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News > Local Government

Politicians in the Northwest respond on social media to Trump assassination attempt

UPDATED: Sat., July 13, 2024

Many politicians vocalized their sympathies and concerns for former President Donald Trump after he was shot in the ear on Saturday.

News > Local Government

Washington, Spokane-area political leaders react to ‘horrendous’ shooting at Trump rally that injured former president

UPDATED: Sat., July 13, 2024

As news broke that former U.S. President Donald Trump had reportedly suffered a gunshot wound from an assassination attempt at a campaign rally Saturday afternoon, local political figures expressed shock and outrage.

News > Local Government

Airway Heights requests tax increase to hire more police and boost public safety efforts

UPDATED: Thu., July 25, 2024

Airway Heights voters will decide next month if they want to increase property taxes to boost policing in step with the city’s rapid population growth.

News > ID Government

‘Not protected speech’: Idaho sues pro-Palestine protesters with tents on Capitol grounds

UPDATED: Thu., July 11, 2024

On Thursday morning, four protesters sat in lawn chairs at the Idaho Capitol Annex amid the sweltering heat. Nine tents, some with pro-Palestine messages written on them, stood in the grass. A chalkboard said it was day 70 of the people’s liberated university, the name for the demonstration.

News > WA Government

Union votes herald a new era for workers in Washington Legislature

UPDATED: Wed., July 10, 2024

The stage is set for the first-ever contract negotiations between Washington state lawmakers and some of their most trusted employees.

News > ID Government

Idaho open primary initiative certifies enough signatures for November general election ballot

UPDATED: Wed., July 10, 2024

A ballot initiative to end Idaho’s closed primary elections and create a ranked-choice voting system for the general election has enough signatures to appear on the ballot for the Nov. 5 general election, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office announced Wednesday.

News > WA Government

WA AG candidate faces blowback for ‘leave of absence’ claim

UPDATED: Wed., July 10, 2024

Jul. 10—OLYMPIA — State Sen. Manka Dhingra, a Democrat from Redmond who is running for state attorney general, first faced questions earlier this summer for claiming in campaign materials that she was still working for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The controversy took another turn in recent days, when Dhingra's campaign updated her website to say that she is on a leave of ...

News > Local Government

Spokane County, city of Spokane to contribute additional $750,000 toward projects at Beacon Hill recreation areas

UPDATED: Tue., July 9, 2024

The city of Spokane and Spokane County will need to pony up an additional $750,000 to complete the planned improvements to two popular Beacon Hill recreation areas.

News > Local Government

Spokane County’s plans for 30-year-old tax renewal request may be complicated by Mayor Brown’s proposal

Tue., July 9, 2024

Spokane County commissioners will ask voters to renew a tax to pay for detention services for minors, but Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown’s Monday announcement of her proposal to increase the sales tax within city limits could affect when they decide to do it.

News > Local Government

Spokane City Council approves local gun control, expanding on state law

UPDATED: Mon., July 8, 2024

The Spokane City Council enacted new gun control laws Monday, restricting open carry in public facilities, broadening where it is illegal to discharge a firearm and clarifying that weapons seized by police should be destroyed.

News > Local Government

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown pivots to smaller sales tax proposal for November ballot

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 4, 2024

Two months after Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown backed away from a proposed property tax increase to fill the city’s major budget hole and invest in public safety, she unveiled a much smaller sales tax increase proposal for the November ballot.

News > WA Government

Patty Murray urges Biden to ‘preserve his incredible legacy’ while Adam Smith tells him to drop out

UPDATED: Mon., July 8, 2024

WASHINGTON – Rep. Adam Smith on Monday called for President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid, becoming the first Washington state member of Congress to join a small but growing number of Democrats publicly advocating for their party to choose a different standard bearer in the wake of a debate performance that raised questions about Biden’s fitness to serve another term in office.

News > WA Government

Washington will soon elect a new insurance commissioner for the first time in decades. Here’s a look at who’s running and why you should care:

UPDATED: Mon., July 29, 2024

For the first time in 24 years, Washington State’s insurance commissioner will not seek re-election, leaving the statewide race to take his place incumbent-free.

News > WA Government

Central Washington’s Dan Newhouse faces 7 challengers in a primary that tests Trump’s hold on GOP

UPDATED: Fri., July 12, 2024

For nearly a decade, Rep. Dan Newhouse has represented Washington’s deepest-red congressional district, earning a reputation as a pragmatic conservative focused on agriculture and other issues that affect central Washington.

News > Local Government

Broken Records: Citizens face growing obstacles to public records – and legislators are making them worse

Sat., July 6, 2024

Emily Moyer, a 37-year-old photographer, was hoping public records could help save her fiance.

News > Local Government

Brown commits to ‘Safe Streets Now,’ finally relaunching Spokane’s delayed traffic officer unit

UPDATED: Wed., July 3, 2024

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown pledged Wednesday morning to make the city safer for pedestrians and bicyclists following a recent spate of fatal accidents.

News > ID Government

After years of racist history, Coeur d’Alene city council unanimously passes hate crime ordinance

UPDATED: Wed., July 3, 2024

The Coeur d’Alene City Council, with approval from the mayor, unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday night that makes hateful acts illegal, following a string of recent high-profile incidents in the city.

News > Local Government

Fire District 9 in Mead asking voters to re-up levy that covers majority of its budget

UPDATED: Wed., July 3, 2024

It's a fire tax story, what more do you want me to say?

News > WA Government

Race for empty House seat representing Spokane Valley, surrounding area features crowded field of candidates

UPDATED: Fri., July 19, 2024

A half dozen seasoned politicians and first-time candidates are vying to represent Spokane Valley and much of eastern Spokane County in the state Legislature, after the incumbent left the seat wide open.

News > Local Government

Here’s where you can, and cannot, use fireworks in Spokane County and beyond

Tue., July 2, 2024

Devin Bauer spends most of the year leading the Special Education Department, work-based learning program and football team at Lakeside High School.

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