Inlander 05/29/2025

MAY 29 - JUNE 4, 2025 | EXPLORING BIG QUESTIONS SINCE 1993

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HIGHER EDUCATION

Scholastic Fantastic A weed-killing robot, recycled wind turbines and more Inland NW university research PAGE 18

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VOL. 32, NO. 33 | COVER ILLUSTRATION: HANNAH AGOSTA

COMMENT 5 8 NEWS 14 CULTURE COVER STORY 18

FOOD 30 SCREEN 32 MUSIC 34 EVENTS 38

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EDITOR’S NOTE

I

t’s truly remarkable how many big questions researchers at universities in the Inland Northwest are working to answer.

Some questions are perhaps more obvious things that you and I just may not have thought of before — like, hey, those windmills providing us clean energy have a lifespan, and ultimately may need to be recycled. How do we do that? While others take a wealth of knowledge about how enzymes in our cells operate to even be able to ask: How can we address deficiencies for people whose enzymes aren’t working right?

Our annual SCHOLASTIC FANTASTIC issue, compiled with oversight from our staff education guru Colton Rasanen, explores a handful of these fascinating projects, and offers the latest news on regional higher education.

Go forth and observe!

—SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL, NEWS EDITOR

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ZINESTERS MEET PAGE 16

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SPOKANE • EASTERN WASHINGTON • NORTH IDAHO • INLANDER.COM 1227 WEST SUMMIT PARKWAY, SPOKANE, WA 99201 PHONE: 509-325-0634 | EMAIL: INFO@INLANDER.COM THE INLANDER is a locally owned, independent newspaper founded on Oct. 20, 1993. Please recycle THE INLANDER after you’re done with it. One copy free per person per week; extra copies are $1 each (call x226). For ADVERTISING information, email advertising@inlander.com. To have a SUBSCRIPTION mailed to you, call x210 ($78 per year). To find one of our more than 1,000 NEWSRACKS where you can pick up a paper free every Thursday, call x226 or email frankd@ inlander.com. THE INLANDER is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and is published at least twice per month. All contents of this newspaper are protected by United States copyright law. © 2025, Inland Publications, Inc.

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I would like them to learn critical thinking skills. They are actually teaching that in schools in Finland.

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Honestly, just the best thing that could help the most amount of people is getting a basic understanding of economics. There are so many people all over the world that can benefit from a stable economic system that no one is taking advantage of.

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KEALEY ALEXANDER

I think maybe inequity in people’s access in health care.

How would that look to you?

A health care system where people are taken care of and don’t have to keep working just to get health insurance.

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Boy, that’s a really big question. I would want to work on keeping people fed.

What would your ideal end goal be?

That there wouldn’t be hungry children in the world.

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MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 5

COMMENT | THE LEGISLATURE

A trip to the gun range will be required to buy a firearm under a new Washington state law. ANDRII MUZYKA PHOTO/ADOBE STOCK

Missing the Mark Better mental health care and protecting our civil rights are more important than adding new requirements for gun permits

BY BILL BRYANT

B

efore you can buy a gun in Washington, a new law says you’ll have to attend a government-authorized class. Signed into law last week, House Bill 1163 does not go into effect until May 2027. The next Legislature should repeal it before it does, as it will not achieve the results sponsors promised. Even worse, it sets a dangerous precedent at a time our constitutional rights are under attack.

The new law not only requires a person to attend a government-authorized class before receiving a permit to buy a gun, but requires a person to pay probably between $75 and $150 for the permit and training — and to do that every five years.

Democratic legislators promised this mandatory firearm training managed by the Washington State Patrol will reduce gun-related deaths, but I doubt it will. Not knowing how to fire a gun is not the reason most people in Washington are shot dead.

Every year in Washington, guns kill between 780 and 1,100 people. About 70% of those deaths are suicide. Most of those suicide victims are white males over 54. Too many are veterans. It is not

6 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

clear to me how requiring these men to pay for and attend a firearm class will keep them from taking their own life.

I

f legislators were actually serious about reducing gun-related deaths, they would overhaul Washington state’s mental

health system.

According to the nonprofit Mental Health America, Washington state ranks 49th out of 50 states for the prevalence of people suffering from mental health issues (50th being the highest prevalence).

Tragically, those statistics include children.

In Washington, of those killed by guns each year, about 65 are minors, with 52% of those deaths by suicide. Washington also ranks 49th out of 50 states for the prevalence of mental health issues among children and for their access to mental health care.

In Washington, we already require background checks and a waiting period before you can buy a gun. We have safe-storage laws.

Family members can petition a judge to take guns from those they believe might shoot themselves or others. If we want to do more to prevent gun deaths, we should improve access to depression and suicide-prevention services, not mandate firearm training.

But my bigger problem with this law is that it undermines the U.S. Constitution when all of us who care about preserving our republic need to be defending it.

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“If we want to do more to prevent gun deaths, we should improve access to depression and suicideprevention services…”

The Second Amendment to the Constitution states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Some might argue requiring a person to pay $75 to $150 for a government-authorized class is not an infringement, but it is if you can’t afford it. And if a person fails the government class, can the government then deny that person a permit to buy a gun? That would be an infringement.

Imagine the protests if Washington legislators passed a law requiring citizens to pay to attend a government-sponsored class before they could vote for president. It could. Such a law might be challenged under the state constitution, but people have no federal right to vote for president. We do have a U.S. constitutional right to bear arms.

Despite that, many on Washington’s left are celebrating this new gun law. Rather than Signed by Washington Gov. Bob celebrate, they should conFerguson last week, the new law sider that a government that can requires that anyone who wants require a person to pay for and to buy a firearm in the state first attend a government-authorized get a permit. The new requireclass before being allowed to ments include paying a fee, sub- buy a gun is a government that mitting fingerprints and passing can require a person to pay for a background check. Applicants and attend a government class also must go through a gun before being allowed to march in safety course under the supervi- a protest. That is not an absurd sion of the Washington State hypothetical.

Patrol Firearms Background Check program that will include he Trump administration actually firing a gun. They will is attacking our right to also need to renew that permit peacefully assemble, to every five years. It follows simispeak and write freely (the First lar permit-to-purchase laws that Amendment). Our protections exist in a handful of other states, against unwarranted search and including California, Illinois and seizure (the Fourth Amendment), New York. The new law takes and our right to due process effect in May 2027. and public trials (the Fifth and Sixth Amendments) are also being challenged. This is not a moment to support the precedent of requiring people to pay for and attend a government-authorized class before they can exercise a constitutional right.

All who justly decry the Trump administration’s attacks on our country’s Constitution should with equal vigor oppose Washington state’s new gun law.

Of course, there are instances when the rights of an individual must be balanced against the good of the community. But in this case, and particularly in this time, eroding a constitutional right when it’s unlikely that erosion will deliver any community good, is reckless. n

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Some priests say they’d go to jail to avoid breaking the seal of confession to follow Washington’s new law.

RELIGION

Breaking the Seal Washington’s new law requires clergy to report child sexual abuse, even if they have to disobey doctrine to do so.

Is it an effective — and constitutional — way to protect children?

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM Editor’s Note: This story discusses child sexual abuse.

“I

think it’s very simple,” Mary Dispenza told the Washington Senate Human Services Committee in January. “Crimes are being committed against children, and they need to be reported.”

Dispenza is a former nun and the current Northwest contact for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. She survived sexual abuse by a Catholic priest when she was 7 years old and now advocates for clergy accountability.

On Jan. 28, she was one of the first to testify in favor of Senate Bill 5375, which was introduced by state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle. The legislation requires all clergy to be mandatory reporters of child abuse, without exemption for “priest-penitent privilege” — that is, sworn secrecy within a specific sacrament upheld by some religious traditions, often called the “seal of confession.”

The state Legislature passed the bill and sent it to Gov. Bob Ferguson on April 22. He signed the legislation into law on May 2, and it is set to take effect on July 27.

On May 5, the federal Department of Justice announced its intent to examine the bill for possible First Amendment violations. It’s possible that removing priests from the list

8 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

of people who are entitled to privileged conversations is a violation of the freedom of religion.

“In my case, priest privilege and the seal of confession protected the perpetrator priest, who went on for four more decades to rape little girls,” Dispenza told the committee early this year.

Requiring clergy to be mandated reporters is not a new idea in Washington. In 2022, regional nonprofit news outlet InvestigateWest broke a story about decades of covered-up child abuse within the Jehovah’s Witness community in Spokane. The reporting brought attention to the fact that, at that time, Washington was one of the few states that didn’t require clergy to report child abuse.

Since then, Frame, a survivor of sexual assault herself, has tried to pass a law including clergy in the state list of mandated reporters. Most states require clergy to be mandated reporters but provide an exemption for information priests learn during secret confession. New Hampshire, West Virginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and Guam are the only other states or territories that do not provide that exemption.

A similar bill “fell apart” last year, Frame said in the Human Services Committee meeting. But after the legislative session was over, the state Attorney General’s Office,

then led by Ferguson, announced it was investigating whether charitable funds were used to cover up child abuse allegations in three Catholic dioceses in Washington — the Seattle Archdiocese, the Diocese of Yakima and the Diocese of Spokane.

“Quite frankly, it made it hard for me at a personal level to stomach any argument about religious freedom being more important than preventing the abuse, including the sexual abuse, of children,” Frame told the committee. “I have tried really hard to find a balance and strike a careful compromise, but I stand by the bill with no exemption.”

MORAL ABSOLUTES

Despite repeated requests, Thomas Daly, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, would not speak to the Inlander about the new law. Instead, the diocese pointed to a statement that Daly published on May 2: “I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishop and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession — even to the point of going to jail,” Daly wrote. “The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane. … The Diocese of Spokane maintains an entire department at the Chancery, the Office of Child ...continued on page 11

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NEWS | ELECTION 2025 Navarrete, who immigrated to Spokane from Mexico City in 1988 and made history as the first known immigrant and Hispanic woman to hold a seat on the City Council, also worked to increase accessibility for nonEnglish speakers. In February, an ordinance instructing the city’s civil service departments to recruit and reward bilingual or multilingual employees was passed unanimously. The law, co-sponsored by Council members Cathcart and Paul Dillon, aims to make city government more approachable for the 8% of Spokanites who report speaking a language other than English at home.

(We scheduled a phone interview last week with Navarrete to talk about her time on the council, but we were unable to connect by press time.)

ELECTION TO THE SEAT

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FROM LEFT: Lili Navarrete, Kate Telis, Alejandro Barrientos

Repeat Replacement Spokane City Council member Lili Navarrete to step down in June, leaving space for a four-month appointment ahead of the November election

BY COLTON RASANEN

F

or the second time in as many years, the Spokane City Council is accepting applications for an appointment to one of its District 2 seats. Last week, City Council member Lili Navarrete announced she would resign from her seat by June 30.

“I have strived to bring diversity and inclusion to the workplace, and I hope my efforts have positively impacted the City Council and its employees,” Navarrete said on May 20. “However, as much as I have enjoyed my role, it is time for me to move on to new challenges and opportunities.”

In March, Navarrete announced she would not seek election to her seat on council because she was “experiencing some recent health concerns,” but at the time she did not indicate she would step down early.

Navarrete was appointed to her District 2 seat in January 2024 a few months after Betsy Wilkerson’s November 2023 election to council president left it open. At the time, Council members Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle voted against Navarrete’s appointment, stating that they disagreed with the appointment process because the council’s vote wasn’t more open to the public. Cathcart argued there should’ve been a debate or town hall where people could meet the applicants for the two-year position.

“I think it’s a great disservice to the community that a small number of people get to essentially determine the future of a district like that,” Cathcart told the Inlander at the time.

However, the City Council plans to appoint Navarrete’s

10 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

replacement through the same process. The application window has already opened, and those who have lived in District 2 — Spokane’s southernmost district spanning from the Spokane Airport to South Havana Street — for at least a year may apply by June 20. The council will conduct interviews in mid-July with a plan to vote for Navarrete’s replacement on July 28. Neither Telis nor Barrientos plan to apply for the interim position.

Whoever the council chooses will then serve a nearly four-month tenure until voters choose a full-term council member in the November election.

Navarrete said she was proud to work to affirm the human rights and basic dignity of those experiencing homelessness during her year-and-a-half on the council. Those efforts stirred controversy when she introduced what others dubbed the “Homeless Bill of Rights” last summer.

The law would have prevented landlords and employers from discriminating against unhoused people solely for their housing status while also enshrining unhoused peoples’ rights to move freely in public spaces, retain control of their personal belongings and be free from unreasonable searches. Citing community division and a need for more outreach, the council deferred the ordinance indefinitely.

Less than a year later, the council voted 6-1 to enact a watered-down version that bans employers from asking someone for their address until after they’ve been hired.

This “Ban the Address” ordinance, which passed on April 21, is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

As the City Council gears up to appoint a replacement, two candidates are hoping to be elected to the District 2 seat in November. Kate Telis, a former deputy prosecutor in New Mexico who moved to Spokane in 2019 and worked on Dillon’s campaign in 2023, will face Alejandro Barrientos, the chief operating officer of SCAFCO Steel Stud Company, who also works as the purchasing director for developer Larry Stone’s Stone Group.

“I’ve been thinking about running for a long time, which is why I worked on some campaigns around here to get my feet under me and understand the local issues better,” Telis says.

“I experienced Spokane 16 to 17 years ago, when I first moved here as a college student living in the Logan neighborhood and experienced downtown. Compared to when I first arrived here, to what has become today, the major changes [in Spokane] are part of what motivated me to run,” Barrientos says. “I want to be part of shaping a better future for Spokane, not just for my kids, but for all the families here in Spokane.”

Telis and Barrientos are still working out the specific policies they will focus on while campaigning, but they each said making Spokane safer and managing the city’s growth are their top priorities if elected.

“When I’ve had the opportunity to meet with a lot of grassroot leaders here in my district … it always comes back to the same issue. Public safety is one that is going to be our main focus, specifically with the fentanyl crisis that we have downtown,” Barrientos says. “One single person can’t come up with or solve the very complex issues that we have in our city. We need to find a way to collaborate with the city and the county and use the resources that we have available to kind of have lasting solutions.”

When asked which influential grassroots leaders he’s spoken with, Barrientos declines to share names, instead listing a few current and former elected officials in Spokane, including City Council members Dillon and Navarrete and former state Sen. Andy Billig.

Telis says ensuring the city grows responsibly — such as, lifting downtown height restrictions, as the council did earlier this year — will make the city safer.

“People really love the current character of the neighborhoods, so preserving that is important but then also making downtown as robust and as thriving as possible, and a place where people feel safe and the businesses can thrive,” she says. “Right now, there is a narrative among some people that downtown is dangerous, and as a prosecutor, I know that the more legal activity we have in a place, the less illegal activity we have in a place. I’m all about doing what we can to make that feel safe.”

Both candidates will appear on the August primary ballot and move forward to the general election, unless a write-in candidate receives enough support to defeat one of them. After the general election has been certified in November, the new council member will be sworn-in to replace the appointee. n coltonr@inlander.com

NEWS | RELIGION

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“BREAKING THE SEAL,” CONTINUED... and Youth protection, staffed by professional laypeople. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding child sexual abuse.”

