Nicholas Deshais

As court battles continue over the future of Initiative 976 – the $30 car tab measure approved by voters last month – questions about how it will affect local projects persist.

The Spokane City Council hit the brakes Monday on a proposal that would have brought a self-driving bus to Riverfront Park.

More than $90 million in Spokane-area transportation funding has been delayed due to last month’s passage of Initiative 976 by Washington state voters.

Six minutes after 9 a.m. on Oct. 23, a northbound semi-truck collided with the south side of the Altamont bridge. Nearly a month passed before Altamont reopened below the bridge, on Nov. 21.

A King County Superior Court judge temporarily halted the Dec. 5 implementation of Initiative 976, which would limit car tabs to $30 a year, eliminate a host of programs that fund local road projects and dismantle some transit agencies.

A local developer and manufacturer is seeking $1.2 million in tax exemptions for a major high-rise project on the north bank of the Spokane River.

Three new South Hill roundabouts on 43rd Avenue have neighbors cheering the slowing of traffic, but residents say they’ve seen more than a few hand gestures indicating that not everyone is pleased.

Gustav Pehrson worked for Kirtland Cutter’s firm, and likely is the architect responisible for downtown Spokane’s iconic Davenport Hotel.

Avista Corp. has reached a partial settlement in its request to increase electric and natural gas rates, an agreement that would help fund costs associated with the eventual closure of the Colstrip power plant in Montana.

Larry Stone’s 22-story residential tower could make it the tallest building in Spokane, reaching higher than the 20-story, 288-foot tall Bank of America Financial Center.

The Chancery building at 1023 W. Riverside is now vacant as Cowles Co. considers redevelopment of property.

Residents along the road passionately lobbied City Hall to resist widening Wellesley Avenue in the early 1960s, among them Grace McDonald, who persuaded 1,000 people to sign a petition against the project. McDonald and her peers were unsuccessful, and the new four-lane arterial opened to rave reviews in 1964.

Neighborhood residents near 37th Avenue and Glenrose Road say the county hasn’t properly vetted plans to construct the complex that will feature youth baseball fields, lighted multipurpose sport fields and other amenities.

Dale Stedman, a longtime leader of the local AAA and outspoken advocate of the north-south freeway, died on Nov. 12 at his home on Spokane’s South Hill. He was 92. From his post leading what was originally called the Inland Automobile Association of America for nearly three decades, Stedman influenced the route and construction of Interstate 90, which continues to define Spokane. The north-south freeway, officially called the North Spokane Corridor, was first conceived in 1946 and dogged Stedman for decades as he pushed for its construction, which finally began in 2001, thanks in part to his lobbying.

The Papillon Towers Development promises stunning views of Riverfront Park, proximity to downtown and the future Sportsplex, and plenty of indoor parking. First, though, the developers have to raise $30 million from investors.