Mike Prager

Republicans are poised to retain control of the Spokane County Board of Commissioners as two races on Tuesday’s ballot were leaning toward the GOP candidates in initial returns.

The first serious winter-like weather of the season is expected to descend over the Inland Northwest this week, bringing rain, wind, cold and snow. A pair of cold fronts will reverse the mild weather that has kept the Inland Northwest relatively balmy since Oct. 28.

One of the deadliest roads in Spokane County is getting some needed attention. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office last week announced that it will be launching an enforcement campaign on Monroe Road, which runs for 11 miles from Half Moon Prairie to the west side of Deer Park.

The driver for a Marysville, Wash., trucking firm is facing a possible felony charge after he was caught hauling a boat contaminated with zebra mussels for the second time since 2010. The mussels were discovered by a Washington State Patrol commercial officer on Oct. 26 when the truck entered Washington via Interstate 90.

Historic preservation in downtown Spokane is a lot more than old buildings. It’s fine dining, nightlife, shows, shops, wineries and lodging. It’s also the people who make historic places go.

The familiar snow shed on Interstate 90 just east of Snoqualmie Pass is going to be consigned to history. The Washington State Department of Transportation is considering a proposal to build snow bridges instead.

This year’s National Preservation Conference, set to kick off in Spokane on Tuesday, is validation of the work that’s gone into saving the city’s historic assets. From the Davenport Hotel and Fox Theater to residential districts more than a century old, Spokane has hundreds of buildings that are deemed historically significant.

Sheriff’s detectives investigating forgery and theft allegations against a Spokane-area developer recommend that charges be filed, but the Spokane County prosecutor wants the state attorney general’s office to handle the case. The investigation against Harley Douglass was referred on Wednesday to the attorney general’s criminal division, officials said on Thursday.

Spokane County commissioners on Tuesday approved a new policy regarding the use of social media by county employees. County officials said they are not attempting to crack down on employee use of social media. Rather, they are setting up guidelines for appropriate use, especially when it involves county business, employees or policies.

Two years of work by residents of Five Mile Prairie has resulted in a comprehensive plan for developing bicycle and pedestrian pathways. The plan acknowledges the challenges of creating safe routes on roads that were built to serve a largely rural area.

The popular hiking and horse trail at Liberty Lake Regional Park will undergo a series of improvements starting next week. The trail will be closed to the public during the work from Oct. 22 through Oct. 27.

Spokane County Commissioner Al French said Friday that he and his fellow commissioners are keeping an eye on a criminal fraud investigation involving a settlement paid by the county to a local developer, but commissioners will not take action to recover the money unless a conviction is obtained. Court documents say developer Harley Douglass submitted false invoices to bolster a $685,000 settlement paid by the county after the county illegally blocked Douglass’ final plat for a subdivision in the Mead area in 2008.

The first of two Pacific storms will arrive later today, but a second storm on Sunday is likely to bring the heaviest rain during the next several days.

The Spokane County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to sell $15 million in bonds as financial backing for expansions of the Spokane Convention Center and Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Voters in April approved an extension of existing sales and room taxes to pay for $65 million in projects by the Spokane Public Facilities District, a separate arm of local government.