In the midst of this gorgeous natural paradise we call the Inland Empire is a ticking time bomb — a radioactive Superfund site that has possibly poisoned hundreds of local residents and won’t be cleared of danger — to the federal government’s standards, at least — for another half-decade.

Already the leading single-season yardage passing leader in Washington State history, quarterback Anthony Gordon is likely to join the 5,000-yard club during today’s game against Washington.

Hollywood actor Eric “Big Ed” Edelstein will make a return appearance to Spokane on Monday when he co-hosts an event to help kick off Gonzaga’s 2019-2020 basketball season and to commemorate how the school’s international recruiting efforts have been instrumental in building the Zags into one of college basketball’s elite programs.

Why does anyone even try to blow the whistle on wrongdoers? They risk their jobs, alienation from their friends and colleagues and even persecution from their government. And for what? The knowledge that they stood up and did the right thing?

The Spokesman-Review asked Ben Stuckart and Nadine Woodward, Spokane’s candidates for mayor, a series of questions to learn their positions on important issues that may not make it to a debate stage or candidate profile. Their answers have been edited and paraphrased for brevity. Quotes are directly from their responses.

The Watergate break-in led to a sequence of events: A coverup, an investigation, Congressional hearings, indictments and convictions and, eventually, the resignation of a president.

One of the most highly respected journalists of our time, Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, will appear at the Spokane Convention Center on Friday as part of the Whitworth University President’s Leadership Forum.

It’s that time of year again: The increasing crispness of the fall air, the marching bands, cheerleaders and the renewal of football rivalries. All too often, however, this is also the time of year a lot of young people begin suffering from traumatic head injuries due to collisions on the field — especially a football field. Here’s what you need to know about high schoolers and sports head injuries.

A timeline history of 125 years of WSU football.

Momentous events. Artistic or technical achievements. Cultural touchstones. Moments of pain or delight. Call them what you will, the Summer of 1969 — in fact, the whole year — was full of them.

Civilizations come and go. Politicians come and go. Poets and authors and TV actors come and go. Comic strips come and go, too. The biggest difference between them and the others, perhaps: Comic strips are fondly remembered.

“Non Sequitur” returns — by popular demand, no less — to the pages of your Spokesman-Review Sunday. And Monday, the creator of the comic strip, Wiley Miller, will appear at Spokane’s Bing Theater for a town hall-type session with SR editor Rob Curley. Here’s a brief look at Wiley’s cartooning career:

The first newspaper comic strips developed about 124 years ago — give or take a couple of voice balloons — but why? Not to make readers smile — although that’s a good reason to have them. Not to sell plush animals and calendars and paperback book reprints. Not to give artists something to do. No, newspapers created comic strips in the 1890s for one main purpose: To sell newspapers, of course. They’ve done a pretty good job of that for more than a century.

On this date a half-century ago, two NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first Earthlings to set foot on the moon while an estimated 530 million people back home watched on live TV. There was no one-hour photo-developing service on the moon in July of 1969 and Instagram wasn’t quite up and running just yet. So Neil and Buzz would be forced to bring their film back to Earth before they could see their pictures.

On this date 110 years ago, the Looff Carrousel began operating at Spokane’s Natatorium Park. Since then an estimated 25 million riders have climbed aboard the original hand-carved, hand-painted and regularly-restored horses for a three-and-a-half minute merry-go-round ride through history.

On this date 50 years ago, NASA launched three astronauts into space. Four days later, two of them would make history by becoming the first Earthlings to set foot on the moon. What may be one of mankind’s greatest technical achievements was a technological marvel that came to be called the Saturn V rocket.

Astronaut Anne McClain, who recently returned from six months on the International Space Station, subscribed to The Spokesman-Review’s daily e-edition during her time in orbit. We hope she enjoyed reading her hometown paper. But this brings up an interesting question: If we had to, just how could we deliver a printed copy of The Spokesman-Review to McClain in orbit?

Before you dive into your barbecue and hot dogs(or your barbecued hot dogs), check out these 13 things about our nation’s birthday that you might not know.

It was a fairly routine police raid on a mafia-owned bar that catered to Greenwich Village’s carefully-closeted gay and lesbian clientele. But this raid, in the wee hours of the morning 50 years ago today, would lead to a week of skirmishes with police, rioting, protests ... and the birth of the Gay Pride movement.

One hundred and five years ago tomorrow, a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, setting into motion a dizzying series of international events that led to the start of what would become World War I. One hundred years ago tomorrow, world leaders signed a treaty in Versailles, France, aimed at bringing peace to all of Europe forever, at the expense of Germany.

