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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.

Email
jonathanb@spokesman.com
Phone
(509) 459-5442

All Stories

News >  Spokane

Spokane weighs inmate transfers

The Spokane City Council will consider a proposal Monday to save about $1 million a year by sending inmates to the Benton County Jail in Kennewick. Spokane County officials are bracing for the loss of 50 or more misdemeanor prisoners to a competitor with a big price advantage.
News >  Spokane

Council approves 2012 spending plan

Parking violators won’t be digging deeper to help balance Spokane’s budget. The Spokane City Council on Monday approved its 2012 spending plan largely as proposed by outgoing Mayor Mary Verner, relying on a 1 percent growth in property tax collections but dismissing other proposed tax and fee increases to close a projected $8 million deficit.
News >  Spokane

Council considers rezoning, sale of vacant N. Monroe property

Neighbors of vacant ground viewed daily by thousands of motorists in north Spokane are worried about what the city may do with the two acres that include a significant bluff looking over the city. The Spokane City Council today will decide if it will allow up to 30 residential units per acre on the plot of city-owned land on the west side of North Monroe Street bordering the steep hill that leads up to Garland Avenue.
News >  Spokane

Democrats fund recount in Rush-Allen council election

Spokane City Councilman Richard Rush will get a hand recount after all. The incumbent councilman, who trails former Councilman Mike Allen by 88 votes, submitted a check Friday to the Spokane County Elections Office for $6,240 to pay for a full manual count of ballots in his race for the south district. He said the money was provided by the Spokane County Democratic Party.
News >  Spokane

Spokane Councilman Rush to pay for hand recount

Spokane City Councilman Richard Rush, who trails former Councilman Mike Allen by 88 votes, submitted a check Friday to the Spokane County Elections Office for $6,240 to pay for a full manual count of ballots in his race for the south district.
News >  Spokane

Ridpath not up to code

More than six months after city inspectors ordered the numerous owners of the shuttered Ridpath Hotel complex to fix code violations, many problems remain, including the one city officials consider the most serious: the lack of a fire suppression system. Three city officials toured two parts of the Ridpath on Thursday in preparation for a hearing next week when the city will review progress in fixing the violations. The city could declare the building uninhabitable, though inspectors said they couldn’t say for sure if that is a possibility at next week’s hearing.
News >  Spokane

City Hall union offers to freeze pay

The leadership of Spokane City Hall’s largest labor union has made an offer that normally might be hard to refuse: Three years of frozen pay levels. But it would leave a scheduled raise of up to 5 percent in place for some workers in 2012 and wouldn’t change employee benefits, prompting Mayor-elect David Condon to wonder if outgoing Mayor Mary Verner, who approved the tentative deal, is trying to shield city workers from tougher negotiating once he is sworn into office.
News >  Spokane

State Senate incumbent bankrolls ballot recount

Former state Sen. Jeff Baxter is paying for a partial recount of ballots in his unsuccessful bid to retain his seat despite losing the race by more than 3,400 votes. Baxter’s opponent in the contest, Mike Padden, was sworn in as senator representing the Spokane Valley’s 4th Legislative District on Tuesday soon after the Spokane County Canvassing Board certified the results.
News >  Spokane

Recount set for next week

The final outcome of the Spokane City Council race between incumbent Richard Rush and challenger Mike Allen won’t be decided until next week. That’s when the Spokane County Elections Office will recount ballots in a contest so close that state law required a second examination.
News >  Spokane

Downtown shifts districts

Downtown Spokane residents who voted for Councilman-elect Mike Fagan won’t be represented by him once he’s sworn in. That’s because the main core of Spokane will shift Jan. 1 from the city’s northeast City Council district, District 1, into District 2, which predominantly sits in the South Hill area.
News >  Spokane

Protest’s permit set to expire

The clock may be ticking on a new gathering of Occupy Spokane. Last week, a second protest site inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement sprouted in Franklin Park along North Division Street.
News >  Spokane

With 650 miles of missing sidewalks, taking to streets has risk

There are 970 miles of streets in Spokane. Along them there are some 650 miles of missing sidewalks, if you consider both sides of the street. Where sidewalks exist, there often aren’t accessible ramps at intersections, and businesses and homeowners often neglect to clear them in the winter. Advocates for people with disabilities say the condition of sidewalks is a major barrier for many who want to live more independently.
News >  Spokane

Sheriff offers to lead SPD

The search to replace Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick hasn’t even begun, but there’s already a high-profile candidate: Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. Knezovich confirmed Thursday that he’s willing to serve as the city’s interim chief, an administrative role he believes he could fill while continuing to run the Sheriff’s Office.