Inlander 10/14/2021

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t’s reasonable to think that as the Spokane community weathered a lethal new disease ravaging the globe, you’d want experienced health professionals guiding us through the troubling times. Instead, the SPOKANE REGIONAL HEALTH DISTRICT amped up the drama under the leadership of district administrator Amelia Clark. The ouster of former health officer Dr. Bob Lutz last October is probably the most infamous action of the health district since the pandemic started, but as Samantha Wohlfeil reports in this week’s cover story (page 12), there’s been a steady exodus of health care professionals from the organization — people frustrated at their treatment by administrators and by the pandemic politics that kept them from doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.

Also this week: Daniel Walters investigates the city of Spokane’s own staffing crisis (page 8), we cover the tale of the band Trego (formerly known as Folkinception) finally releasing a self-titled new album (page 43), and unveil the first in our series of Snowlander issues (page 20). You do realize snow is right around the corner, right?

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Glacier National Park is feeling overcrowded.

Too Much Love?

National parks like Glacier, Zion and Yellowstone are overrun by crowds more than ever, but simply building more parks is not the solution

BY JONATHAN THOMPSON

N

either the Pack Creek Fire in Utah nor two weeks of triple digit heat could keep the crowds from Arches National Park in June. A record-breaking 8,000 people per day, on average, passed through the entrance gate, overflowed the parking lots, and jammed up the trails. Nearly three times as many folks thronged Zion National Park that month, also setting a new record. The same trends were seen at Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands.

Over the last decade, crowds have inundated many of the West’s national parks. Pretty much everyone can agree on that. What to do about it — if anything — is a more contentious topic. Some National Park Service officials lean toward permitting or advance reservation systems to limit visitation numbers, while others suggest diverting visitors to less-crowded parks.

But the so-called solution drawing the most traction so far comes from Sen. Angus King (I), of Maine, who sees a simple supply-demand issue: The supply of national parks is inadequate to meet the burgeoning demand. Therefore, we should just create more national parks. This concept was fleshed out more eloquently and with a tad more nuance in a New York Times opinion piece by Albuquerque freelance journalist Kyle Paoletta, who writes: Going to a national park in 2021 doesn’t mean losing yourself in nature. It means inching along behind a long line of minivans and R.V.s on the way to an already full parking

6 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

lot. … The best way to rebalance the scale? We need more national parks.

Paoletta makes some good points. He argues that limiting visitation to a place like Arches will only push the crowds onto nearby public lands that aren’t equipped to handle them, a phenomenon we’re already witnessing. And setting aside more public lands to keep future mining claims, oil and gas drilling, and other development at bay, while providing a framework for better managing recreation and tourism on those lands, is a good idea. But turning around and designating those relatively unknown areas as national parks — thereby increasing visitation — will only bring more impacts, more infrastructure, and will do little to alleviate crowding at other parks.

K

ing seems to believe that Americans are inclined to visit national parks, in general, rather than specific parks. If that were true, then every national park in the nation would be overrun with visitors. Yet Carlsbad Caverns National Park was far busier in the 1970s and 1980s than it is now, and visitation has plateaued or even declined over the past couple of decades at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and at Mesa Verde, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Guadalupe Mountains and Kings Canyon National Parks.

People keep coming to the popular places in increasing numbers despite the fact that they

could be visiting far less crowded national parks nearby. That would indicate that simply increasing the supply of national parks won’t work unless the new parks have Zion- or Grand Teton-like traits. I would argue that those places — the Ice Lake Basins or Lower Calf Creek Falls or Conundrum Hot Springs of the world — are already inundated, and designating them as national parks only would bring more hordes and more damage.

The core issue is, according to Paoletta: “There are too many people concentrated in too few places.” Perhaps this is true. But do we really want to draw people away from Zion and Arches and send them to a new Bears Ears or Natural Bridges National Park, instead? What purpose would this serve except to put too many people into more places, albeit in a less concentrated form?

More importantly: Who does it serve?

Certainly not the environment. The Virgin River running through Zion will be sullied whether one million or five million people walk through it each year. The alpine meadows in Grand Teton will be trampled just as ably by 3 million people as by 3.5 million people. One million people driving to Arches is going to have the same climate impact as if they were dispersed around the West. And yet, diverting just 100,000 additional people away from one of these big parks to Natural Bridges National Monument would double visitation there with serious ramifications for the monument and its ecosystems.

The main victims of national park overcrowding, it seems, are the crowds themselves — not the parks or their resources.

The latter were fated to be damaged as soon as the park was designated, its associated roads and visitors centers and parking lots were constructed, and visitation hit the 500,000-per-year mark. So the main beneficiary of dispersing the Zion and Arches crowds to lesser-known monuments or parks are, again, the visitors, who may have to wait in the shuttle-line for 20 minutes instead of 30 or will have a bigger range of parking places from which to choose. That’s assuming a significant number of wouldbe visitors would choose to go to a new national park rather than one of the ultra-popular ones — and I’m not sure they would. Zion’s 4.5 million yearly visitors clearly aren’t afraid of overcrowding and aren’t all that interested in “losing themselves in nature.” The contrary may even be true.

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ith that in mind, I have an alternate proposal: Let the crowds go to Zion, Arches, Grand Teton and Yellowstone, since that’s what they want. Meanwhile, up funding for all of the parks to help mitigate damage and to control the crowds. Zion already has a shuttle system to its most popular areas to alleviate car traffic. Arches should do the same, shutting off the entire park to private, motorized vehicles and ferrying visitors via bus from Moab to the park. Enact permit systems with limits for more remote, fragile areas of the parks.

If park campgrounds can’t handle demand, then build more (supply and demand!) either inside or just outside the parks’ boundaries. If park staff can’t handle the numbers, then hire more people.

Meanwhile, public lands officials should work to anticipate where the disaffected parks visitors might overflow, and take preemptive measures to manage the coming crowds and stave off potential impacts. This may include administrative moves such as updating resource management plans; building new trails, campgrounds, or toilets; restricting access to sensitive areas; or higher-level actions such as designating the area as a national monument, a conservation area, a national park, or even a wilderness area — the latter two being up to Congress.

Sen. Angus says the national parks present a paradox: They’re intended to protect a place, yet they’re also supposed to provide an enjoyable experience for visitors. Maybe so, but protection should always take priority over recreation. n Jonathan Thompson is the editor of The Land Desk (LandDesk.org), where this column first appeared, and a contributing editor at High Country News. He is the author of River of Lost Souls: The Science, Politics and Greed Behind the Gold King Mine Disaster.

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It took three different hiring processes for Logan Camporeale to get confirmed as the city’s Historic Preservation Specialist. Insiders say the city needs to hire more quickly.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

CITY HALL

Historic Deprivation Repeatedly thwarted hiring attempts exasperated Spokane’s understaffed human resources and historic preservation departments

BY DANIEL WALTERS

T

he day before going on medical leave, Amber Richards, then the human resources director of the City of Spokane, sent out a distress cry.

“Staffing is our most critical/urgent priority,” she wrote in her May 17 email to city administrator Johnnie Perkins. “I cannot overstate how under-resourced we are.”

She attached a staffing proposal that wasn’t quite complete, she wrote, but she was sending it to Perkins anyway. That’s how urgent it was.

8 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

The Inlander obtained her proposal — initially covered in redactions until the Inlander pushed the city to release it in its entirety — through a public records request. The result illustrates just how hard Richards fought to show the recently hired city administrator that her department was facing a truly serious crisis.

Her staff had been working at “extraordinarily challenging conditions at skeleton staffing levels for an extended timeframe,” she wrote, resulting in “cascading

negative impacts.”

Such deep understaffing, she warned, puts an “arguably exploitive burden” on HR employees, making them “ripe for disengagement, exhaustion, and burnout.”

The most dedicated employees — the ones who want to do a good job — suffer the most. Disillusioned staffers quit, and their bad experience makes it “harder to recruit good replacements.” ...continued on page 10

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 9

NEWS | CITY HALL “HISTORIC DEPRIVATION,” CONTINUED...

Richards believed the city needed to double the size of its HR department over the next few years to address the crisis — and even included PowerPoint slides with her proposed staffing structures.

But she never got a reply: Instead, she resigned on June 28, before she had returned from her leave.

“So there wasn’t an opportunity to discuss the proposal further,” city spokesman Brian Coddington says.

The city administrator read Richards’ report, Coddington says. But apparently Perkins hadn’t ever shared the letter with anyone — not with the city council or the interim human resources director or with the mayor herself. Even Coddington hadn’t seen it until it turned up in an Inlander records request.

Now as the city battles a staffing crisis on multiple fronts, many of Richards’ fears have become real. Some struggles, like the city’s efforts to stop the loss of Community Housing and Human Services staff members from becoming a death spiral for the department, have played out in the public eye.

Yet new records, obtained by the Inlander, show the dysfunction within Mayor Nadine Woodward’s administration was far more widespread than previously reported: Just a few days before she went on leave, Richards stepped into a meeting where Woodward’s administration shot down their own staff’s decision to hire a new historic preservation employee, after they’d gone through the entire process to hire him.

Whether because of miscommunication, indecisiveness, stubbornness or simple capriciousness, all that time put in by human resources, the department head, the interview panel, and all the applicants had been rendered pointless. And in a city this understaffed, wasted time is particularly costly.

THE FIRST ATTEMPT Historic Preservation Specialist Logan Camporeale is

nervous as hell about talking. The night before he meets the Inlander at a northeast Spokane bar, he reads carefully through the city’s policies, to make sure that there wasn’t any prohibition against talking to the press. He wants to be clear he’s grateful to have a job at the city.

After all, he had to go through three different hiring processes this year to get it.

During last year’s budget negotiations, Woodward’s office had argued that historic preservation, unlike housing and economic development, wasn’t one of her priorities.

But to Camporeale, historic preservation often is housing policy. It can constrain development, but it can just as often provide the tax incentives to turn empty hotels into affordable housing.

“Developer after developer is coming to us to convert their downtown buildings,” he says.

But for a long time, the historic preservation department only had one employee: Historic Preservation Officer Megan Duvall.

“One person can not do all of this job,” Duvall says.

“It’s just not enough.”

She hired Camporeale as a temporary “project” employee in 2018, tasking him to handle neighborhood-wide historic preservation ordinances in Browne’s Addition and Cannon’s Addition.

But project employees are time-limited: To be able to stay on with the city he needed a permanent job. After pushing for years, Duvall convinced the city council to fund the position in last year’s city budget.

By March, with the signatures approving the position from Richards and the interim city administrator in hand, Duvall thought the hard part was over.

10 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

Historic Preservation Officer Megan Duvall has been fighting for a permanent second employee in her department since at least 2018.

Since the council had passed an emergency special budget ordinance in February to reclassify the role as “exempt” from civil service rules, she didn’t need to go through a lengthy hiring and testing process. She just needed the mayor’s approval.

Camporeale turned in his resume and cover letter and got a calendar invite for a mayoral interview on March 15. Just a courtesy interview, Richards thought.

But when the day arrived, the mayor abruptly canceled, without explanation. No email, no text message, just a calendar notification.

Camporeale emailed the mayor directly, politely expressing his frustration.

“I was looking forward to my opportunity to meet with you today” and “was disappointed and confused when the interview was canceled on short notice,” he wrote.

He never received a reply. All he could do was speculate about what he might have done wrong.

“The only thing that I’d heard through the grapevine was that maybe my Twitter was the reason,” Camporeale says.

He’d written some critical tweets of Woodward during the 2019 campaign, scoffing that “her only solution was to stop building shelters & warming centers. #spokanesolutions.”

Duvall says she learned the mayor’s office had decided it wanted the city to do a full recruitment for the position, instead of just letting her hire Camporeale directly.

Duvall poured out her own frustrations in emails to her supervisor and to Amber Richards.

“I have not had one single call from the Mayor’s office to ask me about any of this — not the [special budget ordinance], not the exempt position, not the reasons why I want to hire someone I’ve worked alongside for over two years!” Duvall wrote.

If anything, the HR director was just as outraged by what happened.

Richards had “strong feelings” about how Camporeale had been treated, she wrote. Her “concerns and

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

issues with this entire process,” she said, had left her so upset she needed to “take a step back and gather my thoughts before I can provide a non-emotional response.”

“I appreciate knowing that we are all feeling this frustration and I’m not alone,” Duvall replied.

“You are most definitely not alone!!” Richards responded.

SECOND ATTEMPT Duvall and Richards launched the kind of full recruitment

for the position they believed the mayor wanted. That meant more work for both departments over the next month and a half: advertising the position, sifting through applications, putting together an interview panel, interviewing four or five contenders, and then ranking them.

When the rankings were added up, Camporeale was the clear number one choice. For two weeks, nobody heard anything.

But on May 14, Duvall walked into a meeting with her supervisor, Richards and City Administrator Johnnie Perkins: Despite Richards’ protests, the mayor’s office had discarded the results of the second hiring process, too.

Coddington, the city spokesman, says the decision didn’t have anything to do with Camporeale’s Twitter account, or, indeed, Comporeale at all. There wasn’t any legal issue either.

Instead, Coddington says, the mayor’s office had rejected the results of the interview process, because she hadn’t ever wanted the historic preservation position to be exempt: She wanted it to be a civil service position, like it originally was in last year’s budget.

City Council President Breean Beggs says former City Administrator Scott Simmons had agreed the job could be exempt. But when Simmons left the city in April, the mayor had abandoned the deal.

Coddington sees a giant misunderstanding: When the mayor’s office had said that they wanted to recruit for the position, he argues, what they meant was they wanted to do a civil service recruitment.

“Once in a while, when you have an organization of

2,000 employees and lots of moving parts and pieces, and humans are involved, errors are made,” Coddington says.

But that’s exactly what Richards was warning about. The city’s Human Resources Department only has 10 employees out of the 2,300, she calculated, less than half of the ratio of comparable cities like Boise and Tacoma.

With numbers that low, “staff are tired, have exhausted emotional capacity, [and are] in constant crisis response mode,” increasing “the risk of error,” Richards wrote.

Employee trust suffers, triggering “complaints and investigations, escalating labor issues,” and costing millions. She estimates the city loses $3.9 million every year in HR-related legal payouts and time loss.

She saw an ethical issue — the low staff levels created a contradiction between what the City of Spokane claimed as its values and what it actually was, she wrote, and that “makes it difficult to do our work in good faith.”

A month and a half later, Richards’ resignation letter echoed that language: She could no longer do her job, she wrote, “in good faith or with good conscience.”

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“But I really like working for the city,” Camporeale says.

So he waited for yet a third hiring process to start, one that involved an entirely different overworked department: civil service. It meant another city council ordinance reclassifying the position again. It meant finding an existing civil service job with the right job description, writing a multiple-choice civil service test, and recruiting another slate of applicants to take that test.

And when all test scores were added up, Camporeale was the clear number one choice. Again. The only difference? This time he actually got the job.

Duvall doesn’t have any hard feelings.

“It’s kind of like giving birth,” Duvall says. “I don’t ever want to go through the birth process again, but I’m happy with the outcome of those children. And you quickly forget about how much it hurts.”

