The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
67°F
Current Conditions
Clear sky
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Mike Prager

This individual is no longer an employee with The Spokesman-Review.

All Stories

News >  Spokane

Plat inactive too long, official rules

The Spokane County hearing examiner this week turned down a 25-home subdivision on 5 acres along Hatch Road north of Spokane. The ruling was based on the developer failing to meet deadlines for submitting approved plans to the county’s building department.
News >  Spokane

System seeks to improve traffic flow on Division

Spokane city traffic engineers hope to improve the flow of vehicles on North Division Street with a new computerized signal system that adapts to hourly changes in traffic volume. The city plans to spend up to $1 million for the “adaptive signal control.” Once the new system is in place by winter, it will become the first traffic control system of its kind in Washington.
News >  Spokane

Hearing set for controversial city initiatives

A Spokane County judge on Friday declined to stop two city initiatives from going to the ballot this fall – at least for now. Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against the two measures, and instead set a hearing on the challenge for Aug. 23.
News >  Spokane

Spokane County wastewater plant permit invalidated

Spokane County’s permit to operate its 2-year-old, $173 million wastewater plant was partially invalidated by state regulators last week. The Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board said the methodology used by the state Department of Ecology in granting the permit was faulty.
News >  Spokane

Spokane County set to put Fairchild tax vote on fall ballot

Spokane County voters will be asked this fall to open their wallets to eliminate one of the most serious civilian encroachments near Fairchild Air Force Base. County commissioners have scheduled a vote today to place a property tax increase on the Nov. 5 general election ballot to pay to relocate residents living near Fairchild’s runway.
News >  Spokane

Bidding opens soon for next stage of corridor

The next step in building the North Spokane Corridor involves up to $20 million worth of work to reconfigure rail lines in Hillyard. The job will take almost two years. Bids are scheduled to be opened Aug. 1.
News >  Spokane

Spokane Airport dedicates snow-removal facility

Even though temperatures were in the 80s on Wednesday, Spokane International Airport officials were talking about snow. The airport hosted a dedication ceremony for its new $7.5 million snow-removal facility.
News >  Spokane

County cuts urban growth proposal

Spokane County commissioners backtracked Tuesday on an aggressive plan to expand the county’s urban growth area. They voted unanimously to remove nearly 2,000 acres from their previous proposal to add nearly 6,000 acres to the urban growth area.
News >  Spokane

Mel’s Nursery closing in September

Mel’s Nursery, a popular plant and gift center at the Division Street Y, is closing its doors in September after 43 years in business. Owner Sue Nimmer Shaw is telling customers that Wendle Motors is going to take over the property.
News >  Idaho

Thunderstorms moving toward Inland NW

Thunderstorms, some potentially severe, are moving northward toward the Inland Northwest this afternoon and may arrive by 11 p.m., forecasters said today.
News >  Spokane

Getting There: Marshall gravel mine worries neighbors

Rock mining in the Marshall area of southwest Spokane County is putting dozens of heavy loads on Cheney-Spokane Road, and residents of the area said they are concerned about public safety. Knife River Corp., which operates in 17 states, has moved production to an old gravel mining area north of the two-lane road.
News >  Spokane

Group claims sheriff too quick with discipline

A group of four retired Spokane County sheriff’s deputies is challenging Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich in a public campaign that questions his leadership. The group, called Integrity First, filed paperwork last month as a political committee with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.
News >  Spokane

Spokane Raceway cancels oval-track events

Poor attendance and poor turnout by oval-track drivers has forced Spokane County Raceway to cancel several remaining events this season on the oval portion of the county-owned facility. Track Manager Craig Smith said he has canceled four oval-track events after losing between $40,000 and $50,000 on 10 oval events held so far this year on the county-owned facility.
News >  Spokane

County OKs settlement in Creach death

Spokane County commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve a $2 million settlement with the family of Wayne Scott Creach, a Spokane Valley nursery owner and pastor shot to death in 2010 in a confrontation with a sheriff’s deputy. Commissioners Todd Mielke and Shelly O’Quinn approved the settlement without comment.
News >  Spokane

Smart Justice seeks Spokane criminal justice reform

A group pushing for criminal justice reform in Spokane called for moving tax money from pretrial lockup to programs that help offenders turn their lives around. Smart Justice leaders outlined their recommendations Monday to the Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Commission, a panel appointed last fall to come up with solutions to escalating crime and jail crowding.
News >  Spokane

Spokane Airport taxiways being rebuilt

Spokane International Airport taxiways are being rebuilt over the next two years, in part to give arriving planes quicker access to terminals. The work on the $15.7 million project starts this summer and will continue in 2014.
News >  Spokane

Historic farmhouse caught in the middle

You might forgive Gary and Robin Congdon for feeling caught in the middle of economic changes on the West Plains. Their historic farmhouse on West Thorpe Road near Interstate 90 sits smack dab between two proposed light industrial developments.
News >  Spokane

Shaking off the heat

As temperatures soared to near the century mark on Monday, people in and around Spokane turned to a time-honored tradition for beating the heat: They got all wet. Monday’s official high was 99 at Spokane International Airport. Coeur d’Alene reported 96 degrees. Felts Field in East Spokane hit 100.
News >  Spokane

Getting There: Fewer folks hitting road for holiday

The sluggish economy is being blamed for holding down the expected number of travelers during the July Fourth holiday period, according to AAA. An estimated 40.8 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home Wednesday through Sunday, the auto club said.
News >  Spokane

Helicopter crews, firefighters practice their skills near Colville

COLVILLE – Fast-strike helicopter fire crews got a chance to hone their skills Wednesday just in time for wildfire season in the Inland Northwest. The Washington Department of Natural Resources brought about 50 state and county firefighters together northwest of Colville this week for simulated fire training.
News >  Spokane

Milfoil battle goes lakewide

An aluminum boat with orange hoses hanging off the stern slowly plied the waters of Newman Lake on Tuesday morning spreading liquid herbicide over invasive Eurasian milfoil. Ninety-one acres of the lake are being treated this year in an effort to eliminate thick mats of the aquatic weed that spreads easily once it gets a foothold in a waterway.
News >  Spokane

Nearly 1,000 acres added to county’s no-shooting zone

Spokane County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to add nearly 1,000 acres to the county’s no-shooting zone, after shooting activity, litter and vandalism increased sharply in recent years. One 553-acre area is in the northeast part of the county along Koth Road near Newman Lake. The other area is on the south flank of Mica Peak along Starr Road and involves 435 acres.