Bloglander

Get something sweet for the whole office or just treat yo'self with your Friday morning coffee, because June 1 is everyone's favorite food holiday: National Doughnut Day.

Several Spokane-area shops and food purveyors are marking the occasion with tasty treat specials; here's where to get your sugar fix.

Hello Sugar,
419 N. Nettleton St.
The new shop located inside a new location for Indaba Coffee Roasters on the far west end of Kendall Yards is hosting its grand opening this Friday, from 7 am to 4 pm. Specials include a dozen mini doughnuts for $5 and half-off drip coffee of Hello Sugar,'s signature Indaba house blend. Specials and coinciding activities run throughout the weekend, including live music, ice cream from Sweet Annie's and more. Stay tuned for more about Hello Sugar, in a forthcoming issue of the Inlander.

My Fresh Basket
1030 W. Summit Pkwy.
Fresh doughnuts from the store's bakery are buy one get one free all day, from 5:30 am to 10 pm.

Casual Friday Donuts
3402 N. Division
The local shop on the North Division hill is planning a full day of in-store and online giveaways, and it's open from 6 am to 6 pm.

Retro Donuts
10925 N. Newport Hwy.
The shop is preparing for another busy National Doughnut Day, and plans to launch some new flavors, along with giving away free coffee samples from 4 Seasons Coffee Company and some free doughnuts. The shop is open from 6 am to 3 pm and expects to sell out, so get there early!

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
15401 E. Indiana Ave., Spokane Valley
The favorite national chain is celebrating the occasion with free doughnuts (no purchase necessary) for customers while supplies last. The Spokane Valley shop is open Friday from 5 am to 11 pm.

Gross Donuts
445 W. Cherry Ln., in Coeur d'Alene and 1603 E. Seltice Way, in Post Falls
Last year, the local chain gave away free donuts to each customer, but is taking a different approach this year. Instead, Gross Donuts is getting "back to the roots" of National Doughnut Day by donating 100 percent of the day's profits from both locations to local military and veterans support nonprofit Newby-ginnings.

Washington State University's plan to balance its athletics budget in five years relies in part on hopes of increased student fees, ticket sales and a boost in money from WSU's contract with the Pac-12 Network.

None of those, however, are a sure thing. The increase in student fees, for example, has not yet been discussed with students, who would have to approve it.

The plan will be presented for approval to WSU's Board of Regents next week.

The athletics department is currently operating in a deficit each year that will continue through 2022, the university projects. The budget this year is estimated to end with a deficit of $9.1 million, contributing to a cumulative deficit of $68 million to date. Though WSU's projected deficit should decrease per year for the next four years, the school says, the cumulative deficit will still climb to $85 million by 2022, the university says.

But in 2023, the first year WSU anticipates the athletics budget will be balanced, that $85 million deficit will begin to be cut down (the university dips into reserve funds to make up for the deficit each year). In 2023, the university expects a $200,000 surplus. Joan King, chief university budget officer, wouldn't say, however, when the university expects the $85 million cumulative debt to be eliminated.

"The first thing we need to do is get the budget into balance," King says.

The effort to slow the debt accumulation relies on a projected 27 percent increase in revenue by 2023. That includes a nearly $2 million increase in revenue from student fees, more than double the money athletics get currently from student fees. Currently, the students are charged $25 per semester to pay for WSU's stadium renovation.

The added fee has not been discussed with students. King says she's anticipating "we will work with students to implement a new fee," but nothing has been determined. Students would have to vote to approve the fee in a ballot proposal brought forth by the student senate.

Pat Chun, WSU's new athletic director, says he's optimistic students will support the fee, citing the "passion" they have for the athletic program.

"The engagement with students on many levels has been overwhelmingly positive," Chun says.

Chun, who took over as athletic director for Bill Moos, added that he's optimistic that the university will see more revenue from its TV deal with Pac-12 Network. The university has projected an increase each year in revenue from media rights: By 2023, they anticipate it to be $5 million more than 2018.

