The students in Spokane Community College’s horticulture program must have dropped down a rabbit hole on this one. Who would think of creating a giant caterpillar out of Brussels sprouts?
Spokane County commissioners have paid a law firm $300,000 during the past 17 months in their fight against a Spokane tribal casino near Fairchild Air Force Base. The money was used to pay Perkins Coie LLP, a law firm with expertise on tribal casino approvals, according to James Emacio, civil attorney for the county.
The next five to seven days should be great for outdoor fun, but probably not warm enough yet for the barbecue. This week’s change to mild spring weather should continue through this weekend and on into early next week.
Spokane County commissioners are asking the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to take a new look at possible negative impacts of a proposed Spokane tribal casino on Fairchild Air Force Base. In a recent letter to the BIA, commissioners said information has surfaced indicating that an “accident potential zone” could be extended into the area where the tribe is proposing its casino-resort.
Several cities in Spokane County are considering major changes in the way garbage is collected. For residents, any changes result in an end to the practice of taking trash, clippings, hazardous waste and recyclables to existing transfer stations in Spokane Valley and Colbert or the trash incinerator on Geiger Boulevard.
Four new traffic cameras are being installed along U.S. Highway 195 in southwest Spokane to a join a network of nearly 100 cameras across the Spokane region. Once the cameras are in place, drivers will be able to check on traffic conditions at each location by computer or smartphone.
Spokane police on Thursday released the names of five officers involved in last week’s fatal North Side shooting of armed robbery suspect Stephen C. Corkery. They are Sgts. John Roys and Kevin Keller, and Officers Paul Buchmann, Sean Wheeler and Art Dollard.
Ducks Unlimited is offering to buy 64 acres of wetlands southeast of Spokane Valley and transfer the land to Spokane County as a permanent conservation holding. The property is adjacent to 515 acres of Saltese Flats lakebed that the county purchased in 2010 and 2011 for wetland restoration.
Citing concerns about the region’s economic health, Spokane Mayor David Condon vetoed a contentious City Council plan Monday that relies on new utility restrictions to thwart improper sprawl outside city limits. It marked the first mayoral veto of Condon’s term and sets up a potential City Council scramble to find an unlikely fifth vote among the council’s three most conservative members to override it.
Transportation leaders in Spokane have come up with a new and better way to let the public know about road projects in the region: an interactive map available on the Web. The Spokane Regional Transportation Council has canned its printed construction maps in favor of a geographic information system (GIS) version that provides details down to sidewalk and curb ramp projects.
The dimly lighted areas around the food booths and lawns at the Spokane County Interstate Fair are becoming a lot brighter. The Spokane County Fair & Expo Center has won a grant for the second year in a row to replace 30-year-old lighting with new fixtures that will brighten up the place, said fairground Director Rich Hartzell.
Allowing Spokane city residents to raise small livestock in their backyards is not going to become a nuisance problem, Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart said Wednesday. Stuckart said that concerns about an increasing number of animal complaints from keeping small farm animals will turn out to be unfounded.
A subdivision proposal along North Hatch Road that dates back to 2008 has won new approval from the Spokane County hearing examiner and can move ahead. Last summer, the hearing examiner ruled that the subdivision’s preliminary plat application had languished for too many months and was invalid.
Landslides are part of Spokane’s geologic history, though the risk is slim for the type of major slide such as last weekend’s devastating mountainside collapse northeast of Seattle. “Low risk doesn’t mean no risk,” said Thomas Frost, geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Spokane.
The Inland Northwest is entering a wet period over the next several days, but enough cold air remains over the region to bring mainly snow to mountain passes and above. A low pressure area today is likely to set off rain showers in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas with a tenth to a quarter inch of rain possible.
Spokane County stopped accepting paper employment applications last Friday and launched a new online system for job seekers on Monday. The change is part of a yearlong effort to improve efficiency in county government.
Property owners who fall behind on their tax payments will have an easier time catching up under legislation signed by Washington’s governor earlier this month. Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase said the bill will allow property-tax payers to make partial payments for the first time to get themselves out of a tax hole.
The state of Washington is backing a Spokane County plan to bring improved rail service to the West Plains for economic development. The state has identified a 7-mile stretch of spur track north of Cheney for upgrades to handle heavier freight.
The dimly lighted areas around the food booths and lawns at the Spokane County Interstate Fair are becoming a lot brighter. The Spokane County Fair & Expo Center has won a grant for the second year in a row to replace 30-year-old lighting with new fixtures that will brighten up the place, said fairground Director Rich Hartzell.
An aerospace company that manufactures parts for the aviation industry announced Thursday that it will bring a 150,000-square-foot plant to Airway Heights employing up to 150 people once it begins operation about a year from now. Exotic Metals Forming Co. LLC, of Kent, Wash., is buying a 56.6-acre property on the south side of McFarlane Road at Lawson Street for $743,000.
A sheet metal fabrication company based in Kent, Wash., announced today that it will bring a new 150,000-square-foot plant to Airway Heights.
Exotic Metals Forming Co. could employ up to 150 people once the plant is in operation. The aerospace manufacturer plans to fill the new facility south of McFarlane Road at Lawson Street.
The 56-acre property is being purchased from Spokane International Airport which helped recruit the company to the Spokane region.
The company makes machined sheet metal parts for the aviation industry, including Boeing. It's a privately held company formed in 1966 with 900 current employees.
