Inlander 04/13/2023

MORE RESEARCH, STRONGER STRAINS, NEW LAWS AND MELON BONGS

INSIDE

EDITOR’S NOTE

The haze of history won’t reveal the origin of the term 420, or how long humans have been partaking in the mind-bending, chill-inducing plant we — once again — call cannabis. But it doesn’t matter. We’re here now, in one of the 21 states where the plant formerly known as marijuana is legal for recreational use. Is the law perfect? No, which is why lawmakers are still tweaking it, as you can read on page 36. Has legalization been a boon for all of society? Researchers are still digging through the data, as we report on page 23. Are people still transforming fruits and veggies into pipes and bongs? Of course, see page 26. And, for the record, pairing cannabis with music is still great, and we have some recommendations on page 34. So sit back and enjoy this year’s CANNABIS ISSUE, a full week before April 20. And remember to puff just twice before passing, and don’t be afraid to decline because, wow, that stuff’s getting strong (see page 30).

— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor

THE LAW IS KING PAGE 6

INSLEE’S HOMELESS PLAN PAGE 8

BASEBALL’S COLOR LINE PAGE 18

SPRING ALBUMS PAGE 46

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WHAT SHOULD BE THE NEXT STEP OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION?

DIANA CHEATHAM

I mean, I guess if you consider it the same type of substance as alcohol, then it should have equal rights.

JOEL MORRISON

I think any further steps to decriminalize are always great. While I’d love to say it’d be nice to be out in public and smoke or vape or, you know, partake in whatever form and be comfortable doing that, it’s a tricky thing.

VALERIA LIEVANO

I don’t know, it’s like, a very interesting question. I think it’s OK for it to be legal. As long as you’re over 21, that’s OK, but there’s a lot of kids nowadays that, you know, kind of abuse that.

SIERRA RAMOS

It needs to be legalized and decriminalized at the federal level.

Should employers be allowed to deny applicants based on positive marijuana tests?

I think that in the same regards to drugs and alcohol, that you have to pass a screener, and that would be included as it is currently.

AMANDA BLANC-GONNET

I would say to make it legal on a federal level, because I’ve heard so many stories of people crossing state lines with marijauna and then getting in a bunch of trouble even though they’re from a state where it’s legal. And also think on a federal level it’ll just be more uniform, we’ll be able to tax it better, and just keep it all equal.

Running Out the Clock

One other former president was indicted, but Jefferson Davis’ legal team was able to delay judgment just long enough

BY LAWRENCE B.A. HATTER

On March 31, a Manhattan grand jury indicted the 45th president of the United States of America on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Four days later, a media circus packed itself into a New York court building to capture images of Donald Trump arriving for his arraignment in which he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

To Trump’s unwavering supporters, the charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg are a cynical abuse of power to smear the former president, who is a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the presidential election in 2024. For Democrats — and, if recent polls are to be believed, a majority of Americans — Trump’s nefarious shenanigans have finally

caught up with him. To them, Trump’s indictment proves Thomas Paine’s famous claim in his revolutionary pamphlet Common Sense that in America, “the law is king.” Trump’s prosecution demonstrates that no one is above the law. Whether friend or foe of our former president, there is no question that this is a historic moment in the history of the republic. This is the first time that a former president of the United States has faced a criminal indictment. But this is not the first time that an American president has faced trial.

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America.

fter the Union victory in the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, faced federal indictments for treason in the 1860s. As legal scholar Cynthia Nicoletti has explained, government lawyers believed that prosecuting Davis would send an important message about the sanctity of the rule of law in America after the tumultuous events of the secession and Civil War.

Despite the significance of the indictments, the cases against Davis never made it to trial. The indictments of Davis and Trump share more differences than similarities. Nevertheless, the failure of federal prosecutors to bring the former Confederate president to trial in the 1860s offers a cautionary tale for Alvin Bragg and the proponents of the rule of law in the 2020s.

Jefferson Davis lived a life of public service, made possible by the labor of enslaved African Americans on his family’s Mississippi cotton plantation. A graduate of West Point, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives before commanding a regiment of volunteers in the Mexican-American War. Davis was elected to the Senate from Mississippi after the war, before President Franklin Pierce named him secretary of war in 1853. James Buchanan’s victory in the presidential election of 1856 saw Davis returned to the Senate.

Despite his lengthy service in the government of the United States, Davis resigned his Senate seat in January 1861, after Mississippi voted in favor of secession from the Union following the election of Abraham Lincoln. A confederate constitutional convention unanimously elected him president of the Confederate States of America in February 1861. Davis led the Confederate government throughout the war, fleeing its capital of Richmond, Virginia, in March 1865 before he was finally captured by U.S. forces in Georgia that same May.

While Davis languished in jail in Virginia, the new administration of Andrew Johnson (who became president after Lincoln’s assassination) tried to figure out what to do with him. What charges should Davis face? Which body should try him? Davis was indicted on a single count of treason by a Virginia grand jury in 1866. Davis’ lawyers, however, pursued a skillful strategy of avoidance and delay to prevent Davis coming to trial.

Send

Up against the deadline of the statute of limitations, a second grand jury issued a new indictment against the former Confederate president in 1868. Davis’ lawyers again proved more than a match for the government. They successfully quashed the treason indictment in court in December 1868.

Though the government appealed this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, embattled President Andrew Johnson (who had faced impeachment in 1868) issued an amnesty for former Confederate officials that same month. Davis’ legal team had pulled off what had seemed impossible: He was a free man.

Though the indictment of a former president of the United States has grabbed the headlines, this is not the first time that Trump has faced legal challenges. He has been party to numerous civil lawsuits related to his business dealings. As a wealthy man, Trump has learned that delay is key in winning legal battles. If he can outspend and outlast his opponents, Trump believes that he can avoid legal consequences.

The case of Jefferson Davis warns us of the danger that delay poses to the rule of law. Trump is not going to bankrupt the state of New York, but his lawyers might pursue the same style of tactics employed by Davis’ legal team in the 1860s to ensure that his indictment never comes to trial.

Bringing Trump’s indictment to a legal resolution is critical to the rule of law in this country, whether he is found guilty or not guilty by a trial of his peers. Now the die is cast with his indictment, the American people need to know that the law, not a former president, is king. n

Lawrence B.A. Hatter is an award-winning author and associate professor of early American history at Washington State University. These views are his own and do not reflect those of WSU.

THE HOUSE

THAT JAY BUILT

Gov. Jay Inslee presided over a booming economy and the nation’s worst housing shortage — will it help or hurt his former commerce director in her run for Spokane mayor?

The conservative critics were wrong about Jay Inslee.

They warned that the governor’s left-wing, environmental policies — coupled with Washington state’s ever-rising minimum wage — could strangle the state’s business climate.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Washington’s economy has continued to boom, and the total per capita value of all the state’s industry is the third-highest in the nation.

And so, with that lens, having served under Inslee — as the director of the Commerce Department — looks like an unbeatable resume for someone who wants to be mayor of Spokane.

Inslee agrees: Lisa Brown helped make Washington state the business hub it is today.

“We have been listed repeatedly as one of the top three or five places to do business in the United States, and her leadership has been a significant part of that,” Inslee says of Brown. “She’s helped grow the economy of the state of Washington.”

But there’s a problem: A study commissioned by the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor last year found that Washington, by one metric, had the least amount of housing available for its population than any other state

BY DANIEL WALTERS AND NATE SANFORD

in the nation. And when there’s not enough housing, people start to slip through the cracks.

In other words, across Washington’s cities, business is booming while people live and die in the streets.

Brown acknowledged the problem in her campaign launch speech, tying a dramatic decrease in rental vacancy rates, and rising rent and home prices, to Spokane’s increased homelessness.

All you have to do is to look to the East Central neighborhood, where Camp Hope stands as a visible reminder of Spokane and Washington state’s failure to stem the surge in homelessness. At its peak this summer, the encampment was the largest in the state, and arguably the nation — more than 600 people packed into rows of tents and RVs on a single block of land owned by one of America’s most prosperous states.

If the camp, and homelessness in general, is a political weakness for Brown, the same goes for the person she’s seeking to defeat, Mayor Nadine Woodward. Woodward can be blamed for not providing enough shelter space soon enough to prevent Camp Hope’s population from exploding last summer. And Brown can be blamed for spending millions of state commerce dollars on a plan that prolonged the camp’s existence and failed to house a majority of its residents.

But in their efforts to solve the problem, both start severely handicapped by the decades of leaders who got Washington state in a housing crisis to begin with.

SPRAWL, Y’ALL

Inslee knows Washington is seriously struggling with housing, but he blames the market.

“The private sector is not building housing for teachers who can’t afford to rent,” Inslee said last week during a visit to Spokane. “It’s not building housing for people who work in early childhood education centers that can’t afford rent. We need that public investment.”

He says he’s asking the Legislature to spend $4 billion to build housing and help address homelessness.

And yet, Inslee has been governor for a decade — though until 2018 Republicans controlled the Senate. During his tenure a lot of people warned about the looming housing crisis.

“I can say that over the last 10 to 14 years, there have been some very loud voices, mine included, saying, ‘Wake up, there’s an issue here, we need to change course,’” says Spokane City Council member Michael Cathcart, who was elected in 2019.

Brown heard it, too. But she says that for years, there

Inslee met with Ukrainian refugees at Spokane’s Thrive Center last week.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

the most accurate way to describe what happened there,” Brown says.

SPOKANE SOLUTIONS?

When it comes to loosening zoning restrictions to make way for housing, however, Woodward has bragging rights for pushing a suite of housing reforms that came out of the city’s planning department.

Last year, the Spokane City Council, with Woodward’s enthusiastic support, passed a one-year pilot to legalize fourplexes, duplexes and several other types of housing in every residential zone in the city.

And despite complaints of neighbors in the GrandviewThorpe area, Woodward has pushed against both a moratorium on development there and a steep increase in fees to pay for more infrastructure in that sprawling edge of town.

Still, she’s allied herself more closely with the Not In My Backyard types. After the Commerce-funded Catalyst Project drew the ire of West Hills neighbors last fall, Woodward blamed the state department for a “sloppy, messy process” and rushed timeline.

“The city didn’t get to decide this, this is a Commerce decision,” Woodward said.

Yet as Camp Hope has dragged on, it’s pitted Inslee and his state agencies — including Brown’s Commerce Department — against the frustrated East Central neighborhood and, at times, against city leaders.

It happened in the westside city of Everett last fall, when Everett’s mayor accused WSDOT of placing unhoused people in the city’s motels without her knowledge. Brown and the directors of WSDOT and Washington State Patrol fired back with a letter accusing the mayor of putting out “patently false and offensive” information in an attempt to “shame our state agencies.”

In Spokane, local jurisdictions have also expressed concern about being left out of the decision-making process and have repeatedly clashed with the state. There have been accusations of bad faith, legal threats, three actual lawsuits and lots of finger-pointing.

For her part, Brown finds plenty to take issue with Woodward’s approach to housing and homelessness.

“There’s not a long-term plan,” Brown says. “I think that’s unfortunate. For city taxpayers and people who are unsheltered.”

Brown says the city needs to use every tool in the toolbox — reworking fees, streamlining permits, experimenting with financing models, land trusts and tax exemptions — to incentivize housing construction.

LETTERS

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Cinco de Mayo

Local nonprofit providers already have a lot of proposals for the current homeless population.

“Nonprofit providers have come up with a pretty extensive set of proposals for affordable housing,” Brown says. “And maybe it’s not enough for the whole system, but I think it would be a big dent in the number of units that they’ve got based on our current homeless population.”

Brown looks to some of the innovations from other cities like Olympia, which has an “off-the-shelf” blueprint for accessory dwelling units — secondary housing units on a city lot.

“Use the plan, and you automatically get permitted,” Brown says.

She criticizes Woodward’s administration for missing out on a lot of the housing dollars that could be used to build even more affordable housing.

“If I’m mayor,” Brown says, “I will hit the ground applying for every single dollar of state and federal funding that we could get.”

Since Inslee has taken office, state spending on housing has gone from $176 million to $2.6 billion — a 1,400 percent increase. But Inslee believes the state needs to do even more, building even more housing to get people off the street.

“It is a winning strategy,” Inslee says. “We simply need to do it at scale. We need to scale up efforts. We need to do it big time.” n

Conflicting Decisions

Idaho passes even more abortion restrictions, while Washington fights for access and federal courts issue conflicting rulings

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

As the nation waited to learn the future of a medication used in more than half of all abortions, Northwest leaders were at odds in recent weeks, with Idaho further restricting abortion while Washington took more steps to protect access.

For now, the country has conflicting rulings on the medication.

A Texas lawsuit — brought against the Food and Drug Administration by anti-abortion groups and doctors — asked a federal judge to block the FDA’s nearly 23-year-old approval of mifepristone, which he did on April 7.

The drug is part of a two-medication regimen used to end a pregnancy up to 10 weeks. Medication abortions accounted for 53 percent of abortions in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and his peers in 17 other states had filed a federal lawsuit in Spokane seeking to expand mifepristone access. The medication is one of only a few dozen drugs — including fentanyl — with extra restrictions on doctors and pharmacies that want to dispense them. The lawsuit seeks to remove those restrictions, which are intended for drugs with serious safety concerns. Within hours of the Texas ruling, the federal judge hearing the Washington case issued a preliminary injunction

blocking the FDA from “altering the status quo” for access to mifepristone in the 18 states involved in the lawsuit while it moves forward.

In the meantime, Idaho and Washington continue pulling in opposite directions.

STOCKPILED SUPPLY

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced last week that he had directed the state Department of Corrections, which holds a pharmacy license, to purchase 30,000 doses of mifepristone for nearly $1.3 million. That ensures there’s a roughly three-year statewide supply if the Texas case halts manufacturing of the drug. The University of Washington also purchased 10,000 doses, Inslee said, adding more of a backup.

Inslee said the step was necessary because anti-abortion lawmakers and groups in other states are trying to block access everywhere they can, noting it feels like there are “tentacles coming at us from every direction.”

“Women in Washington are under attack from a multi-hydra-headed beast that’s coming after this right,” Inslee told reporters on April 4. “We are not sitting idly by while that threat exists.”

The backup supply could last less time if and when women from other states come to Washington to access abortion. Many Idaho abortion patients already sought care in Washington

Nearly a year after Roe was overturned, spurring massive protests, the future of abortion is unclear. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

before the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, but since the Dobbs decision triggered a near total ban in Idaho, places like Washington and Oregon have become the closest legal options.

To ensure the medication can be distributed, state Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, sponsored a bill to explicitly allow the Washington Corrections Department to dispense the doses to health clinics around the state.

“Abortion rights and reproductive freedom means nothing without access,” Keiser told reporters. “If patients don’t have access, they might as well not have a legal right.”

ABORTION TRAFFICKING AND EXCEPTIONS

Inslee also sent a letter asking Idaho Gov. Brad Little to veto a measure that makes it a felony to transport minors to another state to receive an abortion without their parents’ permission. However, Little signed House Bill 242 into law on April 5. Those found guilty would face two to five years in prison.

Little noted that the new law doesn’t prevent adult women from going out of state for an abortion.

“Rather, the ‘abortion trafficking’ provision in the bill seeks only to prevent unemancipated minor girls from being taken across state lines for an abortion without the knowledge and consent of her parent or guardian,” Little wrote in a letter to Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star.

In 2020, 53 abortions were obtained by Idaho minors 17 years old or younger, according to the CDC.

Parental consent is not required for minors to receive an abortion in Washington.

Little also signed an update to the state’s abortion ban that includes exceptions to prevent the death of the mother, or for cases of rape or incest that were reported to the police. The update also clarifies that treating ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages isn’t considered abortion. Previously, the ban offered “affirmative defenses” that a health care provider could offer after being arrested and taken to court. Those who provide abortions outside of those exceptions could still lose their medical license and face no less than two years in prison.

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ACLU VS. IDAHO AG

Last week the American Civil Liberties Union filed yet another lawsuit — this one in Idaho federal court — on behalf of Idaho’s Planned Parenthood provider and doctors concerned about a legal opinion from Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador.

On March 27, Labrador broadly interpreted Idaho’s near total ban on abortion, saying that even promoting abortion pills or referring patients to legal out-of-state abortion providers is illegal.

The lawsuit claims that opinion violates the First Amendment, the Commerce Clause and the Due Process Clause.

The plaintiffs also say it could result in even more doctors leaving the state. In March, Bonner General Health in Sandpoint announced that the hospital will end all obstetric care, citing staffing issues, low birth rates and the political climate.

“The Attorney General’s censorship forces me to act in a manner that is contrary to my medical training, denies my patients access to safe care that I am trained to provide, impedes my right to speak to and counsel my patients, and will greatly harm many Idahoans,” writes Dr. Caitlin Gustafson in a declaration filed with the lawsuit. “It is untenable for a physician to censor herself and refuse to provide information that a patient needs — it is a breach of my basic duties as a healthcare provider.” n

samanthaw@inlander.com

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“Abortion rights and reproductive freedom means nothing without access.

If patients don’t have access, they might as well not have a legal right.”

SPOKANE SYMPHONY MOVIE AND MUSIC Jurassic

‘Finish What We Started’

Spokane’s $1.5 billion north-south freeway is back on schedule — but will it work to ease traffic?