"It really is an opportunity for growth," Chun says.

The university projections also include a $3 million rise in ticket sales, which Chun says would likely come from increased attendance to men's and women's basketball games. This year, across all sports, revenue from ticket sales is estimated to reach $8.5 million. He forecasts that additional revenue will come from contributions to the Cougar Athletic Fund.

The projected athletics budget, which will be presented for approval to the university's Board of Regents next week, doesn't cut expenses. Rather, total expenses should increase by around $8 million by 2023, according to the university.

WSU says it already has the lowest annual operating expenses of any athletic program in the Pac-12 and spends less than any other program in a Power 5 conference.

The athletics debt largely came from investments in new facilities, such as a $61 million football complex.

"There is not an overnight solution to our budget issue," Chun says, noting the strategy to reduce the debt is long term. "We are confident the strategy and the pathway forward will elevate our program to even greater heights."

Check out WSU's full plan here. 

Like many workplaces, we're an office full of animal lovers. So we're super excited to be announcing the Inlander's first-ever Pets Issue, on stands June 21. It'll be filled with fun features on local animals and animal experts, along with some newsworthy stories about the furry (or scaly, or feathery) companions who bring us so much joy.

We'll also be featuring three soon-to-be-famous pets from the local community! Seriously, though, what better chance is there to kickstart your kitty's path to #catsofinstagram fame than now?!

Due to some last minute planning on our part, we are running a pretty quick entry timeline for this contest, with a cutoff of next Thursday, June 7, at midnight. There are several ways you can send us a picture and tell us a little bit about you and your best bud. We'll explain that below.

Inlander editors will choose three winners for first through third place. For the honor of letting us share your sweet pal's photo and story in the Pets Issue, we'll be awarding prizes to each place, worth $50, $25 and $15, respectively. The contest is open to all types of pets, not just dogs and cats, so send us your unusual friends, too; farm animals, reptiles, birds, rodents and more.

Here's what we need from you, and how to submit:

• Send us a photo via email, to cheys@inlander.com
• Share your pet photo on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, and use the hashtag #InlanderPets. You can also tag us, @TheInlander, to make sure we see it.
  

Please make sure to also tell us the following when you submit your photo, in a caption on social media or in your email: your pet's name, age, breed and/or species and its hometown. Also please tell us, briefly, why your pet should be in the pages of the Inlander!

To be fair, we ask that readers only send us ONE submission per household. If you're a multi-pet home, send us a photo of all your fur kids together! The contest is open to residents of the Inlander's larger coverage area of Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

We'll be contacting winners the morning of Friday, June 8 to share the good news, and to request any additional information about you and your pet.

For any questions about the contest, please feel free to reach out to the Pets Issue editor, Chey Scott, at cheys@inlander.com.

Earlier this year, the Spokesman-Review asked Cathy McMorris Rodgers, her rival Lisa Brown and all the other incumbents in Washington and Idaho delegations representing the Inland Northwest to release their tax returns.

And initially, to her credit, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was the only one to agree.

That led to this statement from the Spokane GOP:


Lisa Brown later released her tax returns, but only after she heard McMorris Rodgers was releasing hers.

But that aside, Spokane GOP statement was fascinating for the context it left out: Since after Gerald Ford, every single presidential nominee from a major party has released their tax returns. But Donald Trump, despite repeatedly promising he would release his tax returns, refused. 

Do you think there's something he doesn't want voters to know?

So when we got a chance to interview Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers earlier this month for this week's cover story, we wanted to know: Should Donald Trump put out his tax returns?

Here's our exchange on the issue:

INLANDER: You recently put out your tax returns. There was kinda an element of transparency there — you actually beat Lisa Brown on that. Do you think Trump should put out his tax returns as well?

CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS: That was a personal decision for me. I did it, because I do support transparency. President Trump has made his own decision.

