Mike Prager

The first woman to fly passengers aboard a Boeing 747 said she had no choice but to persevere even though the men who controlled the skies at the time tried to get her to go away. Norah O’Neill, of Seattle, said being a pioneer in aviation came at a cost – one she’s saddened by in her retirement years.

An environmental challenge to Spokane County’s year-old wastewater treatment plant goes before a state appeals panel on Monday. The Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board will weigh arguments from the Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Law & Policy on the legality of a pollution discharge permit issued by the state Department of Ecology for the plant.

The Federal Aviation Administration has affirmed a decision earlier this month to close air traffic control operations at Felts Field and other small airports around the country beginning April 7. The closures at 149 airports stem from budget cuts in Congress that involve a “sequestration” of spending across most government agencies, including defense. The FAA cuts amount to $637 million.

Spokane County jail populations have been on the rise in recent months, reversing a downward trend dating to 2010. Capt. John McGrath, jail commander, said this week that the lockup has been on critical status since January, booking only the most serious offenders along with those who cannot be legally released when they are arrested.

Supporters of a Washington state initiative to require labels on genetically engineered foods are holding a community forum today at Gonzaga University. The event at 6:30 p.m. in the Jepson Center will feature three speakers on what the supporters call GE foods, in which genetic modification is used to create new traits.

Transportation improvements on Spokane’s West Plains will be the subject of a community workshop Thursday evening. Planners want to hear about what kinds of projects are needed, including improvements for bus riders, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Far more people are being sent to jail than necessary in Spokane, according to a community coalition for criminal justice reform. Smart Justice Spokane wants to divert more low-level offenders into programs that will help them get out of trouble and build productive lives.

Spokane County commissioners have opened thousands of new acres for housing and business development. The unanimous vote by the three Republican commissioners expanded the county’s urban growth boundary. The plan includes 6,000 acres for residential development and another 1,000 acres for commercial and industrial use.

Two construction projects on opposite sides of Spokane have potential for slowing traffic and creating hazards for drivers starting this week. The Washington State Department of Transportation has narrowed Francis Avenue east of Market Street to one lane in each direction, which has been causing backups at rush hour.

Spokane County recently marked completion of 30 years of work to protect the region’s drinking water through an aggressive sewer program. More than 30,000 homes and businesses were taken off septic systems that had been dumping wastewater into the ground above the Spokane area’s sole source of drinking water.

Federal budget cuts that went into effect last week could result in closure of the Felts Field air traffic control tower and elimination of the tower night shift at Spokane International Airport. Larry Krauter, CEO and airport director, said the cuts could come as early as April 7 unless Congress comes up with a way to restore funding.

Federal budget cuts that went into effect last week could result in closure of the Felts Field air traffic control tower and elimination of the tower night shift at Spokane International Airport. Larry Krauter, CEO and airport director, said the cuts could come as early as April 7 unless Congress comes up with a way to restore funding.

Environmentalists turned up the heat Wednesday in their legal challenge to the proposed expansion of the downhill ski area on Mount Spokane. The Lands Council argued in an appeal before the Spokane County hearing examiner that the county violated its own law in issuing a permit to cut timber this year for new ski runs.

Spokane Mayor David Condon and three City Council members oppose expansion of the county’s urban growth area, saying it would add an unnecessary financial burden to taxpayers. In a letter dated Wednesday, Condon was joined by Council President Ben Stuckart and council members Amber Waldref and Jon Snyder in calling for holding the line on the existing urban growth boundary.

Law enforcement officers in Spokane, Los Angeles and Western Washington raided 47 locations Thursday morning and arrested 41 people in connection with an alleged conspiracy to distribute OxyContin, a widely abused prescription painkiller. Nine people were taken into custody in Spokane, arraigned in U.S. District Court and ordered held for bail hearings.

Drug raids led to the arrests of nine people in Spokane this morning as part of a larger investigation across the West Coast.

On June 1 the Spokane County Commission will take control of the Spokane County Jail and Geiger Corrections Center as part of a plan to reform local criminal justice. The move, which was approved by a unanimous vote of commissioners Wednesday, takes away operation of the two lockups from Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and places it under the commissioners, a system that is used in other counties in Washington.

A state growth management official on Wednesday warned that a county proposal to expand the urban growth area would put taxpayers at risk for the cost of extending public services. Dave Anderson, eastern regional manager for the state’s growth management office, told Spokane County commissioners that “we do not feel expansion is good business” for the governmental entities that would have to provide public services to an expanded boundary. He said a land capacity analysis shows no need to expand and the existing urban-designated area has room for more people than forecast.

Five electronic highway signs on Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 2 in the Spokane area are getting an update this year. The existing signs date to 1995 and use outdated technology.