It’s 2018. I’m 32, married eight years with two planned-for and deliberately conceived children. I’m visiting an ultra-rich, glaringly white private school to give a talk on my debut novel, “Dear Martin.” I’m standing at the front of a room with 150 kids talking about the connection between systemic racism and implicit bias. 

The gravel pits in the Inland Northwest were formed by the ice age floods that formed the region's topography millenia ago. One of the area's largest pits is bounded by Park and Thierman roads and Sprague and Broadway avenues in Spokane Valley.

Q. Tim, I’m flummoxed. I’m about to build a large detached garage. The plans call for a 10-inch-thick by 20-inch-wide poured concrete footing with two ½-inch steel bars that run continuously in the concrete. One bidding contractor says this steel is a waste of time and money, while another suggests I upgrade to ⅝-inch steel reinforcing rods.

The European Space Agency said Friday that human urine could one day become a useful ingredient in making concrete to build on the moon.

I’ve got problems with some of the concrete on the outside of my home as well as in my garage. There are lots of places where the top finish and layer of the concrete has eroded away. I think it’s called spalling. It’s worse in some areas than others.

I need to replace a cracked-off section of my concrete driveway. My primary concern is I want the color and texture of the new patch to match as closely as possible to the existing driveway. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just close.

Tim, I’m about to have a new concrete driveway installed, as well as some sidewalks. I asked the bidding contractors how long I might expect the concrete to last. The range given was from 20 to 30 years. That seems like a long time, but I thought it could last much longer.

I’m concerned about the concrete deck base that’s fully above ground at my new home. The other decks in our development have the concrete piers below ground. Shouldn’t the concrete be completely buried to protect against freezing and cracking in the winter months?

The Spokane Park Board awarded bids last week for a $1.1 million upgrade of the Southeast Sports Complex at Altamont Street and 46th Avenue on the South Hill, it’s biggest upgrade to a city park property in years, aside from the renovations underway at Riverfront Park.

No matter which type of concrete foundation you use, make sure it’s reinforced with steel.

Changing the color of grout is possible, but it’s not easy.

Foo Fighters played Spokane Arena as part of its “Concrete and Gold” tour.

A food bank in a small Washington town will get to remain in its building, thanks to former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Use photos, videos or local spots to help explain the results you want.

Concrete is being poured on Monroe Street from Fourth to Eight avenues

Concrete spalling seems to be a growing epidemic if my email inbox is any sort of trusted indicator. Years ago, reports of these failures were primarily from parts of the USA that received cold and freezing weather. Now I’m getting reports from places that rarely receive freezing temperatures. In almost all cases the root cause of concrete spalling is a workmanship error.