Do you think he should put out his tax returns?

I think he should always be as transparent as he possibly can. I remember during the campaign, he said he wanted to wait until after the audit was done of his tax returns.

Right. So what's the holdup?

I don't know.

Should he put out his tax returns?

Well, if the audit is done, I would encourage him to be transparent.

Okay — I guess it seems like you're dodging the question, and I guess I'm trying to — what are you saying there?

What am I saying there? I want — Daniel,  I want to lead by example. And for me, putting out my tax returns I thought was an important step in being transparent. The president — we all have to file financial disclosure. Here we go: If I were advising him, I would say release your tax returns.

With the exception of Mother Jones' David Corn, most media outlets have largely abandoned their quest to push Trump to release his tax returns.

But it continues to be an important issue, for a lot of reasons. Nothing prevents Trump from releasing his tax return because of an audit.  His complete tax returns could tell us a lot about his history of charitable contributions — or lack thereof. It would illuminate some of his financial ties to foreign governments.

Most crucially, it would show us just how much he would have benefited from the big tax cut that McMorris Rodgers championed.

From what we do know about Trump's financial situation, he stands to save millions of dollars from the cut, particularly because of the last-minute provisions that give special favors to owners of pass-through businesses like Trump's.

It's notable that McMorris Rodgers, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, says she would advise Trump to release his tax returns. But unlike most of us, as a congresswoman, she has the power to push for laws that would actually force him to do just that.

She's not willing to go that far.

In fact, McMorris Rodgers has consistently voted against bills that would have mandated releasing the president's returns.

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: Is Trump-fueled progressive passion enough to shake up the 5th District? Lisa Brown hopes so. On the cover this week, we dig into the race for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' seat.

FILM: The Inlander saw a bunch of films in Seattle last week, and now we're going to tell you all about them. Well, the best ones, at least.

MUSIC: The Inlander's Volume Music Festival is this weekend. For two days, downtown Spokane will be jam packed with bands for just about every musical appetite.

IN OTHER NEWS

'I'm gonna be the next school shooter of 2018'
Nikolas Cruz recorded those days before he killed 17 people in a high school in Parkland, Florida. Authorities released three recordings Wednesday of the 19-year-old announcing how many people he hoped to kill and reveling in the infamy his crimes would bring him.

Although police have not revealed what they believe are Cruz's motivations, in the videos, he speaks of living an isolated, meaningless life. He says he is tired of others calling him an "idiot" and a "dumb ass." More and more, investigators and researchers are seeing evidence that school shootings are modeled after the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999. The rampage is studied and celebrated in some crevices of the internet by so-called "Columbiners," as an ideology. (Washington Post, New York Times)

13-hour standoff
A King County sheriff's deputy barricaded himself in his Seattle apartment following reports that he assaulted his male domestic partner. Members of the SWAT team blew the locks off the door and maneuvered a remote-controlled robot into the deputy's apartment. Officers eventually arrested the suspect deputy in his bathroom. The deputy has been on paid leave from the Sheriff's Office since March, pending an internal investigation. (Seattle Times)

Hidden shower camera
A North Idaho College professor is accused of filming his male roommate and another woman with a hidden camera pointed through a shared bathroom wall. Jonathan Downing is facing felony voyeurism charges. (Spokesman-Review)

'I get you hi if u should come over'
A 56-year-old father allegedly texted to a 14-year-old friend of his daughter. Charles Green Jr. is facing felony charges for sending sexually explicit text messages to underage girls. Police are also investigating whether he gave them drugs. (Spokesman-Review)

It's the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and another Sasquatch! Music Festival is in the books. Was it a success? Well, I don't know. Would you call a weekend that involves hundreds of people "mass twerking" toward the Columbia River during Lizzo's awesome show a success? I'd say so.