Some 77 years after it was first conceived, the North Spokane Corridor project takes the saying “Slow and steady wins the race” literally.

“I’ve lived in Spokane for seven years now, and I’ve heard for a long time that ‘I’ll never see it — it will never be built while I’m alive,’” says Joe McHale, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Transportation. “One thing we really want to let people know is yes, you will.”

Construction on the project, which began in 2001 and is better known as the north-south freeway, is underway but faced a setback earlier this year when Gov. Jay Inlsee proposed delaying the project’s funding and pushing its completion to 2035.

But this month, the Legislature approved House Bill 1125, which allocates another $169 million to the $1.5 billion project. The appropriations bill passed both the House and Senate last week.

One reason behind Inslee’s recommendation to pull funding was a shortfall in the Connecting Washington account, which pays for several major projects including the North Spokane Corridor.

“The funding shortfall is a result of gas tax revenues coming in lower than projected,” says state Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane. “There is less money coming in from gas tax to pay for projects, as compared to the amount the Legislature expected to have when it programmed all of these improvements.”

However, Billig says it was important to allocate the necessary funds to the North Spokane Corridor.

“This is a project that’s already partially built, and we need to finish what we started,” he says.

FROM 29 INTERSECTIONS TO NONE

State Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, says that currently the project will likely be finished by around 2030, which is the blink of an eye when it comes to infrastructure projects like this.

“A project of this magnitude and complexity, and all of the environmental review and design that needs to take place and then having construction, it just takes time to get it all done,” he says.

Ultimately, the corridor will connect both U.S. Route 395 and U.S. Route 2 to I-90 near Freya Street. When complete,

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

transportation officials say the new 10.5-mile freeway will reduce traffic on the Division Street corridor.

“Part of the promise of the North Spokane Corridor is to take traffic, and particularly truck traffic, off of Division so that we can transform Division into a much more productive, effective and aesthetically pleasing corridor,” says Billig.

According to Terrence Lynch, WSDOT’s North Spokane Corridor project engineer, the freeway will remove cars from Division and reduce congestion created by the major road’s 29 intersections, consequently reducing travel times and vehicle emissions caused by crawling traffic.

“Our traffic modeling shows somewhere in the neighborhood of 65,000 vehicles or trips a day on the freeway, and that’s both directions once it’s completed,” Lynch says. “If you think about that many trips and taking those particular trips off of the local system, that’s a significant reduction.”

FORCED TO DRIVE

Major cities across the U.S. have spent trillions of dollars expanding highways and constructing new ones in an attempt to reduce traffic on major roads or freeways — with questionable results.

At a 2018 meeting of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Roger Millar, who leads WSDOT, said building and expanding highways to solve congestion “isn’t the answer,” and congestion “is a problem we simply cannot solve.”

“We like to talk about traffic congestion as an issue, but it is actually a symptom of a larger problem — and the problem is we don’t provide affordable housing and transportation solutions,” he said, according to the AASHTO Journal. “We have a rich list of transportation options for the rich that can afford to live in our cities — the rest are forced to drive.”

Not to mention the fact that these projects work temporarily, and the traffic and sluggish travel times tend to return shortly. This phenomenon is known as “traffic generation” by planners, and “induced demand” by economists.

As Millar suggested, a better solution would be to fund transit or other non-automobile transportation.

According to Billig and Liias, $50 million in state funds have been added to the city’s transportation budget to transform the Division corridor and include bus rapid transit, bike and pedestrian facilities, and a variety of different amenities and housing options.

“One of the really big benefits is that we are going to transform Division from what I think is a fairly problematic corridor into something that’s going to be really special,” Billig says.

Another component of the project is an effort originally led by Billig and Sandy Williams, publisher of the Black Lens newspaper who died in a plane crash last year, to determine how to use surplus property from the project in a way that gives back to the East Central community.

“Had the project been built decades ago, I don’t have confidence that it would have been built with deep community engagement,” says Liias. “I was really impressed with the level of engagement with individual communities and engaging them in sort of what is your vision for the project, not just what is the most efficient engineering vision.”

Where the north-south freeway will eventually meet I-90 is currently the site of Camp Hope, a large homeless encampment. WSDOT is currently seeking feedback on designing a ramp there, where the north-south freeway’s “skyway” — a 60-foot-tall section of the highway that will stretch from Spokane Community College to I-90 — meets the interstate.

“I actually got to get up on the deck of the new freeway; they were constructing it last summer,” says Liias. “It was pretty powerful to stand there and imagine what it’ll be like when it’s done in a few more years.” n summers@inlander.com

The unfinished freeway near Spokane Community College. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

| BRIEFS

Zach-mandering

Zappone’s map is legal. Plus, Washington’s foster youth get more programs; and Washington pulled a Switzerland during COVID

The fact that Spokane City Council member Zack Zappone designed the map that became the council’s new boundaries — boundaries that would likely help improve his re-election chances in 2025 — was plenty controversial. But was it illegal? On Friday, we got an actual legal ruling on that question: the new City Council map is legal and can be used in this year’s election, but Zappone violated the intent of the city charter. In the future, Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel ruled, council members shouldn’t design maps, but the language in the city charter was confusing, the political advantage Zappone got wasn’t “ginormous,” and the map itself wasn’t illegal, he concluded. Council member Michael Cathcart says he’s planning to introduce a bill that, among other things, cleans up the charter and gives the mayor an equal amount of power as the council to appoint members of future redistricting boards. (DANIEL

WALTERS)

MORE HELP FOR YOUTH

A nonprofit that works with foster youth in Washington can now offer all its programs to school-age foster children statewide. Previously, Treehouse was able to work with more than 6,000 foster youth in the biggest metropolitan areas to provide mentorship on the path to high school graduation, access to free clothing, and school supplies, and help paying for after school activities, tutoring, and summer camp. Now, Treehouse’s state contract is expanding, making all of the roughly 11,000 foster youth eligible for its programs. “For the first time in Treehouse’s 35-year history, the ability to provide support to a youth in foster care isn’t dependent upon their zip code,” Treehouse CEO Dawn Rains said in an emailed announcement. “This ensures equitable access to our services across the state, especially in rural counties with fewer community resources. We have been working toward this moment for a long time.” (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

COVID DISPARITIES

A new study published in The Lancet medical journal found that during the COVID pandemic, some American states fared as well as the least affected countries around the world, but others saw death rates comparable to the countries hit hardest by the virus. For example, Washington had the sixthlowest COVID-related death rate among U.S. states and about the same rate as Switzerland and Germany from January 2020 to July 2022, with Washington reporting 193 deaths per 100,000 people. Meanwhile, some of the hardest-hit states, such as Arizona (539 reported deaths per 100,000), were on par with the highest death rates in the world — found in Russia, Bulgaria and Peru. The study found that deaths were “disproportionately clustered in U.S. states with lower mean years of education, higher poverty rates, limited access to quality health care, and less interpersonal trust — the trust that people report having in one another.” (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)

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WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY IN APRIL

CHINOOK | 4:30 PM – CLOSE | $60

Enjoy a 14oz New York strip steak, grilled to desired temperature over mesquite charcoal. Smothered with Bordelaise sauce and topped with a nest of fried prosciutto. Served with smash fried red potatoes, chef’s choice of vegetable and a house salad to start.

Orange Cheesecake

WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY IN APRIL

CHINOOK | 4:30 PM – CLOSE | $8

Orange cheesecake baked in a chocolate cookie crust. Served with a chocolate dipped orange shortbread cookie.

KA’ BAM Taco Omelet

MONDAY – FRIDAY IN APRIL

RED TAIL | 8 AM – 11 AM | $13.95

Three-egg omelet stuffed with seasoned taco meat, cheddar cheese and pepper Jack cheese. Topped with our house salsa. Served with your choice of hash browns or cottage cheese and toast.

Pastrami Burger

SUNDAY – THURSDAY IN APRIL

RED TAIL | 11:30 AM – CLOSE | $17.95

Brisket burger on sourdough bread topped with pastrami, provolone cheese, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise and yellow mustard. Served with your choice of sides.

Berries & Cream Rangoons

WEDNESDAY – SATURDAY IN APRIL

LITTLE DRAGON EATERY | 11 AM – CLOSE | $10.50

A fun sweet twist on a favorite. Six strawberry cream-cheese filled ragoons dusted with powdered sugar and served with a chocolate dipping sauce..

Spokane City Council member Zach Zappone’s map is upheld — with an asterisk.

SHOP LOCAL

Turning a Page

The best-friend duo behind Page 42 hope to offer much more than secondhand books

BY ELLIE ROTHSTROM

In East Spokane’s Logan Neighborhood, Page 42 Bookstore is rewriting the traditional role of a used bookstore. Beyond selling affordable books and creating an inviting space for bookworms to explore, Page 42 offers personalized, monthly book subscriptions, creative in-store events and free books to underserved groups.

The shop’s owners, lifelong best friends Emily Peterson and Alicia McCann — and Alicia’s husband, Jacob — had long dreamed of having their own bookstore. Entrepreneurs at heart, the pair spent their childhoods hosting elaborate lemonade stands, making their own perfume and selling homemade jewelry in the hallways of their high school. Despite those many years of hustling their creative business ventures, a bookstore seemed more like the pair’s “retirement plan” than an achievable reality. That all changed on Jan. 1, 2021.

“It was a passion project, but we didn’t think it could be a profit project,” Peterson says. “So when we got the opportunity to purchase Page 42 from the previous owners, we jumped on it immediately. We held hands and jumped feet first.”

Becoming an owner of Page 42 was a natural progression for Peterson, who’d managed the bookstore for a few years while attending Gonzaga University. Before she was hired, she remembers being a spunky college student who nagged its then-owner about the store’s organization, or lack thereof.

“The books were sorted by size and by color, not by the alphabet, and so I walked around the store roasting the owner,” she says. “And so he said, ‘If it’s so bad, do you want a job fixing it up?’”

It was then when Peterson began to see the possibility for that bookstore she and McCann had imagined as kids. Now, two years since taking over, the duo’s dream is thriving. With a workday that often starts with Donut Parade treats from next door, and a staff composed of family members and friends, they feel as though they don’t truly “work.”

“We don’t have a boss that we hate, and we’re not the boss that anybody hates,” Peterson says. “It is more fun than I thought could be real. It’s more fun than I thought could be achievable or profitable.”

Browsing the well-organized shelves at Page 42. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

Page 42 has evolved quite a bit since Peterson and McCann took over. The pair is dedicated to introducing the community to literature of all kinds through unique events and programs, from monthly used-book subscriptions ($17-$40) for all ages to their “Blind Date With a Book” section, which features books displayed with their covers intentionally obscured.

Page 42’s “Borrow a Bookstore” program lets people rent the bookstore for private events. Customers can reserve it for private shopping sessions ($50, including a $20 shopping voucher), date night with a catered meal ($180), and book club meetups ($50 plus $15/person), with the option to add snacks and beverages.

In the spirit of building a community around accessible literacy, the store also features a kids account, fully funded by donations, that allows any student to take a book home for free.

“Our mission statement is community impact, one book at a time,” McCann says. “We are looking at maximizing our community impact through the power of books, through the power of literature, and making sure that everyone has access to literature, through breaking income barriers and eliminating all of those problems.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: MICHAEL GRAY

Early this year, for example, Page 42 gave away 10,000 books in one day at a free book fair. Although they had anticipated it to be a three-day event, all the books were gone that first day after 1,500 people showed up.

“People are hungry for literature,” Peterson says. “People were standing outside in the cold, ready to come inside — especially for kids’ books — because it’s free, because it’s so exciting, because there’s magic in the written word. There’s magic in the print.”

McCann and Peterson are intent on donating the books they can’t sell. As a store that processes 120,000 books each year, they impressively hold true to this mission by only throwing away books that have been destroyed by mice or mold. After their free book fairs, Page 42 gives leftovers to individuals and organizations across Spokane, including rehab facilities, prisons and schools. McCann even recalls an individual who once came to their 25-cent book fair with the intention of starting a free library on an Air Force base.

“We are able to enable other people to make community impact,” she says.

The best-friend booksellers won’t stop there, as they’ve already generated five, seven, and 10-year plans for the business. Dreams for the future of Page 42 include opening a second location, expanding their online bookstore, running even bigger free book fairs, and, of course, uplifting the community, one book at a time.

“We’re like a cup of tea for your soul,” McCann says. “Come in, warm up, rest awhile.” n

Michael has worked to improve mental health coverage under Medicaid and Medicare, improve statutory criteria for inpatient hospitalization and educate the public and providers on HIPAA as a barrier to mental health treatment. He received his Juris Doctor, master in urban planning and bachelor’s degrees in history and philosophy from the University of Louisville.

Cooley and Rick Romero will provide an important update on the 90 day due diligence process currently underway exploring a Regional

Page 42 Bookstore

• 2174 N. Hamilton St.

• Open Mon-Sat 10 am-7 pm, Sun 11 am-4 pm

• page42bookstore.com

• 509-202-2551

Page 42’s owners: Jacob McCann, Alicia McCann and Emily Peterson.

Stepping Up to the Plate

National Pastime tells the story of two men — one Black, one white — who, aided by friends and family, united to break the baseball color line

BY E.J. IANNELLI

The very first scene that playwright Bryan Harnetiaux wrote for his play National Pastime was also its most severe. Although it’s often referred to in euphemistic shorthand as “the office scene,” the first-act finale depicts the real-life episode in which Branch Rickey, then club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, met with a 26-year-old Black baseball player named Jackie Robinson.

Their 1945 meeting was about Robinson pursuing a Major League career outside the Negro leagues. Far from a simple contract negotiation, however, it was a move that would rupture what was known as the baseball color line, the de facto policy of segregation that had kept Black players relegated to a separate network of teams since the 1880s.

During the three-hour interview, Rickey deliberately subjected Robinson to dehumanizing, race-baiting invective.

“He didn’t know whether Robinson had the mettle to withstand what Rickey thought he was going to be up against, being put through the wringer by racism. It’s terrible. It’s ugly. But it is in my mind the profound truth of what Jackie was looking at having to face and in fact did face,” Harnetiaux says.

“So when I sat down to write this play, I said to myself in so many words, ‘If I can write the office scene, if I can do justice to what happened in that room between those two men in the privacy of that room, then I think I can write a play.’”

His drama about Robinson’s momentous Major League career ended up debuting at the Spokane Civic Theatre in 1998. And despite National Pastime having been revised and reworked quite a bit over the past quarter century, its most fraught scene has changed very little.

This weekend, nearly 76 years to the very day that Robinson broke the baseball color line, Harnetiaux’s play will start a brand-new run on the Civic’s main stage. Bay Area actor and director Kimberly Ridgeway is directing the cast of 13. Jackie Robinson is played by Trè Terry.

Terry admits that he vacillated over the script — not only because of the office scene but because he was eyeing film work and other projects. But after mulling it over, he saw National Pastime as “a great opportunity to hone my craft on a bigger scale.” The tense exchanges became, among other things, a chance for him to demonstrate “how important [Robinson] is to sports in general” and “the pioneer that he was.”

“When I went back and forth a little bit before I took on the role, it did have partially to do with the dialogue. Not in the sense of being uncomfortable with the dialogue but in the sense of receiving some of the dialogue. It can be heavy, especially being Black in Spokane. But then when I was thinking more about it, I realized why I had to do it even more because of being Black in Spokane,” he says.

For Terry, performing opposite Kim Berg as Branch Rickey has both heightened the intensity of National Pastime and softened some of its rawness.

Bryan Harnetiaux, Spokane Civic Theatre’s long-time resident playwright.

“It was like an instant connection. As far as the relationship between Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson goes, the chemistry is definitely there. I tell [Kim] all the time during rehearsal, ‘Man, you’re killing this,’” says Terry, laughing.

“Because when you’re rehearsing these heavy moments, there’s times when you’re locked in and you’re just like, ‘That was a beautiful moment, but it couldn’t have been that beautiful without this other partner.’”

What most attracted Ridgeway to National Pastime is the power of those beautiful moments and the various relationships that underpin them.

“The more I learned about these individuals, the more invested I became in the story. Yes, this was a major change in baseball. It was a major change across the world. But the relationships that these individuals formed with one another are what really fascinated me,” she says.

“Just seeing the closeness between Robinson and Rickey are things I never knew prior to reading the script. We learn about baseball but rarely do we learn about the relationship Jackie had with his mother and with his wife. We might learn about Branch Rickey. Rarely do we hear about ... the support he received from his wife.”

To bring those aspects to the fore, Ridgeway started discussing personalities and motivations with the cast very early on, even when they were still doing “enhanced table work” remotely via Zoom. She had — and continues to have — frank one-on-one discussions of her own with Harnetiaux to find the “justification” for certain events and phrasings in the script.

And in talking about her directorial priorities, she routinely comes back to two points of emphasis: “sensitivity” and “authenticity.”

“We’re not telling people things they don’t already know. Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player. He broke the color barrier with the help of Branch Rickey. He went into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” she says.

“What I’m interested in is, what are the stories between those major accomplishments where we can not only help you learn something but also be entertained?” n

National Pastime • April 14-23; Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm; Sun at 2 pm • $25 • Spokane Civic Theatre • 1020 N. Howard St. • spokanecivictheatre.com

Trè Terry takes on the lead role of Jackie Robinson.

