Inlander 02/29/2024

EDITOR’S NOTE

The world would be better off if we all thought 50 years into the future. Should you get in your car to drive less than a mile to the grocery store to pick up just one item, knowing that cars are one of the main contributors to emissions and climate change? Should you use that singleuse plastic, knowing that it definitely will still be sitting in whatever landfill not just 50 years from now, but in 500 years?

Too often we think in the here and now, and value convenience over just about everything else. It’s the way of the world, I suppose, but 50 years ago some visionary Spokanites started to think differently. They turned their gaze from the past to the future, mainly by looking to the Spokane River — the reason this city exists in the first place. With some foresight and a lot of public dollars, they tried to repair the damage we had done during the century before.

With Expo ’74, Spokane started looking to a better future, even if it meant literally ripping out reminders of the past. As we begin to commemorate a half century since the city-defining event, I say we look back to their efforts to inspire actions for a better future. That’s exactly what we did for this year’s SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE — by celebrating their vision and acknowledging what we’ve done wrong, we can start to repair this world.

— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor

WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL

COULD BE MADE NOW TO IMPACT THE WORLD IN 50 YEARS?

CAROLYN JOSLIN

I’m very concerned about plastic. We need to create something else that will disintegrate, and I think scientists can do it and make it affordable.

BRIAN BEHLER

Conserve more land because open spaces clean our air, clean our water, clean our soils.

What’s something you do personally to be more sustainable?

Have a reusable bag, try to drive minimally, walk more places. I volunteer for organizations [Inland Northwest Land Conservancy] that try to make our environment more sustainable.

JAYSON SYKES

Helping get local sustainable energy that we can focus on ourselves instead of being so reliant on the government.

What kind of energy?

Probably solar, harness the power of the sun and get off the main power grid. I think it could save people money and help power the future.

MARISSA BARRANGER

I think in Spokane, especially, getting composting to be more up and running would be really helpful for the environment. And having more incentives for us to do that, whether it be like having a compost bin that’s given to us or that we can buy for cheap.

MICHELE ZIMMERMAN

Making the town more walkable. I’d like to see more rail projects, more sustainable farming. Spokane is not a walkable city, it is not a bikeable city. They act like they try to be one but they’re not really one, and I feel like there’s good effort, but it’s not coordinated.

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Knowing history can immunize us from virulent Lies

BY JOHN HAGNEY

“Live not by lies.”

— ALEXEI NAVALNY (1976-2024) —

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eorge Santos betrayed our trust. His lies further fractured our fragile faith in democracy. While he was not the first flimflam man to bamboozle us, had his ruse gone undetected might he have been emboldened to tell lies more malignant to our besieged body politic? Lies can kill. Democracy is impossible without Truth.

now there is no information commons that parses the past and present, no shared narratives imperative for democracy. Letters to the editor are circumscribed, contributing to our provincialism. Even Wikipedia, in 2016 regarded by The Atlantic as “the last bastion of shared reality,” is disparaged as an “assault on history” in the December Harper’s Magazine

Lies do not erase the past, only postpone a reckoning. Many were fooled by the government’s agitprop that the U.S. was winning in Vietnam until reality intruded with the Pentagon Papers. Many acquiesced to neocon justifications for the U.S. invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein possessed “weapons of mass destruction” until a 2004 Senate report revealed that Bush administration intel was erroneous.

Eventually Americans accepted the painful Truth about Vietnam and Iraq but by the time of these revelations, the tragedies were in their final excruciating acts. In both cases initially Congress and press were complicit in these presidential Lies. (Uppercase used for emphasis; for a history of presidential deception see Eric Alterman’s When Presidents Lie.)

Journalism is the first draft of history, but

Now anyone with a blog can be a “journalist” not subject to fact-checking or ethics. The irony of this democratization of information is that perhaps we are less informed. This “infodemic” is a retraction from critical thought rendering us susceptible to Lies. As Yale historian Timothy Snyder observed, “As we lose people who produce facts, we are in danger of losing the very idea of truth. The death of truth brings about the death of democracy, since people can rule only when they have the facts they need to defend themselves from power.”

We are inclined to confirmation bias, our tendency to prefer information that affirms our pre-existing beliefs. But learning, and thus democracy, demands our willingness to

Paul Klee’s “Angel of History” (1920) is captive to a gathering storm that propels it into a future to which its back is turned.

consider thinking contrary to our biases and to evaluate evidence based on methods innovated by ancient Greeks. These enduring evidentiary standards by which we learn truths. (Hemingway said writers need a “built-in, shockproof, shit detector,” but perhaps more than ever should apply to all of us.) And those truths are being assaulted by Trump’s acolytes, who recite his Litany of Lies. Recall the creed often ascribed to Nazi Joseph Goebbels: “Repeat the lie often enough and it becomes truth.”

Authoritarians feed on Lies and fear. If news is an unrelieved screed of anxiety, dread and despair — a “tyranny of the now”— and we have scant historical knowledge and only parochial understanding of the present, there will be a duplicitous demagogue to enlighten us. Trump’s bombast, “I alone can fix it,” is not benign. For those acquainted with 1920s Germany, Trump’s “I am your warrior, I am your retribution” is terrifyingly resonant. Would we have the courage to call out the emperor if he has no clothes?

To distract from the exhausting “breaking news” noise, we demand more entertainment, sensational distractions from a reality perceived as horrifying. We are “amusing ourselves to death.” More bread and circuses will not salvage our democracy, presuming even that remains a common cause.

As news becomes vacuous, it is eviscerated of content that educates, devoid of historical context. Broadcast journalists become entertainers, personalities pandering to profits. Celebrities and football gladiators are venerated. Civic virtue doesn’t play in Peoria but Santos sells. Thus the Fourth Estate, fundamental to democracy, devolves into another crass consumer commodity. As Ray Bradbury noted in Fahrenheit 451, “The mind drinks less and less.” This “closing of the American mind” is a slow-growing metastasis taking generations. Compare the dense text of a front page of a 1930s Spokane Daily Chronicle (when only 30% of the city’s population graduated from high school) with the text-lite front page of today’s Spokesman-Review, when 90% of Spokane students have acquired a high school diploma.

If our news sources are tribally insular with a reckless disdain for Truth, history is a casualty. Scholars of history risk being marginalized as anachronistic if not expendable as colleges become appendages of the private sector prioritizing STEM careers over critically thinking citizens versed in history and humanities.

According to the American Historical Association, college history majors have precipitously declined and in 2020 constituted only 1.25% of graduates, the lowest since 1949 when statistics were first collected. In 2020, only 4% of college graduates majored in English, history, foreign language, literature or philosophy. According to the Modern Language Association, in 2020, 650 colleges terminated their foreign language programs.

With a scarcity of history majors, and most of them opting for professions other than teaching, secondary school history instruction will be relegated to the underqualified, obligated to teach diluted curricula and predisposed to self-censorship to avert inquisitors of the Right and Left.

Ignorance of history renders citizens pliable to fabrications of the past and Lies. Consider Ron DeSantis’ claim in defense of Florida’s new history curriculum that Black people acquired beneficial skills from slavery. Presumably DeSantis, like Trump, knows that his Lies are trumpery (which in Shakespeare denotes “nonsense”), but his Gone with the Wind narrative is red meat for his supplicants. As political animals, they understand that the path to authoritarian power is to incite the irrational. Truth is malleable. It worked for a time in Nazi Germany. Alas, we are not fated to remain ensnared like the Angel of History, captive to Lies that desecrate our Founding Fathers’ sacred trust.

On the hustings, Lincoln asked an audience of farmers how many legs a dog has if you count the tail. “Five!” they hollered. Lincoln said the answer was four. “That you called a tail a leg does not make it a leg.” n

John Hagney taught high school and college history for 45 years. He was a U.S. Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher. His oral history of Gorbachev’s reforms was the first work on the subject and has been translated into six languages.

All Aboard

Long-distance railroad routes across the U.S. would double under Amtrak’s recent expansion proposal — including two revived Pacific Northwest routes

BY COLTON RASANEN

Railroad transportation may seem like a thing of the past — and that’s because it is. Trains and their railway systems played a pivotal part in our nation’s industrialization in the 1800s. But in the last century, the U.S. began investing heavily in other forms of transportation — namely motor vehicles and airplanes.

The shift in technology and governmental investments caused a swift decline in passenger and freight transportation, which led to bankruptcies and consolidations across the rail industry. Eventually, this led to the creation of Amtrak in 1971, a government-operated company charged with operating intercity passenger rail as a public service. By the 1980s, Amtrak was the sole long-distance passenger train operator in the U.S., and it still is.

Today, there are only 15 long-distance train routes in the country, and they don’t even service every state in the mainland U.S. (Our condolences to Wyoming and South Dakota.) However, if a new plan from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) comes to fruition, folks can expect another 15 routes, more than doubling the mileage of Amtrak’s current network.

Amtrak’s footprint in the Pacific Northwest would also increase twofold.

Currently, two long-distance routes pass through Washington. The Empire Builder travels between Seattle and Chicago, while the Coast Starlight travels between Seattle and Los Angeles. The proposal includes two more long-distance routes: one between Seattle and Denver and the other between Seattle and Chicago, the latter

departing from the Empire Builder route by traversing southern Montana.

This expansion plan was included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that authorized up to $108 billion for public transportation in the U.S., with more than $8 billion going toward passenger rail projects. As part of this law, the FRA was required to evaluate possible restoration of daily intercity rail passenger service along Amtrak’s longdistance routes that have either been discontinued or only run on a nondaily basis.

Among other things, the FRA study looked at rural communities that aren’t served by existing routes, filling gaps in the current infrastructure, and connecting small and large communities that weren’t already connected.

Officials released their long-distance expansion plan earlier this month, and plan to present it to Congress this spring.

‘WE’RE BEHIND’

If this expansion plan is adopted by Congress as proposed, Amtrak’s total long-distance route miles would increase from 21,900 miles to 45,100 miles. Of the additional 23,200 miles proposed, 5,900 miles come from discontinued routes, 11,100 miles come from new segments and 6,200 miles are in Amtrak’s current Baseline Network, according to the study.

The FRA anticipates that this expansion plan would serve 27 million people across the country who live in rural areas and are below the poverty line. Additionally, they

predict that up to 4 million people living on tribal lands would also benefit from an increase in routes.

State Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, who previously served on the Washington House Transportation Committee, says he supports increased long-distance passenger rail services and thinks it would benefit the Inland Northwest.

“It would bring a lot of economic value for our community,” he says. “It’s safe, reduces our impact on the environment, and it’s cost affordable.”

However, Riccelli believes the U.S. is lagging when it comes to railway transportation.

“I think it’s fundamentally flawed when you look at our [railway system] compared to other countries,” he says. “I feel like we’re behind.”

The study will demonstrate the economic and social benefits of new and restored Amtrak service and provide guidance on implementation, FRA spokesperson William Wong told the Montana Free Press.

As it’s now written though, the plan only identifies the things that would incur costs rather than provide any actual estimate of how much it would cost to expand the Amtrak network. These costs are sorted into different categories like stations and terminals, vehicles, and professional services.

The plan, however, does provide abundant examples of the potential social benefits — mainly, more people will be able to use rail transportation to reach more places (including Wyoming and South Dakota).

In total, Amtrak would be able to serve up to 292 million people nationwide, according to the FRA Long-Distance Service Study. That’s about 88% of the population, up from the 74%, or 247 million people, that’s currently served under Amtrak’s existing routes.

These millions of potential passengers would then be connected to 91% (3,300) of the nation’s higher education institutions and 86% (584) of all medical centers in the U.S. They’d also be connected to 75 national parks, recreation areas and preserves under the National Park Service.

Some of the proposed routes would streamline travel to specific places. For example, using today’s system to get to Denver from Seattle, you’d have to ride the Coast Starlight

The Spokane Intermodal Center would see increased passenger rail service to Seattle under a new proposal. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

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to Sacramento, California, and then hop on another route, the California Zephyr, from Sacramento to Denver. In total, you’d be traveling for about 56 hours, or more than two days.

The proposed route between Seattle and Denver in the expansion plan is estimated to take about 40 hours and allows passengers to stay on the same train their whole journey.

Alternatively, the Seattle to Chicago route is estimated to take 50 hours, but won’t save anyone any time as there’s already a direct route in service. Instead, it works to reconnect communities in southern Montana to the rail system.

TWO NEW-ISH ROUTES

Neither of the proposed routes in the Pacific Northwest are necessarily new. Both would follow routes that were previously discontinued, reconnecting communities that haven’t had access to longdistance rail travel in decades.

The addition of another Seattle-Chicago route would effectively restore the North Coast Hiawatha, which was eliminated in 1979 — eight years after Amtrak was founded.

The route was discontinued because of its cost to taxpayers, then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Brock Adams said at the time. It cost $24 million to run in 1978 and only brought in $6 million from passengers, leaving U.S. taxpayers on the hook for about $18 million, the Spokesman Review reported in 1979.

“It would be cheaper to buy every Chicago-Seattle rail passenger a free $170 plane ticket and two drinks than it is to operate the Hiawatha,” Adams said.

Today, a one-way flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport costs about $300.

The Hiawatha route would include Inland Northwest stops in Yakima, Kennewick, Spokane and Sandpoint. In Montana, the route would hit some of the state’s most-populous cities, like Missoula, Bozeman, Helena and Billings.

“There’s a lot of momentum building behind restoring this route,” Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority Vice Chair and Dawson County Economic Development Council member Jason Stuart told Montana Free Press.

“In terms of connecting rural, disadvantaged communities and tribal communities, it shows the best performance metrics of any of the routes in achieving those goals,” Stuart said. “This is going to be such an enormous boost for rural communities to have this service restored.”

The route that connects Seattle to Denver would effectively replace a portion of the former Pioneer route. This route originally operated for 20 years between Seattle and Chicago before being eliminated in 1997.

This would reconnect service to Boise and Pocatello in Idaho and to Ogden, Utah, which sits between Pocatello and Salt Lake City.

These routes likely wouldn’t begin until 2040, according to a 15-year timeline presented by the FRA. The first eight years would entail project planning and then project development. The next six years would be spent on design finalization and construction with operations slated to start on the 15th year. n coltonr@inlander.com

877.871.6772

The proposed network of new passenger rail routes in the Pacific Northwest. COURTESY FRA

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Fightin’ for the Fifth

Eight Republicans and three Democrats — so far — want one coveted seat in D.C.

BY NATE SANFORD

The race to represent Washington’s 5th Congressional District is getting crowded.

In the weeks following U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ surprise announcement that she wouldn’t seek reelection after nearly two decades in office, eight Republicans have announced their intent to run for her seat.