Of course everyone has their own unique experience during the festival, but overall this year's Sasquatch! went relatively smoothly. The weather (mostly) was comfortable, there were no major cancellations and, most importantly, everyone made it out alive. In case you missed out, or you want to relive a great weekend, here are some of the highlights, along with some things to keep in mind for next year.

Butterflies were a thing
Every year there seems to be a new fashion trend at Sasquatch!. Last year, it was glitter everywhere. In 2015? Flowers. This year, I saw people wearing what looked like butterfly wings all over the place. It makes sense — it's much more comfortable in the hot weather than, say, the guy walking around in a hotdog costume.


Vince Staples knew his crowd
With the crowd in the palm of his hand during his show, Vince Staples did what any good performer does when they're about to play another hit song: He asked everyone to sing along. But then, he paused for a second, looking out at the sea of mostly white faces, and added, "...if you feel comfortable." The song had the N-word in the chorus, and as it turned out, not very many people did feel comfortable. It didn't really impact the vibe. But the "who can say the N-word" conversation is one that Staples would rather not have, as he tweeted recently. Later, he made fun of the crowd for only being there to see Bon Iver, who came on later Friday night.

ON INLANDER.COM

MUSIC: The weather held up, the music was delightful and the sights were weird. Catch our highlights from Sasquatch! Music Festival.

NATION: ABC pulled the plug on Roseanne after she tweeted some racist stuff.

FILM: Han is back in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise. It’s not Harrison Ford, but if you can look past that tiny detail, the movie is actually extremely enjoyable — so says Josh Bell. I have yet to see the film, so reading Inlander reviews are the next best thing. Maybe they are even better.

IN OTHER NEWS

Lamentation of Jeff
Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating an episode in which President Donald Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reverse his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Trump lamented his decision to hire Sessions. (CNN)

Gone governor
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens announced his resignation yesterday due to an investigation into alleged campaign finance violations, an affair and threats of impeachment. Greitens, much like Trump, has been steadfast in his denial, but the strategy did not succeed… apparently. More analysis from the Washington Post. (Washington Post)

Not "credible," but serious
Lewis and Clark High School will see increased security after receiving multiple online threats. Law enforcement deemed the messages not credible, but said they would track down the individual, or individuals, responsible for the messages. (Spokesman Review)

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: A right-wing clickbait video that was edited to show National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning not shaking President Donald Trump's hand has prompted death threats toward the Ferris teacher.

IN OTHER NEWS

Art of the deal
The White House has announced that the United States would go forward with its plan to impose heavy tariffs on Chinese goods. Trade talks between the two countries will continue as President Trump increases pressure on China. (New York Times)

Fake news
Photos of young immigrants in steel cages at the U.S-Mexico border went viral following news of the Trump administration separating immigrant children from their parents. Only one problem: those photos were taken in 2014, when President Barack Obama was in office. Trump seized on the misinformation. (Associated Press)

Deadlier than you thought
Initially, the death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year was 64. But a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that, when factoring health care delays and death rates in the months following the hurricane, at least 4,645 people have died as a result of Maria. (Washington Post)

Police find stabbing suspect
Police have identified a suspect who they say stabbed a woman yesterday afternoon near Sprague and Howard. The victim has been released from the hospital. The suspect, 23-year-old Nikita E. McDowell, is from Wisconsin. (KXLY)

In case of emergency
As the city of Spokane considers altering the way it responds to 911 calls, the City Council and local labor unions remain skeptical. (Spokesman-Review)

When Ferris teacher Mandy Manning received the National Teacher of the Year award earlier this month, she shook President Donald Trump's hand. Three times.

But that didn't stop a right-wing clickbait farm from acting like she'd snubbed him — sending her a torrent of hate mail, sprinkled with a healthy helping of death threats.

Manning isn't a huge fan of the president, to be clear. As a teacher of refugee and immigrant students, the last year and a half has been a challenge. She's an advisor for the Ferris Gay-Straight Alliance. She's had transgender students on her basketball team.

