the electric streetcar in the United States, just eight years after Berlin, Germany, began the first-ever commercial electric streetcar operations. In 2025, the Spokane Transit Authority, or STA, is channeling these innovative beginnings with eco-efficient vehicle fleets, free or reduced fares, and even bringing in new buses reminiscent of those used in London since the 1920s.

STA has purchased seven double-decker buses to serve Routes 6 and 66, primarily serving residents and workers in Cheney and students at Eastern Washington University. The double-decker buses are part of STA’s strategic “Moving Forward” plan.

The two-level buses will accommodate the increasing number of riders commuting from the West Plains and Cheney area into Spokane. The buses can hold 108 riders, with seating for 82 passengers, and are expected to hit the roads in September.

Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of New Flyer Inc., manufactured the buses. Each bus cost around $1.2 million, and 75% of the cost was covered by federal and state grants, according to Carly Cortright, STA’s chief communication officer.

During peak early morning and evening hours, articulated buses with routes connecting the West Plains to Spokane can quickly fill up. Cortright describes articulated buses as having two or more rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint that looks like an accordion.

“At the beginning and end of the day, there can be standing room only on those bus routes,” Cortright says. “Looking at, ‘How do we improve?’ is when the doubledeckers came into play; there’s better seating capacity, so they can sit instead of stand.”

Cortright says there are currently no plans to incor-

porate more double-decker buses on other routes because of viaduct clearance limitations around Spokane: The double-decker buses are 13 feet, 6 inches tall.

Two double-decker buses arrived in December, with five more arriving in February. The buses are just one example of the agency improving mobility for residents. Other improvements include the vehicle rideshare program, low or reduced fares for Spokane students, and expanding bus rapid transit services.

RAPID TRANSIT

Karl Otterstrom, interim co-CEO for STA, says the first articulated buses in the STA fleet were used for those commuting to Eastern. As double-deckers replace the articulated buses on those routes, STA plans to move those articulated buses to other routes around Spokane County.

By 2030, STA is expected to complete the Division Street Bus Rapid Transit route along Division, running from downtown Spokane to the unincorporated area of Mead.

The project will resemble Spokane’s City Line, a 6-mile rapid transit route operating between Spokane’s historic Browne’s Addition and Spokane Community College that started in July 2023.

Cortright says the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, Washington State Department of Transportation and Spokane County officials have been collaborating to make Division Street more efficient for transit riders when the North Spokane Corridor is finished. Once the freeway is complete, the goal is to open the rapid transit line along Division.

“Once that freeway is fully open, that [street] traffic will divert,” Cortright says. “What does that look like for the future landscape of Division? … The whole project

together includes not just transportation but land use.”

The project will also create more walkability and add bike paths that increase pedestrian safety and lower traffic congestion.

Like the City Line, the Division rapid transit line will utilize battery electric buses. Last year, STA’s electric bus fleet prevented the creation of 982 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Christian Bigger, STA’s zero-emission fleet and facility manager.

Other familiar features will include raised bus stops, making it quicker to board the buses, and waits of 15 minutes or less between buses.

The Division bus rapid transit project received a $2 million grant from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, which was created under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Spokane Reimagined, a nonpartisan grassroots organization that has been critical of STA in the past for bus routes in low-density areas, supports the project and the use of grant funds to help riders in high-density areas along Division Street.

Erik Lowe, founder of Spokane Reimagined, says he is excited to see transportation improvements along Division Street. After seeing the City Line’s success, he wishes the Division bus rapid transit would start sooner than 2030.

“The City Line has become a cornerstone of STA’s service, and we look forward to more high-performance transit in Spokane,” Lowe says.

ROLLING FORWARD

In 2021, STA ridership was down to about 5.24 million trips due to factors related to the pandemic. But in January, STA announced ridership surpassed 10 million trips in 2024, even higher than the prepandemic ridership of nearly 10 million in 2019.

Myriad factors have contributed to STA’s ridership bounceback, Cortright says, including the City Line, which has helped provide students at Gonzaga University and Spokane Community College with affordable and reliable transportation.

In 2022, STA also started offering zero-fare bus passes for youths 18 and younger. Those young riders now make up about 20% of STA’s total ridership. Cortright says more classrooms have been able to utilize public transportation for field trips and reduce the cost of hiring charter buses.

“We have a great partnership with Spokane Public Schools,” Cortright says.

Other updated STA services like Rideshare have seen plenty of interest and success. The service, formerly known as Vanpool, began in 2023 and allows three or more people to share a ride using an STA-provided vehicle.

Groups interested in the program must have at least two designated drivers with good driving records who complete a free defensive driving course online and park the STA vehicle at their house. STA provides insurance and roadside assistance for rideshare vehicles.

Depending on whether you’re commuting within Spokane County or nearby counties, the monthly fee per person can range from $60 to $100 a month.

Rideshare currently has 89 active vehicles being used by rideshare groups, though there are 97 vehicles in the STA rideshare fleet. The program is most popular with city and county government employees, as well as those at Fairchild Air Force Base, and rideshares are available going as far as Grand Coulee Dam.

Otterstrom says STA continues working to provide options that allow more residents to be mobile.

“Whether by choice, economics or disabilities, you can be an active member of our community because STA is here for you as a mobility option, and [that’s] something we’re very proud of,” Otterstrom says. n

PHOTO COURTESY OF STA

Decision Time

North Idaho College will learn its fate soon. Plus, Washington challenges Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship, and Eastern Washington gets millions for affordable housing

BY INLANDER STAFF

After two years of uncertainty, the answer to the question of whether North Idaho College will retain its accreditation is imminent. This week, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, NIC’s accrediting body, met Tuesday to hear about what progress the college has made since the commission’s October report. That report found that NIC had made progress improving its governance but questioned whether those changes were sustainable. Since then, the community has elected three new trustees to the college’s board, replacing the Kootenai County Central Republican Committee-backed majority of Todd Banducci, Mike Waggoner and Greg McKenzie. After the new trustees took office, the board addressed votes of no confidence from faculty and staff and asked NIC’s administration to find a way to cut athletic funding by $1.8 million over the next two years. The meeting with the accrediting commission, scheduled to run from Jan. 28-31, is not open to the public. The commission must release its decision on NIC’s accreditation within 30 days of the visit.

(COLTON RASANEN)

BIRTHRIGHT

Last week, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour of the Western District of Washington put a 14-day temporary restraining order on President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship. The restraining order stems from a lawsuit filed by Washington, Oregon, Illinois and Arizona seeking to find the executive order unconstitutional. Washington’s Attorney General Nick Brown previously told the Inlander after his September debate in Spokane that he would consider bringing such lawsuits against the Trump administration if Washingtonians were negatively impacted by executive actions. Birthright citizenship was established in the U.S. Constitution in 1868 by the 14th Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed birthright citizenship through the 14th Amendment in 1898, when it ruled that a man born in San Francisco to Chinese parents was a U.S. citizen. Coughenour writes in the temporary restraining order that “there is a strong likelihood that Plaintiffs will succeed on the merits of their claims that the Executive Order violated the Fourteenth Amendment and Immigration and Nationality Act.” (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)

OWN IT

Home ownership is one of the clearest paths to stabilized housing and generational wealth. With that in mind, the Washington state Department of Commerce announced on Jan. 23 that it’s investing close to $18 million across the state to help create affordable homeownership for 168 low-income households through new construction, down payment assistance or affordability subsidies. Forty-five of those families will be in Eastern Washington. Commerce awarded Spokane Habitat for Humanity $715,000 to help build 11 new houses scattered across Spokane, a project that is expected to cost over $3.7 million. Common Roots Housing Trust in Walla Walla also received $770,000 to help build seven new affordable homes. Other Eastern Washington recipients were awarded other types of funding. The Methow Housing Trust in Okanogan County was awarded $1 million to use as affordability subsidies for nine families, and the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments was awarded $2 million to put toward down payment subsidies for 18 families.

(ELIZA BILLINGHAM)

CORRECTION

The Jan. 16 story “Opting for Outpatient” incorrectly identified Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., as part of Providence Health & Services. The hospital is affiliated with Ascension Health, a different Catholic health system.

Red Refrain

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Last week was a brutal one for Spokane’s creative community as Red Room Lounge owner Craig Larsen died after succumbing to sudden illness at the age of 64.

After originally opening the newsstandturned-restaurant Jimmy’z at 521 W. Sprague Ave. in 1990, Larsen converted the space into the Red Room Lounge in 2006. Over the years, the space grew into one of the most diverse hubs for the local music scene. Larsen’s open-mindedness to various music styles — even those he didn’t particularly care for himself, like EDM — made Red Room a place where folks in the rock, blues, dance, hip-hop, metal, open mic scenes and more could intermingle. Red Room was also where many area musicians got their first chance to take the stage.

With Larsen having been the bar venue’s driving force, his family decided to close Red Room after a final show last Friday night (Jan. 24) to honor Larsen’s life. Losing the space creates a void in the downtown nightlife scene that won’t easily be replaced.

“Craig was always a huge supporter of anybody, and just a big music lover in general. Just a really encouraging dude to any artist at any of the open mics — cheering and carrying them on — and then also really being down to take chances on up-and-coming bands and younger artists like myself,” says Lucas Brookbank Brown, the local singer-songwriter who hosted Red Room’s open mic for seven years. “I remember plenty of nights when even if the show didn’t necessarily go off quite as big as he

Above: Red Room Lounge. ALICIA HAUFF PHOTO

Right: Red Room Lounge owner Craig Larsen. PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL GRUNDMANN

expected, he’d pull an extra hundred bucks out of his pocket to pay the band; even though he didn’t make [money] that night, he was still into it. He was like, ‘At least I got a great show tonight.’”

“Craig never charged for the room, which a lot of places do. He just let them do the door, let them make their money. We get the bar,” says former Red Room manager Jeremy LaBelle, Larsen’s close friend and right-hand man. “He just loved the music and wanted to get people in here and have them enjoy it as well.”

That isn’t to say Larsen didn’t ever have personality clashes — many of the former Red Room staff remembered wistfully how they’d get in heated arguments with Larsen, but nothing ever lasted long term.

“Sometimes he was an ornery motherf—er, but at the end of the day, he didn’t hold grudges,” says Kingston Prescott, a local promoter/musician and longtime Red Room employee. “He held on to love more than any grudge, and I think that would be the thing that I would want to share with people the most.”

It’s all the more impressive what Larsen fostered musically considering his lack of personal musical background.

“How Craig felt about music is something that’s hard to find from somebody who isn’t a musician,” says Brittney Rose, who’s worked as a bartender at Red Room since 2016 and helped create Red Room’s EDM night with Jared Holman. “Craig never played any instruments, but he loved music.”

Larsen’s commitment to helping folks out didn’t just extend to stage time, as Prescott can attest.

“I was homeless for about a year [in 2014]. And me and my cousin went into [Red Room] damn near every day,” Prescott says. “He’d open for us early, like one or two in the afternoon and let us stay all day. [Larsen] gave us $2 pitchers of Coors and let us play pool for free, [as we tried to] figure out what we’re gonna do.”

After doing that for months, one day, Prescott was catching up with Larsen when one of the security guards couldn’t make their shift.

“He was like, ‘You want to do it?’ After that, I started cooking there for a little bit. Soon enough, they needed help bartending, and I started doing that. Not long after that, I became the bar manager. And then ran that place for four years,” Prescott says. “He gave me a chance to get [my] life back together. I owe him my life, not an exaggeration. So that’s the kind of cat he was.”

That welcoming spirit was evident for many who wandered into Red Room.

“It was the place for everybody,” Prescott says. “It was like Island of Misfit Toys in there, and somehow he made it work. Like you could have a show, and then it’d be everybody from punk rockers to the hip-hop heads to everything in between.”

Brown saw the same thing.

“It kind of felt like where a lot of the lost boys and girls go to hang out,” he says. “It was a real home to so many different parts of the local creative community and brought us together. And it will be very missed.”

“It was a safe place to walk into, no matter who you were,” Rose says. “We didn’t have a lot of violence. There’s a lot of that outside, but when you walked through those doors, you felt safe.”

Before his death, Larsen and LaBelle were partway through creating a new restaurant next door to Red Room, which they were planning on calling Latitude 47. LaBelle says Red Room’s days were likely numbered anyway because the space was renting month-to-month, with condos being built above the venue. But LaBelle says he’s already talked to investors and plans to continue getting Latitude 47 up and running “for the legacy of Craig.”

While there is no replacing Larsen or Red Room, LaBelle hopes Latitude 47 can open and partially carry on the spirit of Larsen’s open-minded communal creative legacy. And of course, the new space will try to carry on the sonic tradition with live tunes.

“It wouldn’t be in the memory of Craig without music,” LaBelle says with a melancholy laugh. n

seths@inlander.com

Cozy Romance

SURF

Way of the Warrior

The MAC debuts concurrent exhibits on samurai culture and the

age-old technique of Japanese swordmaking

BY CHEY SCOTT

Though their meticulously crafted battle armor and elaborate helmets shaped into utterly frightening countenances could fill the hearts of any foe with terror, Japan’s famous samurai warriors also had a more refined side.

When not outfitted for war, members of the island nation’s elite military class were engaged with fine art, culture, literature and even games. And while Japan’s long and rich history is certainly filled with plenty of upheaval (see the aptly named Warring States period), there were many stretches of peace, like the 264-year Edo period (1603-1867).

These juxtaposed ideals and moments of history are now showcased in intricate detail via the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture’s latest set of hosted exhibitions: “Samurai, Sunrise, Sunset” and “The Evolution of the Japanese Sword,” on display until June and May, respectively.

“Samurai, Sunrise, Sunset” features 120 pieces on loan from the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy, ranging from eight full sets of samurai armor and all kinds of weaponry (swords, spears and even early firearms) to the fine lacquerware calligraphy boxes, tea sets and other items — both for battle and entertainment — that samurai carried with them.

The collection’s contents span from the 16th to 19th century.

