3/17/2022
Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!
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KREM
KXLY
The Inlander
THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
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KREM
According to Spokane City councilman Michael Cathcart, a letter states that the FBI has received allegations of criminal activity in Spokane Public Schools.
SPOKANE, Wash. — The FBI and Spokane City Council members are now getting involved in the dispute between the Spokane Police Department (SPD) and Spokane Public Schools (SPS) over the mandatory reporting of crimes on campus.
After a few days of strongly worded letters back and forth between the police and school districts, a Spokane City Council Member posted a letter today he says was written by the FBI and sent to area principals.
Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart posted the letter late Wednesday afternoon on his Facebook page. In it, the letter states the FBI has received allegations of criminal activity in Spokane Public Schools and also references concerns that SPS employees are being pressured to not report the problems.
KREM 2 spoke to Spokane City Council Member Michael Cathcart, who posted the letter, to find out more.
"I say it all the time, we have a right to live in a safe community, our kids have a right to be in a safe school, and parents have a right to know what's going on with their children," Cathcart said. "So, just every element of this was so concerning to me, and now that the FBI is involved I felt like the public just has to know what's going on."
Cathcart also said he has made a public records request from Spokane Public Schools and the Spokane Police Department about one month ago. He says he expects those requests to come through in the next week or two. KREM 2 did reach out to the FBI to independently verify the letter and have not heard back, but Councilman Cathcart said he's confident the letter was indeed sent from the FBI to area principals.
The public back-and-forth between the Spokane Police and the Spokane Public Schools really began on Friday when Police Chief Craig Meidl sent a scathing letter to the Spokane Superintendent saying that the district was failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws. The district fired back with its own letter.
The district maintains it still has not received any complaints from parents or teachers about its policy on mandatory reporting and insists that all employees should feel safe to contact law enforcement.
We will continue to track this story, as again, the district has said they have a meeting scheduled at the end of the month.
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KXLY
Posted: March 17, 2022 6:10 AM Updated: March 17, 2022 7:16 AM by Erin Robinson
SPOKANE, Wash. — Police are searching for a 5-year-old boy last seen on W Broadway in the West Central neighborhood Wednesday night.
Xavier Jones has autism and is non-verbal. He has blonde hair, blue eyes and his two front teeth are missing.
He was possibly wearing a pull-up diaper.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
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The Inlander
One reader suggests looking at Vienna's public housing structure for a solution.
David Bowers: Limit Airbnb rentals and do the opposite of Seattle until their policies are proven effective.
Tammi Bullock: Stop building luxury housing and incentivize developers to engage in more affordable housing developments and apartments, condos.
Timothy Kearney II: Maybe rehab them on Tiny House Nation!
Geri Gaddy: Change our laws so companies aren't buying up half the housing. Then invest in affordable housing and updating zoning — at least that's my understanding.
Ben Williamson: Seize all homes owned by investment firms and sell them back to the people.
Taylor Brayman Clark: Rent control.
Caya Berndt: The solution to housing problems is, and always will be, more housing. Fix the zoning laws, invest in affordable multiunit housing, repurpose empty buildings downtown, rent control, and address the rampant NIMBYism among some members of the City Council.
Sean Michael Foster: Vienna's council housing is such a great example.
Sara Boren: Building affordable housing is one side of the coin. Strengthening the middle class so more people can buy homes is the other. So intelligent and fair tax laws AND a living wage, plus fixing the zoning laws in Spokane so we can build affordable houses.
Darcy Hildebrand: One area that needs to be addressed is to have those who benefited from the gentrification of the downtown business district (developers, landlords, business owners, New Urbanists) pay for the housing and sheltering of the homeless people they unhoused by turning the hotels and apartments that previously housed them into upscale apartments for the upper middle income and above residents. I know I didn't do it, and I know I didn't benefit from it, like most of the residents of Spokane. ♦
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THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
By Cindy Hval
FOR THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
The first growing season at Thornton Murphy Community Garden last year produced bumper crops, and this year the garden will continue to grow.
“It was a successful first season,” garden manager Dennis Anderson said. “We opened up with 20 4-footby- 8-foot raised beds. People registered for a bed for $25 per season and that includes water.”
Individuals are responsible for the care and tending of their garden boxes, but since it’s a community project, others can pitch in if needed.
“We have signs that say: ‘Please water me,’ Anderson said. “And we’re going to get signs that say: ‘Please pick me.’ ” The signage will come in handy if gardeners embrace travel as pandemic restrictions ease.
The garden on the northeast corner of Thornton Murphy Park had long been in the works. The existing irrigation system and a fence to keep urban deer at bay, coupled with the support of the nearby Southside Community Center, made this an ideal location for Lincoln Heights residents with green thumbs.
“We gave away a lot of tomatoes and peppers at the Southside Community Center, last year,” Anderson said.
This year, the garden will offer even more opportunities.
“The exciting thing is we are adding 10 more beds,” he said.
The carpentry program at NEWTech Skill Center built the additional 4-foot-by-8-foot garden boxes.
“They’re 2 feet off the ground, so they’re even more accessible,” Anderson said.The new boxes, also offered at $25 per season, are going quickly. Anderson said they have plenty of room to continue to expand.
NEWTech Skill Center senior Bryce Busch works on a shed for the Thornton Murphy Community Garden at the center in Spokane on Monday.
PHOTOS BY KATHY PLONKA/ THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
NEWTech Skill Center junior Kayleb Frye works on a shed for the Thornton Murphy Community Garden on Monday.
“We’ve got lots of space,” he said. “We may end up being the largest community garden in Spokane.”
The students at NEWtech also constructed a 10-foot-by-15-foot storage/potting shed for the garden.
Anderson is hopeful that the new beds and shed will be in place before March 24 when the Southside Community Center is hosting a luncheon and workshops to raise awareness and funds.
The two featured classes will cover the harvest from beginning to end.
“A lot of times community gardens attract novice gardeners,” Anderson said. “So, Jan Baker is going to talk about the nuts and bolts of vegetable gardens, like what to plant when, and Anna Kestell is going to cover the basics of food preservation and show us what to do with the bounty.”
The NEWtech culinary program is catering the lunch.
Also in the works – an accessible pathway from the parking lot at Southside to the Thornton Murphy Garden.
“We’re applying for a grant for that,” said Anderson, who expressed his appreciation for the support from the City of Spokane and Spokane Public Schools via NEWtech.
“It’s been so gratifying to see this take off,” he said.
Cindy Hval can be reached at dchval@juno.com.