Camporeale still wishes he had that mayoral interview, but he’s glad that — for example — civil service rules protect him from the whims of politics.

Sure, it was annoying to feel like a pinball, dinging back and forth between civil service and human resources, but he says, “I figure I’m not the only one.”

Plenty of other hiring processes had been just as messy. After more than a year of trying to find a new planning director, Coddington says the city recently launched its third recruiting attempt.

Coddington says the city is listening to staffing concerns, that Perkins spoke with the current interim HR director multiple times about staffing needs for the human resources department. Indeed, the mayor’s proposed budget includes three more HR positions. But uncertainty still reigns: Coddington also says the city hasn’t decided what to do about replacing Richards.

And when so much of the staff still works from home, entire departments can get lost in the cracks. It used to be different. “[Former Mayor David] Condon would just come wandering down in the hall, throw something on my desk and say, ‘What’s this Browne’s Addition thing you’re trying to do, Megan?’” Duvall says.

That doesn’t happen today. It’s hard to know how much of the difference is the pandemic or Woodward’s different leadership style, but the fact remains: Nearly two years into Woodward’s administration, Duvall — the head of a department that could either alleviate or worsen the city’s deepening housing crisis — says she hasn’t had a single conversation with the mayor.

“Nope,” she says. “Nope. Nothing. I’ve never had one.” n danielw@inlander.com

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OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 11

‘CULTURE OF FEAR’ As pandemic rages on, Spokane health district employees say poor leadership is driving dozens to leave agency

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

A

s Spokane County hastily housed COVID-19-positive community members in a new hotel at the start of September, Spokane Regional Health District staff immediately noticed the isolation facility was nowhere near the standards they’d grown accustomed to over the last year.

Mattresses and walls at the Rodeway Inn in Spokane Valley were yellowed and looked dirty. One client noted cockroaches in their room. Staff witnessed drug use nearby and were propositioned for sex by people in the area.

Increasingly concerned health district staff detailed the issues they’d witnessed in emails, which they sent to their managers and supervisors all the way up the chain to health district administrative officer Amelia Clark.

“We were put in a very unsafe environment to isolate people,” one health district employee familiar with the situation tells the Inlander. “There was no infrastructure, no planning, no process.”

After informing higher-ups of the situation, staff expected Clark and other agency heads to express shock at the conditions or offer another solution. After all, the previous rooms used at My Place hotel had worked well, and other hotels had been vetted.

Instead, employees were simply told this was the only option and it needed to work. Then, staffers were shocked by phone calls from managers “reminding” them that they shouldn’t even list concerns like that in emails because emails are subject to public disclosure and could make the health district look bad.

Several current and former health district employees, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, independently confirmed to the Inlander they were instead told to write those concerns in documents labeled “draft” — an attempt, they believed, to avoid disclosure under Washington’s public records law.

One employee felt so uncomfortable with the potentially illegal directives — “I thought, ‘Oh, hell no’” — that they documented their conversations while on the phone with supervisors. Some managers were also told (but refused) to “write up” staff who’d sent their concerns in writing. ...continued on page 14

12 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

At the Spokane Regional Health District, current and former employees take issue with administrator Amelia Clark’s leadership style. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 13

“‘CULTURE OF FEAR’,” CONTINUED...

“They got egg on their face and instead of saying, ‘Thank you so much for saving us from a huge amount of trouble’ they punished us for bringing it to their attention,” one health district employee says. “We’re like, ‘This is not acceptable. The conditions we’re putting people in are unsafe.’”

Clark did not respond to specific questions from the Inlander about the directive not to document concerns in emails. But in an emailed response to Protec17 union representative Suzie Saunders, Clark said she was unaware of such a policy.

The recent incident is just one example of what a dozen current and former health district staff describe as a “culture of fear” and a divide between the administration and staff that has grown within the Spokane Regional Health District since Clark was hired as administrator in September 2019. Some say that culture already existed but worsened after she took the helm.

Over the last two years, most of that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the health district has seen an exodus of its top management, with dozens of people representing hundreds of years of collective public health experience leaving their jobs. Some division directors retired early while other managers and staff left without a job lined up, citing the negative work environment as their reason for leaving.

Former and current district employees told the Inlander that Clark is dismissive of others’ expertise, “autocratic” in her leadership style, and some said she encouraged managers to read a book about overcoming the “BMWs” or “bitching, moaning and whining” among unproductive employees. Bad interactions contributed to feelings among staff that their genuine concerns might be brushed off if brought to Clark’s attention, and some worried that pointing out a problem would result in punishment.

“We keep thinking, ‘Oh things can’t get worse’ and they just continue to get worse,” says a district employee. “We’re not allowed to ask questions without getting our hand slapped, and in some cases, formal write-ups.”

Spokane isn’t alone in hemorrhaging public health staff.

Health departments around the nation have seen employees quit in droves. The pandemic only exacerbated existing issues with underfunded programs and political divisions. Nationwide, at least 303 public health leaders resigned, retired or were fired between April 1, 2020, and Sept. 12, 2021, according to tracking by the Associated Press and Kaiser Health News.

With cascading departures among other managers and lower level staff, experts say it could take years to rebuild public health systems around the country that are still coping with the ongoing waves of the pandemic.

Yet in Spokane, several who have left public health say that it’s internal strife, driven by Clark and outside political pressure, that has pushed people away. If anything is going to change, they say, it starts there.

PRESSURE POINTS

After Clark and the local health board fired former health officer Dr. Bob Lutz in fall 2020, the divide between staff and leadership widened into a chasm.

Health district employees were distraught when they received an all-staff email on Oct. 30, 2020, simply informing everyone that Lutz was no longer the health officer.

While not everyone was a fan of his, Lutz was well-loved among many within the district, according to the employees the Inlander spoke to. Not only had he helped guide community decisions during the unprecedented time of the pandemic, but staff say that on a day-to-day basis he would happily hop in to help out a client with a health issue or answer their medical questions.

So when Clark announced Lutz’s time was done, it left staff who were working closest on the pandemic wondering who could fill that void.

Many sent texts and emails to each other asking what Lutz could have done that would require he be fired in the middle of a pandemic, when the community needed a medical leader to guide decisions about things like reopening schools, operating businesses at limited capacity and safeguarding hospital capacity as a

14 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

winter case spike was looming.

Immediately, some staff members took sick days and protested outside of their own workplace. Some quit soon after the health board’s later 8-4 vote finalizing what Clark had already announced a week before.

Right after the vote to fire Lutz, the board appointed Dr. Francisco Velázquez — whose background is in building and selling medical businesses, not in public health — as interim health officer. Last week, on Oct. 6, the health board voted unanimously to hire Velázquez as the official health officer, at a salary of $247,000 per year.

Staff say “Dr. V.” has been very kind and willing to learn about their programs, but they worry he lacks the public health expertise that Lutz had and the conviction to make tough calls when the community needs a public health advocate.

Due to the circumstances surrounding Lutz’s departure, Clark faces an investigation from the state board of health, which in January will hold a hearing before an administrative law judge to determine whether she broke the law by firing Lutz before the board voted to do so.

But while much of the public and internal backlash has focused on Clark and her leadership style, not everyone is convinced that removing a head from the hydra will solve deepseated issues at the district.

Before Clark was even hired, former health district associate director Ashley Beck (who left the district this summer) says she presented the local health board with a plan to hire a consultant to address conflict between the board, district leadership and staff back in 2018. At the time, Beck wrote a letter after seeing what she also described to the Inlander as a “culture of fear.”

But that pressure was largely driven by politics.

Almost by design, Washington’s health districts face political pressure. Health districts and departments throughout the state are overseen by local health boards that are almost entirely filled with elected politicians.

In smaller counties, the county commissioners make up the health board unless they pass their own local rule to add more community members to the board.

Even then, Washington law requires the majority of health board members be elected officials. In more populated counties, a larger mix of elected officials

“We keep thinking, ‘Oh things can’t get worse’ and they just continue to get worse.”

Amelia Clark took over as Spokane Regional Health Administrator in 2019.

DEREK HARRISON PHOTO

make up local health boards, which hire the top officials (such as an administrative officer who reports to a health officer or vice versa) and make budget decisions.

To identify things that could be fixed, Beck proposed having an outside firm assess the culture within the health district, create a training plan for staff, and monitor employees, including the new administrator, to hold them accountable for the culture within the agency.

From Beck’s perspective, district issues derive from a fear of political consequences and an eagerness to make decisions based on public perception and what will make health board members happy. Beck says the health board hasn’t acknowledged its role in the problem.

“At no point have they understood that the way they speak to our leadership and the feedback they give our leadership plays a role in the culture,” Beck says. “I believe that’s the root cause of the fear-based culture.”

Indeed, it doesn’t seem like there is a politically, academically or ideologically balanced group making decisions for the health district in Spokane, says Jennifer Towers, who has researched public health communication and leadership for years.

Towers, who spoke as a Spokane community member and not on behalf of Gonzaga University where she’s an assistant dean, says that unlike the East Coast communities she has lived in before, Washington appears to be somewhat unique in having so many politicians on local health boards as opposed to members with public health expertise.

“Having public health professionals — people that are trained in public health that have practiced public health — that also have a strong background in leadership would be important,” Towers says. “The important thing with health is we have data to help us guide decisions.”

But political pressure hit public health officials across the country particularly hard the past two years.

In her work as CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, Lori Tremmel Freeman advocates for health department employees all over the country. Before the pandemic hit, public health had already seen about a 20 percent decline in staffing over the last decade as communities and the federal government underfunded departments, Tremmel Freeman says.

“What we saw during the pandemic pretty quickly is the losses started to gain more momentum,” Tremmel Freeman says, “especially at the health officer level.”

In early 2020, she says, three different health officers resigned from the association’s board (which is made up of health officers) within just a six-week time period.

“All of those were due to the politics of the pandemic and the pressure on public health officials to do or not do certain things,” she says. “And the overall pressure of being in that position to keep the community well.”

Former Spokane health district data department manager Steve Smith says the politicized nature of public health during the pandemic was particularly difficult to navigate. Where something like the public health data department would normally fly under the radar, with COVID, it suddenly garnered intense attention.

“For a public health agency to have to wait for approval from our politicians just to do what is scientifically backed was terrible,” Smith says of community decisions such as when would be appropriate to close down gatherings to prevent spread of the virus.

Smith and Beck are not the only high-level staffers to leave recently, and other managers have announced plans to leave before the end of the year. Currently, three of five division leader positions that report directly to Clark remain open, and several other management and staff-level positions have been vacated.

The district lacks directors of community health, disease prevention and response, quality planning and assessment, and more.

“When you lose leadership in any company or agency at the top, it takes time to rebuild that,” explains Tremmel Freeman.

“Local health departments, because they’ve been under-resourced for so long, they don’t have a bench to draw upon. There’s no immediate replacement when a health officer leaves.” ...continued on next page

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OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 15

“‘CULTURE OF FEAR’,” CONTINUED...

There’s a similar difficulty filling other high-level positions.

“Our health departments are struggling to be able to keep up with the pandemic and keep our communities healthy and safe,” Tremmel Freeman says. “Recruitment is difficult, the pay is often low, and then there’s all these news stories about how difficult it is to be a public health employee, which is not helping. It is a position that is really for those most dedicated to serving their community, and replacing them is not easy.”

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Clark declined an interview with the Inlander but sent a written statement that pointed to the pandemic and other stressors playing out nationally as contributing to the district’s recent turnover.

The pandemic took a toll on many health workers, including at SRHD, Clark writes, and she understands why many may have chosen to retire, leave for other jobs or even return to school to train for another career.

“It’s also possible that decisions I have made at SRHD may have contributed to some decisions to leave, but of course, people change jobs for a wide variety of reasons,” Clark writes. “I admire and respect everyone who works at SRHD. Their passion and dedication for ensuring the health and well-being of this community before, during — and someday, after — the pandemic is inspiring.”

Clark writes that her leadership style is based on mutual respect and a common passion to serve the community, and says she values health district employees and their input.

“While I am sad to hear that a few may feel differently, I am more disappointed that they did not share those concerns with me,” Clark writes.

16 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

Current and former staff who spoke with the Inlander were surprised to hear Clark felt concerns had not been shared with her, whether through exit interviews or internal discussions.

Former executive leadership team members Sheila Masteller and Lyndia Wilson have both written multiple letters to the local health board outlining concerning incidents between Clark and other staff members, and both have called on the board to assess Clark’s performance.

Wilson, who started at the agency in 1991 and retired in July, has directly asked the board to fire Clark, citing numerous incidents she witnessed or was told about by subordinates.

Wilson says that initially, she and others tried to understand the struggles Clark faced after moving to Spokane from the Midwest and jumping into public health work for the first time. Wilson tried to figure out the most effective ways to translate staff concerns to Clark but says she ultimately struggled, feeling that Clark was set in her ways.

While the pandemic undoubtedly increased stress for everyone, Wilson says many employees continue to share their stories with her as they plan to leave, and the common theme is that people don’t feel listened to or worry they’ll be punished for doing their jobs.

“You have a very passionate set of staff that work at Spokane Regional Health District. They love what they do, and they love

“In the 19 years I’ve been on the health board, Amelia Clark has been the best administrator I’ve seen.”

Clark forcing out former Spokane County Health Officer Bob Lutz last year inspired passionate protests in Spokane.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

INTERIM TURNS PERMANENT

Nearly a year after the controversial ouster of Spokane County Health Officer Bob Lutz, the Board of Health hired a permanent replacement last week following the recommendation of administrator Amelia Clark.

Frank Velázquez, who has served as interim health officer since last fall, will stick around as health officer in Spokane.

“Dr. Velázquez was the most qualified of all applicants and performed well in multiple panel interviews,” Clark says in a press release.

being a part of the solution. They’re working their butts off, long hours, working weekends and all of that,” Wilson says. “But they’re not getting the recognition or the belief that they’re doing the right thing by her.”

Those who have left did so because of the negative environment, Wilson says.

Masteller, who retired in February 2020, says she left within months of Clark’s arrival when it was clear that Clark wasn’t interested in learning from the expertise of the existing leadership team. Masteller spent more than three decades working in leadership roles at Providence, Cancer Care Northwest and then the health district, and says she offered to introduce Clark to experts in the region.

“I told her, ‘I’m happy to introduce you to colleagues at MultiCare, Providence and the universities,’ and she said, ‘No, I’ll be OK,’” Masteller says. “So many programs from the district are not done in isolation, which is why I think it’s really important that your executive officer have relationships with the community.”

Clark did, however, focus her attention inward at the organization, closely monitoring messaging that comes from the health district. Some of her issues with Lutz centered on opinion pieces he authored that ran in the Spokesman-Review. Masteller notes that even managers at the highest level were told they had to let Clark review every single letter they planned to send out.

Masteller says she also had subordinates come to her with concerns of bullying and Clark’s “autocratic” top-down leadership style.

“I’ve talked with managers after they’ve left a meeting with her and they’re just crying, sobbing about what she said,” Mas-

teller says. “The big concern [as people leave] is the loss of the deep expertise in public health and in particular the impact on the services in the community.”

