Bloglander

Break out your pens, colored pencils and sketchbooks, and don't forget a stock of caffeinated beverages. This Saturday, starting on Oct. 1 at 10 am, a newly-founded group called the Inland NW Association of Sequential Artists is hosting its first ever 24 Hour Comics & Art Day event at the Spokane Art School.

While the event is geared toward local artists, organizer Derrick Freeland emphasizes that the public is welcome to come meet participants, learn about their work and make some art of their own. 

Local graphic novelist Manny Trembley will offer printed sheets of his work for all ages to color. Meanwhile, participating artists are also working to create a collaborative 24-page comic.

"It's all art-based stuff that people can come contribute to, or do their own things," Freeland explains. "Anyone is welcome to come and see the artists work, but we're also hoping to get people who want to work on something, or need and want inspiration, to come out."

The free event runs from 10 am Saturday to 10 am Sunday, Oct. 2, with artists hanging out at the Spokane Art School studio through the night. Artists who plan to stay for the full event are encouraged to take on the challenge to create their own 24-page comic, from conceptualization to completion.

Freeland says he's participated in several other similar events in past cities he's lived, and thought hosting one in Spokane would help to unite and showcase the region's comic and graphic artist community.

"There is a pretty big scene here, this is just my perspective, and it seems to be sort of new or revitalizing itself right now," he notes. "There is a lot of potential and a lot of projects that are just getting started," including some of his own.

Freeland is the founder of Bottlecrow Publications, and through that venture is working on a series of graphic novel-style short stories set in fantasy and sci-fi universes of his own making. That series can be found locally at Second Look Books, Book Traders, and the Comic Book Shop.

Diane Nilan has documented the lives of homeless kids all over the country. Last week, her work brought her to Eastern Washington, where she filmed the stories of homeless students in Central Valley School District. 

Nilan was hired to create a video for the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be used to increase awareness of homeless students and to help train districts across the state. With education programs for homeless youth in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act beginning Oct. 1, Nilan says that requires districts to ramp up how they train school personnel and district homeless liaisons. 

The end product will be a 20-minute long film for the OSPI available online and on DVD, likely ready in early 2017, Nilan says. 

Central Valley was the final district Nilan visited of about a half-dozen. There were 534 homeless students in Central Valley last school year, according to Leslie Camden-Goold, homeless student liaison for the district. Of those, 75 percent were able to live in someone else's home because they couldn't find housing on their own. 

"Central Valley is the gold mine as far as stories and getting to talk to people that really know what is going on," Nilan says. 

FRIDAY
In the mood to hear some very strange music about aliens and religion and lost love tonight? Of course you are. Eric Liebe Hart rolls into the Big Dipper tonight with his host of puppets, psychedelic cable access videos and, of course, his awesome dad style. The musical comedy show starts at 7:30 pm, is $13 at the door and includes the rocking stylings of the Smokes along with local improv troupes the Ditch Kids and Midnight Goats. Read our recent interview with the Hart right here. 

Tonight, the Straight out of Hell Tour, including high-flying metal acts Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Carnifex and Oceano, hits the Pin! and show promoter Ryan Levey says that this is one of the most thrilling shows he's brought in all year — explaining the $30 price tag. The show starts at 6:30 pm. 

SATURDAY
As you may remember the Bartlett's own Bartfest, scheduled for this week, was canceled earlier this year. However, two of the festival headliners Twin Peaks and Tops are still here this Saturday to entertain. Chicago act Twin Peaks (whom we wrote about in this week's issue) plays at the Bartlett along with White Reaper starting at 8 pm for $12, while Tops takes over the Observatory along with Super Sparkle and Mini Murders at 9 pm. Cost for that show is $10. 

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: Idaho Pot activists launch new campaign for medical marijuana
INHEALTH: Aiding Africa, one hip seminar and measuring pain meds' effects on your heart
NEWS: Photos and stories from the front lines of the Dakota pipeline protests
HERE

Fagan name-checked in lawsuit
A lawsuit filed by the Washington attorney general against Tim Eyman names Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan in his role working with the anti-tax initiative guru. The lawsuit alleges that Eyman didn't properly disclose contributions,expenses and loans. The allegations don't concern either of Fagan's campaigns for city council. Fagan denies any wrongdoing. (Spokesman-Review)

Breaking the law against oil trains
Three activists with Veterans for Peace were arrested for blocking the route of an oil train. The protestors said they want Spokane City Council to pass legislation aimed at the trains carrying the controversial cargo. (KREM)

Knezovich continues feud with Shea
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich has sent another letter to the Spokane County GOP demanding that state Rep. Matt Shea be censured for his attacks on the sheriff's office. (KXLY)

THERE

Trump goes to Cuba (illegally)
According to a report in Newsweek, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump secretly conducted business in Cuba, violating U.S. law that prohibited trade with the Communist country. (Newsweek)

'Americans are stupid and should do what they are told'
Congressional staff, bureaucrats and think tank leaders think the American public is woefully uninformed and should do what they are told, according to a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. (Vice News)

Saudi Arabia headed to court
Earlier this week, Congress overrode a presidential veto of a bill allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the attacks. Now, lawyers for the kingdom are seeking to limit damage in court. (New York Times)

Musician-actor-puppeteer-comedian David Liebe Hart plays Spokane tonight at the Big Dipper. 

