Bloglander

Frustration, then resignation Rose Dempsey, a city council member continually outvoted by her colleagues for the past year, has resigned in frustration. Our coverage is coming up within the hour. (SR) 

Bomb was an actual bomb Traditionally, bomb scares end up being something entirely innocuous-- a gift, an alarm clock, or, in one North Central High School scare, a prop made for a theater performance. But this time, it turns out that the bomb set along the MLK parade route as an actual, real credible threat. Scary. Even scarier, the police department sends out this e-mail this morning:

The Spokane Police Department and members of the Explosive Device Unit are on scene in the area of 1st Avenue and Cedar assessing a suspicious item. Officers were called to the area where what appears to be a suitcase was left on the sidewalk.

The good news? According to KREM, that "bomb" was simply a suitcase full of women's clothing.  (KXLY)

Wide load Finally: A break for a massive corporation. ConocoPhillips has been given permission, by a Boise official, to begin hauling large oil machinery through Idaho's Highway 12. Megaloads, officially, are A-OK. There have been months of legal and political battles over this issue. (KREM)

Hu is he, really? Hu Jintao, president of China, has been meeting with Nobel prize winner Barack Obama this week. Obama gently reminded him that Liu Xiaobo, another Nobel prize winner is still being held political prisoner in China. Awkward. (NYT)