Spokane City Council member Jonathan Bingle, a former pastor who currently owns a trivia company, announced his candidacy last Wednesday with a theme of “American Revival.” His announcement touched on conservative Christian themes involving “restoring individual freedoms” and “reviving the American Spirit through a return to our Judeo/Christian roots.” Rene Holaday, a conservative radio host, also highlighted her faith in her announcement, describing herself as a “Christian MAGA Republican” and writing that she would “work hard to restore God over this nation.” Holaday previously worked as a legislative aide to former state Rep. Matt Shea, but was fired by the House clerk’s office in 2019 over comments she made claiming that many legislators supported making Eastern Washington its own state.

Ferry County Commissioner Brian Dansel was the first Republican to declare his candidacy. Dansel, who was an adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Trump administration and previously served as a state senator, announced a platform of “old-fashioned values and new ideas.”

Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner, a former state senator, joined the race on Monday surrounded by supporters at a splashy news conference near the University District Gateway Bridge and the medical school — projects he helped fund as a legislator.

“I’m running for Congress because I believe, and what I feel, is that the American dream is dying,” he said.

Baumgartner described U.S.-Mexico border security as one of his top concerns — a theme echoed by a number of this year’s GOP candidates, including state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, who represents the 7th legislative district in northeast Washington and described securing the nation’s borders as her “primary focus” in a news release. John Guenther, a retired state employee who spent nearly three decades working with Child Protection Services, called for closing the southern border in his announcement, citing concern over drugs and sex trafficking.

Two other candidates — Anthony Jensen and Jody Spurgeon — have also filed paperwork to run for the seat, though neither appears to have set up campaign websites or made formal announcements yet.

The Republicans join three Democrats who had already filed to run earlier this year: Dr. Bernadine Bank, an OB-GYN; Carmela Conroy, the previous chair of the Spokane County Democrats; and Ann Marie Danimus, a small business owner.

The race may yet get more crowded: Former Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward both said earlier this month that they are seriously considering running. In recent weeks, several big political names confirmed they won’t be running. The list includes former Spokane Mayor David Condon, Democratic state Rep. Marcus Riccelli, former City Council President Ben Stuckart and state Sen. Andy Billig. n

A landmark Washington bill to curtail rent increases dies in committee

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

Until this week, Washington lawmakers were considering a groundbreaking bill that would’ve capped annual rent increases and added a slew of other tenant protections to address housing instability across the state.

Now, that bill is dead, after the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which counts among its members state Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, decided not to take action on it on Monday, Feb. 26.

Under Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2114, rent could not be increased by more than 7% in any 12-month period, and landlords would need to give tenants a 180-day notice of any rent increase of 3% or more. Smaller rent increases would still require the current 60-day notice.

The bill would’ve also capped the combination of move-in fees and deposit to no more than one month’s rent, restricted late fees to no more than 1.5% of the monthly rent, and prevented landlords from charging higher rent for tenants to be on a month-to-month agreement instead of a longer term lease.

The new rules would not have applied to newer units that got their occupancy within the last 10 years or to housing provided by nonprofits or public housing authorities.

The bill passed the House 54-43 (with one

lawmaker excused).

On Monday night, state Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, who was one of more than two dozen sponsors for the bill in the House, said that nothing is ever totally “dead,” until the end of session, but it would take a highly unlikely procedural vote to get the bill heard on the Senate floor before the session ends on March 7. As the former House Democrats majority whip, he says the fact that the bill didn’t make it through committee in the Senate means the votes clearly weren’t there.

Many who are being priced out of their rentals include seniors on limited incomes, vulnerable people, and members of Black, Indigenous and other minority communities, he said. Financial stress can cause very real negative health impacts, and he felt the bill was a reasonable companion to other efforts to expand the number of housing units statewide.

“Yes, we need housing supply, but I’ve heard so many stories of folks being priced out,” Riccelli said. “I look at it from a health care perspective. Housing is health care.”

In 1981, the Legislature specifically banned rent control at the city level, but statewide, lawmakers are still allowed to put rent controls in place. That’s exactly what housing advocates and tenants were hoping they’d do this session with

New apartments, like those at the Warren, wouldn’t have been subject to the scuttled rent cap for 10 years. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

HB 2114’s updates to the state’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and the Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act.

At the end of 2019, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Spokane County was $832, which rose to an average of $1,085 by the end of 2023, according to the University of Washington Center for Real Estate Research. That’s essentially the same increase that would’ve been allowed under the bill.

But those are averages. Some tenants have seen increases of hundreds of dollars at a time, and Spokane saw the highest rent increases in the nation after the pandemic-related moratorium on rent increases was lifted, said Terri Anderson, director of the Spokane office of the Tenants Union of Washington State. Those most affected are people on fixed incomes who simply cannot afford major rent hikes.

While landlords might not have seen as many profits as they wanted under the bill, Anderson said “the consequences to a tenant with these uncontrolled rent increases is they lose their housing.”

The bill originally would have capped rent increases to no more than 5% annually, but it was amended to allow for up to 7%. It’s difficult to plan for increases higher than that, Anderson said.

“Right now, with unlimited rent increases, landlords can weaponize them,” Anderson said. “Retaliation is prohibited under the Landlord-Tenant Act, but landlords can just raise the rent $500 a month and it would be very hard for a tenant to say that’s retaliation.”

The 180-day notice for larger rent increases would’ve allowed enough time for tenants to find another place to live if they can no longer afford their rent, she says.

“Under the Landlord-Tenant Act, it’s only 60 days. In Spokane, that’s not enough time. It really only gives tenants one rental cycle to put their applications in,” Anderson said. “If they can’t find housing during that cycle, they would have to move out during the next cycle and end up homeless.”

During a public hearing last week, multiple landlords took issue with the provisions of the bill, including capping late fees at 1.5% per month — one noted that’s only $15 for someone paying $1,000 a month.

Jennifer Lekisch, a landlord with tenants in 17 century-old single-family homes and duplexes in the Seattle area, said the 1.5% late fee was a bad tool to incentivize rent payment, and older properties are more expensive to maintain than the newer ones that would’ve been exempt from the rent cap.

“Properties that are 110 years old need a lot of maintenance,” Lekisch told lawmakers on Feb. 22. “Please don’t pass this bill. It has so many problems. I, like so many property owners, no longer want to rent our properties because there’s too much risk that tenants will not pay.”

But Anderson said that higher late fees often make it hard for tenants to catch up if their paychecks don’t line up with the first of the month.

“It can put people in a constant state of having to pay a late fee every month,” Anderson said.

She’s heard from tenants who have late fees varying from $50 per day to extreme cases where the late fee is $500.

One key element of the bill was the requirement to charge the same for month-to-month tenants as for longer-term leases.

Anderson said that after Washington updated its laws to require “just cause” evictions a few years ago, landlords realized it was easier to simply give 60-day nonrenewal notices to tenants on six-month or yearlong leases. Landlords don’t have to renew leases with those longer-term tenants, even if they pay their rent on time and haven’t done anything wrong.

To encourage more people to be on those longer-term leases, many landlords have been offering them at a lower price than month-to-month agreements, Anderson said.

“Landlords were realizing it was more beneficial to have tenants on a fixed-term lease, because on month-to-month, they were restricted by ‘just cause,’” Anderson says. “[Tenants] did not realize they could be served the 60-day no cause notice.” n samanthaw@inlander.com

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For this year’s Sustainability Issue, we took a look at efforts new and old to reduce the harm we do to our planet. This summer, Washington will say sayonara to what we often call “Styrofoam” (that brandname foam is actually a different material used in building insulation, not your soup cup) with a ban on plastic foam to-go containers and coolers. The state is also looking to reduce food waste in a big way, with a new “food center” helping teach people to change their shopping habits. Spokane is shamefully wasteful when it comes to food, so we also highlighted the composting options that are readily available, you’ve just gotta use them. This fall, Washington voters will also decide whether or not we should keep our cap and invest carbon market in play — it’s one of the main tools to force emissions reductions by major polluters, and it’s bringing in big money. But not everyone is a fan, as oil companies have been blaming increased prices at the gas pump on the policy. Plus, we took a look at some of the environmental efforts that arose out of Expo ’74 to show where we were 50 years ago, and where we’re headed.

— SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL, SECTION EDITOR

MThis summer, Washington says good riddance to foam food containers and coolers

BY LUCY KLEBECK

any of us are familiar with coffee cups and to-go containers made from plastic foam — known casually, albeit incorrectly, as Styrofoam.

The common foam we think of when we hear “Styrofoam” is actually a different material, scientifically referred to as expanded polystyrene, and it’s often used to create affordable, lightweight coolers and all sorts of packaging for takeout at restaurants.

Unfortunately, it is also found strewn in our oceans and waterways. Plastic foam takeout containers were the seventh-most common item collected during coastal litter cleanups globally in 2022, according to the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental group that advocates for healthy ocean ecosystems.

To address the growing pollution, Washington and other communities across the U.S. have begun banning the material.

Starting in June 2023, Washington banned plastic foam packing peanuts and loose packing material.

This year, the more noticeable changes will take effect, with a ban on the sale and distribution of plastic foam coolers and foodware — think cups, bowls, plates, trays and clamshell containers. — set to start on June 1.

Exemptions to the ban include trays for specific raw foods such as meat, containers for shipping medications,

biological materials and medical devices, and containers for shipping perishable goods from wholesale or retail businesses.

WHY IT’S NECESSARY

Plastic foam is quick to break down into smaller pieces, allowing it to travel easily through air and water. Pollution from plastics eventually breaks into microplastics, which can carry toxic chemicals and are now found throughout our environment.

Microplastics are even making their way into humans.

Anja Brandon, the associate director of U.S. plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy, describes Eastern Washington as a “kind of harvest bowl,” where a significant amount of food is grown, which makes the prevalence of microplastics in our environment concerning.

“Microplastics that end up in our soil systems can really impact crops and plant growth,” Brandon says. “The toxics they carry with them can be taken up by the plants.”

Due to the ubiquity of plastic

foam, efforts to ban it are spreading.

Several states such as Maryland, Vermont and Colorado have also banned the material. And the new Farewell to Foam Act, which was introduced in Congress by Oregon’s senators late last year, would create a plastic foam ban similar to Washington’s at the national level.

HOW IT WILL BE ENFORCED

Enforcement guidelines are still being worked out, but Lauren DiRe, a waste reduction and recycling specialist from the state Department of Ecology, assumes it will be similar to the state’s handling of the single-use plastic bag ban.

The agency will likely send letters to each business that gets reported for violating the ban, with an emphasis on education.

More information on the ban is available at ecology.wa.gov/epsban. Ecology also encourages anyone who has questions, ideas or wants to help spread the word to contact Lauren.Dire@ecy.wa.gov.

“There are so many opportunities for us to educate the business on what the law is and generally that is why businesses aren’t in compliance, because they’re not in the know,” DiRe says.

Sholina Pearson, general manager at Umi Kitchen and Sushi Bar, says that she knows about the ban, but didn’t “know when

Plastic foam takeout containers were the seventh-most common item collected during

coastal litter cleanups globally in 2022. it’s actually being implemented since [plastic foam] is still being sold in restaurant stores like Cash & Carry.”

Pearson says that Umi uses plastic foam due to its affordability, and will likely turn to other plastics for to-go and leftover items.

Once the ban goes into effect, businesses are not allowed to sell or distribute plastic foam materials. Unlike with the plastic bag ban, they won’t be allowed to distribute any excess stock they already have.

Between now and then, DiRe recommends that businesses use what they have, sell any excess to other businesses who don’t have backstock, sell to businesses out of state (Idaho does not have a plastic foam ban, and Oregon’s ban does not go into effect until 2025), or donate the containers to local shelters that offer food service.

But after June 1, what should businesses use instead?

According to Brandon with Ocean Conservancy, the ideal situation is to end up with a system of reusable, refillable or returnable packaging. However, this is not an overnight solution, and in the interim, emphasis should be placed on materials that are easily recyclable, since plastic foam is not. For instance, New York implemented a similar ban in 2022 and compiled a catalog of alternatives including containers made from bamboo, paper fiber and foil, among other materials. n

Starting in June, restaurants in Washington won’t be able to use these foam containers.

LESLIE DOUGLAS PHOTO

Putting a Lid on Cap and Trade

A Washington initiative will let voters decide whether to repeal the state’s Climate Commitment Act, which has brought in $1.8 billion so far

Washington has lofty climate goals. And unlike many other states, there’s a clear path to achieve them.

At least for now, that is.

This year’s November ballot will include six statewide initiatives, one of which intends to prevent the state from employing its main plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and ultimately reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

In 2021, lawmakers passed the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which established a cap and invest program. The program places an annual cap on emissions and requires large polluters in the state to purchase “allow-

BY COLTON RASANEN

ances” (each representing 1 metric ton of emissions) at state auctions equal to their own emissions. The cap will get smaller each year, and if businesses don’t get enough of the dwindling number of allowances, they’ll need to reduce their emissions another way.

Meanwhile, the money from the auctions will be invested in climate projects, like improving clean transportation options, increasing climate resilience, and addressing issues of environmental justice and health inequity in Washington, according to the state Department of Ecology.

Not everyone in the state supports this program though.

“The CCA created a government market that’s wholly owned by the government,” says state Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, who is the ranking minority member on the House Environment and Energy Committee. “It’s just a bunch of people that are convinced that we ‘have to do something.’”

Many people seem to agree with Dye — more than 460,000 registered Washington voters signed onto Initiative 2117, which proposes prohibiting all state agencies “from implementing any type of carbon tax credit trading, also known as ‘cap and trade’ or ‘cap and tax’ scheme, including the Climate Commitment Act.”

Dye says she supports Initiative 2117 because she be-

lieves the cap and invest program needlessly intertwines the state’s economy with its energy sector.

“We’ve ended up with public policies that cripple the future economy because we’ve shifted the wealth creating components of our economy over to our government,” she says.

But the two have always been linked, says Lennon Bronsema, vice president of campaigns at Washington Conservation Action, a nonprofit that advocates for environmental progress and justice in Washington.

“It’s always been connected — we’ve allowed the most polluting industries to transfer the cost onto the people,” he explains. “The CCA puts the cost onto those who are actually doing the polluting.”

So far, the state has brought in more than $1.8 billion from the auctions, and more than 100 projects statewide have received some slice of that revenue. Much of that money so far is being dispersed through the state Department of Transportation.

In Spokane County, most of those funds have gone to public transit planning and operations. The county received about $66,000 to help develop a plan to transition to a zero emission fleet, and a $2.5 million transit support grant.

The state also has plans for the next few years. Notably, $25 million is slated to improve air quality and monitoring in communities that are overburdened and highly impacted by air pollution. Spokane is one of the 16 places in the state that will get that air quality investment.

State lawmakers refused to act on Initiative 2117 and adopt it into state law this session, so now it’ll be up to the state’s voters to decide. If it’s approved in November, it would reduce the state’s ability to reach its emission reduction goals.

Because of this, Bronsema thinks that voters are going to reject the initiative.

“[The CCA] really matters to people’s health — you would see people truly harmed,” Bronsema says. “The things that we’re doing to mitigate that harm would be taken away from us.” n

Expo’s Environmental LEGACY

Fifty years after Expo ’74, what environmentally friendly ideas worked?