FILM-TO-TV REBOOTS TO STREAM

TV adaptations of movies don’t always work, but here are some that almost did

BY BILL FROST

The list of movies that have been improved upon by a TV series adaptation is pretty short: What We Do in the Shadows, Bates Motel, Westworld, Hannibal, Fargo, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rambo: The Forces of Freedom, and a handful of others. Mostly, they’re exercises in futility designed to squeeze the last coins from intellectual properties, and streaming has only goosed the greed machine. Here are a few film-to-TV reboots that almost worked.

FATAL ATTRACTION (PARAMOUNT+)

It doesn’t premiere until April 30 on Paramount+ — a serial offender of unnecessary reboots — but an eight-episode take on 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction practically screams “We got nothin’ … who wants a new yacht?” While there’s a contingent of viewers who’ll watch anything with Lizzy Caplan (guilty), and the rest of the cast (including Joshua Jackson, Amanda Peet and Toby Huss) is solid, that’s a whole lot of plot padding around a boiled bunny. There’s a reason there was never a Fatal Attraction 2

GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES (PARAMOUNT+)

It’s a prequel set in 1954, years before the adults-playing-teens travesty of Grease, the inferior precursor to Grease 2, but who asked for Rise of the Pink Ladies? This campy, colorful sugar-buzz of a concept might have worked as a 90-minute movie, but Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies consists of 10(!) hourlong episodes, which sounds as appealing as being waterboarded by the cast of Glee. I’d rather have had a musical reboot of Dead Ringers (Prime Video is dropping a boring, non-singing version on April 20).

TRUE LIES (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)

CBS’ revival of 1994’s True Lies premiered last month, and it’s not a promising indicator that the show’s leading man (Shameless’ Steve Howey, taking over for Arnold Schwarzenegger) has been easily obscured by his supporting cast from episode one. Ginger Gonzaga (assuming the spy-wife role from Jamie Lee Curtis) deserves better than a vanilla CBS case-of-the-week content cranker, as does co-star Omar Miller. Obviously, the best way forward is to kill off Howey’s character and let them carry True Lies. I’m a solutions guy.

BAD TEACHER (CRACKLE)

The 2014 TV reboot of 2011 Cameron Diaz comedy Bad Teacher had the potential to best the movie, mostly due to a killer cast fronted by Ari Graynor, an actress with the chops to take Diaz’s character to funnier heights and darker lows. Unfortunately, this Bad Teacher was on CBS, so the trophy-wifeturned-accidental-educator storyline was watered down to edgeless sitcom mundanity, and Grayor’s only creative support was an impressive array of push-up bras. Still, not bad for a CBS comedy (low bar).

ASH VS. EVIL DEAD (NETFLIX)

The only problem with 2016-2018’s Ash vs. Evil Dead was that Starz canceled the comedic Evil Dead sequel series after just three seasons — we could be enjoying season 7 right now, but nooo. The demon-splattering adventures of an aging Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell, sharp as ever) spilled more gallons of fake blood than The Walking Dead over three seasons, and sidekicks Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) and Pablo (Ray Santiago) were the perfect foils for Ash. At least there’s an animated revival in the works (hopefully not for Starz). n

MAKING WAVES

After debuting in the 1980s, trips to SPLASH DOWN water park in Spokane Valley became a summer staple for many Spokanites. Young kids gathered up the courage to go down the “toilet bowl” slide, and only the bravest dared to take on those daunting, swirly water slides. Since 2020, however, the park fronting I-90 has been lifeless, never reopening after initial pandemic restrictions forced water parks to close. Rumors circulated last year that the park was coming back, but due to vandalism and its original owners’ decision to leave the business, that timeline never panned out. Now, Splash Down has again changed hands and is set to reopen in June, according to recent social media posts. (MADISON

PEARSON)

TIME DISTORTION

Is it possible to write a show that can be watched in any order and still make sense? That’s the goal of Netflix’s KALEIDOSCOPE, which explores a complex vault heist out of sequence. Everyone finishes with the “White” episode, which shows what actually goes down during the heist. But the rest can be watched at random, with the service claiming it assigns viewers one of thousands of possible episode orders. Knowing that, I was surprised my experience started with “Yellow,” which conveniently shows the lead character assembling his team several weeks before the heist. Still, it’s fun trying to guess the plot twists as you jump back and forth in time, learning the aftermath of the heist, and the decades-old moments that inspired it, before finally seeing the crime itself. (SAMANTHA

WOHLFEIL)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST

Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on April 14.

METALLICA, 72 SEASONS. The metal legends explore how our early experiences shape our thinking (72 seasons = our first 18 years) while still bringing a heavy thrash.

FEIST, MULTITUDES. ♫ One, two, three, four, Leslie Feist has got some more / Indie pop songs that hit in your feelings core… ♫

EL MICHELS AFFAIR & BLACK THOUGHT, GLORIOUS GAME. The Roots’ ever-collaborative MC Black Thought teams up with the New York soul and funk band for some hip-hop that chops things up with the sharpened edge of live instrumentation. (SETH

SOMMERFELD)

Fatal Attraction premieres April 30.

WEED REVIEW

More research is needed to understand the impacts of legal recreational cannabis

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

While medical marijuana laws have existed in multiple states across the country since the mid-1990s, it’s been less than a decade since the first legal recreational sales started, in Washington state and Colorado. Despite an increasing amount of research, and some meaningful insights on medical marijuana, some big questions remain about the public health impacts of legal recreational weed, according to a new research review.

In a paper published in March in the Journal of Economic Literature, D. Mark Anderson, a professor of economics at Montana State University, and his co-author Daniel I. Rees looked at dozens of studies on both medical and recreational marijuana legalization.

After making sure the studies they included drew statistically meaningful comparisons, they were able to make some conclusions about the impacts of medical marijuana. Among other things, they found there’s little to no evidence that legal medical cannabis increases teen use, and it appears that young adults consume less alcohol when medical marijuana is available.

...continued on next page

WARNING: This product has intoxicating e ects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

NOTE TO READERS

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

“WEED

However, it’s less clear what’s happened since 21 states, as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational cannabis. Here are three major areas that could use more study.

YOUTH USE

If you head to Google Scholar and look for academic studies on youth marijuana use after recreational legalization, you’ll find a lot of information, but few conclusions, Anderson says.

“For every paper that you find that suggests there’s an increase in use, you can find one that suggests there’s a decrease in use, and one that suggests no effect,” Anderson says. “I think public health officials are rightly concerned about this particular outcome, maybe more so than the other outcomes we might think about.”

Anderson says that data sets covering multiple years are more reliable when looking for trends, and the best research uses statistical models that ensure findings are actually related to the law change, and not some other cultural shift or cause.

“Up to this point, our conclusion is that definitely, with medical marijuana laws, there’s very little evidence of an effect on teens. There’s similarly little evidence of an effect on teens in the wake of recreational legalization,” Anderson says, with the caveat that there’s still limited data. “It’s one of those areas where it would be nice to see researchers continuing to update their estimates.”

WEED NOT (OTHER) DRUGS

Another interesting area is looking at whether marijuana is a substitute for other substances like alcohol or opioids, Anderson says. If legal cannabis tends to be swapped out for alcohol or opioids, it could have positive public health effects, whereas if it only complements other substance use there may be negative effects.

“Trying to pin that down is really important,” Anderson says. “Is it having a desirable effect on the use of other substances, or a costly effect?”

WEEKEND COUNTDOWN

Get the scoop on this weekend’s events with our newsletter. Sign up at Inlander.com/newsletter.

Using data from 1999 to 2010, one study cited in Anderson’s article found an 18 percent reduction in opioid-related deaths in states with medical marijuana laws. However, another study that expanded on that work and looked at 2011 to 2017 found an increase in opioidrelated deaths, which could be due to the changing nature of the opioid epidemic.

“Perhaps marijuana and prescription pain medications are substitutes, but marijuana and heroin are not,” Anderson and Rees write.

The fentanyl crisis has also since overwhelmed heroin as the more popular opioid, and it’s far more deadly, so there’s more research to be done.

By contrast, there is some evidence that marijuana is sometimes used instead of alcohol, with one study showing a 15 percent drop in alcohol sales in Washington state after recreational weed was legalized.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS & CRIME

While many economists are interested in crime data related to weed legalization, Anderson says he’d like to see even more research on traffic accidents.

“For me, I think it’s traffic fatalities — that’s the third outcome I’d list,” Anderson says, “because it’s such a leading cause of death.”

Multiple studies found little to no evidence of an impact on traffic fatalities after recreational legalization, but more data is needed to know the long-term impact. Some legal weed states saw increases in traffic fatalities during the time period studied, but the trend wasn’t different from control states where weed was illegal.

Looking at crime related to dispensary locations is also intriguing. At least one study found that after hundreds of medical dispensaries closed in Los Angeles, property crime rates went up. But that was similar to the impacts seen when restaurants close, Anderson says, suggesting dispensaries may offer a similar “eyes on the street” effect in the neighborhoods they’re in. n

REVIEW,” CONTINUED...

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this product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug . there may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. for use only by adults twenty-one and older. keep out of the reach of children.

NUTRITIONAL PARAPHERNALIA

Catch a buzz from food, and we’re not talking about edibles

BY WILL MAUPIN

Sure, your trusty glass pipe never fails, but does it really excite you anymore? Do you find yourself craving something new, something different?

Something, maybe, delicious?

With the help of a few friends as guinea pigs, we tested a handful of creative ways to catch a buzz using items you probably have in your kitchen right now. Some are simple, like a pipe made out of an apple — a classic DIY solution for people in a pinch — while others involve multiple fruits and vegetables and a bit of elbow grease and engineering.

CARROT CHILLUM

When it comes to simplicity, the chillum takes the cake. Nothing more than a straight, hollow tube with holes on each end. Place the cannabis in one hole and your mouth on the other then light it up, and you’re good to go.

To construct your carrot chillum you’ll want to find a thick carrot with little taper. Slice off a bit at each end so you have a nice, vertical face. Starting from the wider end, drill a hole through the center of the carrot using a bamboo skewer or screwdriver.

Carrots aren’t the most pliable of veggies — multiple carrots were harmed in the making of our chillum — so drill with care and ease.

Once you’ve successfully bored through the entire length of the carrot, dig out a bit of the flesh around the hole on the wide end to make a bowl for your cannabis.

COUCH POTATO

Reviews for our russet potato pipe were mixed. Of all our methods, this ranked worst in flavor. It is a raw potato, after all. On the other hand, it was easy to construct and delivered bigger hits than any of our other non-water pipes.

Start by slicing the potato in half, lengthwise. Then, using a spoon or something similar, dig a straw-sized trough lengthwise across one of the two halves. Midway along the trough, dig another at a right angle to make a carb. Slap the two halves back together, put your cannabis on one end, your mouth on the other, use a finger to cover the carb and light it up.

A rubber band or toothpicks can be used to keep the two halves connected.

APPLE PIPE

Easy to find, easy to make, and you can even eat some of it once you’re done; the apple pipe is the most iconic of all food-based paraphernalia.

Pluck out the stem, and the now-empty divot is a pre-made bowl for your flower. Using something like a hollowed out pen or a reusable metal straw, core out a vertical tunnel from the top of the apple to just past midway down. The thinner the better, because you don’t want your cannabis to fall into the apple itself.

Then, using the same pen or straw, make another tunnel at a 90 degree angle from the side of the apple. Make sure it connects with your vertical tunnel, because this hole is where you pull the smoke from. Optionally you can make a third connecting tunnel for a carb.

Simple and effective, the apple pipe is iconic for a reason. The main drawback, however, is its compact shape

means everything is in close proximity, including fire and your face. Be careful if you’ve got a mustache or bangs, as they’re liable to get singed.

WATER(MELON) PIPE

Finally, a 100 percent compostable bong!

The most time consuming of all our methods, but easily the most rewarding. Not only is it effective, but there’s just something delightful about smoking out of a big, round melon.

Before you get started on the watermelon itself, you’re going to need to make a carrot chillum following the instructions above. That will serve as your bowl and downstem, so you’ll need it to be long enough to reach into the water chamber.

Using a knife, cut a circular hole into the melon at about 10 or 2 o’clock position, and make sure to keep the hole just smaller than the width of your carrot. You want the carrot to fit snugly into the hole to form an almost airtight seal.

Then, using a spoon, dig out the inside of the melon like you would when making a jack-o’-lantern — keep the dug-out flesh, you’ll want to eat it later. This will be the water and smoke chamber. As you’re digging out the flesh, be mindful of the length of the carrot downstem and the depth of the chamber you’re creating.

When you’re satisfied with the water chamber, cut another hole atop the melon for the mouthpiece of the bong. Then, dig down until you reach the water chamber. Once your second hole breaches into the water chamber, congrats, you’ve made a fully functional bong entirely out of food. n

Multiple fruits and veggies were harmed in this experiment. WILL MAUPIN PHOTO

WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

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TOKING TRENDS

Potency, cost and health concerns are driving consumer behavior in Washington’s cannabis market, and growers and retailers are taking note

Washington’s cannabis market spent the better part of its first decade as a capitalist’s dream industry. It just kept growing, year after year. Then in 2022, something changed. Sales dropped by 8 percent compared with 2021, from more than $1.5 billion to less than $1.4 billion.

“This last year or two has seen a significant decline compared to the start of COVID,” says Joe Lima, manager of Liberty Lake’s Novo Dia Farms. “Prices have gone down. Talking to anyone from the [Liquor and Cannabis Board] to growers to stores, last year was really tough. Maybe not for the biggest ones, but for the smaller growers.”

While the drop in prices has strained some in the industry, it could be welcome news for consumers, especially considering Washington has some of the highest taxes on cannabis in the country.

Various factors have contributed to the drop in prices.

BY WILL MAUPIN

In 2020, the cannabis industry was deemed essential by Gov. Jay Inslee and allowed to continue operating throughout the pandemic shutdowns. With little to do but stay home, and few places to spend money, cannabis sales went through the roof. As life has returned to normal, a regression toward the mean was to be expected.

Another factor that Lima sees impacting consumer spending on cannabis is that prices have risen for other goods, like gas and food.

Then, there’s the product itself impacting its price in a counterintuitive way: Cannabis today is better than ever before.

“People are getting more bang for their buck,” says Megan Roberts, store manager at the Green Nugget. “The budget people are all about the numbers. They want the products with high THC content.”

The joints your hippie uncle used to smoke in the ’60s contained around 2 percent THC. Good luck

finding anything close to that at a dispensary today. In 2021, the average potency of cannabis seized by the DEA was just over 15 percent, but that’s only illicit cannabis. By legal cannabis standards, 15 percent is low-potency. Consumers in the legal market have more options for cannabis above 30 percent today than they do around 15.

“People just want high potency. For low to mid potency, there is some market for that, but for the most part it’s in high THC,” says Lima.

Budget concerns may be top of mind for many consumers and may help to fuel the shift toward stronger products, but they’re not the only thing driving a change in consumer behavior. People in the industry are noticing other trends as well, such as the return of vapes.

That’s a notable shift from just a few years ago, when vapes appeared to be on their way out.

In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-

tion declared an epidemic after hundreds of people were hospitalized and multiple people died around the country due to lung injury associated with the use of vape products. In response, Inslee announced an emergency ban on all flavored vapes in the state.

Medical investigators ultimately determined that a chemical additive — Vitamin E Acetate — had caused the lung injuries and that the vast majority of cases were associated with unregulated products from states without legal markets. The chemical was banned from vape products in Washington, and the emergency ban on flavored vapes was allowed to expire.

Perhaps the health scare surrounding vapes has something to do with it, because retailers are seeing an increase in health-conscious consumer behavior and producers are taking note. Be on the lookout for vegan or sugar-free edibles.

“A lot of these edible companies are looking to get vegan or sugar-free options onto the shelves,” says Roberts. “People have become more cautious about what they smoke and what they consume.”

Looking ahead, the low-price, high-potency and health-conscious trends of today are on something of a collision course that could dramatically alter consumer demand and market supply down the road.

Researchers around the country have been turning their focus to high-potency cannabis, and there are now myriad studies linking it to negative health outcomes not associated with lower-potency cannabis. Could that push consumers away from the strong stuff? If it doesn’t, the state just might.

Earlier this year, state legislators introduced a bill that would increase the tax on cannabis products with concentrations above 35 percent. Taxes on the strongest products would be nearly double what they are today.

Should either the bill or those concerns become reality, the trends of tomorrow could be opposite of the trends today. n

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

#recessionproof DIY WEED

You may be able to legally grow your own cannabis one day — here are some tips

BY CLAIRE MUNDS

As the hashtag #recessioncore transforms online trends, there’s an increasing focus on homegrowing our daily needs. Eggs? Get a chicken. Grow a tomato plant, and DIY your own salsa. Make bread from scratch.

But how do you DIY your lil’ smoking habit?

Washington state is chewing on House Bill 1614 to make growing personal-use cannabis legal for those 21 and older. (Registered medical patients can legally grow up to 15 plants.) Don’t get too excited — the bill hasn’t passed yet. And it looks like it won’t. But until it’s officially dead, we’ll keep hope alive. While you’re waiting for the government to move, get hyped with the various stages of the seed-to-smoke process.

