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June 20, 2011 in Region
NW today: Alexie novel removed from Richland schools
What’s news in the Northwest today:
The Associated Press today issued the following correction: In a story about the Richland school district banning Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” The Associated Press erroneously reported the district’s Instructional Materials Committee had not read the book, and that the committee decided to ban the book because of profanity and sex scenes. The committee had read the book and did not give a single recommendation, but was divided on the book, with some opposing the book and some endorsing it. The Richland School Board considered those mixed recommendations and voted to remove the book from the reading lists.
KENNEWICK – Students in Richland school classes won’t read an award-winning book by a Northwest author in the foreseeable future. The Richland School Board voted 3-2 this week to prohibit use of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie in classrooms of any grade level. The book had been piloted in a ninth-grade English class last fall and then was reviewed by the district’s Instructional Materials Committee. The original question before the board was whether to use “Absolutely True” in freshman classes. But the final vote took it away from all students. None of the board members had read Absolutely True, they conceded. The book is based on Alexie’s own upbringing on the Spokane reservation and his leaving “the rez” to go to school in nearby Reardan, a predominantly white farming town. In the book, Alexie’s alter ego is shunned by his old friends and neighbors and bullied by his new classmates. The 14-year-old protagonist struggles with poverty, racism and death. Alexie uses some profanity and other potentially offensive language to describe those situations in the National Book Award winner, which has earned him challenges from schools and libraries. The novel landed on last year’s Most Challenged list by the American Library Association.
Transgender woman sentenced in Idaho bomb plot
PAYETTE, Idaho — A southwestern Idaho woman will serve at least three years in prison after she planted fake destructive devices, set fire to her truck and then ran naked along a rural highway to draw attention to her struggle as a transgender person. Catherine Carlson was sentenced Friday in Idaho’s 3rd District Court. The Argus Observer reports Carlson sat quietly as Judge Susan Wiebe ordered her to serve up to 10 years in prison and reimburse Payette County for $1,500 in emergency response costs. In court, Carlson has said that it was all a misunderstanding. She has clashed with local authorities since 2007, when her given male name was included on a traffic citation. Carlson legally changed her name to “Catherine” more than three decades ago, before her sex change operation in 1980.
Boeing announces air show orders worth $11 billion
LE BOURGET, France — Boeing has announced orders and commitment for 56 planes worth about $11 billion at the Paris Air Show. The company says Air Lease Corp. will buy up to 33 new planes, including 737s, 777s and 787s. The deal is a mix of orders and options that would be worth more than $4.2 billion at list prices. Boeing says two undisclosed customers signed orders and commitments for 17 747-8 Intercontinentals. The new version of the jumbo jet carries 467 passengers. The orders are worth $5.4 billion. And Boeing says Qatar Airways has ordered six 777 jets in a $1.7 billion deal. Boeing also announced today it has awarded a contract to Chengfei Commercial Aircraft Co. in Chengdu, China, to produce rudders for the 737.
State senator remains jailed pending arraignment
BOISE — A state senator jailed on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving and felony grand theft is expected to be arraigned in Idaho’s 4th District Court. Senate Republican Caucus Chairman John McGee was arrested early Sunday after police say he took a Ford Excursion, which was attached to a cargo trailer, from a Boise home and a blood-alcohol test showed the four-term lawmaker had been drinking. An arraignment has been scheduled later today. Police say the vehicle and trailer became stuck as McGee tried backing into the yard of a home in southwest Boise. People who lived inside the home called police. McGee was found sleeping inside the vehicle and arrested. A breath test found the 38-year-old had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit in Idaho.
Webinars this week on Yellowstone snowmobiles
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — There’s still about another month to weigh in on a proposal to restrict the number of snowmobiles allowed in Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service plans hold two Web-based meetings and two actual meetings on the proposal this week — one in the Denver-area and one in Washington, D.C. Webinars are scheduled Tuesday at noon Mountain time and on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Mountain time. Meetings will also be held Tuesday at the Sheraton on Union in Lakewood, Colo. and on Thursday at the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters in Washington. Both will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time. The proposal would vary the number of snowmobiles between 110 and 330 daily. Public comments will be accepted through July 18.