Catholics are not the only Christian tradition that maintains a seal of confession. In the Episcopal sacramental rite of reconciliation, “the secrecy of a confession is morally absolute for the Confessor and must, under no circumstances, be broken,” according to the Book of Common Prayer, the doctrinal authority and practical instruction guide for Episcopal and Anglican churches.

“It’s one of the few times we [Episcopalians] ever used the phrase ‘morally absolute,’” says Gretchen Rehberg, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.

“Morally absolute” is a theological way to say “black and white” — that is, there’s no gray area, there’s no circumstance that would make a “wrong” action a “right” one.

While Catholics typically require sacramental confession at least once a year, Episcopalians differ. Not only do they not require people to practice secret confession, they don’t require priests to administer the rite of reconciliation. There are plenty of other ways for Episcopalians to confess their sins in non-secret ways, Rehberg says, which is what most Protestant faiths do — and those are far more popular.

But if a congregant does desire the rite of reconciliation and finds a priest willing to hear it, the secrecy of that confession is morally absolute for both practical and theological reasons, Rehberg says.

“There needs to be a way for them to confess, knowing that the priest isn’t going to walk out and tell everybody what they heard,” she says. “But the other thing is, once it’s absolved, it’s gone. You can’t then carry it forward, because one of the greater sins is to hold on to that sin already absolved.”

But what people outside the church may not understand, Rehberg says, is that “absolution,” or forgiveness, requires “due contrition” — that is, proof that someone has stopped committing the sin they’ve just confessed.

“What I have told the priests here is that you don’t have to absolve anybody who’s unwilling to, as an act of contrition, turn themselves in,” she says.

To reiterate: Rehberg says priests should require anyone who confesses child abuse in secret to report themselves to law enforcement authorities immediately, in order to prove that they actually want to receive forgiveness.

If they refuse to turn themselves in, the priest should not forgive them, she says, and that priest should remove the confessor from any interactions with children.

“I think the sad reality is we have examples from the past where clergy absolutely abused children and were protected,” Rehberg says. “That is wrong. That is a sin of the church. But I think it’s a failure of the imagination of those at the time — there were other things they could have done.”

Rehberg gave these instructions long before the new mandated reporter law was signed. She also encouraged any priest willing to hear secret confessions to have a lengthy conversation before entering the “seal” to get an idea of what someone might confess before being sworn to secrecy.

People who testified at the Senate Human Services Committee said that a “cloak of secrecy” around confession is what fueled an epidemic of child abuse within religious circles. Rehberg says that if the only time an authority hears about or suspects child abuse is during a secret sacrament, that’s already a failure of the church.

But the ultimate failure is the knee-jerk reaction to defend those with institutional authority at the expense of the most vulnerable, Rehberg says. Still, that can, unfortunately, happen regardless of whether confession is sealed or not.

“I would say [in] many churches, whether we’re talking Roman Catholic, Episcopal, or Southern Baptist — which doesn’t practice reconciliation of the penitent — there’s been a tendency to protect their clergy in ways that are inappropriate,” she says.

Rehberg understands the anger, hurt and fear fueling the new law.

“We brought this on ourselves by having a history in the churches of protecting abusive clergy,” she says. “Those who want to say clergy have to be mandated reporters, even within confession, ...continued on page 13

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NEWS | RELIGION “BREAKING THE SEAL,” CONTINUED... are saying the church has failed to protect.”

That failure is real and harmful, Rehberg says, but transformation doesn’t come from disobeying doctrine.

“I cannot break the seal of confession, but I must not protect clergy who abuse people,” she says. “Those can both be true.”

FIRST AMENDMENT CONCERNS

Erica Goldberg is a Gonzaga law professor and a First Amendment expert. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution enshrines freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.

One of Goldberg’s favorite questions to ask upper-level law students is, “What do constitutional rights do?”

“It’s hard to get them to say that [constitutional] rights exist to overturn democratically elected laws that are in conflict with these rights,” she says.

To put it another way, “the Constitution just very fundamentally protects individual rights against what the democracy would like, or what the democracy thinks is best, or what the democracy thinks is safest,” she says.

While Goldberg was researching Washington’s new mandatory reporting law, she was struck by how some legislators spoke about individual rights.

“One lawmaker said something like, ‘Individual conscience should never come above the safety of a child,’ which might be a sentiment that most people agree with,” she says. “However, the whole point of the Constitution is that you have these individual rights even if they interfere with public interest. … My view is, in an era when there have been too many entrenchments on constitutional rights, especially right now, that in a nonpartisan way, we have to recognize that you have to respect the Constitution even if it doesn’t adhere to your policy preferences.”

Goldberg thinks there’s a good chance Washington’s new law could be in violation of the First Amendment, if someone decided to bring it to court.

Her concern comes from a line in Section 2 of the bill that says, “Except for members of the clergy, no one shall be required to report under this section when he or she obtains the information solely as a result of a privileged communication as provided in RCW 5.60.060.”

Washington state code gives privilege, or protected confidentiality, even from the government, to certain relationships, including spousal and attorney-client relationships. Sacred communications with clergy used to also be considered privileged.

When Goldberg reads “except for members of the clergy,” she sees red flags.

Freedom of exercise of religion broadly means that religious groups must be treated the same as nonreligious groups. To take privileged communication away from a religious group without also taking it away from a nonreligious group could be considered “religious animus,” that is, bias against religion, Goldberg says.

“That makes it look like this law is treating religion worse than secular people, and that is what raises the most free exercise concerns,” Goldberg says. “The church has a pretty bad history with covering up sex abuse, but you cannot just say, ‘Well, the church is more evil on sex abuse, and so we are burdening you with extra responsibilities.’”

Goldberg also says the law would be difficult to enforce. If mandated reporters fail to report child abuse, they could be charged with a misdemeanor, but how would law enforcement know if clergy failed to report?

Ultimately, Goldberg is surprised that similar laws in other states haven’t been challenged, at least to her knowledge.

“To not exclude confession is a pretty big deal, just because that is so essential to the practice of Catholicism,” she says.

“People across the political spectrum find it kind of easy to overlook the importance of constitutional rights in areas where they might not care about the right as much. But that just gives power to your political enemies to ignore it in cases you do care about.

So I think we all have to be pretty principled about that.” n elizab@inlander.com

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Bruce Asper and Mery Smith hope to use “creative writing and poetry as ways to heal,” she says.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

STANZAS & SENTENCES POETRY

Local writers Mery Smith and Bruce Asper bring poetry workshops to Airway Heights Corrections Center

M

ery Smith’s tumultuous journey to the title Spokane Poet Laureate included flunking out of college due to alcoholism and navigating life as a single parent. Bruce Asper was a “craven capitalist” working in private equity in Beverly Hills when he was told his drug problem and arrogance would kill him.

In 2009, Smith and Asper both got sober. Though neither knew the other until 16 years later, their paths crossed in Spokane along with their passions for words and helping others. The two found out they had a shared interest in running writing workshops at Airway Heights Corrections Center.

14 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

BY MADISON PEARSON Asper, the student director of Eastern Washington University’s Writers in the Community program, wanted to resume the inmate writing workshops the group had held at the state prison.

“Writing is a really selfish practice,” Asper says.

“It’s very insular. So, for the last year or two, [Writers in the Community] has dedicated itself to underserved communities.”

For Smith, the workshops have been a priority ever since she was named Spokane Poet Laureate. Her enthusiasm for the project is personal: Both of her brothers had been incarcerated.

Now, Asper and Smith are making the poetry workshops a reality. The first one is set for June 6, though it hasn’t come without bumps in the road.

“My volunteer application was denied,” Smith says. “Because my brother was there in 2019. I thought that would be a positive thing, given I’ve already gone through the background check and I’ve done all the things necessary to be there, but they believe it could potentially create conflict if somebody knew me or knew my brother from his time here.”

Smith cites her brother as a huge inspiration in her journey, having sent her letters and poems up until he was

released from prison. But shortly after his release, he died from a fentanyl overdose.

At least for now, Smith won’t be able to teach the workshops in person, but she hopes to get her application approved for next year. In the meantime, she will send her syllabus to Asper, and he will conduct this summer’s prison workshops alone.

THIS SATURDAY!

T

he workshops will each be two hours long, with one hour being dedicated to fiction writing (Asper’s specialty) and one hour to poetry.

“Bruce and I share this thing about sobriety obviously,” Smith says. “And a big part, I think, in most people who are incarcerated, a common denominator is this idea of being unwell and the lifestyle that goes along with that. I want them to have the opportunity to do it differently,” she says. “And using creative writing and poetry as ways to heal.”

Having gone through treatment himself, Asper understands the impact workshops like this can have on incarcerated or recovering individuals.

“They want to talk about what they’ve been through,” Asper says. “The classes are a space for self-expression.”

Smith says that the workshops won’t look dissimilar from other poetry programs she’s held at area schools and libraries because she wants every class to be as accessible as possible.

Each workshop will begin with a free-writing portion, allowing each writer to simply get their thoughts out on paper. Then, a poem of Smith’s choosing will be presented to the class, and each student will be asked to share their personal interpretation of the words.

Themes of hope, mental health and recovery will be woven through the curriculum.

“It’s not a secret, but it’s all about the messaging,” Smith says. “How do we not give up? How do we heal? How do we take the crap, and with time, make it fertilizer? I want to give them entry points of using their own stories and words to create something healing.”

“It’s a matter of meeting people where they are rather than expecting them to come to you,” Asper says. “I want to give them the tools they need to tell their stories in their own voices.”

The workshops are slated to run for eight weeks this summer, with the goal of sustaining the program for as long as possible even after Asper graduates and Smith’s tenure is up.

Even with Smith’s volunteer application being denied, she says it was never a question of whether the workshops would happen or not, it was a matter of how they were going to go on despite the barrier they encountered.

“You cannot wait in life,” she says. “Do not wait for someone to give you permission. Do not wait for someone to invite you.

Do not wait for someone to tell you they think you have a good idea. You just need to keep running toward the things you love, find important, and the things you want to see made reality. I want them to know that whatever you know right now is enough.

It’s enough to make a beginning.” n

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Got Paper?

Zinesters to gather for Spokane Zine Fest at the Spokane Central Library

BY DORA SCOTT

D

o you have some paper, something to mark it with, and some thoughts or creative inspiration to share? Congratulations, you have all the ingredients needed to create a zine!

Encompassing various forms and mediums, zines (short for “magazines”) are small press and self-published works including comics, poetry, art — you name it.

The annual Spokane Zine Fest will take place on Saturday, May 31, from 11 am to 4 pm at the Central Library. There will be 67 artists selling all manner of limited-edition works in the nxʷyxʷyetkʷ Hall, and three free, registration-based workshops (sign up at events. spokanelibrary.org) will be held in the library’s conference rooms.

One of the most alluring aspects of zines is how they can connect nontraditional artists to a like-minded community.

“Zines have long been part of counterculture in our country, and they are still a way for people who feel marginalized or feel like they’re an outsider to have a strong artistic voice,” says Sharma Shields, the writing educational specialist at Spokane Public Library who has helped coordinate Zine Fest for three years.

Spokane Zine Fest was founded in 2017 by Chelsea Martin and Ian Amberson, both artists and writers, to fill a creative void in Spokane.

Martin made her first zine in university, supplementing one of her writings with drawings, and handed copies out for free to friends.

“We moved to Spokane and just found that there wasn’t a zine fest nearby and wanted to make one as a way to be able to participate in one, but also to try to find our community here and meet people,” Martin says.

The first Spokane Zine Fest was held at The Bartlett in downtown Spokane with the help of a $1,200 grant from Spokane Arts, and had nearly 20 artists.

The annual event returned to The Bartlett until 2019 (when the venue closed) and then took a pandemic-caused hiatus. When the festival made its return in 2023, it was important for Martin and Amberson to find a space that was still publicly accessible and didn’t cost a lot to rent.

Dozens of vendors will sell (or hand out) their zines this weekend. “[The Spokane Public Library was] giving us the space for free, which was also an important thing for when you’re trying to run an event with very little money,” Martin says. “And it’s just such a beautiful, huge event space. So it’s just perfect. We’ve been really happy there.” “[The Zine Fest] changed just like in the size of it, but the intentionality with uplifting all these different styles of art and artistry here in Spokane is the same,” Shields says.

Even with the space upgrade — which provides room for workshops — the applications for vendors grow each year. Last year the space accommodated 65 vendor tables. This year, to make the event even more accessible there are no vending fees.

On top of being an open-to-all event, people normally sell their works cheap, usually $1-$10, or give them away for free.

“It’s a pretty big spectrum because some zines can be really nicely printed like full color, gorgeous things, and some can be just like a single copy page folded up into a tiny zine,” Martin says.

A

fter perusing prints, stop by the Eastern Washington University design department’s station on the third floor to try your hand at making zines and buttons from 12:30 to 3 pm.

“This year, we partnered with EWU to do our branding and design, and that’s been really cool,” Martin says. “Students from the design program did all our flyers and our social media graphics as part of a class.”

The editors of Spokane Sequential, a free regional quarterly comics zine, will host a reservation-based game workshop from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The group will do collaborative games like pass-the-comic draw, a mystery relay comic and a match of comic-tac-toe. To learn more about or read Spokane Sequential, visit spokanesequential.neocities.org.

From 1 to 2 pm, Hive artist-in-residence Erica Schisler will hold a flash zine-making session, with participants learning how to make a mini zine from a single sheet of paper. All the materials will be provided — though feel free to bring clippings, drawings or writings — including access to a copier so you can make copies to share with others.

Local artist Emma Noyes will hold the final workshop of the day, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm, guiding attendees through the process of how to keep an illustrated journal to inspire later zine creations.

Noyes will lead writing and drawing exercises, while providing examples of how journal musings can transform into zines. Bring a notebook and writing/drawing tools to get your creative flow going!

T

he rising popularity of Spokane Zine Fest calls to question why people still gravitate toward print in a digitally dominated age.

“I think people are just increasingly going back to pre-digital media because they’re more in control of it and they get to make all the decisions and distribute it how they want to,” Martin says.

Where there was once a creative void, Martin has witnessed a community of zine-lovers form.

“You see a lot of the same faces every year, but you also see a lot of new faces,” she says. “I think people are just really excited about having a space to show their zines and their more niche art — things that don’t have another place to be shown.” n Spokane Zine Fest • Sat, May 31 from 11 am-4 pm • Free • All ages • Spokane Central Library • 906 W. Main Ave. • spokanelibrary.org • 509-444-5300

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 17

Scholastic Fantastic

H

umans have been making new discoveries about the world for our entire existence. We’ve harnessed fire and created wheels and written poetry and sliced bread. However, each new discovery presents a host of other questions to research.

We harnessed wind to power our state, and now we must learn to safely recycle the massive, aging equipment needed to do it. We learned what makes up the microscopic DNA inside our bodies, and now we’re trying to figure out how to fix the places where parts are broken. We’re even trying to figure out history by examining growth patterns in mussel shells. We’ve learned so much that we’re teaching robots to do the back-breaking labor needed to keep tree nurseries healthy and weed-free. And, for as long as humans have lived, they’ve known how to die, but there’s still more to uncover about dying well.