But when it comes to the turnover, Spokane County Commissioner Al French, a long-time health board member, says he thinks it’s not unusual that when an agency structure is changed, people who disagree with that change will leave. Those who agree, he says, will stay.

Clark was brought on after the health board swapped from having the health officer overseeing the entire district and an administrator, to having an administrative officer oversee the entire district, including the health officer.

“In the 19 years I’ve been on the health board, she’s been the best administrator I’ve seen,” French says. “It’s unfortunate that her service to this county was marred by Dr. Lutz and his termination, but that doesn’t distract, in my opinion, the quality of work that she’s doing.”

French says he’s only heard concerns about Clark from a few people, not across the board, and he hasn’t seen anything about Clark’s management style or demeanor that he finds concerning.

CHANGE ON THE HORIZON

One of the questions remaining for many health district staff is whether Clark intends to make significant cuts to the organization. Washington state law requires that health departments provide essential public health functions such as tracking the spread of communicable diseases, overseeing cleanliness in dining establishments and monitoring things like sewer permits. ...continued on next page

Velázquez previously did not have a background in public health, though he has noted that he has a master’s degree in Healthcare Management and Policy from Harvard University School of Public Health.

He served as CEO of Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories before the company was sold to LabCorp. When named interim health officer last year, Velázquez admitted he didn’t initially know what he agreed to do. But now, he says he’s fallen in love with the job.

“I realized that I wanted to continue this journey and remain a part of the team here at the health district,” Velázquez says.

“I am very thankful to have the opportunity to do so.”

Lutz, meanwhile, took a role last year as a medical adviser for Washington’s COVID-19 response, which he maintains to this day.

— WILSON CRISCIONE

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 17

“‘CULTURE OF FEAR’,” CONTINUED...

But the Spokane Regional Health District offers many other community programs that aren’t required by law. For example, the Nurse-Family Partnership program pairs health district nurses with high-risk moms-to-be.

The district is able to offer home visits and help people with things like employment as they work to improve the number of successful births, improve early childhood development and ideally create healthier family environments for children who would otherwise be at risk of adverse experiences.

“People are more aware of what public health is and what it means. We have to use this moment to catalyze support for public health in the future.”

The Spokane program has been recognized as one of the most successful in the state, Masteller says, but she worries it and other programs could be considered for cuts in the future. The health district is currently going through its annual budget cycle. During a Sept. 30 meeting, health board members noted that the district faces a nearly $3.5 million deficit, when you don’t consider the money it receives from Spokane County.

French says he hasn’t been shy about expressing his

discomfort with the amount the county spends to fund the district. Typically, that’s about $1.5 million to $2 million per year. The county’s contribution for legally required programs this go-around would reduce the district’s expected budget shortfall by more than $1 million.

“Let’s do what the law requires us to do first, focus on those responsibilities, and then if there are other things we want to engage in, let’s find a way to pay for them,” French says. “Keep in mind that the only local governmental entity that contributes money to the health district is the county. The cities do not contribute a dime.”

If cities, which put a larger strain on some health district programs, want additional offerings to continue, French says, they should help pay for that. Budget discussions will continue in coming weeks.

In the meantime, recent changes at the state level could address some of the political makeup of the health board to ensure that medical voices play a stronger role in decisions guiding the health district. Inspired by Lutz’s ouster, some community members worked with state Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, to pass HB 1152 this spring. The new law requires that local health district boards have at least some members from the medical community, people who use public health services, and other community stakeholders such as business owners or nonprofit employees.

The hope is that boards will include more medical expertise and diversity of opinion.

“I think our state is in a position where we can lead and innovate in what we do in terms of how we improve the public health system to better support and protect its employees and managers,” Beck says.

On a national level, Tremmel Freeman says, perhaps communities can leverage the recent attention focused on public health to protect important services.

“People are more aware of what public health is and what it means,” Tremmel Freeman says. “We have to use this moment to catalyze support for public health in the future.”

Change within the Spokane Regional Health District will likely depend on who gets to determine those additional health board members, how Clark’s hearing before the state board of health goes in January, and whether staff and administration can repair their relationship.

“The whole culture of the health district felt very divided, it didn’t feel like we had the common goal of helping people anymore,” says Hannah Portlock, a nurse who recently left the district. “There are so many people who really care about the community at the health district. But it’s hard to do your job when there’s division, it makes bureaucracy even more complicated.” n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Samantha Wohlfeil covers the environment, rural communities and cultural issues for the Inlander. Since joining the paper in 2017, she’s reported how the weeks after getting out of prison can be deadly, how some terminally ill Eastern Washington patients have struggled to access lethal medication, and taken readers inside hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

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LOCAL RESORTS

CONTENTS

SEASONAL SOUL MATES 24 DESTINATION RESORTS 28 POWDER WOWS 32

Resorts like Schweitzer have been prepping for a huge snow year. SCHWEITZER PHOTO

20 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

LOCAL RESORTS

READY TO

SHRED?

Even though the weather’s just starting to change, our five local resorts have been hard at work on kicking off a great 2021-22 season BY E.J. IANNELLI

A

nnual infrastructure upgrades and operational improvements are pretty much a given for the region’s most popular ski areas and resorts. But the 2021–22 season is bringing some unusually big changes across the board, with fresh trails, modernized chairlifts, brand-new facilities and more programming options available to experienced skiers and beginners alike. Combined with a possible La Niña weather event, it could be a winter sports season for the record books. ...continued on next page

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 21

LOCAL RESORTS

“READY TO SHRED?,” CONTINUED...

49 DEGREES NORTH

Ascending Chewelah Peak at 49 Degrees North will now be almost as much fun as the descent, thanks to a brand-new Doppelmayr high-speed quad chairlift. It’s replacing the Bonanza No. 1 fixed-grip double that had been in use on the mountain since 1972. The 900-horsepower lift represents a $7 million investment and now bears the distinction of being the longest chairlift in Washington state. And yet, despite measuring well over a mile (6,644 feet to be exact), it still manages to bring riders to the summit in under seven minutes — about half the time as the old one.

The midway load station will be removed as part of the lift project; but on the plus side, six new runs have been cut that make the nearby Boothill area below Beaver Slide much more accessible. Along with the construction of a new vehicle maintenance facility to better serve the entire resort, the slopes will benefit from last season’s major improvements to the artificial snow system. Fresh snowmaking equipment has just been installed above Blastface trail, which will help supplement the 300-plus inches of average annual snowfall.

LOOKOUT PASS

On the Montana side of Lookout Pass, chair two (aka Timber Wolf) is being upgraded from a double- to a

22 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

triple-seat platform this season. That one-third increase in capacity might sound like the big highlight of the improvement, but the even better news might be the removal of the chair’s center bar. Less-experienced skiers and families with young children are sure to find it much easier to load and unload.

That chairlift also happens to be a lynchpin in Lookout’s long-term expansion in the direction of Eagle Peak. The intrepid advance up the mountain will mark a rise in elevation from 5,650 to 6,150 vertical feet, which translates to a massive gain of 485 skiable acres on top of the current 540. Logging crews are already making inroads into that new acreage, with a planned 14 new trails to be accessible to rugged, reservation-only cat skiing this season, most likely sometime in January.

MT. SPOKANE

Mt. Spokane’s Illuminator, once known simply as Chair Number Two, is the beneficiary of a million-dollar investment aimed at replacing its drive terminal. As a result, the central chairlift that brings passengers from the beginners’ area toward the 5,889-foot summit will usher in the new season with a more efficient uphill ride. The park is also continuing the seven-day schedule that it first introduced at the tail end of last season, which opens up more opportunities to get out on the mountain early in

the week.

In addition to the extended opening times, both newbie and experienced skiers can take advantage of this season’s expanded multiweek programs. For advanced skiers and snowboarders in the 9–17 age bracket, the new Park Club and Mountain Adventure Club options will let them safely hone their skills in the Terrain Park or out among the trees under the guidance of veteran instructors. In another first for this season, all those courses, camps and clubs can be easily booked online. There are also some subtler, behind-the-scenes changes — one being the new food and beverage director, a Silverwood alum who’ll be revamping some of the menus.

SCHWEITZER

For the first half of the 20th century, the Humbird Lumber Company was an economic engine and community mainstay in North Idaho. Schweitzer’s new Humbird Hotel, slated to make its grand opening during the 2021–22 ski season, honors that local history with a three-story, 31-room facility that makes a stunning visual feature of its heavy timber construction. Designed by Portland, Oregon’s Skylab Architecture, it will offer a boutique guest experience with a variety of room types, an onsite restaurant and bar, a fitness center and even a co-working space, all with central ski-in/ski-out access.

Silver Mountain has two new groomers in its fleet.

Although its rooftop hot tub and panoramic views of Lake Pend Oreille are likely to make the Humbird the most popular new addition this season, it’s only the latest milestone in Schweitzer’s implementation of its ambitious multi-year master plan. Also new this year is Schweitzer’s inclusion in the Ikon Pass partnership. The season pass grants holders generous access to more than 40 international winter sport destinations like Washington’s Crystal Mountain, Canada’s RED Mountain and even Austria’s Kitzbühel.

Schweitzer is the first location in Idaho to participate.

BOB LEGASA/SILVER MOUNTAIN PHOTO

steeper runs down the slopes.

As those same runs used to have to be cut by hand, mechanizing the process means there will be more terrain to ski earlier in the season when there isn’t as much cumulative snowfall.

For skiers and snowboarders who are still working up to those steeper trails, Silver is making the learning experience even more pleasant by

installing a cover over its magic carpet. Now beginners will be protected from the elements as they’re pulled up to the top of the bunny hill on the snow-level conveyor belt. n Pick up the Nov. 11 edition of Snowlander for an even deeper look at our five local resorts, along with even more coverage of the snow sport season.

SILVER MOUNTAIN

The runs at Silver Mountain will be better curated than ever this season, thanks to the introduction of two new groomers to its vehicle fleet. The resort has brought in additional heavy machinery in the form of a winch cat nicknamed “Minnie the Mulcher,” which can secure itself to the winch station and cut

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 23

CATCHING UP

SEASONAL SOUL MATES

T

Reuniting with our Winter Friends will mean a little more this season

he pandemic has been hard on us, really hard.

While the negative impact reached us all in at least some way, there are certainly groups it hit harder. Hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, music venues and workout facilities were among the hardest hit, first by complete shutdowns, and later by having to modify their existing business plans.

However, while many of those businesses, and many of us as individuals, are beginning to experience a return toward normalcy, there is one almost-never-mentioned

24 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

group yet to get things back to anything like what they once knew: Winter Friends.

As any regular visitor to the mountains will tell you, there are some friends, often great friends, whom we somehow only manage to cross paths with once we return to the hills. With the onset of the pandemic beginning during the 2019-2020 ski season and the strangeness surrounding last year’s ski season, many of those Winter Friends have not had a proper reunion in approaching two years. Sure, we gathered around fires

Winter Friends can be found in packs.

COURTESY JOHN GROLLMUS

BY JOHN GROLLMUS

in parking lots or chatted through masks on the lift, but we didn’t dance in bars or get together for dinners and we surely never passed around that trusty flask of minty winter spirits.

What exactly defines a Winter Friend? Well, they come in all shapes and sizes, but their one common feature is that they are friends we usually wish we could see at all times of the year, but due to many outside factors we only get to see during that time of the year which returns us all slopeside. Usually this occurs because we live

in different locations during the non-snowy seasons, but it can be caused by a variety of other factors as well, such as work and school schedules, family obligations, a lack of non-skiing common interests. Whatever those reasons are, when the leaves start to change color, the temperatures start to drop, and those first few flakes begin to dance in the crisp early winter air, we all begin to anxiously await something more than just getting to slide around on snow covered slopes again. We get excited for our reunions. It’s almost like that feeling you had as a kid when school started again, and while the carefree days of summer disappeared, the prospect of seeing old friends again vastly outweighed that loss of freedom.

O

ne of my first Winter Friends didn’t start out that way at all. He was, in fact, a rival of sorts. He ran around the mountain with the local kids who had all grown up in the town at the bottom of the hill and I spent my mountain days roaming around with a gang of ne’er-dowells from a couple of hours away. Whenever our groups crossed paths, whether it was on the slopes or in the lodge, there was always a palpable tension. I wouldn’t exactly say we were rival gangs poised for a fight, but there certainly wasn’t any love lost there either. However, as we both grew older many of those kids stopped showing up on the slopes at all and he and I started to run into each other even more. After a while something like a mutual respect developed between us and then one day it happened: We skied together, and whatever childhood animosity existed vanished into the common bond of a love for our shared winter passion. Boom, my first Winter Friend was born. It’s funny, even today we probably share more differences than similarities, but even as I write this I find myself eagerly anticipating my first run of the season with him. ...continued on next page

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CATCHING UP “SEASONAL SOUL MATES,” CONTINUED...

While some Winter Friends have a bond that is based solely around skiing, there are others who have winter bonds that reach beyond the slopes. These friends are the ones we share dinners with at someone’s mountainside condo after the lifts have stopped turning. They’re the ones we end up with on New Year’s Eve, drinking champagne and creating crazy memories. When we all begin to get together again as the season cranks up, we marvel at how much their kids have grown both physically and emotionally, we can’t believe that someone has a new career, or that a couple got divorced, or better yet a new union was formed. As our season-long reunion gets into full swing, we make plans to travel to Canada to ski together, to all wear denim on the slopes one day, and to finally take that road trip we’ve always talked about where we stop at all the little mom-and-pop ski areas.

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COURTESY JOHN GROLLMUS

here’s even a spiritual element to this whole Winter Friends thing. I feel a connection akin to friendship with many of the wilderness creatures I only see seasonally as well. There’s the snowy owl whose enormous shadow sometimes startles me as I skin in the backcountry, the elusive pine marten who I’m always thrilled to catch sight of while skiing deep in the trees, the bobcat whose tracks I somehow always seem to appropriately spot in fresh snow atop the manmade cat track of a Pisten Bulley, and even the diminutive ermine with his just-forwinter white fur, who can be often spotted from the comfort of the chairlift. I even feel a strong connection with those very same chairlifts, I mean, who else would carry you back to the top of the mountain run after run, year after year, other than a really good friend?

While the full swing of the Winter Friends reunion this particular ski season has yet to begin, I already know one thing for sure: When the time to split up comes again, I’ll be just as sad about it as I was when COVID forced it to come too early that last time. Of course, when that sad day does come around I’ll already be looking forward to the day when we can get the gang back together. So, get ready all my Winter Friends, because I’m coming for you this season. We’ll be making turns, riding lifts, raising glasses in bars and getting together for dinners. Just be prepared because I’ve got almost two years of stories to tell you and if this one is any indication I’m more than ready to let them spill out. n

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 27

DESTINATION RESORTS

Hitting the deep powder.

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN RESORT PHOTO

ROAD TRIP! Maybe this season is the time to squeeze in a getaway beyond the Inland Northwest?

Here are three great destinations in Washington state BY TED S. McGREGOR JR.

