Jonathan Brunt

Spokane City Council members’ secretaries will make more money, getting an additional eight hours a week under a budget plan approved unanimously Monday evening. The council began hiring personal assistants in 2008. Monday’s vote will increase their hours from 20 hours a week to 28 hours a week.

Spokane City Council member’s secretaries will make more money, getting an additional eight hours a week under a budget plan approved unanimously Monday evening.

Marr gets his first opponent for reelection

Although facing significant budget troubles in 2011, Spokane City Council members today will consider spending $50,000 to increase the hours worked by their personal assistants. Once considered a part-time job, Spokane City Council members say they believe their council duties require full-time attention. At the end of 2007, the same year they voted to give themselves part-time assistants, they also created a Salary Review Commission, which increased council pay from $18,000 to $30,000 a year.

A coalition of organizations called on Spokane City Hall last week to create stronger oversight of its police force, but some elected leaders say they want to give the new ombudsman system time before changing it. Last fall, the Spokane City Council unanimously passed a resolution asking Mayor Mary Verner to push during union contract negotiations to give the police ombudsman the power to independently investigate reports of law enforcement abuses.

Stevens remains employed, but Tucker reviewing "options"

Stevens will challenge Tucker for Spokane County prosecutor

A timeline of major events in the development of the downtown Spokane YMCA.

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said Friday she’s confident the city will maintain its new higher bond rating despite dire 2010 budget projections. Standard & Poor’s informed the city this week that it has upgraded the city’s bond rating to AA from AA-.

The Spokane Ethics Committee has cleared City Councilman Al French in accusations that he violated ethics rules when he supported maintaining bus bench advertising. French asked the committee in August to take up the case after he was criticized for leading an effort to maintain bus bench ads. Late last year, the committee received two complaints alleging that French’s successful effort to change city law to allow bench ads was aimed at helping a business client who is a part-owner in an advertising company.

Spokane will soon have a new person to speak for the trees. Three candidates for the city’s new urban forester job met with members of the public Monday before a City Council meeting.

Spokane’s mayor on Thursday got a brief audience with President Obama at the White House. Mary Verner was one of about a half dozen mayors Obama picked to ask questions after he addressed the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors convention.