Inlander 10/05/2023

Five dishes so complex and time-consuming, they’re best left to the professionals

VOL. 30, NO. 52 | ON THE COVER: “WHAT WE

EDITOR’S NOTE

Iwas really proud of myself the first time I made Japanese curry from scratch. The buttery roux. That long list of ingredients with items like whole cardamom pods, dried kombu and a zested orange. The freshly steamed broccoli I placed on top.

I SAW YOU GREEN ZONE BULLETIN BOARD

Then I read this week’s cover section — DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME — and felt, to be honest, a bit like an amateur. I mean, I’ve never made a dish that takes 36 hours, like the Sumatran beef rendang that Jeannie Choi makes at d’bali Asian Bistro. I wasn’t taught how to make birria by my mother in Mexico City, like Los Habaneros’ Raul Vega. I can’t make my desserts look like fantastical replications of nature, like Chong Vang does at Inland Pacific Kitchen.

And, frankly, neither should you. Put that spatula down and go eat these complex, tradition-laden, artful dishes. Let the experts do the work, and enjoy this week’s issue. — NICHOLAS DESHAIS,

IT’S A COMET PAGE 6

MOORE V KLITZKE PAGE 12

PIZZA PIZZA! PAGE 23

GET OUT! PAGE 30

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WHAT’S A DISH YOU’D RATHER GO OUT TO EAT THAN MAKE AT HOME?

SHELBY JOHNSON

It’s not the cooking that I have a problem with, it’s the dishes.

Ah, so it’s the cleanup. What’s one of your favorite things to go out and get to eat? A really good steak, like Churchill’s.

Have you been there recently? Yes. They are so good, all their food’s amazing.

DONNA JARAMILLO

Italian, with homemade pasta.

Have you ever made pasta before? I have made pasta before, yes.

Does it feel much better to go out and buy it? It really does. It’s very labor intensive.

GAIL FURMAN

Oh my goodness, pizza for sure.

It’s not something you feel is fun to make at home? No, it’s too much work.

Do you have a favorite pizza? The Margherita. I like Papa Murphy’s.

RENE WILEY

Probably a shrimp linguine or something like that. Pastas, anything with seafood.

You’d rather leave that to someone else? Yeah, the fishy stuff.

It can be pretty messy. And smelly.

MORGAN COERVER

Probably tacos of any kind.

Why’s that?

There’s a lot of stuff that goes into making tacos and I’m not as, I don’t want to say “spice intelligent,” but I would rather someone else spice it for me and make it taste good.

THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO THE INLAND NORTHWEST FEATURING:

‘Dude, That’s a Comet!’

All of life’s happy little accidents make perfect sense when something magical crosses your path

BY TARA ROBERTS

“Mom, there’s an asteroid or something in the sky,” my 12-year-old son, Danny, says from the breakfast table, where he’s nibbling toast before he catches the bus to his cross-country meet.

In the 0.7 seconds it takes me to sprint from the stove to the sliding door, jumbled thoughts flail across my mind. Apocalypse! Dinosaurs! Ben Affleck in Armageddon! Wait, that’s ridiculous. Weather balloon? Hot-air balloon? Weird-looking helicopter? Spaceship? YESSS, FINALLY, THE ALIENS!

Through the door, I see nothing but blue sky and the sprawling apple tree in the backyard, so Danny and I run outside in our socks for a better view. He points out a tuft of white, faint but distinctive in the halo of the rising sun.

“Dude, that’s a comet!”

On Aug. 12, 2023, Hideo Nishimura, a Japanese astronomy enthusiast and space photographer, snapped a digital shot of his now-namesake comet.

On Sept. 16, I had totally missed the news about Comet Nishimura and its brief passage near the sun. I spent a few minutes staring up

with my son, buzzing with surprise, before running inside to grab my phone and Google what we’d just seen. In the moments I was away, the comet disappeared into the morning light.

All day, I greeted people with, “We saw a comet today!”

But we shouldn’t have.

I’d dragged Danny (and myself) out of bed at 6:10 am because I’d ignored a text from his crosscountry coach the night before that said the bus was leaving 10 minutes later than planned.

If I’d paid attention, I would have set the alarm for 6:20, changing the rhythm of the entire morning. Danny is a kid who loves routines of all kinds. Instead of scanning the sky as he ate his toast just after sunrise, he would still have been curled in his customary post-wakeup ball on the couch, his blanket over his head.

One tiny change, and we might never have known the comet existed, let alone seen it. And it’s not coming back for about 406 years.

I often fall down the rabbit hole of listing out all the variables that could have changed a situation.

Sometimes, it’s about blame: If I hadn’t been playing with my phone, I would have realized I’d left the stove on and I wouldn’t be eating a charcoal-flavored grilled cheese. Sometimes, it’s what my family calls “retroactive worrying”: If I hadn’t misplaced my keys, I would have made it out the door 10 seconds faster, and I would have crossed into that intersection sooner, and that truck would have hit me instead of whooshing by.

But my favorite application of this mental exercise is coming up with all the ways that so many things — coincidence and happenstance; good, bad and random choices; oversights, accidents and mistakes — can conspire to create moments of joy.

If I’d seen the coach’s text, if I’d hit snooze just one more time, if Danny had sleepily stared at the grass instead of the sky, no comet.

If every single friend at Danny’s 12th birthday party hadn’t decided to join the cross-country team, convincing him not to play soccer, no comet. If he hated running as much as I do, no comet.

If the people who planted that apple tree put it 2 feet to the right, if whoever put in the chain link fence around the yard liked tall cedar fences better, if the people who built this house chose a different floor plan from the 1960 Boise Cascade Lumber Company catalog, no comet.

If a nice, quiet farm boy hadn’t gotten up the nerve to go to the county fair with me 20 years ago, no Danny (and no comet). If the gravitational constant was just a little weirder, no comet (and no universe).

But none of those things happened, and all the things that happened did. And so, for a brilliant few minutes, my son and I saw something we’ll never see again. n

Tara Roberts is a writer and educator who lives in Moscow with her husband and sons. Her novel Wild and Distant Seas is forthcoming from Norton in 2024. Follow her on Twitter @tarabethidaho.

Discovered only in August, Comet Nishimura blazed across the Inland Northwest sky on the morning of Sept. 16. DAN BARTLETT/NASA PHOTO

SPACE OR SERVICES

Virtually everyone weighing in on Spokane County’s Measure 1 agrees that the current county jail system isn’t working well for incarcerated people or the ones who work there.

To address problems with overcrowding, understaffing and a lack of programming at the deteriorating facilities, Spokane County is asking voters to approve a 0.2% increase in the local sales and use tax on Nov. 7. It would cost people 20 cents more for every $100 purchase they make in the county.

The county would receive 60% of the estimated $1.7 billion the public safety tax is expected to bring in over the next 30 years. The plan is to spend more than $500 million (including interest payments) to build a new jail directly north of the current facility downtown, as well as a new community corrections center, where classes and behavioral health treatment could be offered.

The Board of County Commissioners would ultimately decide how the money is spent on criminal justice, public safety or behavioral health, as required by state law. It could pay for prosecutors, public defenders, deputies or other safety-related needs.

Cities throughout the county would receive the other 40% of the revenue, based on their share of the population. City council members in each jurisdiction could similarly spend the money on everything from police officers to service providers.

Proponents argue that more jail space is needed to hold criminals accountable and offer programs that can

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

reduce recidivism and slow crime rates. Opponents argue the plan isn’t specific enough to show where the money will be dedicated, and they question the intelligence of expanding a system that isn’t working well.

THE PITCH AND REBUTTAL

On any given day, more than 800 inmates are split between the downtown jail, the Public Safety Building and Geiger Corrections Center.

The downtown jail opened in 1986 and was designed to hold 462 people. Cells designed for one often hold two or three people, and inmates often only get to leave their cell for an hour a day.

The Public Safety Building is the former county jail that opened in 1970 and houses the sheriff’s office and district court. It has 124 beds and connects the downtown jail building, to its direct north, with the courthouse.

Geiger houses low-level offenders in converted former military barracks near the airport. It can hold 362 people, but typically has half that many due to a lack of staffing and the minimum security requirements to be housed there. Currently, it’s the only place where rehabilitative classes are offered.

The majority of people (75% or more) in the jail are legally considered innocent and are awaiting trial. About a fifth of the people housed there are convicted and serving sentences of less than a year, or are waiting to be transferred to prison for longer sentences, according to county data.

About 14% of the people who are brought to the jail are booked and immediately released due to overcrowding, according to county staff members who note that since 1986, Spokane County has grown from 355,000 people to 555,000.

“The reality of it is, we have to hold people accountable,” Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels says.

There’s an especially urgent need to address substance use disorder, which often plays a factor in crimes such as theft and burglary, and affects many homeless people — it contributed to dozens of overdose deaths in that local population last year, he says.

“If we can start holding people accountable through the criminal justice system for drug use, we can start pushing people into treatment,” Nowels says. “Can a jail and a criminal justice system that can effectively deal with drug addiction help our homeless population? It absolutely can.”

But while the county’s pitch is that more beds are needed to alleviate crowding and offer humane treatment options, people who’ve been incarcerated say that writing a “blank check” for the county to keep doing things the same way won’t help reduce crime.

Community activists have started the political action committee Justice Not Jails to urge voters to vote “no” on Measure 1, noting that the best way to address the societal issues that factor into criminal behavior is to get people into treatment and out of poverty.

Spokane County wants more jail beds, room for therapeutic classes, while opponents say new proposed sales tax is a blank check for a broken system

Cells in the Spokane County Jail are meant for one, but often hold two or three people. SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTO

“SPACE OR SERVICES,” CONTINUED...

“In all of the time I ever spent there, there was nothing in that jail, nothing in any of the jails that I ever went to, that was therapeutic for me, that helped me,” says Angel Tomeo Sam, the campaign manager for Justice Not Jails, who spoke last weekend at a Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane conference. “It’s trauma from the time before you’re arrested and booked in, it’s trauma all through the duration of your time, and it’s trauma that lingers even after you’re released. The solutions are in our community, they’re not in that box.”

ADDRESSING ROOT ISSUES

Tomeo Sam, a member of the Confederated Colville Tribes, is the co-founder of YoYot Spq’n’i, a nonprofit that works with Indigenous people to prevent and escape violence, and she’s also a peer reentry navigator. She says it’s important to focus on services that people need.

“Being a person with lived experience in that jail — I’m an addict in recovery, I’m also in recovery from mental health illness, I’m a survivor of homelessness — I have this unique opportunity to connect with folks on that level,” she says. “If we have the ability to bolster community resources and vital services in the community, then that’s what we should do.”

Sheriff Nowels says he’s watched a close family member’s struggle with opioid addiction and knows how hard it can be to get someone to go through treatment. His hope is that with the expanded jail facilities, the county will be able to offer a therapeutic setting for withdrawal at booking, as well as medication-assisted treatment such as suboxone.

He says the community is suffering impacts from the state Supreme Court’s 2021 Blake decision, which found Washington state’s criminal drug possession laws to be unconstitutional. In reaction, state lawmakers wanted to see whether it would be more effective for officers to offer people addiction treatment rather than jail time. Nowels says people didn’t accept the offer.

“There’s no negative consequence for either not participating or for failing in your treatment. An empty jail bed, or at least the idea that you could be put in jail if you don’t participate in treatment or you don’t successfully complete treatment, if that’s not there, people don’t take advantage of it,” Nowels says. “You have to interrupt the cycle of addiction and get them the support they need. This measure will allow us to do that.”

QUICK FACTS MEASURE 1 IS NOT PROPOSITION 1

Voters in the city of Spokane will get ballots featuring two issues with “1” in the title.

For MEASURE 1, voters countywide will be asked whether they approve or disapprove of a 0.2% sales and use tax increase, which can only be spent on criminal justice, public safety, correctional infrastructure and behavioral health.

For PROPOSITION 1 , voters inside Spokane city limits will be asked whether they think the city should change its code to ban camping within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds or child care facilities.

DIDN’T WE ALREADY VOTE ON THIS?

In August 2019, Spokane County voters agreed to extend a 0.1% sales and use tax for public safety and criminal justice through the end of 2029.

Tomeo Sam says there have been many opportunities to talk about better treatment options and how best to invest taxpayer money. She argues that it’s bold of the county “to write themselves a $1 billion check without a plan.”

“The folks that need help, we kind of have to meet them where they are and then have this opportunity available to them over and over and over,” Tomeo Sam says. “It really is about getting to the root causes of why people are there.”

Nowels says that those who don’t want increased jail capacity should be clear about their motivations.

“What they’re not telling people is in their opinion, we shouldn’t be holding people accountable for committing crimes,” Nowels says. “We shouldn’t be victim focused, we should be offender focused, and that’s backwards. We do need to make sure that we’re providing treatment to people, but we can’t do it on the backs of victims.”

Opponents are just as skeptical of the motivations of those backing Measure 1.

Kurtis Robinson, founder of the advocacy group I Did the Time and president of the local NAACP, says the rushed manner in which Spokane County Commissioners Josh Kerns and Al French voted to put the sales tax measure before voters last December set off his radar.

“The question is, what are they really trying to do?” Robinson says. “You’re trying to build a new jail again without addressing the core issues behind why that jail is so dysfunctional.”

While county leaders are making the case that new facilities will enable them to offer programs that can treat the needs that people have, Robinson argues that the county hasn’t proved that’s their goal.

“[They’re saying] we really plan on just trying to do what we’ve always been doing, which is have a system that disproportionately impacts people of color and the poor,” Robinson says. “If your intent is to really start dealing with social problems and the problems that are creating the need for people to have a timeout in any kind of carceral system, then your first move you’re going to make is not going to be to build a bigger holding facility. It’s to get to the social and economic woes that are creating the situations and circumstances that push people into those actions. Mental health. Access to health care. Access to drug treatment, all of those things.” n samanthaw@inlander.com

The 0.1% public safety tax was first approved in 2004, and extended in 2009 and 2019.

Under state law, counties may levy up to 0.3 percent sales and use taxes in that category. Measure 1 asks voters to approve the remaining 0.2 percent for 30 years.

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT SALES TAX?

The state’s sales tax rate is 6.5%, and cities and counties can collect their own tax on top of that.

The effective sales tax rates in Spokane County range from 8.1% to 9.1% depending on the jurisdiction (with local rates of 1.6% in small towns up to 2.6% in Airway Heights).

If Measure 1 is approved, that would INCREASE TO 8.3% TO 9.3%

HOW MANY BEDS WILL THIS ADD?

The existing jail spaces were designed for:

462 beds at the downtown jail

124 beds in the Public Safety Building (which was the county jail from 1970 to 1986)

362 beds at Geiger Corrections Center.

If Measure 1 is approved, the county plans to close Geiger and get a NET GAIN OF 410 BEDS:

462 beds maintained at the downtown jail

768 beds in a new multistory jail downtown

128 beds in a new community corrections center on the same campus.

Spokane County plans to close Geiger Corrections Center if voters approve the new sales tax. SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTO

Mayor v. Martin

Woodward adds Spokane to a fight against homelessness. Plus, an NIC trustee almost loses the trust of her peers; and Spokane’s $1.16 billion budget.

