Before a very raucous crowd this evening (Feburary 3rd) at the Saranac Building, Spokane’s Julian Powers was presented the state’s top environmental award.

Julian receiving congratulations this evening from Ecology's Grant Pfeiferstate’s Environmental Excellence Award.

A prolific public speaker and public letter writer, Powers, 85, has been well known and well-respected in the region’s environmental community for many years. He and his wife, Jane Cunningham, are fixtures in progressive and green causes in and around Spokane and both were on hand this evening for the award presentation from the Washington Department of Ecology’s Eastern Regional Director, Grant Pfeifer.

“As I think about the quality of character that we want to recognize here tonight with this award, I think about the characteristics and attributes of perseverance, of action, and words,” Pfeifer said. “And Julian is the model for us. You walk the talk, or ride the talk, is a better way to say it, on behalf of what we all hold dear.”

Pfeifer’s “ride the talk” line got an appreciative chuckle from the packed hall of well-wishers. Powers has been a tireless advocate for reducing the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming, and up until a stroke hobbled him two years ago, he rode his bicycle religiously.

“Julian said it so well earlier this evening,” Pfeifer added. “Apathy never got anything done.”

“Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking,” Powers joked as he accepted the award, “I will make this very short. I’m surprised and astonished. I really do appreciate this and I’ll remember this evening for a very long, long time, assuming I live that long. I really, really appreciate it.”

The event this evening coincided with a Lands Council “First Friday” event on the Saranac’s second floor, where the Lands Council has its offices.

Julian was featured this morning in a front page story by Spokesman-Review staff writer Becky Kramer, which can read here.

—Tim Connor

By some accounts, Sandy and Nestor’s friendship had not always wreaked havoc. There were early photos of them skateboarding, sunning themselves by a pool, sharing a soda at the miniature golf emporium over on Hudson Street. Sandy’s mom could point proudly to a black & white photo of the two of them, anchoring the left side of an infield in their “Mutual of Omaha” Little League uniforms. Nothing was broken. Nothing was bleeding. Nobody was crying.

Oscar Jarvis, their chain-smoking, gum-chewing, sixth grade teacher accepted none of this data. By mid-year he had seen enough damage to order the two of them separated by as much distance as possible.

The note he put in each of their files would, for years to come, be the clearest and most prescient diagnosis.

“It is not that either of them is a bad child,” he’d written. “Rather it’s the rare combination of their blind spots and worst instincts. My experience in our class partnering exercises is that most children, paired to a task, can recognize and utilize each other’s strengths. That’s not the case with these two. Instead, their’s is a synergy for havoc. They possess an uncanny tendency to exacerbate the worst in each other.”

Image via Wikimedia

Angela McReynolds, their middle school guidance counselor, had never seen a note such as this. Her initial reaction is that it was a mean thing to say; borderline inappropriate. But this was before she’d summoned the two of them to meet with her, together, to begin gathering her own impressions.

Their meeting seemed to have gone well enough. The boys answered mostly with bemused facial expressions and, when they spoke, they politely agreed with her suggestion that they were misunderstood and that the new atmosphere, and new responsibilities of middle school, would help them mature.

When Ms. McReynolds was finished, she blithely walked them out, to show them to the cafeteria. When she returned, she discovered that her large aquarium had overflowed, leaving swordtails and guppies to perform gasping, walking catfish impressions on her new carpet, and doing $5,000 worth of water damage to the classroom below.

Ms. McReynolds did not connect her visit with the two young men with the horrid, swampy mess her office had become.

At least not at first.

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Mike Ormsby, reports that the Justice Department is considering, but has not yet decided, whether to initiate a “pattern or practice” investigation of the Spokane Police Department.

Former Spokane Mayor Mary Verner requested such investigation in mid-November. In her letter, addressed to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, Verner wrote: “I believe we need expert, outside help in examining how we do business and what steps we need to take to improve the way we police.”

The Center for Justice and seventeen other Spokane area citizen organizations–including the ACLU of Washington, the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, and the Spokane area chapter of the League of Women Voters–sent a lengthy letter to Perez and Ormsby in mid-January, reiterating Mayor Verner’s request and outlining areas of concern.

The month following Verner’s request, the Justice Department completed a very thorough “pattern or practice” investigation of the Seattle Police Department. Among its findings was that nearly one in five uses of force by Seattle police was so excessive as to be considered unconstitutional. In addition to looking closely at police practices and conduct, the DOJ concluded that Seattle’s Office of Professional Accountability “fails to provide adequate oversight to prevent a pattern or practice of excessive force.”  The DOJ report included an appendix with recommendations on how Seattle could improve civilian oversight of its police department.

In his January 25th response, Ormsby agrees that “this is a very important issue to the Spokane community,” but adds “we cannot share with you our deliberations, but if an investigation is commenced, that fact will be announced.”

Spokane Mayor David Condon has said publicly that he supports Mayor Verner’s request. At a January 2nd press conference Condon said he was investigating whether he needed to formally communicate to the Justice Department his support for the investigation his predecessor requested. Last night (Wednesday, February 1st) Condon appeared on City Cable 5′s “Council Connection” with Council President Ben Stuckart. In response to a caller’s question, Condon said he has learned that a formal reiteration of the request to the Justice Department was unnecessary and that he plans to speak with Ormsby by phone about Spokane police issues within the next day or two.

The Spokane City Council is scheduled to consider a broad resolution of police and police accountability reforms at its legislative session this coming Monday, February 6th.

–Tim Connor for the Center for Justice.

As in:

“So what is that, really?” Brian asked as he peered through the oven window to where the main dish was being kept warm.

“Poached haddock,” Meg answered as she continued to shred a small block of romano for the crab & asparagus appetizer.

Image via Wikimedia

“Is that a fish?” Brian asked, playfully acting dumb.

She didn’t reply. Meg never suffered fools, not even the ones she dated.

Dianne was a few minutes late on account of the traffic, but she was happy as a lark when she arrived, tastefully perfumed, with hints of wild rose and sage.

Meg waited until they’d consumed most of the appetizers and uncorked the second bottle of wine before tapping her own wine glass with a spoon.

“I have an announcement to make.”

“I knew it!” Brian interjected. “The haddock was braised, not poached!”

“Nope,” Meg answered. “It was poached by the book. And I’m leaving for San Francisco in two weeks.”

Brian squinted and bumped his lips out, as if to say “you are?”

“For good,” Meg continued.

Dianne and Brian exchanged bewildered glances.

The silence began to be awkward.

“Was it something I said?” Brian offered, trying to leaven the moment.

“No,” Meg said. “But it was something I heard that I needed to listen to. And I hope neither of you mind that I brought you together this evening.”

Dianne blushed.

Brian stared into one of the candles on the table, clearly at a loss for words.

“You guys need a moment?” Dianne interjected in response to Brian’s pained expression.

Brian took a deep breath and exhaled.

“I think this is a good time for me to use the bathroom,” Dianne continued.

“Yeah, why don’t I do that. Kind of need to anyway.”

With state senate passage, Washington appears to be only days away from being the seventh state to legalize same sex marriage.

By a somewhat surprisingly healthy margin, the Washington state senate tonight passed SB-6239. The bill, which would allow same-sex couples to marry in Washington now goes to the state House of Representatives where it is expected to pass easily next week.

After an hour and a half of debate, the bill passed the senate by a 28 to 21 vote.

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has not only indicated she would sign the bill, but is actively campaigning for its passage.

According to the New York Times, the opponents of the measure, including the Roman Catholic Church, say they will challenge the implementation of a new law with a referendum they hope to have on the ballot this fall.