As a Spokane Tribal member and full-time freelance photo and videographer, I had been watching what little coverage had been made available on social and mainstream media about the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) conflict with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe near the confluence of the Cannon Ball and Missouri rivers in North Dakota.

Over the summer many Natives from all parts of the country had been heading to the front lines at the standoff and staying indefinitely at several camps near by. I knew there were several tribes and groups from this area who had gone to bring supplies to the “Water Protectors” and support the fight against the pipeline, which opponents argue would harm ancestral lands and threaten the water supply of millions.

Although I had felt drawn to document the efforts of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their supporters, I also felt like a bandwagoner or sensationalist. I didn’t want to go there just to get the scoop. So when I was asked to help drive a supply load over, I felt more like I was purpose-driven and that bringing my camera was secondary. 

My friend who asked me to go had just returned from the front lines and had first-hand accounts of the DAPL security people pepper-spraying men, women and children and siccing their attack dogs on the Water Protectors as they tried to prevent DAPL bulldozers from desecrating sacred ancestral burial grounds. After seeing the footage on his phone and hearing his accounts, I knew I had to go. 

I had heard that none of the Water Protectors were armed and they were all peaceful activists. I had heard there were people from all over the world and everyone who had returned said that it was a very special place and that they had never experienced anything like it. They said there was a sense of unity in the people both Native and non-Native, a sense of solidarity in humanity. 

When I left, I knew I had to meet some of the people who were there and find out who they were, where they were from and what motivated them to be there. I knew I didn’t want an official statement from the movement organizers nor did I want the usual media treatment. So I set out, with an open mind, an open heart, not knowing what to expect except that more than likely it would be a life-changing experience. And it was. 



While we were there, my friend and I went to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Administrative building in Fort Yates, North Dakota, to get a letter asking the Spokane City Council to pass a resolution supporting the efforts of the tribe opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline. They gave us a signed letter from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s executive director. We are set to present this to the Spokane City Council on Monday's meeting.

Regardless of the outcome, we are planning to return to North Dakota with more supplies before winter hits.

Can't sleep?
Seems like Americans struggle to get a good night's rest these days. Pick up your copy of the October edition of InHealth starting Monday to learn about some new ways to nod off. 

Pain Meds and Heart Failure
A pretty huge European observational study has revealed a relationship between the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (including traditional drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen and COX-2 inhibitors) and the risk of heart failure. Clinical guidelines already urge caution in use of NSAIDs in people who are at risk for heart failure, and recommend that patients who have heart failure stay away from NSAIDs entirely.

But researchers were curious about whether different NSAIDs had different risks and whether the risk was tied to dosages. They reviewed medical records of 10 million NSAID users matched with 8 million controls across databases in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Those who had used NSAIDs in the past 14 days were 19 percent more likely to be admitted to a hospital with heart failure than those who had not used NSAIDs in the past 6 months. At very high doses, some NSAIDs were correlated with double the risk of hospital admission for heart failure. The results don’t show NSAIDs cause heart failure, but researchers say the results could help guide clinical practice.

A new initiative petition seeking to reform Idaho’s stringent marijuana laws has hit the streets. 

Earlier this month, the Idaho Secretary of State's Office approved a petition that, if passed into law, would create a medical marijuana program in the Gem State. Current Idaho law takes a particularly harsh approach to marijuana compared to neighboring states, which allow some sort of medical use of the drug or have outright legalized it like Washington and Oregon. In Idaho, possession of cannabis is a misdemeanor offense and the state doesn’t sanction the medical use of the drug.

If the initiative qualifies for the ballot and is passed, Idaho will join 25 other states that have a medical marijuana law. The initiative includes a long list of qualifying conditions that encompasses cancer, glaucoma, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and others. Patients that qualify for the program established by the initiative can legally possess 24 ounces of usable marijuana and 12 plants.

“We didn’t want to leave anything out,” says Angela Osborn, board secretary for the Idaho Medical Marijuana Association, or IMMA, the group sponsoring the petition. “We didn’t want to leave a patient out; we didn’t want to leave a disease out. We want it super simple and to help as many people as possible.”

