Archives | December 2025

• This day in history: WSU head coach Sweeney resigns. Gonzaga looks to add new buildings to its campus

• Christmas Bureau seeks more new pajamas to help make for cozier holidays for those in need

• Then and Now: The Progressive Party

• Idaho shares voter-roll and food-stamp information with the feds. What we know

• Gonzaga starts out at No. 5 in NET rankings with No. 15 Kentucky looming on Friday

All stories for Dec. 1, 2025 »

• The world’s poorest people need your help, and so do you

• This day in history: ‘Portly gentleman’ Isaac Stern impressed S-R reviewer. Salvation Army staff successfully evacuated smoke-filled shelter

• Women of the Year: Lorraine Parlange’s grit has made her a fierce legal advocate for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians

• Christmas Bureau couple: Volunteering together is part of the fun for the Kosteleckys

• A Grip on Sports: Everyone is being snowed under by college football coaching news and, considering the local weather, we decided to pile on

All stories for Dec. 2, 2025 »

• This day in history: Winds likely caused crash killing professor near Cheney. Boytown elected leaders at A.M. Cannon Park

• Here are Mariners’ possible infield options heading into MLB Winter Meetings

• A Grip on Sports: Today is a celebration day for high school football players headed to the next level, one that has changed quite a bit recently

• Commentary: Ex-UW, WSU assistant JaMarcus Shephard in for fight at Oregon State

• Coaching carousel winners and losers: From Lane Kiffin, James Franklin and BYU to ESPN, the SEC and the new Pac-12

All stories for Dec. 3, 2025 »

• This day in history: The investigation into a controversial police shooting continued under prosecuting attorney Donald Brockett

• Tax break for Gonzaga events being cut to fund revamped city of Spokane arts office

• Christmas Bureau volunteers find the best deals on books

• Draw for 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is here. What Northwest fans needs to know

• ‘We don’t have time to pout.’ Looking to shake discouraging loss, Gonzaga faces Kentucky team in similar position

All stories for Dec. 4, 2025 »

• This day in history: Teen escaped before having to testify against his mom. Hunters shot 3 cougars in Stevens County

• Earthworks helps out the Christmas Bureau with carboard charity

• A Grip on Sports: This could be a weekend of chaos in college football if what happened here today is replicated in any way

• Gonzaga’s Graham Ike returns to form with yet another big game against Kentucky

• Three takeaways: Gonzaga shakes up starting lineup, helps lead to rout over Kentucky

All stories for Dec. 5, 2025 »

• This day in history: Spokane judge proposed banning divorce. 2 men arrested after shots fired from downtown hotel

• A Grip on Sports: The reality of college athletics just can’t stop taking demoralizing bites out of Washington State

• Gonzaga rewind: Braeden Smith steps up, defense returns to form as Zags dismantle Kentucky

• 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule: Seattle matches unveiled and a look at potential base camps (Gonzaga among them)

• Five potential coaching candidates to replace Jimmy Rogers at WSU

All stories for Dec. 6, 2025 »

• Bret Stephens: Ukraine is still worth fighting for

• Michelle Goldberg: A serious journalism scandal hiding inside a frivolous sexual one

• This day in history: Symphony and ‘guitar pickin’ melded genres for a show that divided critics

• The Dirt: Cannabis shop planned for West Hills

• Bloomsday Perennial: Charles Bean’s streak nearly was lost with the wrong race bib

All stories for Dec. 7, 2025 »

• This day in history: Man was in the hospital after getting lost in whiteout on Mt. Rainier. Father and son were accused of car theft

• Then and Now: Knickerbocker Apartments

• Emerging elves: Rogers High School turns woodshop into toy workshop for the Christmas Bureau

• Dave Boling: Why Luke Falk could be uniquely qualified candidate in WSU’s coaching search

• A Grip on Sports: Griping is enshrined in the Constitution, or at least in the sports fans’ version of it, but not all gripes are the same

All stories for Dec. 8, 2025 »

• This day in history: Coroner’s jury picked for police shooting review. Temperance group condemns displays

• Toys and teddy bears ready for this week’s opening of the Christmas Bureau

• A Grip on Sports: Christmas, Christmas time is here, time for bowls and polls and to cheer … the Seahawks to an NFC title

• ‘Once a Coug, always a Coug’: Playing alongside Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward is relishing his NBA brethren

• Analysis: Ex-Zag Ryan Nembhard has the Dallas Mavericks, who seemed headed for the toilet, in a flow

All stories for Dec. 9, 2025 »

• This day in history: Spokane officer testified he thought teen had gun when he shot him. He held a glove

• ‘I’m just not that person anymore’: the business of removing tattoos lets clients create a clean slate

• Bloomsday Perennial: Steve Moe is tattooed and ready for 50th race

• ‘Grudge match’: Eagle city lawsuit heads to Idaho Supreme Court. What happened

• A Grip on Sports: Early December is the perfect time to clean up the house … and clean out the notebook

All stories for Dec. 10, 2025 »

• Gardening: After 200 years, gardeners lose an old favorite

• This day in history: Coroner’s jury cleared officer who shot teen. Attorney representing accused safecracker suggests inside job

• Volunteers woven into the fabric of Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care

• 2025-26 Winter Sports Preview: Outlook for Greater Spokane League gymnastics

• 2025-26 Winter Sports Preview: Outlook for Greater Spokane League wrestling

All stories for Dec. 11, 2025 »

• Trudy Rubin: New U.S. National Security Strategy slams Europe as greater threat than Russia or China

• This day in history: Mother of teen killed by cop criticized coroner inquiry. Also, UW and Oregon said they were departing an athletic conference. Sound familiar?

