Shawn Vestal

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News >  Local government

In the cold and snow, politics falls away amid the effort to stay warm and dry

Fri., Dec. 2, 2022

Cassandra Cree woke up to find her roof – the tarp under which she sleeps at Camp Hope – had collapsed.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Mar-A-Lago supper, echoes Allsup strategy for infiltrating the GOP

Wed., Nov. 30, 2022

It was hard – in the aftermath of the Mar-a-Lago supper between the loathsome Nick Fuentes and the loathsome Donald Trump – not to think about the mostly forgotten (though also loathsome) James Allsup.

A&E >  Books

Locals weigh in on their favorite Spokane reads

Thu., Nov. 24, 2022

We asked several people in the community for the one book that best represents the spirit of Spokane:

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Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Thinking of the best books about Spokane becomes a highly personal endeavor

Thu., Nov. 24, 2022

I couldn’t even complete my own assignment.

News >  Spokane

Shawn Vestal: He’s retired, but you can’t keep Tom away from beloved turkey drive

Fri., Nov. 18, 2022

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Cathcart may not be part of new county commission, but his proposal should be

Sun., Nov. 13, 2022

In the week before the election, Range Media asked the candidates for County Commission whether the commission is accessible and accountable enough to the public.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Bad polls, taken seriously, added up to a red herring in the Senate race

Fri., Nov. 11, 2022

It became the main narrative of the Senate race: The upstart Tiffany Smiley was catching up to Patty Murray.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: In the too-close-to-call county race, a chance for an astonishing swing

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 8, 2022

So, what kind of wave was that?

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: My Twitter problem went well beyond who owns it

Sun., Nov. 6, 2022

My first experience with Twitter came in the midst of a court proceeding in the Joseph Duncan case in 2008.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: A year after the Boise mall shooting, a litany of the same

Fri., Nov. 4, 2022

He moved to Idaho for the open-carry laws, his father told police.

News >  Washington

Author on homelessness says ‘will’ crucial to solving growing crisis

Wed., Nov. 2, 2022

When it comes to homelessness and the crisis of affordable housing, our attention has been fixed on the city of Spokane and the battle over Camp Hope.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Whatever happens Nov. 8, the new County Commission looks like a win

Sun., Oct. 30, 2022

If there is anything we’ve learned about Spokane County government these past few weeks – as officials who ignored homelessness for years have suddenly awakened to it, blinking like Rip Van Winkle – it’s that it’s way past time for a reboot of Spokane County government.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Don’t let the push for accountability end with the Guardians

Fri., Oct. 28, 2022

The accountability mayor has a long way to go to be even minimally accountable in the Guardians Foundation debacle.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Debate revealed more about temperament and style than political positions

Wed., Oct. 26, 2022

One of the great benefits of candidate debates is not that they unearth unknown positions or opinions, but that they give us a chance to see the temperament and demeanor of candidates under pressure, to see how they act when challenged, to see how they think, or don’t, on their feet.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: The poisonous fruit of InfoWars has seeped into the nation one post at a time

Sun., Oct. 16, 2022

Several years ago, I had a social-media interaction that I haven’t been able to forget.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: In the midst of a housing crisis, Mayor Woodward leaves millions on the table

Fri., Oct. 14, 2022

About a month ago, a federal housing official sent a letter to Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward, all but begging her to develop a plan to spend $6 million in federal funds meant to address affordable housing and homelessness.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Camp Hope is shrinking, no thanks to political grandstanding

Wed., Oct. 12, 2022

Here is something you probably won’t hear from the sheriff, the county commissioners, the prosecutor, the mayor or the chief of police: Camp Hope is shrinking, no thanks to any of them.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Shawn Vestal: Frequent burglar’s case on hold, as he enters the overburdened mental health system

Sun., Oct. 9, 2022

Early in the morning of Sept. 22, a homeowner in Vinegar Flats was awakened by what he thought was his cats fighting.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Instead of offering charity care, hospital chain hounded poor patients

Wed., Sept. 28, 2022

If you want a depressing example of the grotesque contortions built into our health-care system, look no farther than the recent debt-collection practices of Providence Health & Services.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: The sleazy distortions of political porn are poisoning minds

Sun., Sept. 25, 2022

All pornographers have similar aims, whether they’re selling you sex or bad politics.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: If dumb, angry responses to homelessness worked, we’d have solved it already

Fri., Sept. 23, 2022

The community is desperate for effective, unified leadership on homelessness.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: In the conspiracy-laced pillow game, truth is dumber than fiction

Sun., Sept. 18, 2022

If the white nationalist in your life is weary from helping tear down the country, then Mike Lindell has just the thing for you.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: As lawmakers look to fix drug law, range of priorities collide

Fri., Sept. 16, 2022

As state lawmakers go back to work on the state’s drug-possession law, there will be a philosophical tug-of-war: Do we need a bigger legal hammer or more robust addiction treatment?

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: Mead board wisely rejects the borrowed proposals to corral civics lessons

Wed., Sept. 14, 2022

Maybe the Mead School Board should adopt a policy against plagiarism in proposed policies.

Opinion >  Column

Shawn Vestal: College costs are still sky high, but the debt picture is improving — at least a bit

Sun., Sept. 11, 2022

One of the most important trends of our college cost crisis is one of the least-known.