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Today is Good Friday
“Behold Jesus” Easter Drama
Spokane Dream Center presents its annual “Behold Jesus” Easter Drama on Saturday, March 30 - This professional-level production portrays the life and teachings of Jesus through words of Scripture. There will be two performances: 1 and 6:30 p.m. No tickets required. Saturday, INB Performing Arts Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Free. (509) 924-2630.
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State Parks are free tomorrow
Washington State Parks across the state will be free to visit Saturday in celebration of the agency’s 100th birthday.
The state park system was established on March 19, 1913.
A Discover Pass is usually required to park at a state park.
Other free days this year, offered in conjunction with the National Park Service’s free days, are: National Parks Week on April 27 and 28; National Trails Day on June 1; National Get Outdoors Day on June 8 and 9; Peak Season day on Aug. 4; National Public Lands Day on Sept. 28; and Veterans Day Weekend Nov. 9 through 11.
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from The Daily Beast
My unfavorite new Facebook meme is this bit of sillyness which has apparently been spotted everywhere from the feeds of my college friends to (allegedly) that of Richard Dawkins' Foundation for Reason and Science.
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from POLITICO
Poll: 43 percent back citizen path
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from ScienceBlogs
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from The Spokesman-Review
North Korea responds with harsh words, military readiness
Schools, taxes top Inslee proposal
Republicans oppose ending tax exemptions
Congress, critics question need for power scooters
Pope Francis washes women’s feet
Gesture breaks rules of Holy Thursday rite
Researchers use tiny robots to test ant behavior theory
Obama pushes for tighter gun laws
Mothers of victims join appeal to Congress
Gunman had access to cache of weapons
Army vet charged in attack on Syrians
Arizona man sided with Islamist group, FBI says
College cafe shelled, killing 10
Syria regime, rebels blame each other
Officials assessing damage from Whidbey Island slide
In brief: From Wire Reports:
DENVER – Prosecutors in the Colorado theater shooting on Thursday rejected an offer from suspect James Holmes to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty and accused defense lawyers of a serious breach of court rules by making the offer public.
In a scathing court document, prosecutors said the defense has repeatedly refused to give them the information they need to evaluate the plea offer, so the offer can’t be considered genuine.
No plea agreement exists, prosecutors said, and one “is extremely unlikely based on the present information available to the prosecution.”
Holmes is charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in the July 20 shootings in a packed theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Twelve people were killed and 70 were injured.
Holmes’ attorneys disclosed in a court filing Wednesday that their client has offered to plead guilty, but only if he wouldn’t be executed.
Arms trade treaty blocked in U.N.
UNITED NATIONS – Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked adoption Thursday of a U.N. treaty that would regulate the multibillion-dollar international arms trade which required agreement by all 193 U.N. member states.
In an unexpected twist, Mexico proposed that the conference go ahead and adopt the treaty Thursday without the support of the three countries, saying there was no definition of “consensus.” Delegates then started debating whether this should be done and several countries supported Mexico, but the Russian delegation called the proposal “a manipulation of consensus” and objected.
Kenya said “the will of the overwhelming majority is clear” and when the meeting closes a letter will be sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a draft resolution asking the U.N. chief to bring the treaty before the General Assembly for adoption as soon as possible.
Both Iran and North Korea are under U.N. arms embargoes over their nuclear programs, while the Syrian government is now in the third year of a civil war.
Suit stands against ex-Sen. Craig
WASHINGTON – A federal judge refused on Thursday to dismiss a Federal Election Commission lawsuit that accuses former Sen. Larry Craig of misusing $217,000 in campaign funds for his legal defense after his arrest in a 2007 airport bathroom sex sting.
Craig had argued that the airport bathroom trip fell under his official duties as senator because he was traveling between Idaho and Washington for work, and therefore the legal fees could be paid for with campaign money.
But U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected that argument. She wrote in her ruling that the charge against Craig didn’t relate “to his conduct as a legislator, but only actions undertaken in the privacy and anonymity of a restroom stall.” Jackson set a scheduling conference in the case for April 26.
The Idaho Republican was arrested by an undercover police officer at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The officer said Craig tapped his feet and signaled under a stall divider that he wanted sex. Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine. After his arrest later became public, Craig tried unsuccessfully to reverse his conviction.
In an email, Craig’s lawyer, Andrew Herman, said, “We will assess the opinion and decide how to proceed after doing so.”
City changes tack in porn shop fight
City officials hope a change in venue will shorten its long fight to close two porn shops in north Spokane.
The city filed a lawsuit in federal court in 2010 against CAWA Corp., claiming that the company’s two Hollywood Erotic Boutiques in the city violate zoning rules.
