Archives | February 2026

• Rex Huppke: Doomsday Clock moves up. Yay! Let’s get this over with

• This day in history: Baseball owners set conditions for giving Seattle a Major League team. Club owner sentenced for serving booze

• Bloomsday Perennial: Rogers, WSU grad became a pioneer before the ADA could help

• Commentary: Free speech needs a reset in America

• The Dirt: Infamous apartment building gets new life

All stories for Feb. 1, 2026 »

• This day in history: Wanted disbarred attorney found in Alaska, pleads guilty to grand larceny. Mystery of fair safe cracker who stole $18k remains unsolved

• Getting There: Spokane mulls reducing lanes on Grand Boulevard in 2027

• Then and Now: Sweeny/Finucane House

• Congregation vows action to help Haitians in Spokane

• A Grip on Sports: The Seahawks may be the favorites on the field Sunday but the Patriots are the favorite sons of the I-95 corridor

All stories for Feb. 2, 2026 »

• This day in history: Spokane police officer jumped in and out of out-of-control moving car in attempt to stop it. ‘Baby Spokane’ named

• 50 years afloat: Pool World celebrates golden jubilee under 93 year old, original owner

• Portland leaning heavily on freshman point guard, WCC assists leader Joel Foxwell | Key matchup

• No. 6 Gonzaga looking to ‘bottle up’ energy, toughness ahead of Oregon road trip

• Gonzaga’s Ike, Innocenti and Warley put on show against Gaels | Zags Insiders Podcast

All stories for Feb. 3, 2026 »

• Trudy Rubin: Trump betrays his pledge to Iran’s protesters by letting clerics crush them

• This day in history: Jewelry story said it was leaving downtown Spokane because of high parking costs. Warren Heylman calmly defended health building

• A Grip on Sports: I’m no visionary but it is easy to see the path to the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl win

• Freshman Foxwell spurs Portand’s upset over No. 6 Gonzaga | 3 takeaways

• Liberty Park post office closed after asbestos finding

All stories for Feb. 4, 2026 »

• Gardening: Critters offer amusement and test patience

• Master of his craft: Rogers wrestling coach Rod Tamura readies for retirement after nearly four decades in the sport

• This day in history: After nearly 70 years, National Guard considered moving from Spokane Armory. Deputy auditor accused of steading license fees

• Amplifying diversity: Spectrum Singers focuses on social justice through choir music

• A Grip on Sports: The Zags suffer through as bad an upset loss as they have been dealt in years, one that will have ramifications later in the season

All stories for Feb. 5, 2026 »

• This day in history: A ‘UFO cult’ was looking for members to take to the ‘next level’ in Spokane

• Big screens for the big game: Where to watch the Seahawks’ fourth Super Bowl appearance in Spokane

• Idaho lawmakers could make cuts to Medicaid — creating fear for many residents

• A Grip on Sports: The Super Bowl/Winter Olympics weekend begins early today and won’t end until we find out if the Seahawks have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy once more

• Alysa Liu back on the Olympic stage, this time truly herself

All stories for Feb. 6, 2026 »

• This day in history: 1976 wasn’t a good year for snow either, so the Spokane Tribe and 49 Degrees North partnered for an unexpected solution

• Ingrid Jacques: Voters say Trump is worse than Biden. Don’t write him off yet. | Opinion

• Rex Huppke: WARNING: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show will turn you woke | Opinion

• A Grip on Sports: At least there are some sporting events today to divert the laser-sharp focus, and even sharper anxiety, we have on the Super Bowl

• Gonzaga’s Graham Ike hits all kind of highs while scoring 35 points in 81-61 win at Oregon State | Analysis

All stories for Feb. 7, 2026 »

• This day in history: Fall smog or polluted runoff? Buring grass seed was the center of an agricultural debate

• Rex Huppke: GOP suffers Trump-induced identity crisis on guns, Epstein

• Prominent Northwest figures, from Super Bowl MVP to symphony conductor, weigh in on big game

• Paul Allen saved the Seahawks, the team’s next owner must also do it ‘for the 12s’ | Dave Boling

• Ranking 60 greatest NFL teams to play in Super Bowl: Legion of Boom in rare company

All stories for Feb. 8, 2026 »

• Bret Stephens: Will Newsom be the Democrats’ next mistake?

