Government

Amid growing concerns over crime and community safety in Spokane and elected leaders’ struggle to fix the city budget, voters will be asked this November whether they’re willing to raise sales taxes to generate enough money to boost police, fire and municipal court services.

Democrat Dave Upthegrove and Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler clash over the future of logging state-owned forests. 

Spokane County voters will decide this November the fate of a nearly 30-year-old sales tax that funds large portions of the region’s juvenile justice system.

The appearance of county and city criminal justice tax measures on the November ballot has some local leaders worried about the viability of both, and the future of the regional criminal justice system.

In June 2017, Julene Dodd visited her primary care doctor for shortness of breath and chest pain. She thought her breathing difficulties might have been caused by allergies. Her doctor prescribed an inhaler, but it didn’t help. A month later, she was referred to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Nampa. A chest scan revealed that a large hiatal hernia was putting pressure on one of her lungs. ...

The challenge to Spokane's 2023 anti-camping ordinance reached the state Supreme Court last week.

Twelve-term Congressman, top Democrat on the House infrastructure committee, a leader in international relations and brewmaster? Raise a glass to U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Arlington, a newfound Congressional brewing champion.

Spokane Valley completed the first phase of renovations to Balfour Park this summer and marked the occasion Thursday with assistance from an area 9-year-old and an MLS Cup champion.

Spokane Valley City Councilman Al Merkel has filed an appeal of the independent investigation that found he likely violated open records law through his actions on his Nextdoor account.

Spokane Valley and the contractors who built City Hall have agreed to enter into mediation in the lawsuit over the building’s defects, but the city is not quite done paying for the expensive litigation and repair efforts.

SPOKANE — A boisterous audience gathered Wednesday night in Spokane’s Fox Theater and ignored a debate moderator’s repeated direction to hold its cheers as Republican Dave Reichert and Democrat Bob Ferguson argued who should be the next Washington governor.

Three years ago, Washington politicians passed arguably the most ambitious climate law in the state’s history, putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions with the intention of putting the state on a path to a cleaner economy.

Voters in and around Spokane Valley are about to elect a new state senator for the first time in more than a decade, and the choice has come down to a pair of veterans from each of the major political parties.

After a decade of steady increases to Spokane utility bills, larger rate hikes are expected for the next two years as the city attempts to catch back up with inflation.

Pasco Mayor Pete Serrano and former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington Nick Brown are facing off in the race to become Washington attorney general, a post that supervises 800 state-employed attorneys and shapes the state’s legal policy.

WASHINGTON – It’s not easy to get elected to statewide office as a Republican in Washington state. When voters don’t know your name, it’s just about impossible.

A former sheriff and a career lawyer are both vying to be Washington’s next governor in November’s election, fighting for the post overseeing a $70 billion budget and more than 8 million state residents.