After being stuck in lockdown during a tumultuous and unpredictable pandemic, it's no wonder that many of us were wondering how to reemerge into the world during the years of 2021 and 2022. With wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the dissipating haze of the pandemic left us seeking solutions to problems we were seemingly isolated from but that were never fully resolved. We continued navigating widespread issues like homelessness and climate change while actively working to rebuild and strengthen our communities.
IN THE NEWS
The housing crisis and homelessness aren't issues unique to Spokane, but the existence of Camp Hope and monthslong disputes around a solution to closing it highlighted their severity in Spokane, as outlined in Nate Sanford's story "INSIDE THE FENCE." The article outlines the attempt to secure the East Central encampment with a chain link fence and the disconnects between the four local and government entities tasked with patrolling it. "Just who the new security perimeter is there to protect — campers or neighborhood businesses — depends on who you ask." Camp Hope closed this June, but the issues that spurred the creation of the encampment still remain.
CULTURE BEAT
Closed for renovations in March 2020, the SPOKANE CENTRAL LIBRARY reopened in July 2022 with numerous design changes and art installations. As Madison Pearson wrote in her story "Renewed," the changes made to the library were reflective of community needs — such as additional meeting spaces and upgraded technology — and highlighted Spokane's history and landmarks. Take the "Shimmer" art piece, which Pearson reported was "inspired by the Spokane River, the iridescent fragments of dichroic glass scatter light throughout the room below."
ON THE COVER
In April 2022, Samantha Wohlfeil told the story of 16 young Montanans — ranging from 2 to 18 years old at the time — who sued the state in the Held et al v. State of Montana lawsuit in her story "MAYBE THE KIDS WILL SAVE US?"Although it was filed in 2020, the suit went to trial in 2021. "The Montana Constitution guarantees their right to a clean environment," Wohlfeil wrote, "but the state's actions, they allege, have perpetuated climate change and negatively impacted their lives, particularly through supporting fossil fuel extraction and burning." On Aug. 14, 2023, the young plaintiffs won the case, which is also the first youth-led climate case to go to trial.
LOCAL FOLKS
Since 2006, OZZIE KNEZOVICH was Spokane County's sheriff. Those four terms in office meant he was mentioned frequently in the Inlander, especially during these two years. From decrying certain Republican extremists to targeting local African-American leaders and activists as sources of discontent, he left behind a long and complicated legacy. The reasons behind his decision not to seek re-election, the pivotal moments of his life and career, as well as the controversies surrounding him, were outlined in Daniel Walters and Nate Sanford's December 2022 cover story "Ozzie vs. the World," which was recognized earlier this year with a feature writing award by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia.
