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News >  Spokane

Prison guards say budget cuts a safety issue

A cold, damp picket line of state prison guards asked for safety and respect Wednesday in Airway Heights. The picketers got an occasional car-honk salute as they called attention to staffing cuts at the Airway Heights Corrections Center.
News >  Spokane

County adds fee for court facilitator

Spokane County commissioners established a $25-per-session fee Tuesday for a court program that helps people file their own divorce cases. Commissioners said court officials requested the fee so they could add capacity to the overloaded “courthouse facilitator” program.
News >  Spokane

Spokane council split on joining county animal control

Spokane is not ready to sign off on a proposal for a regional animal-control shelter, City Council President Joe Shogan said Friday at a meeting of local governments. Shogan said the council is divided on whether to stick with Mayor Mary Verner’s plan to contract with the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service or try to renew the city’s contract with SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.
News >  Spokane

Jail plan raises questions

Spokane city officials have a long list of questions about Spokane County’s $199.5 million proposal to overhaul the county jail system. Councilman Richard Rush added one more Thursday in a city-county meeting at City Hall: “What’s Plan B?”
News >  Spokane

Krauter becomes airport director

Spokane County commissioners quickly confirmed Larry Krauter Tuesday as the new executive director of Spokane International Airport. Commissioner Todd Mielke called Krauter, interim director of the Lehigh-Northampton (Pa.) Airport Authority, an “extremely impressive individual.”

New airport director confirmed

Spokane County commissioners join Spokane City Council in approving new director of Spokane International Airport.
News >  Spokane

Padden announces run for McCaslin’s Senate seat

Mike Padden announced Monday that he is running for the remainder of the 4th District state Senate seat Bob McCaslin vacated last month. A former longtime state representative and former Spokane County District Court judge, Padden, 64, is the first candidate to declare for the position.
News >  Spokane

City-owned warehouse seen as ideal for regional animal shelter

A regional task force believes it has found the perfect site for a new animal-control shelter if not a way to pay for it. Numerous questions remain unanswered, but Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke says one possibility is a voter-approved property tax levy.
News >  Spokane

Assessor, treasure shuffle deputies after county election

The Spokane County assessor’s and treasurer’s offices have new chief deputies as well as new elected department heads. Treasurer Rob Chase planned to retain Chief Deputy Treasurer Bob Wrigley, but was forced to hire a new deputy last month when county commissioners selected Wrigley for a new countywide budget director position.
News >  Spokane

Rule change would allow Centennial Trail improvements

A Spokane County Planning Commission recommendation Thursday would lift a prohibition on Centennial Trail improvements. The commission unanimously adopted a revised proposal to relax provisions of the county Critical Areas Ordinance that require public trails to be 187  ½ feet from major streams.
News >  Spokane

Museum of Arts and Culture seeks local tax money to offset state cuts

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture made a bid Tuesday for local tax money to offset a crippling loss of state support. Executive Director Ron Rector sought county commissioners’ blessing to join the Public Facilities District, which operates the Spokane Arena, the Spokane Convention Center and the INB Performing Arts Center.
News >  Spokane

Commissioners postpone vote on jail bond

A scaled-down jail proposal may be presented to Spokane County voters this fall, but not in April as previously planned. County commissioners decided last week that a spring election wouldn’t leave enough time to present new information to voters.
News >  Spokane

Spokane County commissioners pick Baxter for state Senate

Spokane County commissioners unanimously passed over state Rep. Matt Shea on Friday and appointed Spokane Valley businessman Jeff Baxter to a state Senate vacancy. Baxter will immediately take over the position longtime Sen. Bob McCaslin abandoned last month because of poor health.
News >  Spokane

Senate candidates will interview under oath

Candidates in a contentious process to fill a vacant state Senate seat will be asked to take an oath when they’re interviewed today. Spokane County commissioners hadn’t planned to require sworn testimony until state Rep. Matt Shea’s legislative assistant, Jim Robinson, asked Wednesday whether the interviews would be open to the public and under oath.
News >  Spokane

County commissioners block e-cigarette sales to minors

Banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors was personal for Spokane County commissioners Tuesday. Each reached into his past for an explanation of the unanimous vote to stop anyone younger than 18 from purchasing or possessing the unregulated cigarette substitutes.
A&E >  Entertainment

Commissioners approve incinerator improvements

Getting rid of a ton of garbage may cost about $12 more next year if the Spokane City Council accepts an agreement county commissioners offered Tuesday. Commissioners unanimously approved a contract amendment that would allow the city to pay $18 million for improvements to the electricity-generating incinerator that serves the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System.
News >  Spokane

McCaslin blasts Shea as possible successor for state Senate seat

Longtime state Sen. Bob McCaslin, who resigned last month, doesn’t think state Rep. Matt Shea should replace him. “I wish to state that under no circumstances would I support Matthew Shea for any public office,” McCaslin writes in a letter to Spokane County commissioners.
A&E >  Entertainment

Garbage deal taking shape with proposal for regional board

Public officials throughout Spokane County agreed Thursday to create a new regional garbage-disposal system that might not use Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy Plant. A host of thorny details are to be worked out by a committee, but the basic framework is a regional board with authority to contract with Spokane or any other service provider.
A&E >  Entertainment

County, cities review waste system plans

More than 50 people turned out Wednesday for the first day of a conference to form a new plan for garbage disposal in Spokane County. Twenty-two officials from Spokane County and cities in the county reviewed the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System and their goals for reforming it.
News >  Spokane

Assessor says anonymous, burdensome records requests are intentional

Anonymous public disclosure requests threaten to cripple two Spokane County departments, commissioners were told Tuesday. Assessor Vicki Horton and Information Systems Director Bill Fiedler said numerous scattershot requests for documents from two untraceable e-mail addresses could tie up their departments for decades.
News >  Spokane

Mayor now says she’ll attend waste summit

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner reversed course Monday and said she will attend this week’s Solid Waste Summit after all. Verner had said she thought the city and Spokane County were so far apart on how to restructure the regional garbage-disposal system, which processes all trash collected countywide, that attendance would have been a waste of time.
News >  Spokane

Commission weighs easing river protection to improve trail

Spokane County planning commissioners received three new proposals last week for legalizing Centennial Trail improvements. Commissioners took testimony Thursday and agreed to extend the time for public comments through their next meeting, on Feb. 17.