Bones uncovered at Oak Harbor are Native American
SEATTLE — Officials say bones found last Thursday at an Oak Harbor construction site are from Native Americans who may have died more than 400 years ago. Allyson Brooks with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation told KOMO today that the bones are from at least three people. The construction project is on hold while the state and city consult with tribes to determine if the location was a burial site. A state anthropologist, Guy Tasa, said last week there is a chance the bones were buried there before the 1700s.
Artifacts may have been damaged in Moclips fire
MOCLIPS, Wash. — Some museum artifacts being stored at the Ocean Crest Resort restaurant may have been damaged in a fire this morning. Tim Dunn with the Museum of The North Beach in Moclips tells KBKW some items were stored at the restaurant while the museum is being renovated. The museum exhibits some Quinault Indian baskets and items from early settlers on the Washington coast. The extent of the fire damage is not yet known. The fire was reported around 4:30 a.m. and shut down Highway 109 traffic for several hours while multiple agencies responded.
Idaho suspending Medicaid payments to hospitals
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is suspending Medicaid payments to hospitals around the state for at least one week because an increase in claims is straining its funding. The suspension to 51 hospitals that accept Medicaid patients begins today, delaying payment of about $13 million in claims, agency spokesman Tom Shanahan said. “We’re really sorry we have to suspend the payments, but we have to meet our budget,” Shanahan told The Times-News. He also said the agency intends to announce by Thursday if it will suspend payments to hospitals again next week. “Whether or not we suspend the payments for another week will depend on how many claims we receive,” he said.
Lewis County deputy kills suspect in Napavine
NAPAVINE, Wash. — The Lewis County sheriff’s office says the man killed by a deputy today morning in Napavine was a Napavine resident who was acting violently with a knife. Deputy Stacy Brown says the deputy responded with police about 2 a.m. at a home where the man tried to break in. Brown says there are five stab marks in the door — three all the way through. And there are six stab marks on a parked pickup — four through the hood. The sheriff’s office says the deputy saw the suspect and fired when he refused to take his hands out of his pockets and charged. He died at the scene. Brown says investigators think the man and resident may have known each other.
Oregon man gets 8 months in prison for deer poaching
EUGENE, Ore. — An Oregon man has been sentenced to eight months in prison for his role in what Oregon State Police have called the largest deer poaching case in state history. The Register-Guard reports that 26-year-old Miguel Kennedy of Springfield was sentenced last week in Eugene after pleading guilty to identity theft, forgery, unlawfully transferring hunting tags and racketeering. Racketeering is defined as collaborating with others in a pattern of criminal behavior using the same method to commit multiple crimes. Several other Springfield residents have also been charged in the alleged illegal killing of nearly 300 deer between 2005 and 2010. Kennedy will actually serve 14 months in prison as a result of also violating his probation in a previous case.
Medical pot industry group asks judge to block law
HELENA, Mont. — An attorney for a medical marijuana industry group is asking a judge to block a new Montana law eliminating the sale of medical pot before it takes effect next month. James Goetz, attorney for the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, told Helena District Judge James Reynolds today that the law is unconstitutional. Assistant attorney general Jim Molloy defended the new law, saying it is in line with what voters intended when they authorized medical marijuana use in 2004. Molloy says the plaintiffs are trying to preserve their own commercial interests. The new law will effectively put commercial growers out of business by barring pot providers from making a profit. It also places additional checks on eligible conditions for qualifying for the drug and on the doctors who certify medical marijuana patients.
Antsy toddler kicked off plane at Sea-Tac 
Scoutster on June 20 at 11:53 a.m.
Puhleeeez!
None of them have even READ IT!? How can you deny a book if you haven’t even read it?
Sometimes it feels like 1911 instead of 2011.
misjustice on June 20 at 12:40 p.m.