GET THE SETUP

Your future baby weed needs four things to exist — a cozy little house, sunshine, air and food. The DIY setup can be as easy as buying a kit online, bundling the equipment you’ll need to nurture your plants. Make space for a grow tent, preferably with outdoor ventilation. By growing your plants in a tent, you’ll be able to precisely control temperature, humidity and light.

Skeptical? Try using your grow setup to parent something innocuous indoors (tomato plus jalapeño equals salsa). Once you get the hang of caring for plants indoors, you can enjoy chips and dip until you can start your weed seeds. When starting seeds, double-check the limits that HB 1614 or some other future state law imposes. You’ll only be allowed to grow a small number of plants for personal use.

Set expectations — growing your own requires an investment of time. End-to-end, you’ll be plant parenting for three to eight months. During this time, you’ll be adjusting light exposure to move your plants through the various growth phases.

GROWTH PHASES

During germination, your seeds need a delicate balance of water, warmth and temperature to spring from their shells.

When your seed has sprouted, the plant enters the vegetative stage. Your plant will start doing plant things — photosynthesis, growth and strengthening.

You can partially control how long your plants remain in the vegetative stage. This allows you to control how big the plants grow (important for mini-indoor box cultivation) or how hearty they get before introducing them outdoors (where you can grow a larger outdoor tree).

Obviously, blooming is the payoff of the plant’s process. Indoors, you’ll adjust light duration to trigger this step. During this stage, you’ll start to see your strain’s unique characteristics and aroma. Keep those smells to yourself. If passed, HB 1614 requires that your farming “may not result in cannabis being readily smelled from a public place or the private property of another housing unit.”

THE CURE

Congrats little farmer, you’ve grown your own! Let your bountiful harvest dry and cure — the two most critical phases of pot production. This final process can take several weeks to months, and you still need to pay attention.

First, dry your product to remove moisture. Next, cure the weed to continue breaking down chlorophyll. Don’t rush either step — a low-and-slow approach will prevent mold and quality degradation.

In their essence, the drying and curing steps are another delicate tango of moisture and temperature. Just like fine wine, weed prefers low temperatures, dark rooms and low humidity.

Final warning: Your drying room will smell like weed.

WANT MORE? CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS

CANNABIS GROWER’S HANDBOOK by Ed Rosenthal. The latest edition from the original grower with new tips on cultivation.

THE CANNABIS GROW BIBLE: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO GROWING MARIJUANA FOR RECREATIONAL AND MEDICAL USE by Greg Green. Details are a-plenty in this book, which may be more helpful for experienced gardeners (of any variety).

THE SINSEMILLA TECHNIQUE by Kayo. The absolute classic guide for growing cannabis. First published in 1983, this book gets extra points for coming out in the thick of anti-cannabis sentiment. Plus, it’s great for beginners.

DON’T BRAG ABOUT IT

While your buds are drying, fantasize about all the ways you can use it. Make some cookies. Infuse some butter. Be careful about bragging to your friends or throwing a bud-baby shower. Under the House bill, home-grown weed is for personal use only.

As you crush the #recessioncore trend, smoke a bowl as the world burns. You’re well on your way to self-sufficiency no matter how the world turns. n

JOINT JAMS

Vibe out with our guide matching the right smoke with the right track

BY NIC RENSHAW

There’s no denying that cannabis is now mainstream, and with all that mainstreaming comes, of course, a heaping helping of good old-fashioned snobbery.

Just as a veteran wine drinker might turn their nose up at you for having the audacity to pair cabernet with havarti, so too do you run the risk of offending an experienced marijuanaut by failing to fine-tune your playlist selections to the strain du jour. (Though it’s admittedly a small risk — we’re not really a high-strung bunch.)

If you’re worried about finding the perfect tune for your next smoke session, never fear: We’ve compiled six prime sonic selections from a wide array of genres, along with recommendations for which cannabis strain will bring out the best from the tunes.

FREDDIE GIBBS AND MADLIB, “HIGH”

If anyone’s most fit to carry on hip-hop’s grand tradition of odes to Mary Jane, it may just be Freddie Gibbs, who was kicked out of the Army for smoking the sweet leaf and found his calling as an MC thanks to a friend at a dead-end mall job. “High” finds Gibbs fondly recalling a time before his legendary cocaine hustle interrupted his youthful, carefree blaze-haze. The track features his effortlessly charismatic flow and a nicely cartoonish assist from Danny Brown to boot. It’s not safe for work, but ideal for some time with your favorite bong.

PAIR WITH: Chemdawg, OG Kush, anything reliable and buzzy

MELVINS, “QUEEN”

The grunge veterans’ aptly titled album Stoner Witch kicks

into high gear with this steamrollering showcase of their trademark lumbering tempos and sludgy, swampy guitar tones. Full to bursting with chunky, distorted texture, “Queen” is less a chill vibe to kick back to and more a weighted blanket to reinforce that couch-lock.

PAIR WITH: A strong indica, like Grandaddy Purp GLASS

ANIMALS, “POOLS”

Before Glass Animals were chart-dominating indie rock stars with “Heat Waves,” they were a funky, trippy artpop outfit with a thing for bongo grooves. And they were never looser or bouncier than on this single from their 2014 debut, ZABA. Suffused in rubbery bass hits and Dave Bayley’s whooshing falsetto, the infectious refrain of “I smile because I want to” pitches itself straight to the giggly stoners in the cheap seats.

PAIR WITH: Something sweet and mild, like Lemon Skunk or Golden Pineapple

EXPERIENCE UNLIMITED, “FUNKY CONSCIOUSNESS”

Experience Unlimited (E.U. on Spotify) blended R&B and jazz with psychedelic and progressive rock, helping to originate the Go-Go genre. This nine-minute cosmic funk excursion, the finale of their 1976 debut Free Yourself, delivers all the technicolor reefer fantasies of the best classic rock from the era — perfect for anyone going through a blacklight and/or lava lamp phase.

PAIR WITH: Acapulco Gold

EARTH, “ENGINE OF RUIN”

Olympia drone-metallers Earth have spent most of the 21st century expanding their pummeling, minimalist

foundations into lush, vivid sonic landscapes. On this standout from their 2008 album The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull, the band works a simple piano motif into a honeyed kaleidoscope of organ and guitar that practically begs you to melt into it.

PAIR WITH: Skywalker OG, Trainwreck (if that’s how you roll) — the more mind-bending the better

NIGHTMARES ON WAX, “(MAN) THA JOURNEY”

Nightmares on Wax’s 1995 album Smoker’s Delight is an overlooked marvel of dubby, soulful downtempo electronica, and “(Man) Tha Journey” offers one of the Ibiza producer’s most intoxicating beats to date. Whether just a bassline and a drum shuffle or when the track is at its busiest, it’s a playful and fun blast.

PAIR WITH: Lamb’s Bread or a good edible n

PUFF, PUFF, PASS

Washington lawmakers eye cannabis-related bills involving equity, interstate commerce and pre-employment drug tests

BY NATE SANFORD

It’s been more than a decade since recreational cannabis was legalized in Washington, but the legal landscape is complicated, and there are still a number of questions that need to be ironed out. Should employers be allowed to reject applicants who test positive for weed? How much liquid cannabis should stores be allowed to carry? Does Washington need a cannabis commission? How can the state move past the racist legacy of the war on drugs?

Lawmakers in Olympia introduced a number of bills this session that seek to answer those questions. Read on for a list of the bills that seem likely to pass, and the ones doomed to languish in committee.

SENATE BILL 5069

INTERSTATE WEED SALES

Twenty-one states have legalized recreational marijuana, but federal law prohibits that weed from crossing state lines. A growery in Oregon can’t sell marijuana to a dispensary in Washington and vice versa. Each state is basically an island of its own.

But with the growing legality and popularity of cannabis, federal law might change. If and when that happens, SB 5069 would — if approved — immediately open the door to interstate trade so that Washington doesn’t get left out of the action.

The bill passed the Senate on March 1, and the House Committee on Regulated Substances & Gaming on March 23. It moved to the House for a second reading on April 6.

SENATE BILL 5123 BAN ON DRUG TESTS

Many employers in Washington can still reject candidates if they test positive for marijuana in a pre-employment drug test — despite the fact that cannabis can linger in a urine sample for up to 100 days after last consumption. (There’s a whole world of dubious tricks online that claim to help job seekers get traces of weed out of their system quickly.)

Under SB 5123, employers would no longer be allowed to reject a job candidate because they tested positive for marijuana. There are, of course, exceptions: federal employers can still test and reject. There are also exemptions for pilots and other workers who operate dangerous machinery. The bill passed both chambers last month, and would take effect Jan. 1, 2024 if Gov. Jay Inslee signs it.

HOUSE BILL 1614 HOME GROW

Lawmakers’ latest attempt to legalize growing your own weed appears to be dead. Washington will remain one of just three states that let people buy weed at a store — but not grow it in their homes (See page 32).

If passed, HB 1614 would allow people older than 21 to grow up to six plants. There are a number of other requirements, including that the plants and their scent be kept away from the public’s eyes and noses.

The bill was pulled from a committee vote ahead of the House’s legislative deadline last month, but remains technically alive.

SENATE BILL 5080 CANNABIS EQUITY

More than a decade after legalization, the communities most impacted by the war on drugs are still underrepresented in Washington’s cannabis industry. The state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board established a “social equity

in cannabis program” in 2019 that seeks to rectify that by prioritizing retail cannabis licenses to people who have served prison time for cannabis offenses or who live in areas with high rates of unemployment, poverty or drug convictions.

SB 5080, submitted at the request of the LCB, would expand and streamline the program. The bill passed the Senate in late February, and by the House on April 10.

HOUSE BILL 1453

MEDICAL TAX EXEMPTION

The House moved this bill to the Rules Committee on Feb. 23 and hasn’t seen any progress since. The bill would have exempted qualified medical cannabis patients from Washington’s 37 percent cannabis excise tax.

SENATE BILL 5546

CANNABIS COMMISSION

In Washington state, alfalfa seeds, asparagus, potatoes, beer, beef, blueberries and more than a dozen other food products all have their own special commissions. (There’s also an Apple Commission, obviously.) The commissions are made up of growers and sellers and are mainly responsible for marketing, research and representing the interests of their respective product.

SB 5546 would create a cannabis commission. The bill passed the Senate and was referred to the House Appropriations Committee in late March.

SENATE BILL 5340 LIQUID CANNABIS

This bill would change restrictions on the amount of cannabis in liquid form that retailers are allowed to sell in a single transaction. It would also let people older than 21 possess and transfer additional amounts of cannabisinfused liquid products to other people over 21. The bill passed the Senate and was referred to the House Rules Committee on March 23. n

Smoke weed? You’re hired!

WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

APRIL 19TH - 20TH 420 SUMMIT SALE

WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

Wall Street Eats

From lunch until late, Off the Wall offers affordable food, drinks and a unique dining experience in downtown Spokane

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

With bold, colorful decor, three menus, a full bar and an indoor food truck, Off The Wall brings a craving-satiating experience to the downtown core.

Owners Josh and Katie Wade, who also own Nectar Wine and Beer, BARK A Rescue Pub, Fête – A Nectar Co., and Nectar Catering and Events, were inspired by a recent trip to Las Vegas, where they encountered similar food truckinspired, indoor restaurants.

But when the pair decided to open their next restaurant at a location on Wall Street, that wasn’t the concept Josh initially envisioned.

“I had looked at this location for another concept, and that wasn’t coming to fruition,” he says. “It originally started off as, you know, almost like Saranac Commons; it was going to be called Wall Street Commons.”

That idea also came from the Wade’s travels, during a trip to Chicago a few summers ago. Josh dined at a place called Devil Dawgs, which does modern takes on hot dogs

and other classic American foods, and Spanglish, a Mexican restaurant with customizable options.

Those two eateries inspired two of Off The Wall’s three distinct menus, Chi-Dog and El Medano respectively, but the Wades wanted to add a third, healthy food option. So they created Fork & Bowl, which serves mainly soups and salads.

“We are a family of four, and everybody always wants something different when you say you want to go out,” Katie says. “Everybody can get something here.”

At Off The Wall, diners can order from kiosks mounted on an actual food truck parked inside the counter service-style restaurant, or by using a QR code to access the menu at their table with a smartphone. The Wades wanted to avoid offering table-side service at Off The Wall as a way to keep food costs low while embracing the traditional food truck experience.

...continued on next page

Katie and Josh Wade debuted their latest eatery this month.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

NEW ISSUE ON STANDS APRIL 25

At Chi-Dog, you’ll find many takes on the classic hot dog, like the titular Chicago dog ($7.50) with sweet relish, hot peppers, onions, tomatoes, pickles and mustard. The Seattle dog ($7.50) has a kick from jalapeños and sriracha sauce that’s balanced out by the requisite cream cheese and grilled onions.

This menu also has a budget-friendly smash burger ($5) with Off The Wall’s special sauce. Vegetarian diners aren’t left out at Chi-Dog, either, as there’s a veggie dog ($5.50) and veggie burger patties ($6.50).

El Medano, meanwhile, has six different street tacos ($4.50-$5.50), like the Classico with ground beef, salsa verde and rojas, onions and cilantro. The el pastor comes with marinated pork, pineapple, cabbage, jalapeños and cotija cheese. There’s a veggie-option here, too: the Carne Falsa with a sauteed vegetable hash, mushrooms, garbanzo beans, onions, peppers, lentils and cotija cheese.

If tacos aren’t your jam, El Medano has a hefty burrito ($12) with beans, cheese, rice and salsa, as well as shareable nachos ($9), a quesadilla ($7.50), chips and salsa ($5), and guacamole ($9) for a midday or late-night snack.

Fork & Bowl, while serving a classic garden salad ($8) with mixed greens, cucumber, tomatoes, onions and a raspberry vinaigrette, mainly offers creative twists on fresh salads. There’s the Thai mango salad ($10) with mango, red peppers, peanuts, rice noodles and a Thai dressing, or the berry bowl ($10) with spinach, red cabbage, bell peppers and an assortment of sweet berries, both fresh and dried.

While you may expect to find a burrito bowl ($10) at El Medano, it’s actually part of Fork & Bowl’s offerings and comes with cilantro lime rice, cabbage, beans, bell pepper and salsa. This menu also has vegan black bean chili and chicken tortilla soup, along with a rotating soup-of-theday ($6-$9).

While the restaurant serves three unique menus, diners are able to fully customize their meal by ordering off one, two or all three with just one point of sale.

Off The Wall not only brings an affordable variety of food to the downtown core, but also fun, quirky cocktails.

Many are inspired by ’90s cartoons and shows, such as the Peachy Patrick Star ($10) with bourbon, peach vodka, lemonade and a pink sugar rim, or the My Little Pony ($10), which has Pink Whitney vodka, citrus vodka, Sprite, lemonade, strawberry puree and, of course, pink glitter.

Katie says she gave the bartending team creative freedom to come up with a menu that complements the eatery’s playful, casual vibe.

“You’re gonna have your Pop Rocks on the rim, cotton candies, glitter in your drinks, but it’s not going to be overly complicated,” she says.

The bar has specialty shots, too. One, called the Mexican candy shot ($9), has watermelon pucker schnapps, tequila, chamoy, and a Tajin rim, plus tamarind and watermelon candy garnishes. The Fanta-sized shot ($8) has Fanta soda, mandarin vodka and a piece of orange-flavored Airheads candy.

For those enjoying Off The Wall’s later hours (the whole venue transitions to a 21-and-up bar after 9 pm each day), food and nonalcoholic drinks add a much-needed option for late-night eats in the downtown core. While the full menus for El Medano and Chi-Dogs are available from 9 pm to close on Fridays and Saturdays, other nighttime specials include breakfast burritos ($9), a breakfast dog ($8), and a smash burger topped with a fried egg and bacon ($8). Energy drinks and rehydration beverages ($5 each) are also available to the late-night crowd to keep the good vibes going.

While Off The Wall boasts a robust and affordable menu, perhaps the most captivating part of the restaurant is the decor.

The walls, fittingly, feature lively, saturated art with neon signs adding additional pops of light and color. Neon blue, pink and yellow chairs surround the tables, and at the center of the space is its colorful food truck covered in comic bookinspired illustrations and food imagery.

“I think people are gonna be blown away by the space — the design, the affordable food, and just the fun atmosphere that it has,” Josh says. “It’s a little off the wall.” n

Off The Wall • 121 N. Wall St. • Open SunThu 11 am-11 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-2 am (21+ after 9 pm) • otwspokane.com • 509-351-8228

“WALL STREET EATS,” CONTINUED...

Find dogs, tacos, bowls and more at Off The Wall. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

A dining, breakfast and happy hour guide for the Inland Northwest

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April is National Credit Union Youth Month. Now through April 30, join BECU as an Early Saver and receive a special gift when you mention promo code CUYOUTHMONTH , while supplies last.

Visit one of our Spokane locations to learn more and apply for membership.

This QR code should lead you to becu.org/Spokane. If you see another URL, avoid entering your personal information and contact BECU.

Federally insured by NCUA. Early Saver savings account required to establish membership; not everyone will qualify. Early Saver accounts must have a parent or legal guardian as the joint account holder. If under the age of 18, you must enroll in person or by mail. Members must be at least 13 years old to access Online Banking and eStatements.

Federally insured by NCUA.

