Inlander 02/03/2022

FEBRUARY 3-9, 2022 | FOCUSING ON THE INLAND NORTHWEST SINCE 1993

THE GAB FILES COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S WIFE’S RACIST RANT PAGE 14

BLACK HISTORY CELEBRATE AT HOME OR OUT ON THE TOWN PAGE 34

THE STACKS REOPEN

STEAM PLANT RESTAURANT IS SERVING AGAIN PAGE 38

: F F I SpTHE RETURN PAGE 16

Talking ostriches, silent singers, time travelers and more: Spokane International Film Festival is back in-person and online

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mong the many strands of connectivity severed — at least temporarily — by the pandemic was the joy of sharing an experience in the movie theater. Despite many considering watching a movie in a darkened theater a rather solitary experience, Seth Sommerfeld notes in his SPOKANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL coverage this week (page 16) that “even in an age of easy home-streaming, watching a filmmaker’s vision unfold on the big screen just hits different.” SpIFF brings the opportunity to share an incredible array of films long and short, local and international, when it launches its hybrid of in-person screenings and streaming options on Friday.

Also this week: We learn about two Spokane locals’ ongoing efforts to become U.S. citizens and the challenges they face even after years living here (page 10), discover regional companies looking to compete with their own convenient meal-kit options (page 36), and offer up a variety of books, films, TV shows and more to celebrate Black History Month (page 34).

— DAN NAILEN, editor

LONG WAIT PAGE 10

MAKE IT A MEAL KIT PAGE 36

LESS OF A REACH PAGE 42

WHAT’S HAPPENING PAGE 46

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WHAT INLAND NORTHWEST STORY WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MADE INTO A MOVIE?

JIM REINCKE: If I had the connections, I would try and connect author Tom Bross with a production company to shoot his true life adventures in Don’t Call Me Jupiter!

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ROB PETERSON: Why is there no Jimmy Durkin story? That would sell for sure.

DAVID ANDERSON TURNER V: A conspiracy movie regarding big trucks that don’t fit under the downtown train bridges and hit them instead.

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Tents sit at Coeur d’Alene Park, where people who were staying at the Jewels Helping Hands warming shelter were relocated after the shelter’s contract with the City of Spokane lapsed in April 2020. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Rubik’s Cube

The basic state services that are underfunded and underperforming are the best places to start in solving the puzzle of homelessness

BY BILL BRYANT

T F I I R D S N I T F tfridayspoka ne.o w.firs w w rg t a Join us for First Friday in downtown Spokane and be the first to experience local art, food, drink, sales, specials, and more.

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6 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

W

ashington has the fifth-highest homeless population in the country. We trail only the states of California, Texas, Florida and New York. In response, Gov. Jay Inslee has asked state lawmakers for another $815 million on top of the roughly $2 billion they agreed last April to spend over two years on housing and homelessness. If Inslee’s latest request passes, our state will spend over $120,000 per homeless person in Washington, and that doesn’t include what cities and counties spend.

Resources are needed, but the solution isn’t just more money. Our state’s failure to provide basic education, mental health and foster care services, and our permissive policies toward drugs and camping in public spaces, partially created this mess.

Our mental health system is ranked somewhere in the bottom third. Our foster care system warehouses kids in motels and cars.

Washington is ranked third in adult drug users, but 51st in people receiving substance abuse treatment. The education many poorer kids receive too often does not prepare them for independent living. Before spending another $815 million, we should demand our elected leaders acknowledge these failures and implement reforms. That requires tackling the root causes.

F

or the last two decades, I’ve grappled with how best to help the homeless in our midst.

Around 2001, I started volunteering as an overnight manager of a Seattle shelter for men.

Later, as an elected official, the issue landed on my desk. As a gubernatorial candidate, I visited and worked shelters and soup kitchens across

our state. My experiences reinforced that homelessness is a statewide issue. The recent episode at the Spokane Convention Center reveals that. My experiences also taught me that the myriad reasons people are homeless form a Rubik’s cube that’s tough to solve.

Helping some is straightforward. Those who find themselves homeless after losing their job or having their rent increase, those who have struggled with addiction or divorce and are seeking help, these people we can help.

Those who grew up bouncing between rentals and shelters and friends’ floors, who’ve never had a checking account, who don’t know how to budget, these people probably couldn’t keep either an apartment or a job if they were given both. Helping them requires tailored services, but if they want help, there is a pathway forward.

But too many don’t want help, and this is where solving the cube becomes mind-vexing.

One night at the shelter, I overheard three friends talking about how once it got 10 degrees warmer they’d move back to the park. When these men left the shelter in the morning, they went to jobs, but they liked the freedom of camping in the park during warmer months.

Solving homelessness requires confronting the reality that some people, especially some single men, choose to camp.

One man told me he’d once had a family,

suburban house and job, and he said he’d never return to a fulltime job or monthly bills. He preferred living outside, and when it got too cold, in a shelter. Without counseling, I couldn’t see how giving him an apartment he’d eventually have to pay for would ever succeed. And he didn’t want counseling.

As president of the Seattle Port Commission, I had to resolve several dozen people camping in one of the port’s waterfront parks and demanding the port give it to them. The port explained that legally it could not give public property to private individuals, nor could it legally allow camping on that shoreline. They were given a deadline to leave. The night before their tents were to be cleared, I sat with the “residents,” listened to their stories and assured them the port had located shelter for everyone who wanted it. Most took us up on the offer. The next morning the camp was cleared; a few were arrested.

No other decision I made as an elected official so forced me to reconcile my commitment to social justice with my responsibility to uphold the law. Pope John Paul II urged us to have “a special openness with… those who are humiliated and left on the margin of society, so as to help them win their dignity as human persons.’’ Some argued that, legal or not, we should let them stay, but I came to believe that enabling people living in filthy, drug-infested camps was abandoning them to the margins of society.

Years later, as a gubernatorial candidate, I was talking with a few Seattle cops who told me they thought tolerating camps made homelessness worse. They talked about how some of the kids who ended up in the camps had been kicked out of their homes, run away, or “graduated” out of the foster system at 18. They said that if you didn’t have a drug or mental health problem going into those camps, you would after a few weeks there.

Most homeless people don’t live in camps, but these tented villages are emblematic of the dank, tangled, wicked thicket of abuse, trauma, drugs and mental illness too many of the homeless do live in.

J

anet lived in that thicket. I met Janet while walking in SoDo in Seattle. She pointed to a tent she shared with two guys. She had a part-time job at the ballpark, had cancer and struggled to take her medicine as prescribed. When I asked why she didn’t find help at a shelter, she told me she didn’t want to leave the guys, and she didn’t want to follow shelter rules. I am guessing, but I bet drugs were involved, and who knows what her relationship was with the guys. While Janet had “chosen” to live in the tent, unlike the three men I’d overheard in the shelter, she didn’t appear capable of making rational decisions. It also didn’t appear that she would accept help, at least not that day.

Another group of people who need help but are not in a state of mind to accept it are those addicted to meth or heroin. One of the most gut-wrenching meetings I’ve ever sat through was with parents whose children were somewhere on Seattle’s streets. Each dreaded the call to come identify their child’s body. As a gubernatorial candidate, they were urging me to oppose safe injection sites and low-barrier shelters, which along with Seattle’s permissive attitude toward drugs, they thought only enabled their kids’ life on the streets.

Homelessness is not one problem but many problems demanding different solutions. More resources could be spent, but we should only allow elected leaders to spend more money if they reform services we’ve neglected for decades. That neglect is now spilling out onto our streets.

There is one more thing we can do. When you see a homeless person, make eye contact and say hi. It can be uncomfortable, but the first step in getting someone to seek help is showing them they have value and dignity.

It’s not going to solve the problem, but it’s a start. n Bill Bryant, who served on the Seattle Port Commission from 2008-16, ran against Jay Inslee as the Republican nominee in the 2016 governor’s race. He is chairman of the company BCI, is a founding board member of the Nisqually River Foundation and was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to serve on the Puget Sound Partnership’s Eco-Systems Board. He lives in Winthrop, Washington.

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COMMENT | FROM READERS

Lesley Haskell, wife of Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell, at a 2017 Trump rally.

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Readers respond to Daniel Walters’ story revealing Lesley Haskell, the wife of Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell, calls herself a “White nationalist” and uses racist language on social media (1/27/2022):

DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO

ASHLEY MCNEIL: IN A MOVE SURPRISING NO ONE. May she have the day she deserves. She has been playing the victim in local political groups for ages. It’s nice to see that this is catching up with her.

GLEN MOWBRAY: Spokane needs to remove a prosecutor I think.

CHUCK TINGSTAD: What do you mean “catching up”? We’ve seen her racist BS for years, and nothing has changed; well maybe slightly now she openly calls people the n-word.

She’ll never change.

RILEY MOORE: Embarrassing for all who live here. What a joke.

RICHARD EVANS: Yep pretty disgusting, and her husband continues to win elections. Give me a break; I guess that shows what the majority of Spokane County is like.

MLISS BUSH: Why are we surprised by this outrageous behavior? Now that she’s outed herself, we as a community have a right to know how her husband feels. As a prosecutor, he holds a lot of power over trials.

ASHLEY McNEIL: At BEST, he doesn’t share her values but is comfortable with being married to a vocal racist and white nationalist. I really, REALLY don’t think that it’s likely he doesn’t at least somewhat agree.

BRANDON HOLLEE: No sane person is married to someone who holds such extreme values if they do not, on some level, agree with those values. Larry Haskell cannot be given another term. Words matter. Influence matters.

KIM LEHR: What a sad, sad, smallminded woman she is. I hope she finds some empathy and education about others’ experiences in life before she leaves this earth.

BARBARA WILLIAMSON: Anyone notice he didn’t disavow her thinking?

JUSTIN MA: Good article, Daniel Walters. I appreciate your diligence.

BRANDON WARREN: Thank you Inlander for covering this. I doubt the S-R will due to their owner seemingly having no problem with endorsing people he thinks peddle to racists.

JIM COMFORT: I don’t see the big deal. She’s not in an elected position, she doesn’t represent her husband, and if you ignore her, she’ll go away.

Whatever happened to “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”?

JIM COMFORT: Words are words.

RICHA WAGNER: Words reflect an agenda. It’s easy for a White person to say “just words,” as a White person. (Yes, I’m a White person.)

RICHA WAGNER: Anything that I would say about this person would cause me to be banned permanently from Facebook. There is no neutral or middle ground on racism. There is no “alternative view.”

SHELLEY STOREY DESMET: Why do you put words in her mouth? There is nothing wrong w/ being proud of being White. (Unless you’re a flamin’ lib.) n

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 9

19-year-old Natalia (left) and 21-year-old Monica are seeking asylum in the United States with the assistance of Latinos en Spokane.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

IMMIGRATION

FLEEING DANGER FOR BUREAUCRACY As the pandemic adds to a massive case backlog, asylum seekers in Spokane who fled Central America are stuck ‘in limbo’

BY WILSON CRISCIONE

B

y the time she was 14 years old, Monica had heard about the gang violence in her home country of Guatemala: Girls like her were being kidnapped, raped or killed.

But then she saw it for herself. A young girl who went to her school, grabbed against her will, right in front of Monica’s eyes.

And the kidnappers saw Monica watching.

“Those people saw that I saw them,” she says. “Then after that, they were looking for me. And I was scared for my life.”

That’s when Monica, who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her identity, decided she needed to flee Guatemala and try to find her parents, who’d left Guatemala

10 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

years earlier and landed in Spokane.

She gathered up what money she had — money her parents had sent her over the years as she lived with her grandparents — and made her way to the United States border. The journey itself was traumatizing. She joined up with other migrants making their way to America.

Some of the men in the group took money from her and took advantage of her, she says.

Still, she had something to look forward to: a life with her family, far away from whatever horror she was sure would find her in Guatemala. Her voyage to Spokane was successful, and she settled in with her parents, hoping the U.S. would grant her asylum.

That was seven years ago.

Today, Monica, 21, is still awaiting a decision on her citizenship. And the COVID-19 pandemic has once again delayed a hearing on her case until at least 2023.

Stories like Monica’s are “incredibly common,” says Vanessa Mathisen, an immigration attorney in Spokane who is representing Monica in the asylum case. Gang violence in Central America is forcing people to seek refuge in the U.S. Many asylum seekers are children, like Monica was, making these journeys to avoid being kidnapped, trafficked or killed.

Others, meanwhile, are LGBTQ+ asylum seekers fleeing persecution in Central American countries. Natalia, a transgender asylum seeker who also asked to use a pseudonym, made the journey to Spokane last summer at

the age of 18. She tells the Inlander that in Honduras, where she’s from, the transphobia made living there unbearable. Even her own family hurt her, and, in her words, “see her dead.”

“For two years I slept in the streets with no one, and I wasn’t able to go to school or find a job because of the transphobia I experienced,” Natalia says through a translator.

Yet it can take years for these cases to resolve in normal times.

And now, due in large part to the pandemic, severe backlogs are causing them to take even longer.

“It puts their lives in limbo, where you don’t know if you’re going to stay here, stay safe, and grow and build a life here. Or are you going to face a scary situation going back to a country where you’re at risk?”” says Jennyfer Mesa, co-founder of Latinos en Spokane, an organization providing guidance and resources for the Latino community.

W

hen Monica arrived in the United States, neither she nor her parents had much money. She lived in a tworoom trailer with six people.

Within two weeks of her arrival, she started the seventh grade without knowing how to greet her classmates in English. During group projects, she felt like nobody wanted to deal with her because she couldn’t speak English.

Monica had to work “10 times harder” than the other students just to keep up, she says. Yet at the same time, the other students her age seemed immature to Monica after what she had seen in her life.

“I didn’t feel like I was a part of them,” she tells the Inlander.

One educator in the West Valley School District, Margarita Plascencia-Janes, took Monica under her wing and tutored her.

Soon, she was taking Advanced Placement classes.

Still, the uncertainty of her situation loomed over her. She wanted to get a job to help out, but she was ineligible for a work visa. When she was 16, she learned U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wouldn’t grant her asylum application, due to a lack of proof of the conditions she had fled, and referred the case to Immigration Court, where it remains awaiting a hearing today.

Mathisen, who wasn’t Monica’s attorney until last year, says it’s difficult for asylum seekers to have proof beyond their testimony.

“People don’t tend to bring paperwork with them when they’re fleeing for their lives,” Mathisen says. “You don’t grab everything because you’re in a crisis.”

Meanwhile, as Monica made her way through high school, she heard about a girl in her neighborhood back in Guatemala who had been raped and killed. She and her attorney started gathering evidence of gang violence, and Monica found evidence of other girls’ bodies near her old house.

Last year, in 2020, she graduated from high school. She enrolled at Spokane Community College. She hoped, too, that her asylum case would be resolved soon.

“Being done with that, it’ll end a lot of stress that I have,” she says. “It’s something that will bring peace to my life.”

T

he pandemic changed those plans.

It forced the closure or partial closure of many U.S. Immigration Courts, delaying her case until at least 2023 as the courts saw a huge reduction in overall cases heard per month.

In February 2020, asylum decisions reached a peak of more than 10,000 per month under the Trump administration. But in April 2020, they’d dropped to under 2,000 decisions, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a research center founded by Syracuse University. Since then, the number of monthly decisions has not come close to pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers from Central America continues to soar, and cases are stacking up. The average wait time for cases in the backlog is nearly four and a half years.

“Everything’s backlogged. It’s horrifying,” Mathisen says. “It’s really frustrating for attorneys that are working with these immigration agencies. I understand they’ve probably got a lot going on trying to figure it out and trying to get cases adjudicated, but it’s been a mess.” ...continued on next page

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 11

NEWS | IMMIGRATION “FLEEING DANGER FOR BUREAUCRACY,” CONTINUED...

