Local Government

Spokane County is trying something new to attract potential employees to the region’s public safety system, while ending a yearslong effort that awarded tens of thousands to new hires.

The race for a commissioner’s seat on one of the largest fire districts in Spokane is underscored by a critical issue – staffing.

City officials, joined by eager kids, cut the ribbon on a new sport court at Underhill Park in the East Central neighborhood Thursday morning.

Alejandro Barrientos, chief operations officer for the SCAFCO Steel Stud Company, is making a bid for the Spokane City Council.

An orange cat’s now-viral appearance in a pride flag-adorned Spokane Fire Department fire truck sparked cheers at the city’s Pride parade on June 14, spawning dozens of articles and viral videos that swept the nation and racked up millions of views.

Contractors bidding to build Spokane’s city roads, facilities and other public infrastructure may soon have to show that one-fifth of the project’s labor will come from underrepresented or impoverished communities living in the city, as well as ensure affordable day care and other benefits.

The newest member of the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office doesn’t wear a suit to work, lacks relevant legal experience and neglected to go to law school.

Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley announced Monday she has a “health issue” and is taking a “short medical leave” to recover.

Construction will start Monday on a few-block section of Wellesley Avenue adjacent to East Valley High School.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown is still committed to delivering her Prop 1 replacement camping ordinance.

In the same marathon session, the Spokane City Council voted down Mayor Lisa Brown’s replacement to voter-approved homeless camping restrictions – and resurrected them.

Spokane County Chief Deputy Criminal Prosecutor Preston McCollam will oversee the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for the foreseeable future, following a unanimous vote by the county’s governing board Tuesday.

As the Spokane City Council prepares to reform local homelessness laws, a slate of business groups has asked for carve-outs to make it easier to remove homeless people when they linger near downtown businesses.

As immigration protests broke out downtown Wednesday night, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown had to strike a balance, not wanting to appear to be assisting or condoning the actions of federal immigration agents while fearful President Donald Trump could use a weak police response to justify the deployment of the national guard, as he did recently in California.

Two months after the state Supreme Court overturned Spokane’s voter-approved anti-homeless camping law, the Spokane City Council is set to overhaul its suite of homelessness laws in a way supporters argue simplifies and streamlines the law, but that critics call either toothless or too sharp.

Vacant land and mobile homes are hot commodities, according to the latest data from the Spokane County Assessor’s Office.

A candidate has been recommended to be hired as Spokane Transit Authority’s new CEO, but the four-person committee that made the recommendation won’t officially tell anyone – even other board members – who it is for the next few weeks.

As the shouting match at the end of Tuesday’s city council meeting indicated, it’ll be up to the courts to put an end to the ongoing public records dispute within Spokane Valley’s city hall.

Mayor Lisa Brown on Tuesday announced a proposal to invest $730,000 in additional opioid settlement funds into a variety of opioid-related services in the City of Spokane.