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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

County to cut vacant jobs

Despite hacking $2 million from next year's county budget, leaders say they believe they won't need to lay off employees. But that won't mean jobs won't be lost.
News >  Spokane

Courthouse flagpole may rise again

The flag no longer flies over the Spokane County Courthouse. But officials say they hope to put one back in the same place – even though it may cost more than $10,000.
News >  Spokane

Swimming pool proposal hits rough waters

Plans to build a $3 million public swimming pool in the Moran Prairie neighborhood are starting to sink. County commissioners said this week that the pool they plan to build at 61st and Freya is unlikely to open as expected late next summer.
News >  Spokane

Antoine Peak purchase approved

Some of the best habitat for elk and moose in Spokane County will be saved from development under an agreement approved Tuesday by the Spokane County Commission. Antoine Peak, about two miles north of Trent Avenue and Barker Road, will become the largest property purchased by the county in the dozen years since it started its Conservation Futures program. Officials agreed to buy 1,101 acres in three phases from development company Timberwood Ranches, as long as the state chips in.
News >  Spokane

County to raise taxes by 8 percent

Get ready for higher taxes. Spokane County commissioners voted Tuesday to increase property taxes by about 8 percent – around eight times the rate of inflation.
News >  Spokane

Unclear ballots scrutinized

One man's apparent distaste for county commissioner candidates almost got his ballot disqualified Monday. "I'd do a better job than any monkee you've had in there!" a voter wrote on his ballot (original spelling intact) next to the names of Phil Harris and Bonnie Mager. The man voted for a write-in candidate, presumably himself.
News >  Spokane

Low-visibility cells a concern

Some jail cells offer more privacy from the prying eyes of guards than others. At the Spokane County Jail, those are the dormitory cells, large oblong rooms, some of which often house more than 10 people at a time.
News >  Spokane

Ruling lets Spokane split from county court

The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously upheld the city of Spokane's right to withdraw its municipal court operation from Spokane County District Court, a decision that city officials say will give them leverage to improve court services such as the creation of a new "drug jail." Spokane County District Court judges had argued that if the city left the system, the district court should maintain cases already filed and the city should have to pay the court to handle them. They also said that they should have a say in any separation agreement.
News >  Spokane

Animal control in question

Pets picked up in the city of Spokane are welcome at Spokane County's shelter, but not if city leaders won't pay a fair share, county commissioners said Tuesday. County leaders have been researching the idea of regionalizing their animal control system because the city of Spokane's contract with SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. expires Dec. 1. Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services already handles animal control for the unincorporated county and Spokane Valley.
News >  Spokane

County aims to trim $2 million

Another year, another shortfall. County commissioners said Tuesday they will ask department leaders to help trim as much as $2 million from the county's 2007 general fund budget in an effort to reconcile county costs with revenue.
News >  Spokane

County may settle Hahn suit

Spokane County commissioners today will consider paying $325,000 to two men who say they were molested by a county sheriff's deputy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The men filed a lawsuit in 2004 that alleges the county was negligent for the actions of Deputy David Hahn, in part because Hahn was allowed to keep his job even after his commanders were told that he abused boys.
News >  Spokane

Baker pulls ahead of Personett in assessor’s race

Two days after Democrat Judy Personett declared victory in the assessor's race, incumbent Ralph Baker moved ahead of her Thursday by almost 200 votes. It's the second time this year that Baker has seen late counts go his way in a tight race.
News >  Voices

County engineer Ross Kelley retiring

County leaders are searching for a new person to lead the county's Road Department following last month's retirement of County Engineer Ross Kelley. Kelley, 63, served as the engineer for six years and previously was the assistant engineer.
News >  Spokane

Mager win could change dynamic

In two months, one of the Spokane County commission's biggest critics likely will be sitting among her former adversaries. It's unclear, however, if presumed Commissioner-elect Bonnie Mager will have the power to help make decisions or simply criticize 2-1 votes cast against her.
News >  Spokane

Mager builds big lead

Spokane County Commissioner Phil Harris, the folksy three-term incumbent known as much for his people and political skills as his ties to the construction industry, appeared headed to defeat Tuesday – as were many other Republicans running for county offices. It was part of the strongest showing by Democrats in more than a decade in county elections.
News >  Spokane

County race turns negative

Congressional, legislative and now even local races are going negative. With Tuesday's ballot-casting deadline drawing near, Democrat Bonnie Mager has joined the growing number of candidates turning to campaign attack ads. The new radio spots are taking aim at her Republican opponent, incumbent Spokane County Commissioner Phil Harris.
News >  Spokane

Mager closes funding gap with Harris

A week before Election Day, County Commissioner Phil Harris continues to hold a massive lead in the race for campaign money. But his challenger, Bonnie Mager – whose war chest was almost emptied after a highly competitive primary – has closed much of the gap.
News >  Spokane

Assistant features editor dies at 37

Laura Crooks, assistant features editor of The Spokesman-Review, who organized and led the paper's Parents' Council, died Saturday of unknown causes. She was 37. In her most recent position at The Spokesman-Review, Crooks edited the paper's family and health pages. She formed the Parents' Council, in part to advise journalists on how to better cover family issues and to help parents connect.
News >  Spokane

Fists, feet help raise funds

A couple thousand people jammed the Shadle Park High School gym Saturday afternoon and watched as tae kwon do students kicked and punched their way to raising $30,000. From white to black belts, they broke about 1,000 wood boards to help one of their own, Toby May, fight brain cancer.
News >  Spokane

Assessor’s job in spotlight

The campaign for county assessor is again red hot because of incumbent Republican Ralph Baker's sudden decision this week to pull property data from the assessor's Web site in light of criticism from a TV report. The action recycled accusations that he acts rashly without regard to his employees or customer service – the biggest criticisms he faced in the GOP primary when he barely beat Spokane City Councilman Brad Stark.
News >  Spokane

Union calls for Baker apology

The county courthouse employees' union on Friday called on Spokane County Assessor Ralph Baker to publicly apologize to his workers for suggesting they were sabotaging his re-election bid by purposely neglecting to add property to the tax rolls, which left him vulnerable to political attacks. "To have your boss publicly call into question your integrity without any foundation – that's outrageous," said Gordon Smith, the labor union's staff representative. "The tone of the employees isn't simply outrage or anger, it is demoralization."
News >  Spokane

GU coach faces back taxes for home left off county rolls

Gonzaga University's head basketball coach will face a five-figure bill for back property taxes early next year because of a bureaucratic mistake, Spokane County officials confirmed Thursday. Construction was finished on Mark Few's $472,000 home in February 2004. Yet it was not placed on the tax rolls. That means for 2005 and 2006, when Few could have been charged taxes on the land and a home, he only paid on the land, saving him about $6,000 a year until the problem was caught this month.
News >  Spokane

Dalton, Volz seek votes to be chief of elections

In some ways, the race for Spokane County auditor is another referendum on voting by mail. Incumbent Democrat Vicky Dalton led the charge last year to change the county to one that casts ballots entirely by mail.
News >  Voices

Moran pool at standstill until growth plan decided

Spokane County's plan to build a $3 million swimming pool in the Moran Prairie neighborhood is facing a major obstacle: There's no water to fill it. Depending on who is asked, the lack of water results from fighting with the city, the county's neglect of state growth law or an over-reaching state board.
News >  Spokane

Property data stays offline

Access to the county's property information Web site likely will remain restricted until Friday, Assessor Ralph Baker said. Angered by a television report that used the site to find properties not being taxed, Baker pulled the property information off the Internet on Tuesday. The move angered some in the real estate community, who called the move an overreaction that would hurt business and public access.