“In this exhibition, we would like to show that samurai were not just warrior[s], and that’s why we chose the most decorated arms and armor,” says Riccardo Franci, the Stibbert’s armory curator who traveled to Spokane last week to help MAC staff install the exhibition.

“For example, you will see the suits of armor are very spectacular — gilded leather, gilded lacquerware, and decorated with animals and all kinds of materials. And the same things about the other arts and crafts that we are presenting,” he continues. “We wanted to show that they were not only warrior[s], and as warrior[s], they are not interested only in war. … In Japan, there is a philosophy that is called bunbu that means that warriors had to know the warfare and literature and culture. These two aspects were mandatory to be a good samurai.”

Just like the periods of history it represents, the Stibbert’s Japanese collection has a unique and fascinating backstory.

British-Italian museum founder Frederick Stibbert used his immense inherited wealth to collect antique sets of armor, weapons and other war-related artifacts from around the world, including medieval Europe and the Middle East. Franci says the museum’s catalog of more than 50,000 pieces (also including fine art, costumes, furnishings and more), includes about 3,000 entries for the Japanese collection. Because most of those pieces were acquired after the country reopened its borders at the start of the Meiji era in 1868, he estimates it’s the oldest and largest collection of Japanese armor and weapons in the world outside of Japan.

“Stibbert’s idea was to create a place where different cultures could be compared together,” Franci says. “He decided to have a small castle full of stuff related to arms and armor and chivalry.”

The sprawling Italian villa was also Stibbert’s main residence. In his will he directed that the property and all its contents be maintained as he had originally designed it, and opened to the public as a museum and place of learning.

The collector’s acquisition, starting in 1871, of so many exquisite pieces from Japan was largely due to opportune timing, Franci says.

“He was never in Japan. He bought everything in Italy,” Franci says. “There were famous shops for Japanese objects in Florence, [called] Janetti and Son. It was a very lucky period because so many landlords and many warriors sold, not their swords because the swords were highly treasured, but they sold [their armor]. And [it was] fairly affordable to buy at the time.”

The items featured in “Samurai, Sunrise, Sunset” were selected to showcase the Stibbert collection’s span across time.

“They were chosen to show as much as possible — many different kinds of weapons, kinds of armor, and different level and styles of decorations,” Franci says. “And for the small furniture to show different pieces of art, of lacquerware or bronzes or ceramic, to show all different kinds of items that were favored by the samurai as collectible. And among the pieces of our collection, we chose some from the most spectacular.”

A set of samurai armor featuring a mythical turtle helmet emblem. PHOTO COURTESY ARCHIVIO FOTOGRAFICO MUSEO STIBBERT

On display alongside “Samurai, Sunrise, Sunset” is a second, smaller exhibition focusing on the art of Japanese swordmaking as it was honed across centuries.

“The Evolution of the Japanese Sword” comes to Spokane by way of Los Angeles-based Jidai Arts, and features a dozen swords ranging from contemporary reproductions all the way back to the 11th century. Intricately crafted pieces that adorned the samurai weaponry are also featured, such as hand guards (tsuba), handle end caps (kashira) and other ornamentation (menuki).

Each sword is displayed without its handle (tsuka) attached so that inscriptions on the tang (nakago) are visible noting its maker and sometimes even when and how it was tested for its lethality using actual human bodies (likely those of already executed criminals).

An elaborately designed fuchi kashira (handle collar and end cap) that once decorated an 18th century samurai sword, created by the artist Hisanori and featured in “The Evolution of the Japanese Sword.”

“It was, and this sounds super crass, the quality assurance of the blade and the pedigree of the blade,” says Kayla Tackett, the MAC’s exhibitions and collections director.

Under the gallery’s spotlights, the highly polished steel glistens and shines like a mirror. In this setting, the blades’ precise cutting power is practically palpable.

“All of the swords in the gallery were chosen for being really fine examples of the craft,” Tackett says. “When we were installing, the curators were cleaning them and [said] they had taken all the blades to Japan to have them polished and oiled to get them show-ready.”

JAPANESE HISTORY AT THE MAC

The Evolution of the Japanese Sword: Through May 4

Samurai, Sunrise, Sunset: Feb. 1-June 1

Museum open Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm; $9-$15 admission (members free) Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org, 509-456-3931

The 11th century sword in the exhibit is believed to have been made by Ko Hoki Sadatsuna, a student of the master swordmaker Yasutsuna. Yasutsuna is known for crafting the Dōjigiri, a listed National Treasure of Japan that’s considered the most important sword in the nation’s history.

“You can see the little chips in the top, because this is a sword that’s been used, and it’s so old, of course,” Tackett says. “There are a lot of connections in this gallery to swordsmiths who’ve made famous blades.”

To coincide with both Japanese culture exhibitions, the MAC has a full schedule of workshops and special events this spring, ranging from film screenings to classes on Japanese calligraphy and sumi-e (black ink painting).

“I don’t think there has ever been a samurai show in Spokane,” says Wesley Jessup, executive director of the MAC. “A lot of what we do here is regional. We focus on the tribes and the artists and some of the history, but when we have opportunities to bring the world to Spokane, to bring in shows that are not regional like this one, we like to do that every year, year-and-a-half.” n

Mall Things Considered

Moscow Contemporary gallery returns even stronger in its new Palouse

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

It’s fitting that the new home for the recently reopened Moscow Contemporary art gallery is in a mall, that unique retail institution that continues to reinvent itself. Petting zoos, movie theaters, medical offices, theme parks, casinos and a handful of art galleries have all more recently found their way into America’s malls.

“Why was downtown made vacant?” asks Moscow Contemporary founder Roger Rowley, reflecting on how the arts have been a vital economic, cultural and educational driver in the region. “Because all the downtown stores had moved to the mall.”

That includes the gallery out of which Moscow Contemporary evolved.

In 1986, the University of Idaho relocated its Prichard Art Gallery to a historic Main Street building between Fourth and Fifth Streets. Rowley served as Prichard’s director from 2004 through 2021, until the university’s budget issues forced its closure. Unfazed, Rowley formed a nonprofit, rallied the community to raise funds, and persevered in the same spot with a similar program of art exhibitions, classes and community events.

In December 2023, however, the building’s owners evicted Moscow Contemporary pending a cash offer for the building which — ironically — now houses a new art gallery, The Pierian, affiliated with New St. Andrews College.

Rowley says he would have liked to keep Moscow Contemporary downtown but couldn’t wait, especially if a new space required substantial remodeling. For example, not long after announcing that the Prichard would close in 2021, the university bought another

Mall location

downtown building that it’s still remodeling to house both an updated Prichard Art Gallery and an Idaho Vandals retail spot.

“We’re just like, OK, we need to find something new; we need to get open; we need to … move and get it done,” Rowley says.

When one door closes, another opens, as the saying goes.

A year and a day since launching its last exhibit downtown and its first exhibit inside Palouse Mall (featuring artist Reinaldo Gil Zambrano), Moscow Contemporary has come back stronger in many ways, Rowley says.

In its new spot, the gallery has already had 5,000 visitors since reopening in October 2024, compared with 10,743 total visitors in 2022 while it was downtown and 12,800 total in 2023.

Rowley says that 150 people showed up for the Thursday, Jan.

Artist Lonnie Hutson creates paper casts of real fish. PHOTOS COURTESY MOSCOW CONTEMPORARY

The gallery is settling nicely into its new space inside the Palouse Mall.

CATCH AND RELEASE

There are many ways to capture a fish but none quite like how artist Lonnie Hutson does it. Instead of casting a line in the water, Hutson casts paper into fish-shaped sculptures. How? He lays damp sheets of handmade paper over a mold of the fish he wants to recreate three-dimensionally then lets the paper sheets dry. Casting!

Hutson’s life-size cast paper sculptures are paradoxical. His use of paper and focus on threatened and endangered fish species highlights the fragility of our ecosystem. Yet the rock-like texture of the paper, and his use of earth-toned pigments and incorporation of micaceous materials suggest permanence, rather like fossils.

Fish are ubiquitous — Hutson’s fish can be found as far north as Alaska and as far east as the Great Lakes — and outnumber humans worldwide. And while the artist can cast multiples of each fish form, his use of materials makes each sculpture preciously unique. Many sculptures incorporate materials from its corresponding fish’s native habitat or even the fish itself, like the shimmery scales of the inconnu that Hutson blended into the paper for his cast of the freshwater whitefish also known as the sheefish.

But why fish — particularly Northwest natives like the mighty salmon, diminutive sculpin or elusive and behemoth sturgeon?

“The whole aquatic ecosystem is easily measured by the native fish population,” says Hutson, a lifelong outdoorsman who spent 40 years guiding fishing and whitewater rafting trips throughout Idaho and the Grand Canyon.

“If it’s healthy, then that’s a good sign, and if it’s not healthy, then there’s something going on with that ecosystem.” And that affects everybody, he adds.

Hutson will give a free gallery talk from 2-3 pm on Saturday, Feb 1. Then on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 1-5:30 pm, he’ll conduct a workshop in the art of paper casting fish ($120, registration required).

— CARRIE SCOZZARO

Lonnie Hutson, Swimming in Circles: Precarity & Resilience of Native Northwest Fish • On display through March 29

16, opening of the current exhibition, Lonnie Hutson’s “Swimming in Circles,” which is more than any opening night tally of the most popular exhibitions during Rowley’s tenure at either the Prichard or Moscow Contemporary in its former location.

Even though the Palouse Mall venue offers less back-of-house space — the single closet is stacked floor-to-ceiling with tubs for classes and workshops, which have more than doubled in the new location — it has a strong upside, Rowley says.

Easy access from the parking lot. Everything’s on one level. High ceilings. Abundant running water and heat. A retail-minded landlord who was all-too-happy to install track lighting. And the space offers both increased vehicular traffic — the mall is on the busy highway between Moscow and Pullman — and foot traffic.

“As a display space for art this has certain advantages over downtown,” says Rowley, describing the gallery’s “very long glass front, with two walls set back three feet from those windows.”

The windows add mall-facing presentation space and a large area for projections, like the video loop in the current exhibit showing a closeup of vibrant red and olive green sockeye salmon swimming. And swimming. And swimming.

“So in terms of that moment of engagement with someone who has no real experience with an art gallery, we can quickly grab their imagination and get them curious,” Rowley says.

When the gallery is open, there’s no door to walk through, he adds.

“And so it’s just that simple matter of capturing somebody conversationally to inquire about art, about this space, and a number of them that go, ‘Wow, this is really cool,’ because it’s so unexpected.” n

Moscow Contemporary • 2012 W. Pullman Road, Moscow (Palouse Place Mall) • Open Tue-Fri noon-5 pm, Sat 11 am-4 pm • moscowcontemporary.org • 208-301-5092

Larry Fleet

Whether you’re interested in turning more food waste into compost, improving soil health with biochar and unique planting techniques, or actually becoming compost after you die, we’ve got the dirt for you in this year’s Sustainability Issue. Plus, while true environmentalists are working to reduce their impacts by consuming less and doing so more responsibly, there are some unique Inland Northwest businesses working in the post-consumer sustainability space. From making it easier to recycle those pesky plastic films and packages that can’t go into our recycling bins to ensuring that online shopping returns don’t end up as trash, there are now more options to keep things out of landfills and the incinerator.

— SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL, SECTION EDITOR

COMPOST

BLACK GOLD SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE

Washington continues to push for more composting, with new requirements starting this year

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Yard waste. Food trimmings. Wood scraps. In 2021, Washington produced about 4.7 million tons of organic waste, according to the state Department of Ecology.

Nearly half of that is “recovered” for beneficial uses like compost. But that still leaves over 2 million tons of organic waste rotting away and emitting methane in landfills.

Also in 2021, Washington state passed the Climate Commitment Act, committing to reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 45% (from 1990 levels) by 2030, and nearly eliminating them by 2050.

The Washington Legislature followed that up with two organics management laws in 2022 and 2024. These laws specifically address emissions from organics in landfills, and are meant to somewhat tackle food insecurity that’s worsened by needless food waste across the state. For example, the state aims to keep 20% of previously wasted edible food from being thrown away by the end of this year.

But some food does spoil, and yard waste needs to go somewhere. So this year, the state is requiring new milestones for composting and the larger systems responsible for diverting organics from the waste stream.

And even though Spokane will be exempt from some of those requirements, the city is working on its own organics system. This winter, the city has already expanded green bin collection, picking up residential organic waste once a month in December, January and February.

Here are other important dates as people plan for a new year of gardening, landscaping and grocery shopping responsibly.

MARCH 31

That’s the date that Washington cities and counties must submit their first compost procurement report to the Department of Ecology. The procurement reports, now due each year, must record the amount of organic waste diverted from landfills, list active composting facilities, and say how much compost the city or county purchased.

The reports, which will be publicly available, are required from cities or counties with a population of 25,000 or more, as well as from any smaller cities or counties that provide residential organics collection. Spokane, Whitman and Stevens counties are all required to report, as are the cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Deer Park, and more.

JUNE

By the end of June, Ecology will finish a study examining the compost market. Now that the state is pushing companies to make more compost, those companies want to know where they can sell it.

Right now, the two biggest buyers of compost are the Department of Transportation and farmers, says Cullen Naumoff Leese, the organics lead at Ecology. Her team wants to know if those markets are able to buy more, or if there are other markets out there.

...continued on page 22

ECOSYSTEM

NATURE KNOWS BEST

One Inland Northwest advocate points to healthy soil as a way to retain water, filter contamination and keep temperatures cooler

BY COLTON RASANEN

In fall 2023, Kathryn Alexander met with then-mayoral candidate Lisa Brown to talk about compost. Alexander isn’t a climate scientist or someone with an extensive background in researching compost and soil health, but she was interested in ways that we, as individuals and as a community, can better care for our environment.

Brown was interested in a proposal on compost, so Alexander spent the next few months writing one up. When she finally presented it to Mayor Brown early last year, she was told it wouldn’t be feasible due to the city’s $50 million budget deficit.

So in February 2024, Alexander decided to start a company to work on the issue called Soil Smart - Soil Wise.