Judges, often handling thousands of cases at a time, say they need more staff and fewer bureaucratic obstacles in order to clear the backlog more quickly. In August, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would allow U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers to adjudicate asylum cases, meaning cases would not have to go to an Immigration Court judge. The change could help address the massive case backlog.

Even if Monica’s case gets heard sooner, however, there’s no guarantee it’s the news she will want to hear.

The Trump administration drastically increased the number of decisions per year, but it also had much higher denial rates in asylum cases — a peak of 71 percent — than the Obama administration did. Biden’s administration, meanwhile, denied 51 percent of cases in the last few months of 2021, according to the TRAC research center.

And cases like Monica’s can be particularly tricky, Mathisen says. In order to qualify for asylum, you have to be outside of your country of origin and face a well-founded fear of persecution by the government or an entity that the government cannot or will not control because of your race, religion, nationality or DONATE membership in a particular Monica and Natalia need political or social group. But help with the cost of legal it’s difficult to prove that fees. If you would like to help, gangs are such an entity, you can donate directly to Mathisen says. Plus, some Latinos en Spokane, which is judges worry that grantraising money for these two ing asylum due to gang women and other asylum violence will result in more seekers in Spokane. Donate people rushing to the U.S. at latinosenspokane.org.

“Cases like Monica’s are very difficult because they’re not often granted,” Mathisen says. “They’re taken on a case-by-case basis, and in general, the U.S. does not like cases related to gang violence.”

N

atalia always felt like a girl. But where she came from in Honduras, being transgender wasn’t acceptable. Not even in her own family.

They turned on her when she became a teenager, noticing her body mannerisms, the way she spoke, the clothes she wore. Her family had priests come to the house and try to “exorcise the demons” out of her. At school, she was bullied and beaten up.

Honduras, meanwhile, has one of the world’s highest transgender homicide rates, according to statistics compiled by trans activist and research groups.

“I knew I was going to be eventually killed,” Natalia, now 19, says. “Over there being transgender, you’re seen as a sickness. … For them it’s better for a transgender person to be killed than to live.”

In November 2020, she heard of a caravan that was going to travel to the U.S. Some friends told her she would die on the journey, but she saw hope.

“At that moment, I knew that there was hope and opportunity. I wanted to come here and be able to smile again. I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she says.

Natalia crossed the border into San Diego, and a law firm helping transgender people connected her with a Spokane sponsor with the Asylum Seeker Sponsorship Project. She got to Spokane in August 2021 and met her sponsor, with whom she lives, before connecting with Latinos en Spokane. She began the process to apply for asylum with Mathisen as her attorney.

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Here, Natalia says she feels more free to be herself.

Mathisen says cases like Natalia’s can be more straightforward because it’s easier to prove that Honduras is complicit in violence against trans people — this summer, for instance, the Honduras government was found responsible for the 2009 murder of a trans woman.

It will likely be years before a decision is made on her asylum either way.

The good news, however, is that the chances of a case being decided are much higher with legal representation.

And those cases with representation are more likely, by about 20 percentage points, to have their asylum accepted.

“These particular cases, the two that we’re talking about, these are young women who are in grave danger of being killed if they’re sent back to their countries,” Mathisen says. “My job is to fight for them and do everything I can in my power to ensure their safety.”

Mesa, with Latinos en Spokane, points out that many asylum seekers do not have access to an attorney and must face immigration judges without counsel. Private attorneys can cost thousands of dollars, and asylum seekers often don’t have any spare cash. That makes the work of organizations like the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and other local organizations so important, she says.

“You get to Spokane cold, already in debt and can’t work because they don’t have a work permit,” Mesa says.

“There’s just so many layers of complexity as soon as they touch the soil here.”

W

hile they’re still unsure about their legal future in Spokane, both Monica and Natalia have big plans for their lives in America.

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12 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Natalia says it would be “magical” to be approved for asylum, and if that happened, she would want to give back to the community.

“I would like to be able to one day create my own organization to help others learn more about different cultures,” she says.

Monica, currently attending Spokane Community College, wants to be a lawyer, specifically working in immigration law.

“I want to help other people that are in my situation,” she says.

In the seven years she’s been waiting for a decision — a third of her life — she’s put herself right on track to achieve those dreams, building a life here that she couldn’t have in Guatemala.

She just hopes it’s not all taken away.

“These young women are fighting for their lives,” Mathisen says. “And they’re working with a system that is not particularly sympathetic to them or others like them.” n

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A pandemic, wildfires and continued staffing issues resulted in major overtime for some Spokane firefighters.

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Throughout February, Elicia Stewart, a Prestige Senior Living Wellness Coach, will be leading free virtual Ageless Grace® classes. She will run participants through the different exercise tools and explain the importance of each.

14 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Spokane firefighters put in unprecedented hours last year, with the pay to match; also, Lesley Haskell’s racist posts make national news, and Washington backtracks on long-term care

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YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

ew public employees — other than football coaches and medical examiners — make more than $200,000 in these parts. Mayor Nadine Woodward, for example, made $168,000 last year. But last year, the city of Spokane counted at least 12 employees — 11 firefighters and one fire communications supervisor — who made over $200,000 in base and overtime pay, according to an Inlander records request of the top 50 overtime recipients for the past six years.

That’s thanks to wildfires, COVID, a vaccine mandate and an existing shortage of firefighters that together swelled fire department overtime to over $7.7 million last year.

Forty-one of the employees who received the most overtime last year worked for the fire department — the rest are police officers.

The No. 1 employee, Fire Lt. Brandon Bacon, made $17,200 more in overtime than he made in his base salary, bringing his grand total to about $221,000 in pay for last year alone. That doesn’t mean the big paycheck came easy: He logged more than a staggering 1,850 hours in overtime last year — equivalent to working more than 35 hours a week in overtime every week with no vacation.

In part, blame COVID. Bacon was one of the people in charge of COVID response for two years of the pandemic.

“Brandon Bacon worked his tail off managing and setting up all of our contact-tracing during COVID and setting up testing and running an around-the-clock 24/7 committee that helped answer questions and provide guidance during the pandemic,” fire union President Randy Marler wrote in an email after the Inlander shared an earlier version of the data with him.

Across the fire department, the decision to

treat COVID more seriously than many other area departments meant that the Spokane department not only delayed hiring but refused to accommodate most unvaccinated firefighters. To that, add wildfires: Fire Lt. Jason Archibald took home more than $110,000 in overtime pay alone, largely because of the 1,662 hours he racked up fighting wildfires.

In the case of wildfires, the state Department of Natural Resources will eventually pay for all of that.

“The amount of hours for some of these people is so large that I am concerned about how this might affect their overall well being,” City Council President Breean Beggs says.

Watch Inlander.com this week for a deeper dig into the data. (DANIEL WALTERS)

LONGER WAIT

Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee signed changes to the state’s new long-term care tax after lawmakers rapidly passed multiple bills to address questions about the program.

Shortly after the WA Cares program was created, critics and supporters alike raised questions about the finer details of the 0.58 percent payroll tax ($0.58 per $100 you earn), which Washington workers started paying in January.

Benefits will start at $36,500 (lifetime) and adjust for inflation over time, and can pay for things like professional care in your home, respite for family caregivers and more.

Lawmakers adjusted the program so that people who retire soon after it starts can still benefit, since the original language required paying into the system for at least 10 years before you could benefit. Under the new changes, those who haven’t fully vested before retiring, and who were

born before Jan. 1, 1968, can receive partial benefits based on the number of years they paid into the program.

Lawmakers also created an opt-out option for people who live out of state but work here, as well as for disabled veterans, military spouses and those with temporary nonimmigrant work visas.

With the new law changes, workers will be reimbursed for the tax they already paid into the system last month, with the new start date set for July 2023.

“The Legislature and Gov. Inslee’s work to improve WA Cares this session will give employers and the public more time to understand and prepare for this first-in-the-nation program,” said Cami Feek, Employment Security Department commissioner, in an announcement last week. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

Live Lounge Entertainment Live Music is back at Coeur d’Alene Casino!

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

HASKELL REPORT FALLOUT

Lesley Haskell, wife of Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell, had declared herself a “White nationalist,” called MSNBC host Joy Reid the N-word, and much, much more. The Inlander reported on these and other incendiary statements from Lesley Haskell last Thursday night, posting numerous screenshots directly taken of her Facebook account and her account on Gab, an alternative social media platform that eagerly welcomes bigoted comments.

Both of Lesley Haskell’s accounts were rife with anti-vax, anti-trans and anti-Black rhetoric. Many of these statements had already been pointed out on a website that had previously been dedicated to attacking far-right former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea. Lesley Haskell, for her part, started out defiant and remained that way.

“I have Satan’s very own children following me here to try to sully my husband’s reputation by throwing MY words at him.

LOL!!!!!” Lesley Haskell wrote on her Gab account, hours before the Inlander published. “God and His children always win, silly devils!”

Her husband, Larry Haskell, did not directly answer questions from the Inlander about whether his wife had expressed similar sentiments to him and, if so,whether he pushed back and tried to convince her she was wrong.

Instead, he sent over a statement reiterating that “she is a strong-willed person who will speak her mind” and stressing that her opinions were her own and his “wife’s social media postings have no influence or bearing” on how he runs the prosecutor’s office. He also condemned “guilt by association.”

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“She is a strong-willed person who will speak her mind.”

The news exploded online. MSNBC host Chris Hayes retweeted it. Websites like Newsweek and Raw Story published online summaries. Scores of Twitter commenters demanded accountability, though not always from the relevant people. After the Inlander posted a screenshot of a piece of scratch paper where Lesley Haskell had handwritten comments like “Fauci is a murderer” and “Biden is a fraudulent pedophile,” several noted there was a “Meals on Wheels” logo on the bottom of the piece of the paper, and called for the local nonprofit to make a statement.

“We are saddened our materials were used for negativity and hope everyone understands they do not reflect the opinions of Meals on Wheels Spokane,” the local nonprofit responded. “Nor do we have any associations with the person who wrote them.”

Meanwhile, in an email he sent out to his office on Friday, Larry Haskell further distanced himself from his wife’s comments — though without explicitly admitting they were his wife’s comments.

“What was expressed in the Inlander, as my wife’s comments, are not my views or the views of this office — nor should they ever be,” Haskell wrote to his employees, stressing his commitment to avoiding racial bias. “For those of you who may have been distressed by the article, I apologize. If you wish to meet with me in person to discuss any concerns, I surely invite you to do so.” (DANIEL WALTERS) n

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FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 15

16 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

FACING PAGE: SpIFF's Pete Porter is ready to return to the cinema. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

LOOKING SpIFF-Y After a pandemic break in 2021, the Spokane International Film Festival reemerges with an array of local and international cinematic treats

I

STORIES BY SETH SOMMERFELD

t can sometimes be easy to overlook the community that movie-watching can foster. After all, sitting silently in a dark room doesn’t exactly scream connectivity.

But as pandemic times have shown us — with months of shuttered movie theaters and blockbuster delays — it’s a massive cultural loss to not share the silver screen thrills together. Even in an age of easy home-streaming, watching a filmmaker’s vision unfold on the big screen just hits different.

After almost two years away, Spokane International Film Festival returns to fill that communal void in our movie-going hearts.

The 2020 edition of SpIFF was one of the last pre-COVID-shutdown events (wrapping up on March 6, 2020), and the continuing viral threat put a kibosh on having a fest in 2021.

While slightly scaled back, SpIFF 2022’s in-person component will take place on Friday, Feb. 4 and Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Bing Crosby Theater. The opening night program will feature the Best of the Northwest shorts program and the documentary feature Reclaim Idaho, about grassroots organizers campaigning for Medicare in the Gem State during the 2018 election cycle. Saturday’s lineup features five screenings: Animation Showcase shorts, World Shorts I, Vinyl Nation (a documentary about the renaissance in record collecting), Re-Opening (a mockumentary about a small theater reopening during COVID times), and Casablanca Beats (a Moroccan drama about a rapper teaching teens hip-hop at a youth center as they struggle to find their place in the Muslim nation). Keeping with The Bing’s COVID protocols, all in-person attendees must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID

test from within the last 48 hours, and masking will be required.

In total, SpIFF 2022 boasts 90 films (16 features, 74 shorts), and all the films will be available to stream digitally via spokanefilmfestival.org. So if you can’t make it to the Bing for whatever reason, the festival isn’t excluding anyone.

That sense of inclusion is vital for SpIFF programmer Peter Porter, who returned to a role in festival leadership after time away. The lack of a festival allowed a programming reimagination to lift up the local community even more.

“We kind of rethought everything,” Porter says. “When I was first the director, 15 years ago or so, I was really interested in the international piece — bringing films from around the world.

Because we didn’t have nearly as much access to international cinema in 2006 as we have in 2022. Part of our mission has always been to bring films that people might not see to the community.

“So there’s actually a lot of emphasis this year on Spokane filmmakers and also the Pacific Northwest filmmakers,” Porter adds. “We really kind of rethought the mission in terms of providing a community event so that filmmakers would have a place to show their films and talk about their films.”

The opening night festivities will drive home that point.

“We always love to have Best of the Northwest [in-person],” Porter says. “That’s a show that brings a lot of filmmakers together to see old friends, to see how they’re doing. And I think this Bing space will enable us to do that in a safe way.”

So grab some popcorn, read up on some of our favorite SpIFF films, and welcome back to the Spokane film community. n

SpIFF 2022 IN-PERSON SCREENINGS FRIDAY, FEB. 4

Best of the Northwest (+ Q&A) & Reclaim Idaho, 7 pm

SATURDAY, FEB. 5

Animation Showcase (+ Q&A), 11 am Re-Opening (+ Q&A), 1 pm World Shorts I, 3:30 pm Casablanca Beats, 5:45 pm Vinyl Nation, 8 pm All in-person screenings take place at the Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. In-person screenings require proof of COVID vaccination or negative COVID test within 48 hours.

Masking required.

TICKETS

In-Person Pass $49 All-Access Pass $129 Virtual Pass $99 Single Virtual Screening $10-$15 Single In-Person Screening $13 Full details and virtual offerings at spokanefilmfestival.org.

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 17

LOCAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT

RESONANT NOTES But Still a Bird Sings gives a voice to the vocally impared

L

ynn Carter was a singer.

Oh perhaps more apt, Lynn Carter is a singer.

She just can’t sing anymore.

The short documentary But Still a Bird Sings follows Carter in the wake of a laryngectomy — a removal of the vocal box — a measure needed to fight off stage four cancer in her vocal cords.

While it can sometimes be difficult for shorts to pack an emotional wallop thanks to a limited time to invest in the characters, But Still a Bird Sings hits all the right notes.

It takes viewers through Carter’s struggle to talk through her stoma and her ongoing radiation treatments, but it also showcases her steadfast zeal to get the most out of the time she still has.

While it’s never explicitly stated, the film’s director Conor Knowles is in fact Lynn’s son. The cinematic project kind of happened accidentally when Knowles came to

18 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Spokane to help his mom deal with her health issues.

“What happened was my mom had some health problems with her throat for a couple of years, and she had a misdiagnosis. And then, April of last year she got an official diagnosis that it was cancer of the vocal cords, and it was stage four. So she had her vocal cords removed in May. And she had six weeks of radiation scheduled for the summer,” Knowles says. “And I live in Portland now. She was in Spokane. And I decided that I would take some time off of work so that she could have someone there.”

He brought along his filmmaking equipment to just experiment during his downtime, and sort of stumbled upon the documentary idea by accident.

“My mom has never been very photogenic. She’s always pretty camera shy,” Knowles says. “But one day, I had the camera set up, and I was just filming us doing

yoga. And then I just randomly asked her, ‘What would you think of me making a movie about you?’ She said would be into trying it. So that night, I tried to do a little interview thing, where she was just talking to the mic. And after it was done, she said she loved it. She said it was therapeutic for her, getting her thoughts out, sharing her life. And so she got really invested in the movie, it became this great project for us to do over the summer.”