Today will be the longest day of 2019 in and around Spokane. Daylight hours today will last just 23 seconds shy of 16 hours — which will be 7 hours and 34 minutes longer than the shortest day of the year, our winter solstice on Dec. 21.

Three-quarters of a century ago, Americans rose to the challenge of World War II by filling the skies with fearsome – yet beautiful – birds of steel.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and his office have filed or joined in 39 lawsuits against the federal government since Donald Trump took office as president on Jan. 20, 2017. Ferguson will appear at a town hall June 12, 2019 at Spokane’s Montvale Event Center, in a conversation with Spokesman-Review Olympia Bureau Chief Jim Camden.

The tide of World War II had already begun to turn for Germany. The Axis’ march into Eastern Europe was halted by the Soviet Union. Germany was pushed out of North Africa. Rome fell to the Allies on June 4. But France had spent four long years under German occupation. Months in planning, the Allies’ Operation Overlord launched from the coast of England with nearly 7,000 vessels and more than 100,000 troops — the largest amphibious invasion in history.

Thirty years ago this week, Spokane’s Tom Foley was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. Foley served 15 terms in the House, representing Washington’s 5th Congressional District, chaired the House Agriculture Committee and served as U.S. ambassador to Japan. Here’s a look at Foley’s political career:

Each tiny star making up this U.S. flag represents a serviceperson from Washington or Idaho who became a casualty of war in order to protect our freedom.

Tariffs are essentially a tax on imports. Last year, the U.S. expected to take in about $40.4 billion in customs duties and fees on imported goods. You’re hearing a lot of partisan talk these days about increases in tariffs — especially goods from China. But the truth is, this kind of talk is nothing new. Tariffs in the U.S. have always been politicized. They’re often protectionist or retaliatory. And while it’s easy to argue that higher tariffs often backfire — like during the Great Depression — one can also argue that they’ve been effective at times in protecting U.S. business interests.

On this day 45 years ago, Spokane’s own Tom Sneva drove in his first Indianapolis 500 race. He’d go on to run 18 Indy 500s, win once, finish second three times and qualify to start in first place three times. Here’s a look at Sneva’s history in the Indy 500:

The movie and TV actor, author, singer, documentary maker and one of the most visible icons from 1960s pop culture — as Capt. James T. Kirk on “Star Trek” — appeared Friday, May 17, at the FICA. Here's a look at his career.

The world has made progress in the fight against polio, but it still has a ways to go before the disease is eradicated completely. Here’s a look at polio and its status in the world today.

Coming soon, to your pocket: Quarters with a tiny “W” on them. This denotes they were created at the U.S. Mint facility in West Point, N.Y. The Mint says these new “W” coins are a limited edition — only 10 million will be made. This is about 1% of the quarters made this year.

The 43rd running of the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run, a 12-kilometer race through the streets of Spokane and the surrounding area.

Seventy-five years ago today, the movie “Going My Way” was released in theaters. The musical featured Spokane’s own Bing Crosby in a role that would win him an Academy Award and that featured him singing a song that would win an Oscar.

Edmund O. Schweitzer III, founder and chief technology officer of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories of Pullman, will be inducted Thursday into the Inventors Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C., for his invention of the SEL-21 multifunction digital relay. Here’s a look at his life and work.

The good news: The latest installment in the popular Marvel Comics Cinematic Universe opens today: “Avengers: Endgame.” The bad news: It’s long—very long. Which could pose a problem to those of us who do not have superpowered bladders.

Spokane is about 3,000 miles away from Broadway, the world-renowned theater district in the heart of Manhattan. But that hasn’t meant that local performers have found steady work and success on the “Great White Way.” Here are a few of the talented writers, producers and actors from throughout the Inland Northwest who have had their theater dreams come true.

More than 3.5 million Americans live with autism spectrum disorder — a developmental disability that has no blood test, no illness-causing virus, and no cure. Why are so many children diagnosed these days with the disorder and what can be done about it?

The Tiger Effect was a phenomenon first detected not long after Tiger Woods entered the world of pro golf. Any tournament — especially the majors — in which he contended saw a big TV ratings bump.

If you’re headed to Anaheim this week, take a moment to eat where the locals eat: A small(ish) Southern California-based burger chain called In-N-Out Burger.

Seventeen years ago today, upstart quarterback Tom Brady led New England on a crucial late drive to set up a winning 48-yard field goal. Today, the Patriots find themselves where their dynasty began: facing the Rams in the Super Bowl.

