Colin Tiernan

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News >  Sci/Tech

‘They aren’t scary’: Washington biologist says bats should be praised, not feared

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 27, 2021

Maybe you think they're just mice with wings, but bats are ecologically vital. And in some cases they're struggling. 

News >  Spokane

Could a homeless shelter be coming to Spokane Valley? New law makes it far more likely

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 26, 2021

If any homeless shelters do open up in Spokane Valley, they're probably going to look dramatically different from the ones in Spokane. 

News >  Spokane

‘Fair’ and ‘historic’: Committee approves map splitting Spokane County into five new commissioner districts

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 22, 2021

After seven months of meetings, it's now clear what Spokane County's commissioner districts will look like for the next decade. 

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News >  Agriculture

Game of chicken: Spokane County considers allowing hens in suburban settings

Wed., Oct. 20, 2021

The amendment change would allow some suburban residents of unincorporated Spokane County to have chickens, but don't worry, roosters would be as illegal as ever. 

News >  Local government

Spokane County hired Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ brother in August as a policy adviser

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 17, 2021

Jeff McMorris worked in the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Trump Administration and spent nearly 13 years as a staffer for King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert. He is now Spokane County's community engagement and public policy advisor. 

News >  Spokane

The finished lines: Spokane County redistricting committee has informal agreement on final map

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 15, 2021

The final map — which the committee hasn't formally voted on yet — creates two Republican districts, two Democratic districts and a swing district that has leaned Republican by 5.5 percentage points in recent elections. 

News >  Local government

‘At a loss’: After tough compromises from both sides, Spokane County redistricting committee impasse over commissioner term lengths could mean someone else decides on final map boundaries

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 15, 2021

Committee members have mostly agreed on how to draw the new commissioner district lines but they can't agree on whether the district commissioner Al French lives in should start off with a two-year or four-year term. 

News >  Spokane

From ‘fair’ to ‘crazy’: Public weighs in on Spokane County commissioner redistricting maps

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 14, 2021

It's clear at this point what the Republican and Democrat committee members think makes for a fair commissioner district map. But what do the people who have been watching all the committee meetings think? 

News >  Idaho

The Northwest Lights: Aurora borealis makes rare appearance in Eastern Washington, North Idaho sky

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

The natural fireworks display normally visible only on the northernmost and southernmost extremes of our planet made a stop in Eastern Washington and North Idaho on Monday night. 

News >  Spokane

The home stretch: Redistricting committee may be close to settling on final Spokane County commissioner district map

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 12, 2021

There are signs Republicans and Democrats may be able to compromise as they work to split Spokane County into five commissioner districts, but the most fundamental question the committee faces still hasn't been resolved. 

News >  Local government

Thompson v. Padden race for Spokane Valley City Council could be a nailbiter, and the result could shift the council’s balance of power

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 2, 2021

Incumbent City Councilwoman Linda Thompson faces a tough opponent in Laura Padden, wife of 4th Legislative District Republican Sen. Mike Padden. 

News >  Local government

Veteran versus rookie: Spokane Valley Mayor Ben Wick hoping to fend off bar owner Brandon Fenton

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

Will Spokane Valley voters go for the familiar Wick or the political rookie Fenton, whose bar stayed open in violation of Gov. Inslee's stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic?

News >  Local business

Spokane County sets record with $1.3 billion in new construction in 2021: ‘Demand was just enormous’

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 7, 2021

Building is booming, but the new record was driven more by the cost of construction than an unprecedented amount of new homebuilding. 

News >  Health

‘I’m here for the long-haul’: Spokane County health board hires Dr. Francisco Velázquez as health officer

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 6, 2021

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the Spokane Regional Health District's Board of Health chose Velázquez, the man who had been serving as interim health officer since Dr. Bob Lutz' firing last fall. 

News >  Local government

Right-wing v. righter-wing? Spokane Valley council race pits incumbent Haley against bar owner Fenton

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 2, 2021

Challenger Wayne Fenton has a tough road ahead if he's going to unseat Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Pam Haley, who beat him by 21 percentage points during the August primary election. 

News >  Agriculture

Inland Northwest tribes getting EPA money for water quality projects

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 1, 2021

Two $100,000 EPA grants will remove 4 miles of road near Nespelem and remove cattle from 40 acres near Pierce, Idaho. 

News >  Washington

‘We won’t forget’: Spokane Tribe honors children who died at boarding schools

UPDATED: Sat., Oct. 2, 2021

The gathering at Fort Spokane was one of dozens of similar ceremonies that took place throughout the U.S. and Canada on Thursday. People throughout North America wore orange clothes in solidarity for the children who died away from their families in schools designed to destroy their Native identities.

News >  Health

Little tours CdA monoclonal antibody site, but encourages Idahoans to get vaccinated instead of relying on ‘tool’

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 29, 2021

Monoclonal antibodies can help keep people sick with COVID-19 from needing a hospital stay, but Idaho's focus should be getting everyone vaccinated, Gov. Brad Little said Wednesday. 

News >  Spokane

Was 2021 the Spokane Indians’ most exciting season ever? Players, workers and fans describe the ups and downs of pandemic baseball

UPDATED: Mon., Feb. 7, 2022

Despite the pandemic, the Spokane Indians had a season to remember. 

News >  Local government

Liberty Lake council former candidate Woodruff says ‘Hopefully nobody will vote for me,’ adding write-in D.G. Garcia deserves votes

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 1, 2021

Liberty Lake City Council candidate Holly Woodruff is on the general election ballot — and unopposed — but she's moved to North Carolina and wants voters to write in DG Garcia. 

News >  Spokane

Two or three, that is the question: Spokane County redistricting committee debating how to split city

Sun., Sept. 26, 2021

The Democrats and Republicans on the bipartisan redistricting committee will have to make plenty of difficult compromises in the coming weeks, but there's one issue looming over the negotiations — how to fairly split Spokane. 

News >  Spokane

‘Big things happening’: Commissioner Josh Kerns highlights recent achievements in Spokane’s State of the County address

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 23, 2021

From distributing millions in emergency pandemic funding to selling controversial racetracks, it's been a busy two years for the county. 

News >  Spokane

Field renovations on deck at Spokane Indians’ Avista Stadium

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 22, 2021

The field at Avista Stadium hasn't been renovated since it was built in 1958. The Spokane Indians will spend more than $200,000 this fall renovating the playing field. 

News >  Spokane

Spokane County fair attendance down by nearly half

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 21, 2021

Attendance at the Spokane County Interstate Fair fell by nearly half in 2021 compared to 2019, the last year the fair was held. 

News >  Transportation

Paving work done on Liberty Lake’s Harvard Road bridge, I-90 on-ramps

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 20, 2021

Paving work is done on the Harvard Road bridge over Interstate 90 in Liberty Lake.