For Knowles, it was tough to balance what to share in the film and what moments felt too familially intimate, so he basically let Lynn decide. That’s not to say the film pulls its punches. At times, like when she’s cleaning out her stoma, it can grab viewers with its unvarnished graphic intensity.

“She wanted people to understand the severity of her cancer,” Knowles says. “She wanted to be graphic with

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Lynn Carter seeks beauty in her post-laryngectomy life in But Still a Bird Sings.

her stoma, the hole in her throat. She wanted to be graphic and show that to desensitize. And she just wanted it to be honest about her struggles.

“She really wanted to spread awareness about her specific cancer,” he adds. “Because there aren’t, as far as I know, a whole lot of documentaries about laryngectomies.”

And the film sticks the emotional landing.

Seeing Lynn cry while listening to CDs of her own singing is as poignant as anything you’ll see at SpIFF this year.

“It’s hard to explain, but she’s a singer,” Knowles says. “Her identity to herself, she was always a singer. And now she can’t sing anymore.”

But the short doesn’t wallow in agony. In fact, Carter shares an optimistic worldview and one filled with hopes of things to come. She treasures

the moments in which she can make art or spend time basking in the wonder of nature. As of her latest post-radiation checkup, she’s cancer-free.

But Still a Bird Sings may be somewhat of a home movie, but it resonates with emotion accessible to anyone.

“I want people to hear my mom’s music,” Knowles says. “I want people to get to know her. It was interesting to hear someone kind of reporting back from that place of coming close to dying, coming to terms of mortality, but then surviving. I want people to just hear her share her thoughts, hear her worldview, maybe get something positive out of it.” n Streaming as part of the Spokane+PNW Makers program

Join our team!

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This is a part-time, contract position.

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FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 19

LOCAL FEATURE

THE QUIET SADNESS I

A Good Enough Day is an exercise in measured storytelling and limited-resource filmmaking

t’s often said that limitations can breed creativity, but during COVID times limitations were a necessity.

So when Lorna St. John, the producer and co-owner of Spokane’s Hamilton Studio, wanted to make a film during the pandemic, she kept things in the family. She prompted her son Trevor St. John (the Spokane native best known for his decade-long run acting on the soap opera One Life to Live) and his cousins Graham Sharman and Brett Clothier-Sharman to write a film that could be shot almost entirely at Hamilton Studio.

“I gave Trevor and his two cousins a challenge to write something that we could do safely in times of COVID,” says Lorna. “And in a controlled atmosphere, which we felt our studio would be. And they came up with their idea, which we thought was brilliant.”

The result is A Good Enough Day, a very quiet dramatic character study of Tyler (played by Trevor), a man spending a single day trying to sort through his affairs and tie up loose ends with relationships that have been severely frayed. To put it mildly, the film is deliberate with its pacing. It’s a slow, subtle burn as Tyler slowly peels back the layers of his discomfort through soft scenes of awkward

20 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Trevor St. John exudes a somber calm in A Good Enough Day.

phone calls and wincing emotional pain. As it slowly becomes evident why Tyler is going through the trouble of picking the scabs of these relationships which he clearly poisoned years ago, it shines an even harsher light on him.

“We knew that we wanted to not be too overt about anything,” Trevor says. “We knew that subtlety was what we were going for. When you write a script that you know you’re going to shoot, you write a script to please yourself. And, you know, they don’t really make movies for me anymore. [laughs] So many movies are just obvious and don’t respect the audience. And our first rule was: Let’s assume our audience are intelligent people who don’t need to be led by the nose.”

The self-imposed limitations, namely that everything had to be shot in the studio or within walking distance, kept the cost of production down. Without having the complications of locations, a big cast, a large crew, wardrobe, etc., the Hamilton team was able to shoot the entire film in only eight days on a thrifty budget. But the restrictions also helped feed into narrative themes.

“There was also the real fact of wishing to illustrate his isolation, both by COVID, which is kind of a back-

ground character in the film, and the isolation that this character has done to himself,” Lorna says. “[It needed] to have sort of an almost emptiness going on. He’s really stranded himself.”

A Good Enough Day, available at spokanefilmfestival. org, is the antithesis of big blockbuster filmmaking. But if you’re willing to be patient with it, it has a chance to hit you in the emotional core.

“I had one friend see that film and said, ‘I think I’m going to call some people’ afterward. And I thought that was a pretty interesting response,” Trevor says. “To me, [it’s] a cautionary tale about allowing grief to take over to transform your life. It [can] become something you can’t live with because you’re no longer living, you’ve been completely transformed by it. It’s shut you down. And that’s not a way to live. And at the same time, it’s not a message of ‘Hey, get over it.’ Yes, you’re grieving horribly, and it was life-altering and just horrible. But what about the rest of your life? What about now? What about the present moment?” n Streaming online at spokanefilmfestival.org

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

LITERALLY JUMPING

Dogs, Horses, Donkeys, Cows, Sheep & More

ORTHOTICS OFF THE SCREEN & PROSTHETICS RK/RKAY makes the most of its surreal high concept

I

t’s the curse of fictional cinematic characters — their very existence is a Groundhog Day-esque time loop. In their fabricated realities, they’re doomed to hit the same romantic beats and suffer the same tragic deaths again and again and again.

But what if a film’s protagonist just quit? Just straight up decided to keep running and leave the film and enter the real world?

That’s the high concept at the core of Indian writer, director and star Rajat Kapoor’s latest film, RK/RKAY. Not straying far from his reality, Kapoor plays RK, a writer/director/actor making a movie that’s a tribute to hard-boiled ’60s cinema. In said film, he portrays the mustachioed leading man, Mahboob, who meets a calamitous end.

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Mahboob (Kapoor) and his film-within-the-film love interest Gulabo (Malika Sherawat).

But during the editing process, Mahboob disappears. He’s suddenly nowhere to be found on any of the footage. Not content with his fate, Mahboob ran away to the real world. Soon enough, RK finds him and must try to convince Mahboob he’s a fictional creation who needs to return to the celluloid world.

While that might seem like a sort of one-note story, RK/RKAY squeezes a lot of fun out of the scenario. There are enough clever twists to the fish-out-of-water situation with a fictional character being in reality that the comedic beats stay fresh, and the contrast between Mahboob’s zeal for life and RK’s distant, dour artist persona makes for an engaging dramatic parallel. It’s a movie packed with ideas about creation, escapism and existentialism without ever seeming heavy. n

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Streaming online at spokanefilmfestival.org

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 21

INTERNATIONAL SHORT

HOME OF THE SPOKANE SYMPHONY

THE FOX THEATER Spokane Symphony Masterworks

PICTURED WITHIN

James Lowe, conductor Mateusz Wolski, violin Sat., February 5, 8pm • Sun., February 6, 3pm Knitting Factory Presents

PATTON OSWALT LIVE: WHO’S READY TO LAUGH? Sat., February 19, 7pm

HEALING HARMONIES: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR CANCER CARE NORTHWEST FOUNDATION with Collin Raye and The Frontmen of Country Thurs., February 24, 8pm

BEATLES VS. STONES: A MUSICAL SHOWDOWN Sat., February 26, 7:30pm Fox Presents

BLACK VIOLIN

Thurs., March 3, 7:30pm Spokane Symphony Masterworks

THE GENESIS OF THE SPOKANE SYMPHONY James Lowe Conductor Archie Chen, piano Sat, March 5, 8pm • Sun., March 6, 3pm Emporium Presents

STRAIGHT NO CHASER BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE TOUR 2022

METAVERSE

OF MADNESS

Mon., March 7, 7:30pm Fox Presents

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE UNTAMED WITH FILIPE DEANDRADE Wed., March 9, 7pm

James Lowe, Conductor

PICTURED WITHIN

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It pushes the boundaries of stop-motion animation reality

Masterworks 5

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

8pm

3pm

FEB 5 FEB 6 William Grant Still Wood Notes

Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op.

Mateusz Wolski Violin

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Danse nègre

35

Edward Elgar Enigma Variations

SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 10AM -NOON Experience the inner workings of the orchestra as James Lowe, Mateusz Wolski and musicians polish each work at the final rehearsal. Includes one mimosa and pastries

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22 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

L

ife as a telemarketer in a cubicle can be a boring slog. Thus is the existence of Neil, the protagonist of the Australian animated short An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It. But how much do you really want the mundane to change? When Neil begins to notice things like his boss’s mouth falling off or his coworker conspicuously lacking any legs, he begins to suspect that the world isn’t what it seems. Enter a talking ostrich to confirm such suspicions.

Inspired by The Truman Show and The Matrix, filmmaker Lachlan Pendragon’s short film takes stop-motion animation in a truly meta direction.

“I’ve always been really interested in the behind-the-scenes of stop-motion animation,” Pendragon says, “and was trying to figure out ways of how to incorporate that into the actual finished product.”

The visualization choice instantly drops viewers into that surreal space. The camera isn’t focused tight on the claymation characters, but on the in-studio monitor, so while we see the action in Neil’s world through the central screen, we can also see the sped-up motions of Pendrag-

on’s constant adjustments of the characters on the edges of the frame.

“It’s quite difficult, because I didn’t want all that stuff to distract from the narrative,” says Pendragon. “[You still need to] relate to these characters. So there was a lot of iterating and testing. For example, that whole, like, out-of-themonitor thing was shot a lot further back, and by the end of it, [I] cropped in a lot further, so that wasn’t as distracting. It’s finding that balance so that you can still get lost in the story but also have all this other stuff going on that you can watch over and get other stuff out of it.”

The stop-motion animation process wasn’t exactly an easy one. It took about a month to animate each minute of the short. But the laborious process has fruitful results.

With an animation style that calls to mind Aardman Animation (Wallace and Gromit) and Pendragon’s sharp wit, it’s a true comedic treat while also tapping into some existential darkness (it may be a comedy for the audience, but it’s kind of a horror film for poor Neil).

But the most mind-blowing element of this headtrip of a short? It’s actually a student film.

The surreal world of An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It. It’s part of Pendragon’s studies as he aims to get a doctorate in visual arts from Griffith Film School in Brisbane, Australia. He hopes to complete his thesis within six months.

If the creative bliss of An Ostrich… is what Pendragon crafts on school time, it’s hard to not be extremely excited to see what comes next for the stop-motion filmmaker. n Screening at the Bing as part of the Animation Showcase on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 11am, and available streaming

numericacu.com Federally insured by NCUA FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 23

SHORT FILMS

The first African-American partrooper unit gets its shine in Jumping Into the Fire.

SpIFF SHORTS SUPERLATIVES W

Highlighting the standout achievers in the festival’s loaded short-films field

hile feature films tend to grab headlines, a festival's true cornucopia of cinematic offerings come from shorts showcases. This year’s SpIFF features nine groupings of short films — separated into various world film, animation, LGBTQIA+ and Northwest clusters — and these are some of the categorical standouts from the pack.

BEST LIMITED STORYTELLING

THIS IS HE US SHORTS

This short is essentially just a phone call between strangers with a previously unknown connection that lasts for about 10 minutes. But over that abbreviated period of time writer/director Thea Duncan Brooks is able to solidly establish two characters, grow and shift their relationship, build emotional stakes, and deliver a satisfying conclusion.

cleanest animals, the pink mollusk at the center of this terrific animated short is a total neat freak. The effective wordless storytelling calls to mind top-tier Pixar shorts.

BEST UNTOLD HISTORY

JUMPING INTO THE FIRE BEST OF THE NW

BIGGEST GUT-PUNCH

BEST USE OF MUSIC

The central plot point of this Chinese short is a daughter collecting the belongings of her father, a doctor who died while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. And that’s not even the most emotionally wrenching turn the film takes.

Ooooof.

Did you know that during World War II the Army established an all African-American paratrooper unit? And did you know their only deployment came as smokejumpers in the Pacific Northwest? Experience the unit’s story as told by founding member, 2nd Lt. Walter Morris.

TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR WORLD SHORTS II The famed lullaby becomes a repeated touchstone for an entire vibrant life lived through music in this surprisingly moving Chinese short.

CUTEST ANIMAL

BEST USE OF METAPHOR

While you might not think of ink-spewing octopi as the

This tender Spanish short finds a group of young adult

INK ANIMATION SHOWCASE

24 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

buddies on a summer trip to a formerly volcanic area, as one friend is preparing to begin transitioning. The parallels of tension, change and reformed terrain are handled with a deft and loving touch.

BEFORE THE ERUPTION LGBTQIA+ NARRATIVE SHORTS

OUTSIDE THE CONSULTING ROOM WORLD SHORTS II

MOST REALISTIC COVID-ERA DEPICTION

AIMEE VICTORIA LGBTQIA+ NARRATIVE SHORTS

While a deaf lesbian couple’s displays of love outside each others’ windows make this short incredibly sweet, it’s the awkward FaceTime calls and sloppily eating ice cream in bed in a mildly depressed state that really feel painfully true to our pandemic times.

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It’s always interesting bumping into old friends when you return to your childhood home. It’s even more noteworthy when you unexpectedly run into your old imaginary friend, as is the case for Freek when he returns home to deal with a difficult family matter.

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OLD DOG ANIMATION SHOWCASE

It’s hard to not fall in love with the elderly pug at the center of this adorable little animated short. The fact that he mirrors his aged caretaker to a T only makes him more lovable.

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With apologies to Casper, the titular sheet ghost at the center of this comedic short seems like a pretty swell roommate (even if he’s slightly oblivious to his specter situation).

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LITTLE OX ANIMATION SHOWCASE

The unique flowing animation style of this Belgian short catches the eye, but be warned that the story might be as harsh as the desolate tundra upon which the oxen roam.

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In terms of a pure visual treat, it’s hard to top this arty Spanish short. It’s got a high-end music video feel, as two attractive young people search for connection in a cascading array of frames gridded to fill the screen.

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ANIMATION SHOWCASE & LGBTQIA+ NARRATIVE SHORTS

This brief poetic tribute to a gender-nonconforming friend who passed is elevated to another level thanks to the vivid neon colors that make the homage pop.

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At its core, this short wrestles with a white girl unloading apologies for her past microaggressions on her new Native boyfriend.

But I could give you 100 guesses as to how it ends and you’d never get it. n

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 25

LOCAL NARRATIVES SHORT

T ACTING WITH

MYSELVES Time travel rules get trippy in Tim Travers & the Time Traveler’s Paradox

Samuel Dunning's many faces of Tim Travers.

26 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

here is no format as fraught with potential plot holes as a time travel script. Even the blockbuster hits in the genre — your Terminators and Back to the Futures — are littered with head-scratching logical paradoxes.

Tim Tavers & the Time Traveler’s Paradox decides to jump headfirst into the absurdity of the situation, as the titular Tim (played

by Samuel Dunning) travels back in time and kills his younger self — which should mean he no longer exists. Only he doesn’t disappear. So he keeps tweaking the experiment and creating more and more versions of himself (with an ever-growing self-body count) as things spiral comedically out of control.

The Spokane-made short film — produced by North By Northwest — is the brainchild of writer/director/EWU graduate Stimson Snead and comes as a direct reaction to him viewing one too many artsy time-travel shorts.

“It was born of me watching a bunch of time travel movies at a film festival, and kind of hating all of them,” says Snead. “I loathed the idea that someone could deal with something that powerful and their response would just be these very kind of film-school-y, ‘Oh, but what does this mean for me, personally?’ No, oh, God! I wanted to take a character and just have them dive as deep as they can get into the ‘what if’ of it; that the ‘what if’ itself is a powerful enough character motivation — it doesn’t need to be a metaphor for anything else. And that quickly turned into the Tim Travers character.

And right around that same time, I met Sam, and I knew almost immediately: That’s Tim Travers.”