“When I submitted it to her she said, ‘Thanks very much for writing this, but the budget is short,’” Alexander recalls. “That was just before [the 50th anniversary of] Expo, and I just could not let that opportunity go.”

The name, a play on the phrase “You’re smart before you’re wise,” cleverly defines how she views the relationship between humans and nature. As humans we may be smart about our efforts to mitigate climate change, but nature, Alexander argues, is wise enough to know what needs to be done to stay healthy.

There are many complicated ways that climate scientists hope to help our warming planet, but she thinks that something as simple as fostering soil health in our community can make a huge difference.

“We plan to offer classes as part of the educational thing, and we’ll have a series of webinars this winter with three or four that will be going up very soon on rethinking community. We all want community, so thinking about how to redesign what we already have is really useful,” Alexander says. “This work gets you out of the doldrums of ‘Oh my God, the world’s falling apart.’ Yes, it is, but look at how you can bring it back together as a community.”

Below are a few ways that Alexander thinks we can improve our soil health and our environment in Spokane.

COMPOST & BIOCHAR

One of the main things that individuals can do to improve soil health is to add organic materials, such as compost or biochar, to their yards or gardens. While most know about compost, biochar is relatively unknown among the general public, Alexander says.

“One of the major impacts we can have on climate change is to work to cool the planet. We’re not doing that, we’re trying to make it less hot. It’s like blowing on the fire as opposed to putting the fire out,” Alexander says.“Plants help cool [the air], but in order to make that successful, you have to have water in the dirt. And in order to have water in the dirt, you have to have healthy soil.”

Alexander has high hopes for Soil Smart - Soil Wise’s impact in Spokane. For now, much of her work is based in advocacy and community education.

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance that is made by incinerating organic material in a container with very little oxygen. Burning these materials under those conditions can create a stable form of carbon that won’t escape into the atmosphere. Alexander argues that this substance can act as a form of carbon sequestration and make our soil and atmosphere healthier.

“We’re working with the city and with our regional composter to see if we have a place that will make biochar here,” she says. “We’re also hoping to do an experiment here in the next couple of years to see if biochar will take metals out of water. That would be really useful because we’ve got a lot of gunk in our soil.”

Alexander also plans to apply for grants in the near future to pilot biochar uses in the Inland Northwest.

Already, the Lands Council — a nonprofit focused on preserving and revitalizing Inland Northwest forests, water and wildlife — and the city of Spokane have piloted storm gardens with a layer of biochar in the Shadle Park ...continued on page 23

Kathryn Alexander COURTESY PHOTO

SUSTAINABILITY

JULY

Every July, Ecology now updates its map of Business Organics Management Areas, in which businesses like restaurants must compost or reduce their organic waste. These areas are determined by the availability of a collection service and the capacity of a nearby compost facility, which cities report to Ecology.

As of Jan. 1, businesses in a Business Organics Management Area producing at least 4 cubic yards of organic waste a week have to compost that waste. That’s stricter than it was last year, when only businesses producing at least 8 cubic yards each week were subject to the requirement. Even more businesses will be required to compost next year, when the qualification drops to 96 gallons of organic waste per week.

Right now, Spokane says it does not have a collector or compost facility that can handle more commercial organic waste, so it is not a Business Organics Management Area. But the map of these areas is subject to change. If a new company sees an opportunity in Spokane, Naumoff Leese says, Spokane could join the list in a future year.

SEPT. 1

Come fall, Ecology and the Washington state Department of Agriculture will deliver a study to the Legislature about produce stickers, including the viability of compostable options or ones without plastic adhesives. Plastic is one of the most common contaminants in compost, and stickers on fruits and vegetables are par-

ticularly frustrating for commercial composters to deal with. Commonly used stickers are not harmful and will pass right through you if you accidentally eat one, but most aren’t compostable.

When plastic is ground up and mixed in with compost and then distributed on landscaping projects, however, it can add to soil contamination concerns, especially around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”

“Nationally, we don’t have great PFAS or microplastic testing techniques for soil and compost,” Naumoff Leese says. “So when we think about the Department of Transportation that’s putting it on land, but also agriculture, we don’t necessarily want to be putting microplastics into either of those layout applications.” n

Barr-Tech Composting, which composts organic waste from Spokane, has told the Department of Ecology it’s already at capacity and can’t take more waste. ELIZA BILLINGHAM PHOTO

“BLACK GOLD,” CONTINUED...

neighborhood, near Garland Avenue. Since the material is so porous, it can hold more water, making it an effective tool for flood mitigation in these storm gardens, says Amanda Parrish, the Lands Council’s executive director.

WATER RETENTION

Using additives such as biochar in soil has the potential to increase its water retention capacity, but that’s just one method to better our soil health. Alexander says we also need to ensure we’re creating other conditions that allow more water retention.

“Our hope would be that the city and the state would agree that all new development must design land to hold water first before they build,” Alexander says. “You want to create swales and dry creek beds and rain

gardens and other kinds of things which are beautiful to look at and which give water a chance.”

However, even without government requirements, this is something every resident can do, she says. People can plant native species in their gardens and replace unsustainable grassy lawns with things like moss, clover or ornamental grasses that can turn a traditional lawn into something of a meadow.

“Right now we just usually have flat ground with green grass, which is not functional, and it’s ecologically unstable,” she says. “It’s not rocket science, if you have a shovel you can even put swales into your own yard.”

MIYAWAKI FORESTS

Did you know we could plant a forest in as little as six

Admissions opens 4 PM 11 AM Session begins 6 PM 1 PM

parking spaces?

Densely planting a diverse selection of trees and native plants in a small area is known as the Miyawaki method. Developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, these forests have been found to grow up to eight times faster because they simulate the growth of a natural forest, rather than a man-made one.

Alexander thinks bringing these types of forests to Spokane could be vital in the effort to cool our planet. She says there are plans in the University District to plant the city’s first Miyawaki forest.

“If we [do] that often enough and together enough, not just in patches, but begin to really fill in places around the city, then we increase the capacity of our area to have and retain rain,” she says. n

February

FEBRUARY 1ST — 3RD

SAT Matinee Session

Regular Session

SUN Regular Session – $5 Buy-in

(minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

MON Monday Night Bingo – Kiss My Cash Bingo

FEBRUARY 7TH — 10TH

FRI Regular Session – $5 Buy-in (minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

5 Stay & Play Bingo

Packages Giveaway

SAT Matinee Session

Regular Session – $5 Buy-in (minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

SUN Regular Session – Big Game Day Bingo $5 Buy-in

*Session types and hours are subject to change on holidays and during other special event celebrations. Please see the Bingo venue for more details.

WELCOME HOME. WELCOME HOME. SCAN FOR MORE

KISS MY CASH BINGO

Mondays in February – 10 names will be drawn to play a Plinkostyle game board for the chance to win Bingo Cash. Must buy-in

(minimum electronic buy-in $25). All regular games pay $1,000. Wear a pro football jersey to receive a free 6-on (paper or machine).

Appetizer bar included with buy-in.

MON Monday Night Bingo – Kiss My Cash Bingo

FEBRUARY 14TH — 17TH

FRI Regular Session – Pucker Up Bingo pick your lips for EPC.

Special Session – Blacklight

Romantic Rager Session starts at 11 PM. Glow-in-the-dark late night matinee-style bingo with music and fun.

SAT Matinee Session – Pucker Up Bingo pick your lips for EPC.

Regular Session – Pucker Up Bingo pick your lips for EPC.

SUN Regular Session – $5 Buy-in (minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000. Pucker Up Bingo pick your lips for EPC.

MON Monday Night Bingo – Kiss My Cash Bingo and Pucker Up Bingo pick your lips for EPC.

FEBRUARY 21ST — 24TH

FRI Regular Session – 5 Stay & Play Bingo Packages Giveaway

SAT Matinee Session

Regular Session

SUN Regular Session – $5 Buy-in (minimum electronic buy-in $25). All regular games pay $1,000.

MON Monday Night Bingo – Kiss My Cash Bingo

FEBRUARY 28TH

FRI Regular Session

SUSTAINABILITY

RESURRECTED

RETURNS

Spokane’s returned goods economy keeps items out of landfills, reducing waste and carbon emissions

BY VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ

On a cold Thursday morning in early January, BuyWander workers organize and unpack items from plastic-wrapped pallets. In the front of the warehouse at 2626 E. Trent Ave. in Spokane, a mother begins to pick up items she successfully bid for online. Her auction purchases, mostly household items, include a toy for her daughter, who’s eagerly waiting in her car seat.

Opened in 2023, BuyWander is a local business that’s part of a retail sustainability movement selling returned goods at affordable prices. It’s helping prevent the increasing number of returned goods from finding their way into landfills.

Through BuyWander’s website, buywander.com, customers can bid online for items in perfect condition or some that are lightly damaged, at often drastically lower prices. Markdowns on big-ticket items can be 75% cheaper than the price at big-box retailers. BuyWander doesn’t ship anything to bid winners, allowing the business to pass on savings by having customers pick up their items at the warehouse.

The returned goods store was founded by entrepreneur Jordan Allen, who previously founded Stay Alfred, a Spokane-based venture offering upscale travel apartment rentals that closed as a result of the pandemic.

The team at BuyWander also includes co-founders Brock Kowalchuk, the former CEO of local e-commerce company Kaspien Holdings (formerly Etailz), and Matt McGee, who also has extensive experience in e-commerce.

BuyWander’s leaders estimate that they sell about 96,000 items a year and that they have prevented more than 807,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through their business over the last year.

Kowalchuk estimates that with BuyWander’s continued growth, they will continue to reduce emissions.

“We’ll save over a million pounds of CO2 this year, or CO2 equivalent, from entering the atmosphere, just by reusing these goods,” Kowalchuk says. “Then you think about cutting the freight out, logistics and everything that goes into the life cycle of a return.”

CleanHub, a company focused on combating plastic pollution, estimates that 24 million metric tons of CO2 emissions are attributed to e-commerce returns yearly.

The National Retail Federation reports that retailers expect 16% of their goods to be returned.

Kowalchuk says that if you calculate the billions in sales from local big-box retailers and factor in the average return rate, there could be about $300 million in returns just in Spokane’s local retail ecosystem.

Allen says he was previously unaware of how massive the return industry is and how many tons of goods end up in warehouses.

“I was clueless, and I figured everything went back up on the shelf,” Allen says. “So when I got exposed to this industry for the first time and saw hundreds of semitrucks rolling into warehouses every single day, hundreds every day, my mind was blown.”

The sustainability impact is just one draw for BuyWander, Allen and Kowalchuk say. The company has also utilized its unique business to donate to local charities, helping homeless individuals with shoes and clothes and providing backpacks for needy students.

BuyWander’s founders say the community’s re-

BuyWander never knows what will be in the shipments of returned items it purchases.

“We get some really wild stuff,” CEO Jordan Allen says.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

CEO Jordan Allen

sponse has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the ability to afford items on a small budget. The growing community support is allowing the business to move to a larger warehouse to accommodate the demand and growth. The move is expected to happen in the next month or so, to a new facility in Spokane Valley.

Spokane Bins is another local returned goods business that operates with a different model. Each week, the company (at 5320 E. Sprague) fills large bins with returned goods that customers sort through. Anything found in the bins can be purchased at the same set price, which decreases each day of the week as the selection shrinks.

Spokane Bins founder Michelle Miller says the amount of returned goods that she could buy by the truckload didn’t surprise her because of the current culture of online consumerism.

“Getting a whole truckload of [returned goods] and seeing it is pretty wild and overwhelming initially,” Miller says. “But I don’t think it was shocking to me because I kind of already had that expectation.”

Miller says she would like to source returned merchandise locally from large online retailers to reduce emissions. However, she says she hasn’t been able to get a call or email back from the largest online retailer with warehouses in the Inland Northwest (which she asked not to name, since she still hopes to work with them). She says many returned goods she receives come from the Eastern U.S. or warehouses in Nevada.

“I would love to be able to get our returns locally so that we can have less of a carbon footprint,” Miller says. “It’s really up to the online retailers.”

Even with the growth of stores like BuyWander and Spokane Bins, more conscientious consumerism is needed to address the environmental impacts of online shopping. Optoro, a cloud-based returns management system, estimates that in 2023, returns created 8.4 billion pounds of landfill waste in the U.S. alone. n

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SUSTAINABILITY

RECYCLING

PROPER PLACE

From chip bags to disposable vapes, here’s where to recycle or dispose of difficult items in the Spokane area

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

If you’re really into recycling, you likely already know that not everything actually gets recycled, or can be recycled. Not to mention, there are many items that recycling services specifically don’t want.

So where do you take those hard-to-recycle items?

One option that’s recently become available in the Inland Northwest is a mail-in service for difficult plastics that local recycling facilities don’t accept, from food bags to packaging materials.

Ridwell, a Seattle company, has recently started offering $30 “express” kits, which people can order online at express.ridwell.com/get-started.

In the kits, consumers receive two bags with prepaid shipping to collect two different types of packaging in. Once the bags are full of each kind of item, you can seal them up and schedule a pickup with the U.S. Postal Service or drop it off at the post office to be sent to Ridwell’s warehouse for sorting. Refill bags then cost about $9 to $12.

What’s now Ridwell was first conceptualized in fall 2018 by Ryan Metzger and his son Owen, who was 6 at the time. Metzger and his wife taught their two sons the value of not tossing out things that don’t belong in the trash. After a bunch of clothing, old electronics, foam packaging and other items started to pile up in a room of their home, Metzger and his son started picking one category a week to research and then take to the proper recycler. Soon, they started offering pickup for their neighbors via their service “Owen’s List.”

“We would make posts and say, ‘Hey, we found a place that takes Styrofoam,’” Metzger says, using the name people casually use for foam packaging (which is actually made of a different material called expanded polystyrene). “That got really popular quickly. We did over 1,000 pickups amongst neighbors, and had 30 categories. It became this community of over 4,000 people who shared a desire of not putting things to waste.”

At the time, China had also announced it would no longer take highly polluted shipments of America’s recycling, and many people around the U.S. were starting to realize that very little plastic was actually getting recycled. Metzger found places that would actually take some of the products people were concerned about, and Ridwell was born.