• Parents brave ‘really hectic’ pre-dawn lines as Christmas Bureau opens Thursday

• Tribe, ‘de-extinction’ company partner to reintroduce California condors to Idaho

• Colts’ Philip Rivers may be another gift for Seahawks defense

All stories for Dec. 12, 2025 »

• Jackie Calmes: Signs of the regulatory apocalypse

• This day in history: Could a passion for pinball land three local kids in the Guiness Book of World Records?

• Commentary: America continues to rely on the collective wisdom of the people

• A Grip on Sports: Washington State hires its new football coach and receives well-deserved praise

• Video shows tangled skydiver dangling from plane at 15,000 feet

All stories for Dec. 13, 2025 »

• Michelle Goldberg: Republican women suddenly realize they’re surrounded by misogynists

• Bret Stephens: Europe, too, is worth fighting for

• Carl P. Leubsdorf: Some Democrats showed promise in 2025 as future party leaders

• Bloomsday Perennial: She trained on a track, then got ‘hooked from the beginning’

• This day in history: Gonzaga students snuffed out the ‘glow of life’ in the name of science

All stories for Dec. 14, 2025 »

• This day in history: Christmas tree seekers trespass for evergreens; Paulsen heist witnesses testify suspect couldn’t have pulled off crime

• At Christmas Bureau, moms fulfill Christmas magic finding toys, books for their children

• Then and Now: The Ice Palace

• Getting There: City still weighing two-way vs. one-way, lane reductions on Spokane Falls Boulevard through downtown

• A Grip on Sports: Be honest. If the Seahawks win the rest of their game in the same manner they won Sunday, will you be upset?

All stories for Dec. 15, 2025 »

• Trudy Rubin: Europe now holds the flickering torch of Western democracy, while the Trump team pushes to extinguish it

• This day in history: Maxey called prosecutor’s decision a ‘whitewash.’ Boys accused of stealing goose were jailed

• A Grip on Sports: Loyalty comes in all forms, with the WSU coaches who stuck around this week showing their version to this year’s Cougar players

• Analysis: Three questions for the 2026 Washington Huskies if Jedd Fisch stays

• What’s at stake for Seahawks in NFC West showdown vs. Rams

All stories for Dec. 16, 2025 »

• Bret Stephens: Bondi Beach is what ‘globalize the intifada’ looks like

• This day in history: New Vietnamese refugees welcomed baby in Spokane. Safecracker found guilty in Paulsen Building burglaries

• Christmas Bureau brightens the season for those facing job losses

• A Grip on Sports: Kirby Moore arrives in Pullman and immediately shows he has a handle on what’s needed to win at Washington State

• ‘She wants to lead’: Ines Bettencourt takes on vital role for Gonzaga women’s basketball

All stories for Dec. 17, 2025 »

• Gardening: Gift ideas for the gardeners in your life

• This day in history: Davenport Hotel’s new attractions? Cheap beer and apple grunt

• Christmas Bureau shoppers find treasures in the toy room – and a surprisingly lovable Grinch

• The Collector: Remembering travels, one Christmoose ornament at a time

• A Grip on Sports: On Thursday nights the nation turns its lonely eyes to Amazon’s NFL broadcast and tonight that means Seattle’s showdown with the visiting Rams

All stories for Dec. 18, 2025 »

• Rex Huppke: Trump’s crazed address was as unnerving as Biden’s debate

• This day in history: An unexpected boon in Spokane tourism and a gruesome discovery made headlines

• ‘The proof is in the joyful smiles’: Last day of the Christmas Bureau delivers for families

• ‘The toll is heavy.’ Idaho’s Afghans face uncertainty as Trump targets immigrants

• A Grip on Sports: Superlatives flow after the Seahawks’ 38-37 win over L.A. Thursday night and, for once, every one of them is justified

All stories for Dec. 19, 2025 »

• Bret Stephens: Our petty, hollow, squalid ogre in chief

• Kofi Mframa: ‘Heated Rivalry’ raises representation debate in Hollywood

• This day in history: Spokane stamp collector said he was tortured in Moroccan prisons. Pioneer died after he drove off Kettle Falls ferry

• LZ Granderson: Go ahead. Make parenting mistakes

• Commentary: What’s in a font? Marco Rubio’s malicious change to Times New Roman

All stories for Dec. 20, 2025 »

