Government

Facing a major budget deficit but still hoping to make significant investments in policing, the fire department and community health, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown has unveiled an ambitious tax proposal to pay for it all.

It is a truth almost universally acknowledged that a new Spokane mayor will try to streamline the city’s permitting process.

Librarians in Idaho could soon face lawsuits over books on the shelves deemed “harmful” to children after Gov. Brad Little signed a controversial bill into law Wednesday. House Bill 710 allows library patrons to sue if staff members don’t relocate or remove a cited book or other media 60 days after a patron has submitted a written removal request. The standards for removal are based on Idaho’s ...

When a judge ruled Washington's ban on high-capacity gun magazines to be unconstitutional, the state issued an emergency order minutes later to keep the law on the books while the case moves through appeals.

One of Spokane’s most adept campaign fundraisers is running to represent Eastern Washington in Congress, and on Tuesday he revealed a impressive early war chest he hopes marks him as a leader in a crowded field.

Julie O'Berg, a veteran firefighter who came out of retirement to assume a leadership role in the Spokane Fire Department, has been named the new Spokane fire chief.

Even as Spokane prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Expo ’74, the city is slowly losing a piece of that celebration’s heritage: the trees that line many downtown streets.

Two years ago, Maryann Bouttu was visiting Spokane to see a production of the “Wicked” musical when she tripped and fell on a downtown sidewalk, reportedly suffering significant injuries.

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced that it will send roughly $850,000 in maintenance money to both the Cornerstone Courtyard Apartments at 151 S. Adams St. and the Hoffman Apartments at 2024 E. Hoffman Ave.

State Rep. Leonard Christian announced his candidacy Thursday for a state Senate seat being vacated by veteran lawmaker and fellow Republican Sen. Mike Padden.

You could be the proud owner of a former Spokane County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, if you have a spare $1 million lying around.

The Idaho Legislature approved two bills that would define sex as either “male or female” and block government entities from compelling employees to use preferred personal titles or pronouns that don’t correspond with people’s biological sex.

A bill to require Idaho public and school libraries to move materials deemed harmful to children, or face lawsuits, passed the Idaho Senate and House on Wednesday.

The Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee is leaving the Legislature behind after serving for nearly 3 decades. He was first elected in 1980 to represent Eastern Washington's 4th legislative district in the House. He went on to hold his seat there for 15 years. In 1995, he served as the House majority floor leader.

The investigation into Spokane Valley city Councilman Al Merkel’s conduct toward city staff is moving forward – just not smoothly.

Lawmakers in Idaho are once again blocking efforts to consider environmental damage in investment decisions, with the help of outside lobbying groups that have links to the oil industry. Idaho is one of several conservative states with bills this year aimed at prohibiting investment practices that use ESG, or “environmental, social and governance” factors. The practice has grown in popularity ...

When the price of precious metals began tumbling late last summer, so too did demand for stolen catalytic converters, the exhaust-cleaning components that can be cut from a vehicle’s undercarriage in seconds and sold on the black market.

The Idaho House of Representatives voted 53-15 on Friday to pass a new immigration bill that includes lengthy passages that were copied and pasted word-for-word from a controversial Texas law that is tied up in legal challenges.