The Spovangelist

Nobody can escape the fact that all kinds of nonprofits, civic institutions and businesses these days are abuzz with how to take advantage of social media. The mania has reached such epic proportions that specialized marketing consultants have come out of the woodwork to meet the demand. Of course the mystique about things like Facebook [...]

There are so many layers and possible directions for talking about the Community Bill of Rights that no one forum can encompass all the opinions, points and perspectives that concerned citizens care to offer. The issues are so stirring that they have even begun to surface on other Spovangelist threads that have nothing to do [...]

Reprinted with permission from the Youth Sustainability Council. To subscribe, send email to: taylorw@community-minded.org Last Friday, commuters and downtown dwellers were confronted with an unusual sight on Main Street. Sandwiched between parked cars in front of Starbucks was a miniature park and garden of local produce put there by members of the YSC as part [...]

Does Spokane have an underground party culture? We’ve heard tales of what People’s Park was like back in ’74 when employees of the Expo got together to unwind at the end of the day. We’ve also heard a lot recently about the punk rock/new wave community that added character to our nightlife back in the [...]

Who has the time or endurance to attend City Council meetings? Probably not you. So to help draw you in to the Community Bill of Rights initiative debate, we’ve created an index of the relevant testimony given last Monday night. The first step is to go here: http://www.spokanecity.org/services/citycable5/streamingmedia/ And select the July 13th proceedings. Please [...]

Gabriel Brown: Innovator, father, friend. He’s one of those rare individuals who is universally liked by everyone.  While the Spovangelist avoids community calendar style posts, the subject matter at this exhibit is just too relevant not to mention. Make a point to go visit the MAC this Friday, while you can still get in for [...]

Spokane seems to have something of a crush on President Lincoln. Be it our beloved Lincoln Statue, the Symphony performing Letters from Lincoln, the Chase gallery exhibiting “A House Divided: The Legacy of Lincoln,” or even just the swank new Lincoln Center on Lincoln Ave., there are an awful lot of Lincolns in the local [...]

Spokane has issues with police public relations that go back for decades.  Unusual names like Otto Zhem and Shonto Pete enjoy household recognition around here, with the litany of incidents touching peoples’ lives in profoundly personal ways. There is the neighbor who witnessed the fatal taser-induced standoff between Spokane police and suicidal Josh Levy on [...]

Last night a cheerful lady knocked on our door to introduce herself as the “Browne’s Addition Welcome Wagon.” She had seen us working in our vegetable patch and wanted to celebrate our new status as neighbors. My roommate and I scored some strawberries, tea, pastries, seeds and a bouquet of fresh flowers, a card and [...]

Awhile back we explored some emerging directions in Spokane’s club scene. Last night, at Vintage Hill in Spokane’s SoDo District, we met an interesting character dubbed the “Commander-In-Flirt” of SpokaneFlirts.com. As he described the services available through his agency, I was watched closely for any hint of reaction or understanding. After all, in such an [...]