Advances in technology have unfortunately allowed illegal, seemingly local robocalls to be made from anywhere in the world and more cheaply and easily than ever before. That’s why it’s become more of a problem for consumers and a more difficult problem to solve.

At midnight on Oct. 8, the city orders all schools, churches, theaters, dance halls, poolrooms and other places where people would congregate closed. Public weddings and funerals were also banned ...

After it nearly happened in four of the past six seasons, today Eastern Washington finally has second-division behemoth North Dakota State in its sights for an FCS title game showdown for the ages. The burgeoning rivalry between two of the FCS’ top teams stems from EWU’s dramatic 38-31 overtime win at home in the 2010 quarterfinals.

The Cougars’ postseason results have been a split over past 15 seasons. WSU awaits its highest-profile bowl matchup since 2003 as it looks to clean up after back-to-back Holiday Bowl letdowns

Following more than four years of bitter fighting across Europe, an official cessation of hostilities between Allied and Central powers on the Western Front of World War I took effect at 11 o’clock in the morning on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Many Allied nations followed France and Great Britain in declaring Nov. 11 a national holiday.

The two candidates seeking Eastern Washington’s seat in Congress have spent the past several months answering questions about health care, immigration, the environment and taxes. They spent Monday afternoon talking about condiments. Ahead of the Nov. 6 conclusion of the closely watched contest between Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Lisa Brown, both women agreed to field questions on the lighter side on Election Day eve.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and challenger Lisa Brown have set fundraising records in the race for Eastern Washington’s Congressional seat, a contest that will likely cost greater than $10 million when the dust settles later this month. That has included frenzied advertisement buys on TV, radio and the internet, fueled in large part by both political action committees and individual donors.

Despite a booming economy under Republican President Donald Trump and his populist administration, Democrats look to regain control of the House of Representatives for the first time since the 2010 midterms. Taking control of the Senate, however, will be a much tougher task this go round.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers has been firmly opposed to the Affordable Care Act since she cast her vote against it in 2010. She also was in favor of the Republicans’ replacement plan, the American Health Care Act, which barely failed a vote in the Senate last year. Her Democratic opponent, Lisa Brown, is more in line with Affordable Care Act, but supports significant upgrades, though she’s not advocating a Bernie Sanders’ Medicare-for-all system.

In the 5th District race for Congress, both candidates stress economics in their pitch to voters. The focus of incumbent Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is last year’s tax cuts. Democrat Lisa Brown stresses what she sees as a Republican emphasis on tax cuts favoring big businesses and the wealthy while debt skyrockets, creating pressure to cut programs helping the poor and middle class.

Two decades ago, USW Local No. 338, at 2,000 strong, walked off from what was believed to be a lifetime job to fight for better wages and safer working conditions at Kaiser Aluminum.

Social Security is one of the key issues Democrat Lisa Brown is highlighting in her quest to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in Congress. She has pledged to “fight any cuts to Social Security and Medicare” in one of her campaign ads now running on TV. McMorris Rodgers is stressing that no changes to Social Security are imminent, in large part because President Donald Trump doesn’t support major changes to the system.

Since Washington and Colorado voters approved the recreational use of marijuana in 2012, federal officials have struggled to decide how to enforce federal marijuana law, which considers the drug as harmful as heroin. U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has opposed legalization, though some of her positions on the drug have softened in recent times. Her opponent in the November election, Lisa Brown, has been more open to legalization. Here are their positions on marijuana policies, the nation’s opioid crisis and a few other health issues:

In the race for Congress to represent Eastern Washington, two candidates mostly have differing views on the subject of abortion. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has a long legislative record of supporting policies opposed to abortion. Her opponent, Lisa Brown, is a longtime supporter of abortion rights and has been endorsed by abortion rights groups.

Online retail giant Amazon's $181 million fulfillment center in west Spokane, with a footprint nearing 700,000 square feet, will begin hiring more than 1,500 full-time employees in 2019 to work alongside Amazon Robotics to pick, pack and ship items like games, housewares, school supplies and pet toys to the company’s ever-increasing customer base.

Heading into Washington’s Aug. 7 primary elections, seven-term incumbant U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, faces four challengers to her seat in Congress. We asked three of the candidates for the 5th District congressional seat where they stand on 15 environmental issues, ranging from climate change to wildlife.

Many factors influence housing prices, including the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, condition of the house and the school district. But consumers’ interest in particular neighborhoods, and the number of homes for sale there, are key to pricing.

John Barnes arrived in the Northwest to develop the Pacific Northwest League in 1890. He operated the Spokane franchise, which won the first pennant with a team featuring minor-league legends Piggy Ward, Abner Powell and George Borchers. Over the 127-plus years since then, the franchise has gone through ten notable eras, each with defining moments you can read about inside.