Curious about innovative research in each of these areas? Well, it’s all coming out of Inland Northwest universities and profiled here in our annual Higher Education issue. Plus, find news and notes about each of our local colleges and universities.

SECTION EDITOR: COLTON RASANEN ILLUSTRATIONS: HANNAH AGOSTA

ROBOTICS

Garden of AI A

The University of Idaho’s new weedkilling robot is helping grow more trees to reforest public lands

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM 18 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

robot the size and shape of a square kitchen table wheels over a row of seedlings. It scans the ground with camera “eyes,” then stops. A small probe lowers from the middle of the robot, homes in on its target, then drops into the earth to pierce a tiny plant. It shocks the plant with an electric current so hot, the plant’s cells break down immediately.

Robot: one. Pigweed: zero.

This weed-killing robot was built by the University of Idaho’s robotics team for the U.S. Forest Service. It’s modern tech’s answer to what would otherwise be hours of exhausting, expensive physical labor.

The Forest Service grows millions of trees each year in its Coeur d’Alene nursery.

Because the nursery is inside city limits, it’s not allowed to use the powerful pesticide fumi-

gants that are standard across the industry to kill weeds. Instead, it spends about $100,000 a year paying workers to weed — that is, if the agency can find people to do it.

Last year, associate research professor John Shovic, postdoctoral researcher Mary Everett and doctoral student Garrett Wells formed a team of engineers from U of I’s Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics in Coeur d’Alene to build an automated weeding robot with a $139,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The project could save the Forest Service hundreds of thousands of dollars and alleviate staffing issues for years to come.

The team named their venture Project Evergreen. This spring, Evergreen the robot has been out in the fields doing what it does best — frying the living sh*t out of anything

This robot, named Evergreen, helps zap weeds. PHOTO COURTESY U OF I that’s not a tree.

The team plans to keep upgrading Evergreen — swapping battery packs for solar panels, improving the programmed intelligence, and building it some friends — but right now, the robot is already a big step toward reforesting public lands with millions of healthy saplings.

T

wo years ago, the U.S. Forest Service faced a backlog of at least 4 million acres of public land that needed to be reforested.

The REPLANT Act passed as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, a sweeping $1.2 trillion investment in American projects. The act lifted the cap on reforestation spending to get more trees in the ground faster. There are six For...continued on page 21

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There is no better community than SCC. You get to be in class with people from all walks of life. That experience cannot be replicated at a university level. You'll find a place at SCC for sure.

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MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 19

Scholastic Fantastic HEALTH CARE

The Art of Dying Well Whitworth’s Melinda Mullet turned her lived experience into a fight for end-of-life care

BY MADISON PEARSON

W

hen her mother was diagnosed after several years of illness with posterior cortical atrophy — a rare, terminal form of Alzheimer’s that progressively disrupts complex visual processing — Melinda Mullet became a full-time caregiver.

For the last year of her life, Mullet’s mother was moved to an adult care facility for around-the-clock care.

But when Mullet and her family were told hospice care was an option for her mother, they were taken aback.

“When they mentioned it, we were shocked at the suggestion,” Mullet says. “In our eyes, she wasn’t dying. I was kind of resistant to that.”

Mullet, 33, who graduated from Whitworth University this month, now recognizes that her doubts were due to a lack of information on what hospice care can provide to patients and caregivers. Now, Mullet serves as a hospice volunteer at Hospice of Spokane, and her Whitworth honors program thesis is dedicated to policy innovation for current Medicare regulations concerning hospice.

For instance, in Washington a new hospice can only be opened if it is determined that the proposed facilities or services are necessary to maintain quality patient care within a particular region or community. But in Idaho, a new hospice house can be opened at any time as long as the applicant is qualified.

This results in Hospice of Spokane volunteers driving to neighboring rural counties, even to the Canada border, to provide palliative care to those in the network.

“Seeing how the hospice organization was running and seeing the difficulties people were facing trying to get palliative care was eye-opening,” Mullet says.

“That’s what made me look into it.”

Mullet, along with her faculty adviser Bert Emerson, director of the honors program and associate professor of English, received the Hatfield Prize from the Center for Public Justice. The award is given annually to three Christian student-faculty pairs researching a social policy that impacts the well-being of children, families and communities. The pair received $6,500 to help them investigate disparities in hospice access and utilization.

20 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

Hospice provides more than just pain management for the terminally ill.

A double major in American studies and English, Mullet has been working on a three-section policy report for the project titled “The Future of Hospice Care: A Christian Perspective.” The report examines federal palliative care policies and how they impact Spokane County. In her report, Mullet focuses on Medicare Hospice Benefits. The report will be finished in June and published in September in a book along with the other two 2025 Hatfield Prize recipients’ research.

T

he three sections — discover, frame and engage — serve different functions within the report.

“Discover shows what the problem is,” Mullet says. “It’s the history, the facts and the data research.”

Mullet says Medicare has not updated its hospice benefits policy since it began making those benefits available in 1985.

“The initial policy was based on the last six months of a cancer patient’s care,” she says. “And now, especially with an increasingly older population, Alzheimer’s is now the highest percentage of hospice care patients. There is a lot more variation now, and the disease trajectory of Alzheimer’s is so much different than cancer.”

One major policy change that could factor in those different disease trajectories and counter misconceptions that hospice is “giving up” is increasing terminal diagnoses to a year, from six months. Mullet says this could increase hospice use, improved quality of life for patients (some of whom Melinda Mullet outlive their prognosis while in hospice care), and peace of mind for families, while also reducing care costs, since hospice costs less than hospital services.

In the “frame” section, Mullet lays out a Christian story about how we should “care well for the dying.” She then compares it to government’s responsibility to care for

people by providing physical health frameworks, networks, money and more. She also explores how nongovernmental institutions can provide emotional, social and spiritual support.

“That’s what hospice care is,” she says. “It’s not just pain management, it’s about quality of life.”

The report contains over a dozen interviews with hospice providers, people who have had a family member in hospice care, church leaders and hospice volunteers about their experiences and conversations around death and dying to showcase exactly how federal policy impacts Spokane’s hospice network.

Then, she fleshes out some recommended courses of action in the “engage” portion of the report.

“A lot of it is really saying how we don’t talk about it well,” Mullet says. “A result of that is that there are so many misconceptions, which is the biggest barrier to people accessing hospice care because they just don’t understand what it is.”

In reality, she says, “They provide all different kinds of medical equipment and knowledge on what the dying process is like. If you can’t talk about why it’s important to care well for the dying and how we die, then we can’t talk about that in the first place.”

Her published report will show that coordinated efforts between government, private sector providers and houses of worship can change public attitudes on hospice care.

She hopes the partnerships and policy innovation her report outlines will reach other academics and members of the public and eventually lead to lower hospital costs, decreased financial and physical strain on caregivers, and an increase in the dying person’s quality of life.

“Whether you are 1 year old or 99 years old and you’re dying, I think it’s important to be there with people,” she says. “Because life is important and people are important.” n

From left: University of Idaho student Brent Knopp, professor John Shovic and students Garrett Wells and Kevin Wing stand with their autonomous weed-killing robot.

PHOTO COURTESY U OF I

“GARDEN OF AI,” CONTINUED... est Service nurseries across the U.S., including the one in Coeur d’Alene, that grow the young trees for three years before they’re transplanted elsewhere. There’s more pressure than ever to grow more trees as high volume wildfires rage across the West.

The North Idaho nursery has 130 acres of seed beds that look fuzzy thanks to millions of baby trees — and other unwanted plants, too. Even though it’s a huge amount of labor to weed through all those beds, the basic concept is plenty simple for a robot, Shovic says.

“This robot is a very sophisticated robot, but what we are weeding is much simpler than your garden from a robot’s perspective,” he says. “Everything’s in the same row, it’s the same width, and you’ve basically got a monoculture of trees.”

The robot’s target victim is anything that’s not a tree. The team only needed to give the robot the artificial intelligence to differentiate “tree” from “not tree” (which most gardeners would agree is much easier than teaching a novice the difference between desirable pea shoots, beet tops, or arugula sprouts, and undesirable chickweed or purslane).

Students taught the robot with their own, very human, intelligence — and perseverance. They took thousands of pictures of tiny plants on the ground, marked each one as either “tree” or “not tree,” and fed that information into the robot’s software.

Now, the robot can identify “not trees” more than 80% of the time. The team hopes to improve the accuracy in years to come.

The next trick was to figure out how to kill the “not tree.”

Chemicals were prohibited. Digging could damage the roots of nearby trees. One student suggested using a blowtorch to burn weeds.

“I said, ‘Listen, the Forest Service is sponsoring this. Smokey Bear is sponsoring this. We’re not going to do it with fire,’” Shovic says.

But there are no bad ideas during a brainstorm. The blowtorch idea spawned the winning solution that’s a touch more refined: an electric current. When it identifies a “not tree,” the robot lowers a small metal rod a few millimeters into the ground to zap that weed with 3,500 volts — which is nothing compared to the 35,000 volts that dragging your socks across carpet can create, but enough to decimate the plant without harming any trees around it.

Evergreen can cover about half an acre in an eight- to 10-hour shift before it needs to roll back to its charging station and juice up for the next day. It’s going through final testing stages this spring as the team’s first contract with the Forest Service comes to an end.

Shovic hopes to procure more contracts in the future, since the Forest Service will need a fleet of at least four to five robots to manage their North Idaho acres.

“Someday, we may build as many as 40 of these to cover all six of the nurseries,” Shovic says. “But that’s sometime in the future.” n

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Scholastic Fantastic

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Researchers at Washington State University are developing a process to safely recycle end-of-life wind turbine blades

BY VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ

W SECOND EDITION

New Results - What the Spokane Region is Saying and Why it Matters

REVEALING CRITICAL ISSUES TO GUIDE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED SOLUTIONS 22 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

ind turbines have quickly been adopted in Washington for their attractive renewable energy generated by harnessing the wind.

According to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, Washington’s first wind turbines became operational in 1998, but the first major wind turbine farm, the Stateline Wind Farm along the Columbia River Gorge, opened in 2001 and grew to more than 450 wind turbines over the next several years.

On average, a wind turbine has a 20-year lifespan, and turbine blades are constructed from fiberglass and reinforced with resin or plastic to achieve the durability needed to function under the stress of weather conditions and usage wear.

Some residents who are resistant to wind turbine farms in Washington have brought up concerns about unrecyclable wind turbine blades. They quickly point to the 1,000 turbine blades buried at the Casper Regional Landfill in Wyoming.

Many of these first-generation modern turbines are reaching the end of their lifespans — the U.S. Department of Energy expects to retire 10,000 to 20,000 turbines per year by 2040.

Researcher Jinwen Zhang at Washington State University was motivated by the need to find ways to recycle the thousands of turbines that are nearing the end of their use.

“That’s why it’s so urgent in the research field; we need to find an eco-friendly and economic viable solution for recycling these materials,” Zhang says.

Zhang, a professor of mechanical and materials engineering, began his research at WSU in 2004 on the related work of polymer materials, with an emphasis on polymer synthesis, processing, recycling, and application development. Polymer materials can range from plastics to nylon, Teflon, and even the fibers used in bulletproof vests.

Zhang’s next steps were to examine current research on recycling strategies for wind turbine blades and to determine the difficulty of recycling glass fibers.

“Wind turbines are made of very high-fiber materials, particularly glass fibers,” Zhang says.

“Once the product is made, it cannot be reprocessed similarly to [plastic] bottles.”

Through eight years of research, Zhang and his team developed a mild-intensity and low-toxicity solvent process utilizing zinc acetate as a mild solvent to break down pieces of turbine blades.

Zhang published his most recent research on recycling wind turbine blades in Resources, Conservation, and Recycling in April.

In this process, researchers cut the blade made of glass fiber-reinforced polymer into small, 2-inch pieces. Then, the pieces are soaked in an organic salt bath solvent and pressurized in superheated water for about two hours, which breaks down the material.

Once the materials are broken down, the recycled fibers can be compounded with a polymer resin or other thermoplastic materials like nylon. The material is turned into injectionmolded plastic containing 70% recycled glass fiber-reinforced polymer.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

From left: Turbine blade waste; treated and broken down glass fiber reinforced polymer from turbine blades; and injection molded plastic made of 70% glass fiber reinforced polymer.

PHOTO COURTESY WSU

The new composite material is much stronger and can be used for extruded materials. Zhang’s research determined that the composite materials made of nylon and blade recyclable materials are three times stronger.

“There are many applications for industry use that need reinforcement,” Zhang says. “So, they have a component in the cars that needs fiber-reinforced materials.”

The new process is more efficient and less dependent on incorporating new materials to strengthen the recycled product, as demonstrated by other research on the same topic.

The process was successful in breaking down the materials, but Zhang says a hurdle in the research was the pressurization, which required heating the water to 200 degrees Celsius.

“One of the issues that still exists is the temperature, because at a temperature around 200 degrees Celsius, you still have to resort to the use of the pressure reactor for this process,” Zhang says. “So that will still be a significant hurdle for scaling up and economic viability.”

WELLNESS & SELF CARE ONE DAY SALE 25%OFF

Z

hang’s current process doesn’t allow for recycling old turbine blades into new ones because they must be made of continuous fibers to maintain blade strength, and not cut into pieces like his process employs.

He says it’s also difficult to scale up the recycling process because the blades are usually made in one or two pieces and often span more than 600 feet. No facilities or chemical reaction vessels can accommodate the process that Zhang uses to recycle the materials into blades that size.

Though he’s still developing a scalable process to recycle blades into other materials effectively, Zhang says placing wind turbine blades in landfills is a total waste. He thinks there are better (although expensive) methods that can still repurpose blades as material filler for other purposes, such as in concrete.

Zhang hopes that the research and development on recycling turbine blades will lead to new added value for waste materials.

If the process is simple, it will be easier to scale up and be economically viable, Zhang says.

“There is still room to improve on the process, and we are pursuing doing that at ambient pressure for this chemical recycling,” Zhang says. n

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MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 23

The ridges on these mussel shells can help researchers recreate climate data. COLTON RASANEN PHOTO Right: Gonzaga University’s Jens Hegg. PHOTO COURTESY JENS HEGG

Local Colleges and Universities NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE

Public Community College Coeur d’Alene Satellite Campus: Sandpoint Online degree programs available Founded 1933 Undergrad Enrollment: 4,585 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: The NIC Workforce Training Center in Post Falls is launching a logging program that starts in June. The two- to three-year program consists of classroom training and apprenticeships.

FUN FACT: NIC offers a variety of student clubs, including a Dungeons & Dragons club, Brazilian jiu-jitsu club and even a rock climbing club.

24 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Public Cheney Satellite Campus: Spokane Online degree programs available Founded 1882 Undergraduate Enrollment: 10,491 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: Melissa Graham, Ph.D., was appointed this March as the new assistant dean of student success and belonging for the EWU College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

She’ll also continue to lead — now as director — the school’s MESA University Center, which offers inclusive support for student success.

FUN FACT: The student-to-faculty ratio at Eastern is 20:1.