Taco Shift

After moving from a tiny drive-thru stand, TacoVado is back with more options at a new location

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

Until recently, a web search for TacoVado, a breakfast taco and burrito stand on the edge of Spokane’s West Central neighborhood, would reveal the harrowing words: “Temporarily Closed.”

Confusion about the future of TacoVado arose among its loyal customers, many of whom discovered it during the COVID tumult. That uncertainty soon dissipated, however, when owners Markie Blanton and Will Lucas announced they didn’t close, but rather moved to a new spot not too far away on Northwest Boulevard.

“We apologize for unnecessary drama,” Blanton says. “Our phone number is still the same, our menu still the same, just more stuff has been added, so there’s nothing to worry about. All is well in the neighborhood.”

TacoVado’s original location on Ash Street was previously a coffee stand (it’s since become the home of Sandos, a drive-thru sandwich spot), resulting in Blanton, Lucas and their employees having to adapt to working in an ultra-compact space. As the eatery’s popularity grew, Blanton says it became difficult to keep up with the demand and get orders out quickly due lack of prep space.

At TacoVado’s new location, the kitchen alone is three times the size of the entire drive-thru stand, allowing its team to have more creative freedom with the menu.

TacoVado still serves signature breakfast items, such as the Breakfast Vado ($5), a taco with pork, eggs, salsa and cilantro, and a wide variety of breakfast burritos ($11-$13) with eggs, cheese, beans and different proteins and sauces.

Since moving, more appetizers and entrees have been added to the menu, such as the Triple Double Dipper ($24.08), a queso, guacamole and salsa trio, and loaded queso ($14) with meat, sour cream and pico de gallo dip, both of which pair with their crispy chips.

TacoVado also has more salads, including the JOY salad ($15) with quinoa, kale, pico, and pickled vegetables, plus numerous bowls ($14-$16) with a hearty mix of beans, rice, vegetables, and protein. One new entree is the 509 Plate ($15), a hoagie roll with beef, cheese and queso, plus a side of chips or salad.

While Blanton and Lucas have always offered vegan options, TacoVado’s previous selection was limited. In the new spot, they’ve been able to create an entire vegan menu of tacos, burritos, bowls, salads and more.

“Vegan used to be kind of a taboo thing,” Blanton says. “And now it’s like, it would be really nice to just eat something filling and healthy and awesome. Will’s approach to vegan is very food focused. He puts it up on a pedestal and makes it really rad.”

One of those signature vegan dishes is the mushroom bulgogi bowl ($16) which has Korean-style marinated mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, sesame seeds and rice.

TacoVado’s new location also has a small dining area and a bar serving wine and a rotating selection of beers.

“It all came from nothing,” he says. “[Lucas and I] both moved to Spokane. We’re kind of transplants, so we

didn’t quite have our community, so this was all just us trying to find that, and now it’s just happening so fast.”

The duo plan to expand their current dining experience by adding a kid’s menu and creating opportunities for community involvement, which Blanton says may

include hosting live music or comedy shows. Customers who miss the convenience of the drive-thru stand can still order online for pickup. Its two owners also are considering adding catering services.

“We got to generate a really cool community off of COVID at first, which is so strange, but it all panned out,” Blanton says. “We want it to just be unique, and we want everyone to feel like they have their little special part of this here.” n

TacoVado • 1327 W. Northwest Blvd. • Open Tue-Fri 8 am-8 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm • taco-vado.square.site • 509-290-6221

Tacos, of course, remain a menu mainstay.

Thanks to its new, larger spot, TacoVado has expanded its menu of health-forward food. COURTESY PHOTOS

PULL UP A CHAIR

Suzume proves to be another breathtaking and bittersweet work of animation from Makoto Shinkai

BY CHASE HUTCHINSON

If you’re living in a Makoto Shinkai film, disaster is never far away.

In 2016’s Your Name, a fragment of a comet threatens to destroy an entire community in a fictional Japanese town by the water. In 2019’s Weathering with You, an unending rain may end up submerging the entire city of Tokyo.

With his latest film, Suzume, it is enormous supernatural worms. They travel almost entirely sight unseen between dimensions and have the power to cause massive earthquakes. The only ones who can stop them are high schooler Suzume (Nanoka Hara) and her new friend Souta (Hokuto Matsumura), whom she meets almost seemingly by chance when biking through her small town. As they travel across Japan, discovering much about themselves and the places they visit along the way, they will have to take on worms that grow larger in stature until they threaten to obliterate all that we hold dear in this fragile world.

sentimental quality. The details of why this occurs are best left to be experienced in the film, but suffice to say, Souta becomes trapped as a chair for a large part of the story, and that carries with it a personal significance for Suzume. Much of this is wonderfully silly as we see this chair doing everything from sprinting at full speed to it falling down face… or rather seat first when Souta falls asleep. At the same time, the longer we sit with this predicament the more it takes on an almost poetic tone.

This is true for the film itself, too. There is a sweetness to the experience, interwoven with a sense of somberness over loss. This is loss not just of lives, but of all that makes life worth living. In every gorgeously animated sequence, be it immense in spectacle or more grounded, Shinaki brings an infectious affection for the places and people that we encounter on this journey. The film feels like a mourning for a beautiful world that is increasingly falling out of balance. But, as the director has made explicit before, it contains a vibrant hope for the future. Though abundantly similar to his previous films, it is fresh enough to never feel derivative.

Rated PG

To those unfamiliar with the director’s work, this could easily sound like a bit of fun little road trip anime. This wouldn’t be an entirely incorrect assessment as there is plenty of joy to be had. However, the real splendor of a Shinaki film comes from how he gently reflects on the catastrophes right at our doorstep just as he lovingly embraces the characters who are facing them in their day-to-day existence. The ordinary aspects of life, be it cramped subway cars or humble apartments, are animated with just as much attention to detail as the supernatural beings that tower over them. While much of the film’s visual language will be familiar to anyone who has seen his past works, Shinaki pushes himself to dive even further into the magical. Most importantly, whether in spectacular sequences on a ferris wheel or ones where the viewer get ripped through space itself, he never loses sight of the characters.

Directed by Makoto Shinkai

Starring Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu

Even when they get suddenly turned into a chair.

This isn’t a joke. Or, at least, it’s not one that the film relies on solely for slapstick purposes, as it also takes on a more

Suzume is not quite as outstanding as Your Name, but is a significant step above Weathering with You. There are moments toward the conclusion when momentum grinds to a halt and the film struggles to pick up the pace again. It dulls the brilliance of all that preceded it ever so slightly, holding it back from being truly great when it was very much on the road to being so. Still, the merging of the magical with the emotional makes for an experience that is richly textured when it counts. It serves as another shining work of animation from Shinkai, one that shows there will always be something valuable about taking in visuals created with such meticulous care. Even greater than that, Shinkai proves to be one of the few filmmakers (maybe the only one?) who could make the story of a girl and her trusty chair doing battle with giant worms into a reflective tableau on loss. n

SUZUME

Grab a seat and check out Suzume.

A Crime Against Comedy

Toni Collette gets whacked by the sitcom hackery of Mafia Mamma

BY JOSH BELL

There’s a running joke in Mafia Mamma about main character Kristin Balbano (Toni Collette) never having seen the Godfather movies, but Kristin reacts so inexplicably to the danger she finds herself in that it seems possible she’s never even heard of organized crime. That’s just one of the baffling elements of this abysmal mob comedy, which finds the suburban American mom unexpectedly tasked with taking over an Italian crime family.

For Kristin, attending the funeral of the Italian grandfather she never knew provides the perfect pretext for a journey of self-discovery, her own version of Under the Tuscan Sun or Eat, Pray, Love. She’s just discovered that her deadbeat husband Paul (Tim Daish) has been cheating on her, she’s sent her son Domenick (Tommy Rodger) off to college, and she’s sick of being undermined and insulted at her pharmaceutical marketing job. When she arrives in Italy, she almost immediately bumps into handsome pasta-maker Lorenzo (Giulio Corso), who seems ideal for a rejuvenating fling.

Rated R

from serious to silly, and the ungainly pacing jumps ahead months at a time, creating distracting narrative gaps.

ALSO OPENING

NEFARIOUS

A serial killer on death row claims he’s a literal demon and begins manipulating the psychiatrist sent to evaluate his mental state. Rated R

MAFIA MAMMA

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

It makes sense that screenwriters J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon come from a sitcom background, since Mafia Mamma often feels like an entire season of a third-rate sitcom crammed into a feature film. The supporting characters are broad and cartoonish, mostly just a collection of crass Italian stereotypes. Kristin is just as ridiculous, and it’s impossible to care about her personal development when she’s so obnoxiously oblivious. Collette’s natural charisma sometimes shines through, but she’s ill-suited to the belabored wackiness of the writing, and she struggles to find an emotional core in what’s meant to be a story of self-empowerment. She has no chemistry with either Bellucci or Corso, making it hard to care how those relationships will progress.

THE POPE’S EXORCIST

Russell Crowe portrays a real life exorcist (Father Gabriele Amorth, who claimed to have done tens of thousands of exorcisms over his career) in this horror film full of demonic grotesqueries and spiritual battles. Rated R

Even after her grandfather’s funeral is interrupted by gunfire, Kristin remains fixated on sightseeing and romance, and her level of naïveté is hard to believe from a functioning adult. Thanks to a prerecorded video from her late grandfather, Kristin learns that she’s stumbled into a bit of a King Ralph situation. As the only direct heir to the Balbano criminal empire, her grandfather’s final wish was that she take over the family business, aided by his top lieutenant, Bianca (Monica Bellucci).

That doesn’t sit well with Kristin’s hotheaded second cousin Fabrizio (Eduardo Scarpetta), who believes he should be in charge, but Kristin blithely takes over, inadvertently thwarting multiple attempts on her life while still pursuing Lorenzo. Director Catherine Hardwicke awkwardly mixes some surprisingly intense violence with Kristin’s Mr. Bean-like ability to emerge from any dangerous situation unscathed, but both the action and the slapstick are clumsily staged. The tone lurches

Hardwicke’s varied career includes both small-scale dramas and studio blockbusters like Twilight and Red Riding Hood, but she fails at both modes here. The character interactions are largely meaningless, and the crime story is sloppy and nonsensical. There’s no central villain, and Kristin’s approach to running the Balbano organization changes from scene to scene. The movie shies away from making her seem amoral or ruthless, emphasizing her compassion and innovation, but then glosses over all of the brutal, deadly enterprises the family still participates in.

A darker comedy would have examined the tension between Kristin’s positive self-image and the nasty business she’s inherited, but Mafia Mamma has no interest in moral complexity or social satire. Kristin might as well have taken over any kind of old-fashioned family company for which she’s ill-suited, and the feeble jokes would have generally been the same. Mafia Mamma begins with a tired premise and only gets more tiresome from there. n

RENFIELD

Being Dracula’s assistant… sucks

In this horror comedy, Nicholas Hoult’s titular lackey must try to stand up for himself to get out from under the violent vampire’s (Nicolas Cage) thumb. Rated R

SWEETWATER

The story of Nat “Sweetwater”

Clifton — the Harlem Globetrotters star who became the first Black player to sign an NBA contract — gets the inspirational sports biopic treatment.

Rated PG-13

Starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci, Giulio Corso

ALBUMS

New Sounds in Bloom

Rounding up some of the best albums so far in 2023

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

CACTI

BILLY NOMATES

Billy Nomates is over it all. The nom de plume of English singer-songwriter Tor Maries, Nomates hits a cynical sweet spot that draws on a variety of excellent reference points. Her alt-rock songs about modern dejection, sparks fading, self-sabotage, and showing up to shindigs out of spite are somewhat reminiscent of peak Liz Phair, but with more blunt force impacts over seething acidity. The instrumental backings blur the line between synth pop blares and punk raggedness, and her vocal delivery falls somewhere between Courtney Barnett’s caustic talk-singing and a more snarling folk-rock crooner. Cacti lavishes in its bitterness — it’s a collection of tunes for the worn and weathered who haven’t fully packed it in yet.

COMPLETE MOUNTAIN ALMANAC

COMPLETE MOUNTAIN ALMANAC

It’s easy to see a record self-described as “an album about climate change in 12 suites, representing the 12 months of the year and the inherent healing cycle of nature” and think wow that sounds incredibly pretentious. But Complete Mountain Almanac pulls it off with grace on the group’s self-titled debut. The pairing of Nordic singer/composer Rebekka Karijord and American/Italian poet Jessica Dessner (along with assists from her brothers Aaron and Bryce, The National’s guitarists) come together to craft a dozen songs of minimalist, baroque chamber folk meditations on nature and the cycle of life that are beautiful to the point of being haunting.

DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN TO YOU CAROLINE POLACHEK

To be honest, when I saw Caroline Polachek live at Pitchfork Festival 2020 in Chicago, I did not get the appeal. But listening to Desire, I Want to Turn to You, it now makes sense. Polachek’s voice possesses a forever lightness that makes each song drift high among the clouds while exploring electronic pop realms a bit like Grimes (who features on the album), minus the technophile fixation. Distincet colors splatter across the album’s canvas — the opening distorted vocal wails of “Welcome to My

Island,” the Latin flair of “Sunset,” the stripped down acoustic guitar and sparse beats of “Butterfly Net,” the chill dance-floor jam “Bunny Is a Rider” — and she never lets the listener get fully comfortable within her musical ardor. Throughout the record, Polachek explores strains of desire not like a heartsick kid but like a composed cynic ready to fully give into the manic blissful nature of such passion.

DOGSBODY MODEL/ACTRIZ

There is a sliver of my mind that thinks Model/Actriz has a chance to be the non-mainstream band of 2023. The debut LP from the Brooklyn industrial art punk act is the most explosive thing I’ve heard so far this year. Dogsbody remains ever on the razor’s edge, tweaking with menacing glee at every turn. Singer Cole Haden indulges in pure sinister, provocative fun; his intensely charismatic spoken/ sung lyrics carry the tone of an unsettling Cheshire grin. If I hadn’t seen the band perform these songs live at Treefort Fest, I would’ve assumed a lot of the anarchic noise created here was electronic in origin, but really it manifests from guitarist Jack Wetmore and bassist Aaron Shapiro playing their instruments in wildly atypical and experimental ways — kind of like Rage Against the Machine but filtered through Nine Inch Nails and the dark dance grooves at the most wonderfully grimey gay bar in town. Which is to say: Model/Actriz f—-s.

THE LAND, THE WATER, THE SKY BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

It’s a rare thing for a rock record full of distorted guitars to feel like a calming and soothing balm for one’s soul, but Black Belt Eagle Scout achieves that on The Land, The Water, The Sky. BBES (aka Swinomish indie singersongwriter Katherine Paul) moved back to her tribal land in northwestern Washington in 2020, and this new album finds her serenely sorting through the emotional complexities of returning home, dealing with grief, pain, and solitude, reconnecting to her roots, and finding joy and purpose in natural majesty. The Land, The Water, The Sky offers a deeply centering listening experience.

MIRACLE-LEVEL DEERHOOF

It sounds weird to say that a San Francisco band switching to singing all its lyrics in Japanese would result in maybe its most accessible album to date, but that’s the case with Deerhoof’s Miracle-Level. The indie noise rock veterans tend to thrive in a state of honed instrumental chaos, but singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki singing this whole album in her native Japanese has opened up the playful, dreamy pop side of the band more than ever before. There are still times when the instrumental attack feels like a harsh swirl whipping the listener around, but there’s an underpinning optimistic joy of creativity that pulsates across the record.

NEWFOUND OXYGEN STEADY HOLIDAY

There’s a fascinating contradiction inherent in Steady Holiday’s discography. Most all of the songs possess a retro indie pop veneer that feels like sleepwalking through a daydream, but the words Dre Babinski seemingly cheerily delivers are wrestling with that feeling that she’s sleepwalking through her own life. Few songwriters as effectively tap into the mental states of lowkey dread that you might be totally disconnected from yourself. But her composure in the face of this thought makes Newfound Oxygen feel like an inhale of fresh air when you’re desperately grasping for a breath. Whether it’s accepting the gaps between dreams and reality (“The Balance”) or being harshly honest about not being able to truly love someone who cares for you deeply (“Can’t Find a Way”), Steady Holiday sorts through it all with an easy sway.

THE RECORD BOYGENIUS

The first LP from Boygenius unsurprisingly offers up a stellar collection of gorgeous indie folk tunes, but the real selling point is the effortless chemistry that exists between Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Each ranks among the best singer-songwriters on the planet, but the way they totally check any ego at the door for Boygenius shines through. It never feels like they’re taking turns leading songs, as they weave their voices in and out of one another’s sonic spaces with a completely natural grace. The songwriting is rich in small, emotionally resonant details whether the songs are Bakers’ hollering rockers (“$20”), Bridgers’ sad contemplative meditations (“Emily I’m Sorry”), Dacus’ love tunes (“True Blue”) or one of the standout tracks where they split the lead vocal

duties (“Cool About It”). The Record stands as a testament to the type of musical magic that can only happen organically and the tenderness of creative friendship.

THIS IS WHY PARAMORE

Paramore might not be pop punk kids anymore, but the band certainly still is in the business of misery. Always evolving and never content to be a nostalgia act, the group dips its toes into the pool of the early 2000s postpunk revival (there’s more than a dash of Bloc Party) on This Is Why. Lyrically, Hayley Williams finds herself in a paranoid, hyper-overthinking pandemic era mindset. While not all of her social and political lines cut with a razor’s sharpness, but at least she’s swinging big, and the jazzy, mildly angular instrumental backing she’s singing over stays jaunty for the whole engagement.