Now, the company offers pickups in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, the Bay Area, Austin and Atlanta, with items going to warehouses in each region for sorting into bales that are shipped to companies that turn those items into new things.

Metzger says it’s important to him to be transparent about who they work with.

Plastic films are sent to Trex to be mechanically recycled and turned into plastic decking with the addition of sawdust. This category of plastics includes Amazon bubble mailers (but excludes bubble mailers that have paper on the outside), polybags used by other shippers, bubble wrap, Ziploc bags, air-filled pillows used to cushion items in packages, grocery bags, bread bags, newspaper bags, produce bags, the plastic packaging found on items like toilet paper and paper towels, and more.

It took longer to find a recycler to take multilayer plastic packaging — think chip bags, candy wrappers, plastic coffee bags, resealable food bags, frozen food bags, packaging with shiny lining, woven plastic, produce net bags and more.

For that category, Ridwell works with HydroBlox, which creates products meant to help with drainage in landscaping and construction projects.

Eastern Washington and North Idaho residents can collect both plastic films and multilayer plastics (which need to be clean and dry) for recycling through Ridwell’s “express” service.

In the cities where Ridwell offers its full service, more items are picked up on set collection days, including batteries, plastic clamshell containers, clothing and textiles, lightbulbs, and flat plastic lids.

“We only expand to new areas where there’s enough interest to do it efficiently,” Metzger says, noting that Spokane could join the list if the express service proves popular. “We hope it is a bridge to bringing the full pickup service there.”

Meanwhile, here are some options for other difficult items.

FOAM

While Washington is working to restrict foam packaging, there are still some uses allowed, including foam coolers for meal kit services and medications, as well as compact foam used to cushion products inside a box, such as TVs. These types of foam can be dropped off at FMI-EPS, located at 9456 McGuire Road in Post Falls, between 8 am and 3 pm Monday through Friday. The foam needs to be free of any tape or glue, and the facility does not accept packing peanuts or colored foam.

VAPES/LITHIUM BATTERIES/ HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

DO NOT throw away disposable vapes, or any rechargeable lithium battery, such as those found in phones, computers, watches, power tools, and more. While it’s OK to throw away alkaline batteries (think your typical single-use AA batteries), you shouldn’t throw away lithium batteries due to the fire hazard they present. In particular, vapes also fall under the hazardous materials category. The Spokane County website state that, “0% mercury containing or alkaline batteries (regular household batteries, single use) are safe for disposal in the regular trash, but lithium and other rechargeable batteries pose significantly greater risk of fire.” All types of batteries and many types of hazardous materials can be dropped off at Spokane County transfer stations, which are located at 22123 N. Elk-Chattaroy Road in Colbert, at 3941 N. Sullivan Road in Spokane Valley, and at the Waste to Energy Facility at 2900 S. Geiger Blvd. in Spokane.

OTHER

Check out the Spokane River Forum’s extensive recycling and waste directory for where to take various unwanted items in Spokane and Kootenai counties: spokaneriver.net/wastedirectory. n

Spokane has an option for recycling tricky plastics now.

PHOTO COURTESY RIDWELL

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QUICK TAKES

SUSTAINABILITY

ENVIRONMENTAL ROUNDUP

Some bite-sized environmental updates, and where to volunteer

FOAM BAN

In June, the second half of Washington’s expanded polystyrene (plastic foam) ban went into effect, requiring businesses to stop using the material commonly, yet mistakenly, referred to as Styrofoam. This ban now prohibits plastic foam packaging for takeout containers at restaurants as well as the sale of lightweight coolers previously found at the grocery and sporting goods stores. Since the ban started six months ago, the state Department of Ecology has received more than 100 complaints of noncompliance, mainly from food service businesses, says Heather Church, Ecology’s waste reduction and recycling specialist. The department is able to fine noncompliant businesses up to $250 for a first offense. However, Church says that Ecology will often provide education and technical assistance for noncompliant businesses, manufacturers and distributors. “Most of the time these businesses just didn’t know about these rules, and that’s a chance for us to teach them,” she says. “We’re working to make sure everyone has this knowledge.” For further information on Washington’s expanded polystyrene ban visit ecology.wa.gov/epsban or email heather.church@ecy.wa.gov.

— COLTON RASANEN

DUST TO DUST

In 2019, Washington became the first state to legalize natural organic reduction, more commonly known as human composting. The process is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional burial or cremation. Human composting turns a human body into nutrient-rich soil that can be used to fertilize forests or be returned to the family of the deceased. The process has quickly gained popularity. Currently, 12 states have passed legislation approving natural organic reduction. Most recently, Colorado, California, and Arizona approved the pro-

SIGN ME UP!

The Inland Northwest offers many reasons to cherish the majestic nature around the region. Thankfully, many regional environmental organizations provide volunteer opportunities to keep the rivers blue, trees green and wildlife thriving. Here’s a short list.

DISHMAN HILLS CONSERVANCY

cess. Four providers with human composting facilities currently operate in Washington, with Earth Funeral, based in Auburn, providing services for Spokane County. Costs can be as little as $6,000, which can be far less expensive than a traditional burial.

Haley Morris, Earth Funeral spokesperson, says more than 3,000 families have signed up for immediate or preplanned arrangements.

“Washington is a pioneer when it comes to offering a more sustainable, gentle, safe and respectful alternative to cremation,” Morris says. “It’s our hope that more states look to Washington’s lead and make human composting available to those who want it.” The composting of a body is a net-zero carbon emission process. Cremation averages 535 pounds of carbon emissions per body.

— VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ

KIDS’ CLIMATE WIN

Last month, the Montana Supreme Court made a historic ruling in a unique climate change case brought by 16 young Montanans in 2020 (the Inlander wrote about the case on April 21, 2022). On Dec. 18, 2024, the court ruled 6-1 in the youths’ favor, finding that Montana’s rule prohibiting the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions when permitting fossil fuel proj-

The mission of the Dishman Hills Conservancy is to protect the Dishman Hills Natural Resources Conservation Area while connecting people to nature through education, recreation and stewardship. The nonprofit offers many educational opportunities to learn how to contribute positively to the Dishman Hills environment. A tree-thinning volunteer opportunity is set for Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 pm, led by Jessica Walston, a forest ecologist with the Washington state Department of Natural Resources. Find more events and info at dishmanhills.org.

SPOKANE AUDOBON SOCIETY

Spokane Audubon Society advocates for birds and their habitats in the Inland Northwest and connects people with nature. The organization regularly offers educational field trips. Volunteers can help with bird counts, support local kestrel populations with nesting boxes, and work with the “Save-a-Bird” program. In 2024, “Save-a-Bird” volunteers logged 300 hours and 5,000 miles responding to questions from the public and incidents involving sick or injured birds. Learn about volunteer opportunities at audubonspokane.org.

ects in the state is a violation of the state’s constitution. The Montana Constitution explicitly promises the inalienable “right to a clean and healthful environment.” But Montana lawmakers had passed a rule explicitly prohibiting state agencies from studying greenhouse gas emissions when reviewing environmental impacts for proposed projects. The rule is no longer enforceable. This was the first climate change case of its kind to go to trial. “This is a monumental moment for Montana, our youth, and the future of our planet,” said Nate Bellinger, lead counsel to the plaintiffs, in an email shortly after the ruling. “This is a victory for young people and for generations to come. The court said loud and clear: Montana’s Constitution does not grant the state a free pass to ignore climate change because others fail to act — this landmark decision underscores the state’s affirmative duty to lead by example.”

— SAMANTHA

WOHLFEIL

SIERRA CLUB: KOOTENAI ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE

Kootenai Environmental Alliance is the leading grassroots advocate for Lake Coeur d’Alene and its watershed. The nonprofit’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore environmental resources in North Idaho. An allvolunteer board leads the organization with no paid staff and many volunteer opportunities. Find volunteer applications at funnels.kealliance.org/ volunteer

UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER

The Sierra Club of the Upper Columbia River is a grassroots environmental organization that protects and preserves the region’s natural resources, including the Spokane River. The group advocates for clean air, water, and sustainable land use while promoting conservation and climate action efforts through education and outreach. Learn more at ucrsierraclub.org

These Montana kids secured a huge win for the climate and themselves. PHOTOS COURTESY OUR CHILDREN’S TRUST

OPENING

A TASTE OF HOME

The Mahmoud family brings authentic Syrian cuisine to Spokane Valley with the new Arabian Palace

BY DORA SCOTT

When war broke out in Syria in 2011, Abdulkareem Mahmoud had to leave his life and his family restaurant behind. He’d grown up in the industry, starting at age 8 when he began helping his father in their family business that specialized in savory pastries.

His father eventually passed the business on to his children, and Mahmoud had been running the restaurant for 10 years when civil war broke out between Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime and rebel groups.

“The war started, and everything he put in to make the [restaurant] run successfully and like everything is gone,” says Maher Mahmoud, Abdulkareem’s eldest son.

Maher is a co-owner alongside his father and brother, Mohammad, of the family’s new restaurant, Arabian Palace, which opened Jan. 4 in the corner space of a small retail complex on East Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley.

The interior of the Middle Eastern restaurant is modern but cozy, with a kiosk area for checkout and a cold case displaying handmade desserts like baklava

($5.50-$6.50) and knafeh ($6.50), a sweet cheesy pastry. Though the restaurant is currently light on decor, the food does plenty of talking.

When people think of Middle Eastern cuisine, oftentimes shawarma is the first thing that comes to mind. Arabian Palace aptly serves shawarma, seasoned meat stacked and slow roasted until tender, and served wrapped in lavash bread. Ordered by itself ($9-$10) or as a combo ($14.50-$15.50) with fries, it’s the perfect lunch.

However, Maher recommends diners challenge their comfort zone and order something they’ve never tried before as well.

“I think the name of the food, it’s different, so that’s why people are afraid to try it. But when they try it they will like it and they start to order it [again],” Maher says.

Arabian Palace’s entire menu is made fresh daily by hand, with nothing frozen, ensuring high quality for reasonable price points.

For those unfamiliar with Middle Eastern cuisine, Maher recommends the lamb ouzi ($18.50), an aromatic rice dish topped with peas, cashews, almonds, raisins

and seasoned, tender lamb that’s served with saloona, a tomato-based sauce.

If you’re not quite sure what to try, order the mixed appetizer plater ($12.50) with hummus, baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant), doma (grape leaves filled with rice, tomato and garlic) and kibbeh (ground beef, onion, walnut and bulgur wheat).

Arabian Palace’s savory pastries ($7.50-$8), called fatayer, have a pizza-like appearance, making them more approachable to a Western palate. The fatayer come in varieties like cheese, za’atar (a spice blend with earthy, citrus and nutty undertones), muhammara (tomato, onion, ground chili olive oil, black seed and cheeses), and ground beef marinated with tomato, onion and pomegranate molasses.

On a cold day, a bowl of lentil soup ($8) is a great side or can be enjoyed alone as a lighter meal, served with pita bread.

For a good dose of probiotics, get a cup of ayran ($3), served in a traditional copper cup. This savory yogurt drink will take your tastebuds for a ride with its

Arabian Palace’s lamb ouzi with lentil soup. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

sour and salty kick and subtle minty aftertaste.

Vimto ($3.50), a popular mixed berry soft drink in the Middle East, is another beverage choice. Maher also hopes to bring a sweet and tangy tamarind drink to the menu during the month of Ramadan (this year Feb. 28 to March 29), a time when it’s commonly drunk for a kick of sugar after a long day of fasting.

Other additions to Arabian Palace’s menu are also in the works, with plans to test and potentially add customizable bowls and another favorite Middle Eastern food: falafel.

The Mahmouds’ experience cooking and running a restaurant was one of the few things the family could take with them after fleeing Syria in 2011 and initially taking refuge in Jordan, where they lived for four years.

There, Abdulkareem worked in the bakery department of a mall, and Maher dropped out of school at age 11 to help support the family, working multiple jobs like welding.

A representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees then called the family, accepting their case and helping them move to the United States. In 2015, after a series of interviews and background checks, Abdulkareem moved to Spokane with his wife and four children.

The Mahmoud family lived in Spokane for about three years, but then decided to move to Kentucky in search of better work opportunities. When the Southern climate wasn’t agreeable to Abdulkareem’s health, however, they decided to return to Spokane six months later.

When Feast World Kitchen opened in 2019, Abdulkareem was one of the first chefs to bring authentic, fresh Syrian cuisine to the Inland Northwest via his monthly menu.

“My dad started working with Feast World Kitchen and … he was also doing part time [work at the] Salvation Army,” Maher says. “That’s what he was doing until he said, ‘I want to open my own business.’”

For five years, the family looked for locations around Spokane to open their Middle Eastern restaurant, eventually finding the spot on East Sprague to make their dream a reality.

With the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024, the Mahmouds also now have the opportunity to visit their homeland since leaving 14 years ago.

“My family on my mom’s side is still in Syria,” Maher says. “We hope [Arabian Palace is] going to be running successfully — that way [we can also] give back to our family, especially right now with everything settled in Syria, [and] help them to build their house back and everything, to find a good place to live in.”

“I want to thank the Spokane community and thank them for their support,” he says, translating for his father, Abdulkareem. “And also, I would like the people who did not try our food, please come try it and give us your feedback.” n

Arabian Palace • 4902 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley • Open daily 10 am-9 pm • 509-251-3459

Owners Mohammad, left, Abdulkareem, center, and Maher Mahmoud.