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

Looking back, it’s easy to be impressed with Spokane’s forward thinking as it pulled together Expo ’74. It was the first World’s Fair to use the environment as its theme — “Celebrating Tomorrow’s Fresh, New Environment” — and the timing couldn’t have been better, with environmental impacts increasingly on the minds of leaders everywhere.

In February 1970, Washington state created the Department of Ecology, the country’s very first agency focused on environmental regulations and cleaning up pollution. Just months later, the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, and by December that year, the federal government opened its own Environmental Protection Agency.

Expo was already in the works, and the committee soon focused on the environment as the central topic.

But the business leaders behind Expo, who were pushing to revamp a downtown spoiled by decades of industrial pollution, still weren’t exactly stoked at the thought of making people feel bad about their impacts. There was plenty of debate during planning sessions, with many of them wanting more of a “reconnect with nature by camping and hiking” vibe instead of “the world is filled with horrible chemicals and garbage that we put there.”

Understandably, people in the environmental movement were highly skeptical of the motivations of Expo’s planners, which appeared to have more to do with increasing property values and driving money into the region than hosting what could be a groundbreaking international gathering to help the Earth. Corporate accountability was not going to be a theme.

It didn’t help that there were some verbal slip-ups by the Expo chairman, Rod Lindsay. As local historian J. William T. Youngs notes in his extensive book, The Fair and the Falls, Lindsay flubbed it when he told a reporter that Expo would succeed if it “did not encounter too much trouble from the ‘Sahara Club.’” Of course, he meant the Sierra Club, the famous wilderness preservation society founded by John Muir in 1892. Youngs’ book says the flub was “repeated often in Spokane during the months leading up to the fair, and it lent credence to the belief that Expo’s principal backers were not true conservationists.”

Youngs notes that Lindsay also got frustrated when the Audubon Society was worried about displac-

ing yellow-bellied marmots while renovating the islands in the middle of the Spokane River, saying in one meeting “who cares about those birds anyway?” (Marmots, as most of us know, are mammals.)

Still, with pressure from protesters and politicians to actually put some effort and meaning into the theme, Expo would ultimately include some environmental innovations that left a lasting legacy in Spokane.

WALKING ON GLASS

Believe it or not, Expo introduced us to a new paving material that uses crushed glass mixed with asphalt, also known as “glassphalt.” Now a common method of reusing glass containers that make their way to our recycling centers, it was innovative when the fair paved the “Theme Stream Pathways” in the park with this new material.

Expo introduced us to a new paving material that uses crushed glass mixed with asphalt, also known as “glassphalt.”

As noted in the souvenir program for Expo, more than 70 tons of glass was collected by Spokane youth groups to help pave the pathways. The project was led by Rainier Brewing Company, Reynolds Metals Company, Northwest

Expo completely transformed Spokane’s waterfront — for the better.

PHOTOS

Glass Association and the Washington Asphalt Association.

Similarly, schoolchildren gathered aluminum beverage cans to help erect a Christmas tree made of reused materials, which were later recycled.

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

Easily the brightest environmental idea to come out of the planning for Expo was the work to start cleaning up the Spokane River.

It had been used as a vehicle to remove raw sewage for years, as well as a dumping ground.

In the very early 1900s, the old, steel version of the Monroe Street Bridge literally had a hatch in the middle that street sweepers would dump refuse through, says Anna Harbine, the archives and special collection curator for the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Logs from lumber operations littered the shores, and until shortly before Expo, railroad tracks and warehouses filled the islands.

“The city of Spokane itself didn’t have a great track record with the river,” Harbine says. “It was seen as a natural resource we can use and exploit, not something to preserve and protect.”

But with the fair and millions of visitors coming, waterway cleanup efforts began in a big way. Local governments stretching from Wallace, Idaho to Lake Roosevelt started working together to reduce pollution from mining, lumber and more.

Of course, as we discover more legacy contaminants to be concerned about (PCBs and PFAS and other chemicals we now know cause health issues weren’t talked about at the time), those cleanup efforts continue, but the fair got the ball rolling.

FROM BLIGHT TO WHAT A SIGHT

The main purpose of holding the fair was to leave the city with a beautiful park. That would be accomplished by obtaining the downtown land exploited by the railroads (it was donated) and cleaning it up.

For the better part of a decade before Expo, Spokane had worked on a plan to revitalize the downtown core. After Spokane voters rejected a bond to pay for that work, holding the Expo with state and federal funding was the next best option.

Harbine says the designers of the fairgrounds truly took the environmental theme to heart, designing virtually everything except the Pavilion, IMAX theater and a few other buildings to be removed and repurposed after the fair.

The MAC’s collection includes auction records, which show that everything from ticket booths to other countries’ pavilions were sold for reuse. The pavilion for the Republic of China (Taiwan) became the theater at Walla Walla Community College. After the fair, the Bavarian Beer Garden continued to house the Looff Carrousel until 2016. Other buildings were repurposed as barns and mother-in-law homes.

While the planners may not have been as successful with the environmental theme overall, it was a major environmental boon for Spokane as an urban renewal project, Harbine says.

“That is really what Expo was, and it was way ahead of its time,” Harbine says. “You’ve got this big beautiful park that’s still there, and it’s a huge resource.” n

An art installation emphasized reuse over waste.

SUSTAINABILITY

ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

Eat More, Waste Less

People in Eastern Washington throw away too much food — state policy and Spokane educators are trying to change that

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Do you know what’s in the back of your fridge? How about the corners of your pantry? How many times do you take advantage of a great BOGO deal, only to forget about the bag of spinach liquefying in the guts of your produce drawer?

Unfortunately, Spokane County leads the state for the amount of food thrown away each year — about 170 pounds per person, according to a Washington state Department of Ecology study. About a third of all waste in Spokane could have been composted instead of thrown in the garbage.

In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture created a national goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030. Four years later, Washington lawmakers passed the “Use Food Well Washington” plan, with similar goals.

The plan also created the Center for Sustainable Food Management within the Department of Ecology.

The state “food center” opened in January, with plenty of input from Kris Major, the waste reduction education coordinator for the city of Spokane, and Second Harvest, an Eastern Washington-based food distribution charity.

“In a lot of ways, our Spokane partnerships have helped create the center,” says Jade Monroe, lead planner for the new hub.

The center will focus on three tactics: prevent food from being thrown away in the first place, rescue food at risk of being wasted, and recover the energy from

organic material that needs to be discarded. If Washington achieves its goal, these tactics will help keep about 200,000 tons of edible food out of landfills each year.

Food in landfills is a waste in multiple ways.

First, it’s bad economics. Throwing spoiled groceries away is as good as throwing dollar bills in the trash. The EPA says that about a third of food produced in the U.S. is never eaten — all the money and energy used to grow that food ends up rotting.

That rot turns into an environmental risk, since food decaying in landfills produces methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. The EPA says that wasted food in the U.S. produces the same amount of greenhouse gases as 50 million gas-powered cars.

And then there’s the social concern. Almost 13% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2022, according to the USDA. Feeding America says that over 53,000 people in Spokane County have trouble putting enough food on the table. In 2019, when 66.2 million tons of wasted food was rotting in landfills, millions of Americans were going hungry.

“It’s teaching people that the garbage is [usually] not the best choice,” Major says. “First, how can you think about ways that you purchase food and cook food and save it when you have leftovers so that you’re making less waste that goes in the trash?

And then if you do have leftover food, what other options do you have?”

BUY ONE, (DON’T) GET ONE

Walking down a grocery aisle, customers are usually barraged with advertisements to buy this, buy that, buy more. But what if there were signs encouraging you to buy more thoughtfully?

One of the state food center’s first initiatives is an education campaign based in grocery stores — because the best way to reduce food waste is to not create it in the first place.

“Safeway is going to have food waste reduction education at the point where people engage with food throughout their stores,” Monroe says. “We’re finding that it’s the best way to communicate and hopefully promote action.”

So, next to a lucrative buy-one-get-one deal, you might also see a sign that asks, “Do you know how to cook that, or how to store it properly? Will you use that food well, or will you end up tossing it at the end of the week?”

Over 53,000 people in Spokane County have trouble putting enough food on the table.

Getting something at a discount doesn’t save money if you end up throwing it away, says Emily Menshew, a nutrition education associate at Second Harvest, which helps stock food banks around the region. Menshew runs

The high-tech Waste to Energy plant is where most of Spokane’s food ends up, even though burning it isn’t the most efficient way to dispose of it.

classes every Monday about how to get the most bang for your grocery buck, which mostly includes not throwing food away. Simple planning and cooking techniques can help your bottom line and also protect the environment.

Meanwhile, the Center for Sustainable Food Management is launching its statewide campaign during international Food Waste Prevention Week from April 1-7.

“Anyone can sign up to be a partner,” Monroe says of the education campaign. “It’s a big national effort. It’d be fun to see a really strong Spokane presence this year.”

SLOW BURN OR SOIL INSTEAD

No matter what, some food scraps — banana peels, coffee grounds, eggshells — need to be discarded.

In 2019, 40 million tons of U.S. food waste ended up in landfills, while about 3.3 million tons were composted.

This might not seem like a big deal in Spokane, which burns most of its trash and turns it into electricity at the regional Waste to Energy plant. But food waste isn’t easily converted into energy by burning — it’s too wet, Spokane waste educator Major says, and it slows the burning process for everything else around it.

“It’s really a resource that needs to go back into the soil where it belongs,” she says.

In addition to brown trash cans and blue recycling bins, the city offers green bins for leaves and grass clip-

pings, as well as for produce scraps, meat and dairy scraps, and food-soiled paper like pizza boxes and egg cartons.

From March to November each year, the city will pick up these green bins for an extra $20 a month and deliver it to BarrTech Composting, a commercial composting facility 30 miles west of Spokane.

The EPA says that wasted food in the U.S. produces the same amount of greenhouse gases as 50 million gas-powered cars.

“The city is looking at adjusting our rates so that the savings from downsizing from one size of trash can to the other would pay for the subscription to a green cart,” Major says.

Thanks to the mild winter, the city started its green bin curbside collection a little early this year on Feb. 26.

Once the organic material is delivered to Barr-Tech, it’s ground down and mixed into piles that have the proper amount of water, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and heat. These perfect conditions essentially eliminate the

GREEN BINS

Spokane’s clean green bin collection started on Feb. 26. Green carts can take more than yard waste — throw in kitchen scraps from meat, dairy, breads and veggies, plus foodsoiled papers like pizza boxes and paper grocery bags. Don’t throw in any shiny paper products, plastics or glass. Need a green cart? Sign up by calling 3-1-1. Pick up times are the same as your weekly garbage collection, and the current fee is $20.72 a month.

production of methane gas and feed the proper microbes that eat the organic matter and turn it into usable topsoil. Barr-Tech then sells that topsoil to landscaping companies, mine reclamation projects and construction sites.

Any new home in Spokane probably has composted topsoil on its new lawn, says Scott Deatherage, a manager at Barr-Tech. The company has sent soil to Silver Valley’s Superfund cleanup efforts, and will supply the Washington State Department of Transportation with fertile, healthy soil to beautify the North Spokane Corridor, also known as the north-south freeway.

“The benefits of compost are far beyond waste management,” Deatherage says. “The purpose of doing this is to build healthy soil.”

An organics management law passed by Washington in 2022 is already tightening regulations on the disposal of organic material. Currently, any business generating at

-Christy & Scott Johnson

least 8 cubic yards of organic waste each week must compost it. In two years, any business generating 4 cubic yards — two typical dumpsters — of any kind of waste each week must arrange to compost its organic waste.

Mandating residential compost is trickier, Major says, because of the time and effort it takes to sort garbage.

Deatherage worries that mandating residential composting would increase the amount of contamination in organic waste so much that he might not be able to do his job.

Plus, Spokane only collects green bins nine months of the year. In the winter when there’s not enough yard waste to fill the bins, which are over 30 gallons, it’s not cost effective to collect them, Major says.

The city does, however, offer a free Master Composter and Recycling class every year that teaches residents how to compost in their own backyard or basement. Composting at home means managing food waste, cutting down on garbage and increasing soil health for free.

“If someone has a dwelling, they can compost for virtually no dollars at all,” says Tera Lessard, the new course lead for the Master Composters class. “I think our biggest barrier that we need to overcome as a community is education. [Even] a really simple internet search is gonna tell you what you can and can’t put into a pile and how to protect it from rodents, wildlife, or any kind of smell.”

Lessard is a longtime volunteer for Master Composters and is taking over the class from Major, who’s retiring on March 8. She’ll no longer be part of the formal waste

management system in Spokane, but Major’s work to combat food waste will continue through the partnerships with the state’s new sustainability center.

“It’s a big problem,” Major says. “We all need to be thinking about ways that we can help.” n

SUSTAINABILITY

HOW TO HELP

Want to get involved but don’t know where to start? Many local organizations offer opportunities all year long to help beautify our natural environment, from planting trees to helping restore shorelines. Here are a few of the organizations that you can get involved with as a volunteer.

THE LANDS COUNCIL

The Lands Council works to preserve and revitalize the region’s forests and waterways, both within and outside the urban core. The council often hosts treeplanting events, particularly for its SpoCanopy program — a collaboration with city government to get more tree cover throughout Spokane. The Lands Council will hold its annual Earth Day tree planting on April 20 from 9 am-noon, and there’ll be more opportunities from May 7-11, 9 am-1 pm. Additionally, the group will hold riparian restoration plantings in March and April and will host Spokane River cleanups in September. More information can be found at landscouncil.org.

INLAND NORTHWEST LAND CONSERVANCY

Working with private landowners and government agencies, the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy preserves land and waterways in the region. Starting on March 20, it’ll begin its biweekly Waikiki Wednesdays program that brings volunteers out to Waikiki Springs to help with stewardship tasks like trail maintenance and planting. The group’s Land Stewardship Program allows volunteers to help with monitoring sites, including city and state parks, which helps the conservancy and other organizations efficiently manage their many protected properties around the region. Their events page at inlandnwland.org is updated frequently with upcoming opportunities.

The Spokane River

Spokane Inlander - 4 Units S - 3.6” x 5.4”

SPOKANE RIVERKEEPER

The Spokane Riverkeeper works to restore the Spokane River and protect it from further pollution and mistreatment. The organization regularly holds river cleanup events — including an April 20 event this year in honor of Earth Day — and it also provides bags, gloves and other materials for private river cleanups that can be scheduled at spokaneriverkeeper. org. Additionally, Spokane Riverkeeper’s Community Science Program relies on volunteers to gather data on the water clarity of the Spokane River and Latah/Hangman Creek. Get more information about training and future opportunities by contacting waterkeeper Jule Schultz at jule@spokaneriverkeeper.org.

PALOUSE-CLEARWATER ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE

Since 1986, the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute has been working to educate the community about environmental issues and foster restoration projects in the region. Much of the institute’s restoration work focuses on removing invasive plant species and replacing them with native plants. At its Palouse Nature Center in Moscow, Idaho, anyone can come by between 10 am-2 pm on Wednesdays to help with a variety of their ongoing projects. Upcoming events can be found at pcei.org.