28 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN

Crystal Mountain, Washington • crystalmountainresort.com 3,100 vertical feet • 85 runs • 11 lifts Think of it as Washington’s Whistler. Crystal Mountain Resort drapes across a ring of snowy peaks less than two hours southeast of Seattle, its quiltwork of hanging bowls, steep chutes and snaking groomers stretched out below the towering backdrop of Mount Rainier. Yes, it’s huge, with an expansive network of 11 lifts opening on 2,600 skiable acres, all of it blanketed each season with an average of 486 inches of powder. On the resort’s Mount Rainier Gondola, visitors can take in a stunning view of the nearby Mount Rainier National Park. The village is full service, too, with cafes, restaurants and the Bullwheel Bar. For a special treat, dine at nearly 7,000 feet at the Summit House — the state’s highest elevation restaurant. ...continued on page 30

From free powder refills to an inversion on Inspiration to time well spent with friends and family, we’ve got the skiing and all the ingredients to make your good day on the hill a great one.

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DESTINATION RESORTS “ROAD TRIP!,” CONTINUED...

BLUEWOOD

Dayton, Washington • bluewood.com 1,125 vertical feet • 24 runs • 4 lifts Head south to Dayton, and tucked within southeastern Washington’s Umatilla National Forest, Bluewood packs a lot of punch in its 400 skiable acres. Treed slopes, terrain parks and groomers fed with an annual average of 300 inches of powder are there for the shredding at one of the lowest day-pass rates around. It’s not huge, more on the mom-and-pop range of resorts, but it gets some great snow and especially in spring can have some sweet bluebird days. And did we mention it’s near Walla Walla? No visit to Bluewood should be without a side trip to the mecca of wine, with more than 120 wineries in the area and tons of tasting rooms to test. Dayton is the cut-off — head southeast and it’s a half-hour to Bluewood; head southwest and it’s 40 minutes to Walla Walla.

30 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

MISSION RIDGE

Wenatchee, Washington • missionridge.com 2,250 vertical feet • 36 runs • 6 lifts/tows Located just 12 miles above Wenatchee, Mission Ridge offers 2,000 skiable acres. Famed for the lingering wreckage of a crashed B-24 bomber from 1944, Mission Ridge is the kind of mountain dripping with history.

For snowsports enthusiasts, it’s also dripping with steep, treed chutes off its summit to powder stashes lurking above its maze of groomers.

Mission Ridge has several on-mountain dining options, but the town of Wenatchee is so close, skiers and snowboarders can take their après drinks down on the shores of the Columbia River. Check out the Pybus Public Market, Wenatchee’s favorite hangout with shops, wineries, restaurants and artisan galleries. And it’s just a couple blocks from Badger Mountain Brewery, where you can try one of their “ales with attitude.” n

Tailgating recommended pre-ski. BLUEWOOD PHOTO

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EVENT

FILM POWDER WOWS Seventy-two titles and counting, Warren Miller’s winter sports films are an annual rite of passage before hitting the slopes for many powder enthusiasts. Screenings of this year’s gravity-defying, mountaintop adventures are back to being in person after last year’s all-virtual showcase, and the Bing is once again locally hosting, with two screening times. Winter Starts Now takes viewers across the U.S. to breathtaking vistas of the Rocky Mountains, Sun Valley, Tahoe and peaks in Maine all the way to Alaska, including footage of the first disabled ski descent of De-

nali. The film’s cast of pro riders and skiers is stacked with names familiar to those who follow the snowsports world, including many who’ve been featured in multiple past installments of the Warren Miller anthology. (CHEY SCOTT) Warren Miller’s Winter Starts Now • Sat, Oct. 30 at 4 pm and 7 pm • $19-$22 • All ages; proof of COVID-19 vaccine or negative test required for ages 12+ • Bing Crosby Theater • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • bingcrosbytheater.com • 509-413-2915

ADULTS $499 YOUTH $369 FAMILY $1459 32 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

THEATER

THE PLAY’S THE THING

Dahveed Bullis (left) and Scott Doughty YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

New Spokane Playwrights Laboratory is dedicated to championing local voices — with the audience’s help

BY E.J. IANNELLI

T

he epiphany came when Scott Doughty was working down at the Seven Devils New Play Foundry in McCall, Idaho. The group was in the middle of a workshop performance of a new play, and up to that point things had been proceeding uneventfully.

“All of a sudden, the playwright, who’s at the back of the house, jumps out of their chair and yells, ‘I’ve got it!’, stops the workshop performance, runs on stage with a pen and starts just furiously writing in the actors’ scripts, looks at them and says, ‘This is the new ending to the next scene. And go!’

“You can imagine, none of us knows what’s about to happen. Not the actors, not the director. Only the playwright. And the energy in the air was absolutely electric.

We went from staging a play to actively creating it in the moment in front of an audience. It was an experience unlike anything else,” he says.

That was a pivotal moment for Doughty, who made a conscious decision to concentrate on new work development — which is to say, soliciting and refining original theatrical works before they’re presented to paying audiences — from then on. It would also lead to Doughty

teaming up with local actor and director Dahveed Bullis to form the Spokane Playwrights Laboratory earlier this year.

“Scott and I had been circling the same area for about 10 years but had just never really worked together,” says Bullis. During a virtual planning meeting for a local theater troupe back in early spring, they both realized that they were advancing the same ideas about how to champion the estimated 400 playwrights living in the Spokane area. ...continued on next page

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 33

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P I N K M A RT I N I SAT, JAN. 29 8PM Tickets (509) 624-1200 SpokaneSymphony.org • FoxTheaterSpokane.org 34 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

CULTURE | THEATER “THE PLAY’S THE THING,” CONTINUED...

“One of the biggest things I said in that moment was that we’re doing all these plays and telling people how important they are, and I don’t disagree with that, but where are the local playwrights? We get off of that call, and Scott calls me immediately and says, ‘Hey, everything you were saying is exactly what I want to be about, which is creating a way to support artists.’”

Spokane Playwrights Laboratory, or SPL, went from a good intention to a fully fledged organization within a matter of weeks. They began incorporating as a nonprofit in time to make the April 1 deadline of the second-round Spokane Arts Grant Awards. By August they’d been awarded $5,000 in SAGA funding. In the meantime, Bullis and Doughty started establishing the partnerships that would give them the ability to hold workshops and raise awareness about the organization among local playwrights.

“It was so nuts,” Bullis laughs. “But when it’s 100 percent your passion and what you’re going for, the work is not even work. Both Scott and I are working full time, and we have toddlers of our own, but this has to be done. So many people will graduate from college in the arts here [in Spokane], and then they’re out of here. You need to have places where people can be able to stay local and flourish. That’s how the arts becomes an economy driver.”

to audiences as intended. That’s why real-time, participatory feedback is such an important part of the process.

“When you’re coming to see a show at the lab, you’re not just an audience member. You’re not just going to take in a show and clap and get up and leave. You’re seeing a work in development. Yes, you’re here to enjoy it, but we need your help and your feedback. This isn’t lip service. We really need to know your thoughts — what you enjoyed, what you were confused by,” Doughty says.

“The playwright’s going to be taking that information, and that’s going to have a direct impact on the edits they make and how the script changes before they start submitting it to companies for full production.”

T

oday, roughly nine months since its inception, SPL has already formed performance or collaborative partnerships with Terrain, Stage Left, Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene and the Northwest Playwrights Alliance. It also has at least three plays lined up for workshopping: Tristen Canfield’s An Aviary for Birds of Sadness, Joy Wood’s In Call and Sandra Hosking’s Mad Underground. Canfield’s play, which addresses mental health issues, is scheduled for the SPL’s first-ever staged reading on Oct. 14.

Despite — or maybe because of — the speed at which things have come together, Doughty stresses the importance of keeping the organization focused on its original goals. There is currently no plan to charge playwrights for its services or to charge audiences to attend workshop performances.

However, playwrights, cast and crew members will receive remuneration for their involvement in workshop shows. And the SPL is drawing a hard stop at the point when workshopped plays transition to theatrical productions.

“We are not a theater company,” Doughty says. “The focus with theater companies is very much on the audience, and so a lot of their decisions are based on selling tickets and selling subscriptions, and that’s based on what they think the audience is going to like. We really try and flip that formula. We are concerned with the playwright and the playwright’s work, so we want to stay playwright-centric and playwright focused.”

Of course, workshopping is partly done to ensure that the playwright’s vision is translating

Playwright Tristen Canfield

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

In that way, the audience becomes a co-creator of the finished product. Hence the electrifying revelatory magic of workshopping that Doughty identified all those years ago at Seven Devils, and that Spokane Playwrights Laboratory now aims to channel for the benefit of local playwrights.

“What you’re seeing in the lab is a real behind-the-scenes portion that often doesn’t get thought of,” Bullis says. “We all like The Office, but how often do you think of what it was like when they’re brainstorming these moments that live on for as long as that TV show remains in the zeitgeist? By coming to an SPL show, you’re part of that process now. And how thrilling is that?” n An Aviary for Birds of Sadness • Thu, Oct. 14 at 7:30 pm • Free (donations accepted) • Terrain • 304 W. Pacific Ave • spokaneplaywrightslaboratory.com • 509-998-7515

CULTURE | DIGEST

THE BUZZ BIN

MARTY’S MURDERS Only Murders in the Building on Hulu is not a great show, more of a pleasant trifle that works for relatively mindless entertainment.

But the story of three unlikely friends who meet via a shared love of true crime podcasts and the demise of one of their building’s tenants is a pretty great vehicle for Martin Short, who plays a Broadway has-been who convinces his new friends (an aging actor (Steve Martin) and a mysterious much-younger woman (Selena Gomez) to start their own podcast about the murder in their classy New York City building. Short’s talent for broad slapstick is well known, but his character here manages to deliver both more subtle humor and some heartfelt drama in ways Short is rarely allowed to do on screen. (DAN NAILEN)

Freddy Krueger had a rough 1991.

STREAMING SCARES Seven 1991 Horror Movies to Stream

T

BY BILL FROST

he year 1991 was a big one for music: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Metallica all released career-defining albums, and Jane’s Addiction launched Lollapalooza.

The horror movies of 1991 were another matter. Aside from classics like Cape Fear, The People Under the Stairs and Body Parts, ’91 was weak sauce on the scary flicks front. Here are nine seven horror movies from 1991 to remind you how good you have it during spooky season 30 years later. They’re streaming because you can’t rent them from Blockbuster Video (it’s a Spirit Halloween store now).

FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE (HBO MAX) The sixth of nine Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare introduces Maggie Krueger, the longlost daughter of Freddy who’s out to kill off dad for good (didn’t take, obvs). The only redeeming factor of Freddy’s Dead is Iggy Pop’s creep-rockin’ theme song, though watching Breckin Meyer being slaughtered in a videogame is a treat.

CHILD’S PLAY 3 (PEACOCK)

Chucky’s back, and he’s found now-teenaged owner Andy at military school — besides knives and razors, Chucky now also has guns and grenades to play with in his tiny-handed murder spree. Not that it helped the movie, as Child’s Play 3 is consistently ranked at the bottom of the franchise by hacks who bother to crank out such lists … wait, am I one of them?

Damn it.

SCANNERS II: THE NEW ORDER (TUBI)

Made 10 years after the original 1981 classic without writer/director David Cronenberg, Scanners II: The New Order is dumber, cheaper, and more overtly Canadian than a wholesale case of Moosehead. Brain-exploding telekinetic displays are disappoint-

ingly scarce in The New Order, but the flick did introduce the concept of the silent disco — blame Canada!

BLOOD TIES (TUBI)

A family of European vampires settle into normie Cali life in Long Beach, but soon find themselves being hassled by a Texas vampire hunter militia because Texas gonna Texas. There’s also a vampire biker gang led by a dude named “Butcherbird,” which sounds like a meat-delivery startup, and a scene hinting that Donald Trump might be a bloodsucker. Prescient.

POPCORN (YOUTUBE)

A group of college students stage a B-movie marathon at an old theater to raise money for their film program, but the party is crashed by a psycho killer bent on avenging a failed horror movie director. The schlock flicks shown within Popcorn are better than the movie itself, as was the poster: “Buy a bag, go home in a box.” Wasn’t that also the tagline for Tenet last year?

HOWLING VI: THE FREAKS (TUBI)

A vampire circus owner — you’re an immortal being and that’s the job you go with? — captures a drifter werewolf and forces him to perform in his cavalcade of freaks. The original 1981 Howling was a classic horror flick, but by the sixth installment, the franchise was inbred past the point of no return (and yet two more even worse sequels followed). End wolfsploitation now!

TRANCERS II: THE RETURN OF JACK DETH (TUBI)

Six Trancers movies were made between 1984 and 2002, and no one ever realized “Trancers” was an incomprehensible name for sleeper-cell zombies. “Sleeper-Cell Zombies” would even have worked. Anyway: 23rd-century cop Jack Deth travels through time to stop Trancers; in II, he’s married to Helen Hunt, a grave mistake any sensible time traveler would have avoided. n

PLAYGROUND GAMES With Halloween on the horizon and tons of spooky media ready for consumption, I found out that Netflix’s Korean survival drama, Squid Game, is not for the faint of heart — or weak of stomach.

The Kill Bill-esque, nine-part show features financially unstable characters playing grim versions of popular Korean childhood games for cash. It pulls at your heartstrings, all the while making clever commentary on capitalistic systems. Down-on-his-luck main character Gi-hun struggles to support his mother and daughter financially and, as it turns out, will do anything for a cool mil — even if that means participating in a life-or-death game of Red Light, Green Light. (MADISON PEARSON)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online Oct 15: JULIA SHAPIRO, Zorked! Chastity Belt singer/guitarist slows things down for a collection of melancholy Elliott Smith-esque tunes and dark grunge trudges to listen to while thunderbaked.

FINNEAS, Optimist. Billie Eilish’s brother/Grammy-winning producer tries to carve out his own niche as the American ginger pop singer-songwriter counterpoint to Ed Sheeran on his first LP. COLDPLAY, Music of the Spheres. Chris Martin and co.’s ninth studio album is intergalactic-themed. Leave that realm to Muse, chaps. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 35

DRINK LOCAL

Tea’s Company Heavenly Special Teas has transformed a former North Division bar into a charming tea room and cafe

Heavenly Special Teas offers a variety of high tea packages. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BY HANNAH MUMM

P

eople say Sherri Davey’s tea parlor feels a bit like a speakeasy.

And truly, Heavenly Special Teas is a bit like a speakeasy. Judging from its unassuming exterior alone, you may never guess the extravagance or beauty of the high tea room that’s hidden away inside what was until very recently a bar on North Division Street. But for those who know where to look, Heavenly Special Teas is not only decked out in gorgeous chandeliers, vintage furniture and fine china — it’s also a warm, inviting place.

Each item on the menu is made from scratch or purchased from local bakeries. Pie crust is rolled out by hand, waffles and scones are mixed from scratch, frosting is house-made — the list goes on.

Heavenly Special Teas serves homemade waffles, pancakes, omelets, scrambles, biscuits and gravy, breakfast platters, and a plethora of pastries and desserts, along with lunch items like its signature chicken croissant sandwich, plus wraps, salads and homemade soups.

