Bloglander

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: Why Spokane City Councilwoman Kate Burke has a policy to vote no on any last-minute amendments.

NEWS: As temperatures drop to single digits, the city of Spokane asked its two 24/7 shelters to not turn anyone away.

NEWS: Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell refuses to tweak language that unfairly impacts immigrants, saying, in essence, that if people don't like how he runs his office, then they should stop committing crimes.

IN OTHER NEWS

'Abortion is murder'
A group of students encouraging a bill that Planned Parenthood says would allow women to receive up to a 12-month supply of birth control and would promote better sex education in college tried to meet with Idaho state Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow. He refused, and when they saw him in the hallway, he yelled "abortion is murder" and threatened to call law enforcement if they came back. (Idaho Statesman)

Purse snatchers
An older woman went to a Walmart in Spokane for some caramel popcorn, but a man in a car stuck his arm out the window and grabbed her purse. She was stuck, so they dragged her for about 20 feet, police say, breaking her pelvis. Police believe the purse snatchers are responsible for a string of similar crimes. (Spokesman-Review)

Russian bots exploit tragedy
Just hours after 17 teachers and students in Florida were killed in a school shooting, Russian bots on Twitter used the opportunity to spread inflammatory messages meant to further divide the country. (New York Times)

The blame game
A Washington Post-ABC poll finds that a majority of Americans blame President Trump and Congress for not doing enough to stop mass shootings. Nearly 60 percent say stricter gun control laws could have prevented the Florida shooting, and nearly 77 percent say more effective mental health screening and treatment could have prevented it. (Washington Post)