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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control Jonathan Brunt

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013

Hamilton says he misspoke 

Spokane City Council candidate Mark Hamilton says he misspoke at Monday's council meeting. Testifying about the proposed pedestrian bridge that would link the WSU-Spokane campus with East Sprague Avenue over the BNSF tracks, Hamilton said: "We don't want a handle put on a broken cup.…

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THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013


TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2013

Suit filed to keep Hamilton off ballot 

Spokane City Council candidate Mark Hamilton’s residency problems continue. Two voters in Spokane's northeast council district filed a lawsuit today claiming that Hamilton's name should not be allowed on the ballot because he was not a resident of the city or district for a full…

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013

Verner lands new job 

Former Spokane Mayor Mary Verner has landed a new job at the Department of Natural Resources. She will start next month as the deputy supervisor of resource protection and administration, said department spokesman Matthew Randazzo. That is the lead position over the resource protection division,…

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TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013

Waldref cruises to Bloomsday win 

Congratulations to Councilwoman Amber Waldref, this year's top Bloomsday finisher among elected leaders (at least among those whose time we checked). She easily beat out the rest of her City Council cohorts, though in defense of the others, she is the youngest elected official we…

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MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013

Council considers blocking citizen initiatives 

Signatures on petitions in support of two proposed citizens’ initiatives in Spokane will be counted and verified. But council members hinted Monday that they may block the proposals from the ballot even if activists collected enough support. The Spokane City Council voted 6-0 on Monday…

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

Spokane County loss on land deal finalized

Spokane County’s loss of more than $1 million in a land deal with the Spokane International Airport was completed Monday by the Spokane City Council. In 2008, the county paid $3.2 million for nearly 400 acres between the airport and Fairchild Air Force Base to…

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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2013

Did the City Council violate City Charter? 

Last night’s City Council meeting boiled down a debate on the definition of shall. The Spokane City Council’s creation of 13 new public safety departments appears to violate the City Charter. But city attorneys insisted that “shall” does not always mean shall, at least not…

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THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013

Karen Mobley is the director of the Spokane Arts Department.

Mobley won't lead revamped arts agency

The woman who led the city’s arts department for 15 years before it was dismantled last year won’t be the permanent leader of the new agency promoting the arts in Spokane. Karen Mobley said Thursday that she decided to step down as the interim director…

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013

McLaughlin considering move to Spokane Valley 

Spokane’s most senior elected official is considering a move to the east. City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin said last week that she may move into Spokane Valley’s 4th Legislative District to run for the House seat held by state Rep. Larry Crouse – if he decides…

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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2013

City union loses Civil Service case

Ten workers who lost their jobs last year at the East Central Community will remain off the city payroll. The Spokane Civil Service Commission on Tuesday unanimously rejected a complaint from the union that represented the laid off workers. Local 270 of the Washington State…

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FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

Cost for Stephens' investigation unknown 

It remains unclear how much the city will pay a retired judge to investigate “circumstances” that led Police Chief Frank Straub to place his assistant chief on paid administrative leave. Assistant Police Chief Scott Stephens was placed on leave by Straub in December. City officials…

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FRIDAY, FEB. 22, 2013

Allen, Salvatori call on Fagan to apologize 

A majority of the Spokane City Council is calling on Councilman Mike Fagan to apologize for the letter he signed calling Gov. Jay Inslee "a lying whore." The council's three Democratic-leaning members issued a statement condemning Fagan's letter this morning. Now two of the council's…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 12, 2013

Elections worker Mike McLaughlin removes ballots from the drop box outside the South Hill Library on Monday. For a list of drop boxes in Spokane County and resources for other counties, see Page A12. (The Spokesman-Review)

Turnout, ballot drop info for today's election

Today is the last day to vote in the February special elections in Spokane, Rockford, Spokane County Fire District 13 and East Valley and Orchard Prairie school districts. Spokane voters are considering three propositions that would give the police ombudsman more authority; require a City…

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MONDAY, FEB. 11, 2013

Spokane legalizes pot possession 

Following the lead of state voters, the Spokane City Council on Monday legalized the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by anyone 21 and up. Councilman Jon Snyder, who has led the effort on the City Council to consider the impacts to the…

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 6, 2013

Opponents of Prop 2 miss finance deadlines 

NOTE: This post was updated at 6:25 p.m. Feb. 6, 2013 to reflect that the Public Disclosure Commission provided the Spokane Firefighters Union with incorrect information about when it needed to file campaign spending reports. Thanks to Proposition 2, Spokane’s special election on Feb. 12…

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Stuckart, Waldref apologize for violations 

Two Spokane City Council members have apologized for using their city email accounts to send campaign messages. Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart and Amber Waldref sent electronic newsletters to supporters recently that included their opinions on the three proposed measures that will be decided…

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Yes for Spokane Libraries has paid for these signs in support of Proposition 3, a library lid lift that would prevent branch closures and likely extend hours at three of the city's six branches. (Jonathan Brunt)

Library campaign reports $21,000

The campaign in support of the library tax in Spokane has fixed campaign disclosure problems with the state Public Disclosure Commission. The group, Yes for Spokane Libraries, was late in reporting campaign contributions and spending by several weeks. Last week, it filed reports showing how…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30, 2013

MONDAY, JAN. 28, 2013

Jonathan Brunt
Jonathan Brunt joined The Spokesman-Review in 2004. He is the government editor. He previously was a reporter who covered Spokane City Hall, Spokane County government and public safety.

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