Oho!

This explains a lot about the aggressive coverage the Spokesman-Review has been giving the bankruptcy settlement in the Spokane Diocese.

Spokane real estate developer Centennial Properties Inc. agreed to pay $2.05 million for the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane.

The ornate, white three-story building at 1023 W. Riverside sits across the street from the Masonic Temple and near Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in downtown Spokane. It houses the offices of Catholic Bishop William Skylstad and his staff.

Centennial Properties is an affiliate of Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.

Through attorney Michael Currin, the development company said it had no immediate plans for the Catholic Pastoral Center, also known as the Chancery.

The diocese was forced to sell the building as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. The money will be used to repay creditors in the bankruptcy – people who were victims of child sex abuse by priests and have filed claims totaling tens of millions of dollars.

But of course, the Spokesman-Review would never abuse its position for the sake of a real estate deal. Uh-uh. Wouldn't happen.

The Cowles family makes me ashamed to be a newspaperman once again.