UK GRIM SLEAFORD MODS

Sometimes it just feels good to vicariously vent through an extremely pissed off British bloke. Sleaford Mods delivers that with Jason Williamson’s caustic post-punk raps knifing their way through the mire over Andrew Fearn’s minimal electro-punk beats. It’s rant music, dwelling on the utter shite state of British politics, tech vapidity and whatever else has crawled into Williamson’s craw at that given moment. It’s like downing a pint of bile at a pub — it might leave you feeling a bit hungover, but at least it offers a decent way to blow off some steam. n

ALSO DON’T MISS…

Blondshell - Blondshell

Continue as a Guest - The New Pornographers

Cracker Island - Gorillaz

Endless Summer Vacation - Miley Cyrus

Life As Projection - Frankie Rose

Lobes - We Are Scientists

Loneliness - MAITA

Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) - Yves Tumor

The Price of Progress - The Hold Steady

We’re Still Here - The HIRS Collective

CLASSIC ROCK JOURNEY & TOTO

Have the troubles of the past few years made you stop believing? NO! THE SONG EXPLICITLY STATES YOU MUSTN’T STOP BELIEVING! Certainly, Journey hasn’t ever stopped believing… or stopped continuing as a band. While the group’s iconic singer Steve Perry has left the band multiple times (currently, Filipino crooner Arnel Pineda, who was discovered while in a band that covered Journey, is the band’s singer), founding lead guitarist Neal Schon has kept Journey motoring on for 50 years now. If that’s not enough to satiate your ’70s/’80s rock fix, Toto will also bring the sounds of Africa to Spokane Arena. Well… not African sounds, per se… literally their megahit “Africa.”

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Journey with Toto • Fri, April 14 at 7:30 pm • $35-$150 • All ages • Spokane Arena • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • spokanearena.com

Thursday, 4/13

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Steve Starkey Band

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam

CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

HIGHBALL, Hot Club of Spokane

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Riley Grey

NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), DJ Baile

J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin

THE FOX THEATER, Zach Williams, Blessing Offor

THE STEAM PLANT, Jacob Burrows

ZOLA, The Desperate Eights

Friday, 4/14

BACKWOODS WHISKEY BAR, River Boat Dave

J THE BIG DIPPER, Exmortus, Paladin, Immortal Guardian, Toxic Vengeance

BIGFOOT PUB, Loose Gazoonz

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, The Happiness

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, The Usual Suspects

CHINOOK STEAK, PASTA & SPIRITS, Nick Wiebe

COGS GASTROPUB, Son of Brad

CURLEY’S, Lake Town Sound

HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Into the Drift

HIGHBALL, SideStep with Max Daniels

HIGHBALL, DJ Exodus

JAZZ BRIAN LYNCH

Putting together master musicians with top young talents can often lead to a special brew of creative excellence. Hopefully, Latin jazz trumpet ace Brian Lynch teaming up with the award-winning Whitworth Jazz Ensemble will yield such results. Over his career Lynch has worked with everyone from the great jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri and members of the Buena Vista Social Club to Japanese pop artists. The dynamic energy of his horn skills translates across the board. The pairing with the 18-piece ensemble from Whitworth should lead to a night of free-flowing sonic excitement.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Brian Lynch with Whitworth Jazz Ensemble • Sat, April 15 at 8 pm • $22 • All ages • Bing Crosby Theater • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • bingcrosbytheater.com

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Brent Edstrom Trio

IRON HORSE (CDA), Rock Candy

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, GA-20

MOOSE LOUNGE, Haze

MUSIC CONSERVATORY OF SANDPOINT, Global Gumbo Conservatory Concert

NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Royale

J J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, LeAnn Rimes

OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Sam Leyde

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Chris Lynch

THE RIDLER PIANO BAR, Just Plain Darin

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Journey, Toto

Saturday, 4/15

BIGFOOT PUB, Loose Gazoonz

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, The Happiness

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Eternal Jones

CHINOOK STEAK, PASTA & SPIRITS, Nick Wiebe

CURLEY’S, Lake Town Sound

J EAST CITY PARK, 26th Annual Moscow Hemp Fest

FOXHOLE BAR & GRILL, Sidetrack

HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Into the Drift HIGHBALL, Ben Rice

HIGHBALL, DJ Jade

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Jazz Trio

HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Tom Pletscher Trio

HUCKLEBERRY’S NATURAL MARKET, Mike McCatherty

IRON HORSE (CDA), Rock Candy

KNITTING FACTORY, Lorna Shore

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Imagine Collective

MOOSE LOUNGE, Haze

MULLIGAN’S BAR & GRILLE, Son of Brad

NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Royale

OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Just Plain Darin

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Oak Street Connection

J REPUBLIC BREWING CO., Hillfolk Noir

ZOLA, Blake Braley

Sunday, 4/16

CURLEY’S, Bloody Mary Jam: Megan Sullivan and The Snake Charmers

HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Kicho

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Paul Grove

HOGFISH, Open Mic

J MONTVALE EVENT CENTER, PNW Local Lead Out Fest

J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin

Monday, 4/17

J THE BIG DIPPER, Torena, Witness Chamber, Black Force Energy, Room 13

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

J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW

J = ALL AGES SHOW

RED ROOM LOUNGE, Open Mic Night

Tuesday, 4/18

THE JACKSON ST. BAR & GRILL, Marked; Life, Fate Defined, Drift Away Dreamer, Counting the Fallen, Illusence

LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Zonky Night

ZOLA, The Night Mayors

Wednesday, 4/19

J THE BIG DIPPER, Wormwitch, Age of Nephilim, Reaping Fields

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic HIGHBALL, Villa Blues

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Nick Shoulders and The Okay Crawdad, Dylan Earl

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Jason Evans

RED ROOM LOUNGE, The Roomates

SOUTH PERRY LANTERN, Just Plain Darin

ZOLA, Runaway Lemonade

Coming Up ...

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Cypress Hill, Dr. Green Thumbs, Too $hort, Do Or Die, April 20, 7:30 pm.

J J THE BIG DIPPER, The Nixon Rodeo, Free The Jester, Kaleb J, April 22, 6:30 pm.

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, The Beaches, Haley Blais, April 22, 8 pm.

J J THE BIG DIPPER, The HIRS Collective, Simp, Blacktracks, Spooky, April 25, 7:30 pm.

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Cursive performing Domestica, April 25, 8 pm.

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Shania Twain, Lindsay Ell, April 28, 7:30 pm.

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, The Walleye: Songs for a Ghost Album Release, April 29, 8 pm.

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Pretending We’re Just Like Them, May 6, 9 pm.

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Mannequin Pussy, Margaritas Podridas, May 8, 8 pm.

J J KNITTING FACTORY, Hippo Campus, Charly Bliss, May 10, 8 pm.

J J EVANS BROTHERS COFFEE, Dario Ré: Colorwise EP Release Show & Art Exhibition, May 12, 7 pm.

J J NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO, Richard Marx, May 14, 7:30 pm.

J J KNITTING FACTORY, Joseph, Flyte, May 16, 8 pm.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Brandi Carlile, Marcus Mumford, Allison Russell, June 9, 7 pm.

J J RIVERFRONT PARK, Spokane Pride Parade & Rainbow Festival, June 10, 12-9 pm.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Joni Mitchell & The Joni Jam with Brandi Carlile, June 10, 7 pm.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, The Highwomen, Tanya Tucker, June 11, 6 pm.

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Chris Stapleton, Marty Stuart, Allen Stone, June 15, 7 pm.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Beyond Wonderland, June 17 and June 18.

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Josiah Johnson, June 25, 8 pm.

J J THE FOX THEATER, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Deer Tick, July 6, 7:30 pm.

J J PANIDA THEATER, Graham Nash, July 7, 8 pm.

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Protomartyr, July 8, 8 pm.

J J THE PODIUM, Jimmy Eat World, Manchester Orchestra, Middle Kids, July 14, 7 pm.

J J THE FOX THEATER, Charley Crockett, July 21, 8 pm.

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Incubus, Bad Flower, Paris Jackson, July 22, 6 pm.

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, July 26, 6 pm.

J J PANIDA THEATER, Jeff Tweedy, Le Ren, July 26, 7:30 pm.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Illuminati Hotties, July 29, 8 pm.

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, The Head and the Heart, Father John Misty, Miya Folick, Aug. 6, 6-10 pm.

J FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, Aug. 9, 7:30 pm.

J J THE FOX THEATER, Jinkx Monsoon: Everything at Stake, Aug. 13, 8 pm.

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Noah Kahan, Joy Oladokun, Aug. 18, 7-10 pm.

J J NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO, Boyz II Men, Aug. 19, 7 pm.

J RIVERFRONT PARK, Pig Out in the Park, Aug. 30, 11 am-10 pm, Aug. 31, 11 am-10 pm, Sep. 1, 11 am-10 pm, Sep. 2, 11 am-10 pm, Sep. 3, 11 am-10 pm and Sep. 4, 11 am-10 pm.

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Dave Matthews Band, Sep.

and

MUSIC | VENUES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEASONS OF COEUR D’ALENE

COMEDY BAGGAGE HANDLER

When Chelsea Handler observationally cracks wise, people pay attention. That was made clear with the success of her late-night talk show, Chelsea Lately, which had an incredibly successful run on E! from 2007-2014. Whether it’s chatting about not wanting to have kids, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, horrible politicians, taking mushrooms or any number of other topics, the 2021 People’s Choice Award winner for Best Comedy Act has a brusk relatability that draws fans into her material. On her current “Little Big Bitch” Tour, Handler digs into her past to find humorous stories that help explain what made her into the comedian she is.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Chelsea Handler • Thu, April 20 and Fri, April 21 at 7:30 pm

• $50-$240 • The Fox Theater • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • foxtheaterspokane.org

GET

COMMUNITY AU NATURALE

As we approach the warmer days of the year and step out of our cozy winter cocoons, it’s time for personal reinvention and revitalization. Some choose to clean up around the house or get a fresh haircut, while others choose to clean up their auras or write down some fresh manifestations. Get in tune with yourself, however you choose, at this year’s Holistic Festival with its incredibly packed schedule. On the roster for the 42nd iteration of the event are over a dozen lectures about spirituality, energy and chakras, 50-plus vendor booths with organic/natural products, psychic readings, reiki healing and so much more. Leave with a clear head and a calm soul. Head to the festival website for a full lineup of activities, lectures and vendors.

— MADISON PEARSON

VISUAL ARTS DIASPORIC ANTHOLOGY

Art is a powerful tool that can tell stories in a way that highlights and amplifies experiences. That’s what Margaret Albaugh and Frances Grace Mortel’s new exhibit, showing at Spokane’s Chase Gallery, aims to do. The two Spokane-based artists use the concept of persistence of vision, a phenomenon that allows our eye to continue seeing something after it’s no longer there, to tell the stories of Asian and Asian American diaspora. The show consists of multiple still images in succession, highlighting both artists’ crafts of photography and film, and creating a captivating and engaging visual experience.

SUMMER SANDSTROM

NETFLIX PHOTO

COMMUNITY HEMP IS HIP

Living near a state border has plenty of pros and cons. When it comes to Washington and Idaho, well, there’s lots to compare and contrast, the differences in recreational/medical marijuana legality being a major one. If anything, this fact has only encouraged folks in Moscow to organize an annual Hemp Fest, which seeks to inform the public about the modern hemp and cannabis movement (without breaking any rules!). While the event’s main goal is to advocate for Idaho lawmakers to, first, legalize medical marijuana, there’s lots else to see, do and hear. The full day’s slate of live music includes several regional rock outfits and even a bluegrass jam band. Restock your wardrobe with some fresh and funky tye-dyed goods as you shop from among 30-plus arts and craft vendors. Remember, though, usage of any legally obtained cannabis products is strictly prohibited in Idaho.

— CHEY SCOTT

Moscow Hemp Fest • Sat, April 15 from 10 am-7 pm • East City Park •  900 E. Third St., Moscow • moscowhempfest.com

THEATER SOME ENCHANTED EVENING

Like all of the best Broadway musicals, South Pacific starts off strong with music and lyrics by the powerhouse duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. If you need even more convincing, this iteration of the musical is being performed by a talented team down at the Regional Theatre of the Palouse with help from several actors from NYC and elsewhere. The plot of this Tony award-winning musical centers on an American nurse stationed on a — get this — South Pacific island during World War ll. She falls in love with an expatriate French plantation owner, but struggles to accept the fact that he has mixed-race children. As a couple different storylines converge, characters grow, fall in love and solve their own racial prejudices through a score filled with outstanding numbers — it’s hard to pick just one favorite.

— MADISON PEARSON

South Pacific • April 13-23; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat and Sun at 1:30

I SAW YOU

CHARLIE SWEETGRASS Your downward spiral is thrilling to watch! Was it worth it?

SPONGEBOB WATCH OUT Hey, SpongeBob, there’s literally no way that’s all a coincidence, your Squidward is the Slenderman in the title. If you can’t accept you’re being stalked, at least let people know about this creep.

PUNK ROCK FOREVER! It was 6:30 am on Friday. There you were in your punk rock T-shirt. I peered at you across the room while drinking my coffee. I see you there often. Maybe next time we can share a donut.

SIGH. I saw your message “Homelessness in not a crime!” scrawled on the wall next to the exit ramp at Fifth and Ash. Nope. Not a crime, but graffiti might be. Certainly poor lettering skills needs to be.

YOU PUT THE PUNK IN ‘PUNK ROCKER’ I saw you bright, blonde with tattoos from head to toe!! Talking about chickens to a bunch of chickens. I saw you sharing smiles, dirty jokes and serious Punk with a group of us at 6:30 am, when half the city is not even awake yet. We are not a glum lot, especially with you in it. You, my friend, put the Punk in “Punk Rocker.”

YOU SAW ME

YOU SAID I LOOK LIKE YOUR DAD I was in the lobby of the Lincoln Building during the noon hour last Wednesday when you said hello and that I look so much like your Dad. I was very flattered. Your smile was irresistible. Could I buy you lunch and talk more? That would be very nice.

CHEERS

CHEERS TO COACHES FEW AND FORTIER

Congratulations, Gonzaga ballers, for another winning season! You do your program, your school, your community and most importantly yourselves proud. As a mere spectator it has been a privilege to watch you all shine bright like diamonds.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY Happy Birthday, Zane. We love you!!!

THANK YOU A note of thanks to the Spokane Police Department. I am 80 years old, and I appreciated that they promptly and professionally dealt with the homeless person sleeping under a sleeping bag on the stairwell close to my apartment door in Pacific Terrace Apartments in Browne’s Addition.

FLIRTING OR JUST REALLY GOOD AT YOUR JOB? You served me lunch and recognized me from last fall when you’d served us at your place of work (vegan restaurant on the South Hill) and seemed genuinely interested in chatting with me. I couldn’t tell if you were flirting or if you’re just great at your job! You complimented me on all the wild colors I was wearing and remembered my name and asked about my dog. Anyways you’re cute, and if you were flirting — I was too.

REGIONAL GEOLOGY PRIMER Tim Connor’s excellent April 6 article highlighting regional geology is an accurate and interesting introduction to the physical features that one often passes by without a clue as to the astounding significance they represent. For those interested in more detail, Andy Buddington, esteemed professor of geology at SCC, presents with fervent enthusiasm, most fascinating

and thorough classes on the topic not only for students, but also for people not seeking a degree through the Act 2 program. Having lived here all my life,

the school district made any effort to cut costs, choosing instead to just limit the new levy to two years only to come back to ask for more in the future. And

This isn’t a black and white issue, and treating it as such is part of why nothing ever improves. The cruelty in last weeks Jeers section was breathtakingly awful. I

Andy’s classes have enlightened me to the point that life is much more interesting as I now understand many of the geologic features that are readily visible all around us. The Act 2 classes are almost free!

JEERS

RE: NURSING HOME BOZO By all means, bring a baby to a bar then. I bet you’re one of those who truly believe that everyone shares your view of your child’s cuteness and needs to be exposed to them as much as possible. Probably a person who throws a fit if you receive an invitation to a wedding that says, “The bride and groom respectfully ask that you leave your children at home.” You know, on their most precious day that they are paying for. News flash. Your kids aren’t cute, they aren’t special, and they aren’t of age to be in a bar. Nursing home bozo? Here’s a thought. Maybe prioritize interacting with your kids over drinking, and nurse your baby at home instead of bringing them to a bar.

TELL THE WHOLE STORY Jeers to the local TV stations regarding the failed levy in CDA. The coverage has been one-sided in favor of the levy, predicting doom if the new levy doesn’t pass. Why don’t you cover the burden on taxpayers whose property taxes have already increased tremendously? Seniors and low-income families are particularly hurt. Why doesn’t the media ask the school district why every high school looks like a private college with numerous athletic fields. And why can all the schools in Spokane share one field, but CDA can’t? Why hasn’t

SOUND OFF 1. Visit Inlander.com/isawyou by 3 pm Monday. 2. Pick a category (I Saw You, You Saw Me, Cheers or Jeers). 3. Provide basic info: your name and email (so we know you’re real). 4. To connect via I Saw You, provide a non-identifying email to be included with your submission — like “petals327@yahoo.com,” not “j.smith@comcast.net.”

then there’s the whole March levy date issue, which proponents love because the schools can sneak through levies. The CDA schools think property owners are their personal piggy banks. Hey media, wake up. These taxes are killing us. Tell the whole story!