• This day in history: Selective Service office closes following end to Vietnam War. Logger dies hopping train

• Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon shines in Super Bowl: ‘A walking Hall of Famer’

• A Grip on Sports: It may have been stressful and not the most-dominant but Sunday’s Super Bowl LX win is the best game the Seahawks have given their fans – this decade

• Gonzaga slides to 12th in AP poll, projected as four seed in most brackets

All stories for Feb. 9, 2026 »

• LZ Granderson: Trump keeps reminding us why people support him. It’s the racism

• This day in history: WSU prof said prison isolation wasn’t punishment. Spokane silent film star was severely injured on set

• Bloomsday Perennial: Paul Chapman fighting Parkinson but plans to run as long as he can

• A Grip on Sports: Now that the NFL season is in the rearview mirror (though there is still one massive party to attend) it’s time to shift the focus a bit

• Gonzaga turns defense into offense in 83-53 blowout over WSU | 3 takeaways

All stories for Feb. 10, 2026 »

• This day in history: Airmen lost hunting licenses after killing trumpeter swans. Comedian planned ‘4-minute laugh-provoking talking act’ on Spokane radio

• A Grip on Sports: The Zags’ current lineup dominated WSU on Tuesday night, but their future prospects might depend on the healing power of the team’s medical staff

• Report: Gonzaga to face Purdue as part of Nov. 2 doubleheader that will also feature Arizona-UCLA

• When it comes to turnovers, Gonzaga hopes it has turned the page | Women’s basketball

• Providers said people would die if Idaho cut this health service. 2 already have

All stories for Feb. 11, 2026 »

• Gardening: Time to start seeding this year’s vegetables

• Bret Stephens: Dissidents are silenced, and the West moves on

• This day in history: ‘Hair-covered human-like creatures’ seen in Montana. Bum the cat, pet at Spokane’s Great Northern station, disappeared

• A rodent ‘emergency’: Lawmakers start to set a trap for Treasure Valley rats

• A Grip on Sports: Two sides of the state, two different aspects of football but two examples of how the sport stays in the public eye throughout the year

All stories for Feb. 12, 2026 »

• This day in history: Panel said covert racism was rife in Spokane. Washington State College awaited arrival of cougar kittens who would be mascots

• No. 12 Gonzaga heads to Santa Clara for main event of WCC season to this point: ‘They pass the eye test’

• Santa Clara’s Allen Graves no longer flying under radar ahead of second Gonzaga meeting | Key matchup

• A Grip on Sports: The holiday weekend features sports venues ranging from the mountains of Italy to the ocean shores of California

• New Idaho law could delay tax refunds by weeks. Here’s what to know

All stories for Feb. 13, 2026 »

• Sara Pequeño: Nancy Pelosi endorses Jack Schlossberg. It’s time to retire

• Dr. Thomas K. Lew: Alex Pretti was trying to help. I can’t move on from that

• Nicole Russell: James Van Der Beek’s death highlights America’s health care disparity

• ‘What home was supposed to feel like’: An unconventional beginning makes a happy ending for U-High grads now married

• This day in history: A prominent business lost millions in revenue from strict environmental regulations – in Idaho

All stories for Feb. 14, 2026 »

• Will Johnson: The news never ends. We’re overwhelmed. Here’s how to cope

• Rex Huppke: Bondi downplays Epstein, suggests money is all that matters

• This day in history: Bingo was seen as an innocuous enough form of gambling that even 2-year-olds could play

• The Dirt: Spokane Community College plans major renovation

• Nicole Russell: I can be let down by Trump without regretting voting for him | Opinion

All stories for Feb. 15, 2026 »

• This day in history: More than 100 skiers stranded on Mount Spokane chairlift; Alleged master safecracker accused of Paulsen Building heist pleads not guilty to charge of ‘habitual criminal’

• Bloomsday Perennial: Von Klohe has a mother of a race goal to beat

• Then and Now: Spokane Technical and Vocational School

• Getting There: Work on North Spokane Corridor in 2026 lays groundwork for completion

• A Grip on Sports: Whether Braden Huff will be able to return and contribute in the NCAA tourney is front and center for most Gonzaga fans

All stories for Feb. 16, 2026 »

• Rex Huppke: Wow, Elon Musk sure does like white people

• This day in history: Long before COVID-19 disrupted the classroom, a more timeless problem was keeping kids from learning

• A Grip on Sports: Robert Duvall was so good at his profession, a whole decade of folks saw Max Mercy as the quinessential sports writer

• Tiger Woods has not ruled out a Masters return

• Why Seahawks are ‘unlikely’ to use franchise tag on Kenneth Walker III | Analysis

All stories for Feb. 17, 2026 »

• This day in history: The suspect in a high-speed chase through Spokane was far below legal driving age

• A Grip on Sports: The snow flies in Spokane which, of course, has us thinking of a bunch of big flies at T-Mobile Park this summer

• USA clips Sweden in OT thriller to reach Olympic men’s hockey semifinals

• Seahawks going up for sale, Paul G. Allen estate announces

• Salvation Army reopens Hope Market food pantry ‘to make sure all of Spokane succeeds’

All stories for Feb. 18, 2026 »

• Gardening: For those itching to get growing, here’s what you can do this time of year

