Many writers can confidently say their experiments in authorship began early, often in childhood, but for local poet Derek Annis, that journey began accidentally and much later.

“Gene had this remarkable talent,” a colleague said. “He could cross-examine a witness and literally eviscerate that witness, but have the witness laughing at him the whole time.”

Calm before the trek Anish started her PCT speed record attempt on June 8, 2013, heading into 700 miles of California desert, where temps soared to nearly 120 degrees.

A letter laced with the lethal toxin ricin arrived at the Thomas S. Foley Courthouse last May in a stolen envelope emblazoned with the name of a major law firm in downtown Spokane, according to court documents. Matthew Ryan Buquet, 34, has been in federal custody since a few days after mailings that tested positive for the castor bean-derived poison started showing up at the courthouse, a Spokane post office, Fairchild Air Force Base and the White House mail facility. The courthouse letter, which read, “We have a bomb placed we are going to kill you! Hezbollah,” arrived in an envelope from Lukins and Annis, according to federal court filings.

Paine Hamblen LLP, Spokane’s second-oldest law firm, has appointed attorney Jane Brown to be its managing partner. That appointment marks the first time a woman has been named the top manager of one of Spokane’s largest law firms, longtime Spokane attorneys say. Brown, 52, has been with the firm since 1990, when she began work as a legal assistant. She graduated from Gonzaga Law School in 1995.