CDA SCHOOL LEVY LOVERS — CATCH A CLUE! Property owners in Coeur d’Alene are fed up with the smug arrogance of school levy mongers. They just won’t learn. All the hand-wringing and wailing after their last well-deserved loss didn’t result in new fiscal responsibility — now they’re demanding the same $25 million tax increase, just removing the “permanent” as if that word was the problem with the last one. The lipstick on this pig doesn’t make it any prettier and doesn’t fool anybody. You’ll be right back in a year for another $25 million, and the year after that and the year after that. Sharpen your pencils and cut unnecessary spending first, then ask for only what schools really need.

THE LIBRARY DEBATE Jeers to all the bad faith arguments. Of course no one wants harassment and free-for-all drug use in libraries. That’s not what people are protecting, and claiming such is disingenuous and malicious. The person who wrote about helping homeless people inject in front of children, why are you so angry? Why do you enjoy being so mean? What people are advocating for is treating the homeless population with compassion, and not banning them from the libraries that provide valuable resources and shelter. They’re people who are struggling; they deserve kindness.

cannot understand why the idea of helping homeless people invokes such vitriol. I pray you find goodness in yourself.

SUCH STRONG ‘CHARACTER’ To the macho man in the oversized all-black, gas-spewing pickup northbound on Monroe Street bridge April 7 at 2 pm: Did your therapist recommend that semitruck airhorn for your forays amongst the humans? I’m sure you’ve got the AR-15 at home or in your cab to defend your right to be the obnoxious sack of trumph that blows that monstrosity not for traffic reasons but at the sight of anyone walking/driving by who offends your right-wing-snowflake hair-trigger sensibility. I’m so happy for you that you have an iconic world-”class” boy-in-thespotlight, whose prominence gives you permission to be the loud burping buffoon you always aspired to be.

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT If there were no guns in America, how many mass shootings would take place? n

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

“

’Homelessness in not a crime!’ ... but graffiti might be.

EMERGE THROWDOWN & CUP FRENZY

Watch area potters go wheel-to-wheel in competition for the title of Throwdown Champion and purchase handmade cups donated by area artists. All proceeds benefit the Emerge Pottery Studio. April 14, 5 am-9 pm. Free. Emerge, 119 N. Second St. emergecda.com (208-930-1876)

CHOCOLATE & CHAMPAGNE GALA

Lutheran Community Service’s annual fundraiser. All proceeds from the event go toward providing trauma recovery services for youth, families and individuals impacted by abuse, sexual assault or other trauma. April 15, 5 pm. $125-$200. Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. ccgalaspokane.org

DAHILIA FUNDRAISER This two-day fundraiser features over 100 varieties of dahlias, most are $10 each. Sales benefit River’s Wish. April 15-16, 11 am-2 pm. River’s Wish Animal Sanctuary, 11511 W. Garfield Rd. riverswishanimalsanctuary.org

A TASTE OF HOPE This silent and live auction benefits the ISAAC Foundation’s programming for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. April 21, 6-10 pm. $100. Shriners Event Center, 7217 W. Westbow Blvd. theisaacfoundation.org (509-325-1515)

SPOKANE MOM PROM A ladies night out with dancing, drinks and desserts to benefit the Women Helping Women Fund. April 22, 7-11 pm. $25-$50. Fête - A Nectar Co, 120 N. Stevens St. spokanemomprom2023.eventbrite.com

CDAIDE CARE AFFAIR This evening of fundraising features local chef-prepared appetizers, a Sysco chef-prepared dinner, a live auction and a silent auction. All proceeds benefit local hospitality workers in Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Hayden. April 27, 5-9 pm. $75. The Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second. cdaide.org

COMEDY

GARETH REYNOLDS Reynolds has written on various comedy shows such as Arrested Development, Flaked and Hoops April 13, 7:30 pm. $25. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

SAFARI Blue Door’s version of “Whose Line,” a fast-paced improv show. Rated for mature audiences/ages 16+. Reservations recommended. Saturdays from 7:30-8:45 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com

T.J. MILLER Miller is well-known for his acting roles in Cloverfield and How to Train Your Dragon. He was also named on of Variety’s Comics To Watch. April 14, 7 & 9:45 pm and April 15, 7 & 9:45 pm. $35-$45. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

YOU’VE BEEN CONN-ED Bring ideas for quirky conventions and characters, and the Blue Door Players create a show around them. Reservations recommended. Fridays in April from 7:30-8:45 pm.

$9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com

RALPH BARBOSA The Dallas-based stand up comedian is known for his appearances on late-night TV. April 16, 4 & 7 pm. $22-$30. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

LEWBERGER Comprised of Keith Habersberger of the Try Guys, Alex Lewis and Hughie Stone Fish, the musical comedy group is best known for their TikTok and YouTube videos. April 19, 7:30

pm. $30. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

CHELSEA HANDLER: LITTLE BIG BITCH

Handler is a comedian, TV host and bestselling author. This tour gives insight as to what made Handler the person and comedian she is today. April 20-21, 7:30 pm. $50-$240. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.org

BOONE STREET HOOLIGANS Celebrating its 20th edition, this sketch comedy show performs twice a year with original scripts written by Gonzaga students. April 21-22, 7:30 pm. $5. Gonzaga Magnuson Theatre, 502 E. Boone Ave. gonzaga.edu/theatreanddance (313-6553)

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY THEATRE

SPORTS Gonzaga’s student comedy improv group. April 22, 9:30 pm and May 6, 9 pm. $1. Gonzaga University Magnuson Theatre, 502 E. Boone Ave. gonzaga.edu/ theatreanddance (509-313-5383)

TREVOR NOAH Noah is the host of”, the author of his memoir Born a Crime and has multiple Netflix comedy specials. April 26-27, 7:30 pm. $47-$97. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. firstinterstatecenter.com

COMMUNITY

BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK: POLICY & POETRY A lunch-and-learn opportunity where traditional and nontraditional advocates come together to share how they are making a difference in maternal health. April 13, 6-8 pm. Free.

Fête - A Nectar Co, 120 N. Stevens St. theshadesofmotherhoodnetwork.org

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON HOMELESSNESS A community conversation on a regional collaborative approach to address homelessness in Spokane. April 13, 6:30-8:30 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5358)

DART’S ON POINT COMMUNITY FORUM

This panel is designed to help voters make an informed decision while electing two trustees to the Community Library Network. April 13, 6-8 pm. Free. Harding Center, 411 N. 15th St., Coeur d’Alene. nic. edu (208-292-1650)

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT A presentation and discussion where parents, caregivers, educators, school staff and other adults, 21 years or older, who work with youth walk through a mock teen bedroom and try to identify 70+ items that can indicate a problem or risky behaviors. April 13, 5:30-7:30 pm. Free. Freeman High School, 14626 S. Jackson Rd. freemansd.org ((509) 291-3721)

THINK BIG FESTIVAL This three-day event features panels, tech expert lectures, a street fair with innovative tech displays and much more. April 13, 7-10 pm, April 14, 5-9 pm and April 15, 1-9 pm. $45. The Innovation Den, 415 E. Lakeside Ave. innovationcollective.co

TAROT CLASS An evening of food, drinks and learning about tarot cards with Lovecraft Tarot. April 13, 6 pm. $100. Petunia & Loomis, 421 W. Riverside Ave, Suite 102. PetuniaLoomis.com (509-498-0259)

BURN THE BREEZE This event for motorcycle enthusiasts offers industry knowledge in a local space. Also features a post-event ride-along at 6 pm. April 14, 3-6 pm. Free. 509 Xlab, 2818 N. Sullivan Rd. #110. ride509.com (877-743-3509)

ROLE-PLAYING GAME DROP IN Improve your RPG skills by watching and participating in games. Fridays from 4-8 pm and Saturdays from 1-5 pm. Free. RPG

Community Center, 101 N. Stone Street. rpgcenter.org (509-608-7630)

SPOKANE SPEED & CUSTOM SHOW An indoor car show featuring rare muscle cars, hot rods, car experts and more. April 14-16; Fri from 12-7 pm, Sat from 10 am-7 pm, Sun from 10 am-5 pm. $10$15. Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, 404 N. Havana St. spokanespeedandcustomshow.com (509-477-1766)

2ND CHANCE PROM This prom for adults features music by DJ Kevin James, a 50/50 raffle, dancing, appetizers, a royal court crowning and more. Ages 21+. A portion of proceeds benefit Spokane Quaranteam. April 15, 7 pm-midnight.

$60. The Centennial Hotel, 303 W. North River Dr. spokaneprom.com

EMPODÉRATE MUJER This women’s conference aims to commemorate the Latina and immigrant women of our community. Listen to speakers, discuss a variety of topics, mingle, get inspired and make connections. April 15, 9 am-5 pm. Free. Woman’s Club of Spokane, 1428 W. Ninth. facebook.com/latinosenspokane

ESCAPE FROM DREGS ISLAND It’s six years after President Gray’s Prison Reform Act of 2026. Prisons have been shut down across the U.S., and all felons must serve life sentences on isolated prison islands where escape is impossible, and rules of civility are obsolete. April 15, 6-9 pm. $29-$39. Crime Scene Entertainment, 2775 N. Howard St. crimesceneentertainment.com (208-369-3695)

FENG SHUI FOR RESTFULNESS This class teaches how to incorporate Western Feng Shui philosophy into your bedroom in order to sleep peacefully. April 15, 3-4 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

FULL OF FEELINGS Celebrate the whole spectrum of emotions with stories, songs and activities. Ages 8+ and their families. April 15, 11 am-noon. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org

HOLISTIC FESTIVAL This festival features over 50 booths with organic and natural products. Various speakers give lectures on holistic healing and spiritual guidance. April 15, 10 am-5 pm. $6. CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place Dr. holisticfestivals.com

ITCH TO STITCH Learn basic knitting, crochet and other stitch craft skills. Spark Central furnishes yarn; bring your own hooks and needles. Tuesdays from 5-7 pm and Saturdays from 12-2 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org (509-279-0299)

SPRING ON THE AVE Explore local businesses, restaurants and retailers in the Sprague Union District. Participate in giveaways, photo booths, workshops and more. See website for participating retailers. April 15, 10 am-6 pm. Free. Sprague Union District, 2400-1600 E. Sprague Ave. spragueuniondistrict.com

1889 SALVAGE CO. GRAND REOPENING

Celebrate the shop’s newly renovated space with treats, prizes and more. April 16, 11 am-4 pm. Free. 1889 Salvage Co., 2824 N. Monroe St. 1889salvageco.com

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT A presentation and discussion where parents, caregivers, educators, school staff and other adults, 21 years or older, who work with youth walk through a mock teen bedroom and try to identify 70+ items that can indicate a problem or risky behaviors. April 17, 5 pm at University High School, 12320 E. 32nd Ave. (uhs.cvsd.org) Also April 18, 5-7:30 pm at Westwood Middle School, 6120 S. Abbott Rd. (wms.cheneysd.org)

SPOKANE FOLKLORE SOCIETY CON -

TRA DANCE Each dance features a local folk music band as well as a caller who teaches easy-to-learn folk-style dances called contras. Sessions begin with a newcomer hour followed by a two-hour general dance. Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations required. First and third Wednesdays from 7:15-9:30 pm. $7-$10. Woman’s Club of Spokane, 1428 W. Ninth. spokanefolklore.org (509-838-2160)

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE NONPROFIT This SCORE workshop is for people thinking about, or in the early stages of, starting a nonprofit organization. Discuss how to build your nonprofit on a strong foundation for long-term sustainability. . Registration required. April 20, 12-1:30 pm. Free. Online at scld.org

CAMPBELL HOUSE DARK HISTORY: SOCIETY SECRETS An after-hours tour that sheds light on strange details and unconventional stories from turn-of-thecentury Spokane. Third Thursday of every month at 6 pm. $3.50-$6. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

COFFEE WITH SPS Community members are invited to join district leaders for conversation over coffee. April 20, 8-10 am. Free. Ferris High School, 3020 E. 37th Ave. spokaneschools.org/coffee

PRESEASON BARTER FAIRE A campout event featuring drum circles, public art, workshops, live music and more. Schedule of events TBA. April 20-23. $10$60. Happy Meadows Venue, 5470 Hwy. 231. preseasonfaire.com

SPOKANE COMMUNITY OBSERVANCE

OF THE HOLOCAUST This event features a keynote address by Raymond Sun, a display of art, a candle processional and music performed by the Lewis & Clark High School Chamber Orchestra. April 20, 7 pm. Free. Temple Beth Shalom, 1322 E. 30th Ave. spokanetbs.org

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT TUBBS HILL This programfeatures a 30-minute video tour of the hill focusing on its natural and cultural history, narrated by naturalist and author Jack Nisbet, retired forester and Mark Weadick and city forester Nick Goodwin. April 20, 7-8 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. tubbshill.org (208-769-2315)

ACTIVE LIVING EXPO A event for people aged 55+ and their loved ones. Attendees have access to seminars, entertainment and local vendors focused on health, wellness, travel, leisure, retirement planning and more. April 22, 10 am-2:30 pm. $8. Mirabeau Park Hotel, 1100 N. Sullivan Rd. spokesman.com/activelivingexpo

ANNUAL PARK & NEIGHBORHOOD

CLEAN UP This annual event is a cleanup effort for the Palisades neighborhood. Meet at the Palisades Park parking lot. Donuts and hot drinks provided for volunteers. April 22, 8:30 am-noon. Free. Palisades Park, Greenwood Blvd. & Rimrock Dr. FriendsOfPalisades.com

CUSTER’S SPRING ANTIQUE & COLLEC-

TOR’S SALE Antique dealers from across the Northwest sell rare and retro antique items. April 22, 10 am-6 pm and April 23, 10 am-4 pm. $7-$9. Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, 404 N. Havana St. custershows.com (509-477-1766)

DORIS MORRISON LEARNING CENTER

GRAND OPENING This grand opening event unveils the newly constructed Doris Morrison Learning Center and features live raptor shows, guided bird walks, scavenger hunts, activity booths and more. April 22, 10 am-2 pm. Free. Doris Morrison Learning Center, 1330 S. Henry

Rd. spokanecounty.org

FILM

DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY The story of Spokane native Gabe Tesch, a pediatric brain cancer survivor turned race car driver. He survived brain cancer, 48 days of radiation, 48 weeks of chemotherapy and a school shooting. April 13, 7 pm. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. firstinterstatecenter.org (509-279-7000)

BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK FILM FESTIVAL A festival dedicated to films about Black motherhood and birth. Films include Bringing Widwifery Back To Black Mothers, Aftershock, Black Motherhood Through The Lens and Birthing Justice Each film is followed by a discussion, connections to stories lived in the community, and actions that can be taken. April 14, 10 am-8 pm. Free. Magic Lantern Theatre, 25 W. Main Ave. magiclanternonmain.com (509-217-2993)

SHORT TERM 12 This film shows the realities many foster children face. Proceeds benefit Safety Net Inland Northwest. April 16, 2 pm. $25. Regal Cinemas Riverstone Stadium 14, 2416 Old Mill Loop. safetynetinlandnw.org (800-326-3264)

TRAIL RUNNING FILM FESTIVAL This festival features films that celebrate running as a universal practice to explore collective and individual potential. April 18, 6:30 pm. $15. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)

LEGO STOP-MOTION ANIMATION Learn to create and edit videos of LEGO characters moving, jumping and talking to each other. By the end, you’ll have created a short movie and know how to make more. All supplies provided. Ages 8–12. Registration required. April 22, 3-5 pm. Free. Medical Lake Library, 3212 Herb St. scld.org/events (509-893-8330)

FOOD & DRINK

BRING YOUR OWN VINYL NIGHT Bring your own vinyl to spin while sipping on craft cocktails. Thursdays from 3-10 pm. The Boneyard - Side Hustle Syrups, 17905 E. Appleway Ave. sidehustlesyrups.com

NEW LOVE COFFEE + BEAN & PIE KEN -

DALL YARDS GRAND OPENING Enjoy the full Bean & Pie menu and handcrafted New Love Coffee. Plus, to celebrate opening day, all drinks are BOGO free. April 13, 6 am-8 pm. New Love Coffee + Bean & Pie, 1102 W. Summit Pkwy., Ste. 102. beanandpie.com (208-930-4065)

NO-LI SQUATCH FEST Celebrate the release of the Squatch series beers and Squatch V.3 seasonal release. Be one of the first 500 to purchase a mug and fill and receive a complimentary Squatch Fest trucker hat. 21+. April 15, 11 am-3 pm. Free. No-Li Brewhouse, 1003 E. Trent Ave. nolibrewhouse.com (509-242-2739)

SPRING CONCERT & DINNER A Rouladen dinner prepared by Andrea from Alpine Deli featuring entertainment by the Spokane Horn Club and the Concordia Choir. Call for reservations. April 15, 5:30-11 pm. $25. German American Hall, 25 W. Third Ave. facebook.com/GASSpokane (509-954-6964)

BOTTOMLESS(ISH) MIMOSA SUNDAY BRUNCH

This buffet-style brunch includes a “bottomless” mimosa bar. Sundays from 10 am-2 pm. $25. Fête - A Nectar Co, 120 N. Stevens St. bit.ly/ mimosa-brunch (509-951-2096)

EVENTS | CALENDAR

CULINARY DOPE A six-course meal with live music by DJ Rosethrow. April 16, 6-10 pm. $100. Elliotts, an Urban Kitchen, 2209 N. Monroe St. culinarydope.com

HERITAGE ORCHARD CONFERENCE

This annual conference is organized into a series of monthly webinars about heritage tree fruits. See website for full schedule. April 19, 10-11:30 am. Free. uidaho.edu/cals/soac

RAID THE CELLAR ITALIAN WINE DINNER Explore the flavors of the Mediterranean with a five-course, wine-paired meal. The evening’s menu features both imported and locally sourced ingredients with a distinct, Italian flair, showcasing wines from the regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily and more. April 21, 6-9 pm. $100. Beverly’s, 115 S. Second St. beverlyscda.com (208-292-5678)

NORTH IDAHO WINE SOCIETY APRIL

TASTING A night of wine presented by the North Idaho Wine Society featuring information from Kristina Mielke van Loben Sels, the director of winemaking at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars. RSVP by April 17. April 21, 7:30-9:30 pm. $25-$30. Lake City Center, 1916 N. Lakewood Dr. northidahowinesociety.org (208-667-4628)

BLOODY MARY BASH Come drink, watch and enjoy Spokane and Idaho’s best bartenders battle for the best mix and best garnish. Ticket includes entrance, tastings of all featured drinks, one raffle ticket and more activities. April 22, 12-4 pm. $25. The Wonder Building, 835 N. Post St. wonderspokane.com

WEST END BEER FEST Six local breweries partake in this walk-around beer fest. Tickets get a specialty glass, a West End beanie and $4 pours of all the featured beer. Also features live entertainment, food trucks and more. April 22, 12-11 pm.