Perhaps the most popular item on the menu is Davey’s special blueberry cheesecake French toast, layered with a creamy cheesecake mousse and topped with house-made blueberry compote, whipped cream and a warm salted-caramel drizzle.

Here is what I can tell you about the blueberry cheesecake French toast, from firsthand experience: If you bite into a warm, melty concoction like that, you can’t help but feel that maybe the world is a benevolent place, after all. And like nearly everything else served at Heavenly Special Teas, that warm, melty concoction was Davey’s invention.

“I have been baking pretty much my whole life, and pretty much everything here is my own recipe,” Davey says. “I adapt recipes; I’ve been adapting recipes since I was a girl. Probably about 10 years ago, I began to love

36 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

to serve people, too. And then about six years ago I told Earlier this year, however, Davey learned that the my husband, ‘If I won the lottery and could do anything, Heavenly Special Teas community as she knew it would I would start a café.’” have to be uprooted. When the cafe’s building in HillBreakfast and pastries are both served all day. On yard sold to new owners, Davey quickly had to find a Wednesdays, senior customers can get a free cup of tea, new location. coffee or soda with a meal purchase.

She found the Division Street spot, yet it required Visitors to the intricately decorated tea room can an expansive, high-cost renovation to convert what had choose from a variety of traditional tea services ($11-$30 last been a dive bar into her upscale tea parlor and café. per person), like the “Queen’s High Tea,” and options Davey thought about quitting then, because the remodel include fresh fruit, unlimited tea, scones, soup, salad and would take every dime she had. finger sandwiches. The adjoining café also has a “That’s when one of my cusretail area stocked with teapots, teacups and flavortomers called me,” she says.

ENTRÉE ful loose leaf teas.

The next day, that customer Get the scoop on local showed up with a crew, ready to food news with our weekly avey got her start in the food and restaucompletely re-floor the new space, Entrée newsletter. Sign up rant industry selling loose leaf teas via and at no cost to Davey. at Inlander.com/newsletter. multilevel marketing parties. Loose leaf “If it wasn’t for loyal customteas, of course, remain a hallmark component of ers coming to my aid and helping the Heavenly Special Teas dining experience. me, I wouldn’t be open,” she says, adding, “I named When the popularity of multilevel marketing selling some sandwiches after them.” parties declined, however, Davey knew if Heavenly Over the next two-and-a-half months with the asSpecial Teas was going to survive, she’d need to take her sistance of both customers and family, Davey successfully business to the next level in order to afford a brick-andpulled off both the location change and a major renovamortar store. So, with the help of family, she started tion. cooking and baking, eventually opening Heavenly Special Much is different: The café is three times bigger than Teas in Hillyard four-and-a-half years ago, and where the its old spot. But the new space is as cozy and quaint as business became a community staple. that former spot ever was. The food remains well-loved “We treat everybody like family when you walk by newcomers and regulars alike. through the door. I have to say that so many of my And through it all, Davey has maintained her love for customers have become my friends,” Davey says. “They hospitality. “I love food and everything,” she says, “but I encourage me, I encourage them. We develop a relationlove people more.” n ship. That’s what we do. We’re a community.”

“I have my regulars, I have a couple of widowers Heavenly Special Teas • 1817 N. Division St. • Open who are regulars, and I invited them to Thanksgiving,” Tue-Fri 9 am-4 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun 8 am-3 pm • she adds. heavenlyspecialteas.com • 509-487-2111

D

1.51

REVIEW

DUDE FIGHT Fourteenth-century knights succumb to toxic masculinity in The Last Duel

BY JOSH BELL

Matt Damon leads a knight life in The Last Duel.

R

idley Scott’s The Last Duel opens with two hardened 14thcentury French warriors preparing for ritual combat, but don’t be fooled: This isn’t a historical epic about brave men headed off to war. It takes awhile for the pieces to come together, but by the time The Last Duel circles back to that showdown between its main characters, the movie has thoroughly deconstructed familiar notions of chivalry and nobility. Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) begin the movie looking like fearsome knights fighting for honor. They end up looking like insecure chumps eager to kill (or die) for the sake of their macho pride.

After the opening machinations, The Last Duel flashes back somewhat dizzyingly across the years to a series of incidents that fractured the close friendship between de Carrouges and Le Gris. In 1370, they’re compatriots fighting for France, both in the service of Count Pierre d’Alençon (Ben Affleck). Pierre, an ostentatious libertine who’d never think of taking up arms himself, has no patience for the pious, humorless de Carrouges, but the count takes a liking to Le Gris, who shares his penchant for hedonism. Both men are squires, but while de Carrouges eventually becomes a knight, it’s Le Gris who gets money and power thanks to his friendship with Pierre.

De Carrouges loses the military position he expected to inherit from his father, and some of the land he was promised as a dowry for his marriage to Marguerite (Jodie Comer). But he gains an intelligent and beautiful wife, even if they have trouble conceiving an all-important heir. When de Carrouges returns from one of his military campaigns, Marguerite tells him that while he was gone, Le Gris barged into their home and raped her. Outraged at this offense, de Carrouges appeals first to Pierre and then to the childish King Charles VI (Alex Lawther), before settling on the duel as the only recourse left for him to preserve his honor.

38 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

At least that’s how he sees it. The Last Duel runs through all of these events three times, first from de Carrouges’ perspective, then from Le Gris’, and finally from Marguerite’s, but this isn’t just a warmed-over medieval Rashomon. Many of the events themselves remain the same, but as the perspectives shift, Scott and screenwriters Damon, Affleck and Nicole Holofcener make it clear that both de Carrouges and Le Gris are caught up in self-mythologizing, viewing the woman at the core of their dispute as merely a piece of property subject to damage and/or reimbursement.

The filmmakers give her a voice, though, and Comer shines when the film switches to Marguerite’s point of view in its third segment. Setting up expectations for a traditional story of knightly justice THE LAST DUEL makes the subversion more effective, Rated R and the actors guarantee that the early Directed by Ridley Scott segments don’t just feel like markStarring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, ing time. Damon and Driver create Jodie Comer believable characters who aren’t just misogynistic monsters, and Affleck is a delight as the charmingly obnoxious Pierre.

Although The Last Duel is based on true events (as detailed in the 2004 nonfiction book by Eric Jager), much of its approach to sexual assault feels anachronistic, with parallels to modern-day controversies. That only adds to the story’s resonance, though, and Comer brings inner strength and ferocity to Marguerite while demonstrating the limitations of a woman’s agency in 14th-century France. She’s still ultimately at the mercy of these posturing idiots hacking away at each other, in a crude, brutal fight that strips away any romanticism of chivalric tales. Scott teases his audience with rousing action, and then leaves them with ugly, messy reality. n

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

OPENING FILMS HALLOWEEN KILLS

In the 12th installment of the iconic horror franchise, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is determined to finally kill famed slasher Michael Myers. Good luck with that! (SS) Rated R

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OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 39

IC LANTERN THEATER MAG

FILM | REVIEW

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Breathtaking

a unique character study about the type of people who risk their lives taking the plunge. They have become the best in the world at a life-or-death hobby that makes them the perfect people for this miraculous rescue attempt. It delves into how this creates some conflict that eventually becomes a triumph of collaboration.

Even as it doesn’t hide from the underlying tension between the foreign divers, many of whom are the most aggressively British people you’ll meet, and the Thai Navy SEALs, it still

BY CHASE HUTCHINSON keeps its head above other melodramatic elef you think you know the full story of how a ments of the spectacle. There is thankfully no soccer team became trapped in a Thai cave, a mention of how tech bro Elon Musk unhelpfully spectacle that drew the breathless attention of inserted himself into the crisis and made insulting the world, you don’t. With the documentary The comments about those trying to save the trapped Rescue, directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai kids. All such background noise is largely kept Vasarhelyi reveal a story that only gets more at a distance with the focus rightfully left on the incredible the more you discover. mission and the people risking it all to pull it off.

The documentary takes us to 2018 when Such focus does make use of strange a group of 12 young soccer players and their recreations that become increasingly distracting coach became trapped while exploring the Tham and out of place, though this is forgivable as a Luang cave in the Chiang Rai Province in necessity of trying to capture a northern Thailand. What followed was a THE RESCUE dire mission that would not have remarkable and collaborative internation- Rated PG allowed for cameras. It certainly al effort to rescue the team before they Directed by Jimmy Chin and is a more conventionally told perished deep underground. documentary in comparison to Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Giving an inside look at the operation the directors’ previous work that through starkly candid interviews with the divers makes use of standard talking head interviews. who pulled it off and a sharp filmmaking eye that Still, it refreshingly creates many striking visual captures the scope of what was accomplished, moments where the divers appear to almost be it is one of the most harrowing documentaries swimming through a vast, vibrant galaxy while you’ll see this year. The more information underwater. gleaned about what exactly was being undertakThe beauty of such moments juxtapose en, the more in awe of the story you become. against the stakes of what is being attempted.

One could only expect such an outstanding There are so many ways where things could have film from the husband-and-wife directing duo gone wrong and many of the divers were terrified who previously worked on the Oscar-winning their actions would lead to the death of those masterpiece of a documentary Free Solo. While they were trying to save. Indeed, tragedy does The Rescue doesn’t quite reach the same heights strike when a Thai Seal diver dies in an attempt as that prior work, it becomes a powerful piece to bring supplies to the trapped team. So much of cinema all its own by excavating the world of can and does go awry over the excruciating days deep sea diving. of the ordeal.

The way the film captures the darkness of Yet through it all, the documentary apdiving exploration sucks the air out of your lungs proaches the material with respect to all who as you’re watching. It takes you into an abyss were involved while also being as comprehensive that seems like an endless pit of darkness with as possible. At nearly two hours, it feels both only the smallest of light cutting through. The much longer and much shorter than that. Longer enormous emptiness brings quiet, even a serene in that you feel every day of preparation tick by peace that remains terrifying as one single wrong with an agonizing slowness and shorter in that move can bring about disaster. “Panic is death new, urgent plans have to come together so fast in the cave,” one diver remarks with the brutal that it leaves you breathless. It is a story told with honesty that defines the tone of the film. compassion and grace that never lets go as you That is where the documentary also serves as sink deeper into its depths. n

The directors of Free Solo return with a mesmerizing documentary about a daring deepwater dive

I MOVIE TIMES on

SEARCHABLE

by Time,

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Every Theater. Every Movie. All in one place.

40 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

The 2018 rescue of a children’s soccer team makes for high drama.

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 41

You’ve got to let me know: Should I stay or should I go.

NEW RELEASE

THE WAITING Is the Hardest Part After pandemic delay, local Americana act Trego finally gets to release its new album and play live

BY DAVE COOK

I

n The Old OK Theater in Enterprise, Ore., Matt Mitchell found himself face-to-face with Kent Ueland.

It was no shootout at the O.K. Corral, but the intense, eye-to-eye contact provided a similar visualization of the moment. Rather than bullets flying, the air was riddled with the exchange of musical notes.

It was hardly a normal studio recording arrangement for the Spokane-based Trego, but it worked for the band rooted in Americana and folk music. The results of the musical showdown have slowly been rolling out to fans.

Though, it’s gone much slower than anybody expected when the band finished recording at the OK Theater

42 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

nearly two years ago — yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The self-titled debut album for Trego will finally be released on Oct. 16, capped by that night’s release show at the Lucky You Lounge.

Mitchell is the Trego linchpin, providing lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano/keyboard, and even harmonica at times. His bandmates include Justyn “J.P” Priest (electric guitar, vocals), John “J.B.” Bottelli (cello), Kristen “K.B.” Black (brass, vocals), Seth Carey (bass, vocals), and drummer Ueland of The Holy Broke.

They gathered for five days in November 2019 in

Enterprise to cut their first album together.

“Nearly everything for this album was tracked simultaneously, having the space provided by the theater allowed us to do that,” Mitchell says. “We were playing off each other. The process of this album is night and day different from other experiences we’ve had.”

Ueland’s drum kit was in the middle of the theater facing the band as they played and sang on stage. “We recorded everything live except for horns because there would be too much bleed, and we added a few vocal harmonies,” Mitchell says. ...continued on page 44

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 43

THE INSIDER’S GUIDE to the INLAND NORTHWEST

Inside the guide: ANNUAL REPORT

The nation’s real estate hot spot Downtown’s new sports structures Seven big ideas for the region

EDUCATION

Changes in education EWU’s new president Local university research

ARTS

Best of Broadway New work from local writers Spokane’s vibrant murals

FOOD & DRINK

New restaurants Chefs from around the world A craft beer lover’s dream

NIGHTLIFE

Live entertainment highlights World’s best axe thrower Music venue survivors

SHOPPING

The region’s best vintage shops Home transformations Local shopping events

RECREATION

The Inland Northwest bike scene New Ice Age Floods Playground Gonzaga’s sky-high expectations

GREEN ZONE

Washington’s cannabis rules Find the right edibles for you Celebrity cannabis strains

and more!

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Inlander.com/AnnualManual

44 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

MUSIC | NEW RELEASE “THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART,” CONTINUED...

“I could physically see Kent bring his stick down, and I could pick my guitar at exactly the same time,” Mitchell adds. “That’s in contrast to either trying to keep up or getting ahead of a click track while overdubbing. It’s energy too — we’re feeding off each other in the moment.”

A Matt Mitchell performance rarely goes by without a few mentions of musician Bart Budwig, who actually lives in a small apartment in the back of The Old OK. As the recording engineer, Budwig oversaw the process of creating the album. They recorded 16 tracks in Enterprise, 11 of which makeup Trego.

Recording the new album was the culmination of a transition from the band Folkinception to Trego, a re-branding that took place in March 2018. After the five days of recording, Mitchell and the band planned to perform regionally to help raise the funds to finish the album. They opened for Budwig in January 2020 at John’s Alley in Moscow, Idaho. Shortly after, the pandemic hit and shut down the band.

“That was our only show in 2020, then I moved onto our bus and was gone on the road for a year and a half,” says Mitchell, who previously worked for an advertising agency and owns a 1992 Toyota Coaster bus that he and his wife travel in. “We rented out our house and went to Mexico. When COVID hit we went to Arizona and laid low for a while. I didn’t really know what the plan was with the band at that point.”

Meanwhile the tracks for the album sat on a computer hard drive waiting for final mixing, mastering and production. No gigs meant no money to finish the record. “It was wait and see.

I didn’t want to release it during lockdown and not be able to celebrate it,” Mitchell says. Eventually, a friend who’s a fan coaxed him to do a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds. The album’s final touches were fully funded within a week.

W

hat Mitchell, a 2002 graduate of Lewis & Clark High School, has been through in recent years helped shape the music on the album.

The first single from the album was “August,” a song that captures the emotions of fire season in the Inland Northwest. He even put the song to video provided by a journalist who was on assignment, covering this year’s massive Dixie Fire in California.

“I like Kent’s voice and mine together on this song,” Mitchell says. “I feel like my voice is a little too pure, and he has that dirt-bag edge that I like. You blend the two and it’s beautiful.”