So when she was invited to the White House as a National Teacher of the Year, she wanted to user her platform to stand up for her students. She brought letters that her immigrant and refugee students wrote to give to the president, to share their stories. She wore pins championing transgender and gay rights issues, intending to show that she was supporting them.

She wasn't going there to be a jerk.

"I was very focused. I've got to make sure that people listen to me, so I can't be totally rude," Manning says at a Pivot Story Slam storytelling show last night. "I was very careful. I was the very best person I could be."

So while she didn't applaud when the president came in the room, she shook his hand as he handed her the letters backstage.

"I said, 'Here are the letters from my students, and I really hope you read them," Manning says. "And he said he would read it. He also said it was very nice and I asked if maybe he would come to visit. So maybe one day he'll come to Spokane!"

And then she shook his hand again before they parted backstage.

She shook Trump's hand again during the public ceremony.

"I was really trying very, very hard to be gracious and polite," Manning tells The Inlander. "There’s a lot of pictures of me out there, and smiling directly at him as he’s giving me my award."

But a right-wing clickbait site called IJR Red put out a different take on Facebook. The video, titled "Teacher of the Year Meets Trump — But Bashes Him the Entire Time," scored to intense violin music, accuses her of outright refusing to shake hands on "multiple occasions."

The video is edited to show a clip of Trump shaking the hand of the teacher next to Manning, to make it look like she refused to shake the hand of Trump.

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: A woman worked for years to escape a past of drugs and abuse. A routine letter from police sent her back.

FICTION: Motif, a short story by local author Jess Walter.

MUSIC: Can't miss acts at this year's Sasquatch! festival.


IN OTHER NEWS

"Very white, very racist North Idaho"
So says Sandpoint resident Scott Rhodes on his podcast. Rhodes has been accused by police of spreading racist propaganda in the parking lot at Sandpoint High School and is apparently behind the robocalls aimed at Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, calling her a "traitorous jew." (Spokesman-Review)

"I own this right here"
So says a Milwaukee Police officer to Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown as the officer escalates a 2 am confrontation between the two in a Walgreens parking lot in January. The Milwaukee Police Department only just released body camera footage of the encounter that contradicts the officers description of Brown as "aggressive."

The officer initially confronted Brown because he parked illegally across two handicapped spaces. The officer calls for back up and Brown ends up getting shocked with a Taser. The Milwaukee Police chief has apologized for the officer "acting inappropriately." The Bucks called the arrest "shameful and inexcusable." Brown intends to sue. (Deadspin, Sports Illustrated)


Human remains as fertilizer
A deputy coroner in Canyon County, Idaho, has filed a tort claim against the elected Coroner Vicki DeGeus-Morris to the tune of $800,000. Lori LaRoche is accusing her boss of "personal and professional harassment," and claims DeGeus-Morris took unclaimed human remains to use as fertilizer. (Idaho Press Tribune)

From the ground up
A former Chicago White Sox groundskeeper, Nevest Coleman, returned to his job at what is now Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side after 24 years. He was serving time for the rape and murder of a vicious sexual assault and murder of a 20-year-old woman. DNA evidence led a judge to declare him innocent. District attorneys are sure they had the right man. (ESPN)

So much for that Nobel Peace Prize
Actually, President Donald Trump will not meet with the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, next month. In a letter to Kim, Trump cited "tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement," as the reason for his cancellation.

Trump apparently didn't like it when a North Korean official called Vice President Mike Pence's comments about the North Korean government "ignorant and stupid." (New York Times)

All rise
NFL owners announced a new policy requiring players to stand for the national anthem or wait in the locker room. Owners, some fans and the president of the United States have rebuked players for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality — a movement started by former 49er QB Colin Kaepernick.

Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the league, alleging owners colluded to keep him off NFL rosters. Today, we learned that the NFL hired a consulting firm to gauge American's reaction to Kaepernick's 2017 free agency. (Washington Post and Yahoo!)