$25. Brick West Brewing Co., 1318 W. First Ave. westendbeerfest.com

WINE EXTRAVAGANZA Enjoy sips from 20 wineries while perusing local shops and enjoying live music. April 22, 12-6 pm. Downtown Coeur d’Alene, Sherman Ave. cdadowntown.com (208-415-0116)

BRUNCH AROUND THE WORLD Learn how to create brunch using seasonal ingredients, influenced by foods and spices from around the world. Featured dishes include shakshuka, boulangere potatoes and chilaquiles. April 23, 11 am-1:15 pm.

$85. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon. thekitchenengine.com

EXPLORING INDIA Chef Noreen Hiskey, owner of Inland Curry, introduces participants to Indian cuisine by going over commonly used spices and aromatics. Featured dishes include butter chicken, lentils, cumin rice and naan. April 24, 5:45-8:15 pm. $85. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com

MUSIC

KOSHER RED HOTS The Kosher Red Hots perform songs in Yiddish and ezmer music from Eastern Europe. April 14, 7:309:30 pm. $15. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. barristerwinery.com

FACULTY RECITAL: SONATAS FOR

CELLO & PIANO Gonzaga Associate Professor Kevin Hekmatpanah performs sonatas for cello joined by pianist Yerin Kim. The program features music by Beethoven, Schumann and Strauss. April 15, 3-4:30 pm. Free. Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/mwpac (509-313-6733)

BRIAN LYNCH & THE WHITWORTH

JAZZ ENSEMBLE Grammy Award-

winning trumpeter and composer Brian Lynch performs arrangements and original compositions with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Jared Hall. April 15, 8 pm. $17-$22. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com (509-227-7638)

SPOKANE SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS

8: JAMES, ZUILL & MOZART Internationally renowned cellist Zuill Bailey performs Elgar’s last major work, a lament to a lost era after the first World War. April 15, 7:30 pm and April 16, 3 pm. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. spokanesymphony.org (509-624-1200)

SATURDAY WITH THE SYMPHONY

This music-filled hour typically includes a fun musical performance, an interactive activity and a book reading by the children’s librarian. April 15, 11 am-noon. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

APRIL IN PARIS: PARISIAN PIANO MASTERWORKS FROM LA BELLE ÉPOQUE In association with Aspire’s production of Sunday in the Park with George, pianist Matthew Goodrich presents a concert of music from the time of painter Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” Highlighting Paris-based composers from France and Spain, the program includes works of Ravel, Debussy, Albéniz, Granados and more. April 16, 2-4 pm. $15-$25. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. aspirecda.com (208-696-4228)

JALEEL SHAW QUARTET Joined by EJ Strickland, Lawrence Fields and Ben Street, Jaleel Shaw and his quartet perform modern New York jazz. April 16, 6-9 pm. $15-$30. Holy Names Music Center, 3910 W. Custer Dr. imaginejazz.org

NORTHWEST BACHFEST: AN EVENING WITH AWADAGIN PRATT Selections composed by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and more on piano. April 17, 7:30 pm. $15$49. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. nwbachfest.com (509-465-3591)

NORTHWEST BACHFEST: AWADAGIN PRATT & ZUILL BAILEY The two musicians perform Brahms’ Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38 and other favorites. April 18, 7:30 pm. $15$49. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. nwbachfest.com (509-465-3591)

SPIRIT OF SPOKANE CHORUS REHEARSAL Sit in on the rehearsals of the Spirit of Spokane chorus. Tuesdays from 6:30-9 pm. Free. Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Rd. spiritofspokanechorus.org/ (509-866-6354)

SPOKANE SYMPHONY CHAMBER SOIREÉ 3 Musician-curated chamber music accompanied by refreshments, wine, coffee and dessert from Beacon Hill Catering. April 19, 7:30 pm and April 20, 7:30 pm. $99. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. spokanesymphony.org

CRITICAL MASS: FUSING HEARTS, MINDS & VOICES A performance of “Mariachi Mass” by composer A. Avalos, a pseudonym for Theron Kirk. The piece is rarely performed in modern times and this instance is only the third time it has been performed in the U.S. in the last 25 years. April 21, 7 pm and April 22, 2 pm.

$10-$25. Trinity Lutheran Church, 812 N. Fifth St. choralecda.com (208-664-5743)

NORTHWEST BACHFEST: MATT HERSKOWITZ & LARA ST. JOHN The two musicians perform Beethoven, Franck and Kreisler pieces on piano and violin. April 22, 7:30 pm. $15-$49. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. nwbachfest.com (509-465-3591)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

HOUSE OF FURY & KING OF THE CAGE

This event features seven MMA fights and three boxing matches. April 13, 7-10 pm. $50. Coeur d’Alene Casino, 37914 S. Nukwalqw. cdacasino.com (208-769-2464)

SPOKANE INDIANS VS. EUGENE EMERALDS Promos during the six-game series include Colorado Baseball Flyaway Night (April 13), $10,000 Back-to-Back Home Run Night (April 14), Doris’s Birthday and Storybook Princess Night (April 15) and Dollars in your Dog Day Game (April 16). April 13-14, 6:35 pm, April 15, 5:09 pm and April 16, 1:05 pm. $8-$22. Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana. spokaneindians.com

USMC WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The USA Women’s national championships featuring the girls freestyle competition. This event determines World Teams and who can enter the Pan Am Qualifier. April 14-16; Fri at 10 am, Sat-Sun at 9:30 am. $25. The Podium, 511 W. Dean Ave. usawrestlingevents.com

ESPORTS CLUB Teens are invited to play video games and hang out with other local teens. April 14, April 21, and April 28, 4-5:30 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

MEDICAL LAKE GEO WALK & WATER

SAMPLING Walk around Medical Lake with Chad Pritchard, associate professor of geology, and Larry Cebula, professor of history, at EWU. They share information about the lake’s history and natural science. Walkers assist in gathering water samples for stormwater research and picking up trash along the way. April 15, 1-3 pm. Free. Waterfront Park, 1386 S. Lefevre St. scld.org

PROVIDENCE BLOOMSDAY TRAINING

CLINICS Prepare for Bloomsday with presentations from health experts and an instructor-lead warm up. Saturdays at 8:30 am through April 29. Free. Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Whistalks Way. providence.org

JUNIOR BLOOMSDAY A 1.5-mile run through Spokane Falls Community College’s campus. Open to kids in grades 3-7. April 16, 9 am. $20. Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Whistalks Way. bloomsdayrun.org (509-533-3500)

WILDFLOWER WEDNESDAYS Learn about area wildflowers, including what they are called, where to find them and why they’re important. This workshop also focuses on how to be respectful and responsible while out and enjoying nature. April 12-May 24, Wed from 4-5 pm. 4-5 pm through May 24. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

HEROES SILKIES 5K This walk and resource fair connects veterans and their families with each other and resources in the community. April 22, 8 am-noon. $25. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. heroeshomestead.org (509-625-6600)

NATURE WALK WITH JACK NISBET

Walk an easy trail through nature with naturalist, teacher and writer Jack Nisbet. April 22, 11 am-12:30 pm. Free. Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburgh St. spokanelibrary.org

STATE LAND FREE DAYS The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission invites visitors to enjoy a state park for free on select days each year. Visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass for day-use visits to a Washington state park or on lands managed by the

Washington Department of Natural Resources or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on these dates: April 22, June 10, June 11, June 19, Sep. 23, Oct. 10, Nov. 11 and Nov. 24. parks.wa.gov

THEATER

I HATE HAMLET This comedy-drama centers around an up-and-coming TV actor whose life gets turned upside down after a visit from a ghost. April 13-15 and 20-22, at 7:30 pm. Free. Schuler Performing Arts Center, 880 W. Garden Ave. facebook.com/nictheatre

RED Taking place in 1958 New York City, Red follows the life of painter Mark Rothko. April 7-23; Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $20-$25. Stage Left Theater, 108 W. Third Ave. stagelefttheater.org

SOUTH PACIFIC On a South Pacific island during World War ll, Nurse Nellie Forbush falls in love with French painter Emile de Becque. April 13-23, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat and Sun at 1:30 pm. $25-$30. Regional Theatre of the Palouse, 122 N. Grand Ave. rtoptheatre.org (509-334-0750)

NATIONAL PASTIME This play recounts how Jackie Robinson, along with Branch Rickey, the white president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers overcame the racist culture of major league baseball. April 14-23; Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $10-$25. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com (325-2507)

SALLY COTTER & THE PRISONER OF ALA KATRAZ Sally is back dreaming that she’s a student at the bewitching Frogbull Academy of Sorcery. April 14-23; FriSat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $10-$15. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. kenworthy.org

VISUAL ARTS

BLACK MATERNAL ART EXHIBIT: OUR STORIES This exhibit highlights the gaps in the Black maternal healthcare system. April 12-25, daily from 8 am-8 pm. Free. WSU College of Nursing, 103 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. theshadesofmotherhoodnetwork.org (509-217-2993)

DANCING WITH LIFE: MEXICAN MASKS: Through humor and subversion, Mexican mask makers respond to the social and political circumstances of contemporary life. Through April 16, Tues-Sun from 10 am-5 pm. $7-$12. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

INKED Over 50 prints by students, faculty, regional and national artists are on display and up for auction. All proceeds support the student art scholarship fund. April 4-14, Mon-Fri from 9 am-4 pm. Free. SFCC Fine Arts Gallery, 3410 W. Whistalks Way. sfcc.spokane.edu (509-533-3746)

PERSISTENCE OF VISION: ASIAN DIASPORA PERSPECTIVES IN CONTINUUM This exhibition presents Asian and Asian American stories through diasporic portraits, memories and recipes. Mon-Fri from 8 am-5 pm through May 26. Free. Chase Gallery, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. spokanearts.org (509-321-9416)

SPOKANE PRINT FEST This annual celebration of print media features workshops on relief printing, print exhibitions, lectures and more spanning the month of April. See website for schedule. Prices vary. Spokane. spokaneprintfest.org

TRANSMUTATION A selection of printmaking work from national graphic and book artists. Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through April 29. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com

SUBSTANCE This ceramics show features works by Maya Rumsey, KC Loveland, Sheila Grubb, Erik Rodgers and more. April 14-May 12, Tue-Sat from 10 am-6 pm. Free. Emerge, 119 N. Second St. emergecda.com (208-930 -1876)

PALOUSE PATCHER’S QUILT SHOW This 41st annual show features over 200 quilts made within the last year, a dozen quilting vendor booths and a quilt raffle. April 15, 10 am-5 pm and April 16, 10 am-4 pm. $3-$5. Latah County Fairgrounds, 1021 Harold St. palousepatchers.org

SPOKANE WOODCARVERS MEETING & CLASS Meet local woodworkers and learn from master carver Ryan Faulkner. April 15, 9-11 am. $2.50. Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church, 449 N. Nevada St. spokanecarvers.com (487-9667)

420 POTTERY PAINTING Paint various items like pipes, dishes and bongs. Reservations required. Adults only. April 20, 6-8:30 pm. $10. Polka Dot Pottery, 118 S. Pines Rd. polkadotpottery.com

WORDS

NORTHWEST PASSAGES: THE RETURN OF WOLVES BY ELI FRANCOVICH The Spokesman-Review journalist investigates how we might mend this divide while keeping wolf populations thriving. April 13, 7 pm. $7. Central Library, 906 W. Main. spokesman.com/northwestpassages (509-444-5336)

A MORNING WITH WAHAJAT ALI

The Daily Beast columnist and former New York Times writer discusses his experiences with racism and his passion for advocating for equal rights. April 13, 10:30 am. Free. Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St. scc.spokane.edu

PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY NIGHT Explore philosophic questions like how can Wakanda help us become better people and what is the role of truth in democratic societies. April 14, 6-9 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main. spokanelibrary.org

SALMONOPOLIS: AN ECOLOGICAL STORY OF THE LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER

In this two-part program, hear the story of how Dartford was once almost named Salmonopolis, learn about the history of the land before settlers made their mark and find out about current conservation efforts to bring wild Salmon back to the Little Spokane River. Registration required. April 14, 5-6 pm and April 15, 9-10:30 am & 12:30-2 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org/events (893-8350)

SPOKANE AUTHORS & SELF-PUBLISHERS AUTHOR TALK

This month’s meeting features Bob Weldin, author of The Dry Diggins Club. April 14, 12-4 pm. Free. Corbin Senior Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave. spokaneauthors.org (509-327-1584)

ELIZABETH BRUENIG

The journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist from The Atlantic discusses her reporting on the death penalty. April 18, 7-8 pm. Free. Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Rd. whitworth.edu (509-777-1000)

SHOULD WE BUILD BETTER HUMANS?: Bill Kabasenche, professor of philosophy at WSU, discusses what defines humanity and how technology could change that forever. April 18, 6 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry. humanities.org

LARAMIE DEAN: BLACK FOREST Celebrate Dean’s first novel, about a young gay man battling with reality as it seemingly dissolves around him. April 19, 7 pm. Free. Auntie’s, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206) n

1. Bush who debated Trump in 2016

4. Persian for “king”

8. City across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juárez

14. ____ Dhabi

15. “Teenage Dream” singer Perry

16. Actress Tracy who married Michael J. Fox after playing Alex P. Keaton’s girlfriend on “Family Ties”

17. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are each named for one

19. “Summer’s joys are ____ by use”: Keats

20. Super Bowl III winner, for short

21. Mastermind game piece

23. Sch. with the fight song “The Mighty Bruins”

24. Angel dust, briefly

26. Slow musical movements

29. Bird of prey listed a “priority species” by Audubon Minnesota

34. Language of Pakistan’s Daily Khabrain

35. Guy of “Memento”

36. Je t’aime : French :: ____ : Spanish

38. Teddy’s neighbor on Mount Rushmore

39. Battling

44. Hopped around on a stick

47. Hum from a fan

48. Food and clothing, for two

53. Boomer on “The NFL Today”

54. Goal

55. Flows back

56. Classic distress call

59. Pack tightly

63. Exercise at a Y, maybe

66. “Afraid that ain’t happening” (or a hint to solving 17-, 29- or 48-Across)

68. Starr of old comics

69. J.B. Smoove’s character on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

70. Sports rep

71. Being

72. Eyelid affliction

73. December 31, for short

DOWN

1. Rolling Stone magazine co-founder Wenner

2. Goth-like aesthetic of some TikTok guys

3. Dubai’s ____ Khalifa

4. Courtroom art

5. Crone

6. On

7. Murderous alter ego of fiction

8. Mini albums, for short

9. Hack (off)

10. “The ____ and the Stars” (1937 Barbara Stanwyck film)

11. Keys on a keyboard?

12. Sickly-looking

13. Getting the job done 18. Place for a nasal piercing 22. DVD blooper collection

or ENT

of port

29. Wackadoodle

30. Resource in Catan and Minecraft 31. Amt. on a vitamin bottle 32. 1980s First Family

33. Bigwig

37. Magnum ____ (masterpiece)

40. Like some saws and bobsleds

41. “Do I know that person?”

42. Financial

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Frank’s Omelet Bar

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS

8 AM – 12 PM | $16.99 PER PERSON

Enjoy Frank’s made-to-order eggs or omelets with sides of bacon, sausage, potato patties, eggs Benedict, biscuits & gravy, fruit and assorted pastries. Includes your choice of coffee, juice, milk or a soft drink.