Bloglander

ON INLANDER.COM

• NEWS: The family of Ryan Holyk, a teen cyclist killed in an accident with a speeding Spokane Valley Sheriff's deputy, has reached a tentative settlement with the county for $1 million. The family's lawyer does not like what he's heard from Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich about the case.

• MUSIC: Local singer songwriter Marshall McClean has a lot to celebrate recently — no. 2 on that list is the release of his second album SoDak. The Bartlett is throwing him an album release party this Friday.

• GIG ECONOMY: What's your hustle? Inlander writers explore the variety of ways local people make ends meet or drum up a little extra cash — driving for Uber, renting their homes and coding from coffee shops.

IN OTHER NEWS:

From the Hip
• Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley) is facing a defamation lawsuit after accusing a Spokane County Sheriff's deputy of supplying a convicted murderer with a gun used in a triple homicide. In August last year, Shea said on his podcast that guns belonging to Deputy Travis Pendell fell into the hands of Roy Murry, who was convicted of murdering his estranged wife's parents and brother. Longtime Sheriff's Office antagonist Scott Maclay is also named in the lawsuit.

• Did Sessions Lie Under Oath?
Multiple reports are circulating of a meeting between Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Russian ambassador last year. Congressional Democrats and Republicans are calling for Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Sessions denied speaking with the Russian ambassador during his confirmation hearing to become AG. He denied the accusations again this week. (New York Times)

• First They Came For...
The feds came for a DACA "dreamer" after the now 22-year-old immigrant spoke at a news conference in Mississippi about her fear of deportation. Daniela Vargas was detained by Immigration and Customs Agents Wednesday and is being held without a bond. Vargas came to the United States from Argentina when she was 7 years old. She has remained in the U.S. under Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, though her DACA is expired. Her reapplication is pending. (Clarion-Ledger)