BY HANNAH HIGENS

SPOKANE FALLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Public Community College Spokane Online degree programs available Founded 1967 Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,903 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: Community Colleges of Spokane rebranded as Spokane Colleges in January 2025. The Spokane Colleges board’s motivation was to create a more clear and cohesive identity, uniting both Spokane colleges under one cultural name.

FUN FACT: SFCC is located on the former grounds of Fort George Wright, a U.S. Army base.

Scholastic Fantastic ECOLOGY

Measure by Mollusk Gonzaga biology professor Jens Hegg wants to use freshwater mussel shells to determine a climate baseline in Northwest waterways

BY COLTON RASANEN

B

y all accounts, freshwater mussels are boring creatures. From the time they fall off their host fish as a larva and settle in a riverbed until they die decades later, they might move a few meters at most.

These palm-sized mussels are so mundane that we don’t even have population estimates for most species, ecologist Jens Hegg explains.

However, these simple mollusks may hold decades of data detailing the historic conditions of Northwest waterways, such as the Little Spokane or Snake rivers, embedded in their shells.

Earlier this year, Hegg, an assistant biology professor at Gonzaga University, received nearly $100,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to figure out how to read that shell data. His research team will aim to figure out what controls the shell growth of Western ridged mussels, a Northwest native freshwater clam species suffering a population decline.

“In the same way that we pull information from tree rings about climate, you can do the same thing with these guys,” Hegg says, pointing at faint striations in concentric ovals along a clam’s shell. “As it turns out, a lot of things get recorded in hard parts of animals.”

While researching these mussel shells is new to Hegg, he’s previously studied waterbody climate conditions using data from the New Zealand snapper’s otoliths, or ear bones.

Described in his January 2025 research article in Global Change Biology, Hegg and a group of scientists used

SPOKANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

a process called “dynamic time warping” to bisect these minuscule bones and uncover the microchemical profile within. By inspecting these chemicals, researchers were able to deduce centuries of information that describes where these fish have been and what the climate was like when they lived.

“That information didn’t exist without looking at those records from the animals themselves. These sorts of internal records are also stored in mussel shells, which can stick around for a long time,” Hegg explains. “We’re still trying to figure out what the chemistry changes in mussels tell us. It’s clearly changing through the year.

There’s peaks and valleys in some of the chemical signatures … but it’s still a little unclear just exactly why they’re changing.”

I

n bright red dry suits and snorkeling gear, Hegg and his students will crawl shoulder to shoulder along streambeds to look for mussels in the summers to come. Once the team members locate a bed of mussels, they’ll dig a few up in search of any living specimen.

Although researching the chemistry in a mussel shell doesn’t require them to be alive, Hegg says he needs at least one living specimen to accurately age these mollusks.

“If you only take dead mussels, it’s hard to tell when they died. Those shells could sit around on the stream bottom for a long time, but if you collect a live one, then you’ve done what we call anchoring the chronology,” Hegg explains. “You’ve anchored it in time, because you

Public Community College Spokane Online degree programs available Founded 1963 Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,286 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: The Spokane Colleges established a director of tribal relations role in 2025. On Jan. 2, Naomi Bender, who has a doctorate in higher education and experience in Native health sciences, was welcomed into the job. The top priorities of this position are to serve Native students on their academic path and to build sustainable relationships between tribal communities and Spokane Colleges.

FUN FACT: The Spokane Colleges track and field team just won its 23rd Northwest Athletic Conference title during the spring ’25 season.

know exactly when it died. So then you are able to add mussels to that chronology going back every year by finding mussels that overlap in age.”

Once the researchers understand how long these mussels were alive by counting the growth rings on their shells, and after they’ve figured out which environmental factors caused the shells to grow, they hope to pinpoint what the river was like at different points in time in history. Theoretically, a mussel’s rings might grow differently depending on the climate they lived in at different times.

Hegg’s research into mussel shell growth is foundational, and if he’s able to determine this information reliably, climatologists will be able to set specific climate baselines for individual waterways.

Since Western ridged mussels can live upward of 60 years, Hegg says they make the perfect specimen for this type of chronologic research looking back in time. When climate scientists know what a river looked like decades or even centuries ago, they can help set more specific climate goals for that body of water.

“Every stream is unique, so having something like mussel shells, where you could say, ‘Oh, this is the temperature history, or this is the flow history,’ and we know that from the chemistry and the growth in mussel shells,” he says, “that would give you something really specific that you could aim for. And we could potentially learn a lot about really local rivers and streams that we just don’t have any records for.” n

WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY

Private Liberal Arts, Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian Church Spokane Online degree programs available Founded 1890 Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,459 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: Whitworth has been prioritizing the construction of a $19 million PACCAR Engineering Building, set to be finished in early 2026, which will house the engineering and physics department. The building was named after PACCAR (Pacific Car and Foundry), which is a global truck manufacturer that donated funds to support construction of the building.

FUN FACT: Whitworth students participate in a tradition called the “little three” during their time at university, which consists of catching a pine cone falling from a tree, getting hit by a frisbee and breaking a dish in the dining hall.

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 25

Scholastic Fantastic BIOCHEMISTRY Trays like this will be filled with various compounds as an EWU team searches for the right molecules to solve a protein deficiency.

SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTOS

Protein Pursuit EWU researchers seek to find the missing puzzle piece to help repair cells’ housekeeper enzymes

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

T

hose who took introductory biology classes in school might remember various parts of the cell and their roles. But one of the things at work that many nonscientists may not have heard of is inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase, or the ITPA protein.

To really, really simplify things, ITPA is an enzyme that acts as a housekeeper in cells, removing gunk that shouldn’t be there.

The “gunk” is inosine, which is a normal metabolite that can convert into other compounds that mimic the “A” and the “G” of the “ATG and C” that make up DNA;

Local Colleges and Universities CONTINUED...

26 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

cells can then mishandle the new material and plug it into DNA or RNA where it shouldn’t be, explains Nick Burgis, chair of Eastern Washington University’s Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics Department.

While ITPA has been studied for decades, scientists in the early 2000s started identifying clinical variants of the ITPA protein and linking those with different health issues.

Essentially, people can have various ITPA deficiencies. A common one, called P32T, affects as much as 15% of the world’s population and can interfere with how

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

Public Pullman Satellite Campuses: Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Everett, Global (Online) Founded 1890 Undergraduate Enrollment: 21,455 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: On May 1, the Washington State University College of Education became the College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences. The name change was announced during a WSU Board of Regents meeting, and the program directors changed the name to better reflect the college’s various programs.

FUN FACT: Washington State University’s veterinary medicine program also has a wildlife rehabilitation service that allows students to work with different species than they might see in their careers.

people’s bodies react when getting treatment for certain cancers or organ transplants, Burgis says.

A far rarer but somewhat similar deficiency, structurally, is known as the R178C mutant, which can cause a lethal infantile encephalopathy — kids born with this mutation rarely live to age 8, and can struggle with seizures and basic functions like eating, he says.

Burgis and his colleague Yao Houndonougbo, a biochemistry professor at Eastern, have been studying these deficiencies for years.

In September, the two were awarded a $350,000 grant

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO

Public Moscow Satellite Campuses: Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Campus 360 (online) Founded 1889 Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,747 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: University of Idaho was awarded a $4.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s GRANTED program to pioneer AI tools for research administration and efficiency. The project is led by Principal Investigator Sarah Martonick, director of the Office of Sponsored Programs.

FUN FACT: In 2003, researchers at the University of Idaho partnered with Utah State and became the first to clone a member of the equine/horse family worldwide. Together, the schools cloned a mule and named it Idaho Gem.

EWU chemistry professors Yao Houndonougbo and Nick Burgis. from the National Institutes of Health to continue their work and spend the next three years trying to find the missing puzzle piece (or pieces) to potentially fix the broken ITPA proteins. They’ll search a bank of more than 300,000 molecules maintained at UCLA, in hopes of finding possible leads that could ultimately spawn pharmaceutical medical therapies.

“The idea is, both at P32T and R178C, they both have stability issues, so the proteins both vibrate more, and they can kind of fall apart,” Burgis says. “Because both patient populations … kind of have similar issues, we’re hoping we can address both of them.”

T

hough robots at the UCLA lab will help Burgis and his team of student researchers fill hundreds and hundreds of wells in testing plates with the various molecules next summer, 300,000-plus is still a daunting number of compounds.

That’s why Houndonougbo, a computational chemist, will be doing the initial heavy lifting for the team, virtually. He’ll plug the digitized version of UCLA’s “Molecular Shared Screening Resource” compound library into software to see which molecules are most likely to hit the parameters they’re seeking.

“I’ll try to see the rank of the small molecule in terms of what we call free energy,” Houndonougbo says. “Lower the free energy, better the binding.”

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY

Then, Burgis and the research students will spend a month at UCLA testing various options, starting with the ones Houndonougbo’s program highlighted, and see if they can confirm the software picked good options. UCLA is also interested to see how the virtual screening works, Houndonougbo says.

“They’ve never done this type of screening on the [digital] library before,” he says. “So they’re just curious to know how well the library will behave.”

In the lab, the chemical reaction Burgis and the student researchers will use will turn each of the wells various colors, depending on what’s happening. The color they’re looking for is a deep green, which indicates more phosphate is in that reaction.

The phosphate is a byproduct of the housekeeping activity that ITPA does, so its presence indicates the enzyme is working properly.

The remainder of the project will be spent analyzing all the data and writing up their results.

“The ultimate goal is to lead to a drug,” Houndonougbo says.

“I’ve been doing the basic research since 1998, and it’s time to do the applied research, and teaming up with Yao has just really made that possible,” Burgis says. “Together, my biochemical work and his computational work really kind of hinted to us that we might be able to address this issue through a drug. … We’re pretty excited.” n

Private Liberal Arts, Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic (Jesuit) Spokane Satellite Campuses: Florence, Italy (Study Abroad), Global (Online) Online graduate degree programs available Founded 1887 Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,293 (Fall ’24) IN THE NEWS: The Gonzaga School of Law recently appointed Crystal Gamache as the program developer for the Conaway Family Children and Parents Representation and Justice Initiative. This new program aims to prepare law students for work advancing the rights and well-being of children and families in need.

FUN FACT: Based on a list put out by the Princeton Review, Gonzaga’s newspaper is ranked No. 15 out of 25 for “best college newspapers” in the country.

Sharing our Congratulations!

The University of Washington School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership unites students, faculty, and providers who are committed to the greater health of our communities.

This graduation season, we express our sincere congratulations to the University of Washington and Gonzaga University students who will become the next generation of healthcare providers – UW Physicians, RIDE Dentists, MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistants, Gonzaga Nurses and many more – to serve communities throughout central and eastern Washington.

Learn about Together we are stronger.

our Health Partnership

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 27

cades. SCC’s previous practical nursing program evolved into the more rigorous registered nursing program, but in recent years there’s been a push to get more of these practical nurses educated and hired.

“Typically, your registered nurse is going to be hired into departments, like the emergency department, the ICUs, because their scope is a little larger, and they have a better background and skillset to take care of those critical patients,” explains Brittany Heidenreich, the practical nursing program’s lead instructor. “Whereas practical nursing’s scope is a little bit more narrow. Lots of practical nurses are being hired in long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and hospice clinics.”

Some hospitals, such as MultiCare Deaconess, hire practical nurses in inpatient units, she says.

So far, eight students have enrolled in the one-year certificate program, and another eight will start in the summer. The program, which was funded through a nearly $400,000 Rural Health Grant from the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, is the only of its kind at colleges in Eastern Washington, Heidenreich says.

“Creating that extra avenue for students to get into the health care community, to maybe try out nursing, to see if it’s a good fit for them before they go on to registered nursing, is really important,” she says. “Our skilled nursing facilities are really short staffed, and filling those positions with practical nurses is a good step forward.”

Scholastic Fantastic HIGHER ED

Students get hands-on nursing experience at Spokane Community College.

PHOTO COURTESY SPOKANE COLLEGES

New Faces, Course Changes New university presidents, renewed programs and fresh starts: A roundup of Inland Northwest higher education news

BY COLTON RASANEN

B

eyond the innovative research happening at our local universities, it’s been a busy year for higher education in the Inland Northwest. Here are some of the big changes.

TAKING THE LEAD

After years of continuous leadership, both Washington State University and Gonzaga University have or will have new presidents.

Last year, then-WSU President Kirk Schulz announced he would retire by June 2025. However, after the Board of Regents selected a new president in February, it announced Schulz would step down sooner.

On April 1, Elizabeth Cantwell began her time as WSU’s 12th president, and Schulz stepped into a one-year senior adviser position. The former Utah State University president is the first woman to stand at the helm of Washington’s second-largest university.

Still within her first 100 days, Cantwell is working to get acquainted with the school by “building strong rela-

28 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

tionships and gaining a comprehensive understanding of institutional strengths, challenges and opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Katia Passerini, currently provost and senior executive vice president of New Jersey’s Seton Hall University, will become Gonzaga’s new president on July 15. She will succeed Thayne McCulloh, who served for 16 years as president of the university where he’s worked since 1990.

Passerini will be the first woman to lead the Catholic Jesuit school in its 138-year history.

“Her current role … together with her previous academic and administrative appointments, have prepared her well for this next stage in a stellar higher education career.

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of electing Dr. Passerini,” Board Chair Michael Reilly stated after Passerini’s hire.

PRACTICAL REVAMP

Starting in January, Spokane Community College welcomed its first cohort of practical nursing students in de-

ON THE MEND

At this time last year, North Idaho College leaders were still fighting to save the college’s accreditation — the certification that affirms a college or university meets quality standards — and bring it back into compliance with those standards. In March 2024, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NIC’s accrediting body) informed the college that it had made significant progress on many of the commission’s recommendations, but that many of the issues pertaining to NIC’s Board of Trustees remained out of compliance.

In August, the college sent a report to the commission affirming that its board had made efforts to only have a single college president, shore up sour relations with President Nick Swayne and his administration, and adhere to a more rigorous set of policies surrounding “appropriate roles and responsibilities, expectations, professional conduct and ethics, and grievance procedures.” In the report, NIC argued its progress warranted a reduction in sanctions, if not a return to good standing.

After NIC sent that August letter, three seats on the Board of Trustees were up for election. The positions were held by Todd Banducci, Mike Waggoner and Greg McKenzie, the majority responsible for many of the college’s issues, including paying for two presidents at the same time. In 2023, the trio voted to fire Swayne without cause and hired a replacement president on an 18-month contract even though a court ordered Swayne’s reinstatement. In November, three newcomers, Eve Knudtsen, Mary Havercroft and Rick Durbin, were elected to those seats as Waggoner and Banducci did not seek reelection, and McKenzie lost his bid for reelection.

In February, the commission decided that NIC had made enough progress to be moved from a “sanction of show cause” to probation, with a one-year deadline to fix the remaining issues, such as addressing multiple votes of no confidence from faculty, staff and students.

Months after the trio were elected to the board, and weeks after the accrediting commission’s decision, every vote of no confidence was rescinded.