Since 1974, Inland Northwest Community Foundation has connected donors with what it sees as the region’s most pressing causes. Through donor generosity, it manages over 500 funds and its assets have grown to over $120 million and it has donated more than $70 million in grants to organizations in a 20-county area of our region to improve lives and communities.

For the longest time, the state of Washington had one major professional sports champion - the SuperSonics - who delighted Northwest fans for many of their 41 seasons in Seattle, assembling teams of indelible players and etching themselves into our collective memory bank with unforgettable winning seasons.

Have you had a 10,000 year-old glass of water? The water that’s pumped up from the Columbia Basin’s deepest irrigation wells (some as deep as 2,500 feet) has been there for at least that long. Unfortunately, this prehistoric glass of water wouldn’t taste very good. Because of high pressure, water that deep is hot, about 125 degrees or as hot as a latte.

Located on the northeastern rim of the seismically active Ring of Fire the West Coast of the United States serves as a hotbed for boundless volcanic activity. Many of the more sizable peaks in the Cascade Range, stretching from British Columbia in the north to California in the south, house volcanoes - considered dormant but very much alive - that have shaped our region for hundreds of thousands of years.

Whether you favor high country or the ocean, familiar landscapes or new experiences, you can see it all across the region’s four states and two Canadian provinces. All you need is a light packing job and a game plan, because two tanks of gas and a day’s drive can transport you farther from home than you think. Here are some spectacular Northwest destinations you can reach before dinnertime.

Through last year’s run, Bloomsday’s downtown finish lines have welcomed 1,678,943 who’ve completed the 12- or 13-kilometer course. Just over 1.8 million started a Bloomsday race, making for 91.6 percent of starters making it all the way to the end. Here's what you need to know before you lace them up for the start of this year's run.

From its debut just over four decades ago, Bloomsday has annually captured the imagination - and many of the streets - of the city of Spokane. The first 11 years of the race saw record turnout follow record turnout, while the image of downtown avenues teeming with runners graduated from phenomenon to celebration, and finally, city icon.

The modern religious landscape of the Inland Northwest, much like that of the United States as a whole continues to change, most notably driven by a decline in alignment with mainline Protestant churches in favor of evangelical and other nondenominational organizations.

While the Zags in their infancy may have started by walking before they could crawl in 1999, storming into the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight in just their second appearance and following that with consecutive Sweet 16 bids, Gonzaga fought through subsequent growing pains and arrived at the precipice of tournament adulthood in 2015.

The Olympic symbol, five interlocking rings representing the North/South American, European, Asian, African and Australian continents, was designed as a symbol of global representation of the Olympic movement. The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, mark the return of the winter games to the Asian continent after a 20-year absence.

Since the West Coast Conference moved its year-end tournament to Las Vegas in 2009, Gonzaga has owned the league's automatic NCAA tournament bid, winning eight men's titles and seven for the women. Some historic performances from other teams' players have dotted the headlines, but a quick look at the banners hanging from GU's rafters leaves no doubt as to who's top dog.

The Ponderosa Pine is native to our region and often cursed because it sheds large piles of needles and cones each year. But there are plenty of reasons to appreciate this giant. A mature ponderosa is not fire prone and though our area has seen many tumble in storms, the tree is considered "one of the most stable of trees," according to Spokane city arborist Jeff Perry.

The Olympic symbol, five interlocking rings representing the North/South American, European, Asian, African and Australian continents, was designed as a symbol of global representation of the Olympic movement. The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, mark the return of the winter games to the Asian continent after a 20-year absence.

Hank Melanson was 18 years old and had just landed near Khe Sanh in central Vietnam when he witnessed a fellow Marine shot and killed. The battle launched what came to be known as the Tet Offensive, the bloodiest period of a war that changed America forever.

Thirty minutes after firing braking rockets and beginning re-entry to Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, some temperature and tire pressure sensors went offline. Eleven minutes later, commander Rick Husband made a radio response just west of Houston that said "Roger . . . " and was then interrupted by static noise. Less than one minute later, 38 miles above Earth and traveling over 18 times the speed of sound, the vessel had disintegrated.

After a powerful undersea quake and a blast of cellphone alerts early on Jan. 23, 2018, Alaskans braced for a tsunami that was expected to smash into the state's southern coast and western Canada. The National Weather Service also issued lower-level watch advisories for Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. It stirred echoes of the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, a massive 9.2 magnitude that claimed 139 lives.