Innovation was the name of the game in 2007 and 2008. Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone, NASA's New Horizons space probe launched to gather information about the newly demoted dwarf planet Pluto, and Barack Obama became the first African-American president-elect. Meanwhile, at the Inlander, the Jan. 11, 2007, issue marked the first full-color issue of the paper. Readers were — finally! — able to see beautiful, full-color images of then-staff writer Luke Baumgarten in full Jazzercise workout gear as he embarked on a fitness journey, and Inlander general manager Jer McGregor in basketball regalia as he and other Inlander staffers competed against other Spokane media outlets in the 18th annual Hoopfest.
IN THE NEWS
On Aug. 28, 2008, then-intern Daniel Walters published a story titled "Highway to Hillyard" discussing, you guessed it, the NORTH-SOUTH FREEWAY. Yes, the topic is still relevant 15 years later because the freeway is still not completed despite being proposed in the mid-1940s. Hillyard community activist Paul Hamilton stated that the freeway would bring more consumers and tourists to the area, while William Grimes, the founder of planning firm Studio Cascade, said that the freeway would direct traffic off of Market Street and away from Hillyard. Who was right? We'll follow up when the freeway is done — sometime in the 2030s. We think.
CULTURE BEAT
If there's one thing Spokanites are proud of, it's the fact that our beautiful city has been the backdrop for quite a few Hollywood films. 1985's Vision Quest features some stellar shots of downtown in the '80s. In 1993, Benny & Joon was shot in Peaceful Valley and introduced the world to pre-Captain Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp. But in 2007 it was all about Home of the Brave, a war film featuring Samuel L. Jackson that was filmed almost entirely on location in Spokane by NORTH BY NORTHWEST PRODUCTIONS. "The thing about Spokane is that we offer a lot of architectural diversity," said NXNW president Rich Cowan. "That's what makes it such an attractive place to shoot a film."
ON THE COVER
The world is so cyclical. Especially the world of local politics. On Oct. 18, 2007, staff writer Kevin Taylor reported on the Spokane mayoral race between Dennis Hession and Mary Verner — "TALE OF TWO CITIES" — and how this particular race was the most expensive Spokane had ever seen, with incumbent Hession raising $278,497 and challenger (who won the race) Verner $117,605 throughout their campaigns. Our recent coverage of the 2023 mayoral race by staff writer Nate Sanford details how Mayor Nadine Woodward set a new record by raising $417,441 in total by mid-July, weeks before the August primary.
LOCAL FOLKS
I'd be remiss not to mention that the first ever Terrain happened in 2008. The one-night art extravaganza celebrates its 14th go-around this upcoming October (with some notably missing years — thanks a lot COVID!). There, from the beginning and still leading the Terrain nonprofit and its flagship event, is GINGER EWING. But before any of that happened, on April 10, 2008, the Inlander published a story profiling 20 people under 30 who were "doing kick-ass work in the Inland Northwest." Ewing made the list for her work as a repatriator at the MAC. Now, all these years later, she's a juggernaut in the Spokane art scene.