RE: Book Banners
“None of the board members had read Absolutely True, they conceded.”
Wow!
mcjjensen on June 20 at 1:05 p.m.
I agree, Scoutster, 100%. One man’s trash is another man’s art, but how do you know what man you are until you check out the finished product. How anyone can make a call as despicable as banning a book, regardless of the age of the students who will be reading it, without ALL the facts is silly at best and appalling at worst.
I am not saying that there should not be boundaries based on age for some books, but for three people who have never even read the book to ban it in ALL Richland schools is one of the most ludicrous decisions I have ever seen.
Heaven forbid we try to educate the whole child for fear that those parents who believe we need to raise our children to never see the bad things that life brings us all will be offended. Life is not easy and it must be experienced. Stop sugar-coating the world and start allowing kids a real chance to learn about the good and the bad parts of it while they are still under their parents’ roofs where the parents can help them see why the bad is bad and the good is good.
I implore the Richland School Board members to reconsider their decision or make their reasoning public.
Mitch Jensen
East Valley School District, Spokane
mikeln on June 20 at 1:13 p.m.
Let the book bannings begin!
greenlibertarian on June 20 at 1:15 p.m.
Alexie is a brilliant and very humorous award winning writer. He truly has a gift for writing engaging YA literature.
These knuckle-dragging idiots in Richland need to be upbraided and removed from office, stat, if they don’t reverse this utterly stupid decision.
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm
ManleyPointer on June 20 at 1:45 p.m.
I’ve read it. I liked it. If the people who vote for these individuals don’t like the board’s decision, I hope they vote them out at the next opportunity.
Dazzeetrader11 on June 20 at 3:07 p.m.
Yes…no whining. Vote them out. BUT…Alexie does have a pretty big bias against the white culture. Maybe they looked at his prior work. No doubt it very very good…..award winning even…..but kids don’t give the awards. Nor do kids have the experience to say if a book is good or bad in some areas. The Board is paid to supervise. Don’t like their decisions?….go run for office.
America is wonderufl that way. Look at what it”s done for Obama!! Got him elected with no experience at all!!!
ManleyPointer on June 20 at 3:49 p.m.
What I like about Alexie’s book (and about his writing and speaking generally) is that it gives me insight into modern Native culture. I find modern Native culture pretty inaccessible (which is odd given its ubiquitousness in this area), and Alexie cracks the door for me a little. And he does it with eloquence and good humor.
As for his “bias against the white culture,” I don’t see that in his writing as much as I see a bias in favor of seeing the value and richness of modern Native culture in spite of some of its problems.
eagleproducer on June 20 at 3:57 p.m.
All the nations that are killing the U.S. in academic achievement have national standards. How can one expect excellence or even coherence with literally hundreds of thousands of different curriculums, ones that are influenced by preachers, whack jobs and morons like this school board who didn’t even bother to read the book in question.
This book also received mention of banning earlier this year in the Nine Mile Falls School district and a special board meeting was convened for the purpose of hearing the complaints. Students and staff lined up to defend the work and it’s literary merit while the book’s detractors quoted sections from The Bible. The Board reaffirmed their earlier decision and the novel remains as part of the Senior English program.
The problem with the decision in Richland is that books are already screened with a chance for community input when they are approved. There is a democratic process for curriculum approval. You get one crack at the nut, not special consideration afterward because something slipped past that offends your sensibilities. Expect a suit from the teacher’s union, if they have the sack to do so still. In addition, as high school teachers we are required to have alternate books that deal with similar themes should a student/their family decide a book does not accord with their values. A small minority that does fails to use the due process afforded should not determine education policy or curriculum. This is anti-democratic, which is exactly why Dazee supports it.
Dazee hit the nail on the head. I can’t figure out why any Native American writer/artist/individual would harbor ill will toward caucasians. Not a single reason comes to mind. I wish I had more time to think about it, but my pigs are ready for flying practice.
