The Spovangelist

A mid-sized city miracle!

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Vote for Unity in the Community

August 10th, 2010 2 Comments

While it has yet to reach the same level of mass hysteria wrought by “Hey Google, Pick Spokane”, another nationwide competition has taken hold in our town. This time the aim is to win $25,000 to support Unity in the Community, an annual celebration of diverse cultures and people in Spokane. For those of you [...]

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Power to the PCOs

August 9th, 2010 7 Comments

It is official. After a trip to the Spokane County Elections Office last week I am now registered as a write-in candidate for “PCO” in Precinct 3153. A “Precinct Committee Officer” is the lowest possible office anyone can run for – it is even more obscure than running for neighborhood council given that precincts are [...]

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Drive-Thru Stranglehold

June 16th, 2010 6 Comments

Everyone knows that “Video Killed the Radio Star,” but sometimes I wonder if all the drive-thru chains on 3rd are part of what is strangling a more vibrant food cart culture in Downtown Spokane. McDonald’s should change its slogan to “Killing Customers and the Competition since 1955.” At first it might seem a little lofty to [...]

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U-District Retrospective

May 22nd, 2010 4 Comments

There is a lot of excitement over the new University District, but like a lot of things in this town it is kind of a kludge.  As great as it would be there is no going back to create a longstanding Spokane State. Imagine what this place would be like if we could magically squeeze [...]

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Doomsday Hill Mural

May 2nd, 2010 1 Comment

I am a Bloomsday fanatic. Thanks to the strong sense of tradition and civic pride instilled in me by my mother, I have participated in Bloomsday every year of my life without exception. This year will be my 27th race, even though I’m only 26 years old. Figure that one out! Bloomsday spirit down in [...]

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Put a Lid On It

March 23rd, 2010 3 Comments

Our community communication outlets are all over this one. As you probably already know if you are reading RiverSpeak, the Arts Commission newsletter, Jon Snyder’s blog, or listening to KYRS, the City and the Art and Wastewater Departments have sponsored a design competition for people 18 and under that will resurface the way we look [...]

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Hey Spokane, Fix the HotZone

March 22nd, 2010 11 Comments

It’s official, it’s a mania. What started as an earnest effort on behalf of the City and some key partners has finally hit the mass consciousness of everyday citizens in a mad dash to impress before Friday’s finish line.  What is going on here? In case you live under a rock, Google is planning to [...]

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Seconds on Humble Pie

March 18th, 2010 2 Comments

I was surprised and honored to learn that I was voted Spokane’s 2nd best “Community Volunteer” today. It is a bit mind boggling since the title itself can mean a lot of different things to different people. It is always a gamble with the Best of categories. Some are here today gone tomorrow, others are [...]

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Prop. 4 Via Video

September 28th, 2009 13 Comments

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 [...]

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Where did we go wrong? *UNEDITED*

September 11th, 2009 28 Comments

You may remember this story from the Inlander. Some people were inspired by it. Others felt it was intellectual self-congratulation. While we are busy surviving the rigors of Sustainable September Spokane, we thought it might be fun to revisit the unedited version of the opening comments made by local environmental advocate Kitty Klitzke. “Kitty Ain’t [...]

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