ALSO OPENING

COMPANION

When an android built for human companionship (Sophie Thatcher) goes haywire, things get bloody for her owner (Jack Quaid) and his friends in this stylish horror flick. Rated R

DOG MAN

In this comedic kiddie CGI animated spinoff of the Captain Underpants series, a police officer and his dog are surgically fused together creating a super crime fighter with the brain of a pup. Rated PG

LOVE ME

After the end of human civilization, a buoy and a satellite (both with artificial intelligence) sync up and fall in love while trying to understand what it means to be alive after watching videos of humans (Kristen Stewart, Steven Yeun). Rated R

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

The winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, this Persian political drama focuses on an Iranian judge and his family dealing with uncertain paranoia as nationwide protests break out following the death of a young woman in police custody. Rated PG-13

ALSO OPENING: Valiant One (R), Detective Chinatown 1900 (NR), Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (NR)

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Dancing Soon to a Big Screen Near You

Spotlighting some of the standout movies from this year’s Sundance Film Festival

BY CHASE HUTCHINSON

The first big movie event of 2025, the Sundance Film Festival, is fast fading in the rearview mirror. This means, after navigating the colds of Park City, Utah, for what may be one of the last times (as the festival is considering changing cities), we can all look ahead to the year ahead of moviegoing with our first sense of what we should keep an eye out for later in the cinematic calendar.

This year’s slate featured what is certain to be one of the most striking works of art this year, a film that feels like a two-hour panic attack, a magnificent Washington-

shot and set film about life itself, a diabolical dramedy about men who would rather go to a Seattle Kraken hockey game than therapy, and a dynamic documentary that deconstructs the manipulative modern true crime phenomena. These were the Sundance films that rose to the very top.

APRIL

There are some films that mark a turning point between the person you were before you saw it and the one you were after, rewiring your very brain as it expands what your conception of cinema can be. Part of a long tradition of thoughtful, slow and evocative works, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s astounding April is absolutely one such film.

Profoundly yet delicately constructed, it follows the caring yet troubled Nina (played with immense power by Ia Sukhitashvili) as she works as an obstetrician in rural Georgia and performs abortions in secret. It’s a formally audacious work whose stunning visuals are given that

much more life by its stellar sound design. Though grounded in painfully terrifying truths, namely surrounding a sham of an investigation into whether Nina was negligent with a pregnant patient (that is really about the judgment some have about her performing abortions), it’s also about the sensory parts of nature that we navigate in long drives and sweeping sequences where the camera floats along through the landscape. Juxtaposed alongside several extended sequences of medical care, it is all about the way pain takes hold and agony that can come even amid the beauty of the world. It’s certain to be not just one of the year’s best, but one of the best works of the 21st century.

Releasing in select theaters on April 25.

IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU

Another painful yet essential work, Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You was the true knockout of the festival. While it may be tough for many to go for a full eight

Zodiac Killer Project subverts true crime and streaming culture.

rounds with it, it’s all the more impactful because of that. Immersing us in the life of Linda (played by a riveting Rose Byrne in her best role to date), we follow her as everything seems to be completely falling apart.

Her child, who we almost never see, has some sort of illness that requires a feeding tube. Her apartment has suddenly developed a giant hole which forces them to temporarily move to a motel. Her husband is a complete asshole who just yells at her on the phone. And, worst of all, her therapist/colleague is Conan O’Brien. As she navigates this nightmare of an existence almost entirely alone, the film essentially becomes a nearly two-hour panic attack with surreal flourishes throughout. It’s uncompromising, darkly funny, a completely devastating must-see.

Releasing in theaters later this year.

TRAIN DREAMS

The most Washingtonian of all the films at Sundance this year, Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams captures the beauty of the state as few ever have (including by shooting in Spokane). It’s one of the most truly transcendent films you’ll ever be lucky enough to see. Based on the novella of the same name by Denis Johnson, it stars a never-better Joel Edgerton as the laborer Robert Grainier, who moves from Idaho to remote Washington in order to build a life with Gladys (a fantastic Felicity Jones) while the country continues to rapidly change before his eyes.

The story itself is best left to the film, as tragedy looms over Robert and threatens to destroy all that he has built, though the vast chasm of agony that comes is matched only by the boundless beauty of the way it is all captured. Bringing the same care and attention to the textures of nature as the best Terrence Malick films, cinematographer Adolpho Veloso creates an experience that rips the air right from your lungs before leaving you adrift in the woods, wandering with Robert to find connection that may remain forever just out of reach. What is eternal is the breathtaking experience it creates, making it one of the best films to ever come out of the Evergreen State. One hopes Train Dreams will lead to many more down the track.

Expected to release in theaters later this year.

TWINLESS

Time for a fun one that also happens to be one of the more unexpectedly nuanced, yet still chaotic, explorations of modern loneliness. Twinless, written, directed and starring an excellent James Sweeney, requires being rather coy about what it has in store as it is not what you expect it to be.

The initial hook involves the grieving Roman who has recently lost identical twin Rocky (both of whom are played by a delightful Dylan O’Brien at his very best) and is struggling to carry on. When he begins attending a support group for those who have lost their identical siblings, he meets Dennis (Sweeney) who says he also lost his twin. The two then begin to grow close, doing menial tasks like grocery shopping and just being there for each other.

However, not all is what it seems and soon the rug will be pulled out from under the film, sending us on a journey that is as humorous as it is surprisingly insightful. What this is can’t be spoiled, but let’s just say someone is deceiving someone. Also a PNW film, it’s not only set but shot in Portland, but the duo attend multiple Seattle Kraken games.

It’s a terrific little flick to see with your best friend who you can totally trust about everything that he tells you as he would never, ever lie to you.

Expected to release in theaters later this year.

ZODIAC KILLER PROJECT

Last but definitely not least, Charlie Shackleton’s Zodiac Killer Project is the true discovery of the festival that takes a scalpel to the modern state of true crime with sharp wit while doubling as a fascinating deconstruction of how one makes a movie. It takes no prisoners, poking fun at streamers like Netflix and also itself.

Without tipping off too much, it opens with Shackleton narrating over footage of where he would have shot his film about a man who claimed to know who the Zodiac Killer was. However, the project fell apart due to rights issues, and he now is making a film about what he would have done. It not only becomes far better than whatever he would have made before, but it is one of the most simple yet refreshing takes on the form to show at the festival. Just don’t expect to see this one on Netflix (even if that would be very funny).

Art is (Still) Hard

Cursive’s sharp edges haven’t dulled, as its 10th LP Devourer showcases

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Musicians tend to soften with age. It’s the natural way of things. Bands usually start as collectives of friends with fires in their bellies, but as time passes there tends to be less fire and more indigestion in said tummies. Vocal chords that once effortlessly bellowed grow worn and frayed by years of borderline abuse on the road. There’s just a general energy drain for most musicians the further they get from the start of their careers. Cursive is the exception that proves the rule. Since starting out in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995, the band led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Tim Kasher has carved a path that’s closer to progressive escalation than slow decline. The group broke into the national conversation in a real way with its third LP, 2000’s Domestica, an album that would soon become a touchstone of Second Wave emo. The weird part of that is how little Cursive actually fits any sort of label, emo or otherwise. Take for example the group’s 2003 follow-up The Ugly Organ, which is also a landmark classic, but more for the indie rockers. It’s

a testament to the band that you could probably give a new listener any of Cursive’s last seven albums, and it wouldn’t be instantly clear what order they came out in. The group’s cello-laden post-hardcore sound is not only hard to pin down, but things keep getting sonically harder. And that’s certainly the case for Cursive’s 10th and latest album, 2024’s Devourer

“As a music appreciator and as a musician, I’ve kind of gone the opposite direction that I think we all expect us to do when we get older. I kind of got into heavier music older,” Kasher says. “When I was younger, I really grew up on Britpop and stuff like that. And then, you know, I had a dalliance with Iron Maiden and Metallica — just kind of skimming the top of metal. And then I got older, and I just kind of got a lot more interested in it, and I see it reflected in the last 15 years of what I was doing with Cursive. I’m not saying that Cursive ever became a metal band, but it just kind of became heavier and darker. And as a fan of that kind of music, that works for me.”

An argument could be made that Devourer is Cursive’s fiercest album yet with Kasher and company wailing through track after track of delightfully heavy riffs and subject material. The album-opening “Botch Job” gets the teeth out early as the tune lyrically bemoans life not feeling like how you once dreamed it’d be. It’s followed by the album’s most melodic moments as “Up and Away” boasts a cheekily bubbly pop chorus that’s counterbalanced by an underlying dissonance centered on endless disappointments. Other tracks like “What the F—” thrash with pure existential angst. Instrumentally, things lean to almost headbanger levels at times (even going with a two-drummer approach on “Rookie”), with Megan Siebe’s cello almost serving as a comfort blanket for when things get really gnarly.

“I guess one of the MOs that I had for this record was to bring eclecticism back to our records — in no way to dissing our last three records,” Kasher says. “The pandemic was a time where we all had a lot of time on our hands.

Tim Kasher (center) and Cursive only are growing more ornery with age. BILL SITZMANN PHOTO

It afforded me the opportunity to have so little to do that I listened back to every record I’ve ever done. It helped give me a little bit of scope about what Cursive was and what Cursive became. Listening through the whole catalog, it just kind of reminded me that Cursive is a lot more broad. It used to be so important to us to not fit into [any] genre, and one of the things I wanted to do with this record was kind of get back to that more eclectic approach, where there can be a wider, broader spectrum of styles on one record.”

When struggling to name the new LP, Kasher’s mind began to drift toward thoughts he had about being both a consumer and maker of pop culture.

“Thematically, [the album] is not really about pop culture consumption so much, but that is where the name derived from,” Kasher says. “I had been thinking about the word devourer and how that’s just kind of what I am and so many of us are, just a devourer of the arts. Daily, I’m consuming as much as I can, get ting excited about trying to find something that truly resonates. But then in turn, I go and kind of shit all that out. I hope that those influences are never really on my sleeve, because I don’t like to have over-influence. But what the f---? Of course, we’re all being influenced by everything! I mean, I’ll be influenced by this conversation for something, you know?”

The title Devourer could also be applied in terms of Kasher’s contemplative lyrical views on the consumerist society that we are all living through. “The Avalanche of Our Own Demise” basically just asks the musical question of if we’ll notice when the apocalypse begins (or if it already started).

“What Are We Gonna Do Now” takes sharp-tongued aim at privilege, while “Dead End Days” delivers a synth-heavy screed against a broken society.

“We’ve always kind of gone with the stance that we’re not a political band,” Kasher says. “But then, if you stack us up against most bands, we’re very political. [Laughs] So in my head, there are political bands where that’s their agenda. And I think that’s cool. And I guess there’s a part of me that wants that, because I feel like it’s important and it’s helpful, and you’re including yourself into the larger conversation. But at the end of the day, I always prefer to just do what’s best for the song and for what’s best for the album.”

There is also the borderline requisite Cursive staple of Kasher having wildly self-critical tunes that attempt to lay bare all the ugly navel-gazing side of being a musician. This time the railing against creatures’ toxic nature comes via “Imposturing.” Even after decades of Kasher publicly calling out his ego through songs, he still is more comfortable laying in those thorny fields.

“I keep a journal, but I only write in it about once or twice a month. Just to recap, this was going on lately,” Kasher says. “And for 2025 I was like, ‘Why don’t you do a daily one? You might look back and really appreciate all that documentation.’ So Jan. 1 rolls around, and I’m like, ‘Alright, get started.’ And I just sat there, like, ‘Honestly, this is just a very normal day. Nothing’s really going on. You’re gonna be so bored by this. What are you writing about?’

“That’s my long-winded example of saying that when things are just fine and things that are just going well — who writes about that?” Kasher continues. “With Cursive, that’s something that we started with back in the mid-’90s when we started the band. I felt like as a band, it should always be pushing ideas and questioning things. And that’s kind of where it has continued to land. While that comes out as pessimism and as more of a morose attitude, that’s because that lives within us, even if it’s not outwardly to what we’re experiencing or what we’re projecting. That’s what I find most interesting as a writer.”

Cursive returns to town Feb. 3 for what’s sure to be a rowdy show at The District Bar. As the band’s 2023 visit to Lucky You Lounge as part of the 20th anniversary tour for Domestica proved, the band still completely throws a fastball when it comes to whipping its fans into a frenzy. Even if the original devotees have grown out of the moshing age, it’s hard not to want to match Cursive’s ageless edge. n

INSTRUMENTAL ROCK YESNESS

J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW

J = ALL AGES SHOW

Thursday, 1/30

J THE BIG DIPPER, Dopethrone

J BOTTLE BAY BREWING CO., T-Boys

CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

J MIKEY’S GYROS, Old Timey Music Jam Sessions

J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin

ZOLA, Sydney Dale

Friday, 1/31

BEST WESTERN COEUR D’ALENE, Son of Brad

J THE BIG DIPPER, Hayes Noble, Ghostdivorce, Dream Rotation, Jangled Nerves

BULLHEAD SALOON, Neon Interstate

J THE GRAIN SHED, Haywire NIGHT OWL, DJ Felon

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, One Street Over SPOKANE EAGLES LODGE, Stagecoach West ZOLA, Jason Perry Band, Dave Long

Saturday, 2/1

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Max Daniels

J THE BIG DIPPER, RockFest Battle of the Bands

J BOTTLE BAY BREWING CO., RCA

BULLHEAD SALOON, Neon Interstate

CHALICE BREWING CO., Son of Brad

HIP-POP BRYCE VINE

THE CHAMELEON, Everyone Loves A Villain, London Get Down, Elephant Gun Riot, Paloma, Incoming Days, Midnight Drive, Nathan Chartrey THE DISTRICT BAR, Deep Down Low

J HUCKLEBERRY’S MARKET, The Front Porch Rockers

J J KNITTING FACTORY, Bryce Vine

J MIKEY’S GYROS, The Maples Bars, Earthworks, Starlab Arcada NIGHT OWL, Priestess

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Isaac Smith ZOLA, Sydney Dale Band, Malachi Burrow

Sunday, 2/2

J THE BIG DIPPER, When She Dreams, Hermano Kuya, Horizons, STAR

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Yesness, Sego

J HAMILTON STUDIO, Hot Club of Spokane with Alex Mabe HOGFISH, Open Mic

J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin

J ST. JOHN’S CATHEDRAL, Brittany Jean

Monday, 2/3

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Cursive, Pile

Tuesday, 2/4

SWING LOUNGE, Swing Lounge Live Music Tuesdays ZOLA, The Zola All Star Jam

Wednesday, 2/5

CENTRAL LIBRARY, Come Be Heard Open Mic

Sometimes you just want to both rock and wordlessly vibe out. Yesness is here to help. The duo of bassist Kristen Dunn (El Ten Eleven) and drummer Damon Che (Don Caballero) was introduced via Joyful Noise Recordings founder Karl Hoffstetter and then spent a year crafting music through remote collaboration. The results of their labor arrived in November 2024 in the form of Yesness’ debut LP, See You at the Solipsist Convention. The album dips its toes in various genre sounds — post-rock, funk, ambient, electronic, math rock — with Che crafting a symphony of syncopation for Dunn to play over with her various bass and keyboard sounds. Yesness’ first tour brings the duo to The District to provide an alternative take on a sound bath.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Yesness, Sego • Sun, Feb. 2 at 9 pm • $20 • 21+ • The District Bar • 916 W. First Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com

Listening to the genre-blurring sounds of Bryce Vine, it’s not surprising to learn he grew up a fan of rap, pop punk, alt-rock and pop. He sings with a vibey singer-songwriter swagger and hip-hop cadence, and his tracks can feel rocking in one moment and like chiller electropop the next. After notching three platinum singles in the form of “Sour Patch Kids,” “Drew Barrymore” and “La La Land,” he’s readying his next chapter with the upcoming LP, Motel California. Before the album drops, he looks to heat up the Spokane winter with his summery Cali sound.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Bryce Vine, Jayo • Sat, Feb. 1 at 8 pm • $30 • All ages • Knitting Factory • 919 W. Sprague Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com

THE DISTRICT BAR, The Funeral Portrait, Archers, If Not For Me THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic

J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents ZOLA, Akifumi Kato, Kyle Richard

Just Announced...

