Stories by James Hanlon for the Spokesman-Review

News > Education

West Bonner school board declines to reconsider decision to hire controversial superintendent at short, crowded meeting

UPDATED: Wed., June 14, 2023

PRIEST RIVER, Idaho – The West Bonner school board canceled the only two agenda items at a special meeting Wednesday afternoon, one of which was to rescind the recent selection of a controversial superintendent candidate.

A&E > Northwest Passages

Northwest Passages: Stephan Pastis of ‘Pearls Before Swine’ tells of run-ins with his own comic heroes

UPDATED: Wed., June 14, 2023

Stephan Pastis, the creator of the comic strip “Pearls Before Swine,” shared jokes and stories about his career as a newspaper comic artist at a Northwest Passages Book Club event Tuesday night.

News

‘Protect your rear end’: Combines collide in Lind with the top driver winning $1,200

UPDATED: Mon., June 12, 2023

Thousands descended upon the little town in Adams County to see the spectacle Saturday.

News > Washington

‘We all belong’: Indigenous Spokane residents celebrate first Two-Spirit Powwow for Pride month

UPDATED: Sun., June 11, 2023

As part of Pride Month celebrations, Spokane had its first Two-Spirit Powwow Friday, bringing drums and dance to Riverfront Park.

News > Agriculture

‘Crush the heck out of one’: Lind prepares for its quirky annual rite – crashing old farm equipment at the Combine Derby

UPDATED: Sun., June 11, 2023

LIND, Wash. – When he was in high school, Grady Gfeller had a dream: to compete in his town’s combine demolition derby, a Mad Max-style jamboree of smashing farm equipment together for the fun of it.

News > Washington

Spokane Pride 2023: ‘Never Going Back’ event is downtown Saturday

UPDATED: Thu., June 8, 2023

Spokane’s Pride Parade and Festival on Saturday will be larger this year, taking up most of Riverfront Park.

News > Agriculture

Ukrainian dam collapse leads to more uncertainty for Washington wheat farmers

UPDATED: Wed., June 7, 2023

A dam collapse in southern Ukraine spiked global wheat prices this week, but the long-term consequences in Washington – where it’s one of the largest crops – remain uncertain.

News > Education

Reardan honors graduates with portraits along main street

UPDATED: Tue., June 6, 2023

REARDAN, Wash. – Motorists driving through the heart of town will notice the smiling faces of this year’s graduating class of high school seniors.

News > Washington

Newly unearthed 6,000-year-old archaeology site near Newport reveals history of Kalispel Tribe

UPDATED: Mon., June 5, 2023

NEWPORT, Wash. – The Kalispel Tribe has uncovered evidence of ancient earth ovens on the bank of the Pend Oreille River believed to be 6,000 years old.

News > Washington

Reardan’s Mule Days: 119 years of traditions old and new

UPDATED: Thu., June 1, 2023

A community festival the first weekend in June brings a chance to enjoy small town fun just a little more than 20 miles west of Spokane.

News > Washington

Spokane breaks another monthly weather record with scorching May

UPDATED: Wed., May 31, 2023

Spokane just had the warmest May since the National Weather service began tracking temperatures in 1881.

News > Education

Federal judge dismisses Inslee, Chun from former WSU football coach Nick Rolovich’s lawsuit

UPDATED: Tue., May 30, 2023

A federal judge Tuesday dismissed Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington State University athletic director Patrick Chun from a lawsuit brought by ex-WSU football coach Nick Rolovich against his former employer for firing him after his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

News > Idaho

Boise State graduate student dies in CDA Marathon

UPDATED: Tue., May 30, 2023

A graduate assistant in the football program at Boise State University died Sunday after collapsing during the Coeur d’Alene Marathon.

News > Pacific NW

Getting There: Roads likely to see huge amounts of traffic this Memorial Day weekend

UPDATED: Sun., May 28, 2023

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer and is one of the busiest of the year for car travel.

News > Washington

Versatile goats use their voracious appetites for more than just weed management and fire prevention

UPDATED: Fri., May 26, 2023

Goats have a reputation for eating everything. That can be a good thing.

News > Local Government

Liberty Lake mayor vetoes council’s library ordinance

UPDATED: Mon., May 22, 2023

The mayor of Liberty Lake on Monday vetoed a controversial ordinance that would have given the City Council authority to approve or reject all library policies.

News > Pacific NW

Child passenger safety lab to tour rural Inland Northwest, teaching proper car seat installation

Sun., May 21, 2023

The statistics are sobering: Children in rural communities are five times more likely to die in a car crash, and those children are likely to be using incorrect seat restraints.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Asotin County Prosecutor Ben Nichols dies in motorcycle crash

UPDATED: Fri., May 19, 2023

Asotin County’s prosecuting attorney and coroner, Ben Nichols, died Friday afternoon from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Ex-NIC professor who dumped water bucket on trustee blamed him for college’s problems

UPDATED: Thu., May 18, 2023

A former North Idaho College professor arrested Tuesday for dumping water on an NIC trustee blamed the trustee for losing his job and for the college’s accreditation troubles, court documents said.

News > Education

Peer report reviews NIC’s progress ahead of accreditation decision next month

UPDATED: Thu., May 18, 2023

A peer evaluation of a campus visit last month acknowledges that North Idaho College is making progress toward addressing accreditation eligibility, but has more work to do.

News > ID Government

Newly elected Community Library trustees will shift the board to the far right, campaigned on removing books

UPDATED: Wed., May 17, 2023

The challengers for the two Community Library Network trustee seats, who campaigned on the idea that members of the North Idaho board need to do more to keep sexually explicit books out of the hands of kids, beat the incumbents by a significant margin in Tuesday’s election, shifting the balance to the board to the right.