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Protesters call for $15 minimum wage
Marchers took to the streets of the nation’s cities Wednesday evening in support of a $15 an hour minimum wage, following a similar if much smaller rally in Spokane earlier in the day. About 25 people gathered outside of the Fred Meyer store in the East Central Neighborhood of Spokane at 9 a.m. The rally lasted just a few minutes before demonstrators boarded a Seattle-bound bus, where people from around the state gathered for a larger protest.
Shar Lichty to challenge Condon for Spokane mayor
Spokane Mayor David Condon gained his first challenger Tuesday in his race to be the first re-elected mayor since the era of Expo ’74. Shar Lichty, an organizer with the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, said Monday she is running for Spokane mayor, declaring that she is “one of the people” and drawing a contrast with Condon, whom she called the “millionaire mayor.”
Indian Canyon golf pro getting $108,000 from city
When state auditors and city officials found that Gary Lindeblad, the golf pro at Indian Canyon Golf Course since the mid-1980s, owed the city nearly $90,000 because of poor bookkeeping, he didn’t balk. Instead, Lindeblad delivered three handwritten pages to the city arguing he was owed more than $190,000 because “severe maintenance issues” at the 80-year-old golf course had cut into his revenue over the years, a line of reasoning that met little resistance at City Hall.
Condon pushes for vote on salary
The issue of how much Spokane’s top elected official should be paid was revived Monday by Mayor David Condon, who challenged the City Council to “look to solutions rather than just the problem.” Condon called on the City Council to put a measure on the “next available ballot” asking voters to approve a plan to have the city’s Salary Review Commission set the mayor’s pay. The commission currently determines compensation for City Council members and Municipal Court judges.
Spokane City Council hires Brian McClatchey as legal adviser
An ally of Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart has been chosen to replace city attorney Mike Piccolo as the council’s legal adviser, a move designed to assert the council’s independence from Mayor David Condon’s administration. Brian McClatchey, a local attorney with ties to regional tribes and experience on the city’s Plan Commission, was picked by a unanimous vote of council members Thursday afternoon.
Sen. Maria Cantwell promotes oil train safety bill
With trains rumbling on the BNSF viaduct behind her and flanked by uniformed Spokane firefighters, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, called for greater federal oversight and stricter regulations for the nation’s railways carrying crude oil. Cantwell – who was joined by Spokane Mayor David Condon, Council President Ben Stuckart, Fire Chief Bobby Williams and Spokane Valley Deputy Chief of Operations Andy Hail – stood in front of Spokane Fire Station No. 4 and said Spokane had a particular interest in oil train safety but was not unique in its concern.
Hillyard home to new police precinct
Residents in the Hillyard neighborhood won’t need long to learn that the head of the new North Police Precinct, Capt. Craig Meidl, is friendly and has a sense of humor. He’s also happy to give tours of a facility so new that there is no furniture, and the coffee pot hadn’t even been plugged in. The new police precinct at the southeast corner of Market Street and Diamond Avenue had a grand opening celebration Tuesday afternoon. Once you are past the front desk and reception area, there’s a large open room that has only two desks tucked in a corner.
Spokane opens Hillyard police precinct
Residents in the Hillyard neighborhood won’t need long to learn that the head of the new North Police Precinct, Capt. Craig Meidl, is friendly and has a sense of humor. He’s also happy to give tours of a facility so new that there is no furniture, and the coffee pot hadn’t even been plugged in.
Spokane begins its construction ‘busy season’
Before you get angry that a section of Northwest Boulevard will be closed for an entire year, count to 10. Actually, count to 43, because that’s how many city of Spokane projects are planned for this year’s construction season, which began Monday just south of the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and West Garland Avenue.
Upbeat Spokane mayor cites progress three years into term
Pacing back and forth at the edge of the stage, far from the lectern but nearer his audience, Spokane Mayor David Condon gave a confident, upbeat appraisal of his first three years in office in his annual State of the City address, noting that much of his administration’s work at City Hall began with the premise: “What would happen if?” Condon pointed to changes at the city during his tenure, including a revamped plan to keep pollutants out of the river, the hiring of more police officers, and the success of the Riverfront Park bond and street levy.
Spokane seeks seat at talks on proposed Vancouver oil terminal
A BNSF freight train pulling 103 cars of crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formation derailed in rural Illinois last week, sending flames and jet-black smoke into the sky and triggering warnings from federal officials of a “substantial danger” of contaminating the Mississippi River. Last month, a similar incident occurred in rural West Virginia when an oil train carrying 70,000 barrels of Bakken oil derailed and exploded, engulfing 19 tanker cars in flames, destroying a home and sending giant fireballs 300 feet into the air. In 2013, a train carrying Bakken crude crashed in a Quebec town, killing 47 people.