• Carl P. Leubsdorf: Trump’s year — More lows than highs

• Nicholas Kristof: Let’s go beyond Trump’s vile words about Rob Reiner

• George F. Will: Maria Cantwell blitzes college football’s nonprofit status

• This day in history: Commission predicted energy crisis would spark downtown Spokane rebirth. Feds raided establishments without local police help

• Commentary: Dick Van Dyke shouldn’t be the exception – Helping America’s seniors stay engaged

All stories for Dec. 21, 2025 »

• This day in history: Two-week strike grounds United flights; Spokane leaders call for Hedger recall in connection with Prohibition

• Then and Now: Santa Claus comes to town

• Christmas Bureau’s success made possible through help of local business, volunteers

• Getting There: Greenway project kicks off on Pacific Avenue next spring

• A Grip on Sports: As the Cougars end a topsy-turvy, oh-so-close season with another bowl appearance, it is time to look back on their year

All stories for Dec. 22, 2025 »

• Dave Granlund cartoon

• Commentary: Who can afford Trump’s economy? Americans are feeling Grinchy

• Bloomsday Perennial: Martin Kittredge won’t let his knees keep him from the finish

• This day in history: Controversy leads to dismantling of city trainee program. Local doctor proclaims ‘Take-a-Bath Day’ in Spokane

• Zags Insiders Podcast: Lots of words on Braeden Smith, Braden Huff

All stories for Dec. 23, 2025 »

• This day in history: A former mining tycoon shared his sad tale of financial ruin, offering some hard-earned advice

• Commentary: The season to remember we’re still one nation

• Martin Schram: Teaching the world’s lost leaders

• Music brings special touch to the Christmas Bureau

• Difference Maker: Kitara Johnson-Jones, founder of Gabriel’s Challenge, leads ‘from the heart’ to help others fight addiction

All stories for Dec. 24, 2025 »

• Gardening: Fir-scented memories of working the Christmas tree lines

• A look back at 10 years of Spokesman-Review Christmas Cards

• Behind the Scenes: Beer-drinking Mr. and Mrs. Claus

• This day in history: Major fog and a haven for ‘vice and immorality’ made headlines in Spokane

• Rings and races: Marji and Mike Arnold ran Bloomsday, got married, and kept running and running strong

All stories for Dec. 25, 2025 »

• John M. Crisp: What will it take to repair the damage?

• This day in history: Coors beer makes Spokane debut; Attempted recall Spokane public safety commissioner enters petition phase

• A Grip on Sports: Whenever you think about those folks who have to work Christmas Day, don’t forget the athletes who do so to entertain us

• Michigan reportedly targeting Kyle Whittingham, not UW’s Jedd Fisch, for coaching job

• Analysis: Mariners’ Rob Refsnyder signing makes them a better team

All stories for Dec. 26, 2025 »

• John Davenport: Beefing up school security won’t be enough. Try gun control

• This day in history: The biggest story of the year would end up coming full circle today

• Commentary: Prosperity and philanthropy reborn — The conservative way forward

• Commentary: When medical misinformation costs lives — Balancing free speech and public health

• WCC reset: One reason for optimism and one question for all 12 teams entering conference play

All stories for Dec. 27, 2025 »

• Sara Pequeño: All signs point to 2026 being white, cabbage-flavored slop

• Andrew Sciallo: The American family isn’t collapsing, it’s adapting to reality

• This day in history: Rathdrum Prairie construction continues despite moratorium for contaminated drinking water

• Toys are talking back thanks to AI, but are they safe around kids?

• Private health insurance costs are going up. A complete guide to your coverage options

All stories for Dec. 28, 2025 »

• Marc A. Thiessen: The Who, Chicago and ’80s galore: My favorite concerts of 2025

• This day in history: Remodeling scheduled at Fairchild. ‘Soft drink’ establishments push back against Hedger recall amid Prohibition

• Difference Makers: Spokane’s Repair Café and Mend-It Café reframe relationship with household items

• Then and Now: Linder’s Lodge

• A Grip on Sports: There is still one more test of our faith remaining for the Seahawks and Sam Darnold, one that is tough enough to make even Job question everything

All stories for Dec. 29, 2025 »

• This day in history: Septic tanks polluting aquifer in Spokane Valley, Army Corps warned. More were dying in car crashes

• Bloomsday Perennial: Terry Hemingway already has his sights on a new goal after reaching 50 next May

• Idaho senators urge President Trump to reverse course on marijuana policy change

• A Grip on Sports: Monday played the role of the calm day that precedes a week of chaos – and fun – in the world of sports

• Jalen Warley’s season-high 22 points, 14 boards lift Gonzaga past San Diego

All stories for Dec. 30, 2025 »

• This day in history: Marijuana should be legalized, said North Idaho Medical Association in 1975. Spokane economy booming as 1925 came to close

• Difference Maker: ‘Saint Bette’ is the guiding force for the Mead Food Bank and an inspiration to students

• A Grip on Sports: Why should we watch sports if all they are going to do is make us unhappy? Because its not always what they do

• Gonzaga rewind: Wings Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster carry load for Zags in San Diego win

• As Seahawks play for No. 1, former stars like Russell Wilson are fading

All stories for Dec. 31, 2025 »