The second single, “Scarred Heart,” came out on Sept. 17. It was written while Mitchell’s brother-in-law was in an intensive care unit after a horrible accident in December 2018. “He was working for the railroad and was told the tracks were clear, but they weren’t. He lost multiple internal organs, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and multiple other injuries in the horrific calamity.”

“The song is about a very intense, dark experience,” Mitchell says. “But it’s kind of a Highway 61, Bob Dylan-style rock and roll tune.”

Fans will recognize one or two songs on the new album from previous Folkinception or Matt Mitchell Music Company shows and recordings.

Included is “Victoria” from the 2017 Folkinception Great Northern album.

“I wanted to capture it in a different light,” Mitchell says. “Some of the songs are older, and I thought we hadn’t recorded them properly yet.”

Mitchell says the entire band is excited to play all 11 tracks at Lucky You for fans to hear for themselves. He expects it to be an emotional night of music.

Trego’s self-titled debut LP drops Oct. 16.

“I cope with my emotions through my music.

Sometimes it’s telling a story unrelated about me.

I lost two friends this past spring, and a lot of my new tunes are influenced by that experience.

It’s been a year,” he says. “It’s great to be lauded and applauded, but if somebody is relating to our music, a song becomes part of their experience.

That’s the whole point.”

After the album release show, Mitchell doesn’t know exactly where Trego is headed. But he does know the album, pandemic break, and his inner passion for music have made him yearn more than ever to pursue his dream of playing music for all who will listen.

He recalls a recorded session during the pandemic at the Lucky You in September 2020 when local musicians were finally able to hear one another perform live again. Playing via Zoom and other online forms was becoming blasé.

“There was some crying that night. It was the very first time anyone had heard live music since the start of the pandemic. The moment we started playing we understood what live music meant to us. You forget how powerful it is.” n Trego with Terrible Buttons and Folk Crimes • Sat, Oct. 16 at 7 pm • $15 • 21+ • Lucky You Lounge • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd • luckyyoulounge.com • 509-474-0511

Now open in

Coeur d’alene UPCOMING SHOWS

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JIMMY EAT WORLD, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, THE BEACHES Fri, Oct 15 at 6 pm Spokane Pavilion $38-$43 SCATTERBOX 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW, GOTU GOTU, TOUCH OF EVIL Sat, Oct 16 at 7 pm Big Dipper $8 TREGO, TERRIBLE BUTTONS, FOLK CRIMES Sat, Oct 16 at 7 pm Lucky You Lounge $15 PALOMA, THE HOME TEAM, GLACIER VEINS Wed, Oct 20 at 6 pm Big Dipper $10 HELL’S BELLES, CHASE THE SUN Fri, Oct 22 at 8 pm Knitting Factory $18 PURITY RING Sat, Oct 23 at 8 pm Knitting Factory $26 TLC Thu, Oct 28 at 7 pm Coeur d’Alene Casino $55-$80 ITCHY KITTY, TRANS FUTURE, THE DILRODS Fri, Oct 29 at 8 pm Big Dipper $10 CORY BRANAN Fri, Oct 29 at 8 pm Lucky You Lounge $14

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COMMUNITY SPEEDY SQUASH

How fast does a squash on wheels go? Find out at Meals on Wheels Spokane’s festive fall fundraiser and annual “Great Pumpkin Race.” For the latter main attraction, attendees bring decorated pumpkins attached to wheels of all kinds to enter into a downhill race with the hopes of having the farthesttraveling, gold-medal-winning gourd. The festive setting for this unusual event is the scenic (and spooky!) setting of Greenwood Memorial Terrace in west Spokane. In addition to pumpkin racing, festivities include a fall-themed carnival with games and activities like a costume contest, photo booth and more. While all activities for this event are held outdoors, current COVID-19 safety guidelines — face masks and social distancing — are being enforced.

— CHEY SCOTT The Great Pumpkin Race & Family Carnival • Sat, Oct. 16, 11 am-2 pm • $5 race entry; $15 with T-shirt • All ages • Greenwood Memorial Terrace • 221 N. Government Way • mowspokane.org • 509-232-0864

46 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

THEATER REWRITING A CLASSIC

MUSIC CELEBRATION TIME

Macbeth: Alba Gu Brath • Oct. 15-17, Oct. 21-22 and Oct. 24 at 7:30 pm • $8-$20, free for U of I students • Hartung Theatre • 625 Stadium Dr., Moscow • uidaho.edu/theatretickets • 208-885-6465

Scatterbox 20th Anniversary with GOTU GOTU, The Dead Channels • Sat, Oct. 16 at 8 pm • $8 • All ages • The Big Dipper • 171 S. Washington St. • monumentalshows.com • 509-863-8098

The University of Idaho is bringing the Shakespeare classic Macbeth to the Hartung Theatre stage, but with a twist. Macbeth: Alba Gu Brath — the latter translates as “Scotland forever” — is set in a post-apocalyptic Scotland where the people must contend with not only biochemical warfare, but a strange contagion ravaging the country. KT Turner and Rachael Fornarotto, both U of Idaho MFA candidates, firmly root this adaptation in Scottish and Celtic identities. With striking fight scenes, lighting and set design, you might want to leave the kids at home for this ominous ode to Scottish culture. All attendees are required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.

— MADISON PEARSON

It’s not often a local band gets to celebrate a 20th anniversary in any town, but Coeur d’Alene’s Scatterbox has managed to keep its energetic brand of punk going strong and staying fresh through lineup changes and shifting tides in the local music scene. The band’s debut album, Run Faster, Jump Higher, arrived in 2001, and here’s hoping they play a few of those at this celebration that also includes sets by GOTU GOTU and the Dead Channels. And not only will you enjoy one memorable night of music — you might just find yourself semi-famous, as the show is being filmed for a documentary slated for release in 2022. Prepare to dance it out, sweat a little, and remember that mask.

— DAN NAILEN

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.

MUSIC IT JUST TAKES SOME TIME

If you’re one of those folks who only know Jimmy Eat World as the funnynamed band that had a couple hits with “The Middle” and “Sweetness,” you’ve been missing one of the best modern rock bands. Yes, Bleed American is rightfully beloved, but it’s arguably only the band’s fourth best album; trailing the masterful Futures, the hugely influential Clarity, and the wildly slept-on power pop perfection of Chase This Light. And that’s not even getting into Jimmy Eat World being one of the most consistently sharp live bands. Co-headliner Taking Back Sunday has managed to stay active for over 20 years (not easy for an emo band), and the grand melodrama of the band’s 2002 album Tell All Your Friends still totally holds up. The much younger, all-female Toronto quartet The Beaches open the show, softening the lineup’s major dad energy with its brand of danceable pop rock.

— SETH SOMMERFELD Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, The Beaches • Fri, Oct. 15 at 6 pm • $38-$43 • All ages • Riverfront Pavilion • 574 N. Howard St. • spokanepavilion.com

THEATER BROADWAY IS BACK

Cats is here to welcome Broadway back to Spokane and kick off the 2021-22 Best of Broadway season. With seven Tony Awards to its name, including Best Musical, the groundbreaking production follows a tribe of cats called the Jellicles on the night they make the “Jellicle choice” by deciding which cat ascends to the Heaviside layer to come back reborn to a new life. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical treatment paired with Hamilton’s Andy Blankenbuehler’s new choreography showcases a Cats tailored for a new generation of musical theater lovers. Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required, and masks must be worn by all guests ages five and older, regardless of vaccination status.

— MADISON PEARSON Cats • Oct. 19-23 at 7:30 pm, Oct. 23 also at 2 pm and Oct. 24 at 1 and 6 pm • $42-$100 • First Interstate Center for the Arts • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • firstinterstatecenter.org • 509-279-7000

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 47

Then you, your mom and sister rang the bell and made me smile. You were about 3 years old, dressed as a fireman and jumping up and down with delight. Your innocence and joy warmed my heart then and I hope that your life has given you much joy, too! If anyone knows who this little guy grew up to be, let this goofygam@gmail.com know how he is!

CHEERS

I SAW YOU S. REGAL POST OFFICE I ended up holding the doors twice, suggested you may be following me. You commented on my truck; I explained it was a new relationship. I could take you for a ride…..

YOU GOT ME A COOKIE I was talking on the phone to my unvaccinated dad who has been in the hospital with covid for 12 days. He’s tired of fighting. I was telling him he has to fight, he’s so strong, he’s the one who taught me to be strong. He said he wishes he had gotten the shot.

You were walking your dog. You were beautiful. You walked by and you handed me a vegan cookie. “I got you a cookie” was all you said and you gave me an honest smile. Every day is so hard but this one random act of kindness helped.

A lot. Thank you.

RHINO COWBOY You. Handsome, dashing man on the Rhino at the Davenport Tower. Me. Bashful brunette In the gold jacket. We shared a drink, convinced me to hop on the rhino. Was your name; Doug, Dovan or Doogie? Let’s ride again.

November 5th? KYL LITTLE FIREMAN Twenty years ago in the somber aftermath of the the 911 attacks, I was bemoaning the lack of Trick or Treaters in our Comstock neighborhood.

SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR HELPING HAND FRIDAY AFTERNOON I had taken my sick dog into the vet. Since I have so much trouble walking I put her in her stroller rather than wrestle with her leash and my walker. When we finished and I got her safely back into my car, I couldn’t figure out how to collapse the stroller. I struggled for about ten minutes with a male driver one space over clearly seeing I was in trouble. I finally sat down on the bumper and out of no where came a wonderful man who offered to help. He was able to collapse it and put it into my trunk as well. I was so grateful for his kindness and I thank you again sir. For the man parked the space over, if your legs are broken and that’s why you didn’t offer to help, I wish you a speedy recovery. Otherwise, shame on you. Karma is real.

MY HERO/HEROES!! WALMART ON SULLIVAN ON SATURDAY! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to the amazing person/persons who turned in a wallet and phone at the Wamart on Sullivan, Saturday the 10th! You have rekindled my waning faith in my fellow man!!!! So busy shopping didn’t realize I had lost it. Checking out I realized it was gone! I panicked and the associate who was helping me asked if I was missing a wallet with a phone in it, I guess all the pet food in cart tipped him off as he explained it was brought to him, found in the Pet aisle and he turned it in. I was so greatful cause of the ID and phone, and wrote off the cash, all I had to my name to feed my furry kids, but imagine my suprise when all my money was still in there! THANK YOU SO

SOUND OFF

MUCH!!! My pets appreciate it too, they can eat this month. If you see this, “thank you” doesnt seem enough to express my gratitude so I would like to buy you lunch! I’ll know its you, because my wallet has a one of a kind design. THANK YOU AGAIN!!

4TH AVE. FARMERS MARKET FLOWER GIVER Blessings to the young woman who gifted me the bouquet of flowers she saw me admiring. Your gesture overwhelmed me and I don’t think I thanked

“

48 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

I SAW THAT I was walking downtown and saw you kick the homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk. The person wasn’t doing anything but sleeping. Didn’t say anything to you, didn’t provoke you. But, you kicked them. You kicked them and walked off. Yes, I asked what the matter

might not be the best plan If you don’t want minority’s voting.

UNMASKED NURSES Went to a medical appointment where social distancing and masking for patients was the published Covid policy. Even small children sat patiently playing, masked in the waiting room. When I was called in to see the doctor I was shocked to see the nurses with no masks or masks pulled down seated at the nurses station, a location that every patient (many older or

Every day is so hard but this one random act of kindness helped. A lot.

you properly. Thank you for your uplifting generosity.

JEERS THE POLICE AND COVID... from a Taxpayer So, not only do we have to deal with Trumptard parents sending their innocent children to school carrying COVID and sickening other innocent people, we now have to deal with the tax-funded protectors of our society refusing to vaccinate or mask? Pathetic idiots. Look, people, I’m already used to most LEOs practicing prejudice against innocent citizens who don’t follow Trump (as evidenced when I was issued a lanechange ticket merely because I had a “F-TRUMP” sticker on my car). But these public servants took a vow to serve and protect at all costs. Well, if the LEOs of our country want to sacrifice their lives to COVID, that is their choice, but it is NOT their choice to infect members of society whilst on or off duty.

SO, POLICE, DEPUTIES and TROOPERS -- GET OVER YOUR POLITICAL BS AND GET VACCINATED! This is NOT a freedom issue; it is an international health crisis,

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

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

+

and your Trumpish choices are nothing but selfish, macho, stupid and dangerous. My taxes allow you to hold your highly-trained positions, so I expect you to SERVE and to PROTECT.

”

with you was. You completely disgusted me, strutting around like you just did the world a favour by showing cruelness to another human being. You don’t stop being human on the streets, you only lose your humanity when you commit acts of cruelty.

vulnerable) had to pass through. Hard to imagine trusting nurses who were completely unconcerned with the safety of their patients. And even with a 57% vax rate in Spokane, we cannot be sure that these nurses are even vaccinated.

Astonishing selfishness.

NFL IS IN USA “We live in America. The Star Spangled Banner is the appropriate anthem to play. The NFL is not an Olympic event.”

MOOSECUCKLE HOCKEY BOY Way to go Jody! You landed you a real keeper. How does it feel knowing your relationship is founded on lies? Staying true must mean you’re a real WTDB. Do us all a favor; either shave your child molester mustache differently or don’t even try... also you’re an adult now; it’s okay to wear your hat forwards. F’nDB. n

GOP CONFUSION The AMERICAN TALIBAN (Republicans) seems somewhat confused. Take women’s healthcare for example. Republicans are so focused on dictating what women are allowed to do they seem to lose sight of their main goal. The AMERICAN TALIBAN hates women, minorities and science.

So what do they do? Out law abortions!

A woman that is forced to have a child against her will is probably not going to vote for someone that forced her to have a baby. If that woman is of color her children, being born in country, are going to have the right to vote. Chances are that child will NOT vote for the AMERICAN TALIBAN, so it seems as though this

THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS E L S A

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N A G S

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H O O E Y

B R E T

S E A R C G H M A S N C H A M G A I L L T E Z

M O O L R A D O T S H I R U N D O O T C T I E S E E Y O D R E S U I N T Y P E A U P A N T S L A U N A M N I S E E P

A N T E R B S I U S A S N K N I E D R O S

L A Y W A S T E

O T O E S

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S P I R O

R I D L E A D A Y D D I I N

U N I T

E K E S

M A A M

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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.