On Friday, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward announced that Spokane is joining more than a dozen other cities in formally asking the Supreme Court to overturn Martin v. Boise — a landmark court case that limits cities’ ability to enforce anti-camping law. In 2018, the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals found that cities can’t ban people from sleeping on public land unless there is sufficient shelter space for the homeless population. To do so is cruel and unusual punishment, the court found. The precedent-setting ruling has limited cities’ ability to enforce camping bans and has frustrated leaders across Western states as they work to find loopholes in the ruling. The new petition — signed by Spokane, Seattle, Tacoma and other cities — argues that the restrictions “tie the hands of local policymakers” and force local governments to choose between “providing shelter or surrendering public lands to encampments.” The petition was authored by Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison, and also asks the court to review Johnson v. Grants Pass, a 2020 case that affirmed the Martin v. Bosie protections. (NATE SANFORD)

SILENCED MINORITY

Last week, the North Idaho College Board of Trustees considered censuring trustee Tarie Zimmerman at its regular Wednesday board meeting but didn’t end up doing it. The exact reason for this potential motion was never revealed, although board Chair Greg McKenzie claims Zimmerman divulged confidential information at an Aug. 31 board meeting. Zimmerman denied any allegations that she revealed confidential information, and she threatened legal action to protect her First Amendment rights if the board decided to silence her. After discussion, the board voted unanimously to table the decision for another meeting. Zimmerman took office in November 2022. She joined trustee Brad Corkill in the board’s minority in voting against the hiring of Colton Boyles’ law firm, which has ties to Idaho’s far right, to represent NIC. Zimmerman has also worked extensively on the board’s policy subcommittee with trustee Mike Waggoner in an effort to keep the board aligned with recommendations to retain NIC’s accreditation. (COLTON

RASANEN)

BUDGET BLOWOUT

Forget Halloween — the spookiest thing about October may end up being this year’s Spokane city budget negotiations. Late Monday afternoon, Mayor Nadine Woodward introduced a preliminary $1.16 billion proposal for the city’s 2024 budget. Over the next several weeks, members of the public will have opportunities to weigh in on the proposal as City Council members review and modify the mayor’s proposal. The City Council usually approves a finalized budget in December, but because of anticipated electoral turnover on the council, this year the deadline is Nov. 27. This year’s preliminary budget reflects the tough economic circumstances facing the city — specifically, an anticipated $20 million funding gap in its general fund, which elected leaders have spent recent months fretting about and publicly pointing fingers over. The mayor’s proposal has a long list of ideas for addressing the shortfall that includes reducing some departments’ operating costs and vacancies, temporarily increasing the city utility tax by 1%, and taking $2 million from the city’s traffic calming fund (which usually pays for things like speed bumps, stop signs and roundabouts) to pay police. The whole proposal is available for you — the taxpayer — to read online: my.spokanecity.org/budget. Public meetings to discuss the proposal are scheduled for Oct. 6 and Oct. 13. (NATE SANFORD)

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Join Northern Quest in honoring this special month with meaningful celebrations throughout November. Discover tribal history and culture represented all around the resort, including indigenous-inspired services at La Rive Spa, Native-owned businesses showcased at Windfall, and Pacific Northwest flavors highlighted at our restaurants. Please also join us for these events:

Camp Hope in 2022 YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Direct Democracy

The candidates running to represent northwest Spokane on the City Council are focused on development, public safety and “listening to the people”

BY NATE SANFORD

Two newcomers to elected office are running to represent northwest Spokane on the City Council this year.

Earl Moore, 78, is retired and previously spent 40 years working as a respiratory therapist. She’s also served as president of the Respiratory Care Society of Washington and as a precinct committee officer with the local Republican Party.

Kitty Klitzke, 46, has experience advocating for environmental and land use policies through her work with organizations like Futurewise and the Lands Council. She also served on the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and various other city committees.

Development is a big issue in District 3, particularly in the outlying areas of the city near Five Mile Prairie and Indian Trail, where recent plans to build dense housing have been met with concerns about fire and street infrastructure not being able to accommodate more people.

While Klitzke says she supports the spirit of Spokane’s recent law allowing multifamily housing to be built citywide, she thinks it came with unintended consequences.

“We need to do more to encourage growth in our city center where the infrastructure already exists before we allow that kind of development out at Five Mile,” Klitzke says.

Moore says she’s still learning about the issue, but that she thinks growth should go hand in hand with infrastructure.

Growth is also a big issue in south Spokane’s District 2, where a group of Latah Valley residents have been calling for council members to pass a development moratorium because of concerns about a lack of fire infrastructure.

Klitzke says she’s supportive of a moratorium.

“Until we have a solution, why are we allowing growth down there? We’re not meeting the concurrency of our comprehensive plan when it comes to traffic or fire in some of these areas,” Klitzke says.

Moore has heard about calls for a moratorium in Latah Valley but doesn’t have a position.

“I have no comment or understanding of that,” Moore says. “And I know as I talk to you, it must sound like ‘Well, what do you know?’ Boy — I’m going to learn I have that opportunity.”

During this election season, Moore has often avoided taking a firm stance on issues facing the city, instead saying she plans to “sit down and listen to the people” and that she will support whatever the majority of citizens want.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, because when I sit on that council, I will be at the will of the people,” Moore says. “I want to take politics out of it.”

Moore says one of her goals is to help people become

more engaged with city business. If elected, she plans to have weekly meetings with constituents at libraries in her district.

“I like majority rule,” Moore says.

Moore says she fully supports Proposition 1, a citizen-led initiative on November’s ballot that would ban homeless camping within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and day care centers.

“We need to get people connected to services to get them out of homelessness, not encourage them to camp and continue a lifestyle that leads to illness and death,” Moore says. “That’s not compassion.”

Klitzke says she expects the initiative to pass because voters are frustrated — and as a parent, she says she understands where they’re coming from. But she doesn’t plan to vote for it herself because she thinks it will just result in homeless people being moved around to other parts of the city without doing anything to address the root issue.

“They’re human beings, they’re not going to cease to exist,” Klitzke says.

On Friday, Mayor Nadine Woodward announced that Spokane is joining more than a dozen other cities — including Seattle and Tacoma — in asking the Supreme Court to overturn Martin v. Boise, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that prevents cities from sweeping homeless camps without an offer of shelter.

Klitzke doesn’t think fighting the court ruling is productive. Moore says she knows about Martin v. Boise, but isn’t familiar enough to comment one way or another.

Both candidates say they want to bring constituents together and do what’s best for the city. So what sets them apart?

Moore isn’t totally sure. Maybe policing? As she did during the primary election, Moore says she’s staying focused on herself.

“I don’t know a lot about Kitty except she’s nice,”

Moore says. “I guess the biggest thing is I support our law enforcement 100 percent.”

Moore notes that she’s endorsed by the Spokane Police Guild and Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels. This spring, she organized a petition in opposition to City Council plans to investigate Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl’s communications with a small group of politically active downtown property owners.

Klitzke, for her part, says she’s a supporter of law enforcement as well. She recently did a ride-along with a Spokane officer and has another one planned soon. “You can’t ride around with those officers and meet those officers and not feel how overworked they are,” Klitzke says. “I appreciate what they go through.”

Klitzke thinks her experience sets her apart from Moore.

“When you go in and you don’t know anything about state and public policy, you’re really at a disadvantage,” Klitzke says. “You were elected to serve the people, and you need to know the laws of the people.”

Klitzke also highlights Moore’s reluctance to weigh in on policy issues and her insistence that she’ll “listen to the people” if elected. Of course politicians should seek input from the community, Klitzke says, but at the end of the day, “you have to do your homework and find out what the implications of different options are.”

Moore is confident that she’ll be able to learn the ins and outs of city business while bringing community members together to be part of the solution. She also hopes to find ways to use her background in health care to help people struggling with mental illness or addiction.

“It’s just in me to reach out and involve people and educate them and get things done with the help of the people,” Moore says. “I’m just happy and excited that I’ve been given this opportunity. I have the time and the passion. I think that I’m called for this service.” n

nates@inlander.com

Earl Moore, left, and Kitty Klitzke.

The years 2019-2020 are complicated. The 2019 Summer Guide was 166 pages long and chock-full of activities for the community to participate in. The following year, the pandemic struck and activities moved to Zoom or came to a halt, thinning out the 2020 Summer Guide to just barely over 100 pages. Though life seemed to stop, the Inlander team worked hard to make sure readers stayed well-informed about the turbulent times we were all living through.

IN THE NEWS

In August 2020, Arts and Culture Editor Chey Scott wrote a cover story called “RACIST RELICS.” She didn’t mince words. “Col. George Wright rained genocidal terror on local Native peoples, yet the ruthless man is still the namesake of Spokane’s Fort George Wright Drive some 160 years later.” She went on to talk about other remnants of oppression toward members of minority groups and Indigenous people that remain in the Inland Northwest. Just two months after publication of the article, Fort George Wright Drive was renamed to Whistalks Way in honor of Whist-alks, a female warrior of the Spokane Tribe of Indians who played a large role in the resistance against the brutality of Wright and the U.S. Army.

CULTURE BEAT

A theme throughout the culture section in 2020 was the recurring “MY FIRST TIME…” series where writers would embark on brave journeys to explore pieces of media they had never consumed. Former Film and Music Editor Nathan Weinbender, who still occasionally freelances for us, somehow avoided the cultural phenomenon that was Hamilton, and intern Lizzie Oswalt watched Dirty Dancing for the first time. On June 15, 2020, former Editor Dan Nailen wrote the inaugural piece in the series about his first time watching a Harry Potter movie. He brings up some good points about the first movie: “As a kid who grew up with bangs, I look forward to Harry’s first effort to do something different with his hair. I hope it goes better for him than it did for me.”

ON THE COVER

In the Sept. 10, 2020, issue of the Inlander, goose poop was at the forefront of the news cycle as Sandpoint, Idaho, deemed the birds’ presence a public nuisance. In the story titled “SANDPOINT’S WILD GOOSE CHASE” former staffer Wilson Criscone, who now works as the news and investigations editor for InvestigateWest, describes the scene: “Men in blue uniforms wandering hastily through the park, chasing gaggles of geese. Within hours on the morning of June 25, 127 Canada geese are packing into two horse trailers with license plates that say ‘U.S. GOVERNMENT.’ The trailers haul the birds far away, but maybe not far enough, to a place where they hopefully won’t bother people with their shit.” In December 2022, the Sandpoint City Council voted 4-1 to authorize a citywide goose hunt. After those efforts resulted in only one goose killed, Sandpoint called on the state’s wildlife services to euthanize the 170 captured geese in June 2023. A crappy situation no matter how you look at it.

LOCAL FOLKS

Undoubtedly, the person mentioned the most in the years 2019-2020 was BOB LUTZ, who was the health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District. Beginning in March 2020, Lutz’s name appeared monthly as he offered information about how to navigate COVID. In November, Lutz was officially fired following an 8-4 vote by the health district board because of “internal issues” Amelia Clark, the administrative officer for the Spokane Regional Health District, had with Lutz. In February 2021, Lutz filed a wrongful termination lawsuit and in June 2022, Clark left her position with the district.

— MADISON PEARSON

Sandpoint finds itself in a crappy situation BY WILSONPAGECRISCIONE 12

Road Tolls

Ben Goldfarb’s new book Crossings examines the hidden costs of paving our nation

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Ten years ago, Ben Goldfarb and his wife, Elise, drove through Yellowstone National Park. The fall colors were stunning. They wheeled along, taking in the scenery, when suddenly a pair of ears and a fluffy auburn tail dashed in front of the car. Braking wouldn’t have helped. Elise hit the red squirrel, which died instantly and spilled the collection of nuts it carried in its cheeks. Elise was distraught.

The couple stopped and Elise scrambled out of the car. She recovered the squirrel and its food. She carried them to the side of the road, wrapped the limp body around its last meal, and covered it all in a blanket of pine needles. A small memorial, but an important one.

As they drove off, Goldfarb was still disturbed. How could animals in Yellowstone, the most sacred space for wildlife in the U.S., still be in danger of death at human hands?

Fascinated, Goldfarb spent the next decade exploring how roads, our most common means of travel, stop wildlife in its tracks. In his newly released book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, Goldfarb writes about the highways and byways that bind us together but rip the natural world apart. He introduces the uninitiated to road ecology, a growing scientific field that studies the effects of roads on the natural world, from

noise pollution and habitat loss to direct mortality.

He recounts deadly deer vehicle collisions in Washington, great toad squishings in Costa Rica, and crazed cougars in the Santa Monica Mountains driven to incest by U.S. Route 101. He reveals how walls of traffic stunt ancient migration patterns.

But that same road trip with Elise offered Goldfarb his first chance to witness a wildlife overpass — a large bridge that deer, squirrels, bears and pollinators can use to cross the road, going over cars instead of under them. As the world gets paved over, Goldfarb finds people building a new way forward. From grand grizzly overpasses to tiny salamander tunnels, empathetic infrastructure can free both humans and animals.

Though his research took him across the globe, Goldfarb did much of his research and wrote most of the book while he lived in Spokane. (He moved to Colorado a year ago.) Restricted travel during pandemic years meant that he frequently scoured the Inland Northwest for inspiration.

As I drive to Mount Spokane State Park at dusk, I see the telltale yellow road sign warning me that deer crossings are common on the next strip of road. Just past it, the speed limit sign tells me I could push my Ford Fiesta to 45 mph.

As State Route 206 winds up Mount Spokane, I usually start getting anxious that I’m annoying the car behind me by going too slow, or thinking about where to hike, or wondering if I forgot my Discover pass, or getting annoyed by the person in front of me going too slow.

But this time, I start thinking about the animals hiding in the trees beside me, watching a long, intermittent line of vehicles tromp through each day. I think about that red squirrel. I came here to enjoy nature, but am I instead putting it at risk?

To be sure, Goldfarb is not anti-driving. I interviewed Goldfarb when he was stuck in traffic between Portland to Olympia. ...continued on next page

Live Lounge Entertainment

Free Live Music at Coeur d’Alene C asino!

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

Kosh

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 TH –SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 TH 6 PM - 9:30 PM

CHINOOK LOUNGE

Come on down to the Chinook Lounge and enjoy Kosh’s beautiful blend of contemporary and classic sounds.

Rusty Nail & The Hammers

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6 TH & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 TH

8:30 PM - 12:30 AM

NIGHT HAWK L OUNGE

Rusty Nail and the Hammers plays a variety of classic rock, pop, country and dance music.

Wednesday, October 25th | 8:30am - 12:30pm

CenterPlace Regional Event Center 2426 N Discovery Place, Spokane Valley

*Cost: FREE - Breakfast included with registration

To register please visit our event website: www.eventleaf.com/e/2023Caregiver

For questions regarding the CG Conference please contact the Caregiver Support Program 509-458-7450 Option 2

*Breakfast included for attendees that register prior to October 17, 2023

He knows that sometimes a car is the rational decision. He knows that Fahrvergnügen, the unique love for and pleasure from driving, is powerful. Crossings is not about shaming individuals. But it asks us to look at the conditions we’ve built for ourselves and consider more than just how it affects us.

Although, if the human toll of fast cars and crowded intersections doesn’t convince us to change, maybe nothing will. Along roadways of any size, white crosses memorialize too many untimely deaths of loved ones. If that doesn’t slow our roll, surely squirrel guts won’t do a thing.

And yet, as Goldfarb tours his new book around the country, people everywhere have roadkill stories they’re thankful to get off their chest. He listens “like a Catholic priest taking confession” to stories of owls squashed and deer silenced. We zip around so unaware of our impact on the world that when we’re confronted with the death we wield, we don’t know where to turn.

I get out of my car and walk along the main road up Mount Spokane. I’m scanning the thin shoulder for carcasses. I’m curious how many rodents, reptiles, birds and insects have lost their lives at the hands of drivers headed up for the sunset.

My question is unanswered. I don’t see anything. After 30 minutes of walking, the only creature I see on the road is a grasshopper, which

flies into my face and slams into my cheek, but we both end up OK. Plenty of cars stream past on my left, probably annoyed that I’m on the road. Fifty feet from the pavement, a deer peers at me through the trees. After a few seconds of eye contact, it hightails it back into the forest, more scared of me than the yellow Corvette that just cruised past.

It could be that the mountain has become accustomed to the road, and animals no longer try to cross it. Or maybe, drivers are careful enough to stop for every snake, mouse and quail. But after reading Goldfarb, I’m less convinced. I wonder if the road is so well maintained, so carefully cleaned, that any evidence of the destruction we cause is swept away, out of sight and out of mind. I wonder how many white crosses might appear if we memorialized each body claimed by this road. I don’t think we’re better off forgetting. I think of Elise remembering the red squirrel with a simple pile of pine boughs. Then I see Goldfarb repopulating our roadsides with tiny memorials, asking us to remember the toll of our handiwork, and wondering if we have the will, or desire, to do better. n

“ROAD TOLLS,” CONTINUED...

If the human toll of fast cars and crowded intersections doesn’t convince us to change, maybe nothing will.

