Jonathan Brunt

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner has nixed part of the city’s extensive new shoreline law over an amendment that would make an exception for a section of land owned by the city’s former CEO. Next week, the Spokane City Council will decide if it will override Verner’s veto of development rules along Latah Creek. The council voted last month to enlarge the zone where no construction is allowed from 100 feet to 200 feet along most of the waterway. But along a 900-foot section owned by former Spokane CEO John Pilcher, council members changed the proposal to keep the 100-foot buffer.

It’s a question facing homeowners: Is it time to shovel the roof? For Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, the answer became clear when water found its way into her home.

It’s a question facing homeowners: Is it time to shovel the roof? For Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, the answer became clear when water found its way into her home. “My kitchen wall was just a sheet of water,” she said. “The roof isn’t collapsing, but it’s definitely leaking.”

Spokane trash, sewer and water customers will soon have to pay a few extra dollars a month on their utility bills. The Spokane City Council unanimously approved on Monday a 3.5 percent billing increase that had been proposed in the fall by Mayor Mary Verner.

Spokane trash, sewer and water customers will soon have to pay a few extra dollars a month on their utility bills.

Spokane’s new Municipal Court is open for business. The Spokane City Council on Friday appointed Tracy Staab, Shelley Szambelan and Mary Logan as the new court’s first judges.

The three nominees to serve as Spokane’s new judges say they’re confident their new court will be ready for business on Jan. 2. “It’s a great opportunity to start something from scratch,” said nominee Tracy Staab. “I’m hoping that we can create a municipal court that sets the standard.”

With one week until Spokane is required to open its new independent Municipal Court, opposition on the City Council has forced Mayor Mary Verner to withdraw her most experienced pick to serve as a judge.

A new survey about the purchase of the downtown YMCA may help push the land into public ownership. Two county commissioners who were undecided or leaning against a plan to buy the Y using Conservation Futures taxes said last week that they’re impressed by the support shown for the idea in a new survey sponsored by the Spokane Park Board.

Despite a record snowfall and more on the way, most homeowners don’t need to worry about clearing their roofs of snow. Not yet, anyway. Local building codes require new buildings to hold about 30 pounds of snow per square foot, engineers said Tuesday. Roofs up to code should hold snow that equals about 5 inches of water if melted. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported that the snow on the ground in Spokane is the equivalent of about 1.4 inches of water.

Despite a record snowfall and more on the way, most homeowners don’t need to worry about clearing their roofs of snow. Not yet, anyway.

One day after Spokane Valley Mayor Rich Munson declared an emergency in his city because of the winter conditions, Spokane County commissioners declined to do the same.

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner has selected eight finalists to fill the city’s three open judgeships for its new independent municipal court. Twenty people applied for the positions, which will pay between $102,000 and $126,000, depending on experience.

The largest snowstorm on record to hit Spokane came just as city and county officials finished scaling back their 2009 budgets. But if anything, they’re spending more to clear out the snow than they did after a series of storms incapacitated the region for several days last winter.

Spokane County will pay the owners of a restaurant and market north of Mead $750,000 to settle a lawsuit. County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the agreement with Shawn and Theresa Gabel, who closed McGlade’s Market at Yale and Day-Mt. Spokane roads in 2007.

The final decision on whether to build a $142 million sewage plant that would serve Spokane Valley and Spokane County is set for Jan. 6.

County leaders are one signature away from an agreement that will allow them to complete the purchase of a new raceway without dipping into tax revenue.

Spokane County will pay the owners of a restaurant and market in Colbert $750,000 to settle a lawsuit.

With growing concerns that the economy will continue to falter, the Spokane City Council on Monday sliced almost $1.5 million from next year’s budget. With the cuts, the city will avoid the reduction in work force that many other governments, including Spokane County, have approved in recent weeks.

Property owners who ignore a city request to clean up graffiti within 10 days could have their properties declared a nuisance under a new law approved unanimously Monday by the Spokane City Council. City officials said the new law is necessary to ease the city’s growing graffiti problem.