You could call Edward Thomas Jr. a spark plug in Spokane’s African American community or an activist for the city as a whole. Call Thomas – who passed away last week from cancer – the founding chairman of the Citizens Review Panel for Spokane police,…
OLYMPIA — The federal government will not try to stop Washington from setting up a way to allow adults to use legal marijuana. In what state officials described as a “game changer”, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday the federal government will focus attention…
At last week’s Planning, Community and Economic Development committee meeting, Spokane city planning director Scott Chesney was discussing the Larry H. Miller empire and its request to temporarily shut down some streets while the car dealer did some re-arrangement. Not exciting stuff. Then, off-handedly, Chesney…
OLYMPIA -- After trying but failing to craft a package of major road projects in this year's Legislature, the Senate Transportation Committee will hold seven forums around the state to try to craft a new package. One of the stops on the "listening tour" will…
We at Spin Control like to think our readers are better than average when it comes to following the news. This comes not from any scientific readership survey, but from reader comments that point out any mistakes we make, details we overlook or alternate interpretations…
There were enough members for a quorum, but the dais was a bit spare at Monday's regularly scheduled Spokane City Council meeting. Councilman Jon Snyder, acting as council president pro tem in Ben Stuckart's stead, politely led the charge through the hour-long meeting. Councilman Mike…
Although the Legislature needed two special sessions to agree to a budget, in large part because of disagreements over how much to spend on public schools, a special legislative committee needed only about six minutes Tuesday to tell the state Supreme Court that budget is…
They may run stop signs and attempt left turns from the far right lane, forget to signal when they turn or leave the signal on for miles after making it. But in news that will shock many motorists in and around Spokane, the city's drivers…
Envision Spokane will appeal a judge's ruling that kicked them off this November's ballot. "We’re not going to take this laying down," Brad Read, board president of Envision Spokane, said Tuesday. "She chose to side with the powerful interests to tell the people of Spokane…
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is being asked to explain to a Senate committee his department's policy toward Washington and other states that have legalized some form of marijuana consumption. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., wants Holder to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept.…
Opponents of two proposed charter changes for Spokane won their fight to keep the initiatives away from voters when Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno on Friday barred them from the November ballot. Cue the huge sighs of relief from the home builders and various nice-sounding…
Snowmageddon 2008 and Spokane's Use of Force Commission don't have much in common. One was the harshest winter in a generation that paralyzed Spokane, and the other aims to reform the Spokane Police Department. But both are tied together by one of the city's savings…
OLYMPIA – Public hospitals that provide maternity services must also provide access to contraception and abortion, even if they contract with a private company that bars such services, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Wednesday. In a formal attorney general’s opinion, Ferguson said state law,…
Former Spokane Mayor John Talbott made headlines in the Tri-Cities this week after speaking to the Pasco City Council, getting his microphone cut off and being escorted out of the building by the police chief. Talbott, who was elected to one term in Spokane City…
OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Natural Resources apparently thinks Sasquatches, like everyone else, need a Discover Pass if they want to spend any time in state parks or state lands. The DNR is kicking out a whole line of public service announcements trying to…
Always fun to see how other folks view Spokane. Here's the take of a New York Times writer who reported this week on the controversy over coal ports and coal trains expanding in the Northwest. SPOKANE, Wash. — The Pacific Northwest’s sense of itself can…
Twenty-two point twenty.two That's the percenage of turnout for those areas of Spokane County that had something on their ballot in the August primary. About halfway between one voter in five and one voter in four. Not quite abysmal, but definitely not very impressive. Precinct-by-precinct,…
The Spokane Veterans Administration Medical Center will officially get its new name at a ceremony Wednesday morning. The Northwest Spokane facility will become the Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in honor of Pfc. Joe E. Mann and Platoon Sgt. Bruce Grandstaff. Mann was…
Talking Points Memo's take on Monday: Let's talk about how it's too early to talk about 2016. And the kid mayor. He's going to get obnoxious real soon.
Inslee and Ido finish the planting of a tree to mark the sister state anniversary. OLYMPIA – Leaders of Washington state and Japan’s Hyogo prefecture marked the oldest “sister-state” relationship in either country by making speeches, planting a tree and feasting on smoked salmon and…
The Spokane City Council won't vote on proposed changes to the city's park department tonight. Park Director Leroy Eadie pulled the proposal at the last minute after discussions with City Council President Ben Stuckart, who is opposed to the changes. Under Eadie's proposal, more senior…
A member of the Chehalis tribe cooks king salmon over an open fire near the Capitol. OLYMPIA -- Gov. Jay Inslee and Hyogo Prefecture Gov. Toshizo Ido had Kobe beef for lunch at the Executive Mansion. But food to be served after a mid-afternoon ceremony…
Gov. Jay Inslee and his wife Trudi greet Hyogo Prefecture Gov. Toshizo Ido at a ceremony marking the sister state relationship between the two areas. OLYMPIA -- Washington state officials will mark the 50th anniversary of a relationship with Japan's Hyogo prefecture with some pomp…
OLYMPIA – Add to the long list of things the Puget Sound communities have that Spokane residents can be glad they don’t: Toll bridges. Spokane’s last such facility, the Maple Street Bridge, removed “Toll” from its title in 1990 after some 42 years of collecting…
Using the theory that the way to pot smoker's brains is through their stomachs, or perhaps that no one will pass up a good munchie, Seattle police have a plan to get the word out about marijuana policy at Hempfest this weekend. For those unfamiliar,…