• Bret Stephens: The only civilization worth defending

• ‘Fundamentally bad’: Critics say new Idaho bill would hamper courts

• This day in history: The pound needed a new home, but then and now, zoning could be a challenge

• Decades of love: Couples celebrate marriage at Touchmark wedding vow renewal ceremony

All stories for Feb. 19, 2026 »

• This day in history: Black students at Eastern spoke against ‘harsh discrimination and unfair treatment’

• A Grip on Sports: Forget the snow on the ground for a moment, and the weekend filled with Olympics and college hoop, there is Mariner baseball on the TV today

• Sandpoint’s Litehouse Inc. changes name

• How Cal Raleigh helped bring Mitch Garver back to the Mariners

• Idaho cut this service for patients with psychosis. Already, three have died

All stories for Feb. 20, 2026 »

• Bill Korman: You aren’t ‘too busy.’ You’re making a choice

• Byron McCauley: Jesse Jackson spent his life bending America toward justice. Will we?

• Michelle Goldberg: Americans don’t want war with Iran. Trump doesn’t care

• Rex Huppke: Supreme Court cans Trump’s dumb tariffs. Where’s my refund?

• This day in history: Eastern Washington president addressed racism on campus. Man confessed he killed game warden

All stories for Feb. 21, 2026 »

• Bloomsday Perennial: Race for North Central cross country runner was about finishing, not winning

• This day in history: Patty Hearst, political pawn? Famed attorney William Kunstler labeled her trial a sham during a visit to Cheney

• Commentary: What ‘America’ meant before 1776, and who ‘Americans’ are today

• Clothing swap keeps 132 pounds of textiles out of Spokane landfill

• Motley Fool: A paycheck giant

All stories for Feb. 22, 2026 »

• Commentary: We celebrate civil rights heroes only after they stop making us uncomfortable

• This day in history: Lumber workers furious over reports of needless cedar burning by Forest Service. Master safecracker makes bail, heads to Calif. before trial

• Then and Now: Consuelo Apartments

• A Grip on Sports: After watching the U.S. gold medal hockey win again, I’m convinced (not really) it was all an elaborate AI hoax to sell razors and cereal and jerseys

• Gonzaga moves back into top 10 at No. 9 in AP basketball poll

All stories for Feb. 23, 2026 »

• Trudy Rubin: On 4th anniversary of Ukraine war, Kyiv refuses to cave to Putin’s terror or Trump’s pro-Russia demands

• This day in history: Zoo backers pushed Spokane County for tax vote. Two men accused of murder in Shoshone County

• A Grip on Sports: The Oregon vs. Oregon State rivalry game is on a “break,” which may just become a permanent breakup in the current football climate

• Graham Ike draws a crowd and Saint Mary’s preview | Zags Insiders Podcast

• Why Major League Baseball faces a looming labor war | Commentary

All stories for Feb. 24, 2026 »

• George F. Will: Stand back, Congress needs a second Supreme Court jolt

• Yasmin Trudeau and Jeff Holy: Bipartisan bill balances privacy and technology to solve crimes

• This day in history: Wallace High School principal died while attending school’s basketball game. 2 men accused each other of killing rancher.

• New shelter aims to provide beds, services to homeless LGBTQ+ people

• A Grip on Sports: There are a lot of signs spring is waiting in the wings but lately Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s fighting down the stretch for a WCC title is the best one

All stories for Feb. 25, 2026 »

• Gardening: Using native plants in your landscape will help pollinators

• Nolan Finley: It’s time to end the State of the Union

• This day in history: Walla Walla prison prepared for new executions. Spokane woman claimed she was growing third set of teeth

• Could a tax break spur affordable housing? Idaho lawmakers bet it can

• A Grip on Sports: Some of what’s happened this college basketball season has been inexplicable – and not in a good way

All stories for Feb. 26, 2026 »

• This day in history: Joyridding Felts Field plane thief walked into court with broken ankles from crash. North Central High School overcrowded, business group says

• Russ Wigginton: Studying Black history may feel uncomfortable. It should be

• How Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s evolved into one of college basketball’s most riveting rivalries | West Coast Conclusion

• A Grip on Sports: Spending time watching TV this weekend might force an inner debate, and soliloquy, before you can decide to sit down and root for your favorite team

• How Mariners prospect Colt Emerson’s football days helped his MLB ascent

All stories for Feb. 27, 2026 »

• Marc A. Thiessen: The outrage mob is ruining a golden moment

• This day in history: Flu outbreak reaches Spokane

• Sara Pequeño: President’s attacks on trans rights have infected blue states

• Heidi Stevens: Dissenting Americans keep making lemonade out of Trump’s lemons — including his hockey call

• A Grip on Sports: The best way to remember a lost loved one may be the most personal question someone can answer, even when it plays out in public

All stories for Feb. 28, 2026 »