THE CHAMELEON, Kyle Smith, Apr. 3.

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Sara Evans, Apr. 3.

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Queensryche, Apr. 10.

THE CHAMELEON, Kuinka, Apr. 11.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Kind Eyes, Apr. 23.

J SPOKANE PAVILION, Goose, May 31.

J HAMILTON STUDIO, Shannon Curtis, June 6.

J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Little Feat, June 21.

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Billing Currington, Kip Moore, July 10.

J GORGE AMPHITHEATRE, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Whiskey Myers, June 6.

J SPOKANE PAVILION, Lord Huron, Oct. 19.

Coming Up...

ZOLA, The Ronaldos, Feb. 6, 5-7 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Joshua Josué: Not Fade Away -

A Tribute to Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, Feb. 6, 7:30 pm.

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Sawyer Brown, Feb. 6, 7:30 pm.

ZOLA, RCA and the Radicals, Feb. 6, 8:30-11:30 pm.

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Grieves, Horrorshow, The Street Sweepers, Feb. 6, 9 pm.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, The Cole Show, Feb. 7, 5-8 pm.

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Sean Patrick Urann, Feb. 7, 6 pm.

J HAMILTON STUDIO, Lucas Brookbank Brown, Feb. 7, 7 pm.

ZOLA, Austin Miller Band, Feb. 7, 9 pm.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Brian Jacobs, Feb. 8, 5-8 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, RockFest Battle of the Bands, Feb. 8, 5:30 pm.

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Pamela Benton, Feb. 8, 6-8 pm.

J BOTTLE BAY BREWING CO., Carson Floyd, Feb. 8, 7-9 pm.

J EICHARDT’S PUB, Heat Speak, Feb. 8, 7-10 pm.

THE CHAMELEON, Good Kid, M.A.A.D Party, Feb. 8, 8 pm.

J MIKEY’S GYROS, It’s a Setup, Public Apology, Violent Abuse, Big Knife, Feb. 8, 8 pm.

KNITTING FACTORY, Shrek Rave, Feb. 8, 9 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Palaye Royale, Johnnie Guilbert, Feb. 10, 8 pm.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Jonathon Nicholson, Feb. 11, 5 pm.

J THE FOX THEATER, Amy Grant, Feb. 11, 7:30 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Coin, Feb. 12, 8 pm.

J BOTTLE BAY BREWING CO., Jason Perry, Feb. 13, 7-9 pm.

HERITAGE BAR & KITCHEN, Pivot Open Mic: Love Stinks, Feb. 13, 7 pm.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, KOSH, Feb. 14, 5-8 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Crooked Teeth, This Could Be Dangerous, Feb. 14, 7:30 pm.

THE CHAMELEON, Au5, Schraeder, Psiyan, Pew Pew Spload, Feb. 14, 9 pm.

THE DISTRICT BAR, Rittz, Doc Backer, Feb. 14, 9 pm.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Zach Simms, Feb. 15, 5-8 pm.

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Green Corduroy, Feb. 15, 6-8 pm.

J BOTTLE BAY BREWING CO., Eric Kegley, Feb. 15, 7-9 pm.

J JAGUAR ROOM AT CHAMELEON, KEZE, Zachary Hartman, Unspoken Truth!, Feb. 15, 8 pm.

THE DISTRICT BAR, Alex Lambert, Feb. 15, 9 pm.

219 LOUNGE, The Jauntee, Feb. 16, 7-11 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Cosmic Ranger, Guillotine Gambit, Bailey Allen Baker, Fossil Fire Fossil Blood, Feb. 16, 7:30 pm.

MUSIC | VENUES

219 LOUNGE • 219 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • 208-263-5673

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS • 4705 N. Fruit Hill Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-927-9463

BABY BAR • 827 W. First Ave. • 509-847-1234

BARRISTER WINERY • 1213 W. Railroad Ave. • 509-465-3591

BEE’S KNEES WHISKY BAR • 1324 W. Lancaster Rd.., Hayden • 208-758-0558

BERSERK • 125 S. Stevens St. • 509-315-5101

THE BIG DIPPER • 171 S. Washington St. • 509-863-8098

BIGFOOT PUB • 9115 N. Division St. • 509-467-9638

BING CROSBY THEATER • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-227-7638

BLACK DIAMOND • 9614 E. Sprague Ave. • 509891-8357

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL • 116 S. Best Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-891-8995

BOOMERS CLASSIC ROCK BAR • 18219 E. Appleway Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-368-9847

BUCER’S COFFEEHOUSE PUB • 201 S. Main St., Moscow • 208-596-0887

THE BULL HEAD • 10211 S. Electric St., Four Lakes • 509-838-9717

CHAN’S RED DRAGON • 1406 W. Third Ave. • 509-838-6688

THE CHAMELEON • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd.

CHECKERBOARD • 1716 E. Sprague Ave. • 509-443-4767

COEUR D’ALENE CASINO • 37914 S. Nukwalqw St., Worley • 800-523-2464

COEUR D’ALENE CELLARS • 3890 N. Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-2336

CRUISERS BAR & GRILL • 6105 W Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-446-7154

CURLEY’S HAUSER JUNCTION • 26433 W. Hwy. 53, Post Falls • 208-773-5816

THE DISTRICT BAR • 916 W. 1st Ave. • 509-244-3279

EICHARDT’S PUB • 212 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-263-4005

FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • 509-279-7000

FOX THEATER • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-624-1200

IRON HORSE • 407 E. Sherman, Coeur d’Alene • 208-667-7314

IRON HORSE BAR & GRILL • 11105 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-926-8411

JOHN’S ALLEY • 114 E. Sixth St., Moscow • 208-883-7662

KNITTING FACTORY • 911 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-244-3279

MARYHILL WINERY • 1303 W. Summit Pkwy. • 509-443-3832

MILLIE’S • 28441 Hwy 57, Priest Lake • 208-443-0510

MOOSE LOUNGE • 401 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-7901

NASHVILLE NORTH • 6361 W. Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-457-9128

NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO • 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • 877-871-6772

NYNE BAR & BISTRO • 232 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-474-1621

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY • 301 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-265-8545

POST FALLS BREWING CO. • 112 N. Spokane St., Post Falls • 208-773-7301

RAZZLE’S BAR & GRILL • 10325 N. Government Way, Hayden • 208-635-5874

RED ROOM LOUNGE • 521 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-838-7613

THE RIDLER PIANO BAR • 718 W. Riverside Ave. • 509-822-7938

SEASONS OF COEUR D’ALENE • 1004 S. Perry St. • 208-664-8008

SPOKANE ARENA • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • 509-279-7000

SPOKANE TRIBE RESORT & CASINO • 14300 US-2, Airway Heights • 877-786-9467

SOUTH PERRY LANTERN • 12303 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-473-9098

STORMIN’ NORMAN’S SHIPFACED SALOON • 12303 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-862-4852

TRANCHE • 705 Berney Dr., Wall Walla • 509-526-3500

ZOLA • 22 W.

DANCE RABBITS & REPERTOIRES

Gear up for a weekend of exquisite dance performance as San Francisco’s ODC Dance makes a weekend stop in Spokane. Starting Friday evening, the contemporary dance company performs Mixed Repertory, which encompasses some of ODC’s best work. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the company performs The Velveteen Rabbit, a narrative based on the classic children’s story about a well-worn stuffed rabbit that comes to life. Through the performance, dancers retell the beloved century-old story by Margery Williams. Both performances are staged at Gonzaga University’s Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. Plus, a group of Gonzaga dancers is set to join ODC for its Friday show.

— COLTON RASANEN

ODC Dance • Fri, Jan. 31 at 7:30 pm (Mixed Repertory, $38$50); Sat, Feb. 1 and Sun., Feb. 2 at 2 pm (The Velveteen Rabbit, $24) • Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center • 211 E. Desmet Ave. • gonzaga.edu/dance

THEATER THE VIRGIN QUEEN

Queen Elizabeth I never married. While some paint her obstinate choice to remain single and childless as the ultimate sign of virtue, the University of Idaho’s Department of Theatre Arts presents a different story with their production of Love, Liz at the Hartung Theater. The play focuses on the gab and gossip between the queen and her closest confidants, who try to sway her heart toward different suitors. Fixated on female friendships, Love, Liz uses a blend of humor and history to try to subvert the male-centric view of what some consider England’s golden age. Pinkies up! Because this tea is piping hot.

— DORA SCOTT

Love, Liz • Thu, Jan. 30-Sun, Feb. 9; Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm • $6-$26 • Hartung Theatre • 625 Stadium Dr., Moscow • uidaho.edu/theatre

COMMUNITY TALK THE TALK

In partnership with Lunarium, Jonathan Shuffield (pictured) from The QueerCentric podcast is hosting a live recording at the late-night teashop presented as a series of roundtable discussions. The first is a deliberation about censorship in social media and in culture with special guest and attorney Sather Gowdy. The QueerCentric podcast aims to give a voice to the local LGBTQ+ community, and Shuffield utilizes his 20-plus years in the media industry to bring this vision to reality. He’s interviewed people of all sexualities, genders and walks of life, and whose stories show the diversity within the queer community in Spokane. Come be a part of the live audience as Shuffield and Gowdy kick off the series.

— DORA SCOTT

The QueerCentric: The Future of Speech • Fri, Jan. 31 from 6:30-8 pm • Free • Lunarium • 1925 N. Monroe St. • thequeercentric.com

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.

VISUAL ARTS PEOPLE OF THE PLATEAU

The concept of “home” is important to everyone. The word alone evokes feelings of togetherness, warmth and belonging. Terrain Gallery’s group show Connective Strands of Spirit, extended to run through March 1, features the work of 10 artists from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation including Joe Feddersen (pictured), William Passmore, Emma Noyes, RYAN! Feddersen, Frank Andrews, Carly Feddersen and more. The artists combine their talents to present a show with breadth, depth and a deep connection to their Indigenous roots through mediums such as beading, painting, glasswork, weaving and more. Each artist pays tribute to their culture while forming a much larger narrative through the varying perspectives of the Plateau people’s past, present and future.

— MADISON PEARSON

Connective Strands of Spirit • Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through March 1 • Free • Terrain Gallery • 628 N. Monroe St. • terrainspokane.com

THEATER TOUGH TIMES

Sweat emerged from playwright Lynn Nottage’s time spent in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 2011. At the time, it was one of the poorest cities in America, with a poverty rate of over 40%. The play focuses on a group of friends who often meet up at their local bar after a long day of work at the factory. When a Black woman and a white woman both apply for a management job within the factory, tension forms and their friendship is tested. Though Nottage began working on the play in 2011, Sweat debuted in 2015 amid the 2016 election cycle and received many reviews comparing its characters to voters in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Ten years after its debut, Sweat remains pertinent with plenty to say about modern American society.

— MADISON PEARSON

Sweat • Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm through Feb. 2 • $5-$30 • Spokane Civic Theatre • 1020 N. Howard St. • spokanecivictheatre.com

I SAW YOU

COMMUNITY SERVICE I saw you, in the Very Cold @ 7 a.m. on Thursday January 23rd, pouring coffee for folks on the southeast side of the Maple Street Bridge. Giving, when it makes one physically uncomfortable? Thank you. Coffee recipients and your community thank you.

CHEERS

GIFT FOREVER! Spokane Stained Glass... You made me cry, after fixing my grandmother’s dancing lady, with the globe. Nobody in town took care of me like you did, nor wanted to chance it! YOU DID!!!! THANK YOU for the precious gift! You ROCK!!!

TO SWEET DAN AT ALPINE DELICATESSEN ...who bought us cake, just because he “enjoyed watching us enjoy life.” We (six college friends) had been trying to go to the once-every-third-Saturday-of-themonth German breakfast forever, but month after month, we missed it. Finally, we made it to this elusive breakfast during our last semester together at Gonzaga. We were chatting and having a nice, slow

breakfast — enjoying the restaurant — when the owner delivered cake to our table, courtesy of Dan! We were all so touched by your kind words and generous (delicious) cake. It can be easy to take all the time we spend together for granted, but you reminded us all how special it is to be able to “enjoy life” here at the end of our time together. Thank you very much, and we will be sure to pay your generosity forward.

