Amy Cannata

Spokane County Commissioner Mark Richard may join Sheriff Mark Sterk in pushing to increase the sales tax rate to pay for mental health services even if voters defeat an advisory ballot issue next month. But commissioners Phil Harris and Todd Mielke say they are committed to honoring voters' wishes despite their belief the tax increase is necessary.

Spokane County commissioners rejected a proposed $134.7 million 2006 general fund budget Monday, saying it doesn't leave enough money for unexpected expenses, and demanding that $1 million be cut. That could mean layoffs, and departments counting on talking the commissioners into increasing their budgets may be out of luck.

It's going to be more important than ever in the coming weeks to pay attention to your speed. Both Spokane and Spokane County are changing speed limits on some of the area's most traveled roads.

Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk endorsed a plan Wednesday to raise $6.5 million a year for mental health services by increasing the local sales tax by 0.1 percentage points. Sterk, who plans to retire next year to become a minister, went so far as to say that he would urge Spokane County commissioners to enact the tax even if the Nov. 8 advisory vote fails to pass public muster.

Spokane County's Geiger Corrections Center is rid of a faulty home monitoring system, but at a hefty price. The equipment, purchased for $138,000 in 2002 is being sold back to the manufacturer for pennies on the dollar. The county will recoup just $12,000.

Folks in Spokane rejoiced when the toll was taken off the Maple Street Bridge 15 years ago. Traffic on the bridge jumped almost immediately. But the days of tolls may return to Spokane.

Washington state auditors criticized the Spokane Transit Authority this week for giving out $47,246 in one-time payments last December to managerial employees. The state classifies the payments as "retroactive compensation" – in layman's terms: bonuses. STA officials call them "one-time lump sum salary adjustments."

Police officers may soon be walking the beat downtown again thanks to a cooperative agreement between the Spokane Transit Authority and Spokane Police Department. The deal calls for the two to share the cost for a pair of officers to focus on the downtown core.

The Spokane Valley Mall didn't exist the last time Spokane Transit overhauled its bus system. Today, the mall and neighboring Mirabeau Point are the centerpieces of the growing Spokane Valley community. So starting Sunday, bus service at the mall will increase from two routes to five, including a route linking it to Liberty Lake. The increased service is part of STA's first major service changes in seven years. New routes and improved frequency on some existing routes will increase the amount of fixed-route bus service across the entire system by 12 percent. No area will see more dramatic changes than Spokane Valley, where service is being amplified by 23 percent, and residents will have more opportunities to travel within Spokane Valley without having to visit the downtown Spokane STA Plaza.

Spokane Transit is preparing for its ultimate makeover next week, featuring new routes, increased frequency and better connections. Just about everything but the drivers' uniforms is getting an upgrade.

Finding a smooth street in Spokane is so unusual that it appears parties are in order for repaving jobs. Spokane Mayor Jim West and other dignitaries are celebrating today the reopening of the Ash-Maple corridor from Wellesley to Cedar. The party will be at 11 a.m. outside the Ash and Rowan Shopping Center, 1624 W. Rowan.

Spokane County commissioners were talking trash Tuesday. More specifically, they discussed their plan to create a task force to crack down on illegal auto junkyards that litter the county.

It's the end of an era. No more oxygenated fuel at Spokane pumps.

Spokane County is offering free drinking water to Colbert residents who rely on a well recently found to be contaminated by a probable human carcinogen. It's unknown if the chemical, 1,4-dioxane, is dangerous to humans at the levels discovered in the recent tests, but county officials offered bottled water for drinking and cooking to all 34 households reliant on the North Glen Community Well. Residents were hand-delivered letters Thursday describing the situation and announcing a community meeting next week.

Increasing the sales tax rate across Spokane County could help keep mental health services afloat, but county commissioners are leery of pursuing that course without first hearing from voters. Commissioners are expected to decide Thursday whether to call for a November advisory vote on the issue even though they have the authority to boost the rate 0.1 percent themselves.

Fair weather and lots of new kid-friendly activities helped boost attendance at this year's Spokane County Interstate Fair. By the end of the day Sunday, more than 193,000 people had gone to the fair, up about 2.3 percent from the 189,000 who visited last year.

What concern for the environment won't do, wallet worries will. With average fuel prices near $3 for a gallon of regular unleaded, who can afford to drive alone anymore? More people are seeking out carpools in Spokane County to save a buck or two.

For those who like to watch wildlife to those who like to hunt or just hike a new trail, Spokane County is working to protect prime animal habitat and popular recreational locations. The county will seek appraisals and try to buy six new sites for its Conservation Futures program, including forested and mountain areas used as a breeding ground by both elk and moose and a highly used piece of property on the High Drive bluff that was once slated for development.

People heading to Western Washington today should plan on extra time for their trip – lots of it. Interstate 90 will be reduced from three to just one westbound lane from the summit of Snoqualmie Pass to the Tinkham Road interchange, a distance of about two miles.

A new DUI court designed to get the area's hard-core drunken driving offenders off the road and into treatment will be up and running before the holiday eggnog has time to curdle. The number of DUI cases has increased 20 percent so far this year, and Spokane County District Court judges are concerned that they have few tools to address the problem.