“In my humble opinion, this board did more work in 45 minutes than the previous board had done in 2 1/2 years,” head of the faculty assembly Kathleen Miller Green told Idaho Education News in April. n

BECOME THE LEADER WE ALL NEED ZAGS LEAD THE WAY • MASTER’S & PH.D. • CERTIFICATES

• CONSULTING & TRAINING

CONNECT WITH US gonzaga.edu/leadership

ONLINE | HYBRID | IN-PERSON MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 29

Owners Armand Van Pelt, left, and Steven Egger

A glass of Weller 12-year bourbon, the blue gin sour and the Heritage Manhattan at Local Flavors. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

OPENING

Call Me Old Fashioned Local Flavors opens on the South Hill, building on a family legacy

BY DORA SCOTT

A

s the race horses of the Kentucky Derby took off in Louisville on May 3, Local Flavors, a new restaurant and whiskey and bourbon bar, also hit the ground running with a Derby-style grand opening on the South Hill.

By 3 pm, the restaurant served 150 sandwiches and over 250 mint juleps in an ode to its grand opening’s overlap with Derby Day. The restaurant shares the same building at 5611 S. Perry St. as Egger’s Specialty Market, a longstanding family liquor store owned by Steven Egger, who also co-owns Local Flavors with Armand Van Pelt. Behind the building stands Egger’s Better Meats and Seafood, founded in 1962 by Egger’s grandfather and now coowned by Egger’s father and uncle.

“I chose this location simply because I wanted to be on this property,” Egger says. “My family bought this property to try and develop it and continue our legacy and kind of make it into something we’re really, really proud of even more than what we have already done.”

30 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

The meat shop moved to the back property building a decade ago, leaving the space next to the liquor store empty. “We filled it with shelving and just stored boxes of liquor cases,” Egger says.

Egger grew up working for the family business before pursuing a career in engineering. After his mother was diagnosed with cancer, Egger purchased the liquor store four years ago to allow her to retire. He renamed it Egger’s Specialty Market.

Combining Egger’s passion for spirits with Van Pelt’s love of food, the idea for Local Flavors came to life.

“Armand and I have been friends for the last almost decade now, and we just always found our conversations surrounding food, hospitality, and just good times and smiles and laughing,” Egger says.

Throughout their friendship, Egger and Van Pelt spent many weekends together in the kitchen whipping up beef Wellingtons and experimenting with other recipes.

However, coming up with the recipes and menu for the restaurant was no easy task.

“Every time you feel like you come up with a good idea, you want to change it or tweak it a little bit more,” Egger says.

T

he current menu features club ($16), Reuben ($17) and grilled cheese ($14) sandwiches alongside salad ($14), a kids menu and finger foods like charcuterie that are perfect for snacking while sipping on craft spirits.

“As far as food goes, I’ve had a passion for charcuterie, dry aging meats, my family [has] Austrian heritage and [brought] a lot of those sausage-making techniques over to here,” Egger says. “That’s kind of where it all stemmed from.”

Local Flavors’ food selections may still be simple, but they are classics done right. The club sandwich features triple-decked layers of slow-roasted turkey, ham, crispy bacon, iceberg lettuce, tomato and mayo on sourdough bread.

Egger’s personal favorite is the Reuben, which sand-

Dive into a towering club sandwich at Local Flavors. wiches slow-smoked corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on marbled rye bread.

“The corned beef in the Reuben has been the family recipe of ours that we’ve made for years. The sauerkraut is made in house,” he says.

The menu is set to expand and change with the implementation of a smokehouse, adding items like smoked sandwiches.

As for Egger’s go-to drink, he finds himself drinking an old fashioned cocktail ($13) if he’s not hankering for a neat glass of whiskey.

Egger’s love of spirits started when he took over the liquor store, prompting him to take a deep dive into its historical importance in America.

“I fell in love more with the history of the families, the stories and everything behind the juice in the bottle and the spirits, and that really drove my want to become educated in the industry,” he says.

From the array of spirits behind the bar you’ll likely find something to suit your fancy, as well as highly sought after bottles like Blanton’s Bourbon. There are also rotating draft beer selections ($7-$8) and wines ($10), many of which are from local breweries and wineries like Lumberbeard Brewing Co. and Barrister Winery.

If a customer can’t find a bottle they want, that’s the benefit of owning the liquor store next door: Patrons can shop at the store, have the bottle opened (for a small corkage fee) for their enjoyment at Local Flavors and take the rest home.

In addition, Local Flavors will have a wine and beer club starting this summer — members can enjoy exclusive discounts, parties, tastings and more.

O

pening the same day as the Kentucky Derby was something the owners decided to embrace.

“Derby Day was the same day that Buffalo Trace was opened in Kentucky,” says Egger about the historic distillery.

Remnants of the Derby-themed party are found throughout the restaurant, including a gold Kentucky Derby trophy replica and a wooden model of one of the Churchill Downs twin spires.

Depending on future events, however, the decor will change and could include things like faux vines for wine-related tastings.

The restaurant’s rustic theme extends to the light fixtures, with some bulbs encased in metal shades or pieces of a barrel.

The wood on the ceiling is recycled from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, and the cedar wainscoting was from wood found on Mount Spokane that had been stored for years in a friend’s grandpa’s shed.

“The whole entire place has truly been built in the eyes of the Pacific Northwest and really wanting to keep it rustic, keep it true, keep it natural,” Egger says.

Rooted in community, generational customers of the Egger family have come out in full support of Local Flavors.

“To me, it’s wild that we could have so many loyal customers and so many families still shopping with us for so long,” Egger says. “It’s really, really humbling to now be a part of building something that is adding to that same legacy.” n Local Flavors • 5611 S. Perry St. • Open Mon-Tues noon-8 pm; Weds-Sat noon-10 pm • 509-825-1003

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 31

FESTIVAL RECAP

SIFF standouts: Come See Me in the Good Light, Happyend, Invention.

Seattle Cinematic Dispatch Rounding up some of the most interesting films we saw at Seattle International Film Festival 2025

BY SETH SOMMERFELD, NATHAN WEINBENDER, JASON BAXTER

M

ay might be the unofficial start of the summer blockbuster movie season, but for real Washingtonian film junkies the bigger cinematic event on the calendar is the Seattle International Film Festival. We ventured to the Emerald City to cram in dozens of movies in just over a week, and here are some of the standout films to keep an eye on when they eventually head to local theaters or streaming services. (For even more picks, visit Inlander.com.)

CAT TOWN, USA

Think of this documentary as a kind of inverse Tiger King.

Cat Town,USA centers on two boomer Floridians who run an animal sanctuary that specifically caters to elderly cats that have either been abandoned by their owners or left to fend for themselves on the streets. Terry and Bruce Jenkins are certifiable goofballs whose warmth and compassion floods off the screen. If you’re a cat person, this will hit you like a Mack Truck (even if you aren’t, their benevolence will be hard to deny). Director Jonathan Napolitano maintains a light touch throughout, redolent of the more whimsical entries in Errol Morris’ filmography.

32 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

Cat Town, USA reigns as the best cat-centric doc SIFF has screened since 2016’s Kedi. (JASON BAXTER)

COLOR BOOK

Life is not easy, but there’s beauty to be found in the journeys that don’t go as planned. In writer/director David Fortune’s Color Book, a grieving now-single father just wants to take his 9-year-old son with Down syndrome to his first Atlanta Braves game. Anchored by gorgeous black and white cinematography and dynamite performances by William Catlett as the patriarch Lucky and Jeremiah Daniels as his boy Mason, Color Book mines the most out of its simplicity for an emotionally wrenching yet warm and optimistic story about love, vulnerability, and family with subtle but sharp commentary on class and culture in the ATL. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT

It’s rare to hear an audience laughing and audibly weeping through the entire runtime of a movie, but the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light earns those

reactions. Director Ryan White’s film follows poet Andrea Gibson after they’ve been diagnosed with incurable ovarian cancer, and it eavesdrops as Gibson and their wife, Meg Falley, have lots of conversations — tough, tender, funny — about the future, however much of it Gibson has left. But the Golden Space Needle Award winner for SIFF’s best documentary isn’t just a live, laugh, love tearjerker. It’s also unflinching in its depiction of terminal illness — the endless medical appointments, the side effects of chemotherapy, the yo-yoing test results, the chronic pain — and it uses selections of Gibson’s poetry to put it into perspective. Come See Me in the Good Light is set to premiere on Apple TV+ in the fall. (NATHAN WEINBENDER)

EVERGREENS

Spokane writer/director Jared Briley’s first feature has a rich Evergreen State feel. The story centers on 20-yearold Eve (Darby Lee-Stack), a Spokanite who never really leaves town in part because of family reasons. She stumbles across a young bohemian cross-country roadtripper named James (Edouard Philipponnat) and decides to join

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FRIENDSHIP

Starring Paul Rudd

TIM TRAVERS & THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX With Danny Trejo & Joel McHale

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SIFF award-winning Sorry, Baby will be coming to Spokane screens soon. him on the final leg to Seattle. Evergreens hits a lot of the tentpole road trip and coming-of-age film benchmarks, but the richness of pine-laden cinematography and music by beloved Seattle singer-songwriter Damien Jurado help elevate its home state cred. (SS)

HAPPYEND

Despite being set in the “near future”— as its portentous opening titles indicate — Happyend stands as one of the timeliest entries of this year’s SIFF. As seen through the lives of a half-dozen Japanese high school seniors, the film explores a myriad of all-too-topical themes: authoritarianism, xenophobia, the surveillance state, and government conspiracies. Heavy stuff, to be sure, but fortunately the film is leavened with a constant vein of humor and a well-earned sentimentality.

Happyend could have worked simply as your prototypical coming-of-age story or as a manifesto for peaceful resistance in the face of unjust and crooked crackdowns on freedom. Miraculously, it superserves being both. Nailing the cinematography, performances, editing, and score, this first narrative feature from writer/director Neo Sora (son of the famed composer Ryuichi Sakamoto) is remarkable. (JB)

INVENTION

The SIFF New American Cinema Grand Jury prize winning feature is exactly the type of atypical and experimental filmmaking that you go to film fests to seek out. Director Courtney Stephens and star Callie Hernandez co-wrote this movie about a woman who travels to a small town after her estranged father dies in order to deal with his estate. The only thing he really left her is a patent for a New Age-y healing device, and while she initially dismisses it as snake oil nonsense, she begins to become more curious when talking to all the folks around town that knew her dad. The film gets stranger by intercutting footage of Hernandez’s actual deceased father who peddled alternative medicine on TV, plus interstitial transition shots of a candle flame foregrounding audio of the actors discussing how to approach the narrative’s improvised scenes. As strange as that may sound it becomes an affecting commentary about conspiracy mindsets, family legacy and belief. (SS)

SEEDS

On paper, Seeds sounds like a typical agitprop documentary, a film about multigenerational Black farmers in Georgia and the challenges

that come with the job. But it’s director Brittany Shyne’s approach that makes Seeds so immediate and absorbing. She adopts the fly-on-the-wall methods of Frederick Wiseman and the lyrical, free-associative style of Terrence Malick, shooting in a lustrous black-and-white that gives the landscape a haunting, timeless beauty. Each scene is a small, vivid snapshot — aging farm equipment held together by ropes and handkerchiefs; a trailer home with holes in the floor covered by plywood; a grandmother washing her hair in the bathroom sink; two old-timers having a conversation from their idling trucks — and they add up to an epic portrait of lives as they are really lived.

(NW)

SORRY, BABY

The protagonist of Sorry, Baby is a lit professor who specializes in the art of the short story, and the movie itself (which won Seattle Film Critics Society Feature Film Award) has the closely observed sense of detail you’d find in a particularly good piece of short fiction. Agnes (played by the film’s writer/director Eva Victor) has begun teaching at the New England liberal arts college where she recently graduated. This new job is fraught, however, because Agnes is filling the position and occupying the office of the man who sexually assaulted her. It’s a film about trauma, yes, but it’s also about what it means to grow up and get serious, and Victor handles it all with delicacy and a disarming streak of off-kilter humor. Sorry, Baby is scheduled for a theatrical release on June 27 via A24. (NW)

TWINLESS

It’s always difficult to sing the praises of a movie where the less a viewer knows about it before they watch the better, but writer/director James Sweeney’s deliciously dark and twisted comedy Twinless fits that bill. To keep it basic: Dennis (Sweeney) and Roman (The Maze Runner’s Dylan O’Brien) meet at a support group for twins whose twin sibling has died. Their odd couple friendship leads to a ton of uproariously funny and deeply uncomfortable moments, and Sweeney expertly manages the story’s tone as it takes some absolutely wild turns. It’s the best film I saw at SIFF and rightfully earned Sweeney the Golden Space Needle for Best Director. If Twinless actually gets the proper wide release it deserves, it will become one of the comedic films that defines 2025. Twinless is scheduled for a theatrical release on Sept. 5 via Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. (SS) n

OPENING IN THEATERS BRING HER BACK

Horror filmmaking duo Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me) return with this tale of siblings who witness terrifying sights as their new foster mother (Sally Hawkins) engages in sinister rituals to try to bring her dead daughter back to life.

Rated R

u n e M the

A dining and happy hour guide for the Inland Northwest

JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE

In this French/English romantic comedy, an aspiring novelist gets an invitation to the Jane Austen Writers’ Residency, where she attempts to ignite her creativity while also sparking up a relationship with one of Austen’s descendants. Rated R

KARATE KID: LEGENDS

Set three years after the events of the TV series Cobra Kai, the sixth film in the franchise finds both Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) preparing a new underdog kid to compete in a martial arts tournament. Rated PG-13

TIM TRAVERS AND THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX

After screening at this year’s SpIFF, this highly entertaining Spokanemade sci-fi comedy gets a theatrical run. The titular snarky Travers invents a time machine and quickly kills his past self, creating a paradox that he (and multiple versions of himself) must try to understand.

Rated R At the Magic Lantern

ON STANDS

NOW!

TORNADO

This unusual revenge drama from writer/director John Maclean (Slow West) centers on a father-daughter team of samurai puppet performers in 18th-century Scotland whose existence gets upended after encountering a ruthless gang of criminals.

Rated R Look for it in the lobby of 50+ area grocery stores, or wherever you pick up your weekly Inlander

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 33

What’s good for the Goose is good for the band(er).

ROCK

FLYING HIGH

JULIANA BERNSTEIN PHOTO

Jam band Goose takes drummer Cotter Ellis from zero to 60

BY AZARIA PODPLESKY

A

lot can change in a year. For drummer Cotter Ellis (above right), a year was the difference between playing dive bars to opening for Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden.

This accelerated bop to the top came after joining Goose — the Connecticut-born jam band of Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, keys, guitar) and Trevor Weekz (bass) — in 2024.

Goose has become the poster-band for modern jam music by fitting a plethora of styles under their jam genre umbrella, fearlessly improvising during concerts and releasing more than a dozen recordings of those live shows since 2020.

Now with Ellis behind the kit, Goose is headlining a

34 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

tour that brings the band back for another show at the Pavilion on Saturday, May 31.

E

llis learned to play drums by performing covers of Green Day and pop punk songs with a band he formed with friends as a fifth grader. The band practiced weekly, most often at Ellis’ house in Bedford, Massachusetts, and eventually played some gigs in nearby Boston.