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

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

HOLLYWOOD NIGHT: A MUSEUM OF NORTH IDAHO BENEFIT GALA The Museum of North Idaho presents this themed benefit fundraiser aligned to its 2021 featured exhibit “Hollywood of the North: North Idaho and the Film Industry.” Oct. 16, 6 pm. $60-$75. Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, 506 West Appleway Ave. museumni.org WASHTUCNA MUSEUM FALL BARBECUE AND FUNDRAISER The 6th annual fall dinner and silent auction offers dinner (to-go orders available; all meals must be ordered by Oct. 13) by Longhorn BBQ, and proceeds support the nonprofit museum, community center and food bank. Authors Stephen Lalonde, Amy McGarry and Kristi Stalder present their literary works and sign books. Oct. 16, 3 pm. $25. Washtucna Rimrock Grange Hall, 210 W. May St. (509-887-2434) PUMPKIN BALL The 18th annual (virtual) event raises funds to help the community’s most vulnerable children, cared for by the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and Vanessa Behan. Since its inception in 2004, the Pumpkin Ball has raised nearly $2.6 million to keep kids healthy and safe. Interactive events are Oct. 19 and 23. phcfewa.ejoinme. org/MyEvents/2021PumpkinBall/tabid/1230597/Default.aspx COVID CABIN FEVER COLLABORATIVE QUILT AUCTION The results of the Friends of the Pend Oreille County Library District’s COVID Cabin Fever Cooperative Quilt Project are offered via an online auction. Proceeds fund the expansion of the library’s “Books in Every Preschooler’s Hand” project. Quilted items, vintage quilts/quilt blocks and fused glass items are available. Auction runs Oct. 22 at 6 pm through Nov. 3 at 9 pm. Oct. 22-Nov. 3, 6-9 pm. tinyurl.com/ COVIDCABINFEVER-QUILT-AUCTION

COMEDY

DAN CUMMINS Increasingly popular stand-up comic, podcaster and Inland NW native Dan Cummins is playing 40+ cities on his 2021-2022 “Symphony of Insanity Tour.” Oct. 15-16 at 7:30 and 10:30 pm; Oct. 17 at 7:30 pm. $25-$40.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com/events/40875 NO CLUE Join the BDT Players as they put a comedic spin on everyone’s favorite macabre guessing game. Fridays in October at 7:30 pm. Rated for general audiences. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com SAFARI Blue Door’s version of “Whose Line,” a fast-paced improv show with a few twists and turns added. Rated for mature audiences/ages 16+. Reservations recommended. Saturdays from 7:30-9 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com TIM DILLON The comedian, writer and actor was a new face at the Montreal Comedy Festival in 2016, and won the title of New York’s Funniest 2016 at Caroline’s NY Comedy Festival. Oct. 20, 7 & 9:45 pm and Oct. 21, 7 & 9:45 pm. $35.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com/events/47557

COMMUNITY

COLVILLE CORN MAZE & PUMPKIN PATCH The Inland Northwest’s largest corn maze, plus a pumpkin patch with pumpkins and squash in all shapes and

sizes. Open daily through Oct. 31; MonThu 4 pm to dusk; Fri 4-7 pm, Sat-Sun 11 am-7 pm. $7-$9. Colville Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch, 73 Oakshott Rd. colvillecornmaze.com (509-684-6751) LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY: TREASURES FROM THE DRIEHAUS COLLECTION A celebration of the artistry and craftsmanship of the Tiffany artworks from Chicago’s distinguished Richard H. Driehaus Collection, highlighting masterworks never before presented in a comprehensive exhibition. Open Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Feb. 13. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org SCARYWOOD HAUNTED NIGHTS Scarywood is full of haunted attractions and roaming monsters, including five haunted attractions, nine scare zones and the chance to ride most of Silverwood’s signature rides in the dark. Through Oct. 30; Thu from 7-11 pm, Fri-Sat from 7 pmmidnight. $40-$58. Silverwood Theme Park, 27843 U.S. 95. scarywoodhaunt. com (208-683-3400) SPOCANOPY TREE PLANTINGS The Lands Council is hosting three days of SpoCanopy Tree Plantings: Oct. 12 at Dutch Jakes Park, and Oct. 13-14 at Kehoe Park. SpoCanopy is a program of City of Spokane Urban Forestry, in collaboration with The Lands Council created to ensure every person in every neighborhood in Spokane has access to trees and green space. Sign up to volunteer online. Oct. 14, 9 am-1 pm. Kehoe Park, 4903 N Nelson Street. landscouncil.org/events/spocanopy-tree-plantings (509-838-4912) NEON JUNGLE An immersive, walkthrough experience under black lights for all ages. An alternative to haunted houses, Neon Jungle features a glowing jungle, a mythical forest filled with illuminated flowers and creatures and other surprises. The event is a fundraiser for the Wired2Learn Foundation. Oct. 15-17 and 21-24; time slots available from 5-9 pm. $10. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way. w2lfoundation.com SHRINERS HAUNTED HALLOWEEN DRIVE-THRU HUNT Load up the car and take a slow drive through the El Katif Shriners’ Halloween-themed “Fez Forest.” Look for hidden items and spooky characters. Proceeds support the El Katif Shriners’ mission and programs. Oct. 8-30; Fri-Sat from 5:30-8:30 pm. $10/car.

Shriners Event Center, 7217 W. Westbow Blvd. elkatif.org (509-624-2761) 28TH ANNUAL FERRIS ARTS & CRAFTS SHOW Get a jump on holiday shopping at this annual event organized by the Ferris Senior All Nighter, a drug-and-alcohol free graduation celebration. Masks required. Oct. 16 from 10 am-5 pm, Oct. 17 from 10 am-4 pm. $3. Ferris High School, 3020 E. 37th Ave. spokaneschools.org/ ferris (509-354-6000) GREAT PUMPKIN RACE AND FAMILY CARNIVAL A family carnival with games, activities, a photo booth, costume contests and more. The afternoon also includes the Great Pumpkin Race. For this event, participants register to race decorated pumpkins attached to wheels down a hill in a race to see whose goes the furthest. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels Spokane. Oct. 16, 11 am-2 pm. Greenwood Memorial Terrace, 211 N. Government Way. mowspokane.org (509-456-6597) RALLY TO REMOVE THE RACIST JOHN R. MONAGHAN STATUE A local Citizens Advisory Council hosts this rally to promote public awareness and foster support for the removal of the racist John R.

Monaghan statue from downtown Spokane. Event to include opening prayer, speakers, music and dancing. More information and an online petition at tinyurl. com/RemoveRacistStatue Oct. 16, 11 am12:30 pm. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard. tinyurl.com/RemoveRacistStatue SPOOKY SPOKANE HISTORY Devon Kelley and Liz Wood share their favorite hometown mysteries, the true stories behind a few local legends, and why it’s always better to mix a little ghost into your history and a little history into your ghost. Registration required. Oct. 16, 11 am-noon. Free. scld.org FAIR HOUSING & REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION Looking at fair housing, we discuss the role of reasonable accommodation, which is a change, exception, or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice, or service that may be necessary for a person with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, including public and common use spaces.

Presented by the Northwest Fair Housing Alliance. Registration required. Oct. 18, 12-1 pm. Free. scld.org BURN SMART, BURN SAFE Learn how to save money and improve your indoor air quality during this session about clean wood burning. Adults. Presented in partnership with Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. Registration required. Oct. 19, 6-7 pm. Free. scld.org THE RIGHTS OF NATURE: SAVING THE PLANET OR HARMFUL TO HUMANITY? A moderated debate hosted by Brian G. Henning, Director of the Gonzaga Center for Climate, Society and the Environment, Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies. Oct. 19, 5:30-7 pm.

Free. gonzaga.edu/center-for-climatesociety-environment/events HOW TO BUY A HOME WITH 100% FINANCING Find out if you qualify for financing with no down payment. Oct. 20, 6 pm. Free. North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, 525 South Clearwater Loop. (208-773-2524) PICTURE BOOK CHAT: Discover new picture books that children will enjoy with librarians Mary Ellen and Sheri, as they chat about recently released titles in the SCLD collection. Hear and see what they like about these wonderful books for toddlers, preschoolers, and emergent readers. They also share some book-inspired activities you can try with the children in your life! View Picture Book Chat on our Facebook page at scld.org/facebook.

Oct. 20, 1-2 pm, Nov. 17, 1-2 pm and Dec. 15, 1-2 pm. Free. scld.org/facebook #INLANDSTRONG VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB Spokane Public Library’s regular lunchtime book discussion, this month on “Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky.”

Physical, audiobook and eBook copies available. Register to participate and get an email with instructions on how to participate via Zoom. Oct. 21, 12-1 pm. events. spokanelibrary.org/event/5662356

FESTIVAL

LAKE CITY COMICON The 4th annual comicon is North Idaho’s newest comic book and pop culture event, started in 2018. The event features over 75 exhibitors and artists, a cosplay photo booth, exclusive merchandise, special guests and more. Oct. 16, 9:30 am. $11.49. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way. lakecitycon.com STONELODGE FARMS FALL FESTIVAL Includes food, vendors and fun activities

for all ages, a pumpkin patch and fresh pumpkin donuts. Oct. 2-24; Sat and Sun from 10 am-5 pm. Stonelodge Farm, 6509 Stonelodge Rd. (509-991-4389)

FILM

6TH ANNUAL ONE HEART NATIVE ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL This year’s festival feature film is “Love and Fury,” at the Magic Lantern, Oct. 15-16 at 7:30 pm. Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo follows Native artists for a year as they navigate their careers in the US and abroad. Other events: “Rarâwaktahu - Electronics That Emit Noise or Music,” a performance and lecture by Warren Realrider at the MAC (Oct. 16 at 2 pm), short films program (Oct. 16 at 4 pm), live music from “Love and Fury” (Oct. 16, 7:30 pm), an Indigenous Showcase (Oct. 12) and Intertribal Poetry Slam (Oct. 13). Details at oneheartfestival.org TETON GRAVITY RESEARCH: STOKE THE FIRE Teton Gravity Research is heading back to the Bing for a one-night only premiere of this year’s new ski and snowboard film. Get hyped for winter with TGR on the big screen, along with prize giveaways from YETI, The North Face, Tincup Whiskey, Atomic, Volkl and more.

Oct. 14, 7:30 pm. $9/$17. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com (509-227-7404) MOSCOW FOOD CO-OP PRESENTS: FAUCI With his signature blend of scientific acumen, candor and integrity, Dr. Anthony Fauci became America’s most unlikely cultural icon during COVID-19.

A world-renowned infectious disease specialist and the longest-serving public health leader in Washington, D.C., he’s valiantly overseen the U.S. response to 50 years’ worth of epidemics, including HIV/AIDS, SARS and Ebola. Masks and vaccination required for ages 12+. Oct. 1516 at 7 pm, and Oct. 17 at 4 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. kenworthy.org SURVIVE TO THRIVE Join YWCA Spokane during the nationally recognized Week Without Violence for the release of “From Survive to Thrive,” the healing journey of Makayla, a local domestic violence survivor. This story shifts the focus away from a survivor’s endurance and towards centering their healing and building a future that flourishes in a way they deserve. Watch the film at ywcaspokane.org. Oct. 20. Free. ywcaspokane. org/event/dvam-oct20/ (509-789-9305)

FOOD & DRINK

PIE + PINTS POP-UP Bean & Pie is popping up at Lumberbeard every Friday in October from 5-7 pm. Enjoy a rotating assortment of sweet and savory pies each week, alongside beer. Order ahead online for best selection. Lumberbeard Brewing, 25 E. Third Ave. beanandpie.com ROCKET WINE CLASS Rocket Market hosts weekly wine classes; sign up in advance for the week’s selections. Fridays at 7 pm. Call to reserve a seat, or register online. Price varies. Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd. rocketmarket.com (509-343-2253) TRUTH TELLER WINERY WINE DINNER Nectar Wine and Beer, along with Fête - A Nectar Co., host Walla Walla’s Truth Teller winery for a five-course menu paired with its wines. Winemaker and owner Chris Loeliger is also on site to talk about the winery and each featured wine. Oct. 15, 7-10 pm. $70. Nectar Catering & Events, 120 N. Stevens St. bit.ly/

truth-teller-dinner (509-951-2096) APPLE DUMPLINGS During Green Bluff’s annual Apple Festival, enjoy “world famous apple dumplings.” Take-out dumplings ($5/each) are available Saturday (10 am-4 pm) and Sundays (12-4 pm) through Oct. 17. Green Bluff United Methodist Church, 9908 E. Greenbluff Rd. (509-979-2607) ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKE BREAKFAST Breakfast served with eggs, sausage and OJ, plus fresh homemade Green Bluff applesauce. Sundays from 8-11 am through Oct. 17. $7/adults; $3.50/under 12 years. Green Bluff Grange, 9809 Green Bluff Rd. (509-279-2607) BOTTOMLESS(ISH) MIMOSA SUNDAY BRUNCH Sunday brunch and bottomless(ish)* mimosas, with a variety of choices. Two seatings available each Sunday, 9:30 and 11 am, through Nov. 21. $25. Nectar Catering & Events, 120 N. Stevens St. bit.ly/3qIJju9 (509-951-2096)

MUSIC

SPOKANE SYMPHONY CHAMBER SOIREE An intimate evening of chamber music at Barrister Winery in downtown Spokane. Wine, refreshments, coffee and dessert are included with ticket. Concerts are Oct. 13-14, Feb. 16-17 and March 30-31 at 7:30 pm. $68/show; $150/three show subscription. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. spokanesymphony.org MUSIC AT THE WINERY Doors open at 5 pm; reservations required. Guests can bring a picnic dinner or order food from Beacon Hill Catering (orders must be placed by noon the day prior before).

Find updates on who’s playing each week on the winery’s Facebook page. Music happens Wednesdays and Fridays from 7-9 pm through Dec. 22. Free. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. facebook. com/BarristerWinery (509-465-3591) VOCAL EXTRAVAGANZA WSU School of Music presents the 2021 Family Weekend Vocal Extravaganza. Audience members are required to wear masks. WSU’s Opera Workshop, University Singers, and Concert Choir perform. Oct. 15, 7:30 pm. Free; donations accepted. Bryan Hall Theatre (WSU), 605 Veterans Way. events.wsu. edu/event/vocal-extravaganza-8 WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY PRESENTS: LESLIE ODOM, JR. WITH THE SPOKANE SYMPHONY Whitworth, in partnership with the Spokane Symphony, welcomes award-winning vocalist, songwriter, actor and author Leslie Odom, Jr. for Whitworth’s fall President’s Leadership Forum Concert. Odom performs two sets with the Spokane Symphony. Oct. 15, 7:30 pm. SOLD OUT. Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.com GONZAGA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Featuring composer Shuying Li, flute soloist Bruce Bodden and clarinet soloist Chip Phillips. The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 Eroica; and Li’s “The Dryad for Flute and Orchestra” and “American Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra.”

Oct. 18, 7:30 pm. $13-$16. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu (509-313-4776) JAMIE BAUM SEPTET CONCERT Baum is a world renowned flutist who formed the septet in 1999. Approximately 40 seats available for this 1-hour concert, also streamed live on Facebook and Instagram. $15. Hoffman Music, 1430 N. Monroe St. facebook.com/events (509444-4140)

OCTOBER 14, 2021 INLANDER 49

EVENTS | CALENDAR

THEATER

STAGED READING: AN AVIARY FOR THE BIRDS OF SADNESS Join Spokane Playwrights Laboratory for its inaugural staged reading of “An Aviary for the Birds of Sadness” by Tristen Canfield.