TO YOUR COMPASSION JAN. 24 Cheers to the compassionate young man who helped divert traffic around and watch over another man who was experiencing a severe drug reaction on the driveway leading into the Rosauers (near the North Division Y). It was a compassionate response – not making judgments about what got the tripping guy into that mess. He just parked his car with flashing lights to alert traffic, called 911, motioned traffic around him, and watched over the guy until help got there. There are a lot of reasons that people get into trouble, and there are a lot of people who would dish out cruelty and judgment in response (as if they were immune from getting into trouble); but compassion was this young man’s admirable and instructive response. Cheers and THANK YOU for doing the right thing.

SOLID WASTE DEPT DELIVERS A SOLID Cheers to all of Spokane’s Solid Waste employees, but especially to the guy that went above and beyond at South Ash and West 14th on 1/24. You saved the day for that homeowner.

LOVE OF MY LIFE You have been a beacon, guiding me along these dark and wavering days. I just want to say thank you. My

P-A-M YAY! We love your mantra: Simplicity is the key to happiness! Of COURSE it is, especially when SO many around you, have done the heavy-lifting of making YOUR life so...simply...happy for you! You didn’t climb those mountains; someone carried you up... and to the other side. How ‘bout you try hard work and self-respect, beyond the basics of an education and “job” (which are

be held responsible for the city’s inability to spend our tax contributions ethically or responsibly. Mayor Brown can fix this! SREC and all the areas mentioned above including City of Spokane Fire Department have already done the research, and there is absolutely no logical reason to duplicate services and acquire the technology and staff to support 911 and crime check.

at the news station that exploited a young person with gender dysphoria, a condition recognized in the DSM-5 for the sake of a story. I am approaching this situation pragmatically and will avoid ad hominem attacks to defend my position. I am simply addressing reality on realities terms.

RE: REGISTER THIS I say WOW…why do you think you are so special not to follow the law. I don’t like it either but ... Karen...I do it because it is the right thing to... it’s about character and apparently you have none

redheaded goddess of a woman. We watched a show the other day and a line stuck with me, “Are you my last?” and I can’t dream of anything else but spending my life with you. Until then, yours. Always and forever

“required” for survival.) The bragging, and righteous posturing don’t cut it, amongst those carrying your load. Create your own simple happiness, then “shout about it.” We’ll listen, “then.”

JEERS

MY “FRIEND”...? You LASHED out at me, presuming my position on that issue! What gives?!? I asked you to clarify, and you couldn’t. I asked you to truly help me understand what you were talking about and why you see it that way. You said: “I can’t now; I’m just really still upset about the issue.” “We can talk about it another time.” It’s just the case with you, that you don’t ever take that time to discuss anything other than super-surface-y concerns. We never get back to discussing those concerns. I ask you, just please know why you believe what you believe. It doesn’t matter to me, but it should to you. It also doesn’t matter to me that it may differ from what I believe, nor do we have to agree. Maybe you’re just interested in the surface-y stuff. That’s OK, too. Know thyself.

SREC AND THE CITY We (taxpayers) pay these people to efficiently and ethically allocate the funds we voted collectively to support our community. We are not getting what we voted for!!! Both parties should hold their heads down in shameful regret for not practicing fiscal responsibility, especially the City of Spokane. SREC has drawn a line in the sand and they should have. It does not take five years to make a decision to move forward and the citizens of Cheney, Liberty Lake, Deer Park, Spokane Valley, Medical Lake plus the rest of unincorporated areas should not

Technology such as computer aided dispatch and a radio system equaling tens of millions of tax dollars spent. The disregard for the trust the taxpayers have extended to the leaders of the communities within the County of Spokane is disgusting and should no longer be tolerated.Disgusted Taxpayer, and I’m certain I’m not the only one

OVERGROWN HALL MONITOR Very inexpensive? Why don’t you take that silver spoon and shove it. I remember voting for inexpensive tabs, but that didn’t happen. The people spoke loud and clear, and the state gave us the finger. I admit, I resorted to name calling, Karen is in fact a name. I didn’t say idiot Karen, incompetent Karen, dumb Karen or loser Karen. When someone calls law enforcement to tattle on someone in hopes of punishing them for being broke it is a waste of taxpayer money and resources. Thank you for being the bad example I need to teach my children what NOT to be.

RE: REGISTER THIS Anyone living in Spokane who doesn’t have legal license tabs shouldn’t be driving. If you don’t want to obey the law, stop driving on city streets. Spokane: Near Nature. Near lots and lots of cheap scum bags.

RE: RE: TV PROPAGANDA The lack of consideration arises when they choose to compete against biological females, who have likely spent their entire lives training, only to have their achievements taken away by someone winning first place that has a clear biological advantage. That being said, I don’t believe this was done out of malice, and have no ill feelings towards this person. My critique is directed

PANERA DRIVE-THROUGH CAR To the dumbass in the (north side) Panera drive through on Sat 1/18 around 5pm: A DRIVE THROUGH IS NOT A F---ING PARKING LOT. After you order, PULL UP TO THE F---ING PICK UP WINDOW. When I got in the line, you were literally just sitting at the order window in silence. Also, bonus tip: after you pick up your order, F---ING GET OUT OF THE DRIVE THROUGH!! You literally just sat at the end of the drive through lane FOR-F---ING-EVER while cars behind you were trying to drive out and move on with their night.

HUH? WHAT’D YA SAY...? A great big fat jeer to EWU. I’ve been a men’s basketball season ticket holder for years. In that time it seems the volume in the area has consistently increased and is now at a level that is very uncomfortable and disrupts even loud close conversations. Frankly, I get a headache. Other seat holders have alerted the AD to their discomfort. Last game I activated my Decibel X app and observed the range from a constant 86 to 87 decibels with peaks at 100.7. Literature on noise levels state “sounds at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss." One older patron has taken to wearing noise canceling headphones. Read the room: it’s us older folks and alumni who pay the bills. It is hard to enjoy the game when it's an uncomfortable environment. n 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.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

THE BASH 2025 Emerge CDA’s annual fundraiser featuring a multi-course dinner, auction, raffles and a disco dance party. Feb. 7, 5:30 pm. $125. Vantage Point Brewing Co., 208 E. Lake Coeur d’Alene Dr. emergecda.com

COMEDY

PABLO FRANCISCO Francisco pulls out impressions and wit related to current pop culture in his stand up comedy show. Jan. 30, 7 pm, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 7 & 9:45 pm. $24-$32. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

CHOOSE TO LOSE A one-of-a-kind improvised game show where the audience calls the shots by choosing the players and games. Fridays at 7:30 pm through Jan. 31. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org

DR. BRADY SMITH Brady Smith delivers a mix of brutally honest life stories and outrageous tales from the dental world. Feb. 1, 4 pm. $27-$37. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

LEADING IN THE MOMENT A four-week course exploring leadership through the principles of LeaderProv. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises to develop skills for navigating uncertainty, building trust and fostering a positive team culture. Feb. 1-22, Sat from 10 am-noon. $175. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org (509-747-7045)

R-RATED COMEDY A showcase of dirty, filthy, foul-mouthed comedians. Feb. 2, 7

pm. $10-$16. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

THE POETIC YES, AND This six-week course combines improv and poetry to unlock your creative voice. Through group games, writing prompts, and literary discussions, you’ll explore how improv principles can inspire innovative poetry. Ages 18+. Feb. 5–March 12, Wed from 6–8 pm. $150. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org

JOSH FIRESTINE Firestine, a Tacoma native, draws from his experiences as a husband, father and veteran for a silly, lighthearted take on everyday life. Feb. 7-8, 7 & 9:45 pm. $22-$30. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

LAUGHING GNOME COMEDY Local and regional talent including Andrew Frank and J Berg perform a comedy show. Ages 18+, drinks with ID. Feb. 8, 7-9 pm. $15. Magic Lantern Theatre, 25 W. Main Ave. magiclanternonmain.com

COMMUNITY

BITCH ‘N’ STITCH Grab your crochet, knitting, embroidery, weaving, cross stitch, felting, looming, macrame, friendship bracelets and craft casually in the company of others. Every second and last Thursday at 6:30 pm. Free. Lunarium, 1925 N. Monroe St. facebook.com/Lunarium.Spokane

A COMMUNITY PRACTICE: BLACK LITURGIES FOR STAYING HUMAN The program adapts Cole Arthur Riley’s Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human into a type of spiritual

“liturgy” that draws quotes and insights from Black intellectuals, ancestors, authors and mentors. Jan. 30, 6-7 pm. Free. Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburgh St. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)

THE EVOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE SWORD This exhibition showcases Japanese swords as more than a mere weapon of war. The iconic samurai sword of Japan and its accompanying fittings were elevated to works of high art that were, and still are, treasured and collected for their beauty and craftsmanship. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through May 4. $9-$15. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

MARKETING FOR CREATIVES Learn how StartUp Spokane tools can help with marketing your creative projects/products. Jan. 30, 5:30-6:30 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary. org (509-444-5300)

MUSICIAN SELF-DEFENSE CLASS Music Education Specialist Andy Rumsey, provides a breakdown of your inherent rights as a songwriter/performer and the organizations that help protect those rights. Jan. 30, 4-5 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main. spokanelibrary.org

SUSTAINABILITY FORUM: BUILDING

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE This event explores the vital role of land conservation in sustainable architectural design, offering valuable insights and actionable strategies for professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. Presented by Dave Schaub, executive director of the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy. Jan. 30, 5:30-7:30 pm. Free. Uptic Studios, 402 E.

Sprague Ave. upticstudios.com

DESIGNING SPOKANE’S FIRST PUBLIC MEMORY GARDEN A memory garden is a garden designed specifically for people living with dementia and their caregivers. Hear the progress of one man’s effort in bringing the first of its kind to Spokane. Feb. 1, 2:45-3:45 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

SAMURAI, SUNRISE, SUNSET Step into the world of a samurai and experience armor, weaponry and personal items from the powerful military class that ruled Japan for nearly 700 years. Each item tells a story through its master craftsmanship and individual details. Feb. 1-June 1, TueSun from 10 am-5 pm. $9-$15. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

VINYL POP UP SHOP Browse through a collection of records provided by The Long Ear while enjoying drinks from Coeur d’Alene Cider. Feb. 1, 4-8 pm. Free. Coeur d’ Alene Cider Co., 1327 E. Sherman Ave. cdaciderhouse.com (208-704-2160)

WHERE IN THE WORLD: PIN YOUR ANCESTORS DOWN Using Google Earth and Maps as research tools to build family trees is explored by Cyndi Ingle, founder of the genealogy web site Cyndi’s List. Feb. 1, 1-3 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. askewgsi.org

$25 SPAY & NEUTER DAYS The Spokane Humane Society is offering $25 spay/ neuter appointments for canines and felines. On Feb. 13, they will have 20 spay/neuter appointments available for felines. Feb. 3, 5, 10, 19, 24 and 26 will each have four appointments available for canines. Make an appointment online.

$25. Spokane Humane Society, 6607 N. Havana St. spokanehumanesociety.org/ vet-clinic

SOCIAL CHESS NIGHT Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious beginner, this weekly event offers something for everyone. Play casual games, learn new tactics and connect with fellow chess lovers in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Feb. 3-March 23, Mondays at 5:30 pm. 5:30 pm. Free. Lumberbeard Brewing, 25 E. Third Ave. blitzandblunders.org (210580-4929)

SWIFTIES CELEBRATION: FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS Drop in anytime during this Taylor Swift party to create and exchange friendship bracelets, test your Taylor Swift trivia knowledge and enjoy other fun crafts and activities. Ages 10-14. Feb. 4, 3:30-5 pm. Free. Deer Park Library, 208 Forest St. scld.org (509-893-8300)

TAROT & DIVINATION MEETUP A monthly meetup of local tarot practitioners and divination enthusiasts showing off new decks, techniques, tools and socializing. Every first Thursday from 5:307:30 pm. Free. Lunarium, 1925 N. Monroe St. lunariumspokane.com

TRAVIS HOLP Psychic Medium Travis Holp presents an evening of hope, healing, and joy as he delivers messages from loved ones in spirit. Feb. 6, 7 pm. $37-$47. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

FAMILY DAY AT THE MAC Experience newly opened exhibitions, visit the Art Studio for a workshop and the Create Space for crafts. Feb. 8, 11 am-3 pm. $9$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First. northwestmuseum.org

GALENTINES DAY ON PERRY STREET

This community event highlights women-owned businesses and creators, featuring talented local artists and makers at four locations along Perry Street. Explore exclusive specials, discounts and promotions while supporting and connecting with female entrepreneurs. Feb. 8, 10 am-noon. Free. South Perry Business District. titlenine.com

GIRLCONNW This annual event aims to inspire the next generation of women leaders through breakout sessions, keynote speakers and professional development. Girls learn about various careers and make connections to help them cultivate their futures. Feb. 8, 12-5 pm. Free. The Community School, 1025 W. Spofford Ave. girlconnw.com (509-747-8091)

SONS OF NORWAY CRAFT & CULTURE

FAIR A Norwegian craft fair with cultural items, food, demonstrations and activities. Feb. 8, 9 am-3 pm. Free. Trinity Lutheran Church, 812 N. Fifth St. son-cda. com (208-262-8020)

FILM

MOSCOW FILM SOCIETY: PORCO ROS-

SO In 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig. Jan. 30, 7-9 pm. $8. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. kenworthy.org

SPOKANE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

2025 A film festival focused on the tales of Jewish life, culture and history told from a broad range of perspectives. The weeklong festival features screenings, receptions, Q&As and more. Through Feb. 2; see website for full schedule. $10-$70. Magic Lantern Theatre, 25 W. Main Ave.