— SUMMER SANDSTROM

Shapeshifting into Something New

The Chameleon looks to transform the former Lucky You Lounge into a more versatile and varied music and arts hub

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Running a concert venue has never been easy, but it’s become even more of a test in the past decade or so. The digital fragmentation of music means that almost everything outside of arena-headlining megastars is increasingly niche. It’s hard to cater to a local music community when shows that draw attendees may range from punk bands to rap shows to folk singersongwriters to hyperpop teens to nostalgic pop culture rave nights. In order to be viable, venues often have to shift their sound, visuals, vibes and audience nightly.

Much like its animal kingdom namesake, the Chameleon hopes to be one such colorful new spot that can morph into whatever the Spokane music community needs.

Taking over the former Lucky You Lounge building in Browne’s Addition, the Chameleon looks to carve out its own unique path under the guiding hands of Rüt Bar & Kitchen founder/chef Josh Lorenzen and his visual artist wife, Hazel Miller.

Lorenzen has long been involved in music, ranging from bands in his Portland days to running sound at Lucky You to his current part-time gig as producer and DJ for standout local rapper Jang the Goon. The couple themselves have strong musical ties, having met almost 10

years ago when Miller attended a jazz night at Portland’s Bijou Cafe, where Lorenzen was sous chef.

“Still our favorite thing to do is eat and listen to music,” Miller says.

But running a music venue wasn’t something Lorenzen had in mind even as recently as last August. While the couple are friends with former Lucky You proprietors Caleb Ingersoll and Karli Fairbanks, they weren’t initially looking to carry on the mantle.

“One night when they were closing [Lucky You], I was just kind of shooting the shit with the old owner [Caleb], and he’s like, ‘Man, maybe you should try to get this place back up and running.’ And it was kind of a joke, and I laughed at him and was like, ‘Absolutely not. I’m not going to do that,’” Lorenzen says. “And then a couple of months later, the universe was still pushing it in the direction, and here I am. Basically everything that felt like maybe it wasn’t a good idea turned into something that seemed like it was actually a really good idea.”

The Chameleon’s name is incredibly intentional.

While they briefly considered reopening just as Lucky You again, Lorenzen and Miller wanted to create a music venue that has more elements of artistic

fusion than the typical concertgoing spot.

Miller, who grew up in San Antonio and even once owned a pet chameleon named Darwin, longs for the heat and humidity of equatorial latitudes, which helped the pair settle on a bit of an Amazonian rainforest aesthetic. This includes everything from on-theme sculptures they collected, a gallery wall with a Reinaldo Gil Zambrano chameleon print and custom murals Miller painted on the walls. One depicts a woman riding a tiger through the jungle, another a chameleon wearing a dress and riding a horse, and yet another is of a woman lounging with a crocodile, inspired by a Franz Xaver Winterhalter painting Miller saw at the Getty last year. (She hopes to eventually host art events in the space, too.)

“We’ve been kind of joking about this idea of creating some kind of like terrarium vibe — kind of misty and like you’re imagining you’re some kind of lizard in this lush, humid rainforest feeling,” Miller says. “There’s something just so magical about that biome and that ecosystem, and all the biodiversity and the really vivid colors.”

But the space’s true chameleon powers come via local lighting designer Grant Greer, who’s installed a lighting and projection system allowing the venue to shapeshift depending on the night’s offerings. The whole wall next

Josh Lorenzen and Hazel Miller are bringing a new multifaceted venue to Spokane. ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

to the stage can now feature visual projections, the main lights throughout the building can be color controlled, fog machines are being installed soon, and more tweaks are yet to come. But the biggest design shift came by knocking down a wall that formerly separated the stage space from the bar, making the upstairs one long open room.

“Visually it will feel and look differently in a lot of ways from Lucky You. Some nights it’s just gonna feel similar, you know, maybe a folk night of music and it’s got some mellow, nice ambient lighting and good chill vibes. And then the next night, it might be a full-on nightclub experience with projections all over the walls and strobe lights going off, turning it into a dance party kind of thing,” Lorenzen says.

To that end, the Chameleon — with Lorenzen doing the booking — isn’t trying to pigeonhole itself to any specific genre. A double weekend of opening shows highlights that.

The Chameleon opens on Friday, March 1, with local rockers Nothing Shameful, followed by a rap bill with Seattle’s Travis Thomspon and Jang the Goon on March 2. The next weekend features local hip-hop band Ku Fu Vinyl (March 8) and touring country/American singer-songwriter Cassandra Lewis (March 9).

And while live bands will still be a major part of the venue, Lorenzen also hopes the Chameleon can change its patterns effectively enough to become an “elevated dance club” spot without the “bro-y” vibes of other Spokane spots. (He adds that tickets for the first dance night — “Sorry for Party Rocking” on March 30 — are selling the best of anything so far.)

“Some of these things that we’re doing here feel like something that you would see in a larger city, but for some reason, even though Spokane is pretty

large, there isn’t as much unique, DIY, art-focused [stuff]. It’s just this weird disconnect,” Lorenzen says.

Given his Rüt… ummm… roots, naturally food is going to play a factor in Lorenzen’s venue endeavor. Unlike Lucky You, the space will only be open when shows are happening (at least to start). Still, munching at concerts should be notches above typical show-going fare. Former Inland Pacific Kitchen chef Austin Conkin is concocting a menu of fast-casual bits that are Asian street food inspired. Rüt manager Greta Heminger serves as the Chameleon’s mixologist. Her offerings seek to capture that colorful equatorial vibe with fun cocktails that don’t dip into the tiki milieu.

While the venue’s downstairs space probably won’t be open until April, the plan is to treat it as a separate venue called the Jaguar Room. The space’s redesign also means the Jaguar Room will be able to host all-ages shows. (The Chameleon’s main floor will remain 21+.)

Lorenzen and Miller are well aware how tough it can be to keep a venue afloat, but they hope their shape-shifting approach will draw in a diverse demographic that can help the local music and art scene grow into a lush jungle.

“I feel like our city is on the verge of becoming that small to medium-sized next place in the Northwest. Maybe early Portland, early Seattle vibes,” says Lorenzen. “And I’m waiting for it. I’ve been here for a while. And I want it. And so I want to encourage that by trying to bring things that make people want to live here. And the people that do live here enjoy themselves and want to stay here. And if the Chameleon can help with that, I guess that’s kind of my main goal.” n

The Chameleon • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • chameleonspokane.com • Instagram: @chameleonspokane

The Chameleon has a lush, jungle-inspired vibe.

THE LONG AND WINDING BORE

Seven slightly unhinged ideas to make the new Beatles movies interesting

BY NATE SANFORD

Last week, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that Sam Mendes will be directing a series of four movies about the Beatles, set to be released in 2027. Each will be told from the perspective of one band member. It’s a neat idea, but I’m worried it’s going to be really boring.

Music biopics are famously formulaic — an hour and a half of safe fun and references. They tend to occupy the same cultural space as Disney live-action remakes. Artists like Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley and David Bowie took bold creative risks, but their on-screen depictions rarely try. It doesn’t have to be this way.

The Beatles were weird, subversive and at times controversial. A series of movies about them can be, too. Here’s a list of ideas — ranked in order of least to most outlandish — that could help the films stand on their own as creative products. Yes, some of these could fail epicly. But that’s what risks are all about!

1. NO HITS, ONLY DEEP CUTS

We’ve heard the hits — and the semi-factual stories behind them — too many times. If the films really want to surprise, they should ignore the popular songs altogether. Centering tracks like “Hey Bulldog” (an underrated banger) and “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” (a hot mess) would be far more compelling.

2. DON’T LET LIVING BEATLES HAVE ANY CREATIVE CONTROL

Musician biopics often suffer as a genre because the artists’ estates — and sometimes the artists themselves — have direct control over the final product. This was especially stark in Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2019 Queen biopic and vanity project that suffered from the heavy hand of the surviving band members.

Good art isn’t supposed to be flattering. I’m glad Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are still around to make music and tell their stories, but they shouldn’t be anywhere near this.

3. HARD R RATING

LSD. Speed. Infidelity. The Hamburg nightclub parties. The infamous group sessions that inspired the “Beat the Meatles” New York Post headlines. There’s a lot of compelling material here that doesn’t deserve to be sanitized with a PG-13 rating. Even the darker elements — like domestic abuse and alcoholism — could, if done sensitively, be interesting to explore.

4. MAKE IT A MOCKUMENTARY

A good Beatles movie already exists. Nine hours long and split into three parts, Peter Jackson’s Get Back uses restored footage to present a candid, fly-on-the-wall documentary about the recording sessions that would become the Beatles’ Let It Be album. The imperfect historical footage is a fascinating portrait of the band’s creative process.

Sadly, no similar footage exists of the recording sessions for the band’s other (and frankly better) albums. But what if we could recreate it? Picture a cinema verite-style faux-documentary of the Sgt. Pepper’s sessions that pairs audio of real outtakes with reenacted footage. I think it could be neat.

6. ALL-FEMALE CAST

One music movie that successfully escaped the biopic trap was I’m Not There, an experimental 2007 film that loosely portrayed Bob Dylan’s life using six different actors. The best performance by far came from actress Cate Blanchett, who nailed Dylan’s idiosyncrasies and general strangeness.

Taking a similar, gender-swapped approach to the Beatles films could be really interesting and give the filmmakers a way to explore the band members’ weirdly complicated relationship with masculinity. If done right, this could also be really funny.

5. SHOOT IT IN ONE TAKE

Sam Mendes’ 2019 World War I film, 1917, was really good. It uses clever filmmaking tricks to give the impression of a camera following the protagonists in a single, unbroken shot. Mendes should try this again, perhaps following one of the Beatles for a single “Day in the Life,” or something like that.

7. MAKE ONE OF THE FILMS (RINGO’S?) A SILENT MOVIE

Ringo is a man of few words. For his film, I’m picturing a black-and-white physical comedy in the style of Charlie Chaplin.

Music biopics love to indulge in grand narratives — the emotional highs and lows of fame. There’s plenty of material there in the Beatles’ history, but the film shouldn’t forget that the band was, in essence, four guys in their early 20s who goofed off constantly. The filmmakers shouldn’t be afraid to get silly with it. n

THE BUZZ BIN

MUSIC TO MY EARS

Despite what you may have heard, libraries are more than just books. Recently, the Spokane Public Library received a $13,500 grant from the Future Song Foundation, a Spokane-based nonprofit that provides funding to ensure kids have access to musical instruction. In 2023, the library offered 257 free music lessons including guitar, bass, ukulele, piano and drums. With the new funding, the library will be able to offer additional music lessons on top of its existing programming. The SPL also hired local musician and music teacher Jason Perry as its new music educator. For more information on the music education program, visit spokanelibrary. org/music-lessons. (MADISON PEARSON)

SPOKA-MANIA

While pro wrestling fans around the world are already getting excited for early April’s WrestleMania, Spokane grappling devotees now have a big event of their own to anticipate. Standout indie promotion Relentless Wrestling is going bigger than ever for its March 30 show, Relentless Wrestling 24: Monumental, which is taking place (for the first time) at Northern Quest Resort & Casino. The blowout supercard is headlined by former WWE superstar Mustafa Ali and features debuts by other talent from All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. If you’ve ever wanted to take the plunge into the excellent local pro wrestling scene, this Monumental is the perfect entry point. Tickets are now on sale at northernquest.com. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST

Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online March 1.

LIAM GALLAGHER & JOHN SQUIRE, LIAM GALLAGHER & JOHN SQUIRE. While Britpop fans yearn in vain for an Oasis reunion, one of the Gallagher brothers is at least still making music with fellow Manchester music legends, in this case Squire of the Stone Roses.

YARD ACT, WHERE’S MY UTOPIA? The British post-punk quartet maintains its satirically wry talk-singing vibe while expanding its sound with loads more dancey grooves on its sophomore LP.

FAYE WEBSTER, UNDERDRESSED AT THE SYMPHONY. The Atlanta indie folk singer-songwriter and critical darling offers up more delicate, breathy odes (plus a surprising feature from Lil Yachty). (SETH SOMMERFELD)

The Beatles arrive in America in 1964. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PHOTO

Everything, Everywhere Art at Once

Multidimensional artist Dick Schindler shares 20 years of art in new exhibit at Kolva-Sullivan Gallery

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

You might want to bring a folding chair to artist Dick Schindler’s latest exhibition, “Backside Storage Unit,” at Kolva-Sullivan Gallery through March 31. There’s a lot to absorb: Twenty years worth of mixed media drawings, paintings, sculpture and assemblages, and nearly all of it abstract enough that you’ll want to sit with it a bit and let its stories unfold.

Start at the industrial Adams Street gallery’s entry wall, which is covered in a giant oval of individual mixed media images, like an organized explosion of ideas. Some images resemble technical drawings of animals and mechanical apparatus. Others channel the canon of art history: Goya, Francis Bacon, Picasso, Paul Klee, but also Frank Lobdell, a leader in the Bay Area figurative and abstract expressionist movements, and under whom Schindler studied.

The work in “Backside Storage Unit” is a small fraction of Schindler’s 60-year journey with art and the result of a steadfast morning ritual: a cup of coffee and drawing materials.

“It’s almost irritating because I have piles and piles and piles [of stuff around me], but I always have something going on, something I’m working on,” says the 82-year-old Schindler. He’s still blown away by the power of making marks on paper, and “the idea that you can just play with something and imagine.”

Schindler remembers liking to take things apart while drawing as a youngster. Early works prompted his father to sign him up for art lessons.

“My mother thought I was going to be an archaeologist,” says the now-retired college instructor whose stints included Eastern Washington University and Spokane Falls Community College. “My teachers thought I was going to be an architect.”

Instead, Schindler left home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for the Marines, enamored with the idea of overseas travel. Before the lead-up to the Vietnam War, however, Schindler returned home. He briefly attended York College and got married (after a divorce, Schindler wed fellow artist and college art instructor Lena Lopez Schindler). The mid-1960s saw Schindler in San Francis-

co working in sales for a chemical distributor. Yet, as before, he felt pulled elsewhere.

“I walked into the San Francisco Art Institute, and I could not believe I saw large paintings and sculptures being made,” he recalls. “And that was it — I felt like I found home.”

The Bay Area was a hotbed of intellectual and artistic activity at the time. It rivaled New York in terms of influential artists and art movements, from photographer Annie Leibovitz to painters Richard Diebenkorn and Clyfford Still, the latter hailing from Spokane.

Schindler remembers having a visceral reaction to Still’s abstract expressionist works when he first saw them at the San Francisco Museum of Art.

“I felt like I was witnessing some sort of powerful spirit,” he says.

In turn, his contemporaries and other modernists impacted how Schindler made art. While working in his studio, there was “a strange kind of conjuring experience going on, traveling in the work and discovering,” he recalls.