The Spokane City Council tightened regulations on porn shops earlier this month. Soon after the council’s action, the city asked the federal court to dismiss the case. On Tuesday, the city filed a new lawsuit against CAWA in Spokane County Superior Court.
The city wants a judge to rule that CAWA’s stores violate the city’s zoning ordinance.
Milt Rowland, the attorney representing the city, said federal court is more likely to rule that the city’s law doesn’t violate the First Amendment and may not specifically answer whether Hollywood is following the law.
Rowland said one factor in filing suit in Superior Court is the city of Spokane Valley’s case against a Hollywood Erotic Boutique. A Superior Court judge ruled this month that the Hollywood location on East Sprague is a “public nuisance.”
Mortgage rates inch up, but still near record lows
WASHINGTON – Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages edged up this week but remained near historic lows. Low rates have helped drive the housing market’s steady recovery.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for the 30-year fixed loan rose to 3.57 percent from 3.54 percent last week. That’s near the 3.31 percent reached in November, which was the lowest on records dating to 1971.
The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage increased last week to 2.76 percent from 2.72 percent last week. The record low of 2.63 percent was also reached in November.
The lowest mortgage rates in decades are spurring more home purchases and refinancing. That’s helped the broader economy. Increased sales are also pushing home prices higher.
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Residents, developers proud of South Perry
Cultures clash over lifestyle on Green Bluff
Residents divided over special-event business
County land deal triggers differing appraisals
Shawn Vestal The Spokesman-Review
Health worker protection bill fails
Measure dies in Senate; Malek, Nonini trade barbs
Betsy Z. Russell The Spokesman-Review
S&P 500 hits record high
Stock index eclipses mark set before recession
Indoor farming trend sowing seeds of change
Power remains biggest hurdle for many operations
Acreage for corn highest since ’36
Shawn Vestal The Spokesman-Review
Measure dies in Senate; Malek, Nonini trade barbs
Betsy Z. Russell The Spokesman-Review
Stock index eclipses mark set before recession
Indoor farming trend sowing seeds of change
Power remains biggest hurdle for many operations
Acreage for corn highest since ’36
Editorial: Expansion of payday loans needs hard look
Amy Goodman
Alan Liere The Spokesman-Review
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from The Wenatchee World
Amid Boy Scout turmoil, other groups, faith-based and secular, hope to grow
Wilf Woods: Sandhill cranes flock for festival
By Wilfred Woods Chairman of the Board
Don’t amend the First Amendment
By Tracy Warner Editorial Page Editor
Wilf Woods: Sandhill cranes flock for festival
By Wilfred Woods Chairman of the Board
Don’t amend the First Amendment
By Tracy Warner Editorial Page Editor
Mexicans in the neighborhood
By Esther Cepeda Washington Post Writers Group
What really happened in Jerusalem
By Charles Krauthammer Washington Post Writers Group
Inslee’s budget boosts government agencies
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Study finds widespread worries about rising seas
WASHINGTON — An overwhelming majority of Americans is convinced that sea level rise resulting from climate change poses a significant threat to the United States and that coastal communities should invest in preparing for the risks, according to a survey released Thursday by Stanford University.
The study was conducted with memories still fresh of Hurricane Sandy’s vast damage and protracted, expensive rebuilding, whose cost was picked up largely by taxpayers.
Although past surveys have asked Americans if they accept climate change to be a global reality, the survey by Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment focuses on attitudes about one of its effects — sea level rise — and the options to deal with it. The responses, taken together, indicated that most Americans were no longer willing to accept a hands-off approach to continued coastal development that will get battered repeatedly by rising seas.
Drone builders fear public backlash
Hovering perceptions discourage companies’ development efforts
Photos about "Insitu ScanEagle"
History’s guardian debated in Death Valley
Old mining town is focus of familiar fight in the West — private interests vs. public access
By Esther Cepeda Washington Post Writers Group
By Charles Krauthammer Washington Post Writers Group
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Briefly:
WASHINGTON — An overwhelming majority of Americans is convinced that sea level rise resulting from climate change poses a significant threat to the United States and that coastal communities should invest in preparing for the risks, according to a survey released Thursday by Stanford University.
The study was conducted with memories still fresh of Hurricane Sandy’s vast damage and protracted, expensive rebuilding, whose cost was picked up largely by taxpayers.
Although past surveys have asked Americans if they accept climate change to be a global reality, the survey by Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment focuses on attitudes about one of its effects — sea level rise — and the options to deal with it. The responses, taken together, indicated that most Americans were no longer willing to accept a hands-off approach to continued coastal development that will get battered repeatedly by rising seas.
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Hovering perceptions discourage companies’ development efforts
Photos about "Insitu ScanEagle"
Old mining town is focus of familiar fight in the West — private interests vs. public access
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