Then grab a drink from the bar and join us for a live “talk back” session with the playwright. Oct. 14, 7:30 pm. Free; donations accepted. Washington Cracker Co. Building, 304 W. Pacific. spokaneplaywrightslaboratory.com CIVIC PRESENTS: MARK TWAIN Filmed live on Spokane Civic Theatre’s Main Stage, Civic Presents: Mark Twain is an engaging, humorous one-man show starring Patrick Treadway and crafted from Twain’s own words and spirit, celebrating events from the author’s life and selections from his works.

Oct. 15, 7:30 pm. Donation suggested.

SpokaneCivicTheatre.com/Presents MACBETH: ALBA GU BRATH A play by William Shakespeare, adapted and edited by Bethany Paulsen, Rachael Fornarotto and KT Turner, MFA candidates.

Oct. 15-17 and 21-22 and 24 at 7:30 pm. $6-$17. Hartung Theater, 875 Perimeter Dr. uidaho.edu/theatre (208-885-6111) ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA, THE MUSICAL The theater’s 75th season opener.

Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. Oct. 8-24; Fri at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. $12-$16. Spokane Children’s Theatre, 2727 N. Madelia. spokanechildrenstheatre.org THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL The stakes are higher than ever in this dynamic stage musical, as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage.

Oct. 15-22; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. $15-$25. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. aspirecda.com DEMPSEYS BRASS RAIL REUNION DRAG SHOW Former Spokane drag icon Miss Mylar returns home to reunite with her sisters and cast of the former gay bar Dempseys. After a life-altering event that left her paralyzed, the diva takes the stage once more to prove that she may now be in a wheelchair, but she’s still a force to be reckoned with! Oct. 16, 7-9 pm. $10. Globe Bar & Kitchen, 204 N. Division. globespokane. com (509-443-4014) MEN ON BOATS Whitworth Theatre’s fall main-stage production. Ten explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. A funny, adventurous tale of the 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of slightly insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. Masks required.

Oct. 16, 22-23 at 7:30 pm, Oct. 17 and 24 at 2 pm. $15/adults $12/seniors and students. Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Rd. (509-777-4374) MET LIVE IN HD: BORIS GODUNOV Bass René Pape, the world’s reigning Boris, reprises his overwhelming portrayal of the tortured tsar caught between grasping ambition and crippling paranoia, kicking off the Live in HD season. Oct. 18, 6 pm. $15/$20. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. kenworthy.org CATS Winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. Oct. 19-22, 7:30

50 INLANDER OCTOBER 14, 2021

pm, Oct. 23, 2 & 7:30 pm and Oct. 24, 1 & 6:30 pm. $42-$100. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. broadwayspokane.com

VISUAL ARTS

AWAKENINGS: TRADITIONAL CANOES & CALLING THE SALMON HOME The MAC, in collaboration with the United Tribes of the Upper Columbia, tells the story of the annual inland canoe journey, from the purchase of old growth cedar logs and carving the dugouts, to the annual launch and landing at Kettle Falls, through contemporary and historic canoes supported by the words of those who’ve experienced it.

Tues-Sun, 10 am-5 pm. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org CONTINUOUS LINES: SELECTIONS FROM THE JOE FEDDERSEN COLLECTION This exhibition features work from Joe Feddersen’s personal collection of contemporary American Indian art, reflecting his friendships and artistic interests over the past few decades. Sept.

Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Feb. 6. $7-$12. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) PRINT HISTORY & BROADSIDE PRINTING DEMO Whitworth University associate professors Bert Emerson, an expert on book and print culture history, and Thom Caraway, whose expertise includes publishing, editing and book design, are joined by Gonzaga assistant professor Reinaldo Zambrano, who specializes in printmaking, drawing and community-oriented projects, to offer a talk on the history of printing. Free with admission. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. sales. northwestmuseum.org JUNE ROYS ARTIST LECTURE Artist June Roys speaks about artwork created for the exhibition “Travel,” now at the SFCC Fine Art Gallery. The artist discusses work from the Urban Travel series of photographs, which document the the legacy of vintage bikes and the disappearing iconic neon signage of American roadways. Lecture in the Sn-w’ey’-mn Building 24, Room 110, with a closing reception immediately following at the SFCC Fine Art Gallery.

Oct. 20, 11:30 am-12:30 pm. Free. SFCC Fine Arts Gallery, 3410 W. Whistalks Way, Bldg. 6. spokanefalls.edu/gallery (509-533-3746) FASHION CLUB Youth in grades 4-8 can put themselves in the shoes of a fashion designer by imagining, planning and making clothing and accessories express their personality and style. Youth will learn about the fashion design process and make a plan for a unique, expressive article of clothing or accessory, then work with Spark Central’s staff and volunteers to make it a reality. Meets Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org/events

WORDS

VIRTUAL STORYTIME: WITH GREAT POWER: THE MARVELOUS STAN LEE A virtual storytime with Annie Hunter Eriksen via Zoom. Pre-order “With Great Power” to be entered in a raffle to win two free tickets to Lilac City Comicon. Oct. 16, 11 am-noon. Free. Online; register at auntiesbooks.com CATHERINE RAVEN: FOX & I Meet author Catherine Raven and hear her

RELATIONSHIPS

discuss her book “Fox & I.” A New York Times Bestseller, Raven’s memoir is a fascinating story. Oct. 17, 3-4 pm. Wishing Tree Books, 1410 E. 11th Ave. wishingtreebookstore.com (509-315-9875) DROP IN & WRITE Aspiring writers are invited to be a part of a supportive writers’ community. Bring works in progress to share, get inspired with creative prompts and spend some focused time writing. Hosted by local writers Jenny Davis and Hannah Engel. Tuesdays from 5:30-7 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org WSU VISITING WRITERS SERIES: BRIAN BLANCHFIELD Blanchfield is the author of three books of poetry and prose, including “Proxies: Essays Near Knowing” and “A Several World,” which received, respectively, a 2016 Whiting Award in Nonfiction and the 2014 Academy of American Poets’ James Laughlin Award. Also includes a live online stream via YouTube Live. Oct. 19, 5:30 pm. Free and open to the public.

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. english.wsu.edu/ visiting-writers (509-335-1910) BROKEN MIC Spokane’s longest-running weekly poetry open mic. All ages, however, this is a free speech event.

Food and drink specials available.

Wednesdays from 6:30-9 pm. Free.

Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. (509847-1234) DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: THE GENTRIFICATION OF RURAL WASHINGTON Washington’s rural communities are rapidly changing. Formerly reliant on working-class industries like mining, oil, and agriculture, an influx of wealthy urbanites is looking for a different kind of experience that includes natural amenities, outdoor recreation, and cultural activities. But in doing so, these newcomers are causing new inequalities. Join Jennifer Sherman, professor of sociology, to discuss both the glaring and the hidden effects of rural gentrification. Oct. 20, noon. Free. Online at humanities.org MICHELLE NIJUIS: BELOVED BEASTS Michelle Nijuis, author of “Beloved Beasts,” is in conversation with local author Ben Goldfarb. Oct. 20, 6:30 pm.

Free. Wishing Tree Books, 1410 E. 11th Ave. wishingtreebookstore.com (509315-9875) AUNTIE’S BOOK CLUB: SCI-FI & FANTASY Host Ness (they/them) has been reading science fiction and fantasy books since they were a kid, finding those stories to be one of the only places they could find other people as weird as they are. This love has only increased as speculative fiction has become a haven for queer authors, characters, and queer-normative settings. Ness’s goal is to provide an inclusive space for people of all identities to discuss fiction that represents them, with a focus on fantasy and science fiction. Meets on the fourth Saturday of the month at 7 pm. See Auntie’s site for current title.

Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com WASHINGTON STATE POET LAUREATE RENA PRIEST Join Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest as she builds awareness and appreciation of poetry, including the state’s legacy of poetry, through public readings, workshops, lectures, and presentations across the state. Oct. 23, 6 pm. Free.

Cutter Theatre, 302 Park St., Metaline Falls. humanities.org (509-446-4108) n

Advice Goddess FORESEE SICK

I’m good friends with an ex. She’s a great person, but we just don’t work romantically. For two years, I’ve been seeing a woman I love and want a future with. She initially said she was fine with my friendship with my ex. Two months ago, she said she was uncomfortable with it and it might even be a deal breaker. How is it fair for her to decide this now?

—Don’t Wanna Dump A Friend

AMY ALKON There are a number of things absent from straight men’s friendships with other men — namely how two dudes boozing it up together on the couch never leads to anyone’s bra being yanked off and flung onto the ceiling fan.

Two years ago, your girlfriend did say she was okay with your friendship with your ex. So, your feeling like you’ve been played is understandable — but probably driven the (very common!) tendency to overestimate our ability to engage in reliable “affective forecasting.” “Affect” is researcher-ese for emotion, and affective forecasting involves predicting how some future event will make us feel. Research by psychologists Daniel Gilbert and Timothy Wilson suggests we’re pretty bad at foreseeing what we’ll ultimately want and how happy or unhappy it will make us down the road.

Our guesses about how we’ll eventually feel are colored by our circumstances and preferences at the time we’re making a prediction. For example, before your girlfriend was very attached to you, she might’ve believed your friendship with your ex was (and would keep being) no biggie. As her love for you grew, the stakes of losing you loomed large in a way they didn’t back in the cool light of “Mmmkay, let’s see where things go with Mr. (Possibly) Right.”

Tell her you want to understand her feelings — and do something few people do when they have a goal of their own in mind: Listen fully and open-mindedly (as opposed to giving the appearance of listening while mentally cataloging all the fantastic points you’ll make). Hearing her fears could help you empathize with her — which should make her feel understood. Explain why she has nothing to worry about (uh, assuming that’s the case). You might also actively reassure her: regularly do stuff to show how much you love her. Ultimately, however, you might have a big ugly choice to make if you can’t get your girlfriend to stop seeing your friendship with your ex as something along the lines of Wile E. Coyote getting the night watchman gig at KFC.

BED OVER BACKWARD

I’m a female college freshman. I was always told that college was the ideal place to find a partner. Disappointingly, there are many more women than men in my year. I want to date a guy and get to know him before having sex, but most of the women seem to hook up right away. I worry that I can’t compete with them, as I’m not comfortable with that trend of behavior.

—Old-Fashioned Your body is your temple! Unfortunately, much of your female competition on campus sees theirs that way, too — only their temple’s Angkor Wat, where there’s a dude outside admitting the crowds with a clicker.

Colleges have become degree-granting hookup-aterias. There are a number of reasons for this, but you point to a biggie in your email: Over the past 40 years, there’s been a growing imbalance of women to men on campus. At the end of the 2020-21 academic year, women made up 59.5% of college students — “an all-time high” — to men’s 40.5% (per The Wall Street Journal). That’s almost three women for every two men... on average. Some campuses have an even worse guy-girl gap.

Though we’re all walking around with pocket supercomputers (which women can use to click their way to home delivery of reliable birth control), our psychology is still tuned for an ancestral world. For ancestral men, hooking up was evolutionarily optimal in a way it was not for our prehistoric lady ancestors. (Guys only get pregnant from sex in creepy sci-fi movies.) The ancestral Adonis with all the notches in his spear handle would likely have left more surviving descendants to pass on his genes.

Sexual “economics” work like the monetary kind. An oversupply of women to men gives men the upper hand: transforming the mating “market” into one where men’s evolved preferences rule. In short, women respond to the campus man famine (or more technically, the biased “sex ratio”) “by offering sex without requiring high levels of commitment,” explain evolutionary social psychologists Justin Moss and Jon Maner.

Assuming you continue to give hooking up the thumbs down, you might shop for potential partners off-campus (at events or via dating sites), where male-female ratios are less imbalanced. This should keep you from needing to make certain sacrifices to compete for men — like offering really great sex and throwing in a kidney. n ©2021, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. • Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

Prerolls are price-conscious way to deliver flower to your system.

The Minimalist’s Choice Prerolls come in an array of prices, strengths

BY WILL MAUPIN

I

n the wide world of cannabis, the simple preroll is about as user-friendly as it gets. It’s a no-assemblyrequired approach to consuming cannabis, with the only tool required being a lighter or a match. Just spark and smoke, simple as that. Prerolls are perfect when you’re looking for something that will get the job done without any fuss. Here are some available locally, at four different price points, to consider next time you’re looking to make a purchase.

BARGAIN BASEMENT

Prerolls are a pretty budget-friendly category, but it doesn’t get much easier on the wallet than this. A onegram preroll of Blackberry Trainwreck from Blazed will set you back just three bucks at Cannabis & Glass in

Liberty Lake. An indica-dominant hybrid of Blackberry Kush and Trainwreck that packs a THC punch between 18 and 19 percent, there’s nothing cheap about this but the price.

VALUE BUYS

Fire Ass Mids, a relatively new line of products from Freddy’s Fuego, is true to its name by delivering strong results at low prices. Their introduction to the market has been hard to miss, thanks to their bold red packaging that stands out on store shelves. The Vault on the South Hill sells a variety of the brand’s one-gram prerolls for six dollars a piece. The offerings all fall on the hybrid and indica side of the spectrum, so sativa fans may need to look elsewhere.

THE GOING RATE

The standard range for a quality preroll is between eight and 10 dollars, which means if you’ve got a Hamilton you’ve got a ton of options to choose from. It’s hard to go wrong with something from Spokane’s own Phat Panda. The brand is widely available at stores around the region, but Royal’s Cannabis on Division carries more than a dozen of their prerolls, and all of them cost just eight bucks. Being one of the largest growers in the state, Phat Panda’s extensive line of prerolls has something for everyone.

BIG SPENDER

Greenhand on Monroe sells what could be considered the status symbol of the preroll market: an $18 singlegram joint. It’s not just a regular old preroll, though.

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EVERY DAY FROM 10-11 AM & 6-7PM 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.

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• Do you drive a 2018 or newer vehicle with technology such as Lane Keeping Assistance or Adaptive Cruise Control that automatically slows with traffic?

• Are you willing to routinely use your smart phone to collect data on substance use through VTTI’s free and confidential app?

NOTE TO READERS Be aware of the differences in the law between Idaho and Washington. It is illegal to possess, sell or transport cannabis in the State of Idaho.

Possessing up to an ounce is a misdemeanor and can get you a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine; more than three ounces is a felony that can carry a five-year sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.

If so, you may be eligible to participate in a naturalistic driving study focused on how people drive and interact with newer vehicle technologies, such as driver assistance systems (ADAS Study), as well as a secondary study on substance use (Pioneer Study).

All data for these studies are strictly confidential and participant privacy is protected, both locally and federally, by a Certificate of Confidentiality issued by the National Institute of Health. VTTI has been conducting transportation safety research studies all over the country for over fi fteen years.

Participants will have the option to participate in an enrollment period of 3-months and be compensated $500.

Participants may be given the option to extend their participation up to 14 months (total maximum compensation of $1,600). Please contact a team member or visit the project’s website for full compensation details.

INTERESTED? Please contact us at 540-231-1583 or PioneerStudy@vtti.vt.edu and reference the “Pioneer Wash” study in your message. All inquiries welcome! <IRB #19-785><IRB #20-205> TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EITHER STUDY: www.vtti.vt.edu/adas/pioneer

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