SpokaneJewishFilm.org (509-413-8254)

PALOUSE CULT FILM REVIVAL: THE WITCHES An early ’90s childhood favorite and Roald Dahl adaptation of The Witches. Feb. 4, 7 pm. $8-$50. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. palousecultfilms.org

PRINCESS BRIDE INTERACTIVE MOVIE

NIGHT This interactive screening is a fundraiser for Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition. Costumes encouraged. Feb. 8, 4:30-8 pm. $15. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. endtheviolencespokane.org

FOOD & DRINK

COOKING CLASS Learn how to cook with Commellini’s chef Frank in this hands-on cooking class focused on technique and skills. Jan. 30, 6:30-8:30 pm. $85. Commellini Estate, 14715 N. Dartford Dr. commellini.com (509-466-0667)

WINE TASTING Sample a curated selection of specialty wines from Italy, France, and Washington, while discovering the unique flavors each region has to offer. Throughout the tasting, the chef prepares small bites to complement and enhance the tasting experience. Jan. 31, 2:30-5 pm. $5. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com

PASTA MAKING 101 In this partially hands-on class, learn how to make your own pasta dough from scratch, properly flatten your dough into sheets and make the final cut into noodles. Feb. 2, 4-6 pm. $85. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com

LATTE ART WORKSHOP A hands-on latte art class where participants learn proper techniques and fundamentals to create beautiful designs on lattes. Feb. 4, 5:45-8 pm. $85. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com

VALENTINE’S VINTAGE CAKE DECORATING CLASS Join Christina from Baking Me Crazy by Christina for a romantic, Valentine’s Day-themed vintage cake decorating class. Feb. 6, 5:45-7:45 pm. $90. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com

THE CHOCOLATE AFFAIR Wander through downtown businesses and sample an assortment of locally handcrafted sweet treats as they become pop-up chocolate shops. Feb. 8, 2-6 pm. Downtown Coeur d’Alene, Sherman Ave. cdadowntown.com (208-415-0116)

CHILDREN’S CUPCAKE DECORATING CLASS Kids explore different frosting piping styles, from fluffy swirls to classic rosettes and heart-shaped designs. Feb. 9, 11 am-12:40 pm. $70. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com (509-328-3335)

MUSIC

INSIDE THE SYMPHONY: A JOURNEY INTO THE MODERN ORCHESTRA Gain insight into the rigorous journey musicians undertake to secure a place in the orchestra. Also discover the vital roles of the people who ensure the orchestra’s seamless operation. Jan. 30, 5:30-6:30 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300) THE LOWEDOWN Come and listen

to Spokane Symphony Music Director James Lowe as he gives an in-depth preview of the next Masterworks he conducts. Complete with visuals, insight from an orchestra musician and a Q&A session, get to know the composers and understand the historic and modern relevance of the compositions. Jan. 30, 12-1 pm. Free. The MAC, 2316 W. First. northwestmuseum.org

THE GARMENT OF PRAISE OPERA WORLD PREMIERE Experience the world premiere of an opera written by composer Kevin Waters featuring a full professional symphony orchestra, dance troupe, professional chorale and singers from New York City and regionally. Feb. 7, 7-8:30 am. $10-$35. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu (509-313-4776)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

GIRLS WITH GRIT SKI CLINIC This ski clinic focuses on improving skiing abilities like moguls, steeps, power slides, trees and confidence. Jan. 30, 9 am-2:30 pm. $375. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com

SPOKANE BOAT SHOW Peruse a selection of boats, jet skis, boat and lake accessories and performances parts from a variety of vendors. Jan. 30-Feb. 2; Thu-Sat from 10 am-7 pm, Sun from 10 am-4 pm. $5-$10. Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, 404 N. Havana St. spokaneboatshow.com (509-477-1766)

BONSAI MAKING DEMONSTRATION Learn how to start your own bonsai with

Robert Gray from Gray to Green Nursery. Enjoy a gallery of small bonsai trees and accessories along with a chance to win a bonsai at the end of class. Feb. 1, 1-3 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

RANGER-GUIDED SNOWSHOE WALK

Join Interpretive Ranger Kara Frashefski for a 2.6 mile snowshoe walk as she discusses the local winter wildlife. Ages 10+. Sno-park pass required. Feb. 2, 1-3 pm. Free. Mt. Spokane State Park, 26107 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. parks.wa.gov

LADIES’ DAY CLINIC A ladies-only clinic led by mountain instructors. The day-long event also features a morning stretch, coffee, lunch and a social hour. Ages 18+. Feb. 7, 8:30 am-3 pm. $149. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com

SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. VICTORIA ROYALS Regular season game. Promo: CocaCola Berkly Catton Bobblehead Giveaway Night. Feb. 8, 6:05 pm. $12-$40. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon. spokanechiefs.com

THEATER & DANCE

SWEAT From the politically charged opening scene to its conclusion, Sweat boldly confronts issues of race, immigration, deindustrialization and the everslipping grip on middle-class life. WedSat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. through Feb. 2. $5-$30. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com

LEND ME A SOPRANO Lucille Wiley, Manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera

Company, is ready to welcome worldclass soprano Elena Firenzi for her onenight-only starring role in Carmen. Elena arrives late and her husband has a fit of jealousy. Jan. 31-Feb. 16; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. (Feb. 8 at 2 pm.)

$15-$39. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.org

LOVE, LIZ Will Elizabeth’s gal pals convince her that an illustrious marriage and an heir will quell her unruly heart, or will the flutters of her feelings for her rumored Romeo prevail? Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm through Feb. 9. $6-$26. Hartung Theater, 625 Stadium Dr. uidaho.edu/class/theatre

ODC DANCE: MIXED REPERTORY The California company performs audience and critic favorite dances. Jan. 31, 7:30 pm. $38-$50. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/dance (509-313-4776)

LIVING VOICES: THE NEW AMERICAN Through a blend of performance and archival film, witness Bridget’s courageous journey from the cramped quarters of steerage to the gates of Ellis Island and the streets of New York City. Jan. 31, 7-9 pm. $10-$15. Panida Theater, 300 N. First. artinsandpoint.org

ODC DANCE: THE VELVETEEN RABBIT San Francisco’s ODC Dance brings Margery Williams’ classic tale of a wellworn stuffed rabbit to life through music, dance, and splendid narration. Feb. 1-2, 2 pm. $24. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/dance (509-313-4776)

...continued on page 46

REGULATION

Grow Your Own

Another year, another legislative push to legalize homegrown cannabis in Washington

BY WILL MAUPIN

Agroup of legislators in Olympia are hoping to dramatically expand legalized cannabis in Washington by introducing a DIY alternative to the state’s highly regulated recreational market.

House Bill 1449, introduced last week, is the latest in a long line of attempts to legalize homegrown cannabis, dating as far back as 2015 — the year after the state’s legal marketplace opened — to as recently as last year.

Last year’s effort, introduced by state Rep. Shelley Kloba, D-Kirkland, failed to make it out of committee.

This year’s, also introduced by Kloba, looks slightly more promising, as it has 15 co-sponsors, three more than last year.

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.

Of those 15, the only sponsors from east of the Cascades are Democratic Reps. Natasha Hill and Timm Ormsby of the 3rd District, which covers much of the city of Spokane. Ormsby also co-sponsored last year’s attempt, while Hill was not yet in the state Legislature at the time.

Every co-sponsor of HB 1449 is a Democrat. The party controls the state House by a 59 to 39 majority.

If passed, HB 1449 would legalize the possession of up to six plants for adults 21 and older, or up to 15 plants per household, with provisions limiting where they could be grown that largely follow existing rules on where cannabis can be consumed.

Growing cannabis within public view, or in a manner that allows it to be smelled from another residence, would be classified as a civil infraction.

Cannabis produced in-home, in accordance with the proposed rules, would not count against the state’s current possession limit of 1 ounce per adult.

Currently, only licensed medical patients can grow their own cannabis in Washington. Despite being the first state to legalize recreational cannabis more than a decade ago, Washington has fallen well behind the cutting-edge when it comes to cannabis policy. Of the 24 states where recreational cannabis is legal, 21 have also legalized homegrown cannabis in some form.

Washington’s neighbor to the south, Oregon, is arguably the state most culturally, economically and demographically similar to the Evergreen State among those with legal cannabis. Later this year, Oregonians will celebrate 10 years of legalized home-grow.

HB 1449’s first public hearing in committee was scheduled for Jan. 28. Legislators have until the end of February to advance the bill to the floor of the House, otherwise HB 1449 would suffer the same fate as last year’s home-grow proposal and die in committee. n

Lawmakers will consider legalizing personal cannabis plants.

GREEN ZONE

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.

GREEN ZONE

EVENTS | CALENDAR

DAILY DEALS

I WISH MA COULD VOTE In celebration of the 105th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment in the United States, this is an evening of plays by activists, suffragettes, and critics of the movement both in the US and abroad. Feb. 6-7 at 7:30 pm. $12. Gonzaga University Magnuson Theatre, 502 E. Boone Ave. gonzaga.edu/ theatreanddance (509-313-3606)

VISUAL ARTS

ART U.S.A.: ONE HUNDRED AMERICAN WORKS ON PAPER A collection of 100 pieces of art from the Jundt’s permanent collection depicting an expanse of American life from the years 1925-1950. Mon-Sat from 10 am-4 pm through May 10. Free. Jundt Art Museum, 200 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga. edu/jundt (509-313-6843)

CONNECTIVE STRANDS OF SPIRIT A group exhibition featuring works by Joe, Carly and Ryan Feddersen, William Passmore, Emma Noyes, Michael Holloman, Britt Rynearson, Michelle Jack and Frank Andrews honoring the Plateau people’s past, present and future. Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through March 1. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com

LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER ARTIST STUDIO TOUR PREVIEW SHOW This month’s show is a preview of artwork by artists participating in the 2025 Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour. Daily from 11 am-7 pm through Feb. 22. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington. spokanelibertybuilding.com

interpreted by 20 local artists. Feb. 7-March 22, Wed-Fri from 10 am-6pm, Sat from 9 am-noon and Sun from 1-4 pm. Free. The Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center, 405 N. William St. thejacklincenter.org (208-457-8950)

CHRIS KELSEY: ALTERED CONNECTIONS Ceramic artist Chris Kelsey showcases themes of change in the form of geometric shapes and geologic forces. Feb. 7-28, Wed-Fri from 11 am-5 pm. Free. Trackside Studio, 115 S. Adams St. tracksidestudio.net

WORDS

EWU COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPEAKER SERIES This speakers series event focusing on the opioid epidemic features a keynote by Sarah Spier, Consultant and Founder of Follow the Poppy, and panelists Dr. Francisco Velázquez, Spokane Regional Health District (SHRD), Sheriff John Nowels, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and Dr. Tricia Hughes, EWU Counseling and Wellness Services. Jan. 30, 10-11:30 am. Free. Eastern Washington University, 526 Fifth St. ewu.edu

THE QUEERCENTRIC: THE FUTURE OF SPEECH Jonathan Shuffield and Sather Gowdy discuss censorship in the media in a roundtable format. Jan. 30, 6:30 pm. Free. Lunarium, 1925 N. Monroe St. lunariumspokane.com

LOCAL COLOR A group exhibition featuring local artists Wes Hanson, Megan Perkins, L.R. Montgomery and Teresa Rancourt. Feb. 1-23, Wed-Sun from 11 am-6 pm. Free. The Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman. theartspiritgallery.com

REIMAGINED READS: ALTERED

BOOK ART In this creative workshop, teens will explore techniques like painting, collaging and folding to transform pages into unique masterpieces. Feb. 1, 2-3:30 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)

PAPER AS WATER: CONTEMPORARY

INDIGENOUS PRINTS An installation of works by Indigenous artists of Washington state from the collection of Helen Carlson and Paul Nicholson. Feb. 4-March 21, Mon-Fri from 10 am4:30 pm. Free. Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Rd. whitworth.edu

KRISTIN ROBBINS: PAINTED

FRAMES Kristin Robbins is an artist, musician and part-time custodian for Spokane Public Schools. Her work portrays characters caught in everyday activities looking like reluctant subjects interrupted to get their photo taken in maximalist interiors or busy exteriors. Feb. 7-28, daily from 11 am-6 pm. Free. Entropy, 101 N. Stevens St. instagram. com/entropygalleryspokane

2025 REGIONAL FACULTY INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION A group exhibition featuring faculty art works from: Gonzaga University, Eastern Washington University, Whitworth University, Spokane Falls Community College and North Idaho College. Feb. 7-March 8; Fri from 4-7 pm, Sat from 10 am-3 pm. Free. Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center, 125 S. Stevens St. gonzaga.edu BY THE SEA ART EXHIBIT AND SALE

Enjoy art of the oceans, seas, riverscapes, ponds and pools creatively

PIVOT: HOT MESS Six storytellers tell eight-minute tales on the theme of “hot mess.” Jan. 30, 7-9 pm. By donation. Washington Cracker Co. Building, 304 W. Pacific. pivotspokane.com

ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS SERIES: HIKING EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO Stephen reminisces about his travels through the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. This series is designed for travelers who want to share their journeys and relive experiences allowing participants to explore destinations from the comfort of a chair. Feb. 1, 12-1 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley. spokanelibrary.org

BUILDING LIBRARIES IN ETHIOPIA EWU Associate Professor of Sociology Kassahun Kebede, shares his mission to improve literacy in Ethiopia, one child, book and library at a time. Feb. 2, 2:30-3:30 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org

NORTHWEST PASSAGES: LEYNA KROW Set in the Pacific Northwest, Krow’s new short story collection blends high concept magic with the realities of climate change through the eyes of generations of women. Feb. 4, 7-8:30 pm. $10-$35. SpokesmanReview, 999 W. Riverside Ave. spokesman.com/northwest-passages

BROKEN MIC A weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm; sign-ups at 6 pm. Free. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD

WRITE TOGETHER: A COMMUNITY WRITING SESSION Bring your current writing project and your favorite writing tools and prepare to hunker down and write with local novelist and Writing Education Specialist Sharma Shields. Feb. 7, 10 am-noon. Free. Hillyard Library, 4110 N. Cook St. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)

BOOK CLUB: THE MAID BY NITA PROSE Discuss The Maid by Nita Prose. Feb. 8, 10:30-11:30 am. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org n

Ivan or Nicholas,

I f it’ s free , i t migh t as well b e great.

Like chips and salsa.

There are plenty of checking accounts out there, but only one STCU free checking. It has all the convenience and security you’d expect from STCU, plus free debit cards with tap-to-pay technology, 24-hour online, mobile, and ATM access, and more.

To open one today, go to stcu.org/checking, call (800) 858-3750, or visit your nearest branch.

Insured by NCUA.