A Beacon of Change BUILDING HOPE:

New Home Construction: A Key to Price & Rent Stability

In every community, there’s a place we all call home—a sanctuary and a source of security. However, for far too many, finding an affordable place to live has become a daunting challenge, contributing to family instability. We believe that building hope through new home construction is the beacon of change our community needs.

The Crisis We Face

Housing affordability is a growing issue, affecting individuals and families across the nation. The Mayor has declared it an emergency. It’s time we take action to address this crisis head-on.

• Rental prices continue to rise, outpacing wage growth, making it increasingly difficult for people to secure stable housing.

• Families, veterans, and vulnerable individuals face unimaginable hardships due to the lack of affordable housing options.

The Solution: New Home Construction Stability for All

New home construction directly impacts both price and rent stability. By increasing the supply of housing, we can:

• LOWER RENTAL COSTS: A greater supply of rental units helps reduce the competition for housing, putting downward pressure on rent prices.

• AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP: More available homes mean increased opportunities for individuals and families to become homeowners, building equity and long-term stability.

• ECONOMIC GROWTH: Housing Construction projects create jobs and stimulate local economies, fostering stronger communities.

• PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS: By keeping housing costs manageable, we can prevent many from falling into homelessness in the first place.

Your Role in Building a Brighter Future

Join Us in Making a Difference

• SUPPORT LOCAL INITIATIVES: Encourage local governments to invest in affordable housing and streamline construction processes and oppose measures that suppress housing construction

• ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE: Raise your voice for policies who promote housing affordability, access, and equity.

• MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: Speak out against those that would suppress housing construction by imposing building moratoriums.

Together, We Can Build Hope

It’s time to take a stand for our communities, our neighbors, and our future. New home construction is not just about buildings; it’s about building hope, stability, and opportunity.

Let’s build a brighter future together.

For more information and to get involved visit us at: www.buildingforthefuture.org

In the Groove

Coeur d’Alene record store the Long Ear celebrates 50 years of kickin’ out the jams

The Long Ear began with love at first sight. Deon Borchard went to an audiophile swap meet in Southern California in 1971 looking for 8-tracks by the band Spooky Tooth, but she left with much more than that.

“I was walking down an aisle on the lookout for those 8-tracks,” Borchard says. “At the end of that aisle, there was this guy standing there, and he just had a spark.

BY MADISON PEARSON

Everyone around him was smiling, too, like his energy was rubbing off on them.”

That’s all it took. “I stopped dead in my tracks,” she says. “I was instantly in love.”

Borchard went home that night and told her cousin that she had met the man she was going to marry, and she was right. Six months later, Deon and Terry were married.

“In that first summer we must have gone to 40 con-

certs together,” Borchard says. “Music was so integral to our life.”

So integral, in fact, that the newly married couple decided to become business partners as well. In 1973, two years after their initial meeting, they opened up the first location of the Long Ear record store in Orange County, California.

The Long Ear remains an oasis for vinyl lovers. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

“IN THE GROOVE,” CONTINUED...

“It felt like the natural thing to do together,” Borchard says. “We would go home at night and, instead of watching TV, we would listen to records together. We sat on our huge waterbed and really listened to the music. We read the liner notes as it played and then, once the record had finished, we would discuss it in depth. That’s where the Long Ear was actually conceived, in those moments.”

After moving to Big Bear for a few years, the couple made a final move to Coeur d’Alene in 1985 and brought the Long Ear with them. It’s been a long journey, and this month Long Ear celebrates 50 years in business.

Deon and Terry agree that, despite moving around so much, their relocation to north Idaho was the best decision they ever made. Terry flew to Coeur d’Alene to look for a home to buy while simultaneously looking for a new home for their record store.

“We moved here in between phone book printings,” Borchard says. “It was really hard to get the word out about a new record shop in town.”

Deon, Terry and their son, Victor, hand drew advertisements and hung them at local establishments throughout Coeur d’Alene when they first arrived. Once the word got out, the Long Ear began seeing familiar faces week after week.

“The community was, and continues to be, so welcoming to the new guys in town,” says Borchard.

Walking into the Long Ear is like walking through Disneyland — but for audiophiles.

On the right, they’ve got rows and rows of physical media. Thousands of CDs and records, used and new, nestled in wooden bins constructed by Terry himself.

Whether you’re drawn to the country sounds of John Denver, the soothing sonic soup of classical music or the melancholy music of Mitski, you’ll find it in the Long Ear’s bins. The Borchards have a personal affinity for rock music, but they don’t discriminate when it comes to what they carry in the store.

Cheers of discovery can be heard over the sound of customers rustling through bins when they find something they’ve been searching for. Music from decades past plays softly over the store’s speaker system.

“We really try to go for that ‘other room of your house’ feeling,” Borchard says. “The Long Ear is merely an extension of your home in that we want customers to feel comfortable and happy.”

A glass case on the right-hand side of the store houses speakers, amplifiers and record players for those interested in buying from a local shop rather than a big-box store.

While the Long Ear specializes in selling music, over the past decade Deon has focused on bringing in other products. From incense burners to oven mitts, all of the merchandise gives off the same vibe: eccentric and unique.

“We’ve carried incense since 1973, and we still carry it to this day,” she says. “But we also sell posters, tapestries, lava lamps and more fun stuff. It’s important to be wellrounded in what we sell. The customers enjoy it and so do I.”

With a recent resurgence of physical music collecting and annual Record Store Day events, Borchard says that communities are really starting to remember their local record stores, and they have a strong desire to come together and celebrate music.

The Long Ear started with love and continues to radiate that same feeling five decades later.

“Plain and simple, the Long Ear is a gathering place for those who love music,” Borchard says. “As we reach our 50th anniversary, we realize just how blessed we are to do something we love surrounded by community, family and friends. What more could we ask for?” n

The Long Ear • 1620 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene • longear.com • 208-765-3472

The Long Ear crew: Joel May, Nic Fritzy, owners Terry and Deon Borchard, Ben Schoelen and R.J. Reuber. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Inland Pacific Kitchen’s

Chef Chong Vang

Don’t Try This At Home

My mom is notoriously hard to take out to eat. She’s a homebody, so she doesn’t look forward to a night out. She’s also a pretty good cook, and she doesn’t dread dishes. So anytime I finally convince her to try a new dinner spot with me, I usually get the same response: It’s good, but why couldn’t I just do this at home?

This year’s Dining Out guide is an ode to dishes that are best not attempted at home. Some are intensely technical, others are way too time-consuming, and one calls for more ingredients than a typical grocery list.

Let’s leave it to the professionals to simmer the perfect broth for hours on end or mold chocolate into pinecones or deep-fry hand-rolled sushi. Go ahead and taste the hard-earned fruit of someone else’s labor. Let the experts impress you with their most dramatic skills.

Besides the featured dishes, make sure to check out the list of recommendations from local chefs for dishes even they don’t want to make for themselves.

Here’s to memorable meals and impressive imaginations that are way beyond our skill level. This one’s for you, Mom.

— ELIZA BILLINGHAM

¡Holy Molé!

The overwhelming prep and process to make Mole’s signature chocolate-y Mexican sauce

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Here’s how hard it is to make mole negro sauce: Most Mexican restaurants I’ve eaten at over the years totally suck at it.

Far from a simple savory Mexican chocolate sauce, mole should be a rich world of flavors bursting with smokey umami boldness, subtle sweetness, and pepper heat. Last year while in Sayulita, on Mexico’s west coast, I found a place that made such good mole tacos that I had to eat there five straight days. But when it’s done poorly, mole is a dish-ruining mess — a relatively bland cocoa concoction with no pep. If a restaurant isn’t committed to the authentic process, it’s just a

brownish/blackish gravy that turns your meal into sludge.

But fear not, Spokanites. The mole negro at Molé? It lives up to its name. It’s super legit.

And once you observe the amount of work that Molé owner and head chef Fredy Martinez puts into concocting traditional Oaxacan mole negro, you totally understand why.

Molé’s mole-making process overwhelms with its prep list alone. Martinez brings out not one, not two, but four large trays filled with necessary ingredients. There’s a whole tray of just dried

peppers varieties: chile ancho, chile guajillo, chile costeño (native to Oaxaca) and chile puya. The recipe also includes cloves, black pepper, cinnamon sticks, Gamesa Marias (Mexican biscuit cookies), tomatoes, onions, garlic, plantains and more.

But the most crucial is the “pure, real deal” chocolate, which Martinez’s mother makes by hand with cocoa, cinnamon and sugar at home and dries in the sun before sending it to the restaurant. All this creates the mole paste, which then gets simmered with chicken broth for the actual sauce that’s plated on Molé dishes.

Fredy Martinez skips no steps in his mole-making process. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Out

Turns out, Martinez is cooking up a small batch of mole paste for demonstration. This abundance will only create 2 kilos of mole negro paste. The typical four-hour process — often overseen and executed by Martinez’s wife, Ana, in the morning hours before the restaurant opens — makes roughly 10 times as much. Molé goes through about 20 kilos of mole paste — 100 gallons of sauce — per week

Martinez begins the process by throwing the various peppers on the grill, toasting them to a burn to get the blackness and smokey flavor notes. Soon cinnamon sticks get added to the grill mix, while in a separate pan he begins to stir fry garlic, onion, tomato, and eventually plantains, walnuts and almonds. Once this smorgasbord of ingredients gets done cooking, they are all blended together to make that quasi-magical mole negro paste.

As someone who learned how to make mole in the traditional manner from the matriarchs in his family, Martinez thinks restaurants that get mole wrong usually simply aren’t putting in the effort.

“Just follow to process how it’s supposed to be,” he says. “Some people just go the easy way. Instead of stir frying and toasting, they just soak everything in hot water and just blend everything. And that is not the way.”

The signature sauce is healthily ladeled across a variety of dishes at Molé. On this occasion I indulge in the signature dish — mole negro over bone-in chicken ($25). The dish may seem straightforward — a heaping helping of chicken over a bed of rice with a plantain slice on the side.

But the mole is the complexity. When smothered over the chicken, the dish becomes a rich blast of flavors that put to shame any condescending jibes about Mexican food being a simple mixing of core ingredients. It’s a

some tough questions. Do I have the massive kitchen space to pull this off properly? Am I willing to put in the effort to go through all the steps? Do I have generations of Oaxaca cooking heritage to draw upon while cook-

MOLÉ!,” CONTINUED...

Molé’s signature mole negro chicken. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Thank you for dining local.

Visitors spent $393M on Food & Beverage in 2022. That’s 28% of all visitor spending in Spokane in 2022.

Far-Flung Flavors

Beef rendang takes nearly two days to make and originated in Indonesia, but d’bali Asian Bistro has brought its complex flavors to Airway Heights

BY MADISON PEARSON

At d’bali Asian Bistro, it’s always been about hard work.

Born and raised in South Korea, owner Jeannie Choi (affectionately known as Mama Jeannie) says she’s always had a metaphorical appetite for travel and a literal appetite for diverse cuisine. After traveling around Southeast Asia in her 20s, Choi found herself in Spokane working a tough job and wondering where life would lead her next.

Sumatran Beef Rendang and rice. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

“She was always cooking for friends and family at her house in addition to working all of the time,” says Kelly Bishop, Choi’s business partner. “We kept telling her it was time for her to do something for herself.”

Following that gentle nudge, Choi opened d’bali Asian Bistro in October 2018. She’s been bringing the complex flavors of Southeast Asia to the West Plains ever since.

With d’bali, Choi struck a balance between her love of food and her obsession with travel, which is clearest in her Sumatran beef rendang ($18). At first glance, the rendang looks like any other curry-style dish. But when it hits your tastebuds, it’s clear the dish is something far more elusive.

Rendang hails from the Minangkabau people native to the West Sumatra province of Indonesia. Much like Choi, rendang began in one place and ended up in many others.

“The early trade that happened in the region of Southeast Asia impacted this dish heavily,” Bishop says. “Over time, the introduction of new people and cultures resulted in people taking on the dish and making it their own.”

Beginning as a dried beef product, the dish is now a stew-like amalgamation of intense flavors and a comfort food for people all over the world.

Rendang is created by marinating a piece of tender beef in a blend of aromatic spices. Choi uses everything from cardamom, cinnamon and star anise to fresh ingredients like lemongrass, ginger, garlic and galangal, a spice with forward-facing notes of mustard and pine.

Choi says it’s difficult to find fresh ingredients in the Inland Northwest, so she often makes trips to the state’s west side, even for just one ingredient. Anything for her customers, the “d’bali Fam Bam,” as Choi and Bishop call them.

“Traditionally, the spices were pounded together to create the marinade,” says Choi, though she admits they have a blender now. Once the spices are combined, the meat is covered in the mixture and left to marinate for 24 hours, even up to 36 hours. At minimum.

D’bali’s version of rendang has just enough sauce to seep into the warm rice, while the coconut cream gives an undertone of sweetness, and the marinade spices surface more and more with every bite.

“When all of these flavors are mixed together, it’s not overwhelming,” Choi says.

Although it takes nearly two days to make one batch, the dish is a mainstay on the menu. Choi’s perfected rendang is a combination of her experiences, expert knowledge and love of cooking. That’s evident in the flavors only she can create.

“Rendang is a road map of sorts, from Southeast Asia all the way to the Inland Northwest. That’s what makes this dish so culturally significant,” Bishop says. “It ties together many different ethnic groups and cultures to where we’re all just one people.”

Choi sums it up best: “Rendang is like a peaceful community.” n

Owner and chef Jeannie Choi in the d’bali kitchen.

Midnight Monsters

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Head down the stairs to Coeur d’Alene’s Kaiju and enter a latenight sushi spot that’s half North Idaho, half lower Manhattan. Local artists’ renditions of Japanese monsters hang on the walls. A seat at the low lit, high top sushi bar lets you watch how the rolls get made. A full service liquor bar with a lengthy list of sakes offers another round after the bars close but before you want to head to bed.

In the middle of the basement, Phaedra Ciccone wets her knife. At 22, she’s already the executive chef of Kaiju. She’s the daughter of Frank Ciccone, who owns Kaiju and the neighboring restaurant Crickets, and she’s been honing her sushi skills since she was 14. The quick, confident slice of her knife makes it look easy. But her years of practice prove it’s anything but.

The King Kong roll ($19) isn’t the most technical roll on the menu. It’s not topped with filet mignon seared by a blowtorch like the Hedorah ($22) or with expertly cut fish like the Manda ($21) or the more traditional nigiri or sashimi bites. But it’s a beast that shouldn’t be unleashed on a weeknight at home.

Don’t mess around in Coeur d’Alene with Kaiju’s deep-fried, banned-in-Japan King Kong roll

The perfect amount of escolar.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

The King Kong features escolar, which is also called Oilfish, White Fish, White Tuna or Hawaiian Butter Fish. Escolar gets its nicknames from its high concentrations of fatty, waxy esters that make it absolutely delicious and potentially hazardous — which is why it’s banned in Japan and Italy.

Eat it in small amounts, and you’ll be delighted — creamy, rich, and almost devoid of that “fishy” flavor. But eat any more than 6 ounces, and all that indigestible wax has to come out somewhere. You may discover why Hawaiians have another name for this fish — Maku’u — which means “exploding intestines.”

For Kaiju’s King Kong roll, Ciccone layers escolar with cream cheese, flying fish roe, crunchy green housemade slaw and bright orange yama gobo, a traditional Japanese pickled root vegetable. To showcase texture and technique even more, Ciccone deep fries the whole roll. She drips extra tempura batter while the roll is submerged to give it extra flake.

Topping off the extravagance, she drizzles the hot, crispy roll not only with sriracha and spicy mayo, but also huckleberry honey, for an epic battle between sweet and spicy. Long strips of dried seaweed make it look “furry,” Ciccone says. It’s as intimidating as the giant gorilla himself.

At first bite, it’s hard for me to distinguish between the escolar and cream cheese. Some chefs might consider this fried roll an insult to the pure ideals of sushi, but I’m too distracted by the sweet, spicy and sultry taking turns on my tongue. Punches of nori and fish eggs play nicely with the creamy base. I can see why escolar shows up on just about every American sushi menu. This country has a love affair with fats and fried things, and tonight, I’m here for it.