Perhaps when the "I Love the '90s" tour announced a stop at the Spokane Arena, you thought to yourself, "Do I really love the 90s? Do I love them enough to want to check out the odd package that includes one of the biggest one-hit wonders atop the bill in Vanilla Ice, and a slew of pretty solid retro soul, R&B and hip-hop acts?" 

Oh, and Color Me Badd. 

Well, if the price of seeing Vanilla Ice, Salt 'n' Pepa, Tone Loc, Coolio and Young MC (yes, and Color Me Badd) was holding you back, today there's a deal with your name on it. Instead of paying $47.50, or $67.50, or $87.50 (maybe Vanilla Ice washes your car for that price?), you can go to the TicketsWest website between 10 am and 10 pm Thursday and get tickets for $30 — just use the code word "Love"in the promo box, and you'll be on your way to seeing "Bust A Move," "Wild Thing," "Gangsta's Paradise," "Let's Talk About Sex" and a bunch of other tunes that you might vaguely remember from Yo! MTV Raps! and TRL. The show is this Sunday at the arena. 

Really, the price is worth it just to see this tune. Seriously: 

ON INLANDER.COM

• On the Cover: This week on the cover, staff writer Daniel Walters examines a single street's divide between the West Central Neighborhood and the swanky new Kendall Yards development.

• NEWS: Been living under a rock in Spokane for the past year? Here's everything you need to know. (The police chief's potty mouth, the mayor's secret meetings, a botched "investigation," and whether or not public officials were honest about it all.)

• FOOD: You guys, Nectar Beer & Wine is opening a second location in the Perry District, and Allie's Vegan Pizzeria & Cafe is also opening a second location on the South Hill. Read about them here.

• NEWS: A woman who was allegedly gang raped during an off-campus party in 2013 is suing North Idaho College in federal court for intentionally misleading her about her Title IX rights and not investigating the attackers. 

IN OTHER NEWS: 

• Spokane police rush to help someone thinking of suicide about three times per day, according to a new report released by the department. The report is based on 556 "suicidal person" calls from the first half of 2016. (Spokesman-Review)

• Two Lakeland Jr. High students were found with "hit lists" and arrested yesterday. The juveniles, ages 13 and 14, were booked into the Kootenai County Juvenile Detention Center. (KXLY)

• A 14-year-old boy in South Carolina killed his father and then shot two boys and a teacher at an elementary school near his home. All three victims at the school sustained non-life threatening injuries. (CNN)

• A commuter train crash in New Jersey this morning has killed at least 1 person and injured at least 100 more, according to initial reports. (New York Times) 

• In a case that will directly impact the Washington Redskins, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on whether or not a disparaging registered trademark is protected free speech under the first amendment. (Washington Post)

• Police abuse of confidential databases is rampant nationwide, an investigation by the Associated Press found. 

A woman who says she was gang raped at an off-campus party in 2013 has sued North Idaho College, accusing the school of forcing her to re-encounter her attackers in her dormitory and of intentionally misleading her about her rights under federal Title IX standards. 

According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, the assault took place when the victim was a 17-year-old freshman at NIC in November 2013. She became intoxicated at the party, but when she was falling in and out of consciousness, she recalls three men that she knew sexually assaulting her, the lawsuit says. 

The following day, the complaint filed in court says that the victim texted her friend — a resident assistant at the time — describing the incident, including how one man was standing by "asking for a turn" during the assault. The 17-year-old also explained to her friend how she felt "disgusted with herself" afterward. The friend notified her supervisor about the incident, and eventually the school's vice president of student services and a campus counselor were both notified.

The lawsuit contends that NIC officials did nothing to investigate the men she says attacked her. Instead, it states, they attempted to convince her to move out of the dorms, and "thereafter punished" her for her actions "in the wake of the emotional and psychological turmoil," the lawsuit says. 

About a month after the incident, the resident assistant at the dorm noted that the victim entered the dorm at 1:35 am "distraught and intoxicated," saying "all she wants to do is drink to forget what happened." Soon after that, the school had her sign a "behavior contract" to address her drinking issue. The school then assigned the resident assistant to track when the victim came and went from the dorm, according to the lawsuit. 

The victim was disciplined by NIC in April 2014 for writing graffiti on the windows that expressed her dissatisfaction with the way she was being treated by the school, the complaint says.

The lawsuit says the school then intentionally misled her regarding her Title IX rights, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. When the victim asked the Title IX coordinator if the assault "qualified" for a Title IX complaint, the coordinator responded that he did not understand what she meant by "qualify for a complaint," but that it did fall under the purview of Title IX and it was his job to investigate all allegations. 

NIC spokesman Tom Greene says the college cannot comment on pending litigation. 

Rebecca Rainey, an Idaho attorney representing the young woman in the case, says her client reported the assault to police the spring after the November assault, but no charges were filed. Rainey says the men involved were not named in the lawsuit because she says the lawsuit is about "the school's lack of response and inaction."