As one decade ends, another begins. The Harry Potter franchise wrapped up with what Inlander film critic Ed Symkus called a "totally satisfying conclusion." We reflected on 9/11 on its 10-year anniversary. President Obama won a second term as president. More locally, Inland Northwest residents had two things on their minds throughout 2011 and 2012: marijuana and gay marriage. The 2012 election season was a big one. Initiative 502 made possession of 1 ounce of cannabis legal in Washington state for people 21 and older. And Referendum 74 legalized gay marriage statewide. Can I get a SLAYYYY!?
IN THE NEWS
Nobody likes BUDGET CUTS, especially when not everyone is paying their fair share. On April 14, 2011, then-News Editor (now Editor) Nick Deshais wrote "Bludgeoning the Budget," all about the billions of dollars, partisan bickering and corporate sponsors that fueled state government. The article was spurred by 7,000 protesters gathering at the Capitol in Olympia and storming the governor's office, resulting in the building being put on lockdown. (If this perhaps sounds familiar nowadays, keep in mind those protesters were there to protest corporate tax breaks and wanted the state to spend more on social services.) Regardless, this peeved Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown (now a Spokane mayoral candidate) so much that she canceled the Senate session that day. And, the next day, the House slashed $4.4 billion from state spending when it passed the budget. The lesson: Storming the capitol isn't always the best option.
CULTURE BEAT
Some small businesses cannot keep up with the modernization of society, and as a result, they go bankrupt. Not in the Roxy Theater's case. On July 26, 2012, staffer Jordy Byrd's story "Do or Die" reported on the Newport, Washington, theater's struggle to SWITCH FROM 35MM FILM TO DIGITAL FILM. The Roxy had just retired its 1934 Simplex 35mm film projector — "an archaic mass of reels, bulbs and metal" — and gone through renovations that allowed for it to stay open. But it took a financial burden and serious support from the public to do that. The vintage theater is still open, with 200 seats, a single screen and new movies — played on a digital projector.
ON THE COVER
As Referendum 74 and Election Day drew closer, staffer Heidi Groover talked to local LGBTQ+ couples from around the area in our Oct. 18, 2012 cover, "HAPPILY EVER AFTER?" In her piece, they discussed why legalizing gay marriage would be important to them and their relationships. Groover wrote about a gay couple who married. "But after the couple's first dance and after their friends lit sparklers to send them off, they soon found themselves back in the real world, filling out taxes and insurance forms as if the other person didn't exist." Now, following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, we're happy to report that public support for same-sex marriage has reached an all-time high of 71 percent, according to recent polling.
LOCAL FOLKS
The secret tactic to winning the position of state senator? A signature smile. ANDY BILLIG was the talk of the town throughout the 2011 to 2012 issues. He was interviewed as a freshman legislator in the House in 2011, saying a medical school would be great not just for Eastern Washington but the whole state. During his 2012 campaign season, we followed him door to door as he got to know voters and sold them his pitch. He talked up his 19 years as manager and president of the Spokane Indians (yup, you heard that right, the baseball team), and the importance of funding education throughout the state. But, we think it was that persuasive smile that won him the state Senate seat representing Spokane in 2012. Today, Billig is Senate majority leader.