If you’re getting bored by repetitive meals and cookie cutter menus, Kaiju is the place to get inspired. Each house original roll is crafted for flavor, aesthetics and surprises.

“You’d think after eight years I’d get tired of eating it,” Ciccone says. “But honestly, I haven’t because I just make new stuff all the time.”

Perfect Pairings for Every Meal & Every Budget

Ciccone has made Super Bowl-themed sushi with buffalo wings and celery sticks. The M.O.G.U.E.R.A. roll pairs smoked salmon with Fuji apple and fried feta ($15). Ciccone even custom created the Mothra ($18), an umamipacked vegetarian roll with jalapeño and sweet chili sauce, for a regular who was discouraged by bland veggie options everywhere else.

So anytime you feel yourself falling prey to the fatigue of familiar flavors, treat yourself to a night of sea monsters and Kaiju’s monster creativity.

And definitely don’t keep escolar in your freezer. That would be far too dangerous. n

The King Kong roll.

Phaedra Ciccone can deep fry without the mess.

Let It Stew S

andwiched between Hop Chaos Brewing Co. and Mac Daddy’s in North Spokane is a little bit of Mexico City. Los Habaneros, a family-owned taqueria, has colorful flags with intricate cutout designs — papel picado — hanging in rows from the ceiling and mariachi music filling the air.

Raul Vega, co-owner and lead chef of Los Habaneros, has been cooking since he was a kid in Ciudad de México, where he was surrounded by taquerias selling authentic tacos, tortas and sopas.

Vega moved to the U.S. when he was 14 and began working in the restaurant industry, from Florida to California. However, both states boast large Hispanic populations — something he says the Northwest was lacking.

“When I came over here I never found really good Mexican food, and I didn’t see much Hispanic population either,” Vega says. “That’s when I was thinking we should make a taqueria here so we can offer good options for people.”

Los

BY COLTON RASANEN

And that’s exactly what he did. Vega brought over all of his favorite traditional foods to Los Habaneros’ menu — even the most complicated and time-consuming recipes.

One of these dishes — birria — requires much more time than others. Vega dedicates more than five hours to boiling the beef that makes the dish. Luckily, he has his recipe — or, we should say, his mother’s recipe — down to a science.

Habaneros’ birria takes hours to make and combines Mexican history, family tradition and cultural legend

About 36 hours later, birria tacos. ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

Most of the food he cooks at his restaurant comes directly from his mom’s cookbook, which adds another layer of tradition to his craft.

“She loves to cook,” he says. “When she heard I was going to have a restaurant she was so excited.”

There may be familial meaning to the recipes he uses, but like many traditional foods, the history spans generations. For example, birria hasn’t always been made with beef.

The dish actually started out as a way to cook goat meat. While legends say that this is because some goats got cooked to perfection in a cave after a volcanic eruption, the more plausible reason leads back to the Spaniards.

Goats were brought from Spain to Mexico more than 500 years ago and integrated into the Mexican livestock system, according to research from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Historical accounts say that the Spaniards thought goat meat was too tough to eat, and relegated it to the Indigenous population.

While the latter is more probable, it’s easy to imagine how a volcano inspired the juicy, flavor-explosion beef melting in my mouth right now.

While Vega wouldn’t reveal everything about his top-secret recipe, he did share an overview of his birria process.

First, he grills peppers — guajillo and ancho — with onions, garlic and tomatoes, then he boils all the veggies in water. Eventually, Vega blends the mixture and adds seasonings like cumin, cinnamon, thyme and black pepper to create the perfect broth.

Once that’s ready, he boils the meat, usually beef ribs, top round or skirt steak, in the broth for five hours to let the meat become as tender and marinated as possible. However, instead of spending hours each day to prepare the dish, Vega makes a large batch every other week that weighs more than 80 pounds.

Leave it to chefs and powerlifters to manage this much scrumptious food. Get a manageable portion for yourself served as a stew, a taco or a quesadilla, with onions, cilantro, lime and extra broth on the side.

Regardless of how you eat it, you’ll be joining a celebration bigger than yourself. This birria is the perfect dish to celebrate Vega’s one-year anniversary since opening the restaurant. So, we say: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Los Habaneros! n

Los Habaneros • 10115 N. Newport Hwy. • Open every day 11 am-9 pm • 509-315-9001

Raul Vega brought Mexico City flavors to North Spokane.

Where the Pros Go Out

Wanna know what even the professionals don’t want to make at home? Check out these recommendations from local chefs for dishes they think are impressive and exhausting, both at their own restaurants and other establishments around Spokane.

— ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Travis Dickinson

Cochinito

• Ceviche-style Ahi & Watermelon ‘Tartar’ at Cochinito.

• Pork Dumplings and Mapo Tofu at Gordy’s Sichuan Cafe. “So much technique goes into the food at Gordy’s. I am certain that if you gave most of us the same ingredients and the recipe for that tofu, it still would somehow never come out the same. There is some magic at play here.”

Peter Froese

Gander & Ryegrass

• Brie ice cream by Austin Conklin, chef de cuisine of Zona Blanca.

Juli Norris

Kasa

• Mi Mi Sandwich (with bread baked fresh for every order) at Kasa.

• Kuni’s Grilled Pork at KUNI’S Thai Cuisine. “Chef Kuni makes the best Thai food in Spokane!”

Chad White

Zona Blanca and TT’s Barbecue

• Half Roasted Octopus at Zona Blanca.

• Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake) at Ruins.

• The Fancy Nancy handmade meat pies at Heritage Bar and Kitchen.

• Fried Bologna at Durkin’s Liquor Bar.

Dan Gonzalez

Kismet

• Elote at Kismet because “the production and cooking is a bit dangerous, like putting popcorn in a fryer.”

• Ribeye Poke at Outsider.

Bethe Bowman

Italia Trattoria

• Squid Ink Fettucine at Italia Trattoria.

• Pho at Vina Asian Restaurant because “it’s a time-consuming broth” that uses six cuts of beef

Elijah Crume

Wild Sage

• Duck Duck Goose at Wild Sage. “Any time you see things like foie gras, pâté or cassoulet on menus — these are all time consuming and a hassle to make at home. Also, fried foods, because who wants to deal with vats of hot oil in their own kitchen?”

Patrick Dahms

The Davenport hotels

• Elk Tartare at Table 13. “This dish will be featured at our Oct. 5 Fall Foraged Spiceology Dinner at Table 13. We will also feature this dish as a special for the remainder of October. We procure our wild game meat from a curated and trusted source, ensuring ultimate freshness in a closed cold chain from ‘shot to chef.’ Truly wild game meat is incredibly difficult to come by. Before serving it raw, a lab probe for microorganisms needs to be taken to be safe.”

Shaun Ratty

Bowery

• Chicken Ballotine at Bowery. (Which is coming this December and entails a two-day process using every part of a chicken. The breast is deboned and flattened, then stuffed with a sausage made from the thighs and spices, then rolled up and sliced into perfect circles.)

• Pasta Tasting Menu at Gander & Ryegrass (Homemade sfoglia rolled by hand).

Adam Hegsted

Eat Good Group (Baba, Republic Tap House + Kitchen, Francaise and more)

• Broasted Chicken Dinner at Park Inn Bar & Grill, because “fried chicken is such a mess and so much work.” Plus, who has a broaster (steamer/roaster

Ian Wingate

Outsider

• Rotisserie Cauliflower at Outsider.

• Taco Whettos (made with beef cheek barbacoa) at Kismet.

Lauren Blumenthal

Sorella

• Dante’s Meatballs at Sorella, because “although meatballs may seem very simple to most people, this 100-year-old recipe is extremely hard to beat.”

• Polenta Lasagna at Italia Trattoria. “It’s so unique and delicious in the most simple and comforting way.”

Almaz Ainuu Queen of Sheba

• Meat & Veggie Combination

Plate at Queen of Sheba, made from scratch with traditional Ethiopian spices. n

Into the

Woods

Inland Pacific Kitchen’s desserts are so creative and complex, they don’t even look like food

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

Experimental, whimsical and intricate. That’s the essence of chef Chong Vang’s sweet and slightly savory dessert creations at Inland Pacific Kitchen in downtown Spokane, especially his rich and herbaceous fall menu item “What We Do in the Forest” ($14), which literally looks like the forest floor.

“A lot of what we do here is very artistic,” he says of Inland Pacific Kitchen’s menu. “We try to do things that excite us and that we aren’t seeing in the community here, but we’re trying to just have fun.”

This season’s dessert is Vang’s play on a mousse, which in this case is molded and frozen into the shape of a pine cone. He says the recipe is pretty traditional, but he doesn’t add gelatin. Instead, he cooks the sugar to a certain temperature before adding it to the mousse, which allows it to hold its shape. The whole process takes two days to complete.

Surrounding the mousse is an eye-catching light green sponge cake that gets its hue from a mixture of blanched basil and milk that’s incorporated into the cake batter.

Overall, each component of the dish is relatively simple to make, says Vang. Yet it’s the combination of flavors and textures, plus the time and equipment he uses that add layers of complexity to the dish.

Take the basil cake batter, which is siphoned out of a whipped cream dispenser (or iSi canister) to make it more airy and moist than your traditional sponge cake. Successfully using an iSi canister takes trial and error for most.

“I’ve never made an iSi cake before, so it was an experiment for me,” says Vang. “It’s a little bit more unique — just a flavor that you wouldn’t expect in a cake.”

Beneath the cake and mousse sits a layer of a graham cracker butter that’s inspired by a Trader Joe’s cookie butter spread.

“What We Do in the Forest” is a woodsy and autumnal dessert.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

Vang tops that with his pine nut granola and then a chocolate “soil” — a cocoa and coffee flavored crumble that bakes for an hour on a lower temperature so it will slowly dehydrate without burning. He then sprinkles a layer of popped sorghum atop the soil, adding an extra layer of texture to the dessert.

“You have all those components to create this whole experience while you’re eating it,” he says, “like the crunchiness of the granola and then the uniqueness of the pine nuts that are in that granola, as well as the graham cracker butter, which adds a richness and kind of gives it that feeling of fall.”

He adds some frozen huckleberries, which will remain in the dish for as long as he can buy them. The berries are coated with sugar and citric acid to cut through the bitter notes in the mousse and chocolate soil.

As a final touch, he takes some flaked salt and a pine needle infused honey — which he infuses himself with hand-picked pine needles — and drizzles it over top.

“I kind of like that controlled chaos look,” he says. “It looks kind of messy, but everything is there for a reason and a purpose.”

The visual component of “What We Do in the Forest” was the primary driving force behind Vang’s concept, but he adds that his love of huckleberry cordials and nostalgic fall flavors, particularly that of s’mores, were equally impactful components of his creative process.

To Vang, it’s a careful, complex balancing act to merge the flavors and textures of his dish together in a cohesive way. But that’s a challenge he enjoys taking on.

“I think that dessert is meant to be playful,” Vang says. “It’s my way of just having fun and expressing myself.” n

Chef Chong Vang combines artistry and playfulness in his dishes.

Throwing Punches

Difficult drinks that are dangerously delicious

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

If you’re looking for something to level up your cocktail experience, the missing ingredient just might be milk.

DeAndra Perrigo, a veteran bartender at Bijou, spent six months perfecting her milk punch recipe. It’s a timeconsuming, finicky process that mixes spirits, spices, fruit and tea with milk. The milk curdles from the acid, and over hours (or days), all the astringent tannins stick to the coagulated dairy. When the chunks are strained out, the final “milk punch” is transparent and tannin-less. What’s left is a liquor that is spicy and fruity with no hint of cream, except that it’s so smooth, it coats your tongue the way a milkshake does. It’s a terrifying science experiment that can go very right, if you know what you’re doing. Most people don’t.

“I spent a lot of time figuring this out,” Perrigo says. “I’m not going to give away all my secrets.”

Perrigo got some basic tips from Michael Conner, a chef at Durkin’s Liquor Bar who’s also Perrigo’s fiance, and Simon Moorby at Hogwash Whiskey Den, who has his own milk punch process. But after a certain point, Perrigo was on her own. She scoured digital archives for recipes, learning tricks from as early as the 1700s. Then,

she forged her own path, finally inventing a milk punch that is both lactose-free and vegan.

“I like to learn fun things,” she explains. “Half the fun, too, is figuring out the process.”

Perrigo is willing to share that her OG recipe has cinnamon plum tea instead of the typical green tea. She also makes rotational seasonal flavors, like sangria and lavender this past summer. This fall she’s created a caramel apple flavor and perfected her ginger-cinnamon one. No matter what, each punch is served best on its own over ice ($13).

That’s about all Perrigo is willing to share about the mysterious milk punch, though lucky imbibers may be able to squeeze a little more out of her.

You can press Perrigo about the process, but do you really want spoiled milk curdling on your kitchen counter? Don’t kid yourself. Sip on Perrigo’s hard-earned success, and leave the rest to the mad scientists. n

Bijou Bar • 1925 W. Fourth Ave. and 2910 W. 29th Ave. • Browne’s Addition location open Sun-Thu 3 pm-12 am, Fri-Sat 12 pm-1 am; South Hill location open Sun-Thu 3 pm-12 am, Fri-Sat 3 pm-1 am • 509-413-2379 and 509-862-4165

MORE SOPHISTICATED SIPS

Lebanese Coffee ($7)

The Lebanese Coffee at Lebanon Restaurant and Cafe is brewed in hot sand, an ancient tradition now available on the South Hill. Grounds are kept in the bottom of the pot and each batch is infused with cardamom. Every coffee service includes a personal rakwe, a traditional longhandled coffee pot, and a small, gold-handled drinking cup so every sip is warm and fragrant.

Lebanon Restaurant & Cafe • 707 W. Fifth Ave. • Open every day 11 am-8 pm • 509-279-2124

Smoke & Bourbon ($18)

Here’s a stunt, and you may need a double: Clinkerdagger’s Smoke & Bourbon cocktail is on fire, literally. The “tableside show” is definitely a crowd-pleaser, in an Evel Knievel kind of way. It’s always good to get the sparks flying on a night out, but please, leave this flame to the professionals.

Clinkerdagger • 621 W. Mallon Ave. • Open Sun 3-9 pm, Mon-Thu 11:30 am-9 pm, Fri-Sat 11:30 am-10 pm • clinkerdagger.com • 509-328-5965

Sun’va Beach ($7)

You don’t need alcohol for a night on the town. The Bank: Barroom & Eatery in Sandpoint has a stunning selection of nonalcoholic or low-ABV drinks that are just as complex as their friskier counterparts. The Sun’va Beach is less than .5% alcohol but flaunts a carrot ginger shrub, chili brine, lime, and hop water chili bitters for a sophisticated twist that you can’t find in the grocery aisle.

The Bank: Barroom & Eatery • 105 S. First Ave., Sandpoint • Open Tue-Sat, hours vary • thebanksandpoint.com • 208-948-2952

Bijou’s milk punch is lactose-free and vegan. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

*Insured by NCUA. Members must be over 18 years of age at time of application. Promotion only available to those who don’t currently have a checking account with Horizon Credit union. Promotion not eligible for Youth or Business Accounts. Verification of residence location required upon membership application. Membership fee may apply. One offer per household. To qualify for the offered incentive, members must complete the following within the first 60 days of new account opening: 1. Checking account must remain open and in good standing for 60 days, 2. Member must complete a minimum of 15 debit card transactions within 60 days of the account open date, 3. Member must fund the account with a minimum deposit of $250 within 5 business days of account opening and 4. Member must accept and agree to electronic statement delivery within Horizon Credit Union’s online banking platform. Horizon Credit Union will make a one-time deposit of $200.00 into the qualifying member’s account within 60 days of all qualifications being met. Checking account must be open at time of $200.00 deposit. Horizon Credit Union reserves the right to modify or cancel the terms of this offer at any time without prior notice.

Dining Out

QUEERING THE NARRATIVE

A few suggestions for how to make Hallmark movies gayer and better

BY COLTON RASANEN

For years I have hidden my authentic self from the entire world, but now that all changes. I hope this doesn’t change how I’m perceived, but I’m finally ready to come out of the proverbial closet and speak my truth.

