Buffalo are roaming once again on the Colville Reservation thanks to a buffalo restoration partnership with the Kalispel Tribe of Indians. On Nov. 5, the Kalispel Tribe gifted 10 buffalo to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Last year, the Kalispel Tribe gifted 30 buffalo to aid in the culturally and ecologically important efforts of restoring buffalo populations on the Colville Reservation. "The Kalispel Tribe has worked diligently over the years to build a robust buffalo program on our reservation near Cusick," said Derrick Bluff, director of Kalispel's agriculture department, in a press release. "Our herd has flourished, which allows for opportunities to share buffalo with other tribes." The Kalispel Tribe's herd has grown to 150 after being gifted 12 buffalo in 1974 from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. "The buffalo represent resilience and balance within ecosystems," said Curt Holmes, vice chairman of the Kalispel Tribal Council, in the press release. "We are honored to see them thrive on our lands and now on the Colville Reservation." (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
CHENEY WRITES A CHECK
After the Nov. 5 election, it looked as if all three school construction bonds on Spokane County ballots would fail, just as they all did back in February. However, as the county Elections Office continued to tally the ballots last week, Cheney Public Schools' $72 million bond surpassed the 60% vote threshold needed to pass. With 10,618 votes in favor of the bond, it was set to pass with 61.21% of the vote as of the time the Inlander went to press on Tuesday. Both of the construction bonds for the Deer Park and Orchard Prairie school districts failed, with 53% and 55% of the vote, respectively. As of Tuesday morning there were still 16,500 ballots left to count in Spokane County, before the election is certified on Nov. 26. It's unclear how many of those were from Cheney voters, but the outcome is unlikely to change. (COLTON RASANEN)
LEGISLATIVE LOCKDOWN
Due to an emailed threat, Spokane City Council meetings were canceled on Nov. 11. City Hall was put on lockdown Monday afternoon because of an email sent by Chesed Johnson, who has previously threatened Mayor Lisa Brown and former Mayor Nadine Woodward. According to court documents, Johnson harassed Woodward both online and in person at multiple times throughout her term. Right before 2 pm on Monday, Johnson sent an email with the subject line "I will die tonight at city hall because of you" to all seven City Council members, all five county commissioners, and some city staffers. In the first line of the email, Johnson wrote, "Please cancel city hall meeting. I am going to make the police kill me in front of city hall tonight." Out of an abundance of caution while police searched for Johnson, the City Council canceled both its Monday briefing session and legislative meeting. Both were rescheduled for 11 am on Thursday in place of the council's typical study session. (ELIZA BILLINGHAM) ♦