After high school, Ellis went to college to study environmental conservation, but only lasted a year before realizing he couldn’t actually see himself working in that field. Turning back to music, Ellis started a band that, after a couple lineup changes, became Swimmer, a Burl-

ington, Vermont-born jam band with eclectic tastes that included the pop punk music Ellis grew up playing.

While booking shows in Connecticut, Ellis and his Swimmer bandmates met and shared bills with future Goose keyboardist/guitarist Anspach, then playing with his band Great Blue. Swimmer and Goose (which formed in Wilton, Connecticut in 2014) circled around each other at the same time.

“I had heard a lot of noise about Goose,” Ellis says.

“People love them, people hate them, even back then.”

The two bands were eventually booked for a show together that Swimmer (“hot shit” at the time) was scheduled to headline, but they ended up splitting the bill.

“It was a really different band back then, but I was

SPOKANE’S LARGEST ESTATE SALE (OVER 100 DONORS) floored by Rick’s playing,” Ellis says. “Then after the show, I remember talking to him in the Nectar’s green room, and he was psyched on my playing.”

The groups kept in touch, so years later when Anspach asked Ellis if he wanted to jam with Goose, Ellis didn’t think much of it.

When he met up with the band, however, he realized this wasn’t a mere friendly jam session but an audition to replace original drummer Ben Atkind (Goose explained Atkind’s departure in a press release at the time, stating he left due to “a creative impasse that neither side could overcome”).

“It was a ‘Let’s sit down and see what happens musically,’ which is my favorite thing to do,” Ellis recalls. “I’ve always been a ‘Let’s get through the songs so we can get to the part where we just improv and have something unique happen in the moment.’”

Ellis officially joined the band in February 2024. Though he was joining a group that had spent a decade together, Ellis says things quickly fell into place as he and his new bandmates bonded over their “shared but separate experiences of grinding and trying to make it.”

“It was vibey, and we were able to be vulnerable with each other,” he says. “Rick created a space for me where I didn’t have to put on an act. It was like ‘Whatever you’re feeling, please just talk about it.’”

News of Ellis’ addition was initially met with angry comments from fans, but the band assured him they had his back. Plus, as Ellis says, “people talking about you online is kind of a sign of success.”

E

llis immediately set to work learning the band’s discography. He wanted the band to give him a few songs to learn at a time, but they wanted him to dive into the deep end so he could be ready for anything and they could choose setlists based on what they felt was right for each show.

The amount of material aside, Ellis also says there’s a fine line between being inspired by someone and being intimidated by someone and wondering why you can’t play something the way another musician can.

“It was an emotional journey to get through those songs and practice them with the band,” he says. “I had to learn them really well, and I had to nail them, but also they were supportive of me putting my own voice into them, which is still an ongoing thing.

I’m still working on that now, a year later.”

Ellis was able to add his voice to the band’s latest album, Everything Must Go, which was released in April. Ellis says a version of the album had been fully recorded and could have been released when he joined the band, but it evolved to include new songs and Ellis’ contributions.

“How It Ends,” a song that sounds like how driving with the top down feels, was the first drum part Ellis wrote for Goose.

“Give It Time,” for which he was inspired by drummer Steve Gadd’s work on Paul Simon’s Concert in the Park, was another.

“I really wanted it to feel like this tribal percussionist kind of vibe, and I feel like I nailed my vision of it,” he says. “Then it was like, ‘Alright, now my confidence is starting to come because I have this vision that I actually put in. I actually played a role in how this song came out.’”

Despite the speedbumps (including second drummer Jeff Arevalo’s departure in March), Goose is continuing to gain momentum after a decade in the game, having recently performed its first Canadian shows as well as that gig at Madison Square Garden with DMB. Goose will headline the Garden next month and will open for DMB during the band’s annual Labor Day weekend residency at the Gorge Amphitheatre. It’s a tour schedule Ellis is excited for but also still trying to wrap his head around.

“It’s starting to feel more normal, but for that one year, it felt like I was on this wild, wild ride that was never going to end,” he says. “I’m still on it. I’m just more used to the thrill now.” n Goose • Sat, May 31 at 6:30 pm • $64 • All ages • Gesa Credit Union Pavilion • 574 N. Howard St. • spokanepavilion.com

16TH ANNUAL

UPSCALE SALE by the Spokane Symphony Associates (to benefit the Spokane Symphony)

9120 N. Division, Spokane, WA (At the Y on North Division – Former RITE AID)

SALE DAYS: (FREE ADMISSION) NO SALES TAX

GET EARLY ACCESS!

May 30th May 31st June 1st June 6th June 7th

OFFERING SALE

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

9am-6pm

9am-6pm

10am-5pm

9am-6pm

9am-5pm

Over 100 Donors Fine art, Hundreds of art prints and frames including Carl Funseth & Duck Unlimited Prints, Jim Bray original watercolor. Furniture, side tables, coffee tables, lamp tables, and bedroom sets, dining sets, sofas, dressers, a complete (new) outdoor wicker furniture set, patio furniture, glass top tables, recliners, vintage furniture, walnut 1880’s bed; 40 new Oriental rugs many sizes and styles. Antique clocks, Asian items, household decor and collectibles, small kitchen appliances, Hümmel, Lladro, & Royal Doulton figurines, vases and candlesticks; Glass, including cut crystal goblets, Waterford, Wedgwood, Kings Crown, Murano & Brilliant American Cut Glass; China: Lenox, Limoges, Dansk, Chintz, Noritake. Bar ware, decanters, silver-plated serving pieces; A Boudoir doll & vintage dolls. Hundreds of pieces of costume & fine jewelry. Clothing: dresses, fur coats, and jeans, vintage hats, party dresses, mens jackets. Wooden collectibles; table lamps, luggage, and garden items, sporting goods. Bowers & Wilkins Hi-fi speakers with remote; HD helmet cameras, Contour & Drift HD, Canon Rebel EOS XSI, & Canon Powershot. Pilots’ headset; Disney snow globes, Jim Beam bottles, baskets. Antique linens, quilts, 2 rare Jacquard coverlets, New Janome Mod 8933 serger, Bernina Deco 650 embroidery machine and accessories, dress form, fabrics, yarns & vintage table loom; Toys & games, books, garden items Many mirrors, All priced to sell.

FIRST CHOICE – $5 PRE-SALE ADMISSION –

Thursday, May 29th, 3:00pm-7:00pm

Photos available on Craigslist and Spokane Symphony Associates website under “Upscale Sale” or scan below for our FB page

SCAN HERE FOR OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

Special thanks to NAI Black Realty Management & White Block

GO TO SPOKANE ART SUPPLY ...AND THEN TO CHOWDERHEAD MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 35

MUSIC | SOUND ADVICE

LOCAL SINGER-SONGWRITER RAJ SAINT PAUL R

ajah Bose is an artistic maker. That manifests itself in multiple ways: stunning artistic and journalistic photography, being a member of beloved defunct Spokane band the Flying Spiders and now creating his own music as Raj Saint Paul with the new album The First Sounds. Inspired by a cross country train trip, the album is a collection of slow-burning and reflective folky Americana numbers. The reserved instrumentation pairs with Bose’s dramatically poetic storytelling delivery which evokes smokey wisps of Nick Cave. The album’s release show at Hamilton Studio will naturally be a multimedia experience with Bose backed by immersive photographs from his journey and anecdotes to help flesh out the narrative musical world he’s created.

— SETH SOMMERFELD Raj Saint Paul: The First Sounds Album Release Show • Fri, May 30 at 7 pm • $34-$39 • All ages • Hamilton Studio • 1427 W. Dean Ave. • hamilton.live

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

Thursday, 5/29

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Pamela Benton J J THE BIG DIPPER, Gaytheist, Itchy Kitty BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Hoodoo Udo GARLAND DRINKERY, Speak Easy: Open Mic Night J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin RED ROOM LOUNGE, Thurrsdays EDM Night J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Ministry, The Squirrely Years, The Thrill Kill Kult, Die Krupps J ZOLA, Frances Browne

ALTERNATIVE METAL SLEEP THEORY O

ften the best compliment you can give a band is that they don’t sound exactly like anything you’ve ever heard before. The Memphis alt-metal band’s new album, Afterglow, combines many familiar music cues but arranges them in a way that feels entirely fresh. Lead clean vocalist Cullen Moore weaves notes of smooth R&B flavor into his metal frontman vocals, while guitarist/unclean vocalist Daniel Pruitt provides metalcore growls. The band can get seriously heavy, but verses and prechoruses also can often call to mind the melodic hooks of Fall Out Boy and Linkin Park tunes. The resulting sonic smoothie proves to be a sweet treat that goes down very easily and has broad appeal for fans who enjoy a wide range of rock styles.

Bottom line: Don’t sleep on Sleep Theory.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Friday, 5/30

THE BEE’S KNEES WHISKEY BAR, Pat Simmons J THE BIG DIPPER, Children of the Sun, Still We Rise, Louder Than Hell, Altaira BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Hasenpfeffer THE CHAMELEON, Electric Rodeo Dance Party THE DISTRICT BAR, Terrapin Flyer J THE GRAIN SHED, Haywire GREEN CITY SALOON, DJ KJ J HAMILTON STUDIO, Raj Saint Paul: The First Sounds Album Release Show IRON HORSE (CDA), Chasing Eos MOOSE LOUNGE, Karma’s Circle MOOSE LOUNGE (NORTH), Haze NIGHT OWL, Four On The Floor Fridays J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Brad Paisley, Walker Hayes, Mae Estes

36 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

Sleep Theory, Nevertel, Oxymorrons, Stray View • Wed, June 4 at 7:30 pm • $29 • All ages • Knitting Factory • 919 W. Sprague Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Bright Moments J PUEBLA MEXICAN RESTAURANT & CANTINA, Latin Dance Party J REPUBLIC BREWING CO., Hannah Jackson J RIVER CITY LANES, Karaoke with Rich SPOKANE TRIBE RESORT & CASINO, Live Band Karaoke THE GOODY BAR AND GRILL, Midnight Open Mic ZOLA, Dave Long ZOLA, RCA and the Radicals

Saturday, 5/31

J J THE BIG DIPPER, Quiet Winter, Time Baby, Handsigns, King Me, Babe (Matinee show) J THE BIG DIPPER, Switch Off Safety, Resist the Current, Blessid Doom, Torn Open

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Hasenpfeffer THE CHAMELEON, Spokane is Dead J HAMILTON STUDIO, Lilac City Voices IRON HORSE (CDA), Chasing Eos J MIKEY’S GYROS, The Khind MOOSE LOUNGE, Karma’s Circle MOOSE LOUNGE (NORTH), Haze J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, BTP J RIVER CITY LANES, Karaoke with Rich J SHOOTERS BAR & GRILL, Just Plain Darin J SPOKANE PAVILION, Goose J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Mike Tramp’s White Lion, Royal Bliss THE GOODY BAR AND GRILL, Midnight Open Mic

ZOLA, Rōnin ZOLA, Blake Braley

Sunday, 6/1

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, The Soulful Brothers J THE BIG DIPPER, Slime, Room 13, Bent Outta Shape, Tomb Ripper BIGFOOT PUB & EATERY, Karaoke with DJ Sterling J HAMILTON STUDIO, Jonathan Doyle and the Zonky Jazz Band J KNITTING FACTORY, Napalm Death, Melvins, Hard-On’s, Dark Sky Burial J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin

Monday, 6/2

BIGFOOT PUB & EATERY, Karaoke with DJ Sterling

RED ROOM LOUNGE, Red Room Open Mic ZOLA, Nate Stratte

Tuesday, 6/3

BIGFOOT PUB & EATERY, Karaoke with DJ Sterling SWING LOUNGE, Swing Lounge Live Music Tuesdays ZOLA, The Zola All Star Jam

Wednesday, 6/4 BIGFOOT PUB & EATERY, Karaoke with DJ Sterling CRUISERS, Karaoke with Rich THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic J KNITTING FACTORY, Sleep Theory, Nevertel, Oxymorrons, Stray View LAKERS INN BAR, Karaoke with Webrix RED ROOM LOUNGE, Red Room Jam

MUSIC | VENUES J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents TRVST, The TRVST Open Decks ZOLA, Akifumi Kato

Coming Up ...

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Lyle Morse, June 5, 5:30 pm.

J THE GRAIN SHED, Haywire, 9-11 am.

J J ZEPHYR LODGE, Zephyr Folk Festival, June 6, 4 pm and June 7, 4 pm.

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Weibe Jammin’, June 6, 5-8 pm.

J HAMILTON STUDIO, Shannon Curtis: 80s Kids, June 6, 7 pm.

J NEATO BURRITO, Dairybaby, Jubotron, Darsh, June 6, 7 pm.

J REPUBLIC BREWING CO., Dani Bacon, Clarence Gallagher and Friends, June 6, 7-10 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Kayzo, June 6, 8 pm.

SPOKANE TRIBE RESORT & CASINO, Live Band Karaoke, 8 pm.

J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Air Supply, June 6, 8 pm.

GREEN CITY SALOON, DJ KJ, 9 pm.

NIGHT OWL, Four On The Floor Fridays, 9 pm-2 am.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Suspicious PKG, June 7, 5-8 pm.

J KNITTING FACTORY, Livingston, June 7, 8 pm.

J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Ben Rector, June 7, 8 pm.

THE CHAMELEON, 2 Fast 2 Fiesta, June 7, 9 pm.

THE DISTRICT BAR, Daft Punk Night, June 7, 9 pm.

J JAGUAR ROOM, Seance Audio, June 7, 9 pm.

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Kevin Shay Band, June 8, 5:30 pm.

J HAMILTON STUDIO, Clive Carroll, June 8, 6 pm.

J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Blind Melon, June 8, 8 pm.

J J THE BIG DIPPER, Planet of the Little Green Men, Timeworm, Jumbotron, Fossil Fire Fossil Blood, June 9, 7:30 pm.

J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, John Firshi, June 10, 5-7 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Hippies & Cowboys, June 10, 7:30 pm.

ZOLA, The Zola All Star Jam, Tues., 8-11 pm.

J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents, June 11, 6-9 pm.

CRUISERS, Karaoke with Rich, 7-11 pm.

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic, 7-10 pm.

J THE BIG DIPPER, Wayne Hancock, IV And The Strange Band, June 11, 7:30 pm.

ZOLA, Akifumi Kato, 8-11 pm.

219 LOUNGE • 219 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • 208-263-5673 ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS • 4705 N. Fruit Hill Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-927-9463 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 BOLO’S BAR & GRILL • 116 S. Best Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-891-8995 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 THE CHAMELEON • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd.