I enjoy Hallmark movies.

I know it’s shocking, but between the cheesy, convoluted storylines, questionable acting and every single romance genre stereotype, I’m in love.

Or, I thought I was in love.

While researching for this column, I found out that I can’t recall a single name of a specific Hallmark movie that I’ve watched. A Google search didn’t help either because, much like the romance section at a bookstore, every single piece of cover art was completely indiscernible from the next.

And for some reason, I enjoy that every year the holiday movie season starts earlier — Christmas movies in October are ironically iconic.

So instead of writing about why I love the network’s schmaltzy formula, I’ve decided to consider ways to make Hallmark movies more memorable for everyone, especially for the LGBTQ+ community oftneglected by the genre.

LEAN INTO STEREOTYPES

I’m not watching Hallmark movies for any sort of realism. If I wanted that I’d watch any other more realistic cinematic genre (which given Hallmark’s tone, would even include fantasy).

If we’re to make these movies more memorable for the queer community, we need to lean into every stereotype and cliche possible — though obviously in a non-offensive way.

I want a campy romance that develops out of nowhere between two guys working on a Christmas tree farm, and I want one of them to have a complicated backstory that leads to the main conflict between the pair. I want a woman to run after her girlfriend in a busy airport to tell her that she’s sorry about whatever events happened before (and I certainly don’t want to see any TSA agents in the process).

JENNIFER COOLIDGE

I am a firm believer that adding Jennifer Coolidge — a modern-day gay icon — to any movie will immediately produce an iconic, quotable and queer-friendly experience.

Imagine:

Jennifer Coolidge as Mrs. Claus in another cheesy Christmas movie. (To pair with her turn in 2021’s Single All the Way.)

You look like the 25th of December — makes me want a candy cane real bad.

Jennifer Coolidge as a scarecrow in a movie where two rivaling pumpkin patch owners fall in love.

I’m scaring the crows, dumbass!

Jennifer Coolidge in a Hallmark exclusive, modernday Snow White where she voices the mirror on the wall talking to the evil queen.

You’re not very pretty and you’re not very smart. While we’re here, Lacey Chabert deserves a mention. She isn’t necessarily a queer icon, but she does always make me go, “Oh, that’s the actress from Mean Girls!” anytime I see her in a Hallmark movie (she’s been in 30 of them!). Unfortunately, I can’t remember a single one of them other than the non-Hallmark “classic” Mamma Mia!

Oh wait… that’s Amanda Seyfried, isn’t it?

ADD A DRAG SHOW

Now this recommendation is fairly broad, but I have a few ideas for how it could play out.

If the movie revolves around an upcoming wedding, I want to see the drag show at the bachelorette party. (See above for leaning into stereotypes.) Now, I won’t go into specifics, but the first drag show I ever personally attended had an entire bridal party living their best lives in the front of the bar.

If the movie veers into romcom territory, I need the drag show to be at the end of the movie. I want to see all the characters that I grew to love dancing the night away as all their problems have seemingly been solved. Roll credits. The same song used in the climactic moment plays again, but this time it’s randomly acoustic.

HIRE QUEER PEOPLE!

OK, this last one may be a little unrealistic, but have some faith. I believe Hallmark movies could actually become memorable by — hear me out — hiring actual queer people.

I know, I know. But in a field of movies that are virtually identical to one another, this recommendation may make the biggest impact — especially if it’s done responsibly.

While leaning into stereotypes is a vital aspect to these movies, it would be irresponsible to do so without an actual queer presence. Because they then become the butt of the joke, rather than being in on it.

Unless Patrick Swayze comes back from the dead to reprise his role as Vida Boheme in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, I want to see working, local drag queens.

If all goes well and a lovely Hallmark executive takes my advice, maybe I’d be able to name a few of their movies without a Google search. If not, though, no worries. I’ll continue discovering “new” Hallmark movies for the first time, regardless of whether I’ve seen them before. n

All Coolidge everything, please.

THE BUZZ BIN

BUTTERFLY FLIES AGAIN

OG Spokanites will remember the iconic lilac butterfly from Expo ’74 that lived near the Flour Mill during the World’s Fair until January 2021 when a windstorm took down the structure. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Expo ’74, the city of Spokane is restoring the butterfly sculpture to its original beauty in collaboration with Coffman Engineers and Guildworks. According to the city, several structural and aerodynamic modifications were made to enhance safety, add flexibility and reduce the risk of material failure. Construction is anticipated to begin around Oct. 2 and last about two weeks. An official opening date will be announced pending construction progress. Keep an eye on riverfrontspokane.org for updates on the restoration. (MADISON PEARSON)

MIDCENTURY RESTORATION

Since 2020, renovations have been underway at Spokane’s iconic Parkade parking garage, and on Friday, Oct. 6, a grand reopening will be held to celebrate its history and extensive repairs and upgrades. Live music and food trucks will be at the Parkade from 11 am-2 pm, with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1 pm. Parkade Investors is organizing the event with support from the Downtown Spokane Partnership. Speakers include Mayor Nadine Woodward and Ann Martin — the daughter of the Parkade’s architect, Warren C. Heylman — among other local investors and leaders. Built in 1967, it originated as a renewal project to the downtown core and will continue to serve the Spokane community through offering central parking options and quick access to downtown’s skywalks. (SUMMER SANDSTROM)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST

Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on Oct. 6.

ROGER WATERS, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON REDUX. I’m not saying Taylor Swift broke the music industry, but who really needs Pink Floyd’s frontman totally re-recording Dark Side of the Moon in 2023?

INCUBUS, MORNING VIEW XXIII. Wait, Incubus is re-recording its best album too? Musicians… y’all can just make new music! It’s OK if people don’t like it quite as much as the old stuff!

MATCHBOX TWENTY, YOURSELF OR SOMEONE LIKE YOU (VINYL REISSUE). Oh no! The Kens have taken over the radio station again! (SETH SOMMERFELD)

S.A.F.E. and Sounds

The S.A.F.E. Fall Festival brings together Maren Morris, local high school bands, and family activities to help educate the community about fentanyl

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Maren Morris is never one to sit on the sidelines and stay quiet when social issues arise.

The country-rooted singer-songwriter has torn up the charts with songs like “The Bones” and “The Middle,” but she’s not ever gonna bite her tongue to avoid offending potential fans. She’s used her fame to raise money for the NAACP, people who are food insecure, and public school music education. She’s called out country music for its diversity issues and blasted star Morgan Wallen for his racist language. When she lambasted Jason Aldean’s wife for transphobic comments, then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson called her a “lunatic country music person” — which Morris quickly slapped across a T-shirt (along with the number for Trans Lifeline) and sold them to raise over $150,000 for GLAAD, a nonprofit organization that advocates for acceptance of LGBTQ+ people.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Morris’ latest visit to Spokane centers on another crucial issue of our time — the crisis of fentanyl overdoses. On Oct. 7 at Spokane Pavilion, Morris will headline the second S.A.F.E. Fall Festival, a family-friendly event hosted by Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education (S.A.F.E.).

Founded in November 2021, S.A.F.E. looks to unite the larger Spokane community and educate people about the ever-shifting landscape of the fentanyl crisis. Having experienced the devastation wrought by a familial fentanyl overdose, Rayce Rudeen Foundation CEO and S.A.F.E. founder/chairperson Marsha Malsam thought the community needed to move away from the siloed communication about the drug in order to create a cooperative support network.

“We wanted to start something because we lost my nephew Rayce to fentanyl,” says Malsam. “There was a lot of different messaging, and everyone kept saying, ‘We can’t do this alone.’ And so the foundation partnered with the DEA. And through that, we brought in leaders from the community from all different sectors — business people, medical health, government, law enforcement, educators — onto a board. We wanted to really unite together and make sure we’re all saying the same messaging and using each other’s strengths.”

Part of the issue is just how uncomfortable conversations around fentanyl can be for parents, kids and just about everyone else. By organizing knowledge-gathering summits — whether with local youths or community leaders — S.A.F.E. wants to fully understand the various perspectives on the crisis. Through “lunch and learns” — hourlong presentations and conversations about fentanyl — at businesses, schools and other groups that request them, the organization is getting its message out to the people. For someone like Spokane Teaching Health Center executive director and S.A.F.E. board member Traci

Couture Richmond, knowing how painful fentanyl loss can be underscores the importance of education about the issue that is compassionate.

“I lost my sister in 2021 to a fentanyl overdose,” Couture Richmond says. “She had been addicted to drugs for 10 years, and battled that addiction. And so I have discovered that there is a lot of stigma out there around drug addicts and the type of people that they are. And the fact of the matter is that this can affect anybody, it doesn’t matter what kind of family you come from or background you have. If drugs want to take you, they will take you. And I just see so many of the systemic issues in the way that we treat addicts and that the way that we are not educating parents or empowering parents, so I just really want to be a part of something positive.”

But S.A.F.E. understands that people probably aren’t probably rushing out to attend morbid educational meetings about illicit drugs with their free time. That’s where S.A.F.E. Fall Fest enters the picture.

“We could say, ‘We’re doing the biggest summit on fentanyl!” and people are gonna go, ‘Yeah, that sounds great, but no.’ So our hope was to bring in like a headliner to get people to understand that we’re working with them,” Malsam says.

While Morris might be the draw, she’s only part of the festivities. The music lineup also features local blues standout Sammy Eubanks, cover band Bruiser and area

high school bands (which will hopefully draw in the kids’ families). There will also be more family-friendly activities like cornhole games, giant Jenga, bubble blowing stations, face painting, a Gonzaga basketball ticket raffle and more. The key for S.A.F.E. is that all of these diversions will be stationed next to booths run by community service providers (Spokane Regional Health District, Compassionate Addiction Treatment, etc.), who will hopefully be able to chat with parents as the kiddos play.

Plus, S.A.F.E. Fall Fest might be the best entertainment deal of the year, with tickets only costing $25 which includes a $10 food voucher.

“I mean, where else can you go see Miss Morris for $25?” Couture Richmond asks rhetorically. “It makes it really affordable for families.”

“We just would love everyone to come and just have a great experience,” says Malsam. “[People] can feel they’re contributing — by coming out on a beautiful day, having fun, listening to music and learning something, they could help a community member not lose a life or loved ones.” n

S.A.F.E. Fall Festival: Maren Morris, Sammy Eubanks, Bruiser, Local high school bands • Sat, Oct. 7 at 3 pm • $25 (Includes $10 food voucher)

• All ages • Spokane Pavilion • 574 N. Howard St. • spokanepavilion.com

Maren Morris doesn’t play it safe, but she will play for S.A.F.E. MORGAN FOITLE PHOTO

Lightning Strikes

A trio of friends opens Thunder Pie Pizza in a downtown Spokane spot long known for pizza

BY AMELIA TRONCONE

“Damn. Good. Pizza.”

These words spanning the brick walls of downtown Spokane’s newest pizza restaurant are more than a slogan. They’re a promise.

“We truly believe we have the best pizza in Spokane,” says Joel Barbour, co-owner of Thunder Pie Pizza, which specializes in woodfired artisan-style pizza, signature cocktails, beer and wine.

Barbour owns Thunder Pie with his friends Ben Poffenroth and Ramsey Pruchnic, who decided to open the restaurant to give new life to a seemingly unkillable pizza space. The confines of 816 W. Sprague Ave. previously housed Fire Artisan Pizza, Slightly Charred Wood Fired Pizza and Gozo Brick Oven Bistro.

The friends had talked about opening a pizza place one day, and they jumped when the opportunity presented itself. Typically, it’s said, three’s a crowd, but not in this case.

“It seemed like a good fit for us to work together,” Poffenroth says. “And we found a spot that had a wood-fired oven, so it just seemed like a natural fit to do pizza.”

Barbour, Poffenroth and Pruchnic all have experience running businesses in Spokane. Barbour owns The Great PNW, a Northwestinspired clothing company, Poffenroth owns Durkin’s Liquor Bar, and Pruchnic owns Hello Sugar as well as Uno Más Taco Shop.

The restaurant serves 13 types of pies ($15$18) with toppings that range from traditional cheese to pepperoni with pineapple. But the menu features more than just pizza: salads ($9-$14) and starters like meatballs ($12), garlic knots ($8) and blistered shishito peppers ($10).

Thunder Pie also offers 14 beers on tap ($7 each) from local and regional breweries, including No-Li, Lumberyard and Rainier.

Poffenroth developed the pizzeria’s menu with various chefs that he has worked with over the years. He also created the cocktail menu, which he says is an area that sets Thunder Pie apart from other local pizza establishments.

“I wouldn’t say we’re re-creating the wheel,” Poffenroth says. “We’re just trying to do it our way, with our twist.”

The restaurant has a full bar with 12

signature craft cocktails, all priced at $12 or less. Poffenroth’s recommended cocktail-pizza pairing is their Aperol Spritz with a Pear & Blue Cheese pizza.

“Ben brought so many awesome cocktails that just don’t exist at other restaurants,” Barbour says.

The Yacht Rock ($12) cocktail features cold brew, Ramazzotti and coffee liqueur for the caffeine-obsessed, while the Beer Cocktail ($11) contains Lumberbeard’s Apricot Sour.

With Barbour and his knowledge of design at the helm, the trio of owners also worked to revamp the pizzeria’s interior, including adorning the restaurant’s brick walls with signs consisting of bold, graffiti-esque lettering. Barbour says that their redesigned vibe is edgier while still being family-friendly.

“We wanted it to be a place where it’s OK to have kids, but also where it’s cool enough, it’s trendy enough that you want to be there with your friends, too,” Barbour says. “We’re excited to have a place that we would want to frequent even if we weren’t owners.”

Located downtown across the street from the Historic Davenport Hotel, Thunder Pie’s owners appreciate having a central location in the heart of the city.

“You’re just minutes away from everything downtown, so [Thunder Pie] is really easy and accessible,” Barbour says.

An important goal of Thunder Pie Pizza, according to Barbour, is to provide an intimate experience for all of their patrons. One way the owners have been able to do this is by removing all the TVs in the restaurant except for one above the bar. Barbour says that the absence of TVs will hopefully foster an environment where people can just sit and share a meal together.

The most exciting part of opening to the public, Barbour says, is being able to share the space with the community and the people who frequent downtown.

“We get to unveil something that is for the city,” he says. “For me, being born and raised in Spokane, it’s like we really get to give something cool and unique to the city.” n

Thunder Pie Pizza • 816 W. Sprague Ave. • Open Tue-Sat 11:30am-9pm • Instagram: @thunderpiepizza

The Meatball (below) and Pear & Blue Cheese pizzas. YOUNG

PHOTO

CONFRONTING ITS DEMONS

A look at horror sequel erasure as David Gordon Green reboots the Exorcist franchise

It’s often said the devil is in the details. That’s literally the case when it comes to The Exorcist

On Oct. 6, fan-favorite horror factory Blumhouse will release writer/director David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist: Believer, which is meant to serve as a direct sequel to 1973’s original The Exorcist film and be the first entry in a planned trilogy for the demonic horror franchise.

But here’s the thing… there already were Exorcist sequels.

This follows Green’s previous attempt at revivifying the Halloween franchise, which kicked off with a similar revisionary sequel (or “requel” in the modern parlance) in 2018 and spawned a divisive trilogy. The expectation is to do the same for the new Exorcist pictures.

Going back to franchise roots while ignoring subsequent entries is a fairly recent phenomenon, and one which takes extreme creative assumptions as to what audiences have or have not responded to. That Green and frequent collaborator Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones) thought they were up to the task of picking up the mantle from the likes of Halloween’s John Carpenter and recently deceased Exorcist director William Friedkin showcases real chutzpah. Whether or not they nail the assignment with this new Exorcist trilogy remains to be seen.

Friedkin’s original Exorcist was an almost-unparalleled sensation upon its release. It existed in a liminal space between the grit and neorealism of New Hollywood and the nascent blockbuster boom of the ’70s. It scandalized viewers and critics alike, prompting sold-out showings and lines around the block. It eventually grossed over $400 million in 1973 alone (adjusted for inflation, it is the highest-grossing film for Warner Bros. Studios). Hearsay and superstitions about the production persist to this day, but money is king… or to borrow the dogma of The Exorcist, money is God. Attempts to recapture the (black) magic of that seminal and controversial film were inevitable.

