Government

Autumn in Spokane Valley means leaves changing colors, pumpkins being carved and the annual vote by the city’s elected leaders against raising property taxes.

The city of Spokane’s legal team is requesting another $150,000 to fight the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Robert Bradley, which would bring total legal defense costs with a Seattle-based law firm to $400,000.

The Washington State Bar Association has dismissed a grievance filed against former Washington lawmaker Matthew Shea after he was alleged to have planned and participated in political violence, citing “constitutional scrutiny.”

Near the troubled downtown Spokane intersection of Second and Division, a billboard recently sprung up that, in so many words, accuses Mayor Lisa Brown of not being transparent or meaningfully improving on the homelessness plan of her predecessor.

PROSSER, Wash. – Sitting at home in Prosser two days after the August primary, Jerrod Sessler felt confident. His lead over Rep. Dan Newhouse, a fellow Republican who has represented central Washington’s 4th congressional district for a decade, was growing wider as more ballots were counted.

A candidate trying to unseat a Spokane judge this election is being sued for legal malpractice by a former client.

Two new polls show Democrat Bob Ferguson holding a steady lead over Republican Dave Reichert. The polls show Ferguson grossing roughly 50% of the statewide vote followed by Reichert who picked up support from about 35% of those polled. The remaining 15% of people polled reportedly indicated they were undecided.

If passed, the citizen-led ballot measure would establish a “top-four” primary system where all the candidates appear on a single primary ballot, regardless of party affiliation. The four candidates who earn the most votes in the primary would then advance to the general election ballot. Proposition 1 would also create a ranked-choice voting system in the general election, where voters have the option to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference. 

 Democrat Bob Ferguson holds a commanding lead over Republican Dave Reichert in the race for Washington governor, according to a new statewide poll.

A Kootenai County magistrate judge with numerous reprimands who appeared in court dressed as Darth Vader on Halloween is up for re-election in November. A campaign led by a former litigant of a divorce and custody case he oversaw in 2012 hopes to remove him.

Three weeks before voters determine who wins a seat on the Spokane County Commission, the candidates took another chance to argue why it should be them to represent the southwestern part of the county.

Longtime Spokane Rep. Marcus Riccelli is hoping to make the jump to the state Senate, while newcomer Jim Wilson is hoping to put Olympia in a new direction.

The Spirit Lake Fire Protection District is asking voters to approve a levy override on the November ballot for the first time since the district was created in 1978.

Republican candidate for state Senate Jim Wilson literally made his mark on Downtown Spokane.

The state Department of Commerce on Tuesday released its Homeless Housing Strategic Plan to the public with one of its goals being the construction of 18,000 new shelter beds over the next four years across Washington.