Bloglander

ON INLANDER.COM

SPORTS: Even though the University of Washington took down Kansas, that doesn't mean they're the best team in the state of Washington. That honor still belongs to the Zags, as they kindly reminded UW over the weekend.

FOR FUN!: Two Inlander writers ventured into a land where bald eagles speckled the sky all around, and we came away with 31 usable photos (plus one seagull photo).

IN OTHER NEWS

Spokane's budget
It's December, and it's the best time of the year — budget passin' time. Last night, the Spokane City Council passed a $975 million budget that adds more police, sets aside money to repave alleyways and continues to fund the city's 24/7 homeless shelter program. (Spokesman-Review)

Woman confesses to planning hammer killing
A woman in Stevens County confessed to plotting the murder of her estranged husband, Shane Rapp, 28, who she and two other friends lured to a forest where one of them beat Rapp to death with a hammer, according to court documents. (Spokesman-Review)

Community Court, Part Two
Following the success of the first one, Spokane has decided to open a second community court at the Northeast Community Center. It's an alternative court for people charged with non-violent offenses and it isn't as punitive as a traditional court. (KXLY)

An impossible choice
Alabama voters are headed to the polls today for a special election to pick a new U.S. senator. The polls have been all over the place, and nobody knows exactly which direction the people of Alabama will swing. Who can blame them for their indecisiveness? They have to pick between Roy Moore, a man accused of sexual misconduct and child molestation, and Doug Jones, a Democrat! (Washington Post)

The terrorist next door
Akayed Ullah, the man who strapped a pipe bomb to his body to detonate in a Times Square subway station, seemed to be an ordinary member of society who nobody thought would ever have committed an act of terrorism, according to those who knew him. (New York Times)