Spokane

Even though it was 2,500 miles away, the plane crash that claimed the lives of several talented, young ice skaters, their parents and coaches last week over Washington, D.C., broke the hearts of the Spokane skating community.

From 1975: Smoking bans were sweeping the country, and the anti-smoking wave now arrived at the Washington State Capitol.

A Spokane-area breeder’s kennel license was suspended following multiple inspections showing unsanitary conditions for dogs and a foul odor that left officers with burning eyes.

In a press briefing Thursday, President Donald Trump insinuated the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity efforts were to blame for Wednesday’s catastrophic plane crash that likely killed more than 60 people near Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.

From 1975: James Kuehnle, conservative Republican state legislator from Spokane, was scrambling to walk back remarks in which he called the Pierce County delegation “the lousiest contingent in the state.”

Climate change is bringing new insect pests into our gardens.

Stepping through Danny Johnson’s front door is like walking into an art gallery, if galleries existed in unpretentious spaces with pastel pink walls and featured wildly divergent artwork.

From 1975: Two young skiers, Paul Price, 11, and Steven Hembree, 12, were rescued after spending a night in a snow cave after they got lost on Mount Spokane.

From 1975: Spokane International Airport unveiled a 20-year plan to vastly expand its terminal and runways.

From 1975: The Spokane County Parks and Recreation Department was planning to purchase 236 acres along the Little Spokane River as the first step in “preserving the river from St. George’s School to its confluence with the Spokane River as a natural area.”

In the wake of the devastating 1889 fire in downtown Spokane, a group of partners bought a partially completed warehouse and hurriedly turned it into the five-story Hotel Spokane, one of the grandest built in the city. The Spokane Falls Review newspaper reported that, in February 1890, 150 workers were at the site, furiously trying to get the 200-room hotel open just months after the fire had turned more than 30 city blocks into blackened rubble.

Spokane residents are famished for a good read; they’re willing to brave crowds, maneuver limited parking, and wait in a line hundreds deep to get their hands on a free one. Or 20.

From 1975: The Spokesman-Review bemoaned the fact that hardly anyone had ever heard of Spokane runner Don Kardong – outside of serious track enthusiasts.

From 1975: Spokane’s state legislators were not exactly on board with a confusing land swap deal involving Mount Spokane State Park.

From 1975: The state unemployment rate rose to a whopping 11.4% – and was bound to go up from there, because of the day’s news out of Seattle.

On any Friday morning at Jimmy’s Down the Street in Coeur d’Alene, you’ll find a small group of guys at their regular table. They’re easy to spot because they are all wearing red.

Last week’s column was on the schedule you should follow when planting vegetable seeds indoors. This week’s column is on the process of setting up and planting your seeds.

From 1975: A human skeleton was discovered by grave diggers at Greenwood Cemetery – but the bones were found only 2.5 feet deep, in an area not previously used for graves at the cemetery.

President Donald Trump’s day-one executive orders stopping the flow of refugees into the United States could prevent hundreds from coming to Spokane this year and threaten the funding of the resettlement agencies that help them.