Snead and Dunning met when seated for a panel at a film festival in the Washington, D.C., area, and instantly hit it off. So they were already on the same page when they convened in Spokane in March 2021 for the four-day Tim Travers shoot.

But a shoot where one actor is playing basically every character — sometimes with a half-dozen versions of himself on screen at the same time — is anything but a breeze, for both actor and director. Add in that element that the various iterations of Tim have different dominant personality traits — blowhard, passive, aggro, hungover, etc. — and it’s an even more complicated stew.

“I think the big epiphany with all of it is that despite the fact that technically speaking it’s all iterations of the same person, you have to think of them each individually as a different character, or else you’re literally going to drive yourself insane,” Dunning says.

“When I was learning the script, I wasn’t thinking about how it was going to be on set,” he adds. “I was just like, ‘OK, I’m just gonna keep rereading the script over and over and over and over and over again until I can literally recite it cover-to-cover.’ And then I got to set, and that’s when I realized, ‘Oh, shit. I can’t just recite it end-to-end like I have it memorized in my head.’ I literally have to recite one of the guy’s dialogue, and then remember which other guy is butting in and with what energy, and so and so. So I very quickly started to try and color code my script to try and make it easier.”

Snead used a variety of cinematic tricks to pull off the multiple Tims: split screen shooting, rotoscoping, using body doubles (so the Tims could physically interact) and CGI. But it was still a rather laborious process.

“Everything kind of worked the way I expected from a technical point. What I did not expect was just how exhausting some of those big group shots would be,” Snead says. “Because every single one of those group scenes, it’s usually one Tim giving like three or four paragraphs of monologue as all the other Tims listen. And what I didn’t realize is that meant for every single Tim in that shot, we have to go through that entire monologue being read off screen. It was taxing for the whole crew. ... You have to fight the monotony and trust that the material is going to be funny when it comes together.”

Their effort pays off in the end, as Tim Travers is easily one of the most fun offerings of SpIFF 2022. Snead plans to have Tim Travers be part of a feature-length anthology film produced by North By Northwest that involves survivors in the future going mad in a mineshaft, with Tim Travers being an episode of a Twilight Zone-esque TV show within that universe. But until then, it’s a perfectly sweet, mind-scrambling treat that stands on its own. n Screening at the Bing as part of the Best of the NW program on Friday, Feb. 4 at 7pm, and available streaming

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SYMPHONY

CLASSIC

BFFS Spokane Symphony concertmaster Mateusz Wolski takes center stage this weekend for a showcase of enigmatic, powerful classical pieces

BY E.J. IANNELLI

M

Spokane Symphony concertmaster Mateusz Wolski takes on a different role this weekend. HAMILTON STUDIO PHOTO

ateusz Wolski was just a young boy in Warsaw, Poland, when he first heard Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

“I had an aunt that was studying in a music school, and I remember her trying to convince me that I should listen to this record,” he says. “Of course, 7-year-old me was like, ‘I don’t want to listen to this!’

But as soon as she left the room, I would go and put it on and start listening. That was the first violin concerto I fell in love with.”

Back then Wolski was a fledgling violinist, and the fundamentals of the concerto format were new to him. Much to the amusement of his music teacher at the time, he tried to show his appreciation for the work by attempting to play both the orchestral parts and the solo parts himself. ...continued on next page

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 31

CULTURE | SYMPHONY “CLASSIC BFFS,” CONTINUED...

Nearly four decades on, he’s still feeling the tug between those two roles. As the Spokane Symphony’s resident concertmaster, Wolski is responsible for leading the orchestra, acting as a sort of liaison between the musicians and the conductor. But once a year he gets to “switch hats completely” and take center stage as a solo performer with a work of his choice.

“As a concertmaster, you’re a little like a shepherd’s dog, trying to guide the flock. As a soloist, you’re in an antagonistic relationship with the orchestra. It’s a Davidversus-Goliath kind of story where the whole fun of the concerto is that you have this one little violin that has to carry a tune, and the orchestra roars back at it. It’s imbalance by design. That’s what creates this absolutely wonderful tension that great composers know how to exploit.”

they show up for two rehearsals, they play their piece, and they go home. And in some ways, in order to deliver your performance well, you have to get into that headspace,” he says.

A

longside the Tchaikovsky concerto, the Spokane Symphony’s Masterworks No. 5 “Pictured Within” program features works by three other composers born at various points in the 19th century.

There’s Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Danse nègre,” William Grant Still’s Wood Notes and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Each work draws on a very different source of external inspiration.

In the case of Coleridge-Taylor, it was the poems and pro-African cultural advocacy of American writer Paul Laurence Dunbar that prompted the English composer to create his African Suite, from which “Danse nègre” is taken. Although he found transatlantic fame during his lifetime with the choral cantata Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast (itself inspired

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic The Song of Hiawatha), Coleridge-Taylor sold the rights to his music for short-term income and died in near poverty in 1912.

Similarly, Still was also inspired by poetry, but his four-part orchestral suite Wood Notes was a very intentional collaboration that originated in pastoral verse by erstwhile Alabama Poet Laureate J. Mitchell Pilcher.

“This is a suite that depicts the countryside of the Deep South. Grant Still himself said this was very important because it was a Black man from the South writing music inspired by a White man from the South. It’s very clear that there was a symbol of unity in him writing that

“As a concertmaster, you’re a little like a shepherd’s dog, trying to guide the flock.

As a soloist, you’re in an antagonistic relationship with the orchestra.”

And so, in preparation for this weekend’s performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the orchestra he usually helps lead, Wolski finds himself deliberately trying to adopt that more independent, rivalrous mindset.

“The way the soloist typically works is that we get people from out of town. They fly in, they say hello,

32 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

music,” says Spokane Symphony Music Director James Lowe, who’ll be conducting this Masterworks concert.

“It’s such a beautiful and evocative piece. Grant Still paints these pictures of landscapes at times of day and times of year so wonderfully. And his sketch of things that are extra-musical seemed to pair so well with the Elgar.”

As famous for its dedication “to my friends pictured within” (hence this concert’s title) as its lingering unsolved musical riddles, Enigma Variations was the work that made Elgar, a professional late bloomer and something of a prickly outsider, into a recognized talent in classical music.

“Theme and variation is a very common musical form. You play a melody and then noodle around with it for half an hour,” Lowe laughs. “But what Elgar does is, he takes it and plays it through the characters of his friends. He captures the laugh of one, the seriousness of another. It’s such a compelling portrait, and he’s so inventive with it. You really feel like you get to know their personalities through these variations.”

More than that, however, he says the program showcases how “humanity is united by music.” Even Wolski, in his temporarily “adversarial” role, says that unity between the soloist and the orchestra is the necessary conclusion to the Tchaikovsky concerto: “It’s a happy ending when we reach harmony and join forces at the end together.” n Spokane Symphony Masterworks 5: Pictured Within • Sat, Feb. 5 at 8 pm; Sun, Feb. 6 at 3 pm • $19-$62 • Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • spokanesymphony.org • 624-1200

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CULTURE | BLACK HISTORY

Education and Reflection

EWU’s senior diversity officer, Shari Clarke, recommends a Hidden Figures viewing.

How to celebrate Black History Month in the Inland Northwest, at home or on the town

BY MADISON PEARSON

I

n February we welcome the beginning of Black History Month, a month of reflection about how our country’s history with slavery, segregation and racism has impacted the lives of Black Americans. If you’re wondering how to best acknowledge, recognize or reflect during this time, February is packed with events where you can go show your support. And if you’d rather celebrate from home, there are plenty of informational (and entertaining!) books and movies at your disposal that can help you learn a thing or two.

The arts have always been a space for reflection, especially in times of crisis. The Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center is holding an exhibition titled HOME: IMAGINING THE IRREVOCABLE. This exhibition features works created by Eastern Washington Black artists and will run Feb. 4-26. The exhibition features artists of various disciplines exploring the idea and concept of “home” and seeks to define what “home” is for Black Americans.

Throughout the month the Garland Theater will be running a BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM SERIES; next up is Malcolm X starring Denzel Washington on Feb. 8, with films later in the month still to be determined. Along with the films, the Garland is also hosting Wine Flight Nights featuring Black winemakers.

The first event features Brown Vineyards from Napa Valley on Feb. 9, and the second is from Maison Noir on Feb. 23. There will also be a whiskey flight night on Feb.

34 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

16 featuring libations from Uncle Nearest Whiskey, a Black-owned distillery.

If you’ve got every streaming service imaginable, there are films and TV shows right at your fingertips that can serve as a learning tool for you or your family.

Shari Clarke, who serves as Eastern Washington University’s vice president for diversity and senior diversity officer, says that movies and books are a great way to celebrate Black History Month.

“I always recommend the movie HIDDEN FIGURES,” Clarke says. “It tells a remarkable story” of three Black women who played a vital role in the NASA program in the 1960s. It’s loosely based on a true story about three female mathematicians who were heavily involved at NASA during the space race.

As for films to watch with your family, Clarke recommends a semi-recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“BLACK PANTHER is so good for the family,” she says. “It really helps affirm young children who need that representation in their lives.” The sequel to Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is slated for November.

Catch up on your Marvel lore in preparation for the new film and learn about marginalized identities at the same time.

Clarke also has a recommendation for the bingewatcher in all of us.

“BLACK-ISH on Hulu,” Clarke says. “While it’s a

comedy, it still has serious tones, and it does a great job at showing how that specific Black family functions within society and within their own community. Of course it’s just one look at a very affluent Black family, but it’s valuable nonetheless.”

Now, a little something for the bookworms. Reading is one of the best ways to self-inform and self-educate.

Clarke recommends Michelle Obama’s memoir BECOMING and the classic THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD by Zora Neale Hurston. The booksellers at Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane are constantly updating the ANTI-RACIST READING LIST on the store’s website, auntiesbooks.com. Recommendations include fiction like THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett, which conquers topics like “passing” and generational trauma, to deep-dive non-fiction reads into the topic of white fragility and White Nationalism— notable highlights are How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown.

Support your local Black community during Black History Month and buy from Black-owned businesses.

THE BLACK LENS keeps an updated list of every Black-owned business and resource in Spokane on its blackspokane.com website. In celebration of Black History Month, the Wonder Building is hosting a BLACK BUSINESS EXPO on Saturday, Feb. 5. There’s no cost to enter the event, which will highlight 20-30 Black-owned businesses in the Spokane community. Not only will there be goods to purchase, but many organizations that provide resources and services in Spokane will be there, ready to talk and engage with the community they serve.

However you decide to celebrate Black History Month, come away from it having learned more about your country, your community and why it’s important that we dedicate the month of February to education and reflection. n

CULTURE | DIGEST

CANNIBALS, PEACEMAKERS AND WEREWOLVES, OH MY!

THE BUZZ BIN

TV Time: Six new-ish TV series to stream in February

W

BY BILL FROST

e’re one month into 2020 II, er, 2022 — not that anyone cares. The only way I know a new month is starting is when I receive an Inlander email asking “Where’s the column? We checked the analytics, and it gets at least a dozen views quarterly — WE CAN’T LOSE THOSE CLICKS!!!”

Here are six click-worthy series that premiered recently that you might have missed despite being perpetually housebound.

20-something alcoholic Samantha forced to sober up after drunkenly assaulting her boss (to be fair, he was asking for it — what’s wrong with a little day drinking?). Adding insult to injury, Samantha also has to move back in with her mother (Ally Sheedy, adding unexpected comic relief). Single Drunk Female occasionally veers into sad-core, but you can’t help but root for Samantha (sober or wasted).

YELLOWJACKETS SHOWTIME

No, it’s not a documentary about Brooklyn band TV on the Radio, but trivia props for remembering their lone hit. This Wolf Like Me stars Josh Gad as widowed father Gary, whose sad-dad life is brightened when he meets Mary (Isla Fisher), a cheery woman with a dark, closely held secret. Thanks to the show’s title, the implication here is that Mary’s a werewolf (spoiler: She totally is — she ate her ex-husband, too), making Wolf Like Me a supernatural rom-com where “baggage” takes on a whole new meaning. A light, fluffy and short watch.

Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci star in this dual-timeline hyper-drama about a ’90s high school girls soccer team that survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness and the trauma that continues 25 years later.

Following the crash, the Yellowjackets team devolved from a tight-knit group into violent, cannibalistic(!) factions. Needless to say, relations between the women present-day are strained and weird, and Lewis and Ricci are more than up to the challenge of strained and weird here. The teen cast is also frighteningly fantastic, as is the ’90s AF soundtrack.

PEACEMAKER HBO MAX

John Cena reprises his The Suicide Squad role as Peacemaker, the most erroneously named “hero” in the DC Universe — Shitshowmaker would be more accurate.

Writer/director James Gunn is also back, penning all eight episodes of this action-comedy that delves into the origin story of Peacemaker, the man who “loves peace, no matter how many men, women and children I need to kill to get it.” As with Yellowjackets, the ultra-profane Peacemaker’s music is practically a costar, cranking out hair-metal deep cuts like Cobra Kai on a coke bender.

MACGRUBER PEACOCK

Will Forte launched his gloriously stupid MacGyver knockoff as a Saturday Night Live bit in the early 2000s, culminating with the 2010 cult classic movie MacGruber (also available on Peacock). MacGruber the series picks up a decade later, with MacGruber (Forte) being released from prison to help the government take down supervillain Enos McQeeth (Billy Zane). Sidekicks Vicki (Kristen Wiig) and Dixon (Ryan Phillipe) are also back, and Forte takes this iteration of MacGruber into batshit free-jazz territory like it’s the last ride (which it probably is).

SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE FREEFORM, HULU And the show title of the month award goes to …

Single Drunk Female! This dark dramedy stars Sophia Black-D’Elia as

WOLF LIKE ME PEACOCK

STATION ELEVEN HBO MAX

This time-tripping drama about an international flu pandemic began production months prior to the real thing sweeping the planet — naturally, there’s some “Too soon?” trepidation about Station Eleven (see also: South Park: Post Covid). But Station Eleven’s pandemic is far more deadly and uncontainable than what we’ve experienced in reality over the past two years, so … relax and enjoy? Station Eleven’s postapocalyptic ensemble are basically performing a stage play for pandemic shut-ins. n

MacGruber

RED, WHITE AND BABALU BEING THE RICARDOS is sobering for fans of the ’50s I Love Lucy television show, around which the film revolves. It derails the laugh track to a beloved comedy still in reruns 65 years later by highlighting ugly stuff: racism, sexism, McCarthyism and network censorship over Lucille Ball’s pregnancy — a television first. Yet the film, now on Prime, offers insight into the lives of both the on- and off-screen couple, especially the myriad ways they shattered the status quo. Against the backdrop of America’s ’50s-era zeitgeist and it’s Trumbo-esque red stain, the film is a socio-political cautionary tale for modern audiences, too. (CARRIE SCOZZARO) VANNA DOWN

BY THE RIVER Pandemic times call for pandemic measures. While Spokane’s Vanna Oh!’s initial EP, Samples, was propelled by big, riff-heavy display of rock ’n’ roll bravado, that’s not exactly the vibe during a time of isolation and live gigs to release that energy. So she stripped things back. Vanna Oh!’s new self-produced EP, SAD MODE, finds the singer-songwriter in a more tender, folkier sonic mindset. The foursong collection finds her voice settling into a smokier place with emotionally drained warbles. Her feelings of loneliness and empathetic heartbreak shine through on tunes like “Missing You” and “Better For Worse,” where there’s little more backing than softly plucked acoustic guitar strings, a touch of bass and occasionally some charming whistling. Eventually, she gets some lead vocal help from Uh Oh and the Oh Wells singer James Bauscher (“Wasted”), and John Has Ellison joins the fray as a one-man rhythm section to turn the album-closing “You Know” into a Western folk jam. In sad times, company is better than solidarity. (SETH SOMMERFELD) THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online Feb 4: MITSKI, Laurel Hell. The indie queen follows up 2018’s Album of the Year (Be the Cowboy) with a collection of songs drawing inspiration from ’80s dance music.

