Ted McDermott

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Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Developers may fund fixes to unsnarl traffic issues stalling housing growth in Latah Valley, but will it be enough?

Mon., Oct. 12, 2020

Several private development projects placing hundreds of houses on unbuilt land on the South Hill have travel planners worried about further congestion on Highway 195 and Interstate 90. Those developers may be forced to build transportation-easing improvements in order for their projects to move forward.

News >  Washington

‘We’re still here’: Colville tribal member’s long battle against declaration of extinction reaches Canadian Supreme Court

Sun., Oct. 11, 2020

BOUNDARY, Wash. – They got as close they could on Thursday afternoon.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Effort underway to extend Ben Burr Trail to Iron Bridge, Moran Prairie

Mon., Oct. 5, 2020

Planners have dreams of connecting the upper South Hill with the downtown trail that currently terminates near Underhill Park. Just how to do that is a puzzle transportation experts will have to figure out. 

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News >  Business

Plan for trio of new high-rises in CdA gets approval

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 30, 2020

The changing skyline of Coeur d'Alene could soon see the addition of three new towers, each as tall as 220 feet and containing as many as 275 units total.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: As Barker roundabout and overpass move ahead, Spokane Valley pursues similar improvements at Pines Road

UPDATED: Mon., Sept. 28, 2020

Spokane Valley traffic engineers are eying a pair of projects intended to reduce traffic congestion at at-grade rail crossings: one where Barker Road meets Trent and Wellesley avenues, and a second at the intersection of Trent and Pines Road. 

News >  Washington

‘Burnt, like I am’: After fires burn through Colville Reservation, efforts underway to recover, adapt

UPDATED: Sun., Sept. 27, 2020

MONSE, Wash. – When the fire roared down the western edge of the Colville Reservation, Jimmy Timentwa jumped in the 2002 cherry red convertible Corvette he won in a casino drawing and left the cattle ranch that has been in his family for a century.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: WSDOT installs downtown ramp meters to control the flow of traffic

Mon., Sept. 21, 2020

They may look like traffic lights, but according to Glenn Wagemann, the ramp meters being installed on interstate ramps around downtown Spokane are just the most visible mechanism in a high-tech system of reducing collisions and congestion on an increasingly dangerous and crowded stretch of Interstate 90.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Off-duty sheriff’s deputy stops armed robbery Sunday on South Hill

UPDATED: Sun., Sept. 20, 2020

An off-duty Spokane County Sheriff's deputy reportedly thwarted an armed robbery attempt at a South Hill mobile phone story early Sunday. 

News >  Spokane

City considers sales tax hike for affordable housing after county passes on measure

Sat., Sept. 19, 2020

A new sales tax will cost the average Spokane family an extra $16 a year and generate about $5.8 million a year to help fill the city’s growing gap in affordable housing and mental health services.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: STA plans expanded service along I-90, all the way to CDA

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 15, 2020

Want to take the bus from Spokane to Coeur d’Alene?

News >  Pacific NW

‘A coalescing of bad things’: As fires rage across the West, Washington firefighting resources are stretched

Sun., Sept. 13, 2020

Chuck Turley is doing his best to make do.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

1-year-old dies, parents in critical condition after being caught in Cold Springs Fire

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 9, 2020

A 1-year-old died and his parents were hospitalized after suffering injuries in the Cold Springs Fire near Omak, according to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: High Drive speed limit dropped to 20 mph

Mon., Sept. 7, 2020

The Spokane City Council agreed to a plan to reduce traffic speeds near certain parks and park properties in town. That decision has caused some South Hill residents to question the inclusion of High Drive.

News >  Nation

‘It has to be meaningful’: Parents recall a life that began in Spokane and ended in apparent political killing in Portland

Sun., Sept. 6, 2020

Friday was supposed to be Aaron “Jay” Danielson’s 40th birthday.

News >  Nation

Man suspected in killing of Spokane-raised protester in Portland dies during arrest, New York Times reports

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

A self-described antifa activist under investigation for the killing of a conservative protester in Portland on Saturday was killed Thursday night in Lacey, Washington, as law enforcement moved to arrest him, according to the New York Times.

News >  Spokane

Man killed in Portland protest was reportedly from Spokane

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

A 39-year-old man killed during a Saturday night protest in Portland grew up in Spokane and attended Shadle Park High School, according to reports from the Oregonian and KHQ.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Break-in won’t slow Shacktown’s mission to use bikes to create positive change

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

Roger Hernandez is still cranking at the Shacktown bike shop downtown, even after thieves made off with $3,000 in bikes, tools and other equipment last week. 

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: As WSDOT warns of ‘crisis,’ hard decisions lie ahead about new construction, preservation

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

How does the transportation department jibe massive investments in new road projects, like the North Spokane Corridor, while worrying about crumbling existing infrastructure, like the replacement of the East Trent bridge?  

News >  Pacific NW

Getting There: Airport realigns main road, pursues Spotted Road interchange plan

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

The Spokane International Airport has seen a steep decline in passenger activity as the coronavirus pandemic hammers the nation’s airline industry. But that's not stopping the airport from moving forward with a long-awaited plan to realign the road drivers use to drop off and pick up passengers.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: STA says it can navigate $126 million shortfall without stopping service expansion or projects

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

A conservative approach to using revenue has allowed the transit agency to look ahead without major interruptions to service, a spokesman said. But fewer people riding the bus means less taken in through fares, which has STA and government officials asking how they can raise money without burdening low-income riders who rely on the service for essential travel. 

News >  Education

Whitworth confirms plans to ‘resume campus operations’ this fall

UPDATED: Wed., July 29, 2020

Whitworth University is moving forward with plans for students, faculty and staff to return to campus this fall, according to a Wednesday evening tweet from school President Beck A. Taylor.

Getting There: Group to push new passenger rail from Spokane, even as study finds significant obstacles

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

It would take nearly $400 million to build infrastructure that could support twice-daily roundabout rail trips from Spokane to Seattle. But that may be a bargain, say rail advocates. 

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Barker interchange project set to start but WSDOT revenue woes may jeopardize related Liberty Lake work

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

The combined effect of Initiative 976 and the coronavirus pandemic could put some of the state's road projects on hold, including an effort to reduce congestion on roads in Liberty Lake.  

News >  Spokane

Spokane health district stops reporting weekend COVID-19 numbers

UPDATED: Sat., July 18, 2020

The Spokane Regional Health District will no longer report COVID-19 data on weekends due to a rising caseload that has meant a growing workload for staff.

Getting There: New route planned to ease congestion, fuel development in West Plains

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

The West Plains Connection project would make several changes to area roads in an effort to ease congestion, rather than simply widening Highway 2. Planners are looking to the public to provide feedback on preliminary plans for the estimated $17 million project.