Emry Dinman

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News >  Local Government

Spokane’s stricter camping law has quick impact on the street

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 10, 2025

Robed in two sweaters and a rain coat, Blain Blaire clutched two crumpled cigarettes for sale next to Shalom Ministries on Friday afternoon.

Dixit overtakes Bingle in nailbiter Spokane City Council Race that’s still too close to call

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 7, 2025

Reproductive rights advocate Sarah Dixit has overtaken incumbent Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle in an incredibly tight race that likely will spill over into the coming week.

Bingle’s lead shrinks Thursday in nailbiter Spokane City Council race; Spokane school bond lead grows

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 7, 2025

Spokane’s progressives are within striking distance of a clean sweep of the municipal election for the first time since 2017 as conservative Councilman Jonathan Bingle’s narrow lead over reproductive rights advocate Sarah Dixit continues to evaporate.

News >  Local Government

Thousands more ballots counted Wednesday, only in one Spokane County race did the frontrunner change

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 6, 2025

As county elections officials tabulated thousands more ballots Wednesday, the margins in a handful of close races have budged by a hair, but in only one case did the results flip.

News >  Local Government

Telis, Zappone win Spokane City Council seats; Bingle leading race too close to call

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 4, 2025

The political status quo in Spokane appears unchanged after election night, with progressives keeping their supermajority for another two years while conservatives were holding their ground.

News >  Local Government

Spokane parks levy passes as school bond holds narrow lead

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 4, 2025

Voters approved Spokane’s $240 million parks levy, and Spokane Public Schools’ closely linked $200 million bond had a slim lead in initial election results Tuesday.

Spokane eyes 12% commercial parking lot tax, half-rate for parking garages

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 4, 2025

Parking in a paid lot in Spokane is likely to get more expensive next year as the Spokane City Council considers a 12% tax proposed by City Hall.

Spokane mayor’s budget proposal has fewer layoffs than originally projected

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 3, 2025

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown released her proposed city budget for the year ahead on Monday, including nearly 20 cut positions – though City Hall continues to remain mostly mum on which positions or even which departments they’re contained in, citing the need to notify employees and conclude discussions with city labor unions.

News >  Local Government

Reformed homelessness law effectiveness is reflected in data, mayor tells council

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 3, 2025

It’s been one week since Spokane’s implementation of a stricter homelessness law – and the method is yielding more police citations and connections to resources, Mayor Lisa Brown said in a Monday email to City Council.

Candidates are skeptical Spokane’s tougher approach to homelessness will sway voters

UPDATED: Sun., Nov. 2, 2025

There have been a handful of October surprises ahead of this year’s Spokane City Council races, those last-minute events that may or may not sway voters in the waning days before the election.

Ballots could now be tossed if voters submit them via U.S. Postal Service due to postmarking delays

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 28, 2025

Voters who have not submitted their ballots yet should stop submitting them through the mail due to unprecedented concerns ballots will not be postmarked in time for the election, according to recommendations from the Washington secretary of state .

Spokane City Council unanimously toughens homeless camping laws with ‘Prop 1 plus’

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 28, 2025

Spokane significantly toughened its laws regulating where and whether the homeless can sleep, sit or loiter in public, following a unanimous vote by the City Council on Monday.

Spokane City Council candidate’s eligibility to run called into question

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 28, 2025

Alejandro Barrientos’ qualification to legally run for Spokane City Council is being scrutinized over questions about whether he met the residency requirement for candidates.

Spokane’s anti-homeless camping laws would focus more on enforcement under new proposal

UPDATED: Sat., Oct. 25, 2025

Weeks after city leaders acknowledged the need for major reforms to Spokane’s anti-homeless camping laws, a draft ordinance filed for emergency consideration would move away from the heavy emphasis on outreach and more towards criminal enforcement.

Spokane council approves reforms to affordable housing fund, deferred permit fees

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 24, 2025

The city of Spokane made reforms Monday to its funding pool for building affordable housing and behavioral health services, meant in large part to help house the homeless and prevent people from being priced out of the market.

Ad attacking Bingle falsely attributes wrong committee in apparent violation of state law

Mon., Oct. 20, 2025

An attack ad against Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle, who is running for re-election against reproductive rights organizer Sarah Dixit, was allegedly produced by an independent political committee funded by two unions that have endorsed Bingle.

News >  K-12 education

Together Spokane: Schools, parks $440 million tax proposal focuses on growth in Southwestern part of the city

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 17, 2025

A new playground, a splash pad, a gazebo, a turf field, sport courts, a parking lot, even a dog park could be coming to the “rapidly developing” Latah/Hangman Neighborhood in southwestern Spokane.

News >  Local Government

Spokane council considers making it easier to fire their staff amid budget crunch

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 16, 2025

Just more than three years after the Spokane City Council passed protections to make it “easy to hire but hard to fire” full-time staff in their office, some are moving to remove those protections in the face of a $13 million budget deficit and calls to cut staff citywide.

News >  K-12 education

Together Spokane: Rebuilt elementary school, new park and expanded sports facilities among plans for Shadle Park High School boundary in schools, parks $440 million tax proposal

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 14, 2025

Once again, voters are being asked what should be done with the former Joe Albi Stadium. Instead of an advisory vote, this time it’s through a $240 million parks levy and $200 million school bond.

Together Spokane: Northeast Spokane would see greatest parks investment under $440 million ballot measure

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 15, 2025

Talk to Councilman Michael Cathcart for any length of time about the northeast Spokane district he represents, and he will eventually bring up Minnehaha Park.

Spokane city employees learn 30-50 positions may be cut ahead of holidays as another deficit looms

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 13, 2025

Dozens of Spokane city employees will likely lose their jobs ahead of the holidays as City Hall grapples with a projected $13 million deficit in the 2026 budget.

News >  K-12 education

New 4-year, full-time trades high school would open in Spokane if voters approve $200 million bond

Sun., Oct. 12, 2025

Spokane public school students may in coming years have the opportunity to spend their entire four years learning how to weld sheet metal or suture a laceration instead of studying Shakespeare, which school officials believe will in many cases better meet their personal learning needs and fast track them into a well-paying career out of school.

Spokane council, mayor’s office look for urgent fix to homeless laws they passed three months ago

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 7, 2025

Three months ago, the Spokane City Council approved a new law backed by Mayor Lisa Brown outlawing the homeless from camping anywhere within city limits, though with numerous exceptions and an emphasis on outreach that opponents believed was toothless and would be ineffective.

Policy disagreements and personal attacks: Northwest Spokane council race pits incumbent against perennial challenger

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 6, 2025

The race to represent Northwest Spokane on the City Council pits a progressive incumbent against a conservative challenger who served alongside each other in student government in high school, and it has seen some of the most personal attacks of the local election season.

Together Spokane: Will voters support $440 million schools and parks proposals? Here’s what’s at stake

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 7, 2025

Voters in Spokane this November will be faced with many decisions, but perhaps the biggest question will be whether they are willing to pay taxes to fund $440 million in sweeping projects at the city’s schools and parks.