The joy of discovery and learning is not limited to art. While at the San Francisco Art Institute, Schindler says content experts from nearby Berkeley University would visit — physicists, social scientists, even English literature professors.

“God, it was amazing,” he says. “You could hang out and talk about anything under the sun.”

In 1971, Schindler was pursuing a master’s of painting at nearby Stanford University, and he remembers touring the university’s linear accelerator, a theoretical and experimental research facility. The topic still fascinates him (he segues into a recommendation for a physics documentary, Everything and Nothing: The Amazing Science of Empty Space), including “how we envision the universe, how we deal with light and particles and the changes in that field.”

After Stanford, Schindler landed in Roswell, New Mexico, attending the prestigious Roswell Artist in Residency. That experience nurtured his experimental side — a year just

making stuff, he says — and cemented his desire to stay in the West.

While living and teaching in California, Schindler heard more and more about North Idaho. It was the ’70s and the lure of adventure combined with rising California real estate prices that prompted him to move to Bonner County, where he built his own house.

His neighbors in an area known as Beyond Hope were Ed Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, an internationally known pair of assemblage artists collectively referred to as Kienholz. Schindler became friends with the couple, who had similar views about working with objects.

“Like, you call it junk,” Schindler says. “I call it art making materials because I see the potential,” describing how his and his neighbors’ overflowing garages (and sheds and storage units) inspired the exhibition’s title, “Backside Storage Unit.”

Around when Ed Kienholz died in 1994, Schindler recalls reading about the stages of death in Tibetan Buddhism. He remembers Ed appearing in a dream, encouraging him to keep making art.

“It was really powerful,” says Schindler, who also paraphrases artist Paul Klee’s idea of the “artist as transmitter.”

Schindler points to “Polish,” one of the largest paintings in the exhibition and the frontispiece for its publicity. It honors his mother and led to his researching Slavic folk art, sensing some kind of ancestral voice driving his mark making.

“Why am I driven to do the pattern, to go back in and keep developing it?” he asks rhetorically.

At some point, he says, it’s as if he hears the word “stop” and knows a piece is done. Even so Schindler admits he couldn’t help himself from “tinkering” with the painting.

“That was dangerous,” he says, smiling. “Not knowing when to stop, that’s a really difficult thing.” n

Backside Storage Unit • Through March

31, by appt. • Free • Kolva-Sullivan Gallery • 115 S. Adams St. • Facebook: KolvaSullivan-Gallery • 509-458-5517

Artist Dick Schindler YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

(RE)OPENING

LEGEND OF ZOLA

Thanks to community support, a beloved downtown Spokane late-night spot isn’t going anywhere

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

If you’ve been to Zola, you probably have your favorite nook. The Tilt-a-Whirl booth where you had your first date. A front-row seat up close and personal with the band. A bar stool and some hot gossip with Sheldon Moore, your favorite bartender-turned-best-friend.

In early December last year, the string lights at Zola were about to go out. Staff whispered to regulars that it was their last shift. Social media posts claimed the bar was permanently closed.

After 15 years on West Main Avenue, maybe Zola just wasn’t what it used to be. Maybe downtown nightlife in Spokane was fading. When budgets are tight, “going out is not a priority,” says Taijah Howard, Zola’s general manager. “Rent is.”

But suddenly, Zola staff took to Facebook to say the bar would stay open through the end of the year and review its options. A glimmer of hope. Was someone going to keep the music playing?

That someone was Nick Velis — a dentist, Spokane Valley native and decadelong Zola regular. When he heard his favorite hangout spot might close, he couldn’t let it slide. He rallied a group of half a dozen friends and their spouses to buy Zola together, to the delight and relief of staff and guests alike.

“I didn’t understand how much this place meant to people,” Howard says. “People rallied around us. They didn’t want to see this place go anywhere. They didn’t want to see any changes. It meant a lot to me that people wanted to keep Zola going and see it thrive. We were lucky enough to have people [who] wanted to do that for us and take care of us.”

The group of new owners wants nothing to do with the spotlight. The staff has always been Zola’s heart and soul, and every employee has stayed through the transition. The only staffing change is the addition of new team members, which bodes well for the future of the business.

Two co-owners, Gina Bartelli and Mars Kleist, had just moved from Colorado when they took the opportunity to become a part of Zola’s future. Bartelli has plenty of hospitality experience, and her boyfriend Kleist is a musician and sound engineer.

“We came in ready to solve some serious problems,” Bartelli says. “But we got here, and it was like, ‘Where are the problems?’ The staff is unbelievable. People think of Zola, and they think of them. It is home for a lot of people.”

Bartelli and Kleist have taken near invisible roles — Kleist behind the soundboard, and Bartelli in the kitchen. Bartelli’s first priority was to refresh the menu to revitalize Zola’s well-known happy hour.

The kitchen team had already decided to start leaning Mediterranean, which fit Bartelli’s Armenian roots perfectly. The new menu features new shareables like fried olives ($12), chicken souvlaki ($12), miso deviled eggs ($7) and arancini ($12), small, deep-fried risotto balls stuffed with cheese and served with a basil marinara. Classic favorites like Zola mac and cheese ($9) and the eye-catching hummus plate ($12) haven’t gone anywhere.

Plus, everything on the menu is discounted to under $10 during happy hour, which runs from 4 to 7 pm daily.

It’s important to the staff that people working a traditional 9-5 still have time to come enjoy an unrushed happy hour after work, or that couples can come grab a drink and a bite before going out for the rest of their evening.

The goal, Howard says, isn’t to compete with dinner spots. It’s to be a place to spend those extra pockets of time, creating memories from what might have been wasted time. The whole space has always been dedicated to resurrecting the beauty of discarded things, from the license plates paneling the walls to the ribs of a canoe floating above the staircase.

And, of course, the space wouldn’t be the same without music. Brittany’s House Music and Blake Braley haven’t gone anywhere. Musicians are still seeking Zola out as a place to play, so much so that Bartelli hopes to add acoustic live music during happy hour before the typical 8 pm concert starts. Matt Walden, who has over 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and over 10 million streams of his top hit, is already set to play a happy hour spot on Saturday, March 9.

“People want to be here,” Howard says. “We don’t have to look because everybody wants to be here.”

So whether you’re popping in for an early bite or a late night drink, or you’re renting the “poker room” for your birthday, or you’re planning your night around the musician in town, Zola has a spot for you. And it will continue to have a spot for you, hopefully for the next 15 years. n

Zola co-owner and kitchen manager Gina Bartelli, left, and general manager Taijah Howard. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

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Dispatches from the Food Rebellion

Northwest Food Hub Network’s Spokane summit explores solutions to get locally grown food on more plates

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

In 2023, over 150 schools in Montana served Montana Marinara, a “picky eater approved” red sauce made with locally grown carrots, squash and onions.

It took supply chain funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and complex coordination between the state’s Office of Public Instruction, farmer-owned food cooperatives, and a nonprofit community development organization just to feed Montana kids some veggies grown in Montana.

Call them dreamers, but some people don’t think it should be that difficult to eat local food.

Earlier this month, on Friday, Feb. 16, the Northwest Food Hub Network hosted its third annual summit at Gonzaga University. The event brought together farmers, ranchers, distributors, processors, marketers, policymakers, university researchers, educators and health care workers to brainstorm and share experiences. They spoke in shorthand jargon, like “value chain coordination” and “resilient food chain infrastructure,” but the question at hand was simple: How do farmers sell their food to people who live nearby?

The Northwest Food Hub Network is an umbrella organization that tries to strengthen and coordinate individual food distributors. It currently supports LINC Foods in Spokane, the Puget Sound Food Hub Farmers Cooperative and the Western Montana Growers Cooperative. Its goal is to create more opportunities to buy and sell local food so small farmers aren’t competing against one another, but working together instead.

They talk about “making the pie bigger,” a common economics metaphor. If all the opportunities to sell locally make up a pie with a small number of slices, competition increases. But if everyone works together to create more opportunities, everyone can get part of the pie.

When Charlie Michel, head organizer of the event, talks about local food, he quickly ends up discussing democracy. Farmer-owned food cooperatives are microcosms of the democratic process, relying on a voting system and majority rules agreement to make decisions about how to operate and where to sell.

Each participant of a small co-op has more power than farmers usually have as cogs in a big ag system. But it also means agreeing to prioritize the best interests of the group, even if it cuts against personal preference. That’s one reason it’s so hard to get growers and producers to agree to co-ops.

But selling food locally could give farmers more power to choose what they want to grow. Washington state exported $8 billion of food and agricultural products in 2022, including about 90% of its wheat and 70% of its potatoes, according to the state’s department of agriculture. Both the price and the types of crops are determined by international markets, and farmers usually have little choice but to obey.

THIRTY WORKS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN FROM THE ARTIST WHO TRANSCENDED THE BULLSHIT.

LINC Foods is one way to eat more locally. PHOTO COURTESY LINC FOODS

Michel and others in food hub networks envision a world where the default isn’t exporting. Shorter shipping distances could cut down on the cost and environmental impacts of burning fuel. Plus, shorter supply chains are in less danger of being disrupted by wars, tariffs or pandemics.

Local food also gives consumers more options of what to buy and eat. Instead of having one option for white potatoes at the grocery store, imagine being able to choose among five options with different growing techniques, flavor profiles and price points. Local food markets are also usually more welcoming to unique products, like lentil flour or purple tomatoes, therefore encouraging smaller agricultural entrepreneurs.

Farmers want to grow what people want to buy, so a huge emphasis at the Food Hub Network summit was education.

Staff from programs like Farm 2 School shared about getting local produce into classrooms and cafeterias. Aaron Smith, director of nutrition services for Seattle Public Schools, talked about seeking out local suppliers, saying local products can sometimes be the less expensive option.

Santos Guadarrama, a farmer and co-owner of LINC Foods, explained the benefits of working in a co-op like LINC. On a panel of national experts, Cheryl Bilinski from Cornell University shared that the New York governor signed an executive order requiring the state’s agencies to source at least 30% of their food from local producers, which got audible gasps of envy from listeners at Gonzaga.

Changes to the state, federal and international policies that determine where food goes are slow. And not everyone is going to get on board. My own grandfather, who grew hundreds of acres of feed corn in Nebraska, used to say that farmers were the biggest gamblers in the world. They need as many safety nets as possible, like huge harvests, guaranteed prices and predictable markets. It’s unclear if Big Ag could ever change, or if it should.

But the dreamers at this year’s summit think it’s possible that in a few years or decades, local food won’t be just a niche. n

‘cause we have our vaccines!

RSV,

REVIEW

The Spice Must Flow

Dune: Part Two is a grand science fiction epic led by a compelling leading duo in Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya

BY CHASE HUTCHINSON

“No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a hero.” The “hero,” in this case, is Timothée Chalamet’s young Paul Atreides who holds the vast world of Dune: Part Two in his mind. However, the quote belongs to the late Washingtonian author of the Dune series, Frank Herbert. Born in Tacoma in 1920, Herbert would go on to craft one of the most foundational sci-fi novels. Amid all the sandworms, Dune us also a skeptical parable. The author, a man of many contradictions who worked in both journalism and politics, grew disillusioned with the leaders who govern the world. Of the many ideas in his writing, a central one concerns the danger of false prophets.

desert their home. As the bodies fall and pile up on the sand, more death is soon to follow.

DUNE: PART TWO

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya

The question has always been whether a film adaptation could capture this. With Dune: Part Two, director Denis Villeneuve not only comes about as close as one could hope to doing so, but he also surpasses the already significant achievement of the first film. This sequel, which covers the latter half of the book, picks up with Paul on the run in the vast deserts of the planet Arrakis as the forces of House Harkonnen attempt to destroy the Fremen and mine the valuable spice melange. An effective early action scene reveals the Harkonnen are no match for the warriors that have made the inhospitable

For Paul, his life has become defined by death. His father was murdered, and he has just recently taken the life of another for the first time. Simultaneously, his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), is pregnant with his sister and begins to use her abilities as a Bene Gesserit to convince the Fremen that Paul is their messiah. Where some like the longtime Fremen leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem with a delightful yet tragically humorous disposition) are willing to do anything to have this be true, others are not so sure. Chani (Zendaya, in her best film performance to date) is wary of the way the Fremen are being led by Paul even as she also develops a fraught affection for him while they fight the Harkonnen.

The film is then about this march toward what may be the immense destruction wrought by a supposed savior. Many other players are trying to direct the battle on Arrakis, but the core of it remains the descent of Paul. For all the awe the film creates with the scope of its world and the magnificent visual effects, all of it is being increasingly poisoned by the dark path the characters are going down. Paul is aware of this, initially saying he does not want to lead because he knows what will happen, but still he does so — which

is the point. What could feel like a sudden about-face is a haunting demonstration of how little a push it takes for those with power to throw all their supposed morals away.

There are brief parts of this that prove a little blunt in hammering home how Paul is becoming lost, yet there is also something authentically terrifying to seeing how the more and more a figure is rallied around, the worse he gets. Just as Zendaya delicately captures Chani becoming the film’s moral conscience, there is little her character can do to stop the coming storm. The film boasts breathtaking visuals — from a gladiatorial fight commanded by Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha (the film’s antagonist of sorts) to the climactic battle for the future of Arrakis — but Chani gives the film its emotional heft.

If it wasn’t already clear, a more open-ended conclusion shows Villeneuve is hungering to make at least one more film to complete what has become his feel-bad sci-fi trilogy. Regardless of whether there is more to come, this latest chapter emerges as one of the most well-crafted works of cinema you’ll see this year. With both spectacle and soul, it is a work that puts all other projects of this scale to absolute shame. It’s faithful to Herbert’s ideas while remaining refreshingly willing to reshape the story.

Dune’s world falls into the hands of its “hero.” What a grim sight it is to see. n

The deserts of Arrakis dazzle in Dune: Part Two.

Many Dunes Ago

Before Denis Villeneuve, two unconventional auteurs made flawed attempts to bring Dune to the big screen

BY JOSH BELL

As impressive as director Denis Villeneuve’s vision may be for his film adaptations of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune, it’s also somewhat clinical and reserved, with little room for messy experimentation. In that way, it’s the opposite of the early attempts to adapt Herbert’s 1965 novel, which in the 1970s and ’80s was in the hands of two bold, eccentric filmmakers: Alejandro Jodorowsky and David Lynch. Though both of their onscreen ambitions for Dune were either thwarted or compromised, it’s still fascinating to look back at the grand, bizarre concepts they put forth.

Jodorowsky’s film never made it past preproduction, but the entire process is chronicled in the 2014 documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, which features plenty of concept art and storyboards from Jodorowsky’s elaborate pitch package. The avantgarde filmmaker behind the surreal, often shocking cult films The Holy Mountain and El Topo is an unlikely candidate to take on a potential blockbuster sci-fi franchise, but when Jodorowsky acquired the rights to Dune in 1974, the property was out of favor with Hollywood.

