Green Libertarian: read all of it, including Smith's take, and Stacey's take. This report is more whitewash, than not. The bottom line is that the State of WA has very strict prohibitions against government entities enriching private parties. The Cowles folks managed to illegally (for a time, and with the blessing and cover-up/promotion and of their wholly owned home-town newspaper) circumvent such laws and legislative intent. Did it end up being an economic godsend to DT Spokane? Yes, in many ways. Did it end up benefiting already wealthy players like the Cowles, DT landowners, and Nordstroms? Definitely. Did it bring further disrepute to the concept of public/private partnerships? Yes. Did it point out the corruption in City politics. Oh my yes. Has it negatively affected federal funds that were supposed to flow to economically impoverished neighborhoods? Yes. It will be a very long time before the S/R and the Cowles Gang live down this debacle.

Digger: You can't change things as they happened in the past. The Cowles family is certainly powerful, owning both the SR and KHQ TV, with a substantial interest in the news/weather programming at KQNT-AM through KHQ. I have always looked to the SR as a reliable source of news, I find the stories to be informative and, while I don't take them as gospel, your operation is far superior to anything else in the region. That said, I wasn't old enough to fully grasp the RPS issue so I can't speak to that, but both Steve Smith and W. Stacey Cowles have my kudos for opening the doors to this type of scrutiny. The SR is now, and will always be, my choice for news while living in this region.

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