New state rule on apple maggot puts Spokane yard waste recycling at risk
An emergency rule issued last month by the Washington state Agriculture Department to protect the state’s $2 billion apple industry has threatened to derail Spokane’s curbside yard waste recycling program – just as the city is preparing to begin picking up green bins this week. The rule, which strengthens the department’s regulatory power over composting facilities, surprised city officials and the private operators of the city and county’s shared composting facility in Lincoln County. They warned that the rule could cost the city more than $1 million in upgrades or shut down entirely the green waste operation, which collects food scraps and yard debris.
Shawn Vestal: Spokane statistics on crime, use of force are heartening
When police Chief Frank Straub steps before the Spokane Use of Force Commission for the final time today, he will have a lot to report. But if he had to boil it down, he might just say: Crime is down, and so is the use of force by officers.
COPS nudged toward more independence
Spokane’s volunteer group Community Oriented Policing Services will move its headquarters out of the Public Safety Building this year, thanks to a city push to make the group more independent. For 2015, the group’s proposed contract with the city calls for COPS to manage its own leases, computers, utilities and other business expenses – expenses the city used to cover.
Court orders initiative vote
Envision Spokane, the twice-failed initiative seeking to bolster environmental protection and neighborhood and labor rights, will be before voters again, after a decision Thursday by a state appellate court. The ruling reverses a 2013 decision by a Superior Court judge to remove the controversial measure from that year’s general election ballot. The court ordered the city to put the measure on the next available ballot.
Jan Quintrall resigns from city of Spokane
Jan Quintrall, the embattled head of Spokane’s Business and Developer Services division, announced her resignation from the city Tuesday, saying she had “broken the public’s trust, and I can’t repair that.” In a letter to her employees, Quintrall said the city’s “ongoing progress is continually being sidelined by the negative attention on me, with the focus being directed away from all the good staff is doing here.”
Quintrall announces resignation
The Spokane administrator who led Spokane’s engineering, streets, business and other departments, announced Tuesday that she was resigning her position.
City moves to reduce fire response times
For nearly a decade, Spokane city leaders have called for expanded fire service in the southwest corner of town. This week, Spokane Mayor David Condon said his administration was making it a reality with the help of a $2 million federal grant, but solutions for funding a new fire station after the grant’s expiration remain unclear. Condon announced Thursday the city will “provide full-time, round-the-clock coverage in the area surrounding Thorpe and Highway 195,” thanks to the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant. The grant money will be used to hire and train 12 firefighters, six of whom will staff a temporary fire station in Latah Valley. Two more positions for the station will be funded from the fire department’s current budget, providing for a two-person-per-unit station that can respond to fires and medical emergencies.
Condon proposes panel to discuss jobs training
With $500 million of public works projects scheduled during the next five years, Spokane Mayor David Condon has a plan to create a qualified local workforce to help in construction. Condon announced Monday his idea to convene a group to discuss how best to train workers for construction careers, which he said will help raise Spokane’s depressed median income to national standards. The group will consist of veterans, people with disabilities, women, minorities, people with criminal records and young people, as well as contractors and union and business representatives, according to the mayor’s spokesman, Brian Coddington.
Huckleberries: Police blotter writer worthy of praise
Whoever wrote the blotter report for the Post Falls Police Department on Thursday is a kindred spirit of Huckleberries. One brief report told of a woman and her roommate who were frightened by someone trying to break into their apartment. Upon investigation, the two women discovered that a “cat burglar” had tried but failed to enter their home. The report concluded: “This is most likely due to the absence of opposing thumbs.” … Another item told of a man who called the cops because a Post Falls convenience store clerk wouldn’t let him use the restroom. The man demanded his right to pee in the store because, after all, restaurants allow patrons to use their restrooms. The blotter noted: “The officer provided the male with clues that would help him later differentiate between a convenience store and a dining establishment.” … Finally, there was the Taco Bell worker bee who discovered “after a long night of nacho building” that he had locked himself out of his car. An officer opened the door with a slim jim. The blotter read: “A slim jim is a tool used to unlock a vehicle. Not to be confused with a stick of processed meat” … The report received 332 likes, 33 shares and 76 comments on Facebook, including this one from Councilwoman Kerri Thoreson: “I give this report two thumbs up!” He shall overcome