The book is very well written with sections that will have the reader alternately laughing out loud and openly weeping.
eagleproducer on June 20 at 4:01 p.m.
manlypointer: I think Alexie is much more scathing of his own culture than white culture. He doesn’t let Native Americans off the hook for their own problems but doesn’t ignore the cultural displacement that is still near the core of their troubles. But we agree, he is extremely funny and smart. You should attend a reading of his sometime if you can. Good times.
eagleproducer on June 20 at 4:09 p.m.
The characterization of the novel in this article makes me believe the writer hasn’t read the Alexie work either. What invariably gets the book banners up in arms in relation to this work is the relationship between the protagonist, a Native American, and the lily white farm girl from Reardon. The fear of miscegenation from the white man, of the noble savage staining their blood, a notion which forms the core of “Western” style literature pre-dating James Fennimore Cooper is given a new twist by Alexie. In this story the savage isn’t even the bare chested characteristic stud, but a nerdy, skinny, pimple -faced geek who manages to obtain the attention and affections of the most popular girl in school.
“They’ll” say it’s “the language” and the protagonist’s serial masturbation, but it’s really the same old fears rearing their same old ugly heads, a reaction Alexie not only expected, but perhaps willingly incites.
Thayne on June 20 at 5:20 p.m.
All this is going to do is ensure the kids read it. If a copy of it had been put on the shelf it probably would have collected dust. Now all the kids are going to read it, even if they normally don’t read. Kids are a lot smarter and worldly than we give them credit for. They’re smart enough to know what they like. Besides, banning books is so naziish.
mtharves on June 20 at 6:29 p.m.
I remember when “Catcher in the Rye” was banned in Las Vegas for crying out loud. That was back in the 60’s. Things don’t change much. Alexie is an incredible writer and I agree with EP that he is harder on his own culture than on the whites.
selkirks on June 20 at 8:01 p.m.
Another book banned by the radical “morality-driven” Right.. Let the book burnings begin.
When does it end? I’d like to know how schools like Gonzaga Prep, a Catholic school, have zero banned books whatsoever while the public schools consistently and without fail ban contemporary novels of note. Clearly the Jesuits are doing something right nationwide, given their student stats…
Dazzeetrader11 on June 20 at 9:02 p.m.
We like the Jesuits and their schools.
Eagle…the exellence of other kids from outside the US is in math and science. Doesn’t have a thing to do with cultural works. Other countries ban books all the time…..usually for political reasons. Don’t be such a silly willy.
Besides, you’re an incompetent liberal even…..ie you’re not very good at it.
MrBloggy on June 20 at 9:38 p.m.
Alexie is a much more talented marketer than writer. He carefully strategized exactly this response to drive up sales. Why the New Yorker is so enamored of him I’ll never know.
eagleproducer on June 20 at 10:31 p.m.
Mr.Bloggy: It’s more than the New Yorker who finds value in Alexie’s work. There is nothing in this novel that isn’t prevalent in his other work, ones you’ll find in the libraries of Mead, Central Valley, District 81 and on and on.
If you had read his work you wouldn’t wonder why anyone finds him a serious post-moderninst voice.
Dazzee: if I’m so ‘incompetent,” why do you respond so frequently to my posts… mainly with ad hominem attacks that don’t address a single point of my posts? I’ve actually visited schools outside the U.S., and it isn’t just in math and science where they are superior. They are much more media literate and know how to dig through the lies you swallow whole.
eagleproducer on June 20 at 10:34 p.m.
Was I in another realm of consciousness, or did Dazzee just admit to the efficacy of U.S. public education?
ChefGus/ John Olsen on June 21 at 5:53 a.m.
.”Absolutely” is the first Alexie book I read. It is a fine use of a real life of a Native American/Indian as metaphor for all people that are part of the “Community of Other”… and understanding the “alpha dog” concept of community relations and rise to a position of authority. Insightful and poignant … funny and tearful… all in a text that includes basic teenage angst. I’d guess that the school board mentioned does not have a clue to many cultural insights about being an outsider. John
Genevieve38 on June 25 at 7:30 p.m.