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 THE DISTRICT BAR • 916 W. 1st Ave. • 509-244-3279 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 GARDEN PARTY • 107 S. Madison St. • 509-389-5009 THE GRAIN SHED • 1026 E. Newark Ave. • 509-241-3853 HAMILTON STUDIO • 1427 W. Dean Ave.. • 509-327-9501 IRON HORSE (CDA) • 407 E. Sherman, Coeur d’Alene • 208-667-7314 IRON HORSE (VALLEY) • 11105 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-926-8411 JOHN’S ALLEY • 114 E. Sixth St., Moscow • 208-883-7662 KENWORTHY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE • 508 S. Main St., Moscow • 208-882-4127 KNITTING FACTORY • 911 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-244-3279 MARYHILL WINERY • 1303 W. Summit Pkwy. • 509-443-3832 MIKEY’S GYROS • 527 S. Main St., Moscow • 208-882-0780 MILLIE’S • 28441 Hwy 57, Priest Lake • 208-443-0510 MOOSE LOUNGE • 401 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-7901 MOOSE LOUNGE NORTH • 10325 N. Government Wy, Hayden • 208-518-1145 NASHVILLE NORTH • 6361 W. Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-457-9128 NEATO BURRITO • 827 W. First Ave. • 509-847-1234 NITE OWL • 223 N. Division St., 509-309-2183 NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO • 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • 877-871-6772 NYNE BAR & BISTRO • 232 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-474-1621 PACIFIC PIZZA • 2001 W. Pacific Ave • 509-440-5467 PANIDA THEATER • 300 N First Ave., Sandpoint • 208-263-9191 PEND D’OREILLE WINERY • 301 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-265-8545 POST FALLS BREWING CO. • 112 N. Spokane St., Post Falls • 208-773-7301 RED ROOM LOUNGE • 521 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-838-7613 THE RIDLER PIANO BAR • 718 W. Riverside Ave. • 509-822-7938 SEASONS OF COEUR D’ALENE • 1004 S. Perry St. • 208-664-8008 SPOKANE ARENA • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • 509-279-7000 SPOKANE TRIBE RESORT & CASINO • 14300 US-2, Airway Heights • 877-786-9467 TRVST • 120 N. Wall St. ZOLA • 22 W. Main Ave. • 509-624-2416

LOANS AVAILABLE

New Construction Land Development Bridge Loans Fix & Flip Call Now (509)926-1755 www.pmcmoney.com

Living Well in the

Inland Northwest

May-June Issue ON STANDS NOW! Pick up your copy at area grocery stores and Inlander stand locations For information on advertising in the next edition, contact: advertising@inlander.com

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 37

ARTS HUNGRY, HUNGRY PRINTERS

The Spokane Print & Publishing Center is a haven for all the artsy bibliophiles of the Inland Northwest. Members at the nonprofit print shop have access to all the equipment and materials needed for letterpressing, screen and relief printing, book binding, and digital publishing. The shop also has opportunities for its members to learn to draw figures, landscapes and architecture. This weekend, the print shop is hosting its All You Can Print Buffet, a session filled with demonstrations of the center’s crafting capabilities. It’s the perfect event to dip your toes into the paper arts world before committing to a full membership. Attendees can arrive anytime in the event’s four-hour timeframe and get to take home everything they’ve made.

— COLTON RASANEN All You Can Print Buffet • Sun, June 1 from 12-4 pm • $50 • Spokane Print & Publishing Center • 1921 N. Ash St. • spokaneprint.org

38 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

WORDS POET PARTY

COMMUNITY FARM-FRESH FINDS

Janelle Cordero: Talk Louder • Fri, May 30 at 7 pm • Free • Auntie’s Bookstore • 402 W. Main Ave. • auntiesbooks.com

The Scale House Market • Sat, May 31 from 8 am-2 pm (Mercantile open until 4 pm) • 4422 E. Eighth Ave., Spokane Valley • thescalehousemarket.com

If you’re at all tuned in to the local poetry scene, chances are you’ve stumbled across Janelle Cordero’s nostalgia-inducing prose. One year ago, she released her fifth collection Talk Louder, a book of poems with a unique rolling narrative laden with stunning scenes and tear-inducing stories. Within the pages, she lets readers into her life by sharing vignettes from small-town life and glimpses into the complexity of growing up. Several local poets are descending upon Auntie’s Bookstore to celebrate Talk Louder’s first birthday alongside Cordero, including Tim Greenup, Thom Caraway and Spokane Poet Laureate Mery Smith. Celebrate the local poetry scene and wish Talk Louder a happy birthday at Auntie’s this Friday.

— MADISON PEARSON

The cold weather will no longer put a damper on farmers market fun, with the opening of the Scale House Market, the region’s first year-round farmers market, on May 31. The grand opening includes live music, chef demonstrations, food trucks, giveaways and much more. Built on the site of an old quarry, the new community hub for agriculture features a commercial kitchen, classes, an indoor market, a seasonal outdoor vendor space and much more. The market will not only help connect local farmers to the community but also provide support for new businesses and a place for people to reconnect with their food.

— DORA SCOTT

GET LISTED!

Submit events online at Inlander.com/getlisted or email relevant details to getlisted@inlander.com. We need the details one week prior to our publication date.

Life measured in pit stops and vistas.

VISUAL ARTS WORKS OF HEART

This weekend at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, celebrate four decades of art, community, music and food! With local live music in the amphitheater, a beer garden, food trucks, and the make-it-art kids’ project center, the MAC ArtFest — founded in 1985 — has something for everyone.

Not to mention the 75 booths run by talented artists. This event also includes free museum admission and a last chance to see “Samurai, Sunrise, Sunset,” an exhibit that includes about 100 pieces of armor, weaponry and personal artifacts from the time of the samurai. So, whether you’re looking for a fun meal or a day of learning, head over to the MAC ArtFest.

— BEE REISWIG MAC ArtFest 2025 • May 30-June 1; Fri-Sat 10 am-7 pm, Sun 10 am-5 pm • $5; free ages 0-5 • Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture • 2316 W. First Ave. • artfestspokane.com

COMMUNITY SKY’S THE LIMIT

Thanks to Challenge Air, over 40,000 people with special needs have become co-pilots, and a new group of Spokanites can now join the ranks this weekend at Felts Field. Anyone with special needs between the ages of 7 and 21 can fly in a plane at Runway 4 Events this weekend with an accompanying adult. Volunteers give both their time as co-pilots and the use of their planes for the cause. The flights last 20 minutes and are meant to build self-esteem and confidence, allowing kids to truly reach new heights. To quote Challenge Air, “If you can fly an airplane, you can do ANYTHING!” — BEE REISWIG

Find out how. numericacu.com/money-matters

Challenge Air Spokane Fly Day • Sat, May 31 from 9 am-3 pm • Ages 7-21 • Free • Felts Field • 6095 E. Rutter Ave. • challengeair.com Federally insured by NCUA

MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 39

moments outside. Kudos and Namaste to Reagan and her crew and the EMS folks.

We thoroughly enjoyed the concert, and it was a memorable 70th birthday for me for sure. ;) Contrary to current beliefs online, PEOPLE ARE GOOD and humans helping humans should be the norm for us all.

FULL STOP Let this be the full stop to the tabs (and plates!) discussions. Cheers!

I SAW YOU BOOKS AND BUMBLING Walked into Barnes and Noble, made eye contact and smiled.

You liked my kilt and my brain thanked you instead of complimenting you.

Kiltedhelldiver@proton.me BUMBLING BEE LOST IN YOUR GAYZE Upon our return from Boise, I asked if you are going to Disability Pride. You noted you didn’t know that was a thing, and also you live far away. I hope to meet a 2nd time, maybe there, at the end of July?

THANK YOU You walked into my work an hour before close, I was took back bc you were so handsome and your gestures were cute. You made my heart beat for the first time in a long time, thank you for reminding me what it felt like.

CHEERS CENTER FOR THE ARTS STAFF AND EMS I was the old guy in the grey suit at the Diana Krall Concert on 5/21. I was also the guy who passed out in line and needed rescue.

It was dehydration and 100% my fault. I need to call out Reagan who stood by while the excellent Spokane EMS crew shot me an IV and got me back on my feet. From me being down to actually making it to the concert was about 45 minutes. I am amazed and want to thank Reagan who saw me and my companion in the lobby (me still being a lil shaky), she escorted us to our seats and returned with some water for us and saw to our comfort after those disturbing

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MY DEAR HUSBAND :) My favorite boy, it has been three years since we have been together. We may have only gotten married this February, but in my heart we have been together forever. I am so excited that I get to spend the rest of my life doing laundry and taxes with you and our cats. You are the Keith to my Lance, the Juno to my Bleeker, the Lassie to my Shawn. Here’s to always and forever, my Peaches. I love you! - Your Lem BAGHDAD TO BABYLON Back in 2003 we invaded Iraq because we were told that Saddam Hussein had WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Specifically chemical and biological. None were ever found. About 50 miles south of Baghdad is the ancient city of Babylon, which is mostly in ruins now. It was the capital of the Babylonian Empire in 2000 BC. It was known for its Hanging Gardens and the Tower of Babel that was mentioned in the Bible. As the story goes, some of Saddam Hussein’s military were looking for artifacts they could sell, when they discovered something that freaked them out, a worm hole or time portal. Once word leaked out, we learned about the WMDs. I LOVE MY CAT SO MUCH About six months ago I adopted a 4-year-old cat named Juliet from the shelter. She was so scared when I brought her home. She would run and hide whenever she heard a door open. It took awhile, but now she’s the best apartment cat in the world. She likes to chill with me at my desk or on the sofa, and she’ll snuggle up in bed at night. Thank you so much to the Spokane Humane Society for taking care of her until I could adopt her. If you’re looking for a pet, consider an adult cat from the shelter. They need time and space to decompress but when their personality finally comes out it’s so wonderful.

MS. M, DENTAL HYGIENIST Thank you, dear teeth cleaner, for doing such a good job and indulging me as I rattled on and on. I admit visits make me nervous, but you are a good sport and a lovely addition to the team. Thank you!

THANKS FOR HELP To the young men that saw my older husband struggling to get up the Columbia River bank after fishing, thanks for your help. Even though he declined, you picked up all his extra gear and followed him to his car. I really appreciate that people see someone (a Marine veteran, at that) who needs some help, and jump in without being asked. I appreciate you! -- His wife THE BEST HUMAN You are Spokane’s Dog Sh*t Hero. You clean up our city for the greater good. You spread joy by smiling and saying hi to strangers. You hand out

“

PATHETIC LOSERS Dear Inlander. I beg of you, please stop with the jeers towards those of us who someone called pathetic losers because we choose other things such as rent, food, utilities, etc., instead of car tabs. I think we’re all tired of it. My pathetic loser soul thanks you. Oh and for the writer who called us that? Maybe you should put your indignation and your high and mighty attitude towards something more constructive. Say, oh, I dunno, the fact that out democracy is in serious trouble? To get worked up over something so trivial as car tabs when our country is in serious trouble speaks volumes towards you. Personally I

MORE TAB STUFF Wowzers! Quoting the Bible to justify not buying your car tabs. There were no cars back in ancient times, but according to the Bible you are instructed to “render unto Caesar that which is Caesars and render unto God that which is Gods.” Olympia is Caesar.

How come Christ was born in Bethlehem?

Because Mary and Joseph were there to PAY THEIR TAXES UNTO CAESAR. Quote the Bible all you want, but if you want to drive you better render unto Olympia.

RE: DUCKS You are seriously whining about ducks in jeeps? Can I have your life please?

PEOPLE ARE GOOD and humans helping humans should be the norm for us all.

snacks to our hungry neighbors. You are incredible. Not to mention your stunning good looks. We are all glad shorts season is upon us. Happy Birthday Bubs, Spokane appreciates you.

think you are the pathetic loser. Cheers :)

RATHDRUM FOR THE WIN! Congratulations, Rathdrum Idaho residents. Telling the Developers No Thanks, Not interested! We like Rathdrum just like it is. Go find another place to colonize!

OPTICS When you are getting ready in the morning to go harass and arrest humans who came to America for refuge and hope, do you think as we all saw during covid of “No mask for me,” cause ya’ll seem to suddenly be the only ones wearing them. It’s probably just the shame of your actions, ya know WWJD, and now masks are your jam! One reality check from citizen observation would be required clown paint to constitute your face covering, as we are all watching you in this circus already. You give humanity the creeps, just like all the worst clowns of history.

CHEERS TO THOSE WHO GROOVE Cheers to folks who write about music for the Inlander!

I’ve started listening to some wonderful bands thanks to your recommendations. And cheers to all the wonderful artists who bring music and good vibes to Spokane! I love you all!

DRED SCOTT V. SANDFORD Dred Scott v.

Sandford in 1857 was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that Black people were not American citizens and could not sue in a court of law. The Court ruled against Dred Scott, an enslaved black man who tried to sue for his freedom.

The decision was considered by many legal scholars to be the worst ever rendered by the Supreme Court and has been widely denounced, both for how obviously racist the decision was and its crucial role in the start of the Civil War four years later. It was known as the Court’s greatest self-inflicted wound. It was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments in 1865/1866, which abolished slavery and declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens of the United States.

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.”

JEERS

HOMELESS SHELTER So the lady from Jewel, was excited for the homeless to get to live and hangout near schools and parks, all the money she spent on lawyers to fight what the voters, voted for, she could have gotten a empty building on the South Hill or on North Division as for the Washington State Supreme Court Justices who probably don’t live in Eastern Washington, and probably live in Gated Communities don’t know anything about homeless in Spokane, so how is this Jewel lady able to get money to fight the voters in Spokane?

SPOKANE Zipline? Jeers! While you have homeless dying in the streets, roads worse than Ukraine! Invisible police! PRIORITIES!

”

Because if that’s the biggest complaint that you have in life that somebody else has ducks in their car, I’d rather have that than cancer. But on a serious note, grow up and let people enjoy life. In fact, go outside and enjoy it yourself instead of crapping over other people’s happiness. The state of the world is in turmoil and people are seriously out here crying about plastic ducks.

WITNESS A CON It’s an old political trick: under-fund, under-staff, and appoint unqualified leadership for government services, then complain bitterly about how ineffective they are (while hamstrung) and call for them to be abolished. Don’t fall for this! Insist on adequate funding and qualified, dedicated leadership and you’ll get good service from your government. n

THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS K O I C A L F F R O Z E M E L E E R A B A T A R M F L O O R M O P I S H S I P D O R S A L F I N I S H A L O E T V S E T P P P N Y Q U I L N E V A D A T U L A N E U P T O T O T A L L Y R A D I S H P A U L A C E T I C D I R E C T A N K A R A R E S E T E L I S A L S C A M P E R V A N I S H S E L B E L O W P A R I S H M I N O S T U E A V A I L S E E P S P Y D A W N S

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.

Plan a Picture-Perfect 1 HR PRIOR TO GAME

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ON STANDS JUNE 12 advertise in this issue

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40 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

TERRAIN GALLERY FUNDRAISER A wide range of artworks all priced at $200 made by local artists. Proceeds directly support Terrain and the organization’s programming, events and gallery space.

May 30, 6-9 pm. $200. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com FELTS FIELD SKY QUEEN’S PINK PONY DANCE PARTY The Felts Field Sky Queens benefit to raise gas money for the annual Air Race Classic featuring dancing and opportunities to donate. May 31, 7-11 pm. Free. The Q Lounge, 228 W. Sprague. instagram.com/feltsskyqueens PARADE OF PAWS A 1-2 mile walk to raise funds in support of the Spokane

Humane Society animals. Bring your kids and well-behaved animals on leashes and enjoy food, drinks and a vendor fair.

