Bloglander

ON INLANDER.COM

Yes, he really said that
President Trump reverted to his initial position during an combative, impromptu press conference that quickly went off the rails, angrily insisting that there were “very fine people on both sides” in Charlottesville, Virginia — where hundreds of well-armed neo-Nazis, members of the Ku Klux Klan, white supremacists and members of the extremist "alt-right" fomented violence on the streets Saturday — and there was "blame on both sides, and I have no doubt about it." On Saturday afternoon, a self-described neo-Nazi from Ohio named James Alex Fields rammed his car into unarmed counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. (via New York Times)

What's in a name?
Why East Wenatchee, of all places, has a "Robert E. Lee Elementary School." And why the school named after the Confederate general won't be changing its name.


IN OTHER NEWS

Who defaced the Lincoln Memorial?
The 95-year-old Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was defaced early Tuesday morning when a vandal used red spray paint to write graffiti, including the words "f—- law"; Lincoln, America's 16th president, was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer just five days after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered in April 1865, ending the Civil War. (WRC-TV, Washington)

• Last night, four more Confederate statues were taken down in Baltimore. (WRC)

• Arrests have begun in Durham, North Carolina, after the toppling of a Confederate statue there on Monday. (The Atlantic)

The vote is in — all in
Just 67,284 ballots were cast out of 304,058 eligible voters in Spokane County (that's a mere 22.13 percent) in the Aug. 1 primary election, which was certified yesterday, setting up a trio of competitive, nonpartisan races for Spokane City Council in November:

District 1 (Northeast Spokane, including Hillyard)
Running to replace term-limited Councilwoman Amber Waldref:
Kate Burke 45.3% • Tim Benn 36.9% • Kathryn Alexander 17.2%

District 2 (South Hill, Browne's Addition, West Plains, most of downtown)
Beggs was appointed to City Council in February 2016:
Breean Beggs 55.6% • Andy Dunau 22.7% • Tony Kiepe 18.1% • Bruce Vonada 3.2%

District 3 (Northwest Spokane, from West Central to Indian Trail)
Mumm, the incumbent, was elected in 2013:
Candace Mumm 52.4% • Matthew Howes 29.9% • Brian Burrow 17.2%

More notable election results
• Tony Hazel, appointed to replace the late Sam Cozza in May, received 51.6 percent of the vote in the race for Superior Court Position 6. In November, he'll take on Jocelyn Cook, who received 24.6 percent to J. Scott Miller's 23.3 percent.

• Incumbent Mike Wiser finished way out in front in the race for Spokane School Board Position 5, with 57.6 percent of the vote in a four-way contest. In November, he'll face Jennifer Thomas, who received 20.1 percent.

• Councilmember Rod Higgins — also the mayor — with 43 percent, takes on Chris Jackson (33.1 percent) in Position 1 and incumbent Pamela Haley (54.9 percent) faces Angie Beem (25.4 percent) in Position 5 in the two Spokane Valley City Council races.

• In the closest local race, incumbent Elizabeth Rosenbeck edged Monica Manza by just 8 votes, 209 to 201, and will face John Merrick for Medical Lake's City Council Position 2.

• Liberty Lake voters emphatically rejected a $9 million bond to build a new community center near Town Square Park; 61.6 percent voted "No."

• For the first time in 91 years, Seattle will elect a woman mayor in November: Former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan faces urban planner Cary Moon in the race to succeed Ed Murray.

More CEOs ditch White House councils
Walmart's CEO sharply criticized President Trump as six other business leaders — including the CEOs of Intel, Under Armour, and Merck Pharmaceuticals — resigned from presidential advisory councils, widening a rift between the White House and the business community that has grown since Saturday's violence in Charlottesville. (New York Times, L.A.Times)

• Trump claimed on the campaign trail that he was going to save their manufacturing jobs, but these workers are quitting anyway. (Washington Post)

'It meant everything in the world'
A 93-year-old World War II veteran from Montana who had taken a flag from the body of a Japanese soldier on the island of Saipan 73 years ago returned it to the soldier's family in Japan. The flag was signed by 180 members of the soldier's hometown before he left for war. (Washington Post)