I am an English teacher in Minnesota. In my classroom we not only read “Absolutely,” I do an entire Alexie unit, covering many of of his short stories and poetry. (Smoke Signals goes without saying.) The wonderful thing about Alexie (particularly “Absolutely”) is his ability to make a young reader laugh, empathize and think. He also appeals to young male readers (of any race or culture; you don’t have to be Native to love this book) in a way that makes me want to dance a little every time I teach it. As a MOTHER, my daughter had this book in her hot little hands by fourth grade; she stole mine and refused to give it back until I bought another copy for her. I am counting the days for my seven year old son to get old enough for a copy of his own. It is a TRAVESTY to ban any book, but this one broke my heart just a little.
Genevieve38 on June 25 at 7:48 p.m.
Selkirks:
You said–”Another book banned by the radical “morality-driven” Right.. Let the book burnings begin.”
Allow me to preface what I am about to say by stating that I am, in fact, a big liberal. Huge in fact. That being said, both the Left and the Right ban books. They each have their own stupid reasons, but both sides are equally guilty of this crime (and I do feel it is a crime.)
The Left bans books (mostly) because of political correctness, like banning Huck Finn because of the “N” word. They have also have banned books based on religion and the concern that it has no place in the public school system, Dante’s Inferno is a good example of that. Their reasoning obviously follows their own party lines, much like it does for the other side. You are absolutely correct about the puritanically driven Right. However, it is important to always look at both sides in a discussion.
greenlibertarian on June 25 at 8:25 p.m.
I don’t know what kind of white guilt you got going on there, Genevieve38, but it is certainly not a truly liberal position to ban Huck Finn, for Mr. Clemens use of the N word. Anything but. We understand why he used the common vernacular of that period of time.
Genevieve38 on June 25 at 10:13 p.m.
It wasn’t white guilt. I was just pointing out that it has occurred on both sides and used Huck Finn as an example. It is important to keep an eye on my own political affiliation as well as the dark side. (And I say that with a smile, just kidding.) Stuff happens and we need to pay attention, that’s all. It isn’t the “liberal position” to ban anything, but I don’t believe the official “conservative position” is to ban books either. However, there are a few liberals and a few republicans who fight to ban books, music, etc, using arguments based on their party platforms. It is a subtle distinction though. I should have made my point clearer. I have just grown tired of republicans and democrats throwing names and accusations at each other.
Genevieve38 on June 25 at 10:20 p.m.
And he didn’t JUST use it because of the present vernacular of his time, because he didn’t do that in many of his other works. He used it with a heavy hand to illustrate Jim’s high level of emotional intelligence as compared to every white character in the book. Basically, Jim was Huck’s teacher:)
greenlibertarian on June 26 at 12:09 a.m.
So, Genevieve38, of my native tropical state of Minnesota, yes, I’m a Ranger, your point is that Mr. Clemens did not use the “n-word” in other contemporaneous writings of his that dealt with (or mentioned) black folk?
That Mr. Clemmens used the term at that time to point out its vulgarity, or what?
drywitt99 on June 26 at 6:04 a.m.
Banning a book without having read it????
Why??
If actually doing your job in a responsible manner is too grueling…..perhaps these clowns should do everyone…..especially the kids…..a favor…..and resign.
Genevieve38 on June 26 at 8:38 p.m.
He used it, as you said, because it was commonly spewed at the time. I wasn’t disagreeing. However, in Huck Finn, he used it much more frequently than in his other work. He had to have a reason behind that, beyond the common vernacular. This is his brilliance. And why I love him.
greenlibertarian on June 26 at 11:56 p.m.
Well he was writing a great book which had a black (N-word of that time) as one of the major characters. Going back to your fundamental premise, I don’t think “liberals” have tried to ban Huck Finn because of Clemmen’s use of that term, particularly since his message in the book, was, properly and easily construed, a statement against racism.
I agree he was brilliant. His political commentary has never been equaled by anyone in modern history, and is generally spot on.