'Common knowledge'

It's an 87-year-old unsolved robbery and murder – one laced with mystery, gold, racism and, apparently, the power of a badge and judicial robe. Two Chinese brothers – immigrants who mined for gold in the tiny community of Daisy, Wash., on what was then the free-flowing Columbia River north of Spokane – were assaulted and robbed July 3, 1921.
Documents: Death certificate, coroner's inquest, historical news clippings

Firefighters face greater cancer risk

Doug Bacon missed the funeral of a fellow Spokane firefighter because the 59-year-old was in treatment for throat cancer – the same illness that had just killed his friend and co-worker. A third Spokane firefighter who joined the department with Bacon in the 1970s also has been diagnosed with throat cancer.
Video: Featuring Mark Noble, a Washington firefighter who past away from cancer in 2005 from what was considered a line-of-duty death

Cal hands Cougs a setback for the ages

PULLMAN – It started seconds after Butch the Cougar's ATV left the Martin Stadium turf. A first-play-of-the-game, 80-yard touchdown run by California's Jahvid Best, through a hole wide enough for Butch's ATV to fit through, set the mood. Then it got darker. The final score was 66-3, Washington State's worst defeat, worse than a 62-3 loss at UCLA in 1976.
Blanchette: After that, let's hope Cougs move past their ugly phase
Slideshow: Photos from the game
Video: Post-game interviews

Sea kayaking with orcas is absolutely killer

While some people are content to simply watch killer whales, sea kayakers have a yen to experience them. The payoff for investing a few days and a little muscle power can be huge, as another eclectic group of adventurers learned this summer in the fabled orca waterways off northeastern Vancouver Island.
Audio slideshow: Sea Kayaking in the Johnstone Strait

Hot Zone hangs on

According to representatives of OneEighty Networks, the company plans this month to begin charging users for access to downtown's Hot Zone wifi network after the first 30 minutes of free surfing.

Caught in a crossfire

Just beyond the clearing, murky figures skulked among the scrub pine. The peace of a sunny weekend morning neared an end. A numerically superior enemy was about to attack. The baked hay scent of dry brush and parched dirt hung in the moment.
Audio slideshow: Paintballing, including a recent "Mortar War" at Nitehawk Paintball near Ford, Wash.

Ike strengthens, aims for Cuba

KEY WEST, Fla. - "Extremely dangerous" Hurricane Ike grew to fierce Category 4 strength Saturday as it roared on an uncertain path that forced millions from the Caribbean to Florida, and Louisiana to Mexico, to nervously wonder where it would eventually strike.
Track it: National Hurricane Center

Witnesses recall B-52 crash

Helen Hodsdon was getting dinner that evening 50 years ago when her husband, Ed, yelled to come outside of their house in Airway Heights. There were two B-52s in the sky, and Ed Hodsdon, a gunner on the big bombers stationed at nearby Fairchild Air Force Base, knew something wasn't right.
Slideshow: Historical photos

Plenty of attractions, distractions at Interstate Fair

Many people already have their reasons for going to the fair – the rodeo, the concerts, the historic trains or a chance to continue blue-ribbon dominance. Here are some more.
Feature: Grown-up 'Cosby' kid headlines Tuesday’s music
Sports: Rider levels anger at rodeo association
Event details: Spokane County Interstate Fair

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Huckleberries' Best of the INorthwest: September 5
Inland NW news and commentary, updated each weekday.

We've Acoustically Exploded

Acoustic music is folking up the local scene. Since 7's inaugural Acoustic Explosion in 2006, singer-songwriters have stolen the spotlight from hard rock bands that once defined live music in Spokane.

Report discounts grazing as tool against fire

BOISE – A state and federal report concludes that last summer's lightning- and cheatgrass-stoked Murphy Complex fire that torched 1,000 square miles of Idaho and Nevada backcountry would have overwhelmed efforts by ranchers to cut fire danger before the blaze by using their cattle to eat down grass on the range.

» 'Common knowledge'

» Spokane Army specialist mourned

» When dog leaves state, few options for bite victim

» California canines find help in Coeur d'Alene

» Firefighters face greater cancer risk

Ike strengthens, shifts toward Cuba, Florida

KEY WEST, Fla. – Hurricane Ike grew to fierce Category 4 strength Saturday as it roared on an uncertain path that forced millions from the Caribbean to Florida, Louisiana to Mexico, to nervously wonder where it would strike.

» Relations deteriorating

» Festivities highlight nation's disparity

Huskies lose heartbreaker

SEATTLE – Jake Locker was crestfallen. The sophomore quarterback did everything he could to give Washington a chance for an upset of No. 15 BYU and wound up apologizing for the Huskies' loss.

» Unbearable sight

» Curtain rises on opener

Online site is a handy source to honor the dearly departed

When the time comes for looking up death notices, Legacy.com can be helpful. It's a linked collection of 76 of the country's larger newspapers, along with more than 600 worldwide. One area of the site, the guest book, lets people leave condolence notes and share stories of loved ones.

» SEARCH SCHOOL

» Hot Zone hangs on

Hot Zone hangs on

Age and wear have faded the spray-painted logos touting the Spokane Hot Zone on downtown street corners.

» Caught in a crossfire

Change we can count on

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Change is coming, change you can count on. That is the simple, central message from the two presidential nominating conventions held in Denver and St. Paul during the past two weeks.

» Too many miss shots

» Reason to celebrate

All of today's news