BY JASON BAXTER

A misbegotten sequel (Exorcist II: The Heretic) ensued in 1977. While it made money, the second installment stands as one of the most reviled sequels ever. A whopping 23 years later in 1990, author and original Exorcist screenwriter William Peter Blatty wrote and directed the underrated supernatural serial killer mystery The Exorcist III Based on his novel Legion, it is a follow-up with loosey-goosey connections to the first film. (It also contains what is most likely the best jump scare in horror movie history AND a fleeting glimpse of Fabio.)

Hollywood then tried the prequel path. First there was 2004’s Exorcist: The Beginning and 2005’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, two intertwined films that had such tortuous productions, they’d be worthy of an entire article unto themselves. Most recently, there was a pretty compelling 2016 Fox television series simply titled The Exorcist, which did away with any acknowledgement of the sequels and prequels, well before Mr. Gordon Green.

Shortly after the release of the last Exorcist film was when the Hollywood requel-ization really took flight, with 2006’s Superman Returns, an attempted rehab of the Man of Steel that canonized the first two Superman films by Richard Donner and Richard Lester, while ignoring Superman III and IV.

Green and McBride boldly took that baton and ran with it years later. Despite being a franchise with its own complex history of resets and contradictions, they had the audacity to reintroduce the Halloween franchise to a new generation of moviegoers. Their pitch: a direct sequel to the 1978 original bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate “Final Girl,” this time as PTSD-riddled badass (nevermind that this had already been done in 1998’s Halloween: H20). The hubris is evident almost from the start: The credits not only replicate the onscreen font and score of Carpenter, but literally show a rotting pumpkin

rejuvenating itself — a crass metaphor for their intentions as well as a callback to the initial film’s iconic opening.

There are other visual references: Laurie suddenly appearing out of nowhere outside a classroom (instead of Michael Myers) and Michael seen from an upstairs window standing ominously beneath a windblown clothesline. Frankly, these are shameless riffs on a stone cold classic. The follow-ups Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022) recycled ideas from previous Halloween movies and introduced some confounding new ones, like the bizarre psychic link between Michael and upstart slasher Corey Cunningham. Both sit at sub-50% on the Rotten Tomatoes, which does not exactly bode well for the team’s takeover of the Exorcist brand.

Green and McBride’s pending Exorcist trilogy looks like it’ll liberally borrow from the same playbook they used with Halloween: Rinse, repeat. Nothing apart from Friedkin’s original film remains canon. They’ve brought back star Ellen Burstyn, who played the bereaved movie maven and mother to the possessed Reagan (Linda Blair). Their other main conceit appears to be bringing Burstyn into the room as an exorcism is performed, whereas in the Friedkin original, she was never present for any of the rituals.

Green has had a strange career — he started as an indie circuit darling before shifting in the mid-aughts to lensing raunchy comedies like Pineapple Express and The Sitter. With box office clout behind him, he decided to try his hand at horror, opting to delve into the most sacred cinematic wells the genre has to offer. Whether The Exorcist: Believer satisfies audiences and critics remains to be seen, but even if the new film is more hellish than a devilishly good time, at least 2023 exorcism moviemaking brought us the hilarious image of Russell Crowe riding a moped wearing Ferrari socks in The Pope’s Exorcist. Hail Satan for that. n

The Exorcist: Believer opens in theaters on Oct. 5.

The Exorcist: Believer kicks off Spooky Season at the box office.

The Not-So-Tender Bar

Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick are spectacular in Kitty Green’s effectively grounded thriller The Royal Hotel

BY CHASE HUTCHINSON

From the very opening scene of The Royal Hotel, Julia Garner (Ozark) immediately grabs your attention. She won’t let it go for the next 90 minutes of this subtle yet sharply tense thriller that makes the most of her presence. When first introduced to her character Hanna, there is already a steely determination in her eyes as she walks through a dark interior before emerging into the bright light of a bustling boat party. A smile breaks out on her face as she finds her friend Liv, also perfectly played by Jessica Henwick (Glass Onion), and the two settle into a natural rhythm.

But their flow gets disrupted when they realize they’re running low on funds. The two have been backpacking around Australia, but now need to find some work to keep the trip going. When an opportunity presents itself to work at a remote pub deep in the Outback, Hanna seems a bit nervous, but Liv cracks a kangaroo joke to try to ease her pal’s tension. Off they go to this temporary gig, one that will soon trap them in a terrifying purgatory. If this sounds familiar, the story is actually inspired by the 2017 documentary Hotel Coolgardie. While that is also worth seeing, this film is no mere retread — it becomes something sinister all its own.

Written and directed by Kitty Green, who cut her teeth directing great documentaries of her own before making her

narrative debut with the shatteringly minimalist thriller The Assistant (which also starred Garner), this new film is another precise study of the everyday terrors that can take hold. From the moment Hanna and Liv begin working, they face immense disrespect from all angles. Their perpetually drunk boss Billy, played by The Lord of The Ring’s Hugo Weaving in one of his best performances, is an increasingly monstrous man made no less awful by how pitiful he is. The bar’s patrons are no better, constantly harassing Hanna and Liv at every turn. When confronted, they’ll say it is a joke. Of course, they’re the only ones maniacally laughing.

What follows is a thriller that cuts deepest when it is at its most understated, as it captures the way misogyny can become so commonplace that it is like an invisible poison gas lingering in the air. It is no less destructive, but a good number of the patrons cycling through bring it in with them. They may seem like cartoonish assholes, but each can become cruel in the blink of an eye. Green presents this frankly and without pretense, with her approach to staging a scene proving to be as unsettling as ever. It is more frenetic than The Assistant, as this is a bar as opposed to an office, but she finds the same gut punches when it

all quiets down. The pace of the edit further creates a perpetually uneasy feeling, as if we are surveying the entire scene with Hanna and trying to keep an eye on all the people that are swirling around her. Though Liv is oddly made less central, often feeling underwritten, you still feel a growing sense of dread for both of them that they work through differently. This reaches a breaking point in a petrifying nighttime scene as one side character comes to the forefront, showing a grim conclusion could be waiting in the wings.

Directed by Kitty Green

Even as the eventual ending is less confident than the rest of the film building up to it, Green’s command of the little details ensures it still burrows its way under your skin. It is a sociological excavation that ensures you feel the rot taking hold. It is not quite on the same level as The Assistant, but that is a high bar to clear for just how uncompromising it was. What unites the films is how honest both become. In each, Green takes the places we are familiar with, like an office or a bar, and holds them up to the light to show the ugliness lurking underneath it all. When everyone is revealed to be complicit in this, it isn’t enough to just announce its last call. n

Starring Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Hugo Weaving

Transformative Revisting

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

There are essentially three categories of sequels: Sequels everyone wants (The Godfather Part II, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), sequels nobody really wanted (Space Jam: A New Legacy, Blues Brothers 2000) and sequels nobody knew they wanted until they arrived (Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade Runner 2049). The Mountain Goats are entering the third category with the band’s new album, Jenny from Thebes (out Oct. 27 via Merge Records). The new LP offers a rock opera centered on the titular Jenny, a character who first appeared on the Mountain Goats touchstone 2002 album All Hail West Texas, subsequently making brief cameos on the albums Jam Eater Blues and Transcendental Youth. And while few lyricists come anywhere close to matching the Mountain Goats’ frontman John Darnielle’s prosaic knack writing characters in songs (he is a National Book Award and Edgar Award nominated novelist after all), dedicating a whole album to a sequel wasn’t ever really in his songwriting plans until it came about naturally.

“I actually try not to be in a sequel headspace, because I think that if you’re doing that, then you’re kind of second-guessing yourself. Some artists are good at that. You know, ‘Now I’m gonna follow up on this. I’m really going to answer this thing I said before.’ But I kind of have to be in the moment and not think about what I did before,” says Darnielle. “That’s how this album got written. I was just playing a song in a minor key, and I mentioned Jenny’s name, and I was like, ‘Oh, that would be kind of transgressive to bring back this whole character.’”

Part of the challenge of the process for Darnielle was reconnecting with this character he created briefly decades prior. During the All Hail West Texas era, Darnielle was a completely different person — a mental health worker in Iowa who’d use his vacation time to tour the solo lo-fi side project that was the Mountain Goats. Now he’s a father of two living with his wife in North Carolina, and the Mountain Goats are a fully fleshed out band with one of the most devoted

John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats chats about his favorite sequels in anticipation of the band’s new sequel album, Jenny from Thebes

The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle (in blue) explores an old character on Jenny from Thebes JACKIE LEE YOUNG PHOTO

fan bases of any indie act. But his own transformation made examining Jenny’s life all the more narratively interesting in contrast.

“Coming back to the character, thematically, Jenny was always a person who was disappearing,” says Darnielle. “That seems more imaginable when you’re in your late 20s, early 30s than it does once you have an established personhood. I could no sooner disappear from my own life, then I could actually… you know… fly.”

The early-released singles offer glimpses into what Jenny from Thebes has to reveal about Jenny. The upbeat pop rock of the album-opening “Clean Slate” sets the scene, chronicling the often down-on-their-luck folks who crash at southwestern ranch style house that the motorcyclingriding Jenny rents in West Texas. “Fresh Tattoo” sonically shifts from reflective piano ballad to horn-laden rocker, capturing a day when Jenny gets her first tat and takes in what might be a soon-to-be consequential stranger in need of help. “Murder at the 18th Street Garage” crackles with violent rock glee, suggesting a death that may be partially responsible for Jenny’s ever-fleeing ways.

Sequels may not be in Darinelle’s comfort zone, but that’s exactly the point.

“Normally, I’m kind of against sequels. I don’t do 10 year anniversary album tours and stuff like that,” says Darnielle. “So for me, it was a way of saying, ‘Well, here’s something you don’t normally do. Do that.’ Sort of a formal challenge.”

Before the Mountain Goats release the sequel that is Jenny From Thebes (and stop in Spokane for a concert at the Fox on Oct. 9), we caught up with Darnielle so that he could share five of his favorite sequels in his own words.

“PIRAGUA (REPRISE)”

FROM IN THE HEIGHTS

“Piragua” is the song you hear near the top [of the musical], sung by the guy selling ices on the street. But the thing about this for me is my son Roman, he likes the reprise better than anything else in any given musical, and he’s super musicals right now. So he always wants to hear the reprise first and most often. And so that’s the one that I hear almost daily right now. [Laughs] And it’s great because it’s a very memorable melody. When it first comes out, it’s just a guy selling fruit ice. And then at the end, after the blackout, he raises the price and he defeats [his ice cream truck rival] Mr. Softee. So it’s kind of a great revisiting of a character who seemed minor when he was introduced, but he’s actually kind of a major character in the story of the neighborhood.

“YOUR GOLD TEETH II”

BY STEELY DAN

So the original “Your Gold Teeth” is on Countdown to Ecstasy. And it’s a bossa. It’s pretty wry and winsome, and they’re young men. But it’s only a year or two later that they make “Your Gold Teeth II,” and it’s a much more wistful look at what was a very sort of sarcastic and brutal song just a couple of years before. It’s only been a couple years, like they’re not appreciably older. [Laughs]

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM

As far as follow-ups go, I had a whole list of video games. But Tears of the Kingdom is one of the greatest sequels imaginable.

It incorporates all of the previous lore from

everything. The way that you can go get the clothes that refer to all the other games is so miraculous. You don’t need any of those clothes, right? The Windwaker stuff is my favorite because it’s one of the less celebrated [Zelda games] because it was a different style with the cel-shaded animation. But I thought it was a beautiful game to play, and it had one of the best soundtracks. Being able to have those costumes and Tears of the Kingdom [is amazing].

It’s about memory. A lot of it is about your memory of the old melodies, the way that it revisits every last aspect of the franchise. It’s a sequel in a real sense, because it’s the same story. It’s always gonna be the same story — you’re gonna beat the guy. [Laughs] That’s it, right? So if it’s always the same story, how can we make that denser? And how can you make it about you as a player? Because most of the people playing it have done this story before, right? And so part of it’s about that, it becomes self-referential. But what’s beautiful about it [is it can also be your first Zelda game]. Tears of the Kingdom is a very welcoming game. When writing sequels, one thing you want to do is make anybody who wasn’t there for the earlier thing feel like that if they just got on here, that’s fine. You don’t want to tell them to have to read the first two books before they can come in. You should be able to get on at any point, but also get more out of it after a while if you revisit the prior material. I could go on all day about this game because it’s so perfect.

GARVEY’S GHOST BY BURNING SPEAR

So Burning Spear, one of the great reggae artists, makes an amazing record called Marcus Garvey in sort of the high days of reggae splashing internationally. The dubbed version of it is called Garvey’s Ghost, and it’s one of the seminal texts of dub. It’s an unbelievably great record. And the thing about Marcus Garvey is that that album itself is just a monolith. If there was no dubbed version, it’s a perfect record. But the dubbed version isn’t just a dub, it’s these mighty, seismic, glacial moments of dub. It’s one of the greatest revisitings of something imaginable.

JONI MITCHELL PERFORMING “BOTH SIDES NOW” LIVE IN 2000

“Both Sides Now” was a song Joni Mitchell wrote when she was very young. It’s a very precocious song where she’s talking about having seen life from a naive side and from a more seasoned side. And to be 22 saying you’ve really seen both sides of everything is pretty wild.

But when she sings this song that she herself wrote 50 years ago — I believe it was at the Kennedy Center — she enriches the performance. Musically, tonally, in terms of extensions of chords that she wasn’t playing the original. It’s pretty incredible.

It’s one thing about sequels — you can revisit just in performance, right? You don’t actually have to change that much. Heraclitus says you can’t step in the same river twice. But to revisit something is inherently transformative. n

The Mountain Goats, Mikaela Davis • Mon, Oct. 9 at 7:30 pm • $35-$55 • All ages • The Fox Theater • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • foxtheaterspokane.org

ROCK THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM RAP MACKLEMORE

Thursday, 10/5

BING CROSBY THEATER, Langhorne Slim, John Craigie

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam

CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

CHINOOK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Kosh

THE DISTRICT BAR, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin

J KNITTING FACTORY, Avatar

J MCCRACKEN’S PUB AND BBQ, Sentimental Journey

J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin

J J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Elle King

STEAM PLANT BREW PUB, Bob Marlowe

J THE FOX THEATER, 40 Fingers

ZOLA, The Night Mayors

Friday, 10/6

J BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Greg White Jr., Frank Dancey

J THE BIG DIPPER, Flamingos in the Tree

J BING CROSBY THEATER, No Quarter

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Blumeadows

CHINOOK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Kosh

COEUR D’ALENE CASINO, Rusty Nail & The Hammers

THE DISTRICT BAR, John R. Miller

FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER, Ray LaMontagne

HIGHBALL, Heather King Band

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Riley Grey

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Mike Wagoner Trio

THE RIDLER PIANO BAR, Just Plain Darin

VANTAGE POINT BREWING CO., Son of Brad

ZOLA, Blake Braley

Saturday, 10/7

J BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Greg White Jr., Joey Anderson

J THE BIG DIPPER, Icon For Hire, The Funeral Portrait, Concrete Castles

J CAFE COCO, B

CHALICE BREWING CO., Son of Brad

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, The Longnecks

CHINOOK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Kosh

COEUR D’ALENE CASINO, Rusty Nail & The Hammers

THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT, Son of Brad

J HARRISON CITY PARK, James Motely & Whack A Mole

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Rachel Bade-McMurphy Trio

J KNITTING FACTORY, Prof, Cashinova, J. Plaza, Willie Wonka

It might irk frontman Brian Fallon a bit, but there’s no hiding how blatantly the Gaslight Anthem wears its No. 1 influence on its sleeve. There’s simply no getting around how much the punk rock group’s sound comes from fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen. Fallon’s lyrics radiate that Springsteenian storytelling touch, but over a soundscape that touches a bit more on the Garden State’s punk roots (Bouncing Souls, the Misfits, etc.). After being on hiatus since 2015 (save one anniversary tour for The ’59 Sound), the Gaslight Anthem is back to being a full-time band (no really, it’s sticking around — Gaslight isn’t gaslighting) and swings through town before the Oct. 27 release of its new album, History Books Oh, and who helped talk Fallon into reuniting the band and also sings on the title track of the new record? The Boss, of course.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

The Gaslight Anthem, Donovan Woods • Sun, Oct. 8 at 7:30 pm • $40-$45 • All ages • Knitting Factory • 919 W. Sprague Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com

Washington’s own Macklemore is coming back to the setting of his iconic “Downtown” music video. He may even pull up on a moped and hit up a thrift shop while he’s here. The multi-diamond certified rapper (real name Ben Haggerty) is getting personal with his fans as he performs on his North American tour for his self-titled album Ben. Prepare to be immersed in a journey filled with arena-chanting pop tracks and hard-hitting anthems that reflect on the (no) bad days. It’s a musical story of relapse, regret, redemption and roots.