2 CHAINZ, Dope Don’t Sell Itself. The rapper says this new release will be his last trap album, so fans best get their fix while they still can.

BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD, Ants From Up There. If you’re looking to put a bet on which band will be the next Arcade Fire, this extremely eclectic London septet could be a decent longshot gamble.

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 35

LOCAL GOODS

READY

When You Are A growing number of local businesses satisfy our appetite for convenience foods

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

C

onvenience foods are not new; all our ancestors found ways to preserve food for the long haul — drying, smoking, pickling, and eventually canning and chilling. By the time Clarence Birdseye invented the Fantastic Frozen Food Machine in 1925, America was hungry for ready-made meals.

The terms and conditions have changed over the years, like when Swanson Company coined “TV dinners,” but the premise is the same: Convenience foods reduce our time making meals.

Convenience might not necessarily mean quality, however, so 10 years ago, startups like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron carved a niche by focusing on nutrition and taste. Meal kit companies got a boost in 2020 — hello, COVID — with people avoiding dining out or in-store food shopping, or lacking the energy for making meals.

Although national brands still lead in an industry estimated to be worth $11.6 billion, competition is increasing, including from local companies.

FRESH PLATE

3818 N. Nevada St., freshplatemarket.com In 2014, Barb and Floyd Pagarigan relocated themselves and their food truck, the Bistro Box, to Spokane. They also created the Fresh Plate Market for their catering business. And in 2021, the couple added a meal service, offering ready-to-eat food: appetizers, grazing boards, desserts, entrees, salads and more. In addition, Fresh Plate offers fresh-frozen and oven-ready items for pickup or delivery like chicken cordon bleu and beef short rib pot pie ($10-$16).

Vegan, vegetarian, paleo and other dietary accommodations are available, as is delivery within 20 miles of Fresh Plate Market ($20 minimum order).

If you happen to be at Washington State University’s Health Sciences campus in Spokane, check out the Fresh Plate cafe there, which is also soon to begin offering meals-to-go.

FRESH TODAY CATERING AND BAKING

Lucid Roots has been offering its healthy, ready-to-eat meals since 2018. COURTESY PHOTO

36 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

1014 N. Pines Rd., Spokane Valley, facebook.com/freshtodaycatering Whoever said “less is more” might have been talking about Karen and Tracy McLaughlin, who started their meal prep and catering company last year after the couple shed a combined several hundred pounds of weight.

Fresh Today features multi-portion, cooked meals like beef stroganoff or chicken carnitas ($45-$50), as well as a la carte items for local delivery or pickup. The other side of the business, throughthickorthin.com, offers fitness-focused options including custom meal plans geared towards weight management.

‘ T I O S s

KAIROS MEAL PREP

1014 N. Pines Road, Spokane Valley, kairosmealprep.com Kairos is Greek for an opportune time. It’s also the name of a new Spokane-based meal service created by two fitness-minded friends, Daniel Wee and Zach Helfenstein. In 2020, the duo formed Kairos Meal Prep, teaching themselves how to cook, assisted greatly by his mother, says Helfenstein.

Kairos’ offers 20 eye-catching meals like tri-tip and asparagus or cashew chicken stir fry in standard or extra-large portions ($10.50-$16). The subscription service calculates the price according to the quantity of daily meals. Five days at one entrée per day, for example, is $62.50. Local delivery is available ($8 and up).

“When it comes to healthy nutrition, each day is an opportunity to become a better version of yourself,” says Wee.

LUCID ROOTS

lucidroots.com In 2018, LucidRoots’ chef-owner Dani Lundquist added soup and bread to her salad line, creating family dinners available from October through April when she’s not at the Kootenai Farmers Market. Lucid Roots’ family meals feature plant-based soups such as vegan zuppa toscana, plus salads, and sourdough bread from MAK Bread, a fellow North Idaho business.

Lucid Roots’ family meals are designed to feed two to four people ($30-$55) and include delivery as far north as Rathdrum, Idaho, and west to Spokane. Items can also be ordered a la carte, with free delivery for $20 minimum orders.

MAMA’S TAKE AND BAKE DINNERS

1202 W. Northwest Blvd., facebook.com/mamastakeandbake Mama, in this case, is Ashley Crutchfield, who’s cooking up comfort foods based on her husband’s family recipes like readymade “smothered” burritos with ground beef or chicken alfredo ($12/single, $24/serves two; $49/serves four). Mama’s also makes cooked pizzas ($14-$18). Check the menu on Facebook, and call or text to order, or show up during business hours to order onsite: Mon-Fri from 1-7 pm, Sat from 2-6 pm.

PANTRY FUEL

pantryfuel.com Nutrition and wellness consultant Jennifer Stuchell (nee Van Cott) started Pantry Fuel in 2015 focusing on locally sourced, healthy, gluten-free meals. She has since expanded with more options: a la carte ($11-$15), three to five single-serve entrees ($40-$70), familysize portions (starting at $38) or weekly meal plans ($40-$66).

The rotating selection of meals, such as chicken tikka masala over spiced rice, can be tailored further to have more protein, be dairyfree or vegetarian.

Delivery is available through Treehouse ($30 minimum order). Meals can also be picked up at Incrediburger & Eggs.

Stuchell isn’t just the founder of Pantry Fuel; the new mother is also a customer. “It really eases the stress of making dinner or lunches daily while trying to care for an infant and work full time.”

THE SUPPER CLUB

1908 W. Northwest Blvd. letmarthamakeit.com Martha Domitrovich created The Supper Club in late 2019 with scratch-made frozen meals from single to family size servings.

The self-taught cook has since expanded the business to include all manner of momli-ness including goodie-boxes, such as for a student or neighbor ($50-$140) and a typically cheesy, comfortinducing meal she calls “mom love in a vintage casserole” ($50).

A la carte breakfast and dinner entrees arrive in frozen or kit form, such as chili rellenos or sausage and lentil soup (kit) with cooking instructions that might require some assembly ($60/single, $75-80/two; $130/family). Meals are available for pickup or contactless local delivery ($5), including a Spokane Valley pickup site.

There are no minimum order requirements, Domitrovich says. “The whole point for me is less about making money and more about making sure everyone is fed.” n

TAQUERIA

MORE MEALS FERRANTE’S MARKETPLACE

CAFÉ in Spokane is one of many local businesses that offers ready-made meals in addition to other types of meals or services.

In addition to on-site dining, cooked meals from Ferrante’s dinner menu are available, some of which can instead be specified as oven-ready. Ferrante’s also stocks a grab-and-go cooler with oven-ready meals, such as ravioli with vodka sauce and calzone.

Find more at doitalian.com.

— CARRIE SCOZZARO More meals available from the following: BEACON HILL CATERING AND EVENTS Rotating meal kits ($40-$50), brownies ($12) COLE’S BAKERY & CAFE Pizza ($22.50+) EAT GOOD GROUP Meal kits ($13, in select grocery stores; eatlikeachef.com) FERRARO’S ITALIAN Lasagna, pasta bakes ($50-$100) GREEN’S FRESH MARKET Lasagna ($13) MAIN MARKET CO+OP Chicken pot pie ($13); pizza ($14-$16); pasta bakes, entrees ($9) MAMMA MIA’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT & CATERING Lasagna, pasta bakes ($8-$100) MARKETPLACE RESTAURANT & AMISH STORE Take-and-bake ($16-$22) MOSCOW FOOD CO-OP Chicken pot pie ($17); pizza ($11-$16); pasta bakes ($10-$14) MY FRESH BASKET Pizza ($10.50+), Single portion ready-to-cook meat and veggie packs ($5.50+) PILGRIM’S MARKET Gluten-free pizza ($15) WINTER RIDGE NATURAL FOODS MARKET Pizza ($13-$16); pasta bakes, entrees ($8-$13)

OUR LOCATION TOTALLY SUCKS! BUT, WE HAVE

707 W MAIN AVE (2nd FLOOR) - DOWNTOWN SPOKANE MON - FRI : 11:00AM - 7:00PM

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FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 37

FOOD | OPENING

House-made pasta at the newly revived Steam Plant has been a popular introduction.

ALYSSA HUGHES PHOTO

Back in the Stacks The historic Steam Plant’s central eatery is back open under new ownership

BY CHEY SCOTT

H

ead to the recently reopened Steam Plant Restaurant and Pub inside its historic, once-industrial building in the heart of downtown, and you may feel time hasn’t skipped a beat.

Though the restaurant shut down at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and remained on an extended hiatus until late last fall, an opportunity for change presented itself.

Formerly owned by Avista Corps, the Steam Plant venue, with its iconic twin stacks lending a uniqueness to the Spokane skyline, last year sold to local real estate developer Jerry Dicker. Owner of numerous other downtown properties, including the historic Bing Crosby Theater, Dicker brought the Steam Plant’s recently refurbished (as of 2018, after a $4 million renovation of the entire facility) restaurant back online in November 2021.

With an opening menu crafted by chef Tyler Shales, whose résumé includes the venerable but long-gone Sante, Steam Plant’s new menu includes house-made pasta dishes ($18-$24) and traditional entrees (grilled ribeye steak, seasonal fish and roasted chicken; $24-$38), plus handhelds ($12-$15), salads ($10), pizza ($15-$16) and more.

38 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

While Shales’ time at Steam Plant was short — he recently left for other opportunities, passing his executive chef duties on to Teresa Lefebvre — general manager Jeff Cooney expects the menu to continue featuring many of his introductions. One of those is handmade pasta, which has quickly become a customer favorite.

Lefebvre comes to Steam Plant by way of Northern Quest Resort & Casino, where she was executive sous chef for its restaurant portfolio.

Cooney, meanwhile, was general manager of the restaurant when Avista owned it, and was asked by Dicker to stay on through the transition.

“I’ve been in the restaurant industry my entire life, and Teresa is a fantastic chef,” Cooney says. “I am very excited to work with her.”

While not much had to be changed in the restaurant since it was modernized four years ago, Dicker made some minor upgrades to improve the service flow and guests’ experience.

For the menu, Cooney says Dicker wants to ensure

as much as possible is prepared fresh.

Hence the made-in-house pasta, plus the dough for its wood-fired pizza, and even ice cream for dessert.

Another change at the Steam Plant, both on the operational and menu side, is a new partnership with Grain Shed Brewing, which is utilizing an attached brewery space formerly home to Steam Plant Brewery. Accordingly, the partnership means several of the restaurant’s tap handles are reserved for Grain Shed’s beers made with regionally sourced ingredients.

Cooney says the restaurant is currently open for dinner only. Happy hour, meanwhile, offered daily both early (4 to 6 pm) and late (9 pm to midnight), has been a hit with the downtown crowd. On special for happy hour, craft cocktails are $11, with a house wine list and well cocktails for $5. All beer is $5-$6, and a selection of shareable food items range from $7-$13. n Steam Plant Restaurant & Brew Pub • 159 S. Lincoln St. • Open Tue-Sat 4-9 pm • steamplantspokane.com/ dining • 509-777-3900

Three courses — with a side of rewards.

STCU is proud to sponsor Inlander Restaurant week in support of local restaurants.

To celebrate, you can earn up to 5x points when you use your STCU rewards credit card at restaurants and bars from February 24 – March 5.

Redeem your points for cash back, gift cards, and more!

Details at stcu.org/dining.* *

Purchases at qualifying restaurants and bars only; offer excludes fast-food. Bonus points promotion runs February 24 through March 5, 2022. Points vary depending on which STCU rewards card you use: Rewards World cards earn up to 3x points; Premier Rewards World cards earn up to 5x points.

Reward points typically awarded within three business days after your qualifying transaction posts to your account. Earned points on purchases never expire, with at least one purchase every 24 months.

Bonus points expire one year from date awarded. All loans subject to approval.

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 39

REVIEW

DULL ROAR

ALSO OPENING JACKASS FOREVER

Somehow 20 years have passed since Johnny Knoxville and his crew of amateur daredevils moved their schtick from MTV to the big screen. This is the fourth feature-length Jackass, and this one includes some new blood. Probably a lot of it. (DN) Rated R

MOONFALL

Halle Berry is a NASA scientist who has to join forces with an ex-astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and a conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) to save Earth when the moon is knocked off its orbit and suddenly is heading to destroy the planet. (DN) Rated PG-13

40 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

YOU’RE INVITED! – FEB 5 PAIRING WITH PARASPORT An evening of Celebration & Story Telling to help support our mission, Athletes with integrity using sports as a Cataylst for Life.

Cute animals aren’t enough to carry family adventure The Wolf and the Lion

BY JOSH BELL

Adorableness can only get you so far.

L

ike a reverse-engineered version of one of those “unlikely animal friends” viral videos, The Wolf and the Lion features actual wolves and actual lions that were raised together for the express purpose of starring in this poorly written family film.

The interactions between the animals, especially when they’re little, are cute enough to briefly elicit the same response as those short, plot-free videos. But the human characters are much less interesting, and the novelty of seeing the title characters bonding wears off as they grow from cuddly babies to ferocious adult predators.

Husband-and-wife filmmaking team Gilles and Prune de Maistre (Mia and the White Lion) seem to have put more thought into crafting their animal team-up than they did into character development or coherent plotting. Molly Kunz stars as Alma, a music student of indeterminate age and education level who returns to her family’s private island after the death of her grandfather.

Alma looks like an adult, but she studies piano at a conservatory where the students all wear uniforms like high schoolers. She’s preparing for what she calls an “exam” that seems to also double as an audition for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, even though her school is in New York City.

Her family background is similarly flimsy, but it’s all just irrelevant pretext to get Alma to the point of adopting a wolf pup and a lion cub. She inherits her grandfather’s island and cabin in rural Canada, where her nearest neighbor is reachable only by boat.

There, she discovers that her late grandfather had befriended a snow wolf, who’s comfortable enough to enter the house and approach humans. The wolf brings her young pup along with her, to hide out from a pair of scientists who want to track the endangered wolves for conservation purposes.

Meanwhile, a small plane carrying an abducted lion cub bound for a circus crashes on Alma’s land, and the lion cub escapes (the human pilot is briefly mentioned and never seen again).

Alma’s eternally patient godfather, Joe (Graham Greene), urges her to let the local wildlife service take care of the animals, but she ignores him, instead raising the pair essentially as pets, once the mother snow wolf is captured by the scientists.

That’s a lot of awkward narrative maneuvering just to get Alma in place to take care of two animals who would never otherwise interact with each other. Kunz does her best to make Alma’s motivations believable, even if she comes off as more selfish and deluded than nurturing. She names the wolf Mozart and the lion Dreamer, and the movie delivers some amusing shenanigans as the young animals get used to living with Alma.

The second half of the movie switches gears, presumably in part because the older, more dangerous animals could only have limited interactions with the human THE WOLF actors. After Molly gets injured accidentally, Mozart and Dreamer are taken AND THE LION from her — Mozart sent to live with his Rated PG Directed by Gilles de Maistre mother at a sanctuary for endangered Starring Molly Kunz, Graham wolves, and Dreamer returned to the circus he was initially intended for. The Greene, Charlie Carrick de Maistres throw in a late-breaking subplot about the circus owner’s relationship with his sensitive son, and there’s some half-hearted, chaste sexual tension between Alma and flustered scientist Eli (Charlie Carrick).

Both the characterization and the dialogue are stiff and clumsy, and the sweeping shots of the Canadian wilderness can only compensate for so much. The animals’ quest to return home is unevenly paced and lacks excitement, and the eventual heartwarming message is muddled and a little disingenuous.

Those silly viral videos are more satisfying, and a lot less timeconsuming to watch. n

SILENT AUCTION • VIRTUAL BIDDING DRINKS • DINNER At Historic Flight Foundation 5829 E. Rutter Ave., Felts Field Flight Center, Spokane, WA

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FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 41

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Alan Ritchson is ready to kick ass as Jack Reacher.