Jodorowsky used that freedom to mount a loose adaptation of the novel, which he hadn’t even read before pursuing the project. In Jodorowsky’s Dune, he describes a movie that would have most likely been a spectacular disaster, with starring roles for David Carradine, Salvador Dali, Mick Jagger and Orson Welles, among others, along with Jodorowsky’s own 12-year-old son in the main role of Paul Atreides. Jodorowsky recruited out-there artists H.R. Giger, Jean “Moebius” Giraud and Chris Foss to design the world he wanted to present, and Jodorowsky’s Dune includes some gorgeous, baffling imagery, occasionally brought to life via rudimentary animation.

“You must not respect the novel,” Jodorowsky said about his approach to adaptation, and his ideas certainly would have invoked strong negative reactions from hardcore Dune fans. Anyone who’s seen Jodorowsky’s other films knows that he takes an impressionistic, psychedelic approach to storytelling, and he would have turned Herbert’s meticulous world-building into chaos. The Jodorowsky version of Dune that exists only in the imaginations of the people who worked on it — along with viewers of the documentary — is probably more satisfying than whatever sprawling nightmare Jodorowsky would have actually delivered.

Toward the end of Jodorowsky’s Dune, Jodorowsky describes his gleeful reaction to finally seeing David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune and discovering that it’s “awful.” Lynch himself, who has all but disowned his troubled film, might agree. Both would place the blame on producers, who forced Lynch to rein in his vision in a way that Jodorowsky was never willing to do. That means that Lynch’s film actually got made, but it’s clearly the result of studio tinkering, with its ubiquitous voiceover exposition and an absurdly rushed final act.

Yet as maligned as Lynch’s film has been, it features nearly as many satisfyingly strange elements as in Jodorowsky’s interpretation, turning it into a hallucinogenic dreamscape that fits perfectly into Lynch’s filmography alongside movies like Eraserhead and Lost Highway. The nonstop narration from Kyle MacLachlan’s Paul Atreides and other characters sounds like demented ASMR, contributing as much confusion as clarification. The mutated guild navigator in the opening scene speaks through a mouth that looks like a vagina. The pus-covered Baron Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan) floats around like he’s just had some of Willy Wonka’s fizzy lifting drink. Patrick Stewart’s Gurney Halleck charges into battle carrying a pug.

Lynch’s Dune is a grotesque, grandiose, entirely incomprehensible fiasco, but it’s mesmerizing to watch. Lynch produces the cinematic equivalent of a 20-minute prog-rock song, piling excess upon excess. He’s terrible at staging action sequences, and the movie completely falls apart in its last 45 minutes, which cram in roughly the same amount of Herbert’s novel that’s covered in Villeneuve’s entire (nearly three-hour) Dune: Part Two. Lynch clearly was the wrong person to helm a big-budget studio tentpole, but his failure is far more interesting than the typical mediocre ’80s space opera designed to capitalize on the popularity of Star Wars

It may be easier to appreciate Jodorowsky’s and Lynch’s failures now that Villeneuve has produced such a success, and there’s no reason that multiple takes on such a beloved, iconic work of literature can’t exist simultaneously. There’s room for the idiosyncratic calamities alongside the polished, immersive epic. n

Dune (1984) and Jodorowsky’s Dune are streaming on Max.

Kyle MacLachlan was Paul Atreides decades before Timothée Chalamet.

INDIE FOLK

Happy Accidents

Jess Williamson blends her Texas country roots and Los Angeles indie folk modernity on the stunning Time Ain’t Accidental

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

Everything happens for a reason may be a cliché, but it’s one that Los Angeles-via-Texas indie folk singer-songwriter Jess Williamson holds deeply in her heart these days.

But if you talked to Williamson in 2020? Well let’s just say her outlook may have been a touch different. It’s not hyperbole to say her world was falling apart around her at the time.

Williamson dropped her album Sorceress in February 2020… only to have the music world shut down by COVID. Adding salt to that wound, the pandemic’s quelling of her momentum led to her professional team (managers, bookers, etc.) dropping her. At least when her work life was cratering she had her personal life to fall back on, right? Right? Well… no. Her relationship with her musically collaborative partner — the person she thought she was going to marry — also fell apart. (Whoof.)

But if there’s any upside to the rock bottom that Williamson was hitting, it’s that there was nowhere to go

but up. So she just kept going. She started writing though the darkness, exposing the raw emotional parts of her. She found a new love in an old West Texas acquaintance living in the small town of Marfa. And she synthesized all that together to create her breathtaking 2023 album, Time Ain’t Accidental

“The title Time Ain’t Accidental, it’s this reminder. I believe there are no accidents, and that timing works out the way it’s supposed to. I had a plan, and I had a story of exactly what my life was going to look like. And it all got turned upside down,” Williamson says. “And I just put it all into the songs on this album. When I was in some of the scariest moments, I would just sit at my piano and pour it all into writing a song. And then I ended up falling in love with somebody new and having a whole different experience that I never even would have imagined for myself that was so much different than I ever thought love could feel. And it changed the trajectory of my whole life. And so that’s just the kind of stuff where I

look back and I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, if things had gone my way, my life would look totally different today.’ And I’m so happy with how things turned out.”

Time Ain’t Accidental finds Williamson drawing from the places she’s called home. The album emits an intoxicating blend of the country-folk roots of her Texas upbringing and the modern touches one might expect from an Angeleno. There aren’t a ton of country-leaning albums that name-check poet Raymond Carver and feature Jungian linear notes. As she puts it, “The sonic choices that we made, and the instrument choices that we made, I just feel like that’s me. It’s a little Marfa. It’s a little LA. I’m both.”

The feel of the album actually comes across via its cover photo in which Williamson is smiling and holding herself as a lightning storm rages in the background. The record is lush with evocative lyricism about the dark days and still searching for real love across time and distance — open-hearted hoping in spite of a wave of rejection.

The arrangements range from minimal meditations to big horn-infused soundscapes, but literally the first sounds on the album-opening title track are the ones that are most striking — electronic beats Williamson made

on her phone. While pairing these extremely modern rhythmic sounds with traditional country arrangements and Wiliamson’s honey-sweet voice might sound like an off-putting combo, it leads to pure indie folk bliss.

Williamson made the beats on an iPhone app called FunkBox when writing the songs in isolation as a way of having “sort of a skeleton that everything could hang on.” While she personally liked their feel, she presumed that when she got into the studio, her producer Brad Cook would instantly tell her to replace the demo beats with someone playing a live drum kit. But instead they were kept, giving the often overly second-guessing Williamson a validating confidence boost.

“It surprised me, but it was a pleasant surprise. Because the truth is, I really liked them. And I had grown attached to them,” Williamson says. “And [Brad] said, ‘No, you wrote the songs around these beats, we’re gonna keep these.’ And I’m so glad we did. Because, to me, it’s a nod to my process. A lot of these songs were written during lockdown during COVID. And I was alone. This record is the most me that I’ve ever felt on a record.”

Considering the splendid quality of Time

Ain’t Accidental and the fact that it’s Williamson’s fifth solo LP, it’s surprising to hear that this is the first time she’s actually felt fully comfortable in her artistry.

“This record was the first time that I really thought of myself as a songwriter. I had never really thought about myself that way before,” she says. “I would say that I was a singer-songwriter if people asked, but I didn’t understand how important the craft of songwriting is. I knew that the word for what I was doing was songwriting, but I maybe didn’t fully understand the implications of that term.”

“I went into making this record as a songwriter,” she continues. “What I’ve learned is the best songs stand on their own — if it’s just a voice and an instrument, it’s still compelling. Whereas in the past, I leaned into production and the live band sound, and I thought that’s what made a good song or a good record. Now, I’ve changed.”

Listening through Williamson’s discography, you can hear a voice trying to find its sound. Her debut record, 2014’s Native State, takes a minimalist, bare bones folk approach and there’s so much warble in her voice that it almost seems like someone with a completely different accent. The sound and confidence expanded on 2016’s Heart Song, while 2018’s Cosmic Wink brought another layer of sonic depth that calls to mind Angel Olsen. By the time Sorceress arrived, Williamson had found an approximation of her current style. But again, that dropped at the wrong time in terms of world events.

A big aha moment in Williamson’s path to musical self-discovery came when she connected with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield during the dark times. Their mutual admiration for each other’s music led to the formation of their side project, Plains, which released its debut album I Walked With You a Ways in 2022. Working with the more established Crutchfield on something that wasn’t just her own allowed Williamson to approach songcraft with a newer, freer sense of creativity — one that laid the groundwork for Time Ain’t Accidental.

“I didn’t have a lot of early success. And I think that, for me, that was a good thing. Because it took this long for me to even be this comfortable in my own skin,” she says. “This record for me, it is really a lot about just learning to trust myself and stand on my own. And once I started to do that, I started to write different songs. I started to write more vulnerable, better songs. And so I do really look back on all the albums I’ve put out, and I can see how each one was a different snapshot of where I was in my life. And I can see, like, my very earliest stuff — I can see who that girl was. And I’m writing for my next record, and it’s cool to see how the writing is changing.”

Things keep changing for Jess Williamson. Nothing about her past four years has gone to plan.

And isn’t that just wonderful? n

Jess Williamson, Erin Rae • Thu, March 7 at 9 pm • $25 • 21+ • The District Bar • 916 W. First Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com

Don’t Jess with Texas. JACKIE LEE YOUNG PHOTO

POP DARREN KIELY

J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW

J = ALL AGES SHOW

Thursday, 2/29

J THE BIG DIPPER, He Films The Clouds, Drift Away, False Visions, Cynical Suffering CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

J MCCRACKEN’S PUB AND BBQ, Gil Rivas

J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin ZOLA, The Night Mayors

Friday, 3/1

BARRISTER WINERY, Stagecoach West

J THE BIG DIPPER, Proleterror, Late Night Shiner, Absent Cardinal BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Rusty Nail & The Hammers

J THE CHAMELEON, Nothing Shameful, Beverly Crushers, Fat Lady, Terra Nobody CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Max Daniels and Soulful Brothers CHINOOK STEAK, SEAFOOD & PASTA, Mike McCafferty

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Itchy Kitty, Iron Chain

J THE GRAIN SHED, Haywire IRON HORSE (CDA), Bruiser

THE KENWORTHY, Jon & Rand Band MOOSE LOUNGE, RCA & The Gang MOOTSY’S, Black Locust, Stasi, Phantom 309 NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), The Shift

NYNE BAR & BISTRO, Terror Cactus PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Brian Jacobs

RED ROOM LOUNGE, Soul Proprietor

THE RIDLER PIANO BAR, Just Plain Darin

SPOKANE EAGLES LODGE, The Black Jack Band

Have you ever sat around thinking about how you like the folk pop sounds of acts like Noah Kahan, Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers, but find them severely lacking any Irish lilt in their voices? Probably not! But regardless, maybe check out Darren Kiely? The 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Millstreet, Ireland, moved to the States to pursue his musical dreams and dropped his debut EP Lost last November. Notes of the traditional Irish music Kiely grew up around seep into his brand of uplifting melodic folk tunes, giving his sound a flavor he can call his own. At the very least, supporting an Irishman during the month of March feels like preemptive penance if you plan on making an arse of yourself on St. Patrick’s Day.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Darren Kiely, Vincent Lima • Wed, March 6 at 8 pm • $20 • 21+ • The District Bar • 916 W. First Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com

ALT-COUNTRY IV & THE STRANGE BAND

THE 1313 CLUB, Son of Brad

J THE FOX THEATER, The Black Jacket Symphony Presents: Journey’s ‘Escape’

J THE JACKLIN ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER, Pamela Benton Band

J UNCORKED WITH FRIENDS, Just Plain Darin ZOLA, The Rub

Saturday, 3/2

J J THE BIG DIPPER, Kadabra, Smokey Mirror, Vika & The Velvets BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Rusty Nail & The Hammers J CAFE COCO, B

CHALICE BREWING CO., Son of Brad

J THE CHAMELEON, Travis Thompson, Jang the Goon, Karma Rivera, YP

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Usual Suspects

CHINOOK STEAK, SEAFOOD & PASTA, Mike McCafferty

THE DISTRICT BAR, Briscoe, Nathaniel Riley

J J THE GRAIN SHED TAPROOM, August to August: Slow Down Album Release Show IRON HORSE (CDA), Bruiser

J THE KENWORTHY, Itchy Kitty, Ideomotor, The Himbos KNITTING FACTORY, Gimme Gimme Disco MOOSE LOUNGE, RCA & The Gang NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), The Shift

OLD SCHOOL LIQUOR BAR, Pamela Benton - StringzOnFire! PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Ben Vogel

Alternative country rabble-rouser Coleman Williams professionally goes by the handle IV to distance himself from the expectations of his family’s legacy without discounting it. You see, his great-grandpappy is none other than country icon Hank Williams, followed by his country star grandad Hank Williams Jr. and his cowpunk pop Hank Williams III. Growing up and gravitating toward Nashville’s DIY scene, IV gravitated to more oddball and outsider music. He started contributing sounds of his own with the 2022 release of IV and the Strange Band’s first LP Southern Circus, followed quickly by 2023’s Shooter Jennings-produced Hang Dog. Combining a slightly edgy off-kilter country rock base, IV’s weary vocal warble, and songwriting for downtrodden souls, it’s music that fits the Williams’ family oeuvre without feeling nepotistic.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

IV and the Strange Band, Possessed By Paul James, Jake Rozier and the Implication • Thu, March 7 at 7:30 pm • $20 • All ages • The Big Dipper • 171 S. Washington St. • thebigdipperspokane.com

J POST FALLS BREWING COMPANY, Wiebe Jammin’

J SNOW EATER BREWING CO., Just Plain Darin

J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Wanted: The Music of Bon Jovi ZOLA, Snacks at Midnight

Sunday, 3/3

J THE BIG DIPPER, Ov Sulfur, Mental Cruelty, Ghost Bath, Extermination Dismemberment PRINCE OF PEACE LUTHERAN, Ben Klein: Inkleined to Sing

J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin

Monday, 3/4

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

Tuesday, 3/5

J THE BIG DIPPER, Puddy Knife, Anita Velveeta, Sick Pay Holiday, Sex With Seneca LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs ZOLA, Jerry Lee and the Groove

Wednesday, 3/6

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Darren Kiely, Vincent Lima

J JJ’S TAP & SMOKEHOUSE, Brassless Chaps

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Dwayne Parsons RED ROOM LOUNGE, Red Room Lounge Jam

J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents

THEATER SO FETCH

Hush now, settle down, kids, and let me tell you a story. Back in the storied year of 2004, if you weren’t quoting Mean Girls lines to your friends in everyday conversation, you couldn’t sit with us. Wearing pink on Wednesday was an unspoken rule, and if your friend had a “cool mom,” well, you knew where to find us after school. Many elder millennials still consider Oct. 3 an official holiday, and while nothing can compare to coming of age at the same time Mean Girls took over the cultural zeitgeist, getting to see its Broadway musical adaptation comes pretty close. Lucky for locals, the hit show is returning to Spokane for a two-night run, also drumming up excitement for fans awaiting this year’s musical film reboot, also helmed by original creator and comedy legend Tina Fey. Just this one time, I guess you can sit with us.

