The Washington Post today has a great read about a new federal rule so broad that it requires a Missouri magician who pulls a rabbit out of a hat to write a disaster management plan to explain how he will protect his rabbit in case…
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.…
City Council candidate Mark Hamilton says he hasn't lived at his address in the city of Spokane since November and barely lived in the home since September as a result of construction in the home. But Hamilton, a real estate agent and the pastor of…
WARNING: This video is painful to watch and hear. Its only saving grace is that this exercise helped raise money for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Let's hope this duo does not reunite. The political pro of Street Music Week remains -- sorry, mayor and…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Councilman Mike Fagan was within his rights to call Gov. Jay Inslee “a lying whore,” the Spokane Ethics Committee ruled on Wednesday. The committee voted unanimously that the slur, which was part of a letter signed by Fagan and two others, didn’t violate city ethics…
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…
The Spokane Public Library will get new leadership just as its funding stabilizes after years of uncertainty. Pat Partovi, who has led the library since 2003, will retire May 10. “It’s a perfect opportunity for a new director,” Partovi said. The process to pick Partovi’s…
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…
The most contested race in this year’s three races for Spokane City Council seats is almost certain to be in the Northwest council district. One seat in each of the three districts will be on the ballot this year, but the position in the Northwest…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Yes for Spokane Libraries, a group working on behalf of Proposition 3, a tax levy for the Spokane Public Library, has had signs supporting the tax displayed throughout the city for weeks, but hasn’t reported any contributions or expenses to the state Public Disclosure Commission.…
To take a stand or not to take a stand. That was the question hotly debated by the Spokane City Council Monday night on two nonbinding resolutions related to gun laws and gun rights. The results were a curious lesson in the unpredictability of a…
