David Wasson

Spokane city leaders got an increasingly testy earful tonight from critics of last week's decision to ban "Bridge to Hookerville" from use during council meetings.

Lyndon Amestoy flew out of Felts Field so often he had a reserved seat at the Skyway Cafe. It’s next to a plaque commemorating pilots with the dubious honor of running over one of the blue lights separating the runway from the tarmac. Amestoy’s name isn’t on that plaque. But Terry Maxfield, a waitress and former owner of the restaurant, said his regular spot may become a memorial honoring pilots who lost their lives too soon. He routinely stopped at the cafe with his son and grandsons.

A gunbattle that left two sheriff’s deputies dead in southern Idaho back in 2001 became the legislative catalyst for improving the state’s support for families of fallen officers. “That was the incident that caused us to start thinking about survivor benefits,” said former Ada County Sheriff Vaughn Killeen, who now serves as executive director of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association and helped spearhead the push for greater state support in 2002. “The shooting was fresh in everyone’s mind. We had no problem whatsoever … getting the bill through the Legislature on the first try.”

Catherine Brazil, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton who has served as public affairs director for the Cowles Co. since 2001, will coordinate government, business and community relations efforts from the university’s new center in downtown Spokane. She’s expected to take an active role in building and maintaining community relationships as the

The decision came during the weekly open forum portion of Monday's council meeting after civic gadfly George McGrath used the term -- again -- to describe the planned pedestrian bridge spanning a wide rail corridor to link the north and south ends of the growing University District. The southern side of the district includes a stretch of East Sprag

They were part of a United Way volunteer effort that also included IRS officials, according to Gonzaga University. Nearly 60 Gonzaga students participated, along with students from Eastern Washington and Whitworth universities.

Three administrators at Community Colleges of Spokane who hired their own sons for unadvertised, part-time office jobs last year are facing ethics charges following a state investigation. The college district’s Chief Administration and Human Resources Officer Greg Stevens, his executive assistant Frances MacDonald-Davis and Human Resources Information Systems Director Melody Matthews plan to contest the investigative findings of the state Executive Ethics Board. The trio’s sons were hired last spring to help convert thousands of paper personnel files into electronic form for a new computer system.

"Quantum technology turns ordinary reality upside down." -- Michael Crichton (1942-2008), physician and science fiction author.

A statewide consortium of 11 community and technical colleges designed to train aerospace workers is getting accolades from the U.S. Labor Department.

For every state dollar allocated, WSU says it delivered $18.87 in economic impact, including $341 million in research grant expenditures in 2014 alone.

More than a third who started their medical training in Spokane also were selected for Spokane-based residency programs.

New website pitches UW's proposed Spokane expansion as more cost-effective option than a separate WSU medical school.

"He brings a wealth of experience literally from around the globe ... " -- Provost Dan Bernardo on Asif J. Chaudhry's selection as vice president for international programs.