The Un-Cruising Actor Alan Ritchson talks taking over Jack Reacher role for new Amazon streaming series

BY CHASE HUTCHINSON

I MOVIE TIMES on

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Every Theater. Every Movie. All in one place.

42 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

n 2012, the first of two Tom Cruise movies came out that saw the actor attempt to embody the famed character Jack Reacher. In the astounding 26 novels from author Lee Child, Reacher stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 250 pounds.

His gargantuan figure is part of his character, something the 5-foot-7 Cruise just couldn’t capture.

Now the story is getting a fresh take as part of a new eight-episode show, Reacher, arriving Friday, Feb. 4, on Amazon Prime. The show marks the official un-Cruise-ification of the character and the arrival of the charming — and large — Alan Ritchson in the role.

Speaking to Ritchson, you’re struck by how committed he was to taking on this role. The actor, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, wanted to embody Reacher in any way he could.

“His physicality is definitely a character in and of itself,” Ritchson tells the Inlander. “I have a larger frame, but Reacher is a superhero of mythical proportions. I wanted to lean into that so I bulked up a little bit.”

Beyond beefing up, Ritchson also sat down to read the Reacher novels. Not just one or two — all of them.

“I picked up the books and, you know, in eight months I’d read them all,” Ritchson says.

“I’m the biggest Reacher fan of anybody. I’ll fight anybody over that title.”

If the show is any indication, that pledge shouldn’t be taken lightly. Ritchson as Reacher is a machine, able to take down anyone who wrongs him or others. He is a force for justice in a world gone awry who uses his wits and strength in equal measure.”

“On a personal level, I just relate to who he is. He’s a big dude,” Ritchson says. “He’s kind

of a smartass. He uses all that to sort of almost entertain himself at times. That just makes for a lot of fun, and I wanted to see that come to life.”

Part of that involved Ritchson taking on many of his own stunts.

“I wanted to make sure that the fans are getting their money’s worth. When you have your stunt person do any of the stunts, it has to be shot in a way where as an audience we kind of realize what is happening. Audiences are far too savvy these days to not know what we’re doing when we’re hiding somebody’s face,” Ritchson said. “I like to be able to get in there and show that this is really happening. It keeps us invested.

We’re never pulled out of the story.”

That doesn’t come without risks. One stunt where Ritchson had to make a jump wearing Reacher’s preferred footwear made things a little dicey.

“If I had sneakers on, the confidence is there.

Reacher wears these boots the whole time,” Ritchson says. “You got a little bit of a heel that might snag the rail. I feel the shoes that I have are the only thing making me feel nervous.”

As for what the character represents in 2022, Ritcher believes Reacher can capture something deeper about our need for a figure who can restore some balance to our world.

“We all crave a Reacher in our life. We live in a world that is so broken. We look around and see so much corruption. There is such a need for that knight errant to come in and help us,” Ritchson says. “We get to live vicariously through him in a way that’s satisfying. I think that’s why it crosses so many international borders. I mean, everybody from all walks of life, women and men, young and old, any country, creed, we can all enjoy Reacher because I think we need him.” n

Santo spending some time in the yard, minus the sale.

SINGER-SONGWRITER

Everything Must Go Roots rocker Suzanne Santo sheds the old and embraces the new with Yard Sale

T

he world changes quickly. It’s all about how you adapt.

In June 2019, Suzanne Santo was on stage in front of a mass of humanity tens of thousands deep, playing guitar alongside Hozier during a mainstage set at the Glastonbury Festival.

In 2020, she was holed up at home taking online fiddle lessons with a bunch of tweens.

Life keeps you on your toes.

That theme permeates Santo’s 2021 album Yard Sale.

The album came in the wake of a whirlwind period in Santo’s life. In the course of a few years, she put a halt to her Americana band Honeyhoney, suffered some relationship heartbreak, toured the world in Hozier’s band, moved from L.A. to Austin, and fell in love anew. And when she got sick of the cycle of packing and repacking all her emotional baggage, she turned it to song and purged it by scattering it across her proverbial yard for everyone to see.

BY SETH SOMMERFELD “The songs were really accumulated over a lot of life,” Santo says. “And [Yard Sale] really is an unpacking of that time. There’s also that metaphor of when a woman accidentally spills her purse over, and her shit’s all over the ground, and people are like, ‘Yard sale!’ I kind of gave you a look into my purse. [laughs] Not that there’s anything weird in there.”

Santo’s genre-blurring songwriting on Yard Sale keeps things sonically engaging. One moment she’ll tap into some haunting Americana soul (“Over and Over Again”), and then she’ll throw out a dirty rock tune with a slow-brooding stomp beat (“Bad Beast”). A tune with a slinking blues riff will open up into a bluegrass chorus (“Mercy”), or a folk tune will have a menacing distorted guitar tone growling in the background (“Goldrush”). She also brings in some of her noted Austinite musical pals. Gary Clark Jr. spices up “Fall for That” with some hot licks, and Shakey Graves adds smokey flavor to “Afraid of Heights.” It’s an eclectic

mix. Then again, Santo’s stylistic smoothie of folk, rock, blues, pop, Americana and roots music has long been hard to pigeonhole.

“I used to make cheeky jokes,” Santo says. “People would be like, ‘What kind of music you play?’ The kind your mama don’t like! But then I had to come up with better things that didn’t make me look like an asshole.”

I

n the pursuit of growing her sound, the aforementioned digital fiddle lessons came about after some nudging by her Nashville fiddle pal Phoebe Hunt.

What started as an exercise in skill enhancement turned into quite the atypical pandemic diversion.

“During COVID, I took online fiddle lessons, and it was one of the best moves I’ve made in a while,” Santo says. “Because when you take a little time and find a teacher to get better, it’s endless. It’ll never be over. You can always learn something new.” ...continued on next page

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 43

MUSIC | SINGER-SONGWRITER “EVERYTHING MUST GO,” CONTINUED...

“I was taking fiddle lessons with like 12-year-old savants,” she notes. “I can be lazy about that stuff, [because] I can always pick up the violin and make it sound good. But these kids were virtuoso virtuosos. I think the oldest kid on the lesson was, like, 16.

So I got to be this old, crusty road dog talking about my life on the road. And then they’re like, ‘Yeah, I got an algebra test I gotta study for,’ or whatever. [laughs]” It’s actually the same approach she takes when taking gigs as a support musician for the likes of Hozier. It’s a chance to hone one’s abilities just to the side of the spotlight.

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Healing Harmonies A Benefit Concert for Cancer Care Northwest Foundation

Thursday, February 24 8:00 pm

24 Top Ten Records

COLLIN RAYE One of the true hit makers of the 1990’s with 16 #1 singles

“It’s really a great opportunity to learn something and kind of embody an apprentice role,” she says. “The rewarding feeling of supporting someone else is really a luxury. I mean, I love being a frontwoman and writing my own music and having that responsibility, but when you’re a hired gun, it’s very different. I get to funnel my energy differently. And I’m always learning something new, especially when you’re literally learning someone else’s music, it’s always gonna expand your musicianship in positive ways.”

“When I was in Hozier, I had to play a lot of his guitar parts that were really complicated. He has a unique picking style, and it took me a long time to really get it,” Santo adds. “So [now] I’m really using my hands in ways that can expand the way that I play.

When I left the tour and I started writing again, I was just playing different guitar parts — I had a new upgrade.”

Now back to her own solo work, she’s ready to show off those upgrades and finally take Yard Sale on the road.

“I really am playing every show like I’m going to die tomorrow,” Santo says. “Not because of COVID, but because I got to experience what it’s like to have it all taken away from us.”

Santo’s proved she can adapt, but now she’s focused on living in the moment. n Suzanne Santo, Izzi Ray • Fri, Feb. 4 at 8 pm • $18 • Lucky You Lounge • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • luckyyoulounge.com • 509-474-0511

Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox 1001 W Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA

Over 30ED COMBINles #1 Sing

THE FRONTMEN OF COUNTRY

Featuring lead singers of Lonestar, Restless Heart, and Little Texas

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! foxtheaterspokane.org Presented By:

Proceeds from the concert will be donated to Cancer Care Northwest Foundation, to support local cancer patients. Learn more at CCNWF.org

44 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

Santo is walking her own musical path.

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UPCOMING SHOWS THE FLYNN EFFECT, EAZZ, NATHAN CHARTREY, JOSHUA BELLIARDO, BBD YELLA, JU, BENDI Fri, Feb. 4 at 6:30 pm The Big Dipper $10 MOTHER YETI, PIT, MAMA LLAMA Sat, Feb. 5 at 8 pm Lucky You Lounge $12 SPOKANE SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS: PICTURED WITHIN Sat, Feb. 5 at 8 pm & Sun, Feb. 6 at 3 pm Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox $19-$62 DONAVON FRANKENREITER, MATT GRUNDY Sun, Feb. 6 at 8 pm Lucky You Lounge $23-$26 DINOSAUR JR., PINK MOUNTAINTOPS Mon, Feb. 7 at 8 pm Knitting Factory $28 THURSDAY, CURSIVE, JEREMY ENIGK, THE APPLESEED CAST, NATE BERGMAN Thu, Feb. 10 at 7 pm Knitting Factory $28-$30

A MESSAGE TO ANY NON-BILLIONAIRES OUT THERE. COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL PERSONAL

If you own a business and still pay taxes, chances are this message is for you. We’re Wheatland Bank. And we pay taxes too. So we’re here for business owners whose hobbies don’t involve space travel. In fact, we’ve earmarked more than $100 million to help grow your company right here on planet Earth. Which sounds kind of folksy when you put it in print.

EVERGREEN AFRO DUB ORCHESTRA, SKILLET JONES, MILONGA Fri, Feb. 11 at 8 pm The Big Dipper $8 Be sure to check with venues about vaccination/COVID test requirements.

Relationships you can count on.

EQUAL HOUSING LENDER | Member FDIC

wheatland.bank

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 45

Be sure to check with event organizers about vaccination/COVID test requirements.

MUSIC SAFE FOR SOLOS

The 2005 reunion of the original Dinosaur Jr. is one of the more unlikely happy endings in modern rock, an out-ofnowhere reunification of ’80s indie-rock favorites guitarist J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow (also of Sebadoh) and drummer Murph after nearly 20 years apart. And while it’s thrilling to hear the trio fire up old faves from albums like 1987’s You’re Living All Over Me, they’ve been surprisingly productive creating new music since they got back together. 2021’s Sweep It Into Space is their fifth album since getting back together, and for the most part the sound remains the same as the old days: Mascis delivered laconic vocals over often thrilling, expansive guitar solos while Barlow contributes energetic tunes here and there. Their live shows have always been pretty great, and they recently put out a tasty live collection, Emptiness at the Sinclair, you can stream to get ready for their Spokane show.

— DAN NAILEN Dinosaur Jr. with Pink Mountaintops • Mon, Feb. 7 at 8 pm • $27.50 • All ages • Knitting Factory • 919 W. Sprague Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com • 509-244-3279

46 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

COMEDY FAMILIAR FACE

FILM BITE ME!

David Koechner • Thu, Feb. 3 at 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat, Feb. 4-5 at 7:30 and 10:30 pm • $20-$33 • Spokane Comedy Club • 315 W. Sprague Ave. • spokanecomedyclub.com • 509-318-9998

F.E.A.R. - Forget Everything and Run • Sat, Feb. 5 at 7 pm • $10 • Panida Theater • 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • panida.org • 208-263-9191

You probably know David Koechner’s work even if you don’t know him by name. After all, you’ve binged The Office like every good American has, and he’s Todd Packer, one of Michael Scott’s oldest Dunder Mifflin buddies. He also played sports news dude Champ Kind in Anchorman, and regularly pops up in various Will Ferrell projects and TV comedies like The Goldbergs. You get the idea — Koechner gets around in comedy circles, and that includes touring the country and hitting standup stages, where his life as a father of five, repertoire of celebrity impressions and experiences among friends much more famous than he provides fodder for serious laughs.

— DAN NAILEN

This film screening, doubling as a fundraiser for the Panida Theater, is an action thriller that shows one community’s reaction to a deadly pandemic. (Sound familiar?) F.E.A.R., which stands for Forget Everything and Run, was filmed pre-COVID, which gives the film a secondary layer of eeriness apart from the zombie element. It’s been compared to A Quiet Place, The Walking Dead and The Revenant.

The film (rated R) follows one family trying to survive after a virus ravages their mountain community; now they’re facing starvation, the bitter cold and countless other dangers. After the screening, stay for a Q&A session with the film’s cinematographer, Jimmy Matlosz.

— MADISON PEARSON

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2 9 TH

L ANNUA

COMMUNITY EYE OF THE TIGER

For the first time in nearly nine decades, community members can come together for a big outdoor celebration of the Lunar New Year. While it’s largely celebrated across East Asia, Lunar New Year celebrations are unique events in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Tibetan and Mongolian cultures. The 2022 Lunar New Year began on Feb. 1, and ushered in the Year of the Tiger, per China’s zodiac. Celebrate and learn more about your neighbors who observe its passing during Spokane’s first community Lunar New Year festival in 89 years, offering live performances, vendors, food trucks, crafts, demonstrations and a COVID-19 vaccine clinic, plus a fireworks show at 7 pm.

The event’s return is of special importance to the local Asian community, as the celebration’s hiatus since the mid-1930s was driven by racism against them. Its return now marks a transition to healing and reconciliation.

— CHEY SCOTT Lunar New Year Celebration • Sat, Feb. 5 from 1-7 pm • Free • All ages • Riverfront Park • 507 N. Howard St. • spokaneunitedwestand.org

T O S E F B d Northwe n a l n I e h st T

READERS POLL

M o re

VISUAL ARTS FEB FOUR

Is it spring yet? Close enough at Avenue West Gallery, where Lindsey Davis Johnson’s floral paintings (pictured) featured for February’s First Friday arts showcase preserve, she says, “prayers, wishes and daydreams as a thanks to the plants for neutralizing the energetic air.” Photographer Thatcher Felt is also featured. At Dean Davis Photography, Andrew Parker’s mesmerizing, mixed-media compositions are on display in the solo show titled Flux.

Meanwhile, at Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, About the Earth offers a tributary last glimpse of ceramics by longtime Gonzaga University educator Terry Gieber, who died in February 2021.

— CARRIE SCOZZARO First Friday • Fri, Feb. 4 from 5-8 pm • Locations throughout Spokane vary • Details at firstfridayspokane.org

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BestOf.Inlander.com FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 47

JEERS RE: JEERS TO JEERS Jeers to Jeers had some really good points in last week’s Inlander “newspaper,” but I have a better idea for the beer section. Call it Hop Culture. I agree about the Jeers section.

It’s not interesting. It fits a lot of Spokane though. Dumb!

POPE IS STRAIGHT TRASH You read it right. You’re straight trash. Just like your weird beard ass beaux. Eff that hockey doooooooosh.

I SAW YOU DIRTY DEEDS DONE Lest he forgets you, thank you SO much for the photos you sent to him!! It reminds me how trashy and addicted he still is!! The substance is “gone,” but now, he’s got you!! And it’s SO much cheaper than what he was spending, previously. The “treatment” clearly isn’t “working,” but perhaps the addiction specialist doesn’t understand: “co-occurring”...p---ography. Hard to disguise what you’re offering, but the dishonest deceit, he’s dishing out in oneon-one’s, may have been missed, because she didn’t ask!! Perhaps the charm is working there, too...two. I hope you’ve hooked it up, up there, all dirty, desperate, and disgusting. You’ve been trying to get his attention for some time! “Yayyyy,.... you!!”,...and thanks again. Saves any wondering what’s been goin’ on. Certainly clear as a nak*d day in May!! Have fun being so dis-respectfully disgusting. Both of you....all of you.

