Local news coverage for Spokane and the Inland Northwest

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Sheriff’s dog, Ekko, retires after 6 years of service

March 10, 2014 A Spokane County police dog named Ekko, who has served the public for six years, retired on March 1. 3
Spokane Police searching for bank robber

March 10, 2014 Spokane Police are looking for a man they say walked into a Banner Bank branch at a north Spokane grocery store and handed a teller a note demanding money. A … 7
Spokane Falls roars as flood water arrives

March 10, 2014 Several Inland Northwest rivers are at or near flood stage today and the Spokane River was on the rise in what is already an impressive show of water going over … 8
Public transit systems see big ridership gains

March 10, 2014 Americans are boarding public buses, trains and subways in greater numbers than any time since the suburbs began booming, according to new ridership numbers. Public transit passengers took nearly 10.7 … 5
Man shot outside Spokane marijuana dispensary

March 10, 2014 The owner of a Spokane marijuana dispensary shot a man outside the store Sunday night. 159
Short-term online rentals see scrutiny

March 10, 2014 on Page A1 Jo and Mike Jakupcak make frequent trips to Spokane from their Montana home to visit their grandchild. They don’t mind staying with family, but “it gets a little crowded,” Jo … 110
Spokane’s Julia Sweeney talks about the places Airbnb has taken her

March 10, 2014 on Page A1 What Julia Sweeney has come to call her “Airbnb year” started Memorial Day weekend in Spokane. It took her to a tiny apartment in London, a treehouse in Hawaii and … 3
STA giving all-electric buses a tryout

March 10, 2014 on Page A1 A shiny, new, all-electric Chinese bus is running on Spokane routes this month under a special demonstration through a U.S. branch of BYD Co. Ltd. Spokane Transit Authority was invited … 33
Then and Now: Spokane’s Empire Hotel

March 10, 2014 on Page A5 Joao Ignacio was born in the Azores in the late 1830s and headed to America in his teens. Ignacio, who Anglicized his name to John Enos but was also known … 17
Rock Doc: Termites might lead way in creating biofuel

March 10, 2014 on Page A5 Every time I fill my gas tank, I see the notice on the pump that explains part of the fuel I’m buying is ethanol – a common biofuel. While biofuels … 3
In brief: Bonners Ferry pipe bomb injures two

March 10, 2014 on Page A6 Two people were injured when a pipe bomb placed at the front door of a Bonners Ferry home exploded early Sunday morning. A suspect, Allen Avery, was arrested on suspicion …
Fired gay vice principal sues Eastside Catholic School

March 10, 2014 on Page A6 SEATTLE – On the day he filed a lawsuit against the school that fired him, Mark Zmuda praised Eastside Catholic School as continuing to be “an excellent place for children … 3
Cellphone alert rollout has bumpy start in Washington state

March 10, 2014 on Page A6 TACOMA – A system set up to send emergency alerts to thousands of cellphone users warning them of natural disasters and missing children has experienced problems during its rollout in …
Immigration detainees continue hunger strike

March 9, 2014 TACOMA — The Northwest Detention Center locked down areas holding violent offenders as a precaution amid a continuing hunger strike today by hundreds of detainees protesting their treatment and calling … 5
Bumps in rollout of cellphone alerts in Washington

March 9, 2014 A system set up to send emergency alerts to thousands of cellphone users warning them of natural disasters and missing children has experienced problems during its rollout in Washington state, … 5
Rural North Idaho, Montana bar fires spark questions

March 9, 2014 on Page A1 Six bars in mostly remote towns in the Inland Northwest have been destroyed by fire in the past 10 months, but there’s no interstate fire reporting system in place that … 32
Doug Clark: Butch Otter takes Idaho from Spud State to Stud State

March 9, 2014 on Page B1 Before we explore the ins and outs of how the Republican governor of Idaho wound up in an unrated soft-core sex flick, allow me a moment to pose a simple … 23
Spokane police Chief Frank Straub gets candid about cameras

March 9, 2014 on Page B1 Law enforcement in Spokane County is about to enter a new era in which almost all interactions between officers and citizens will be recorded. It’s an era sparked in Spokane … 176
That’s NEWS to you

March 9, 2014 on Page B1 If you followed the news last week, and maybe even if you didn’t, you could be a winner in our weekly news quiz. Warm up your news memory by taking …
Preschools’ benefits unavailable to many in Spokane County, state

March 9, 2014 on Page B1 Tiny voices buzzed and toys clattered in the preschool classroom at Ferris High School, a cacophony of indistinct sounds until a 4-year-old proclaimed her victory. “I did the puzzle all … 55
Jim Kershner’s this day in history

March 9, 2014 on Page B1 From our archives, 100 years ago Spokane audiences certainly had plenty of entertainment options over the weekend. Here are a few:
That’s News to you answers

March 9, 2014 on Page B2 Here are the answers to this week’s newspaper quiz: 1. B. “12 Years a Slave” won the Oscar for best picture, beating out nominees “Gravity” and “Dallas Buyers Club,” among …
In brief: Pedestrian hit in crosswalk near Interstate 90

March 9, 2014 on Page B2 A pedestrian wearing black clothing was hit by a pickup truck at the bottom of an eastbound Interstate 90 on-ramp Saturday evening, according to the Washington State Patrol. The man … 1
Spin Control: There’s no leveling a seesaw playing field

March 9, 2014 on Page B2 OLYMPIA – There is so much talk of leveling the playing field in legislative debates that one wonders if an army of bulldozers should be dispatched to sporting facilities around … 2
Photo: Kept on fighting ’til the end

March 9, 2014 on Page B2 Victory dance: Rainier Beach boys basketball players, including Shadeed Shabazz (24), along with team cheerleaders and fans celebrate after the Vikings beat Eastside Catholic 47-45 to win the Division 3A …
Washington Senate backs medical marijuana overhaul

March 9, 2014 on Page B2 OLYMPIA – A measure to overhaul the state’s medical marijuana system cleared the Senate on Saturday as the state moves to merge that largely unregulated market with the still-developing legal … 10
No charges filed yet in January assault by Steam Plant

March 9, 2014 on Page B3 Prosecutors have not yet filed charges in the January assault of a man leaving a downtown restaurant with his wife who said they were attacked by a group of teenagers. … 1
Tacoma detainees protest deportation with hunger strike

March 9, 2014 on Page B10 TACOMA – Immigrant-rights activists rallied outside the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma on Saturday, while hundreds of detainees protested their treatment and called for an end to deportations with a … 5
Huckleberries: Plea for college board civility falls on deaf ears

March 9, 2014 on Page B10 It’s not every day that a college student officer asks a trustee to learn to play well with others. But that’s what happened at the Feb. 26 meeting of the … 1
Lenders reverse course, court small businesses

March 9, 2014 on Page E1 The email from the bank was unexpected. Laura Benson got an increase in her small business credit line. The boost from Wells Fargo & Co. was a pleasant surprise. A …