May 31, 9 am. By donation. Spokane Humane Society, 6607 N. Havana St. spokanehumanesociety.org WALK MS SPOKANE A walk that raises money to make a difference for people living with MS. May 31, 8:30 am-1 pm.

Free. Kendall Yards, Summit Parkway. nationalmssociety.org (855-372-1331) SPOKANE ANGELS 5K FUN RUN A family friendly 3.1-mile run/walk starting and finishing at the Ice Age Floods playground. June 1, 9:30 am-noon. $15$35. Ice Age Floods Playground, 507 N. Howard St. spokaneangels.org

COMEDY

FOR YOU: A MULTIMEDIA COMEDY VARIETY SHOW In this multimedia comedy variety show, local comedians blend stand-up, storytelling, slideshows and videos to create an unforgettable night of comedy. May 29, 7:30 pm. Pay what you want. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org SCOTT LOSSE Losse got his start in Seattle’s burgeoning alt stand-up scene and has since made a name for himself throughout the Pacific Northwest, performing at Bumbershoot and Treefort Music Fest. May 29, 7 pm. $17-$22. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

AMOS GILL Gill has earned nominations for the Best Emerging Comedian and won the People’s Choice award at the Adelaide Fringe. May 30-31, 7 & 9:45 pm. $22-$30. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com IMPROV SHOW MULTIPLE CHOICE: At every twist and turn, you decide the fate of the characters and the outcome of the plot. Fridays at 7:30 pm through May 30. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org (509-747-7045) SAFARI LATE NIGHT A comedy adventure featuring unexpected scenes, bold choices and fun improv games. Mature audiences only. May 30, 9:30 pm. $6.

Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org (509-747-7045)

JUNE 1ST — 2ND SUN

Regular Session– $5 Buy-in

JUNE 20TH — 23RD FRI

(minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

MON

Monday Night Bingo

FRI

Regular Session

SAT

Matinee Session Regular Session

SUN

Regular Session– $5 Buy-in

JUNE 6TH — 9TH

JUNE 2025 FATHER’S DAY BINGO

(minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

REGULAR BINGO SESSIONS* REGULAR BINGO SESSIONS* & SAT FRIFRI & SAT

SUN SUN

Admissions opens Admissions opens

4 PM 4 PM

11 AM 11 AM

Session begins Session begins

6 PM 6 PM

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MON FRI

SAT

11 AM 11 AM NOON Noon

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Immediately following regular session.

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MON

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JUNE 27TH — 30TH

(minimum electronic buy-in $25).

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Please see the Bingo venue for more details.

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MATINEE-STYLE BINGO SESSIONS* MATINEE-STYLE BINGO SESSIONS* SAT MON Admissions opens Admissions Opens Session begins Session Begins

Monday Night Bingo

BAD TEACHERS Former teacher from Tacoma Cory Michaelis perform schoolthemed stand up comedy. May 31, 4 pm. $20-$25. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com DUNGEONS & DRAG QUEENS A drag comedy show in which three drag queens play Dungeons & Dragons with Dungeon Master Paul Curry and musician Carson Cutter. Ages 21+. May 31, 8 pm. $25. The Chameleon, 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. chameleonspokane.com EXPEDITION A family-friendly improv show featuring the Blue Door Theatre players playing a variety of improv gamess. Every Saturday at 7:30 pm. 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org (509-747-7045)

SUN

Regular Session– $5 Buy-in (minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

MON

Monday Night Bingo

Regular Session – Father’s Day Bingo $15 off for all fathers. $5 Buy-in. (minimum electronic buy-in $25).

All regular games pay $1,000.

MON

Monday Night Bingo

Winning is just the Beginning!

CDACASINO.COM MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 41

EVENTS | CALENDAR QUEERPROV A celebration of LGBTQ+ identity as our improvisers, all proud members of the community, come together to deliver an evening of shortform improv. Ages 16+. June 1, 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org (509-747-7045)

COMMUNITY

June 5TH | 5PM -8PM Live Music

Food & Drink SPECIALS

Beef Hotdog $5

Add brisket chili & cheese $3

Bubble & Squeak

BBQ Chicken Burger $10 6oz Angus Beef Burger $10 Homemade Beer Bratwurst Sausage $10 Baby Back Pork Ribs $15 Creamy Potato Salad $4 Macaroni Salad $4 Homemade Baked Beans $4 Tim’s Cascade Chips $2

The Local Shopping Guide

Ultimate

SAMURAI, SUNRISE, SUNSET Step into the world of a samurai and experience armor, weaponry and personal items from the powerful military class that ruled Japan for nearly 700 years.

Each item tells a story through its master craftsmanship and individual details. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through June 1. $9-$15. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) 2025 STATE OF DOWNTOWN Peter Kageyama, author of For the Love of Cities, shares his insights on community passion and urban development to inspire Spokane’s continued growth and vibrancy. May 30, 9-10:30 am. $75-$65.

Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. downtownspokane. org (509-456-0580) ARTFEST 2025 The 40th anniversary of the MAC’s juried art and fine craft fair with vendors selling art, crafts, food also featuring activities and live music.

May 30-June 1; Fri-Sat from 10 am-7 pm, Sun from 10 am-5 pm. $5-$20.

Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First. northwestmuseum.org CHALLENGE AIR SPOKANE FLY DAY A day of 20 minute flights to children between the ages of 7-21 with special needs to build their confidence and self-esteem. Takes place at Runway 4 Events. May 31, 9 am-3 pm. Free. Felts Field, 6105 E. Rutter Rd. challengeair. com/spokane-2025 (214-351-3353) SPOKANE ZINE FEST A one-day celebration of zines, small press and selfpublished books, comics, drawings, prints, cards and all manner of other limited edition works. May 31, 11 am-5 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanezinefest.com PRIDE HISTORY & REMEMBRANCE EXHIBIT An exhibit featuring gowns, archival photographs and rarely seen artifacts from the LGBTQIA2S+ community, showcasing the rich and diverse culture of Spokane over the decades.

June 1-30, daily from 10 am-5 pm. June 1-30, 10 am-5 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org

FILM

MET LIVE IN HD: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024–25 Live in HD season comes to a close with a live transmission of Rossini’s effervescent comedy. May 31, 10 am-2 pm. $20. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127) FULL DRAW FILM TOUR A festival dedicated to films from top outdoor filmmakers featuring captivating storylines and bowhunting film screenings.

June 4, 7-9 pm. $15-$28. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com (509-227-7638)

ON STANDS NOW! 42 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

FOOD & DRINK

WINE TASTING A staff-guided tour of The Kitchen Engine’s wines. Small bites

included. May 30, 3:45-7:30 pm. $10.

The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com (509-328-3335) SCALE HOUSE MARKET GRAND OPENING The grand opening of Spokane Valley’s premier open air farmers market featuring live music, chef demos, food trucks, vendors, a nonprofit fair and more. May 31, 8 am-2 pm. Free.

The Scale House Market, 4422 E. Eighth Ave. thescalehousemarket.com SUSHI CLASS: NIGIRI TRADITIONAL, & TAMAKI Get hands-on experience making your own sushi as instructor Rui guides you through preparing these three rolls: hand-pressed salmon nigiri, smoked salmon sushi roll, tamaki roll.

June 6, 5-7 pm. $90. The Kitchen Engine, 621 W. Mallon Ave. thekitchenengine.com (509-328-3335)

MUSIC

NORTHWEST BACHFEST FLUTE AND STRINGS Zuill Bailey (cello) joins a group of musicians from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to play Reger’s Trio for flute, violin and viola, Dohnanyi’s Serenade for String Trio and Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor. May 31, 7-9 pm. $10-$45. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. nwbachfest.com

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

GIRLS ON THE RUN CELEBRATORY 5K A celebratory 5k serving as the culmination of Girls on the Run’s season-long program. Registration includes a t-shirt, race bib and post-race refreshments.

May 31, 9 am. $30. Riverside Memorial Park, 211 N. Government Way. gotrspokane.org (920-474-6875) HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR: CHIEF SPOKANE GARRY Join Dr. Dave Beine, a local historian of Chief Spokane Garry, on a guided walking tour to the to the final camp of Garry. May 31, 9-11 am. $25. Indian Canyon Mystic Falls, 4812 W. Canyon Dr. my.spokanecity.org HOT WHEELS MONSTER TRUCKS LIVE: GLOW-N-FIRE Watch fan favorite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks come to life including Mega Wrex, Bone Shaker, Gunkster and more. May 31, 12:30 & 7:30 pm and June 1, 2:30 pm. $17-$77.

Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com SPOKANE INDIANS VS. HILLSBORO HOPS Regular season home games.

Promotional schedule includes: SCRAPS Bark in the Park Night (June 3), Ribby’s Birthday & Redband Rally Night (June 4), Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Night (June 5), Storybook Princess & Fireworks Night (June 6), Rosauers Family Feast Night (June 7) and Ballpark Bugs ‘N Stadium Snakes Day Game (June 8).

June 3-5, 6:35 pm, June 6, 7:05 pm, June 7, 6:35 pm and June 8, 1:05 pm. $11-$30. Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana St. spokaneindians.com (535-2922)

THEATER & DANCE

RIVERDANCE 30: THE NEW GENERATION Irish and international dance and music from the original Riverdance production with new and innovative additions. May 29, 7:30 pm. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. broadwayspokane.com

THE BOOK OF MORMON The adventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word of the Book of Mormon. June 3-7; Tue-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat also at 2 pm. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. broadwayspokane.com

VISUAL ARTS

2025 SPOKANE WATERCOLOR SOCIETY SIGNATURE MEMBERS SHOW A collection of paintings from the Signature Members of the Spokane Watercolor Society. Daily from 11 am-7 pm through June 28. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington St. spokanelibertybuilding.com (509-327-6920) BERNADETTE BEEMAN & CHARLES AYARS Bernadette Beeman showcases watercolor, pencil and arylic artworks while Charles Ayars displays photographs of natural landscapes. May 31June 29, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free.

Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com ALL YOU CAN PRINT BUFFET A fourhour event chock full of demo stations where you’ll get to try your hand at everything Spokane Print & Publishing Center has to offer. Visit demo stations and try screenprinting, stab binding books, gel plate printing, letterpress and more. June 1, 12-4 pm. $50. Spokane Print & Publishing Center, 1921 N. Ash St. spokaneprint.org FIRST FRIDAY Art galleries and businesses across downtown Spokane and beyond host monthly receptions to showcase new displays of art. First Fridays of each month from 5-8 pm. Free.

Spokane. firstfridayspokane.org

WORDS

FORAY FOR THE ARTS Foray For The Arts is a collective space where artists, writers, musicians, and creatives of all kinds come together to showcase their work and share their stories. Co-hosted

by Sarah Rooney and Greg Bem. May 30, 6-8 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. foray4thearts.org TALK LOUDER BOOK BIRTHDAY PARTY Janelle Cordero’s poetry collection Talk Louder turns one. Cordero discusses the collection along with Spokane poets Thom Caraway, Mery Smith and Tim Greenup. May 30, 7-10 pm. Free.

Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206) WRITE OWLS An informal and casual writing workshop focusing on fiction and poetry. Expect to start an excerpt of fiction or poetry and a writing prompt. Every second Wednesday from 3-5:30 pm and every last Saturday from 9 pm-midnight. Free. Lunarium, 1925 N. Monroe St. lunariumspokane.com BROKEN MIC A weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm; sign-ups at 6 pm. Free. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD PRESCHOOL STORYTIME PLAY & LEARN Share books, songs and fun. After storytime, spend some time in open play with learning activities. Every Wed from 10-11 am. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org STORY TIME WITH LALA Join LaLa to read a story, participate in a craft and enjoy snacks. First Sat. of every month, 10:30-11:30 am. Free. Wishing Tree Books, 1410 E. 11th Ave. wishingtreebookstore.com (509-315-9875) n

RUN. WALK. BEAT CANCER.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 DJS – SCREAM TUNNELS DRUMLINES – COW BELLS AND LOTS OF BEADS!

“THE MOST FUN YOU’LL EVER HAVE IN FOUR MILES!”

30 ENTRY - DOWNTOWN SPOKANE

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BOULEVARDRACE.COM MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 43

DAILY SPECIALS MONDAY 15% OFF EDIBLES TUESDAY 25% OFF WEDNESDAY 15% OFF

CONCENTRATE | INFUSED PREROLLS | CARTRIDGES Cannabis can’t join in the fun of Washington fairs.

POLICY

California Dreamin’ Cannabis goes to the California State Fair, but Washington fairs still say no

BY DORA SCOTT

F

airs across the U.S. draw crowds for carnival games, rides, fried food and to see the region’s agricultural prowess. Cannabis has joined other products for state fair judging in Oregon and California, but is not likely to appear in Washington fairgrounds anytime soon.

Oregon was the first state to show off cannabis plants in 2016 in a state fair exhibit accessible only to people 21 and older, after the state legalized cannabis for recreational use in 2015.

The nine plants displayed in 2016 could only be shown in a pre-budding phase and were the winning plants from the Oregon Cannabis Growers’ Fair. The 60 entries at the still-annual growers’ fair were judged on plant appearance, rather than lab testing for certain cannabinoids, and were divided into three categories of indica, sativa and hybrid.

The California State Fair’s first cannabis exhibit in 2022, on the other hand, awarded medals for the cannabis flower and focused on the abundance of cannabinoids and terpenes in the buds. All entrants were licensed cannabis growers in California and were judged objectively with testing by SC Labs, a cannabis and hemp lab. The 21+ exhibit at the fair provided educational materials about cannabis and displayed the awards and information about the 60 winners.

In 2024, after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation authorizing licensed

44 INLANDER MAY 29, 2025

cannabis events, the California State Fair also integrated an on-site consumption lounge where attendees 21 and older could buy the awardwinning products to use there or take home.

In addition, the 2024 competition expanded the categories — beyond just testing the flower — to include cannabis products like pre-rolls, concentrates, cartridges, edibles and more.

“Expanding the competition to include all form factors and providing patrons the opportunity to directly engage with and consume winning brands is transformational for public understanding of the plant,” said James Leitz, executive producer of the California State Fair’s Cannabis Competition and Exhibit, in a 2024 press release.

While cannabis was legalized for recreational use and sale in Washington in 2012, it is not considered an agricultural product. Unlike California, Washington has not passed legislation authorizing the use of cannabis in temporary lounges (like at fairs). Washington House Bill 1932, which would have allowed for public cannabis consumption in regulated environments, died this session.

Jessica McLaughlin, the fair coordinator for the Spokane County Interstate Fair, tells the Inlander that Spokane and other fair directors in Evergreen, Clark, Grant, Kittitas counties have not considered or discussed adding cannabis as an exhibit to be judged. n

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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.

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

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MAY 29, 2025 INLANDER 45 For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

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

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10309 E TRENT AVE | (509) 309-3193 | 8AM-11PM | GREENLIGHTSPOKANE.COM This product has intoxication 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 the consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children.

All discounts are subject to change. Discounts are for regular-priced items only. No additional or stacking of discounts. Some restrictions/exclusions may apply. All discounts are applied in-store at the time of purchase. Please contact our store for further details.

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