CHEERS PROPS TO TED S. MCGREGOR JR. ...for his excellent essay on peace (Nov. 24, 2021) which gave great historical information about Quakers. And guess what? There is a Quaker community right here in Spokane. They hang out at 1612 W. Dalke and have a website (spokanefriends.com).

SOUND OFF

SO MUCH TRASH!! To all the businesses down Sprague both ways... I can’t believe all the garbage and filth that are on your properties! That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with the Spokane Valley so much, because it was clean!

REMEMBERING THE FLOOD God, being the creator of all we know, has an incomprehensible level of intelligence.

The Bible says that God created man in his image. Therefore man was gifted with great intelligence also. People who are willfully stupid must be a great disappointment to God, since they are no longer godlike. God gave humanity great intelligence so we could solve the challenges He has thrown at us, like creating vaccines to save our lives. If you are disdaining the value of learning and science and intelligence, then you are an affront to God’s creation, and He sent COVID-19 as the deadly expression of His disappointment. For God’s sake, quit your willful stupidity and get vaccinated.

Getting vaccinated is doing God’s work.

RE: FALSE GONZAGA GODS & MASK UP MAN Jeers to the fools who still believe the silliness that has been thrust upon us the last several years (False Gonzaga Gods and Mask Up Man). The reason 146.6 million Americans have already been infected with the coronavirus (CDC data as of January 27, 2022) is because masks only provide MINIMAL protection against spread of ANY virus. More important than wearing a mask is maintaining good hygiene, washing your hands frequently (just as mom told you), and avoiding crowds while a virus is circulating widely.

Many people continue to get the virus

while mask wearing is in force. Pointing fingers at respectable people like Mr. Few and Mr. Stockton for one mistake (as if you haven’t made any) and a personal opinion is foolish. I’m certain they don’t read your nonsense and even if they did, they wouldn’t say this because they’ve both got too much class whereas I don’t. So, I’ll say it for them: “Up yours. Get a life!”

“

HIGH COST OF HELPING So, the City of Spokane has recently spent $500K to shelter 350+/- people for, what, a month or so at the convention center? With a

are so much better than the barista scum.

Are you so much better than the baristas working behind the counter and every individual out there? For Gods sake, pick up after yourself next time, and leave the baristas a tip, slobs.

THERE WASN’T EVEN A ROOF? Jeers to the play about the fiddler that was on the

”

People who are willfully stupid must be a great disappointment to God...

SPOKANE’S REPORT CARD Recently it has been disclosed that in over 20 years there has NOT been one unwarranted shooting

by SPD (Spokane Police Department).

Taken on face value that would be an accomplishment. This of course is reported by the Very Same people that would have had to prosecute anyone that had shot someone unlawfully. So, NO conflict of interest there. WOW 20 years and NOTHING! Now fast forward to a very recent (Tuesday Jan 18, 2022) rather surprisingly well-written article in the local City paper. The VERY SAD story of Mr. Joe Riley, family man and business owner, FALSELY accused of beating a man to death. Before he even went to trial, his name was released and — through Very Poor detective work coupled with the equally poor Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s work — he sat in jail for two weeks. Come to find out he wasn’t even NEAR where this poor guy was beaten to death, but his name was thoroughly run through the mud. So now he has lost friends and business AND!! owes a whole lot of people that DID help him out thousands of dollars! All because of said bad police and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office work! He’s suing (and Good Luck to Him), but the likelihood of him winning anything that would even come close to rectifying what has happened to him? Nil. In this city the people not only don’t want to be informed about this kind of ordeal, but they also won’t stand up and Yell BS when something like NO unwarranted shootings in 20 years is reported! They

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.”

48 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

would rather complain about someone Not wearing a mask or how banal Cheer and Jeers section has become! Final grade for the people? D-

mere $110,000 dollars damage to the building. THAT’S a bargain! This is getting to look like Portland and Seattle more every day! Everyone is screaming for housing for these people, but when it is offered and provided, the vandalism outweighs the NO appreciation! I’m sorry these people are in need. We have ALL made BAD decisions in our lives. What irks me is that I’VE had to pick myself up and dig myself out of my own horse manure EACH TIME! Any hand that would have been extended to me would have been Greatly appreciated and the person Thanked Profusely! Show a person how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.

Helping someone is NOT just handing them something for nothing — it costs $500K with $110K damage!

TO THE MOMS WITH BABIES AND BUNS To the moms with babies and buns that were Karens when going into the Rocket bakery on Argonne Sunday, Jan. 30.

We saw how you treated the very kind baristas; we were the kind couple behind you, gasping at your cold attitude to our favorite baristas. First, super short and rude to them. Asking for extra and neither of you tipping a penny. The baristas still remained super calm and kind to your every request. And then, “to our shock,” you left your trash, a whole bannana bread slice squished on the floor, plates and your chairs sprawled out as you left the store. When they said “Have a good day,” you ignored them with your noses three inches in the air, pretending you

roof. Me and my girlfriend’s went out to see your music show last week. I don’t think I even remember seeing a roof. I had my eyes peeled for a roof the whole time. I kept expecting the fiddle guy to climb onto a roof, but I would get bored and doze off. We saw Cats awhile back, and that was incredible obviously. It’s about cats. This was not really about a fiddler or a roof; it was more about like a bunch of people who did various stuff. It was honestly too much for me to keep up with. My girls were visiting from Florida (Pensacola) and looking forward to a nice weekend, but oh well. We were pretty “buzzed,” and the show was not even that fun. If your show can’t entertain drunk people, then is it really any good? The part with the Gwen Stefani song was much needed, but they did it weird. Rest assured that next time if my girls are visiting again and we want to do something as a group next time, we will be doing something else... n

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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.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

FREE REIN THERAPEUTIC RIDING ANNUAL AUCTION & DINNER The annual auction and dinner allows Free Rein Therapeutic Riding to continue providing adaptive and therapeutic horsemanship programs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Feb. 5, 5-8:30 pm. $50.

Shriners Event Center, 7217 W. Westbow Blvd. freereinspokane.com/2022auction/ PAIRING WITH PARASPORT An evening of celebration and storytelling to help support ParaSport Spokane’s mission. Includes a silent auction, drinks and dinner.

Feb. 5, 5:30-9 pm. $75-$600. Historic Flight Foundation, 5829 E. Rutter Ave. parasportspokane.org (509-535-6000) TASTE SPOKANE Wishing Star Foundation’s 16th annual event raises funds for local children battling a terminal or lifethreatening illness. This year’s event, Evening Under the Stars, offers small sips and samples from area restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries, plus live music by The Moops, dancing, a paddle raise and prizes. Cocktail attire; ages 21+. Feb. 12, 6:30-10 pm. $100. Northern Quest, 100 N. Hayford Rd. wishingstar. org/TasteSpokane (509-744-3411)

COMEDY

DAVID KOECHNER David Koechner, most well-known for his roles in Anchorman and The Office, performs stand-up comedy for a three-night engagement.

Feb. 3, 7:30 pm, Feb. 4-5 at 7:30 & 10:30 pm. $20-$33. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com I SAW YOU! Join the Blue Door Theatre Players as they pull the comedy from the “Cheers and Jeers/I Saw You” p​​ ostings in the Inlander. Fridays in Feb. at 7:30 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com SAFARI A “Whose Line”-esque, fastpaced short-form improv show with a few twists and turns added, based on audience suggestions. For mature audiences. Saturdays at 7:30 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (509-747-7045) NATIVE AMERICAN COMEDY NIGHT A night of comedy featuring Kasey “Rezzalicious” Nicholson and Auntie Beachress. Feb. 6, 4:30 pm. $25-$60.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com RACHEL FEINSTEIN Rachel has had three Comedy Central specials and her past credits include Trainwreck, Top Five, and HBO’s Last Week Tonight with

John Oliver. Feb. 11-12, 7:30 & 10:30 pm. $20-$28. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com PHILLIP KOPCZYNSKI Eastern Washington native Phillip Kopczynski and friends Harry Riley, Rob Wentz and Ryan McComb perform a night of stand up comedy. Feb. 12, 8 pm. $20-$25. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org

COMMUNITY

GOLDEN HARVEST: FLOUR SACKS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION The MAC’s collection of cloth flour sacks offers a unique window into the early development of Eastern Washington’s wheat industry, which today contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy.

The sacks are also a tangible reminder of the mills that played a critical role in Spokane’s early growth. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm, third Thu from 10 am-9 pm through May 15. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) 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. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm, third Thu from 10 am-9 pm, through Feb. 13. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) ONLINE STORYTIMES: LIVE Children have fun learning as library staff read stories, sing songs and share fingerplays during storytime. Ages 2-5 and their families. Registration required for each session. Thursdays from 6:30-7 pm and Fridays from 9:30-10 am, through May 26. Free. scld.evanced.info/signup/list?d f=list&nd=150&kw=Online+Storytime COMMUNITY FUN DANCE An evening of fun dancing including lines, contras, folk and easy squares. Bring the whole family.

No experience necessary. Feb. 5, 7-9 pm. $10. Western Dance Center, 1901 N. Sullivan Rd. squaredancespokane.org LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Come celebrate the Year of the Tiger with live performances, vendors, food trucks and more. Fireworks at 7 pm. First 50 visitors get a Lunar New Year swag bag.

Feb. 5, 1-7 pm. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. spokaneunitedwestand. org/spokane-s-lunar-new-year SPOKANE AUDUBON SOCIETY MEETING Environmental policy expert Jim Cu-

bie presents information about the role of bird-window collisions in significant drops in bird populations, and his development of ways to protect birds and reduce window collisions. Feb. 9, 7 pm.

Free. Online: audubonspokane.org APPRENTICE BEEKEEPER CERTIFICATION The Inland Empire Beekeepers Association’s Apprentice Beekeeper Certification Class prepares a novice beekeeper for the Washington State Apprentice Beekeeping Certification Exam. The 2022 class is open to fully-vaccinated individuals; students can choose between one of two classroom instruction dates: Feb. 12 or 26 from 9 am-5 pm. To complete the course, students are also expected to attend hands-on outside field days on April 30, May 21 and June 11. $90.24. WSU Spokane County Extension, 222 N. Havana St. extension.wsu.edu/spokane WEST VALLEY OUTDOOR LEARNING CENTER OPEN HOUSE Learn about our connection to the natural world while playing games, learning about our nonhuman friends and about our relationship with nature. Walk-ins are welcome.

Feb. 12, 10 am-1 pm. By Donation. West Valley Outdoor Learning Center, 8706 E. Upriver Drive. olc.wvsd.org PUZZLE & BOARD GAME SWAP Trade the jigsaw puzzles you’ve completed and board games you’re tired of for a new challenge. Please only bring puzzles and games that have all their pieces. Puzzles can be any difficulty level. Feb. 12, 9 am-1 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org

FILM

AN APPETITE FOR FILM: FOOD IN THE MOVIES Join film historian John Trafton to explore the complex relationship between food and film throughout history, and how this relationship continues to impact our cultural landscape. Feb. 3, noon and March 9, 5:30 pm. Free. Online: humanities.org SPOKANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL The Spokane International Film Festival (SpIFF) is a small, selective offering of world-class films. These are the very best features, documentaries and shorts from around the world that have not yet been commercially released for wide distribution or on virtual platforms.

Feb. 4-5 (in person). See website for full schedule. Virtual and in-person passes available. Feb. 4. $49+. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. spokanefilmfestival.org/ (509-227-7404) F.E.A.R. FILM SCREENING Set in a dystopian world, F.E.A.R. is an action thriller

Emergency Contraception Vending Machines

that follows a young family as they struggle to survive the harsh environment of a Pacific Northwest winter during a deadly pandemic. Rated R. Feb. 5, 7 pm. $10.

Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida. org (208-263-9191) PALOUSE CULT FILM REVIVAL The third annual Palouse Cult Film Revival returns to Moscow, offering an interactive cult film experience with a lineup including Miracle Valley (2/10) and The Room (sponsored by ICCU on 2/11). Actor, director and NYT Best-selling author Greg Sestero is live on Feb. 10-11. No-host bar and concessions available. Prop bags provided for The Room. Feb. 10-11 from 6-10 pm. $5-$50. University Inn Best Western, 1516 Pullman Road. palousecultfilms.org (208-882-0550)

FOOD & DRINK

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, or register online.

Price varies. Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd Ave. rocketmarket.com (509-343-2253) FROSTFEST Breweries from all over Washington state are raising money for the Washington Brewers Guild. Meet the owners and brewers of the visiting breweries while trying their beers. For every pint sold, $1 is donated to the Washington Brewers Guild. Feb. 4-5 from 5-11 pm.

Free. Iron Goat Brewing Co., 1302 W. Second Ave. irongoatbrewing.com SCENIC HOT COCOA CRUISES Aboard this cruise around Lake Coeur d’Alene, a hot-cocoa bar is available on-board for purchase with original cocoa for the kiddos and spiked cocoa for the adults. Every Fri-Sun in Jan, Feb and March. Cruises depart from the Boardwalk Marina. Free for children 5 and under; $12-$16. The Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second. cdacruises.com/hot-cocoa-cruises KILL THE KEG & SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT This weekly special includes $2 off select GHP beer, $1 off select guest beer and a 20% discount for service industry patrons. Tuesdays from 3-9 pm.

The Golden Handle Project, 111 S. Cedar St. goldenhandle.org MEDICAL PERSONNEL APPRECIATION NIGHT All medical and healthcarerelated personnel, students, staff and professionals receive a 20% discount off all GHP beer and food. Wednesdays from 3-9 pm. The Golden Handle Project, 111 S. Cedar St. goldenhandle.org

VALENTINE’S MEAL FOR TWO Bring your best friend to make a dream meal for two. Class starts with a crab salad, then an entrée of pan-seared beef tenderloin with a mushroom sauce (filet mignon chasseur), and finishing with a specialty dessert for two. Substitutions to accommodate dietary restrictions available. Feb. 10, 6-8 pm. $69. Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St. campusce.net/spokane/course/course. aspx?c=1142 (509-279-6144) GALENTINE’S DAY PIE MAKING CLASS Grab a ticket for you and your BFF for this hands-on class. Learn all the tips and tricks on how to make a salted caramel apple pie from start to finish. Feb. 12, 6-9 pm. $79. Bean & Pie, 504 E. Sherman Ave. beanandpie.com/collections/piemaking-classes (208-930-4065)

MUSIC

SPOKANE SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS 5: PICTURED WITHIN Elgar’s Enigma Variations is a moving portrait of his closest friends, with each variation ingeniously using different versions of the same tune to capture their individual personalities. Feb. 5, 8 pm and Feb. 6, 3 pm. $27-$62. Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. spokanesymphony.org (509-624-1200) MATTHEW LEVINE SONGWRITING CLASS Matthew Levine’s career has seen him writing songs of many styles: choral, cabaret, pop, gospel, musicals, etc. Musicians of any level can learn new songwriting tools during his class. Tuesdays from 4-5:30 pm, through Feb. 28. $20/ lesson. Clearwater Music, 9107 N. Country Homes Blvd. clearwatermusicserves.com COMMUNITY CONTRA DANCE Join the Spokane Folklore Society each Wednesday for contra dancing. First-time dancers get a coupon for a free dance night.

Contra is danced to a variety of musical styles: Celtic, Quebecois, Old Time, New England, or Southern Appalachian music from live bands. Come early for a lesson.

Proof of Covid-19 vaccination required.

