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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EndNotes archive for March 2014

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014

American Flag

We remember Jeremiah Denton, Jr. 

His image was grainy and odd when I saw it on the television in 1966. I was 11 and had seen images of war on the evening news for years. It would be a long time until I understood his profound courage, courage he knew…

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SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014

Snohomish County District 21 Fire Chief Travis Hots looks down briefly as he addresses a news conference about a deadly mudslide Thursday, March 27, 2014, in Arlington, Wash. Hots said the death toll is expected to rise considerably within the next two days as the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office catches up with the recovery effort. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

Mudslide: Day 8

The mudslide story plays constantly on the Seattle news stations: the faces of waiting loved ones reveal exhaustion and grief. The workers who dig and pole and sift through the muck appear as subject to slipping away as the victims of one week ago. The…

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FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014

A boater cruises at sunrise near Bonita Springs, Fla., where temperatures in the area are expected to reach 80 degrees, Tuesday morning, March 4, 2014. (J. Ake / Associated Press)

Perfect im-print

A woman can see and function again. She has reclaimed her life thanks to a printer. Really, a printer. A 22-year-old woman whose skull was thickening, suffered from headaches, lost her vision and her sense of coordination from the thickening skull. In a 23-hour surgery…

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014

A searcher uses a small boat to look through debris from a deadly mudslide Tuesday in Oso, Wash. (Associated Press)

"Things Shouldn't Be So Hard"

Kay Ryan writes a lovely poem that easily fills the grief spaces in our hearts as searchers continue to slog through the sludge, debris and pain caused by Saturday's mudslide. Somehow humans persevere, but each step demands intent and hopeful purpose. A poem: Things Shouldn’t…

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MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014

The Oso Community Church displays a sign reading "pray with us for our community" in Oso off of Highway 530 on Sunday, March 23, 2014, the day after a giant landslide occurred near mile marker 37. At least six homes have been washed away, with three people reported dead so far and at least eighteen missing. The nearby Stillaguamish River has been dammed up by 15-20 feet of debris as a result, creating more flooding concerns, as reported by KING 5 via the state hydrologist. (Lindsey Wasson / The Seattle Times Pool)

Mudslide: Hearts with hope

The mudslide scene in Oso, Washington reminds us of the eruption of Mt. St. Helen in 1980: the debris and mud and unknown. Where are the lost? We seem to hold vigils almost daily during these days of catastrophes, made by nature or ourselves. We…

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SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2014

First responders search for victims of a mudslide near Oso, Wash., on March 22, 2014.  (Washington State Patrol)

Muddling through life

Planes, helicopters and walls of mud – all falling away from life. The last two weeks have been difficult. Saturday a hillside became a mudslide and washed away homes, and with them, security. Three people are confirmed dead. An infant clings to life at Harborview.…

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SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014

Abandoned baby

So dad can’t “explain” how he forgot his infant daughter in his car in the parking garage; he just “forgot” to drop her off at day care and left her in the car – all day? Hmm. I understand forgetting a half gallon of milk…

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FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014

Fat bike riders approach the historic concrete arched railroad bridge crossing near U.S. Highway 395 just south of Rosalia that's a key  part of the old Milwaukee Road rail line that is owned by Washington state and designated for trail development. It is part of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. (Pat Sprute)

The Affordable Care Act – act now

Take time to travel with one woman as she seeks and finds her way to a health care plan. Enjoy the comic depiction of her journey. One needs patience and curiosity to arrive at the goal– and more than a bit of understanding to navigate…

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Attorney General Eric Holder announces a $1.2 billion settlement with Toyota over its disclosure of safety problems, Wednesday, March 19, 2014, during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

Don’t "Toy" with me

When my car was rear ended 18 months ago, and totaled, I had to shop for a new vehicle. No small task when I am married to the king of research. And I mean research –every detail. My stance was simple: no Toyota. The scary…

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TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2014

KOMO assignment editor Norm Mah, right, gets a hug as he works at the scene of the crash of a KOMO news helicopter Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Seattle. A KOMO-TV helicopter helicopter crashed into a city street near Seattle's Space Needle on Tuesday, killing two people and critically injuring a person in a car on the ground. (Stephen Brashear / Fr159797 Ap)

KOMO 4 crash

Seattle’s KOMO 4 team works diligently to report the events of our communities; and they do it with great grace and professionalism – even when they are the story. Dan Lewis was at Sea-Tac when he learned of a KOMO helicopter crashing. Lewis was on…

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Colon cancer on the decline

Good news: colon cancer has dropped substantially in the last 10 years. People are getting screened and paying attention to choices that make a difference, such as less eating less red or processed meat. The biggest decline was among those 65 and older, perhaps because…

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MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014

Spokane Aerial Performance Arts founder and instructor Sherrie Martin works with Carolyn Kinghorn on Dec. 4 as she attempts an arrow maneuver while hanging upside down on long pieces of silk fabric. (J. Bart Rayniak)

Family ham?

