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Today's Headlines: July 15, 2024

Reactions come after the attempted shooting of former president Trump, federal officials visit the Spokane aerospace hub and the Spokane City Council will consider airport bonds.

The Republican National Convention kicks off today, and delegates from Washington state are still processing news of the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

Jim Walsh, chair of the state GOP, said he learned of the shooting at a Milwaukee Brewers game. He was with a number of delegates and staff who’d arrived at the convention early.

"Needless to say, it was hard to pay attention to the game after that," he said."

Walsh blamed the attack on commentators and magazines who’ve called Trump a fascist and compared him to Hitler.

“We've been dreading this kind of thing for a while," he said. "I mean, the, the rhetoric of the criticism and political opposition to Trump is so vitriolic.”

Walsh was interviewed hours before the shooter’s name was revealed and his registration as a Republican was reported. But Walsh doubled down on this stance on social media on Sunday.

He said Trump will receive a “hero’s welcome” at the convention this week.

Other reactions came from across the political spectrum in the Inland Northwest. In a press release, Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador denounced political violence.

“We must rededicate ourselves to civility even in the midst of passionate disagreement,” the statement read.

Shasti Conrad, the chair of the Washington state Democratic Party, had a similar message. In a statement, she condemned the shooting and all violence based on ideology or identity.

She also used the opportunity to call for action on gun violence, saying, “The time to end gun violence in America once and for all is now.”

Michael Baumgartner, the Spokane County Treasurer and one of the GOP candidates running to represent eastern Washington in Congress said in a statement that he was “shocked and confused” at how security measures didn’t prevent the shooting, calling for a full investigation into the matter.

Federal officials visit Spokane aerospace tech hub this week

Spokane’s aerospace manufacturing industry has visitors today from officials in the U.S Commerce Department.

Last October, the agency named the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Tech Hub as one of its 31 regional industry clusters. The tech hubs were authorized as part of CHIPS and Science Act.

Alejandra Y. Castillo, the department’s assistant secretary for economic development, will lead the delegation. She says the Spokane hub will play an important role in pushing the aerospace industry into new areas.

“How do we make sure that we’re developing materials that are going to be innovative in terms of how we built airplanes and how we make them more efficient? That tech hub played very much into one of those critical technologies that is stated in the legislation. It was also impressive to see the consortium that came together,” she said.

The consortium is led by Gonzaga University. Its stated goal to help companies that build advanced composite materials for specific parts of airplanes.

Spokane council to consider airport bonds

The Spokane City Council will be asked tonight to give airport officials authority to sell $140 million in bonds to finance four projects.

Spokane Airport CFO Rob Schultz says the largest project is the next phase of expanding Terminal C at Spokane International. The airport wants $80 million to continue that.

He says the airport also wants to build a new office building near the terminal for its staff.

“We’ll include $27 million for that to accommodate staffing needs out at the airport. We will expand our fuel facility by adding a fourth storage tank for that, then also do some improvements out at Felts Field,” he said.

Schultz says the airport board has approved the issuance of bonds. Since the city and county jointly operate the airport, the city council and county commissioners must also sign off.

The intention is to sell the bonds in October.

New Columbia River bridge gets more financial support

The federal government announced Friday that it would appropriate almost $1.5 billion for a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River that would link Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon.

It's the biggest grant awarded to the project.

The new grant from the Federal Highway Administration means planners have about $4 billion dollars in-hand.

The U.S. Department of Transportation had already earmarked hundreds of millions and Oregon and Washington have contributed a billion apiece.

But it's unclear right now how much it will cost to fully replace the bridge -- some of which is more than 100 years old.

Planners say they are doing cost estimates to revise their earlier price tag of about $6 billion. That number is almost two years old and planners need to adjust for inflation.

Leaders in the region greeted the announcement of the new grant with optimism. Construction on the new bridge could begin in 2026.

Use common sense when you pick huckleberries this summer

Huckleberry season is underway in the Inland Northwest.

Forest Service officials are reminding you there are some dos-and-don’ts when you’re searching for purple treasures. One is to pick berries for your personal use.

“If you’re picking huckleberries to make money on them, that is actually considered a commercial use and that is illegal without a commercial use permit,” said Jed Friedman, the district program recreation manager for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest in Coeur d’Alene.

He says your chances of getting caught are likely small because he and his staff don’t have much time to patrol the areas where huckleberry bushes grow.

Friedman also urges you to pick berries by hand, not by mechanical means, and to harvest only what you’ll eat.

If you head out with your buckets this month, will you find much to pick?

“You know, I think it’s too early to tell,” Friedman said. “I know for a fact last year was a great year, so, statistically, will you get two great years in a row? I don’t know.”

Friedman also urges pickers to be aware that bears and other critters like huckleberries too. Carry bear spray and be prepared to make a lot of noise if you find yourself sharing an area with a big, hairy creature.

Reporting was contributed by Doug Nadvornick and Troy Brynelson.