Wednesdays from 7:30-9:30 pm. $7$10(18 and under free). Woman’s Club of Spokane, 1428 W. Ninth. womansclubspokane.org (509-869-5997) NORTHWEST BACHFEST LIVE: JASON VIEAUX Northwest BachFest Live will feature Grammy-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux in a concert playing selections by Bach, Scarlatti, Barrios and more. Feb. 12, 7:30-9 pm. $15-$50. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. nwbachfest.com (509-326-4942)

We have Emergency Contraception Vending Machines at our locations in Yakima, Pullman, Moses Lake, and Spokane! (Spokane Valley machine coming soon!) These are located outside for safe 24-hour access. Boxes are $25, credit or debit only. ppgwni.org | 1-866-904-7721

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 49

RELATIONSHIPS

Advice Goddess HOW DO I SHOVE THEE?

I’m a 31-year-old gay man. I have these intrusive lusty thoughts about my ex, like daily. I’m extremely physically attracted to him, but we just don’t work as a couple and never will. Despite knowing this, I’m having a hard time stopping myself from thinking about him.

It’s more of a mental habit than anything else, but I just don’t know how to break it.

—Tormented We are selective forgetters, readily deleting from memory the things we really, really need to remember.

This can be amusing in retrospect — like, after we go all Israelites 2.0: wandering for 40 years around the Mall of America parking garage — or until we file a false report that our car’s been stolen, whichever comes first.

The things we long to evict from our thoughts — like your recurring waking sex dreams of your unsuitable Donny Adonis — squat in our mental attic like codependent ghosts. It doesn’t help that you can’t just decide to find him sexually repellant.

We have a mental template for what we find hot — shaped by evolution, genetics, and individual experience. There’s no little cartoon trash can you can drag it into because you’re hyperventilating over the wrong himbo.

Adding to the fun, social psychologist Daniel Wegner finds that “thought suppression” — trying to forget, ignore, or shove away thoughts — makes those thoughts come back with a vengeance. Wegner and his team instructed research participants, “Try not to think of a white bear.” This is a big fail right from the start, because the mind sweeps around to check whether you’re thinking of a white bear — which means you’re thinking of the damn bear.

There does seem to be a way out using two obsession-reducing steps from psychologists Jens Forster and Nira Liberman. First, admit that it’s hard to keep from thinking about him, which alleviates the pressure to succeed at it. And my take: It might also help to find the funny in it when your hottieloop goes on repeat: “Really, Self? Again with the futility TV?” Second, crowd out thoughts of him with substitute thoughts. Say the alphabet backward or read a book aloud. Repeatedly, if necessary. (The underlying principle: You can’t hold two thoughts in mind or say two things at once.) Keep this up, and you should eventually (mostly) extract yourself from this mental torture loop — without the obvious downsides of your next best option: a bathroom mirror DIY lobotomy.

AMY ALKON

POUTER STRUGGLE

My girlfriend will say she’s okay with things when she really isn’t. But then she spends days pouting and making cutting remarks, never saying what the real issue is — like that she really wanted Chinese, not Thai. Is our relationship doomed, or can I get her to be more direct?

—Beaten Down Telling people what you want is necessary under certain circumstances, like when a woman at the diner says, “Hi, I’m Madge, and I’ll be your waitress,” and not, “Hi, I’m a mindreader, here to guess what you want for lunch.”

As Mick Jagger points out, “You can’t always get what you want” — but asking for it is a major start. Your girlfriend, however, has what clinical psychologist Randy Paterson describes as a “passive” style of communication. It’s driven by fear (often “a profound fear of being rejected”) that leads a person to keep their needs on mute. In contrast with healthy assertiveness — explaining “Here’s what I’d like” in a timely way — your girlfriend’s approach is basically: “I’m a woman with needs!... but I won’t tell you what they are, and then I’ll go all funeralface for a week because you didn’t meet them.”

Her passive style is relationship poison. You can’t really know her when she’s always hiding who she is and what she wants. And because needs that go unexpressed are needs that can’t be addressed, she’s probably filled with anger and resentment — including sexual resentment from expecting you to be all “Fifty Shades of ‘Guess!’”

Had your girlfriend written me to ask how she might change — that is, start asserting herself — I’d offer her advice on how to do that (and why she should). Your issue is different: inspiring her to want to change. Present this not as her problem but a relationship issue: You love her and want to make her happy, but that takes knowing what she wants. Ask her to go to couples therapy with you. (Chances are she’ll go whether she actually wants to or not!)

This could be the beginning of a beautifully healthy relationship — possibly with her, if she’ll do the work to risk being honest with you. Of course, the first step is being honest with herself when answering the question, “Why does he always ignore what I want?!”: “Um, because I communicate in a language used by ferns.” n ©2022, 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)

50 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022

EVENTS | CALENDAR

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

SPOKANE BOAT SHOW: PARADE OF BOATS Due to COVID risks and restrictions, the traditional in-person Spokane Boat Show, usually held at the fairgrounds, has been transformed into a self-guided tour through Feb. 6. Details at spokaneboatshow.com CROSS COUNTRY SKI LESSON (MT. SPOKANE) Learn the basics of crosscountry skiing at Mt. Spokane. Lessons are taught by Spokane Nordic Ski Association’s certified instructors.

Additional information emailed after registration. Sessions offered on select dates through March, from 10 am-2 pm. $34/$59. Mt. Spokane State Park, 26107 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. Register at spokanerec.org (509-755-2489) SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. KELOWNA ROCKETS Special: Avista banner giveaway. Feb. 4, 7 pm. $17-$37. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com (279-7000) SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS Rivals from Portland return to Spokane for a four-game series across two weekends. Feb. 4-5 and Feb. 11-12 at 7:05 pm. $17-$37/game.

Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com (279-7000) STARLIGHT RACE SERIES This February, get your team (21+) together for a night racing series with costumes, prizes and more. This year’s theme is the Olympics. Fridays in February. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555) PRIEST LAKE SLED DOG RACE The 51st running of the Priest Lake Sled Dog Race. Teams as large as 8 dogs and as small as one dog compete in this competitive event. Registration required to compete. Feb. 5-6, 9 am-3 pm. Free.

Priest Lake. iesda.org CROSS COUNTRY SKI INTERPRETIVE TOUR W/ FRIENDS OF MT. SPOKANE Learn about Mount Spokane from the Friends of Mt. Spokane during this interpretive, guided cross-country trek. Skiing experience required. Fee includes equipment, guides and transportation (optional) from Mead Yoke’s.

Feb. 5, 9 am-3 pm. $39. Register at spokanerec.org (509-755-2489) PRIEST LAKE ROCK ‘N’ RIDE A fundraiser for the local Priest Lake Groomer’s Association. The event features a snowmobile poker run, kids’ rides, a winter retail mall, live music, barbecue, outdoor games, beach bonfires, burgers at the top of the mountain, a silent auction and prize giveaways. Feb. 5, 9 am-11 pm. Free. Cavanaugh’s Resort, 4024 Cavanaugh Bay Rd. facebook. com/events/663953148102546 MT. SPOKANE SNOWSHOE TOUR Learn the basics of snowshoeing during this guided hike on snowshoe trails around Mt. Spokane. Ages 13+. Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 21 and March 5, 9 am-1 pm. $25/$29. Register at spokanerec.org LILAC GRAND PRIX: INDOOR TRACK & FIELD World Champions, Olympians and National Record Holders hit the track in a schedule of races including the 600m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m and distance medley relay to compete for top honors. Feb. 11, 6:15-8 pm. $15. The Podium, 511 W. Dean Ave. tracklnd.com/ meet/lgp (6072799067)

THEATER

CORPUS CHRISTI A moving and thoughtful story of faith, redemption, love and betrayal. Lead character Joshua, struggles with his identity, not only as a gay young man, but as a Christlike figure which some have come to follow as the messiah. Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm through Feb. 6. $20-$25.

Stage Left Theater, 108 W. Third Ave. stagelefttheater.org (509-838-9727) THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG The story of Cornley Drama Society’s newest production, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” where things are quickly going from bad to disastrous. Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm, through Feb. 20. $10-$35. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard. spokanecivictheatre. com (509-325-2507) DISNEY’S FREAKY FRIDAY - A NEW MUSICAL This new musical based on the novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update. Feb. 4-22; Fri at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. $12$16. Spokane Children’s Theatre, 2727 N. Madelia. spokanechildrenstheatre.org FIRST BITE NEW PLAY SERIES: STRETCHED ON YOUR GRAVE A play about secrets, family and friends, with three women bonding together to find a way to face a past that will no longer be ignored. Performed on Zoom. Feb. 4-5 at 6 pm; Feb. 6 at 2 pm. Free. uidaho.edu/class/theatre JOHNNY APPLESEED The Cutter hosts The Missoula Children’s Theatre for this brief residency. Public performances featuring a cast of local children are Feb. 4 at 6 pm and Feb. 5 at 2 pm. $7.

Cutter Theatre, 302 Park St. cuttertheatre.com (509-446-4108) CRAZY IN LOVE: A DEVISED CABARET FROM THE HEART Draw together with this one-of-a-kind production formed by three regional performing professionals. Feb. 6, 2 pm, Feb. 11, 7:30 pm, Feb. 13, 6:30 pm and Feb. 14, 7 pm. $30.

The Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman Ave. drawntogetherarts.com FIRST BITE NEW PLAY SERIES: CASTLEWOOD Castlewood by Bethany Paulsen is set during the London Blitz of 1940 and is a coming-of-age exploration of escapism, grief, and what it means to be happy. Performed on Zoom. Feb. 11-12 at 6 pm; Feb. 13 at 2 pm. Free. uidaho.edu/class/theatre

VISUAL ARTS

ABOUT THE EARTH An exhibit of ceramics from the estate of Professor Emeritus, Gonzaga University, Terry Gieber, featuring pieces created in the latter years of his professional career.

Reception Feb. 4, 5-8 pm. Appointments to view are available Feb. 4-25.

Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. gieber.com (509-458-5517) DEEP LOOKING EXHIBITION Deep Looking brings together the work of established artists with youth participating in a community arts program. FriSat from 12-8 pm through Feb. 26. Free.

Saranac Art Projects, 25 W. Main. facebook.com/events/2199999616832107 DIGITAL ZEST: ANN CONTOIS & GAY WALDMAN “Digital Zest” features images created using intricate layering and editing processes to reinterpret photographic media and to present different perspectives of traditional forms.

Open daily 11 am-7 pm through Feb. 27.

Free. Liberty Building, 402 N. Washington. spokanelibertybuilding.com FIRST FRIDAYS WITH POAC First Friday arts events in Sandpoint, organized by the Pend Oreille Arts Council. First Friday from 5:30-7:30 pm. Pend Oreille Arts Council Gallery, 110 Main St. artinsandpoint.org (208-263-6139) FLUX: A SOLO EXHIBITION BY ANDREW PARKER Parker’s work explores the complex intersection between human and natural environments. Feb. 4, 5-8 pm. Free. Dean Davis Photography, 216 West Pacific Ave. deandavis.com FROM ANCIENT MYTHS TO LYRICAL ABSTRACTIONS Artists Steph Sammons and Blake Hellman are showing their new work through the month of February. Reception Feb. 4, 5-8 pm.

Free. New Moon Art Gallery, 1326 E. Sprague. newmoonartgallery.com HOME: IMAGINING THE IRREVOCABLE This exhibit, featuring local Black artists in Eastern Washington, engages artists of various disciplines in a creative and collaborative exploration around the concept of “home.” Fri from 4-7 pm and Sat from 10 am-3 pm through Feb. 26. Free. Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center, 125 S. Stevens St. gonzaga. edu/news-events/events/2022/2/4/ black-history-month-group-exhibit LINDSEY JOHNSON & THATCHER FELT Fine art paintings by Lindsey Johnson and inspiring photography by Thatcher Felt. Opening reception Feb. 4 from 5-8 pm. Gallery open Thu-Sat from 11 am to 4 pm through Feb. 26. Free. Avenue West Gallery, 907 W. Boone Ave. avenuewestgallery.org (5090-838-4999) MOVING TOWARDS SPRING T Kurtz is Spokane Art School’s artist-in-residence, showcasing her experience in pastels. Mon-Fri, 10 am-5 pm through Feb. 25. Free. Spokane Art School, 811 W. Garland Ave. spokaneartschool.net PLUG IT IN An exhibit of electric kiln fired ceramics by Chris Kelsey, Mark Moore and Gina Freuen. Reception Feb. 4, 5-8 pm; open Wed-Fri 11 am-5 pm through Feb. 25. Free. Trackside Studio, 115 S. Adams. tracksidestudio.net ARTIST LECTURE: MYA CLUFF Visual artist Mya Cluff presents on the subject of her exhibition at the SFCC Fine Art Gallery, “Where do I end, and you begin?” Closing reception to follow in the Fine Arts (building 6). Feb. 8, 10:3011:30 am. Free. SFCC Fine Arts Gallery, 3410 W. Whistalks Way, Bldg. 6. spokanefalls.edu/gallery (509-533-3746)

WORDS

FĀVS VIRTUAL COFFEE TALK: LOVE & LONELINESS IN THE PANDEMIC Coffee Talk panelists share their stories or speak to how they’ve navigated loneliness, grief and love during the pandemic. Feb. 5, 10 am. Free. Online: facebook.com/events/515393699756998 ACTIVIST IN RESIDENCE: SHANTELL JACKSON EWU’s Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies program presents Shantell Jackson as this Winter’s activist in residence. She’ll focus on healing and its role in activism, and encourage participants to think about who needs to heal, how we heal communities that have been historically harmed by systemic oppression, racism, etc. Jan. 26 at 3:30 pm; continues every Wed on Zoom (Except Feb. 23.) through March 2. Free. ewu.edu/cahss/gwss/ewu.edu/cahss/ stories/activist-in-residence-2022 n

MEDIA

The Ethics of Covering Cannabis Is writing about weed OK?

BY WILL MAUPIN

L

ast Sunday, The Hill published a story by opinion contributor Joe Ferullo titled, “Are the editors high? Why trendy news features on pot are a bad idea.” Ferullo cites a few examples of newspapers publishing stories listing activities that pair well with pot or how-to guides for cooking with cannabis.

The point he’s arguing, as made clear in the headline, is that these stories are a bad idea. Ferullo expands on that, saying they’re irresponsible journalism, “given all that is known and — more importantly — unknown about pot consumption.”

This very Green Zone section is frequently home to the exact sort of stories that Ferullo is calling out. One such story ran just two weeks ago. While I find his point ludicrous and his arguments thoroughly unconvincing, it would be irresponsible not to address it. Specifically, the knowns and unknowns he mentions.

“Scientific research and law enforcement practices had no time to catch up with the new legalized reality; the effects of that are now seen every day,” Ferullo writes.

There are established practices for law enforcement to determine impairment from alcohol. A Breathalyzer can determine if someone is or is not over the legal limit. With cannabis, things aren’t as cut and dry. It would be irresponsible to not note that in every story in this section. You know, like how every time a hip new bar opens and is reviewed by a responsible paper there’s a large section of the story detailing law enforcement’s relationship with alcohol. I’m being facetious, of course.

“Feature sections often highlight cocktail recipes and trendy bars,” Ferullo notes, seemingly unbothered.

They highlight those despite “all that is known” about alcohol consumption, including myriad studies documenting the negative personal and societal impacts of alcohol consumption. Once again, as was the case with law enforcement, things aren’t as cut and dry with cannabis. That’s largely because federal prohibition on cannabis makes research incredibly difficult and risky, even in states where it is legal. Despite that, research is being done, and yes, some of it is showing negative impacts associated with cannabis consumption.

It would be irresponsible not to cover those stories, with alcohol and cannabis. That’s why every responsible paper that writes about cocktails includes multiple paragraphs about cirrhosis of the liver.

Unfortunately, we don’t have room for all those paragraphs in every single story. If you didn’t catch the sarcasm, neither do the “responsible” papers. So, maybe some will find these stories irresponsible. What would actually be irresponsible, though, would be to stop running them altogether. n

Solid reporting on cannabis is necessary in 2022.

FEBRUARY 3, 2022 INLANDER 51

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

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

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56 INLANDER FEBRUARY 3, 2022