— SYLVIA DAVIDOW

Macklemore • Tue, Oct. 10 at 7:30 pm •  $31-$171 • All ages • Spokane Arena • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • spokanearena.com

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Collective Soul

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, S.A.F.E. Fall Festival: Maren Morris, Sammy Eubanks, Bruiser, Local high school bands

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Chris Paradis

J POST FALLS BREWING COMPANY, Wiebe Jammin’

J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Flo Rida

ZOLA, Snacks at Midnight

Sunday, 10/8

J BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Greg White Jr., Dallas Kay THE DISTRICT BAR, GBH, Niis

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Paul Grove

J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin

Monday, 10/9

THE DISTRICT BAR, Carbon Leaf

J EICHARDT’S PUB, Monday Night Blues Jam with John Firshi

RED ROOM LOUNGE, Open Mic Night

J J THE FOX THEATER, The Mountain Goats, Mikaela Davis

Tuesday, 10/10

THE DISTRICT BAR, Cold Cave

J KNITTING FACTORY, Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Gorguts, Blood Incantation

J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW J = ALL AGES SHOW

LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Macklemore

ZOLA, Lucas Brown and Friends

Wednesday, 10/11

THE DISTRICT BAR, Brent Cobb

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, The Cult

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Dwayne Parsons

RED ROOM LOUNGE, The Roomates

J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents ZOLA, Brittany’s House

Coming Up ...

J KNITTING FACTORY, Shakey Graves, Flipturn, Oct. 12, 8 pm.

THE DISTRICT BAR, Rittz, Madchild, Noble, Oct. 12, 9 pm.

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Nobody Famous, Oct. 13, 5-8 pm.

J IDAHO CENTRAL CREDIT UNION ARENA, Brett Young, Jake Scott, Griffen Palmer, Oct. 13, 6 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Odyssey, Frisson PNW, Flannel Math Animal, Pretending We’re Just Like Them, Xenoplasm, Oct. 13, 6:30 pm.

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Mudhoney, Hooveriii, Oct. 13, 8 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Christina Vane, Oct. 13, 8 pm.

BERSERK, Pit, Dirt Fisherman, Burns Like Hellfire, Oct. 14, 8 pm.

J THE PODIUM, Alice in Chains, Oct. 14, 8-11 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Paleface Swiss, Enterprise Earth, Crown Magnetar, VCTMS, Warcrime, Oct. 15, 6:30 pm.

J THE PODIUM, Black Veil Brides, Ville Valo, Dark Divine, Oct. 15, 7 pm.

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Ann Wilson of Heart & Tripsitter, Oct. 15, 7:30 pm.

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Tool, Oct. 15, 7:30 pm.

THE DISTRICT BAR, Boot Juice, Oct. 15, 9 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, The Hu, Voice of Braceprot, Blind Channel, Oct. 18, 8 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

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

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

LEFTBANK WINE BAR • 108 N. Washington St. • 509-315-8623

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • 509-474-0511

MARYHILL WINERY • 1303 W. Summit Pkwy. •

509-443-3832

THE MASON JAR • 101 F St., Cheney • 509-359-8052

MAX AT MIRABEAU • 1100 N. Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-922-6252

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

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

MOOTSY’S • 406 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-838-1570

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

THE PODIUM • 511 W. Dean Ave. • 509-279-7000

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

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

STEAM PLANT • 159 S. Lincoln St. • 509-777-3900

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. Main Ave. • 509-624-2416

COMEDY BACK IN TOWN

Growing up with a mom who’s a professional foosball player and a dad who’s been an international yo-yo champion and Spokane’s poet laureate, humor and creativity surrounded Kelsey Cook from the get-go. Cook, originally from the Inland Northwest, is coming home for four shows at the Spokane Comedy Club as part of her national tour. Unafraid to delve into taboo topics, Cook’s humor has an air of relatability that almost anyone can find solace in while having a good laugh. Cook has appeared on The Tonight Show and Comedy Central, and her most recent comedy special, The Hustler, is available to stream on YouTube.

— SUMMER SANDSTROM

Kelsey Cook • Oct. 5-7; Thu-Fri at 7:30 pm, Fri at 10:15 pm and Sat at 7 & 9:45 pm • $20-$32 • Spokane Comedy Club • 315 W. Sprague Ave. • spokanecomedyclub.com • 509-318-9998

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.

COMMUNITY DIGGIN’ IT

At some point in your life, you’ve probably dreamed of digging up dinosaur bones and making groundbreaking scientific discoveries as an archaeologist. And while most of us probably won’t become professional archaeologists in our lifetimes, you can reminisce on that childhood dream and get a taste of what it’s like at the annual Spokane Archaeology Day event hosted by the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. This daylong celebration of ancient history and cultural heritage features scholarly lectures from tribal members, mock excavations, historic artifact identification and more both inside and outside the museum. While you’re there, if you need a break from real-life digging, you can visit the new Minecraft exhibition for some digital digging and extra fun.

— MADISON PEARSON

Spokane Archaeology Day • Sat, Oct. 7 from 10 am-3 pm • Free; museum admission: $7-$12 • Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture • 2316 W. First Ave. • northwestmuseum.org • 509-456-3931

COMMUNITY CELEBRATE CULTURE

Join the Filipino American Northwest Association for its second annual Philippines History Month celebration. With the aim to “highlight the shared values that bind us together,” this event explores the languages, traditions and stories of various cultures. It also showcases Spokane’s diverse community through cultural performances from the Ballet Folklorico de Spokane, Spokane Chinese Association Dancers, Indian Youth Club of Spokane and Marshallese Full Gospel. Authentic Filipino cuisine, such as lechon pig and pancit, is available for purchase to further the immersive experience. Don’t miss out on this chance to learn and better understand the Philippines’ rich history and culture.

— AMELIA TRONCONE

Unity in Diversity: Philippines History Month • Sat, Oct. 7 from noon-4 pm • Free • West Central Community Center • 1603 N. Belt St. • filamnw.com

MUSIC COLORFUL COMPOSITIONS

Vibrant and expressive, graffiti evokes an array of emotions in people who stumble across it. The Spokane Symphony’s upcoming Masterworks concert — aptly named Symphonic Graffiti — showcases a variety of contemporary pieces all inspired and based on street art like the neo-expressive artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Much of Basquiat’s art focused on social issues and the various dichotomies that exist within them. Conducted by James Lowe, the show features compositions from Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn and Hannah Kendall, as well as a piece titled “Organ Symphony” by Camille Saint-Saëns that features the expansive sound of the organ.

— SUMMER SANDSTROM

Spokane Symphony Masterworks 2: Symphonic Graffiti • Sat, Oct. 7 at 7:30 pm and Sun, Oct. 8 at 3 pm • $19-$68 • The Fox Theater • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • foxtheaterspokane.org • 509-624-1200

Fall Symposium

BUILDING CAREERS, CHANGING LIVES

Tuesday, October 17 | 8:30-10:30 am

CenterPlace Regional Events Center Spokane Valley, WA

Join us for a conversation with Ed Brady, President and CEO of the Home Builders Institute (HBI) moderated by Brooke Baker Spink of Baker Construction. HBI is the nation’s leading non-profit provider of trade skills training and education for the building industry. Ed Brady is a sought after thought leader in the housing industry and workforce development space. Don’t miss the chance to hear from him!

Doors open at 8:00. Light breakfast served. CenterPlace Regional Events Center is located at 2426 North Discovery Place in Spokane Valley.

VISUAL ARTS OCTOBER OFFERINGS

Spokane’s monthly art showcase is absolutely packed this month with gallery receptions and events across the downtown core and beyond. Catch the River Ridge Association of Fine Arts’ annual small works show at the Liberty Gallery if you’re into lots of creative energy packed into small spaces. Get your fill of watercolor at the Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center with the 2023 Regional Watercolor Invitations featuring works by Megan Perkins, Stan Miller (pictured) and more. The Chase Gallery, located inside of Spokane City Hall, features a show curated by Roin Morigeau titled We Are the Water, We Are the Land with art by regional Indigiqueer people. And don’t forget to stop by Terrain 14 as you’re walking around if you want to get the most out of your First Friday. For even more shows, see our calendar listings at Inlander.com/events.

—

MADISON PEARSON

First Friday • Fri, Oct. 6 from 5-8 pm • Free • Locations vary • firstfridayspokane.org

Event is free and open to the public. For more information and event registration, scan the code or visit helloforgood.org.

Through a collaborative effort with business owners, leaders, and community members, Hello for Good strives to create full-spectrum solutions that address addiction recovery, housing, education, job training, and employment to create real and lasting change.

PO Box 25, Spokane WA 99210, helloforgoodspokane@gmail.com

I SAW YOU

I WOULDN’T WAFFLE ABOUT YOU I saw you on Friday the 22nd at the farmer’s market on Monroe. You were purchasing a pumpkin waffle while I was looking at the mini succulents. You had the most amazing smile and showed such patience and compassion for those around you. Date sometime?

TO THE SPECIAL GIRL I MET WHILE EATING LUNCH You told me that you love reading this section of the Inlander so I decided to write, I can’t wait to see this. I loved hanging out with you, wandering around downtown, walking the Centennial Trail and seeing you at awe of the beauty of the woods on our hike. I loved taking you to the top of the Empire State Building in downtown and holding your hand. Time flew by so fast with you I wished I got to spend more time with you today. I can’t wait to get to know you more; you are an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, and extremely smart woman. I can’t wait to go on an adventure with you again. Hopefully it’s rain free on our next adventure.

RE:TERESA,THIS ONE IS ABOUT YOU Mr. B, I am right here waiting. Our energy transcends time and space. Haven’t we waited long enough? You are my twin flame and soulmate.

BEN BURR RUNNER Sept. 29, 8 am, Ben Burr Trail. You had pink running shorts, a blue hat, and a big smile on your face. Thanks for the encouragement; that hill was indeed steeper than it looks. Fancy running up it again next weekend? With company?

YOU SAW ME

RED SHIRT Not sure if I’m the gentleman you mentioned at Manito. I have walked there many times in a red shirt and shorts. I do recall doing a double take. Let me know if you want company on your next walk in Manito.

CHEERS

SLEEP TOKEN CROWD Cheers to everyone at the Sleep Token ritual, absolutely the best vibes all around. Thanks for the good time!

HIDDEN NOTE IN PAJAMAS This morning

I bought a pajama set at Walmart and discovered a note with $10 in the front pocket. The note was from Patricia Jean Bishop’s children stating 9/28 was their mother’s birthday and she loved being cozy and was known to give her last dollar to help a stranger. The note requested I buy something fun in Patricia’s honor. Just wanted to let her children know I will honor the request.

GREED IS NOT GOOD I was impressed with Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner’s column in the Inlander about the PAC-12 and the need for politicians to regulate and stop the greed in college football. We need more Republican elected officials like him to take that attitude, not only with college football but also with oil companies, financial institutions and many other large corporations who do business in the United States. They need to sound less like Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street (greed is good) and point out more frequently that greed is not good. Greed is obviously fueling college football as Baumgartner points out. However, it is also a key factor as to why gas, food, retail and housing related prices are higher today.

THANKS FOR ENTERTAINING ME Cheers to everyone who submits messages to this section, especially to the Jeers section. I find such joy in reading the often trivial ramblings of my fellow community members. It is honestly hilarious. Every week, I read through this section (in its entirety) while I sip my tea. I not only giggle, I laugh out loud, which I’d like to think adds years to my life. Lighten up Spokane! Or don’t and continue providing me with my weekly dose of pure entertainment. And thank you so much to the staff at the Inlander. Keep it coming!

SPOKANE MUSIC SCENE I’m going to throw this in the Cheers section because I’m an eternal optimist. With Lucky You Lounge closing, the community is looking to the other smaller venues to pick up and seek out bands we might otherwise miss out on. There’s a big hole in our musical hearts now that LY (and Bartlett) have closed their doors. Cheers to the many years of

that makes people drop dead two blocks after they take it. Quit giving your jobs to the internet and tell us all the whole story.

DERELICTION SPECIALIST Biden is right: Republican members of Congress are derelict in their duty. But he didn’t point out they are derelict in regards to integrity standards of honesty, honor, dependability

My guess is… it’s not. Make some noise Spokane and call your legislators to let them know that this needs to stop!

GREEN BLUFF SHOE B!/C& Jeers to the super fabulous blonde lady who accused my 5-year-old daughter of stealing her son’s shoes and putting them on my 2-yearold. We were enjoying an evening at Big

memorable and intimate concerts Spokane had the pleasure of hosting, BIG thanks to those two venues and cheers to the many more years to come as the community rallies around this void!

JEERS

WTF OK... this is weird. Landowners have the right to make people and their dogs homeless. Who the duck does this?

WOW OK, Spokane. The least you could have done was to acknowledge us as children. This whole keeping up with the Joneses really won’t do. I hate being stuck, but I know nothing.

WALKING THROUGH The two public urinals on the Monroe Street. The graffiti has turned from just stupid to sinister. If our clueless Mayor and her downtown Oligarchs had any knowledge of what this means, we would have hundreds of CCTVs all over downtown by our Hospitals, by our Schools, by our grocery stores, by our businesses, by our streets. But NO. Deny Everything. Admit Nothing. Blame Somebody Else.

MORE FROM LOCAL NEWS? Jeers to local news TV for not “giving more” but less news on TV. You start a story and tell us to “get the rest on your website.” WE’RE WATCHING YOU NOW! Plus, those of us in the working poor class don’t have the internet, you’d know that if you did any research. All the stations do this. You’re not even telling us about house fires, police actions, car accidents, and the new drug running around made out of car battery acid

or trustworthiness. Republican members of Congress, it is time to grow up, understand your job, and then go to work. I’m a 67-yearold conservative, and I find your behavior appalling. MAGA my ass. You don’t even understand what public service is. Quit preventing America from being the greatest nation. Help your country or get out of the way!

JEERS TO MISGUIDED PROTESTERS Jeers to misguided folks protesting the euthanasia of dangerous dogs. If they want to protest the killing of “innocent” animals, they should hold vigils at fast food restaurants to protest the billions of truly innocent chickens and cows slaughtered for the nuggets and burgers that make us fat and unhealthy

SPAY AND NEUTER AND BAN BREEDING Jeers to breeders and to people who neglect to spay and neuter their pets. They are the ones causing all the problems for the local animal control group, and all the other shelters and rescue groups.

JEERS TO GOV. INSLEE Jeers to Gov. Inslee and our liberal Legislature for passing the cap-and-trade policy that is supposed to reduce carbon emissions. We can see what this highly flawed policy is doing to the price of gas. Washington state has the third-highest gas prices in the nation, and it’s in large part due to oil refineries passing along this cost to us! Also, Washington state has made $1.3 billion so far in capand-trade revenue in only the first three auctions, and there are still two more to go on Nov. 8 and Dec. 6 of this year. What are our leaders going to do with all of our money?? I, for one, would like to know… $1.3 billion is a heck of a lot of OUR money. Also, where are the statistics on just how much this is helping the environment?

Barn Brewery for my mother’s birthday and got accused, yelled at and called “psycho mom” because she thought we took her kids’ shoes. Told me it’s OK “I can afford new ones unlike you.” Bummer we can’t even enjoy a night out without being accosted for stealing kids shoes! P.S. I hope whoever mistook your kids shoes for theirs loves their new shoes.