— CHEY SCOTT

Mean Girls • Tue, March 5 and Wed, March 6 at 7:30 pm • $49-$104 • First Interstate Center for the Arts • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • broadwayspokane.com • 509-2797000

THEATER FUNNY HA HA

Even the staunchest of theater nerds will tell you that, sometimes, Shakespeare is a bit boring. However, this early farcical Shakespearean play is anything but. The synopsis is a bit confusing, see if you can keep up: A set of twins with the same first name accidentally meet after being separated at birth. To add to the confusion, the twins have twin servants who also have the same name. Hijinks ensue in the form of mistaken identity and slapstick bits. The puns and physical comedy in this play showcase a side of Shakespeare that you may not have seen before and might spur a newfound love for the comedy of the 16th century.

— MADISON PEARSON

The Comedy of Errors • March 1-10; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. (Sat, March 9 performance at 2 pm) • $15-$28 • Spokane Civic Theatre • spokanecivictheatre.com • 509-325-2507

FOOD A TASTY TIME

Inlander Restaurant Week 2024 continues for several more days, until Saturday, March 2, offering more than 100 three-course, fixed price menus for $25, $35 or $45 per person at restaurants across the Spokane area and North Idaho. Hoping to check out a restaurant that’s opened since last year, or that’s always been on your list of places to try? Restaurant Week is one of the best times to do so. Many eateries use the 10-day event to showcase some of their most popular or creative dishes, like the above beef tartare from Latah Bistro. Among the many other highlights, flavors from around the world are also showcased prominently this year, from the cuisine of India and Thailand to Germany, France, Italy and beyond. Check out Inlander.com/food for staff reviews of some of this year’s highlights.

— CHEY SCOTT

Inlander Restaurant Week • Through Sat, March 2 • $25, $35 or $45/person • InlanderRestaurantWeek.com

VISUAL ARTS FIRST THINGS FIRST

A serendipitous thing is happening this week: First Friday is falling on the first of the month! And not so surprisingly, there’s a ton of first-class art to see during the night (as always). The Liberty Gallery above Auntie’s Bookstore is holding a show for the pet lovers in all of us. “Dogs and Cats” features works that capture the essence and explore the significance of our beloved furry friends. New Moon Art Gallery showcases an all-women art exhibition in celebration of National Women’s History Month with over 40 local female artists represented (including the painting above by Karen Mobley). Spokane Art School follows that same theme showcasing various regional female painters in its show “Nature and Nurture.” The gallery at Entropy hosts photographer Adam Schluter, who takes photos of strangers. Entropy just won a Best in BID award for “Best place to check out art” so go see it for yourself!

— MADISON PEARSON

First Friday • Fri, March 1 from 5-8 pm • Free • Locations vary • downtownspokane.org/first-friday

COMMUNITY PREHISTORIC ADVENTURES

Ever wished you could go back in time to the Jurassic Period and roam with the dinosaurs? Thanks to Jurassic Quest, you can. The touring exhibition is bringing its herds of life-size animatronic dinosaurs to Spokane, including the long-necked apatosaurus, ferocious T-Rex and three baby dinos: Cammie the longneck camarasaurus, Trixie the triceratops and Tyson the T-Rex. Kids can ride a dinosaur, dig for fossils and partake in numerous prehistoric crafts. Plus, there will be velociraptors kids can help train with the help of a trusty dinosaur trainer, of course. This self-guided experience is roaring with fun for the whole family, creating memories that can last for eons.

— SUMMER SANDSTROM

Jurassic Quest • Fri, March 1 from noon-8 pm; Sat, March 2 from 9 am-8 pm; and Sun, March 3 from 9 am-7 pm • All ages • $19-$36 • Spokane Convention Center • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • jurassicquest.com

CHEERS

LOVAS Cheers to the lovas I see celebrating your unity while out and about in Spokane. You are an inspiration to us all, gallivanting your beautiful selves down Monroe. Lovas rejoice and be as free as Willie! Your regimen is working, you hotties you.

RUNNING UP THAT HILL It was a snowy day, following Valentines, and the roads were slick. My little red hatchback couldn’t make it up the hill on Mission, from Washington to Monroe. My car slid backwards into the sidewalk, and I put it in park to figure out what to do next. You knocked on my passenger window and offered to push me up the hill, stating that I would be the fourth vehicle you helped. I put the car in drive, and you pushed me up the hill alone, then waved goodbye as I yelled thanks out my window. Your act of kindness carried me through the week, and I am so grateful that you stopped to help me. Because of you I was “running up that hill with no problems.”

BONDS AND LEVYS Bravo to the voters!

NEVER vote yourself a tax increase. It’s time these agencies who think they have an unlimited supply of money from you start living within their means. After all, you do. Vote no to tax increases EVERY time.

HELPFUL STRANGER A thousand cheers to the woman who saw me struggling to my move my new desk from my car to my house and pulled over to help. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help a stranger.

KEWU I’ve been listening to KEWU from out of state for many years. While listening, I’ve had many people ask me what it was. When I told them it was KEWU from Eastern Washington University, they began to listen also. In fact, often when someone visited me, if it wasn’t on, they’d ask me why it wasn’t. During pledges, I pledged. I believe some of them did also. At least, I hope that was the case. Now, I understand that KEWU is going away. In fact, often when I tune into it, it’s already gone with lots of dead air space. This past weekend, whenever I tuned to it, it was off the air, which was sad and frustrating. Fortunately for me and many others, it was on today and that was comforting. To whoever is making these decisions, I’m sure it was a hard one. Remember that many of us out here will miss KEWU.

RE: JOLTIN’ JOE Thank you for reinforcing the veracity of my remarks with your petulant reply. As Mark Twain said, “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.”

KINDNESS OF STRANGERS Many thanks to those who stopped to help the two retired women who accidentally fell on the Riverfront Park walkway along the south side of the Red Wagon meadow while leaving the terrific STOMP performance Feb. 23. We truly appreciate your kindness.

CHICK-FIL-A COMPROMISE A compromise suggestion to the Chick-Fil-A restaurant on 29th Avenue. (Bad idea, too crowded!) The unused former Perkins restaurant building in the University District would be a perfect compromise. It is on a side street of North Division, so no traffic on a main road, and easy access. Plenty of parking and outdoor seating space. Kind of isolated from other businesses and buildings, plenty of off street parking, and walkability to downtown and the campuses.

O’DOHERTY’S BAR STAFF We came in with a large group on Saturday night to celebrate a friend’s retirement. Thank you so much for your professional and friendly service. There’s a reason you are a Spokane classic. Keep up the good work and have a cold one for us!

ELECTRICITY!!! THANK YOU! To the guys who worked effortless to restore our power on the night of Feb. 25. Around the Ponderosa and Disman Mica neighborhoods. You guys ROCK!

JEERS

BIG TRUCK! Why is it that so many guys drive HUGE trucks and never use them for what they are intended for? Polluting the earth, ruining the streets and causing more accidents than any other vehicle on the road! Is it to make them manly and haul their tiny packages?

“

WHERE’S THE COFFEE? We have several universities, lots of health care workers, and plenty of night owls who are up and around well after dusk. Where’s the coffee place that’s open when you need it? There’s two, maybe three, places to go after about 7 pm, and one’s only a drive-through. Even Shari’s isn’t open late in this town. For some of us, the point of coffee is to have it when we’re up late and tired, not just when we’re up early and tired. Bonus if you can sit and try to get some work done at 2 am with a coffee at your elbow.

TOO MANY CARS I measured it, and the car stories took up about 40% of the C&J section last week. C&J was dominated by stories of hit and runs, dangerous driving, disrespect by people driving 2-ton metal boxes around, and relief when people actually stop for pedestrians who are playing frogger across our streets. That’s no accident because of how cars dominate our lives in this town.

RE: HOUSTON SOLUTION Joining the race to become the least accommodating to the homeless population is not a solution that gets anyone out of poverty. Washington already bears the brunt of some nearby states that would sooner incarcerate their homeless than feed or shelter them. The solution isn’t for Washington to stop providing for our most vulnerable citizens in an effort to make other states do it for us. That’s just moving a problem elsewhere that was previously moved to us. It solves nothing. Other states certainly have to start lifting their own weight as well, but that’s not a reason to stop lifting ours. Our mind should be on how to help these folks out of poverty and improve their quality of life, not how to sweep them under the rug or send them to Texas so we don’t have to see them.

DO YOUR VOTES COUNT? I wonder what those people now think who voted both for Lisa Brown and Proposition 1. As seen in the latest edition of the Inlander, Brown is not enforcing the provisions of Prop 1.

RE: EVERYONE KNOWS I agree with the sentiment about saving narcan for the true victims. Those who overdose by no choice of their own but instead are victims of the

selfish behavior of addicts. Save the rescue medications for the true victims. Those who help and accidentally overdose shouldn’t die because of someone else leaving their fentanyl around.

RE: CHEERING COMPETENCY What is this even a metaphor for? Maybe the “gentleman” wants to crash the plane for some insurance claim that would benefit him. I feel significantly dumber having read this absurd hyperbolic hypothetical.

BE NICE TO THE BLIND My mother was just diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration. Her ophthalmologist gave us the number of a local nonprofit that helps elderly blind people and gave me the name of the nonprofit’s director. The first time I called, the person that answered said, “Hello.” I almost hung up thinking I had the wrong number until she finally said the name of the nonprofit. I asked for the director and was told she was too busy to come to the phone. I called the next day. I got a different person. When I asked for the director, she said, “She’s not here. Anyway, you can’t just talk to her. She’s a very busy person.” This nonprofit relies on grants and donations. Not only will I never call this place back, it would be the last place in the world I would donate to.

IF YOU CAN’T DRIVE ‘EM, DON’T HAVE ‘EM. Boo to the young man who stopped his oversized, obnoxiously lifted white truck across the entire crosswalk at the intersection of Division and Wellesley. If you cannot handle the responsibility of a large vehicle, and would force pedestrians to step out into a dangerous intersection, it is time to stop feeling big in a vehicle you cannot handle. If you can’t handle a truck,

and aren’t using for hauling or any other practical reason, do not purchase one.

DRIVERS EDUCATION Attention, Spokane drivers. Washington legislators are trying to pass a bill that would make it mandatory to take driver’s ed when renewing your license or when getting one after moving here from out of state. Why? Here in Spokane, I’ve seen aggressive drivers who don’t think the law applies to them. Let’s clear a few things up, shall we? Red light means STOP! It does not mean four more cars can go through if they want. The numbers on speed limit signs is the maximum speed you’re supposed to go. NOT 10 to 15 mph faster. Stop risking other peoples lives. And people wonder why drivers ed might be required.

SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE City of Spokane, you fixed a recent sinkhole on Laura near the Grain Shed within 24 hours. Please fix the sunken areas and uneven surfaces in the asphalt walkway along the south side of Riverfront Park’s Red Wagon Meadow (along Spokane Falls Boulevard) where two seniors fell Feb. 23 when leaving the STOMP performance.

PARANOIA WILL DESTROY YA Congrats, sperm donor. Not speaking to your daughter for two years while living 20 minutes away, and then to happen into her brewery for a few hours last Friday and pretend not to see her the entire time, no acknowledgment, well, I just don’t have words for your dastardly deeds. Your ship has sailed into waters of doom. The perpetual victimhood you project to explain your actions is boring and hurtful to people who had wanted relationship with you. You are your biggest problem. Maybe in your next life you can come back as a cat and lick your own ass ad nauseum. Eat a taco. Cheers wacko. n

EVENTS | CALENDAR

COMEDY

WILLIAM MONTGOMERY Montgomery is known for appearances on the comedy podcast Kill Tony. Feb. 29, 7:30 pm, March 1, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and March 2, 7 & 9:45 pm. $24-$32. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

SAFARI The Blue Door Theatre’s version of Whose Line, with improvised shorts based on audience suggestions. Every Saturday at 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar. bluedoortheatre.com

COEUR COMEDY SERIES: JASON LOVE WITH CHARLES HALL JR. Love is a nationally touring headliner who’s appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, America’s Got Talent and Dry Bar Comedy. March 7, 7-10 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Casino, 37914 S. Nukwalqw. cdacasino.com

COMMUNITY

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING EVENT

Sip on craft beers and sample food from Outlaw BBQ while getting to know other like-minded professionals. Feb. 29, 5:307:30 pm. $10-$15. Brick West Brewing Co., 1318 W. First Ave. spokaneyp.org

UPCYCLE FASHION LAB Sewists from Spokane Zero Waste’s Mend-It Cafe teach upcyling skills. Attendees are encouraged to bring garments to re-fashion. Feb. 29, 4:30-6 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry. spokanelibrary.org

JURASSIC QUEST A walk-through experience featuring life-like dinosaurs, interactive science, photo ops and more. March 1-3; Fri from noon-8 pm, Sat from 9 am-8 pm and Sun from 9 am-7 pm. $19$35. Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. jurassicquest.com

NIBCA HOME & GARDEN SHOW Local vendors and businesses showcase products and services in home design, landscaping and gardening. March 1, 12-6 pm, March 2, 10 am-6 pm and March 3, 10 am-4 pm. $5 -$7. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way. nibca.com/home-and-garden-show

1912 CENTER WINTER MARKET A market featuring food, locally made goods, crafts and more. March 2, 9 am-1 pm. Free. 1912 Center, 412 E. Third St., Moscow. 1912center.org (208-669-2249)

BEARGRASS MENDING CIRCLE Bring mending projects and work on them alongside other menders. All levels welcome. Sewing machine available. March 2, 10:30 am-noon. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. beargrassmending.com

THE HEALTHY GIRL WORKSHOP This event includes information about the pillars of wellness, how to foster a healthy mind and body, education modules and a nutritious lunch. Girls ages 8-12. March 2, 10:30 am-1 pm. Free. Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburgh St. gotrspokane.org

PAINT IN MY HAIR SPRING OPEN

HOUSE The shop is restocked with furniture and home decor from vendors and is giving away prizes and treats. March 2, 10 am-5 pm. Free. Paint In My Hair, 3036 N. Monroe St. facebook.com/paintinmyhair

BUILDING WITH BOOKS: LEGO CHALLENGE Listen to a story and then participate in a challenge to test your LEGO building know-how. Grades K-5 and their families. March 5, 4-5 pm, April 2, 4-5 pm and May 7, 4-5 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org

DROP IN & ZINE Learn how to make your very own 8-page mini-zine. Every Tuesday from 5-7 pm. Free. Spark Central,

1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org

MAKING A LEPRECHAUN TRAP Engineer a trap for a leprechaun using the library’s supplies. Grades 2–5 and their families. March 5, 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Deer Park Library, 208 Forest St. scld.org

