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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Jonathan Brunt

Jonathan Brunt

Current Position: Asst. Managing Editor (Govt)

Jonathan Brunt joined The Spokesman-Review in 2004. He is the government editor. He previously was a reporter who covered Spokane City Hall, Spokane County government and public safety.

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jonathanb@spokesman.com
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(509) 459-5442
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News >  Spokane

City settles for $2.5 million

 The city of Spokane and its insurance company would pay the family of a boy hit by a city dump truck $2.5 million under a settlement that still must be approved by the Spokane City Council. City Attorney Nancy Isserlis said the city, its insurance company, Everest National Insurance, and attorneys representing the family agreed to the deal during mediation on Feb. 7.
News >  Spokane

Spokane police ombudsman asking for inquests

Cases where people die at the hands of police officers should be examined in a public forum, Spokane Police Ombudsman Tim Burns says in his annual report. Burns made the recommendation to hold coroner’s inquests in a report that he presented to the Spokane City Council this week. Other supporters of the idea include Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and representatives of Spokane’s Center for Justice, a public interest law firm.
News >  Marijuana

Spokane pot businesses on hold

The number of businesses in Spokane specializing in medical marijuana will be frozen at about a dozen for at least the next six months. Fearing the proliferation of businesses that sell pot before Washington even finishes crafting regulations for the state’s new legalized recreational marijuana industry, the Spokane City Council on Monday instituted a moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries and related businesses.
News >  Spokane

Council candidate’s residency questioned

A candidate for Spokane City Council who already has the backing of two other elected leaders may be ineligible to run. Mark Hamilton, the pastor of the former Spokane Christian Fellowship and a real estate broker for Soleil Real Estate, was registered to vote at an address outside city limits when he cast a ballot in November’s general election, which could complicate his efforts to assert he meets residency requirements.
News >  Spokane

Fagan slams Inslee in demeaning email

Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan, in a fundraising letter for his anti-tax efforts, called Washington Gov. Jay Inslee “a lying whore.” The letter, which was signed by Fagan and the two other co-directors of Voters Want More Choices, was part of a mass email soliciting money for the group. Voters Want More Choices advocates for lower taxes through statewide voter initiatives.
News >  Spokane

Spokane mayor hires new communications director

Spokane Mayor David Condon has chosen a new chief spokesman for the city. Brian Coddington of Hill and Knowlton Strategies, a national public relations firm with offices in Spokane, is replacing Marlene Feist, who will remain at the city as the utilities communications manager, the city announced on Thursday.
News >  Spokane

Supermajority margin for tax hikes approved for Spokane

The next time the Spokane City Council considers a tax increase, it will take five of seven votes to pass. Most of the remaining ballots in Tuesday’s special election were counted Wednesday, and support for supermajority Proposition 2 increased, widening a close lead it had after Tuesday’s count.
News >  Marijuana

City draws map of pot areas

Spokane leaders on Tuesday got a glimpse of where the first pot for recreational use might be grown or sold legally within city limits. The map is heavily dominated by areas north of Interstate 90 and east of Division Street, especially east Hillyard, along East Trent Avenue and several commercial areas north of Francis Avenue.
News >  Spokane

Spokane voters pass library, police measures

Spokane voters on Tuesday resoundingly approved a city charter amendment granting the police ombudsman more authority and a tax to ensure that branch libraries won’t close. The most debated proposal on the city ballot, a rule increasing the threshold for City Council votes needed to raise taxes to five of seven members, had a narrow lead after Tuesday’s counting and likely won’t be decided for days.
News >  Spokane

Spokane voters approve library tax

Spokane voters easily approved a City Charter amendment giving the police ombudsman more authority and a tax to ensure that branch libraries won't close.
News >  Spokane

State of the City speech calls for making Spokane the ‘city of choice’

Spokane Mayor David Condon stuck with consistent themes in his annual State of the City address on Friday: change at City Hall and making Spokane “the city of choice in the Northwest.” In his first year as mayor, he replaced numerous administrators, reorganized several departments, changed the city’s legal strategy and halted plans to significantly raise utility rates.
News >  Spokane

Man identified in mobile home fire

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed that the man who died in a fire north of Spokane on Tuesday was the man who lived at the mobile home.
News >  Spokane

STCU will move offices, new branch into historic Hutton Building

Spokane Teachers Credit Union is turning a foreclosed downtown building into one of its most prominent offices. The credit union announced Friday that it will move its commercial lending operations to the Hutton Building, a 105-year-old landmark at 9 S. Washington St. that it owns following a foreclosure last year.
News >  Spokane

Council members break email rules

Two Spokane City Council members have apologized for using their city email accounts to send campaign messages. Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart and Amber Waldref sent electronic newsletters to supporters that included their opinions on the three proposed measures that will be decided by voters in the city’s Feb. 12 special election.