Bloglander

HERE

Someone robbed the Spokane Valley Habitat for Humanity store and made off with $1000. An employee told police that whoever is responsible climbed in through a broken window and took a donation box with cash and coins in it. (SR)

Starting at 11 am, there is a Seahawks parade and party at River Park Square. There will be giveaways every 12 minutes (in honor of, you know, the 12th man) and you can win cupcakes from Sweet Frostings. (KHQ)

Detectives plan to install tracking software in popular electronic devices and put them in plain sight in cars in Spokane's worst neighborhoods to bait and hopefully catch thieves. (KREM)

THERE

Clay Aiken of "American Idol" fame is set to run for congress in North Carolina. He's seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat that Rep. Renee Ellmers currently holds, though Ellmers is neither impressed nor intimidated. (Washington Post)

CVS announced this morning that it plans to stop selling tobacco products by Oct. 1 and urges its rival drug stores to do the same. (NYT)

Voters in Alaska may legalize recreational marijuana this summer. A petition to get the initiative on the ballot has gotten enough signatures and has met all the thresholds necessary to appear on the Aug. 19 ballot. (Huffington Post)

OLYMPICS

Opening Ceremony's in just two days! (Mashable)

Snowboarder Shaun White has withdrawn from the slopestyle snowboarding event, an event making its Olympic debut this year. White says the course is too risky and he wants to concentrate on the halfpipe, Canadians think he's just afraid of losing. (Time)

#SochiProblems is now trending on Twitter due in large part to athletes and journalists arriving to find their hotels weren't as ready as they expected. Some hotels don't have running water and bathrooms are fitted with signs that say "Please do not flush toilet paper down the toilet! Put it in the bin provided." (NY Daily News)