Government

Final touches on Spokane’s new 12% parking tax glided through the Spokane City Council Monday night and will take effect next month.

OLYMPIA – A Spokane nonprofit that helps infants born in substance withdrawal is celebrating after the Legislature last week approved $2 million in funding for the facility.

BOISE – The Idaho Legislature should consider creating a statewide 911 program to address maintaining the emergency communication system as costs rise and technology ages, according to a new report issued Friday by an independent Idaho watchdog agency.

WASHINGTON – A controversial election-reform bill backed by President Donald Trump would cost Washington state taxpayers at least $35 million to implement but wouldn’t provide federal funding to cover those costs, according to a new report from Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office.

"Controversy" settled. Riverfront Park scene chosen to replace picture of Spokane's 3rd Legislative District.

Three minutes before a special meeting at Spokane Valley City Hall ended, recently elected Councilman Mike Kelly said something that startled some in the room.

More locker rooms, more seats and more parking are among the changes to a proposal announced last year to build an ice sports facility in Spokane Valley .

Legislators have pivoted from a Democrat-backed plan to use hundreds of millions in revenue from the state’s climate commitment act to plug a billion-dollar shortfall.

OLYMPIA – Washington’s 2026 legislative session had an alarming finish on Thursday as an earsplitting fire alarm rang through the Capitol dome – forcing all but the House of Representatives to evacuate the building.

OLYMPIA – A new tax on personal income above $1 million a year has officially cleared all legislative hurdles in the state Capitol, marking the most significant shift in state tax policy in nearly 100 years.

The Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center is asking the city of Spokane Valley to help fund its stalled building initiative with a $28 million infusion of cash raised from the sale of bonds.

OLYMPIA – From preschool to K-12, education took the biggest hit after Washington lawmakers unveiled a budget agreement on Wednesday with the largest cuts concentrated in early learning and public schools.

When a 190-pound high school wrestler head -butted Spokane Valley’s Bob West while he was officiating a Colville wrestling match in 1996, he knew it was the end of his 35-year referee career.

OLYMPIA – The only thing stopping local bettors from wagering on the Gonzaga Bulldogs next year is a stroke of Gov. Bob Ferguson’s pen.

A trio of conservative media figures will continue to be barred from access to press areas on the state House of Representatives floor, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

A perfect resolution to cap off a perfect season.

OLYMPIA – The faces of lawmakers were almost evenly split between excitement and despair Tuesday evening.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Bob Ferguson has again appointed a familiar and experienced litigator with no previous judicial experience to the state Supreme Court.

Idaho state lawmakers on Monday voted to move forward on a proposal to repeal the state’s Medicaid expansion plan, which provides health care coverage to about 90,000 lower-income residents. Before a narrow vote in the House Health and Welfare Committee to introduce the bill for a full committee hearing, some lawmakers indicated repeal would be a hasty move before they’ve had a chance to ...