TECH TALK: FREE HELP WITH COMPUTERS, PHONES & MORE This is an openstyle sit down Q&A for basic questions about computers, mobile devices or the library’s digital services. March 5, 3-5 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry. spokanelibrary.org

COFFEE & CONVERSATION The conversation is free form and the event includes low-key activities like coloring, puzzles and more. Every Wednesday from 10:30 am-noon. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org

COMPOSTING 101 This workshop guides you through the basics of home composting, including composting on a budget and troubleshooting your compost pile. March 6, 6:30-7:30 pm. Free. Medical Lake Library, 3212 Herb St. scld.org

FRIENDS & FAMILY CPR TRAINING This course teaches adult hands-only CPR, adult CPR with breaths, child CPR with breaths, adult and child AED use, infant CPR and mild and severe airway block for adults, children and infants. Registration is required. March 6, 5:30-8 pm. $25. Providence Community Wellness, 1313 N. Atlantic Ste. 4900. providence.org

INTRO TO SPOKANESCAPE DESIGN

Spokane City’s resident landscape architect Cathy Spokas teaches basic principles of waterwise landscape design. March 6, 6-7 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

MEAD DISTRICT CULTURAL NIGHT

Mead High School hosts a multicultural evening and clothing drive with cultural food trucks, dance groups, bands and displays. March 6, 6-8 pm. Free. Mead High School, 302 W. Hastings Rd. meadhs.mead354.org

HOW LATINO IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

MANAGE SURVEILLANCE A lecture and discussion with Stanford Professor Asad L. Asad, author of Engage and Evade: How Latino Immigrant Families Manage Surveillance in Everyday Life. March 7, 6:30-7:30 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org

FOOD

INLANDER RESTAURANT WEEK 2024

The annual 10-day, regional culinary celebration returns, offering three-course fixed-price menus ($25, $35 or $45) at dozens of restaurants in the Inland Northwest. Through March 2. inlanderrestaurantweek.com

A TASTE OF INDONESIA A three-course meal of authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. (Wine and other beverages not included.) Feb. 29, 6-8 pm. $30. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St. powine. com (877-452-9011)

WINE, STEIN & DINE: COUNTRY STYLE

An evening of wine, microbrews, cider, mocktails, appetizers and desserts. Includes silent auction, live music, raffle and photobooth. March 2, 6-9 pm. $45. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way. pfefwsd.org

MUSIC

FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS IN MUSIC The festival highlights the work of WSU student and faculty composers alongside special guests and

visiting composers and performers. Feb. 29, 7:30-9 pm and March 1, 3:10-4 pm. Free. Kimbrough Music Building, WSU Pullman. music.wsu.edu (509-335-7696)

GONZAGA WINTER JAZZ FUSION CONCERT This program features all seven Gonzaga Jazz Ensembles performing a variety of jazz styles. Feb. 29, 7:30-8:30 pm. Free. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga. edu/mwpac (509-313-2787)

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE This film screening event accompanied by live orchestra tells the story of a Tour de France cyclist who’s kidnapped and spirited across the ocean. March 2, 7:30 pm. $27$43. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/ mwpac (509-313-4776)

GONZAGA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

WITH KYUNG SUN LEE The orchestra, director Kevin Hekmatpanah and violin soloist Kyung Sun Lee perform pieces by Rossini, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. March 4, 7:30-9 pm. $15-$18. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/mwpac

ARVID LUNDIN & DEEP ROOTS A highenergy mix of Irish instrumental music and songs drawn from traditional and contemporary sources. March 5, 7-8 pm. Free. Argonne Library, 4322 N. Argonne Rd. scld.org (893-8200)

TAIKO JAPANESE DRUMMING OPEN

HOUSE Try out taiko drumming at this open house and demonstration event. Spokane Taiko is a nonprofit that seeks to build community and create awareness through the traditional music, and especially rhythms, of Japan. March 5, 5:306:45 pm. Free. Salem Lutheran Church, 1428 W. Broadway. spokanetaiko.com

AN EVENING OF VOCAL JAZZ An evening of vocal jazz with Jennifer Madsen and Brent Edstrom. March 5, 7:30-8:30 pm. Free. Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Rd. whitworth.edu

THE CONCORDIA CHOIR IN SPOKANE

The group has performed acapella in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and more. March 6, 7-8:30 pm. $25-$35/free to students. St. John’s Cathedral, 127 E. 12th Ave. TheConcordiaChoir.org

IRISH MUSIC WITH FLOATING CROWBAR Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the rhythmic sounds of Irish pipes, flute, whistle, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and guitar. March 7, 7-8 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

CABIN FEVER VIRTUAL GARDENING

SYMPOSIUM Keynote speaker Jennifer Jewell is a gardener, writer, educator and advocate. Her address focuses on what gardening will look like in the future. March 2, 10 am-noon. $50. spokane.mastergardenerfoundation.org

DOUG E. FRESH BANKED SLALOM A snowboard race in the terrain park. Proceeds support the Doug E. Fresh Foundation. March 2. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave. silvermt.com

SNOWSHOE TOUR Tour the trails of 49 Degrees North while a guide instructs you how to better control your snowshoes. Ages 16+. March 2, 10 am-2 pm. $53. 49 Degrees North, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd. spokanecity.org (509-363-5414)

SORTA NATURAL BANKED SLALOM

This event is held in the Rolling Thunder

Natural Terrain Park. March 2, 10 am. $68. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, I-90 Exit 0. skilookout.com (208-744-1301)

SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. VICTORIA ROYALS Promos include TicketsWest Player Magnet Giveaway. March 5, 7:05 pm. $13$32. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com

THEATER & DANCE

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS This slapstick farce is about a pair of twins accidentally meeting after a lifetime apart. March 1-10; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. (Sat, March 9 performance at 2 pm.) $15-$28. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com

JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT A reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, 11 brothers and the coat of many colors. Fri-Sat at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 3 pm through March 3. $18-$20. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. cytspokane.org

THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world.

Fri-Sat at 7 pm, Sun-Sat at 3 pm through March 3. $15-$20. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. cytnorthidaho.org

PAW PATROL LIVE! HEROES UNITE An interactive live stage show. Audience members get to help the pups while they navigate the globe to make it back to Adventure Bay. March 2, 10 am & 2 pm and March 3, 3 pm. $27-$117. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. firstinterstatecenter.org

MEAN GIRLS Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of suburban Illinois. March 5 and 6, 7:30 pm. $49-$94. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls. broadwayspokane.com

VISUAL ARTS

DOGS & CATS A group display of works that explores the universal significance of pets in our daily lives. March 1-30, daily from 11 am-7 pm. First Friday: March 1 from 5-8 pm. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington St. spokanelibertybuilding.com (509-327-6920)

33 ARTISTS FROM THE LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER ARTIST STUDIO TOUR This show boasts the work of 33 artists from the Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour. All artworks are for sale. March 1-30, daily from 1-6 pm. First Friday: March 1 from 5-8 pm. Free. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. barristerwinery.com

ABSTRACT DREAMSCAPE A diverse array of works by 13 artists, each offering a glimpse into the depths of their dreams and imaginations. March 1-30; Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Sat from 10 am-4 pm. Free. Pend Oreille Arts Council Gallery, 110 Main St. artinsandpoint.org

NATURE & NURTURE: WOMEN PAINTERS OF WASHINGTON Artwork from regional female painters, including Sara Cate, Carol Hartstock, T. Kurtz, Nancy Rothwell and more. March 1-29, Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm. First Friday: March 1 from 5-8 pm. Free. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave. spokaneartschool.net

DICK SCHINDLER: BACKSIDE STORAGE UNIT Schindler showcases 20 years of art including paintings, sculptures and mixed-media drawings. March 1-30; Fri

from 4-7 pm, Sat from 1-5 pm, otherwise by appt. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. kolva-sullivangallery.com

FIRST FRIDAY Art galleries and businesses across downtown Spokane and beyond host monthly receptions to showcase new displays of art. First Fridays of each month from 5-8 pm. Details at firstfridayspokane.org. Free. Spokane.

ADAM SCHLUTER: HELLO FROM A STRANGER Schulter takes photos of strangers and records their stories. First Friday: March 1 from 5-9 pm. Regular gallery hours: March 1-April 1, daily from 11 am-6 pm. Free. Entropy, 101 N. Stevens St. explodingstars.com (509-414-3226)

VANESSA SWENSON: STATE OF AWE

Through snapshots and sketches from her Northwest experiences, Swenson invites viewers to explore the beauty of alpine ranges, lush forests and serene waterscapes. March 1-23, Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm. First Friday: March 1 from 5-8 pm. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com

FIRST FRIDAYS WITH POAC First Friday arts events in Sandpoint, organized by the Pend Oreille Arts Council. March 1, 5:30-7:30 pm. Pend Oreille Arts Council Gallery, 110 Main St. artinsandpoint.org

SETH COLLIER AND DUSTIN REGUL Collier’s “Scenes to an End” is his first solo exhibition and features a series of digital paintings. Regul’s “yielding exposure” features abstract paintings. March 1-30, Fri-Sat from 12-8 pm. Free. Saranac Art Projects, 25 W. Main Ave. sapgallery.com

A WOMEN’S ART SHOW An all-women’s art exhibition to celebrate National Women’s History Month. March 1-30, Wed-Sat from 11 am-5 pm. First Friday: March 1 from 4-8 pm. Free. New Moon Art Gallery, 1326 E. Sprague Ave. manicmoonandmore.com (509-413-9101)

WORDS

3 MINUTE MIC This month’s program features new Spokane Poet Laureate Mery Smith. Readers may share up to three minutes worth of poetry. March 1, 7-7:30 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com

LINDA COOPER: BLUE, A WALTZ Celebrate Cooper’s new poetry collection, Blue, a Waltz with fellow poets Laura Read, Maya Jewell Zeller, Kathryn Smith, and Leona Ziegler. March 2, 7 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206)

LISA & MATT MCMANN Lisa discusses her middle grade fantasy/adventure series, Forgotten Five. Matt talks about his series of stand-alone monster mystery tales. March 5, 6:30 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206)

BROKEN MIC Spokane Poetry Slam’s longest-running, weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm; signups at 6 pm. Free. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD

NINA TOTENBERG: THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIPS Totenberg talks about her nearly 50-year friendship with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her book Dinners With Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships. March 6, 1-2 pm. Free. Online: libraryc.org/scld/40585

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME PLAY & LEARN Share books, songs and fun. After, spend some time with learning activities. Wednesdays from 10-11 am. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry. spokanelibrary.org n

STRAINS

Warmer Weather

Three strains to help shake off the late-winter blues

BY WILL MAUPIN

March may be here, when spring technically arrives, but the forecast says gloomy weather will persist. If you think the weather is crummy, forget the forecast and instead consider these strains that will have you feeling like May or even June, when in reality it’s far from it.

These strains, readily available at local dispensaries, are here to help break you out of winter’s doldrums and into the spring spirit.

MAUI WAUI

Forgive me for the lack of originality, but Maui is as

NOTE TO READERS

warm weather as it gets. And Maui Waui is, well, it’s about as famous as it gets. You can’t do a warm weather strain list without listing this classic.

Other strains may be tough to find at some local dispensaries, but this OG variety is almost as common as cannabis itself. It’s your parents’ weed, and they won’t tell you this but it was their favorite version. These days, you’ll find it in even stronger formulations than those back in the day could ever dream of.

Talk about a tropical heat wave. What once was good remains the same today, and that’s what makes this strain a classic that not only has history, but persists.

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.

TROPICANA COOKIES

When I think about warm weather, I’ll be honest that baked goods are one of the last things I think about. Fortunately, this is flower. It’s cannabis, not cookies. (Though you could make it into those.)

This indica-heavy hybrid will help to knock you out like the heat and comfort of a fresh batch of cookies, but without any of the caloric intake or heat from your oven, though the latter may be a bummer this time of year.

True Tropicana Cookies is a riff on the indicadominant Girl Scout Cookies strain, which has become a favorite of high-THC enthusiasts.

ICE CREAM CAKE

If you’re trying to recreate a summer day, nothing is better than ice cream cake. If you’re doing it with cannabis, you’re going to have to add heat. That’s where Ice Cream Cake comes into play. It’s already baked when you’re looking to get baked.

Just kidding, it’s just flower. No baking necessary.

A cross between Wedding Cake and Gelato, two summery strains in their own right, Ice Cream Cake is clearly a combination that its namesake, ice cream and cake, can’t ever hope to match. n

Maui Waui is a classic Hawaiian strain that remains popular today.

GREEN ZONE

Reach Nearly

64,000

Inlander readers that have BOUGHT OR USED CANNABIS in the past year and live in Eastern WA.

INLANDER’S GREEN ZONE GREEN ZONE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE

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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.

NEW PUZZLE!

Hey Inlander crossword fanatics: After many years in this space, game show writer and crossword constructor David Levinson Wilk is moving on from his weekly puzzle. The good news is Matt Jones, a Portland-based veteran puzzle master, is jumping in starting this week. He got his first puzzle into The New York Times at age 19, and he’s been syndicated in papers across the country since 2001.

What makes for a good puzzle? “It’s got to be memorable,” Jones recently told Oregon Public Radio. “I mean, the very first thing is if you are talking about it at least 10 minutes after you’ve solved it, then that’s a sign of a really good crossword. If it sticks with you for that long — things that spark, things that actually are exciting.”

Welcome to the Inlander, Matt!

ROSSWORDConesin’ J

DOWN

Angelou book)

48. Like home renovation shows that overdo the wood siding?

52. Video game character with his own Maker

53. Prefix with dextrous

54. Proton’s place

58. Signing off on

59. Overwhelming victory

60. Donated

61. Talkative, slangily

62. ___-Tiki (Heyerdahl craft)

63. Shiraz location

BY MATT JONES

1. Nursery rhyme jumper

2. “... but few ___ chosen”

3. “___ MisÈrables”

4. Like some instincts

5. Use a tent

6. High points

7. With “The,” ‘90s British alt-rock band named for an American novel character

8. Sunday shopping restriction

9. Ladder components

10. “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself” org.

11. “Days Are Gone” band

12. Italian family related to the Borgias

14. Battle-trained canine

20. Poker starter

21. Chinese tennis star with a very short name in English

Mall units

32. Pete Davidson’s show, once

55. Viscous goo

56. Eggs in labs

36. Mentor in “The Karate Kid”

38. Vocabulary coinage, e.g.

39. 10,900-foot European peak

40. “Try to detect it! It’s not too late!” song

41. Publisher of Modern Maturity

45. They’re earned on “Press Your Luck”

46. “Li’l Abner” creature that looks like a white blob with a mustache

48. Air impurifier

49. Maori dance popularized by some New Zealand rugby teams

50. Part of the eye around the pupil

51. Have ___ in the oven

57. “___ Behaving Badly”

22.

23. Meager

25. Playful rascal

26. Home of the Boston Red Sox

28. Examines, as depths

29. Brazilian supermodel B¸ndchen

30. Napped material

ACROSS