2020 One year ago today
Twenty volunteers belonging to a Pullman church and regional nonprofit spent the day distributing thousands of pounds of food for free to any family who wanted it. Dozens of cars lined up in the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot to be the first recipients. Boxes and boxes of food from Second Harvest, a nonprofit based in Spokane, were waiting to be handed out. Todd Kennedy said the 12,000 pounds of food were enough to feed 400 to 500 families. Kennedy is the coordinator for the Second Harvest Mobile Market, a program that travels anywhere within 200 miles of Spokane to give out free food to the public. … Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler this week reiterated his call for a special legislative session to address Washington’s looming budget deficit. Schoesler, R-Ritzville, joined other Republican lawmakers last month in urging Gov. Jay Inslee to bring lawmakers back to Olympia to discuss the projected state revenue shortfall, as well as other economic and public safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.
2016 Five years ago today
Public defender Charles Kovis expressed outrage at the state of mental health care and the criminal justice system as one of his more notorious clients, convicted murderer John Lee, appeared before a judge and awaited a life sentence to be handed down. Kovis told the judge and those sitting in the courtroom — many of whom were close friends and family members of Lee’s victims — that his crimes were not committed out of the desire for notoriety or revenge but because his brain is diseased. Lee has been diagnosed with paranoid-type schizophrenia. … Whitman County Superior Court Judge David Frazier wants more time to review a petition and documentation submitted by Garfield residents who want to recall the town’s mayor. A petition to recall Ray McCown was signed by five Garfield residents and submitted to the Whitman County Auditor’s Office on May 23. It highlighted 12 formal complaints, including that the mayor illegally gifted town property, censored discussion at town council meetings, failed to meet Department of Ecology regulations at the town’s wastewater treatment plant and discriminated against town employees.
2011 10 years ago today
Moscow’s Joel Courtney, one of the stars of the new Steven Spielberg movie “Super 8,” got a bit of the Hollywood treatment when his friends, classmates and family gathered at the Eastside Marketplace for a special sneak preview of the film. A couple dozen well-wishers, including Courtney’s classmates wearing orange T-shirts with “Courtney Fan Club” on the front and “Super 8” on the back, waited in front of the theater for Courtney and his parents to arrive. Courtney, 15, will be a freshman at Logos School in the fall. … Members of the Palouse Childcare Parent and Community Task Force are asking residents across the Palouse to see the value of Little Sprouts Childcare by financially supporting the day care facility’s future operations. The group is looking to gather $2,000 in donations for startup costs that would allow the day care to switch hands from the Palouse School Board to a recently created supervising board, changing the facility to nonprofit status.