So, seems my cousin is turning her cartwheels into comedic business sense. Sherrie Martin was never known as the family comic, but as the beautiful girl with ambition and a takes-no-prisoners way with the world. We haven’t seen each other in years, except I do…

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SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014

In this 2007 photo, Glenn McDuffie holds a portrait of himself as a young man, left, and a copy of Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic Life magazine shot of a sailor, who McDuffie claims is him, embracing a nurse in a white uniform in New York’s Times Square. (Associated Press)

Just one kiss

Glenn McDuffie has died. The 86-year-old man passed away in Houston. Remember him? You know his kiss. In 1945, the 18-year-old sailor was changing trains in New York when he learned Japan had surrendered. World War II had ended. He felt ecstatic and saw a…

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FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, enjoys the Idaho Coalition of Home Educators' annual "Pie Day" at the state Capitol on Wednesday (Betsy Russell)

A good day for pi

I do not bake pies; the first year I was married, my sister-in-law baked Thanksgiving pies at my house and told the family we made them “together.” Now, I make pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving all by myself. But the pi we celebrate today – I…

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

Syrian children stand near their tent at a refugee camp in the eastern Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013. Thousands of Syrians have fled to Lebanon over the past days as government forces attack the western town of Qarah near the border with Lebanon. (Bilal Hussein / Associated Press)

Angels living in evil

The angelic faces of Syria’s children stare back from the television, the computer, the newspaper. They stare with deep sadness in their eyes. These beautiful, innocent children living in refugee camps throughout Lebanon. And like all children, they dream. The Beyond Association, a UNICEF partner,…

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TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

Rosalie Locati, left, a Providence sister, and Celine Steinberger, a Holy Names sister, share a religious milestone this summer. (Colin Mulvany)

Thanks, sisters 

This week celebrates the first National Catholic Sisters Week, initiated by St. Catherine University in St. Paul. And it’s about time. If we can designate weeks intended to raise awareness about almost everything, we can take time to focus on remarkable women whose religious communities…

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MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

An elderly man goes for a walk aided by a walking-stick, in Pamplona northern Spain on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (Alvaro Barrientos / Associated Press)

Alzheimer’s predictor ~ a simple test

Alzheimer’s disease claims nearly 500,000 American lives each year. And now new research has discovered the “predictors” of Alzheimer’s disease could rest within one’s specific lipids – detected through a blood test. The test could identify who is most likely (research states 90 percent accuracy)…

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SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2014

“Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival” lands at the Spokane Arena on Sunday.

Autism and the portal of Disney

Pulitzer-prize winner Ron Suskind has two children and one of them, Owen, has autism. The writer tells the story of his family’s remarkable journey with Owen in his book “Life, Animated” to be released in a few weeks. Autism offers complex challenges to families and…

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SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

Wheeling around on center stage

Joshua France, a 16-year-old high school student, wheels around on stage as Humpty Dumpty in the Puyallup school’s musical “Shrek.” Joshua lives with neuromuscular disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and was diagnosed when he was four. He also lives with his great singing voice and…

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FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014

Guide Toby Wyatt, top, celebrates a good day of Chinook salmon fishing on the Columbia River. (Rich Landers)

Poetry, please

Sometimes one needs a poem. Here is one from Mary Oliver titled "Logos." Seems liturgically appropriate given Lent is here. Why worry about the loaves and fishes? If you say the right words, the wine expands. If you say them with love and the felt…

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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014


Including Peppermint Patty Brownies, the perennial problem of surplus candy at the end of October can be at least partly solved by incorporating it into some baking. 
 (Associated Press photos / The Spokesman-Review)

Sweet Lenten season 

Lent: the next 40 days when Christians prepare for Easter. Some believers forego chocolate or television or social media as a Lenten observance, but… “The evil of the day is sufficient thereof,” said my theology professor – and Matthew in his gospel, read last Sunday.…

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014

In this Jan. 9, 2014 photo, a box of flowers imported from South America, wait for bug inspection at Miami International Airport. Each year, 715 million flowers come through Miami International Airport. (J Carter / Associated Press)

AIDS: We all know someone 

When the AIDS crisis was in its early stages in the 1980s, an editor said to me, “Before it’s over, we all will know someone impacted by this disease.” And seems we do. But a new drug tested as a vaccine against HIV shows big…

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MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014

The Boeing 787-9, the newest version of the Dreamliner, is part of Boeing’s growing plane manufacturing. Airplane manufacturers around the world are increasing production, giving a boost – and increased risk – to their subcontractors. (Associated Press)

Airport chaplain

The role of chaplain can easily be misunderstood as one who offers prayers and theological discourse only at a local church, synagogue or mosque. Not so. Next time you pass through an airport, you may find the non-anxious presence of a chaplain who tends to…

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SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014


Here come the nones

No, not a misuse of the word. “Nones” are the people who self-identify as religiously unaffiliated. And, yes, it is a rather quaint collision of these two homophones. But this group is gaining ground politically. Washington state once identified as the least religious state in…

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Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.



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