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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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MONDAY, JAN. 25, 2016

Artist Mel McCuddin stands in his art studio, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2016, in Spokane Valley. McCuddin art has been called figurative expressionism. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Mel McCuddin: The Art of Darkness

Inside a downtown gallery maybe two decades ago – that’s where I first got McCuddined. I recall strolling through the vast array of art when one canvas stopped me cold. It contained the disturbing image of a semi-formed man on his back.

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SUNDAY, NOV. 15, 2015

MONDAY, OCT. 5, 2015

THURSDAY, OCT. 1, 2015

Weird things to eat in San Francisco

My adventure at the 4-buck-a-slice toast shop in San Francisco the other day drew some interesting insights. “Are franchises available?” asked John Bennehoff. “Or do you think Spokane has enough morons to support one?” Hard to say. Spokane can be a pretty tough sell when it comes to new ideas. The downtown grand prix, the festival of four cultures

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2015

Weird things seen while driving 

Caught up on my reading the other day. Didn’t have much choice, really, since I was stopped at a red light near Dick’s, Spokane’s beloved burger emporium. The worn copper-colored van in front of me was plastered with an array of biblical imperatives, like… “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” “Jesus Said I am the way the trut

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MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2015

THURSDAY, AUG. 20, 2015

Tom Keefe addresses the faithful at O'Doherty's

Weird celebrations in downtown Spokane 

The latest chapter in Spokane’s celebration of history’s most unlikely baseball player – Eddie Gaedel – took place last Wednesday at O’Doherty’s Irish Pub & Grill. The high point came when Tom Keefe, patron saint of the Eddie Gaedel Society, Chapter One, unveiled a beautiful painting he commissioned to depict the biggest moment in Little Eddie’s li

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TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2015

Weird sights seen during my recent vacation

Some dubbed it “Treenado.” To others it was “Treemageddon.” Whatever it’s called, the crazy high-velocity winds that tore through the forests east of Colville late in day on June 29 amounted to 15 minutes or so of sheer duck and cover terror. Big trees – tamaracks and pines – toppled over, their massive dirt-crusted roots torn out of the ground.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015

Weird opportunity for pickers, performers and players

We are closing on Spokane Street Music Week, the lucky 13th annual. This year’s event akes place during the noon hours of June 8-12 on sidewalks of three – count em three – area locations: Downtown Spokane, our original location. The Historic Garland District in North Spokane. Downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Those coming downtown...

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TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015

Weird sights you can see along the roadway

It’s said that the first statue to employ “contrapposto” (the Italian term for counter-pose) was Kritios Boy. That pale sculpture dates back to 480 BC or several decades before shakes, fries and fast food drive-ins. A more modern example of this ancient sculptural technique can be seen hovering over Coeur d’Alene today in the beloved form of...

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THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015

Another weird thing my father left me

“Oops!” That was the name my old man and his pal, Radford, bestowed on the prehistoric plywood versions of Foosball that my father built in his basement shop back in the mid-1950s. This game was one of probably a dozen that he made and sold to friends for pretty much the cost of the lumber. I inherited it after my father’s death in 1981 and there w

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FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

Weird things I put in my mouth, Part 2 

So I’m sitting in a fancy hotel restaurant in Hollywood, staring at what’s supposed to be a plate of Eggs Benedict. I became an Eggs Benedict fan late in life thanks to a pal who thought I’d like it and I did. I like the way the soft runny yolk from the poached eggs blends with the English muffin halves, sliced ham and the tang of the creamy

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TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Weird things you can learn during an interview 

My column last Sunday told the story of Joanne Martin, a Medical Lake woman who received a 10-cent check as her settlement from a huge class-action lawsuit against mega-wireless carrier Sprint. Sure. That predicament was entertaining. But some readers were more intrigued by my affection for the killer coffeecake that Joanne served me as we sat arou

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FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015

Weird art that can make you itch 

The scenery outside Coeur d’Alene’s Wastewater Treatment Plant has the makings for a 1950s horror movie. “Attack of the Giant Round Worms,” you might call it. Or – “Killer Microbes from Space.” But no, it’s just a bizarre public art project that consists of seven sculptures of creatures you might find in your flush water or a city council meeting.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

Weird things to see while you're driving 

Politicians, I’ve always believed, are the same jerks we hated in high school. Which is why I nearly swerved off the road at the sight of a large black-and-white sign that rose out of the weeds on the south side of I-90, near the Pines exit. “Vote for Jesus,” it read. Vote for WHO? I didn’t know the Lord was running for office. Government is the re

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TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015

Weird people I've encountered downtown

Once again, St. Paddy himself materialized inside O’Doherty’s Irish Pub & Grille on St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Spokane. He blessed the crowd. He posed for snapshots with the foxy Guinness Girls. Even better, St. Paddy bought me a corned beef sandwich. But then he did something about as un-Irish as it gets. He participated in a group sing-along o

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SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015

Yet another weird place from around my city 

“If time travel is possible,” Stephen Hawking once observed, “where are the tourists from the future?” Duh. They’re all on the road to Colville. And I thought this Hawking guy was supposed to be smart. In all fairness, very few people know about Spokane’s wormhole to the future. Despite the zillions spent developing this leg of the mythical

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FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Weird questions to end a week on

Two chomps into my second double-cheese-pickle, a question came to mind: Do Huddy Burgers really deserve to be ranked among the planet’s best-damned hamburgers, or am I deluded? To me there’s no debate. These meat bombs are divine, proof that less really can be more. I was initiated into the wonders of Hudson’s Hamburgers on a scalding July day in

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THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 2015

Another weird place in my city 

It seems to look a little sadder each time I drive by. Yet there’s something still intriguing about the ramshackle Spokane Street Motel at Second and Spokane. The classic, though now-broken sign, looks out of place in a commercial landscape of cheap neon and cookie-cutter plastic. As long as it exists, the landmark Spokane Street Motel will be a

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FRIDAY, FEB. 20, 2015

More Weird stuff from around my house 

Nobody knows who started Mexico’s legendary frog mummification industry. Or why so many tourists found these things appealing enough to plunk down a few pesos and bring them back home. But there is something odd and compelling about a frog band rocking out on their faux instruments...

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MONDAY, FEB. 16, 2015

Thoughts and ruminations from S-R columnist Doug Clark