A GRIP ON SPORTS • Gonzaga is on the road again, which means there will be a big crowd in someone’s gym. It’s just the way it is in the West Coast Conference. Read on.

The Spokane Empire play the Green Bay Blizzard in their opener at the Spokane Arena, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017.

Adam Shackleford has a high-profile job he performs in front of 5,000 people a night,

Spokane Empire head coach Adam Shackleford felt great about the team he brought into training camp.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • One would hope with two of the nation’s top five college basketball teams playing in the Inland Northwest on the same night, there would be some fireworks. There were. But they weren’t of the expected, or hoped for, type. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Being a walk-on in Division I isn’t easy. Even if you play. And that’s not a given for those who pay their way in college athletics these days. Read on.

The Indoor Football League is known for high-scoring games and gaudy offensive numbers. But the Spokane Empire’s defense might make the biggest difference in 2017.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Mount Snowplow began to melt away yesterday. To slip down the drain at the end of the cul-de-sac. It’s the best harbinger known to man that winter is ready to give up its icy grip. That or the Zags getting to 25 wins. Take your pick. Read on.

The Spokane Empire signed wide receiver Devonn Brown and defensive end John “J.D.” Griggs to their 2017 IFL roster.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Let’s see. It’s Wednesday. No college basketball tonight in the area. The NFL is finished. The NBA? No, not until Seattle has a team again. Which leaves us, what? High school hoops, that’s what. Read on.

The feeling associated with the first day of practice feels sweet for a lot of athletes. Based on past circumstances, it felt sweeter on the team’s first practice of the season Tuesday for Spokane Empire offensive specialist Trevor Kennedy.

Spokane Empire first practice on Tuesday, Feb 7, 2017.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • You know what makes life more exciting? Little surprises. An unexpected bill in the mail, or, on a happier note, an unexpected check. A wink from that certain someone you’ve had your eye on for a while. Or your team winning a game you never expected them to. Heck even coming close. Read on.

The Spokane Empire signed former Eastern Washington offensive lineman Cassidy Curtis to their 2017 IFL roster.

A North Idaho operator of unmanned aircraft systems tripled its sales in 2016 as it widened its focus beyond precision agriculture. Empire Unmanned, based in Hayden, experienced “tremendous growth” in mining, engineering and structure inspections, the company said Friday.

Thousands of RV owners routinely traveling south for winters, forming mini RV communities in warmer-climate states to soak in the sun and outdoor recreation.