Division in the Spokane Police Department has been made clear by the March no confidence vote held by the Spokane Police Guild.Some supporters of Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick within the department responded by printing and wearing the button pictured above, and it appears she has…
Voters who cast ballots later in the election cycle that ended Tuesday were more likely to support the EMS levy on the ballot in Spokane and less likely in Spokane County Fire District No. 10.Not that it matters too much: We already knew that both…
Mary Verner is seven months away from achieving what some might consider a sad milestone: Only three years into her term, she will become Spokane's longest serving mayor since voters approved the strong mayor system.On Thursday, Verner officially began her quest to dislodge another Spokane…
Last week, in a story about the Tea Party of Spokane's downtown rally, I noted that some activists came to the event to gather signatures on causes that might seem contradictory to the conservative and anti-tax themes of the event.One was Austin DePaolo, who collected…
In no particular order, here are some of the signs I read while covering Thursday's Tea Party of Spokane gathering:- Armed and dangerous, with my vote- Oppose Obamunism- Liberty or Death- Fox News for the truth- Thanks to Obama: No jobs, TARP, bad economy, big…
Read about the exchange here.
There's been a lot of talk about regional cooperation from local leaders this year, but recent incidents spotlight continued tensions between the city of Spokane and Spokane County.Last week, county officials expressed frustration that the city had decided to explore the possibility of opening its…
Spokane Mayor Mary Verner says she's not considering new taxes to bail the city out of its $10 million hole for 2011.City leaders are getting an early start to the budget for the second year in a row and will present a preliminary budget plan…
Spokane City Council President Joe Shogan e-mailed his colleagues on the council this week to clarify his opinion about a radio show hosted by a man accused of threatening him.In an article in The Spokesman-Review over the weekend, Shogan said he was OK with other…
Spokane park leaders figured in November that the debate about the vacant downtown YMCA was about to end.After all, the financial analysis demanded by City Council had just been released. It recommended accepting Spokane County's offer to use Conservation Futures property taxes to pay off…
Our good friends at the political blog at The News Tribune in Tacoma appear to be challenging us to a friendly Swivel chart war.Responding to our bar chart showing that Spokane is the second largest city in the state -- with a 2,000-person lead over…
What is it with vice presidents and the F-bomb?Vice President Joe Biden dropped the expletive in front of a microphone right after introducing President Obama at today's signing ceremony for the health care legislation. Obama's press secretary later made light of the incident in this…
Spokane hasn't gone to the extremes of some other places competing in the Google Fiber for Communities contest. Mayor Mary Verner hasn't jumped in an icy lake, for instance. Nor has she followed Topeka's lead in changing the city's name. (Apparently Spogoogle isn't catchy enough.)…
Early numbers aren't looking good for Spokane and other local governments hoping to avoid more budget gloom.Sales tax distributions for the first two months of 2010 were the lowest since 2005 for Spokane, Spokane County, Spokane Valley and the Spokane Transit Authority.Because of the increased…
President Obama is predicting that Florida State will beat Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA tournament.Obama released his NCAA picks today. He also expects Michigan State and Texas A & M to make it out of Spokane into the Sweet Sixteen.He says Kansas…
When Census forms arrive in the mail this week, remember, pride may be at stake.In the middle part of the last decade, fears rose that Spokane would lose its rank as Washington's second largest city. But Spokane ended the Aughts (is that what we're calling…
The eventual owners of 279 proposed residences in Kendall Yards will not have to pay property taxes on new construction for 12 years.The Spokane City Council on Monday voted 5-0 to accept Greenstone Corp.’s application for multifamily tax exemptions on the portion of Kendall Yards…
(First, because it's not from our newspaper archives, I should start with information about the photo: It shows the Howard Street bridge and Havermale and Canada islands, sometime before 1927. There is vacant land southwest of the bridge where the downtown YMCA would be built…
First the Spokane City Council supported Conservation Futures, then it didn’t. At the start of Monday, a majority of the Spokane City Council leaned in favor of accepting Spokane County’s offer to purchase the Riverfront Park YMCA, according to an e-mail Councilman Steve Corker sent…
Spokane hasn't had much of a chance to show off its new snow plan this winter thanks to mild temperatures. It has, however, earned props for its snow plow Web site. Over the past couple of rough winters, Spokane created an online interactive map so…
Spokane Mayor Mary Verner has opted not to make another change in the leadership of the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department. After firing one director in 2007 and forcing the resignation of another late year, Verner has nominated interim Park Director Leroy Eadie to take…
Another Republican Spokane County officeholder will face a challenge within the party and within his office. But it appears this time the incumbent won't discipline his challenger.Vicki Horton, a residential appraiser in the county assessor's office, filed paperwork this week with the state Public Disclosure…
State Sen. Chris Marr, D-Spokane, will have a challenger in the November election.Republican Michael J. Baumgartner, 34, filed paperwork last week with the state Public Disclosure Commission indicating that he will run against Marr for the senate seat representing the Sixth Legislative District, one of…
Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Dave Stevens said early this afternoon that he has officially informed his boss, Prosecutor Steve Tucker, that he is running against him in the August primary.The meeting, which started about 10:30 a.m., lasted a minute and a half or less, Stevens…
Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Dave Stevens should find out more about his employment status this morning when he meets with his boss, Prosecutor Steve Tucker.Stevens announced this week that he will challenge Tucker in the August primary. Both are Republicans. On Thursday, Tucker said “all…