YA GOTTA LOVE CITY HALL Citizens of Spokane, don’t fret or worry about people like the guy who lost his job running the city earlier this year. We all know that jerks like him will always land on their feet in some other unsuspecting town.

DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES Jeers to the disgruntled employees who were fired and are now on a vendetta to discredit a wonderful agency. Don’t they know they are only hurting the animals there?

CHEERS VS. JEERS I read all the time for many years. Just wondering why there are more jeers than cheers. I hope there are not more miserable people out there than happy ones. 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

BINGO FUNDRAISER This fundraiser features bingo games, raffles and prize packages from local Spokane businesses. Proceeds benefit the Spectrum Center. Oct. 5, 5:30-7:30 pm. $20. The Philanthropy Center, 1020 W. Riverside Ave. spectrumcenterspokane.org

PARTY IN PURPLE A music festival featuring Pamela Jean, Take Two, Austin Carruthers and more. Rides on the Spokane Party Trolley by donation. Proceeds benefit Stop the Silence Spokane. Oct. 7, 2 pm-12:30 am. Free. Bolo’s Bar & Grill, 116 S. Best Rd. changinglivesandhealinghearts.com (509-710-8040)

SPOKANE BIG TABLE EATS AROUND

THE WORLD A chef-driven evening featuring cuisine from Mongolia, Peru and Ireland. The event also includes a raffle, live auctions and more. Oct. 9, 5:30-9 pm. $90. Davenport Grand Hotel, 333 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. big-table.com

COMEDY

COEUR COMEDY SERIES: LEIF SKYVING

Skyving and opening act comedian Bahiyyah Mudd kick off the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel’s new Coeur Comedy Series. Ages 21+. Oct. 5, 7-9 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Casino, 37914 S. Nukwalqw. cdacasino.com (208-769-2464)

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY JOKE JOKE

JOKE A spooky take on the monthly comedy show featuring video elements, 3D glasses and stand up comedy from Harry J. Riley, Jesse Burt, Camrynne Sullivan and Josiah Carlson. Oct. 5, 6:30-9 pm. $15. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com

KELSEY COOK Cook is a writer and actress best known for her work in Wrists of Fury. Oct. 5-6 at 7:30 pm, Oct. 6 at 10:15 pm and Oct. 7, 7 & 9:45 pm. $20-$32. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

GEOFFREY ASMUS Asmus is a regular on the Comedy Cellar and co-hosts the You’re An Idiot podcast. Oct. 8, 7 pm. $20. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY? This improv show features Whose Line Is It Anyway? cast members Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis and Joel Murray. Oct. 8, 7:30 pm. $59-$89. Northern Quest, 100 N. Hayford Rd. northernquest.com

TRAE CROWDER Crowder is a stand up comedian and co-author of The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin’ Dixie Outta the Dark. Oct. 11, 7:30 pm. $30-$40. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

COMMUNITY

VOWS & VENDORS WEDDING EXPO A mock wedding event featuring vendors, industry experts and giveaways. Oct. 5, 6-9 pm. $20. Commellini Estate, 14715 N. Dartford Dr. suzyqcakes.com

SPOKANE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3

CANDIDATE FORUM Kitty Klitzke and Earl Moore answer questions from Leonard Kransdorf, retired journalist and SPL staff. Oct. 6, 6-7 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

FALL FESTIVAL The event features bouncy houses, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts and more. Oct. 6, 12-5 pm, Oct. 7, 9 am-5 pm and Oct. 8, 10 am-4 pm. Free. New Leaf Nursery, 12655 N. Government Way. newleafnurseryhayden.com

GOOD GRIEF Join Venerable Sangye

Khadro to hear Buddhist teachings that aim to help participants understand the underlying causes of grief. Registration is required. Oct. 6-8, 3 pm. By donation. Sravasti Abbey, 692 Country Lane Rd. sravastiabbey.org (509-447-5549)

PARKADE GRAND REOPENING This event features a ribbon cutting ceremony, food trucks, live music and a general celebration in honor of the structure’s renewal. Oct. 6, 11 am-2 pm. Free. Downtown Spokane. parkadespokane.com

S.A.F.E. FALL FESTIVAL An evening filled with family friendly music, yard games, and the opportunity to learn about all of Spokane’s resources related to addiction, prevention, treatment, recovery and support. Oct. 7, 4:15 pm. $25. Pavilion at Riverfront, 574 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com (509-625-6000)

SPOKANE ARCHAEOLOGY DAY A free, annual event highlighting all things archaeology. Experience the methods archaeologists use to learn about the heritage of the Inland Northwest. Oct. 7, 10 am-3 pm. Free. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

SPOKANE RENAISSANCE FAIRE The 10th annual medieval-themed festival, featuring jousting, equestrian games, bocce ball, dancing, live music, sword fighting, vendors, food and more. Oct. 7-8. $10-$75. Lazy K Ranch, 5906 E. Woolard, Colbert. spokanerenfaire.com

PHILIPPINE HISTORY MONTH: UNITY

IN DIVERSITY Reflect on culture, heritage and tradition with food from Island Style Food and cultural performances. Oct. 7, 12-4 pm. $25. West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt St. filamnw. com (509-724-0048)

FILM

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” Oct. 7, 12 & 5:30 pm and Oct. 8, 12 & 7:50 pm. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com (509-327-1050)

PALOUSE CULT FILM REVIVAL: TROLL 2

An interactive screening of Troll 2. Oct. 7, 8:30 pm. $5. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-310-1200)

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER For Buffy Summers, nothing is the same after she meets Merrick Jamison-Smythe. Merrick tells her that he’s been sent to train her to fight vampires. Oct. 10-12 at 7:30 pm. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com

HOCUS POCUS NIGHT A screening of Hocus Pocus featuring a costume contest, a scavenger hunt and more. Oct. 11, 5-9 pm. Free. Commellini Estate, 14715 N. Dartford Dr. commellini.com

PALOUSE CULT FILM REVIVAL: VHS

MANIA 3 A double feature of Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter screened on original VHS tapes. Oct. 13, 7 pm. $10. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. palousecultfilms.org

FOOD & DRINK

SUDS N SPICES BEER SALT PAIRING Attendees taste a flight of five beers show...continued on page 37

Nurse Mary Jane

Cannabis nursing officially recognized as a specialty field

BY WILL MAUPIN

The use of cannabis as medicine was given a major boost in legitimacy last week when the American Nurses Association formally recognized cannabis nursing as a specialty nursing practice.

“This recognition highlights the essential role and special contribution of cannabis nurses to the health care system and promotes enhanced integration of cannabis therapies for health care consumers across diverse health care settings,” ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy said in a statement.

Cannabis nursing will now have the same level of recognition from the ANA as other specialties such as

neonatal and hospice nursing.

The ANA is a professional organization representing more than 5 million nurses across the country. A similar organization focusing strictly on cannabis nurses, the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA), has recognized the specialty since 2010.

“Cannabis nursing requires specialized knowledge and competencies to navigate care and address the stigma associated with medical cannabis use to support a healthy society,” ACNA President Rachel Parmelee was quoted as saying in the ANA’s statement.

In 2021, the ANA issued an official position statement on the therapeutic use of cannabis in which the organiza-

tion noted that cannabis and cannabis derivatives are used to alleviate disease symptoms and side effects. That position statement also called for the removal of cannabis from the Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act, a move which has been gaining steam in the Biden administration. Such a move would stop short of full legalization but would allow for easier research into cannabis.

The ANA’s announcement is yet another example of the growing mainstream acceptance of cannabis in health care, including locally.

In September, Gonzaga University began offering two cannabis certificate programs including one focusing on cannabis and health care.

“The reason we went into this is because there is an educational gap. We see ourselves as an institution that is here to provide education,” Rachelle Strawther, director of Gonzaga’s Center for Lifelong Learning told the Inlander in August. “We’re trying to help reduce the stigma surrounding cannabis because people need to have good information to make decisions for themselves.”

Gonzaga’s program is designed to help educate health care providers of all kinds on cannabis, its effects on the body and its potential for therapeutic use. Like Gonzaga’s certificates, last week’s move from the ANA brings added legitimacy to the field commonly known as medical marijuana.

Now, in 2023, that field is considerably more integrated into mainstream health care than it was in 1996 when California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana. n

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

NOTE TO READERS

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

I’M READY TO HERBINATE

20-50% OFF THE ENTIRE STORE IN OCTOBER

Open Mon-Sun 8am-12am

2720 E 29th Ave, Spokane 509.315.9262

thevaultcannabis.com/spokane

out of the reach of children.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

casing the perfect harmony between craft beer and artisanal salts. Oct. 6, 3-10 pm. $15. Bellwether Brewing Co., 2019 N. Monroe St. inlandempirespice. com (509-328-0428)

WHISKEY BARREL WEEKEND The weekend includes classes taught by industry insiders, whiskey tastings and cooking classes. Oct. 6 and Oct. 7. The Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second. cdaresort.com (208-765-4000)

BEVERLY’S SILVER OAK WINE DINNER Silver Oak Cellars award-winning wines are paired with a six-course menu. Oct. 10, 6-9 pm. $165. Beverly’s, 115 S. Second St. beverlyscda.com

MUSIC

SPOKANE JAZZ ORCHESTRA WITH JOE BRASCH Spokane guitarist, vocalist, composer and producer performs originals as well as his favorite jazz standards. Oct. 7, 7:30-9:30 pm.

$27-$37. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com

SPOKANE SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS 2: SYMPHONIC GRAFFITI An array of works handpicked by the Spokane Symphony musicians, including a contemporary piece based on artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat and more. Oct. 7, 7:30 pm and Oct. 8, 3 pm. $19$68. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.org

IDAHO BACH FESTIVAL Lionel Hampton School of Music faculty and guest artists perform selections composed by Bach (10/9) as well as students and small ensembles (10/10). Oct. 9-10 at 7:30 pm. U of Idaho Haddock Performance Hall, 709 Deakin Ave. uidaho. edu/class/music/events/bach-festival

SOUTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

The South Asia Cultural Association of Spokane presents a demonstration of instruments used in performing the musical style of Sangeeta Kacheri. Oct. 13, 7-8 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

BIKE TOWN HALL A bike ride through downtown Spokane with opportunity for community members to learn about Spokane bike infrastructure and speak with local legislators Andy Billig and Zack Zappone. Meet at the University District Gateway Bridge. Oct. 6, 12-1 pm. Free. Downtown Spokane. leg. wa.gov (509-666-9221)

JACKASS HALF MARATHON & 5K

Run on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes starting in historic Wallace and ending in Kellogg. Oct. 7, 9:30 am-5 pm. $25$80. Wallace. wallaceid.fun

SPOKANE PHOENIX WOMEN’S RUG -

BY HOME GAME Spokane’s Women’s Rugby Team plays against the Missoula Betterside. Oct. 7, 10:30 am-noon. Free!. Dwight Merkel Sports Complex, 5701 N. Assembly St. facebook.com/ WomensRugbySpokane

THEATER

MINIMUM WAGE Evan, a single father and aspiring actor is tasked with saving a local burger joint, Family Burger. Oct. 6-22; Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm. 2 pm. $20-$25. Stage Left Theater, 108 W. Third Ave. stagelefttheater.org

THE WHO’S TOMMY Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who’s Tommy is the story of the pinball-playing, deaf and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities. Oct. 6-15; Fri-Sat at 7:30pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. aspirecda.com (208-667-1865)

DRACULA A reimagining of Bram Stoker’s classic novel where the tropes of villains who wear evil on their sleeve and damsels in distress are replaced by monsters and women who stab at the heart of the patriarchy itself. Oct. 7-29; Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $15$28. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com

VISUAL

ARTS

TERRAIN 14 An annual, one-night only, juried multimedia art and music event featuring all-local art. Preview night (Thu, Oct. 5) is a ticketed event, the main event (Fri, Oct. 6) is free. Takes place at 314 W. Riverside Ave. Oct. 5, 6-9 pm and Oct. 6, 5 pmmidnight. Free. Downtown Spokane. terrainspokane.com

TIM LORD: BY BOOK OR BY HOOK

Lord showcases a collection of sculptures made out of recycled books. Oct. 5-31, Wed-Fri from 11 am-5 pm. Free. New Moon Art Gallery, 1326 E. Sprague Ave. manicmoonandmore.com

2023 WATERCOLOR INVITATIONAL A group exhibition featuring watercolor and water media works by local and regional artists. Oct. 6-Dec. 9; Fri from 4-7 pm, Sat from 10am-3 pm. Free. Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center, 125 S. Stevens St. gonzaga.edu

ARCHIE BRAY RESIDENT SHOW A showcase of established and emerging cntemporary ceramic artists from the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana. Oct. 6-27, by appointment. Oct. 6-27. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. kolva-sullivangallery.com

JOSEPH TOMLINSON: WHERE DO I DRAW THE LINE? This show is a work in progress that highlights current work and a representation of what the artist does while traveling. Oct. 6-27, Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm. Free. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave., Ste. B. spokaneartschool.net

MEL MCCUDDIN: LIFE IS A STAGE

A display of late artist Mel McCuddin’s final works. Oct. 7-29, Thu-Sun from 11 am-6 pm. Free. The Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman Ave. theartspiritgallery.com (208-765-6006)

WORDS

3 MINUTE MIC A poetry open mic where readers may share up to three minutes’ worth of content. Open to all ages. First Fri. of every month, 7-8:30 pm through Dec. 1. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206)

EASTERN WASHINGTON GENEAL-

OGY SOCIETY SEMINAR Experienced genealogists offer three classes on using DNA for family tree history. Oct. 7, 9 am-3 pm. $40-$50. Southside Community Center, 3151 E. 27th. ewgsi.org

ERIN PRINGLE: UNEXPECTED

WEATHER EVENTS Pringle signs copies of her new short story collection. Oct. 8, 11 am-1 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main. auntiesbooks.com n

39. They’re found around castles

42. “And ____ begins ...”

43. Anklebones

45. One chased by un perro

47. Fast-food chain whose official Twitter account follows 11 people: 6 men named Herb and each of the Spice Girls

48. He played Matlock on “Matlock”

52. Question asked while running in the door

55. Way to go

56. Rice pad

57. Far from plentiful

60. Did an usher’s job

63. “Knives Out” star de Armas

64. What’s being exposed by this puzzle’s circled letters?

66. Gentle touch

67. Penalty box, in hockey slang

68. Research ctr.

69. Summer top

70. “Master of None” star Aziz

71. They can be massaged and bruised

DOWN

1. Guacamole ingredient

2. “That’s ____ haven’t heard!”

3. Do a preliminary check

4. Clicking the floppy disk icon, say

5. Cert. for some babysitters

6. Fleischer and Onassis

7. Term length for a U.S. Supreme Court justice

8. Didn’t bother

9. “To quote myself ... “

10. Train stop: Abbr.

11. Full-bosomed

12. Online periodical

13. Tablecloth fabric

18. Run out, as a well

22. Johnson or Yeltsin

24. “The King and I” kingdom

26. Nightclub VIPs

27. Maintained

28. Classic jazz album “____ and Louis”

29. Longtime Progressive spokeswoman

30. “Fried Green Tomatoes at the

Whistle Stop Cafe” author Fannie

34. “Are you serious?”

35. Special talent

36. Carve into a plaque, say

38. Biblical hymn

40. Goo for a roofing crew

41. Mix, as batter

44. Celebrity chef Garten

46. From an earlier time

49. Subway line with a Yankee Stadium stop

50. Pines (for)

51. Spenser’s “The ___ Queene”

52. Bring to the screen, maybe

whose song “Yoga” includes the lyric “get off my areola” 54. Furious 58. CMA Award winner McEntire 59. Qatari title 61. “Assuming that’s true ... “

62. Modern digital assets, in brief 64. Org. that first allowed girls to join in 2019 65. Kamoze with the #1 hit “Here Comes the Hotstepper”

Leif

JIMMY

MOSE S SNOW MATT STONE BROOKE WRIGHT MICHAEL CHAMBLISS