Emry Dinman

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News >  Spokane

10 big stories from the Spokane area in 2024

Tue., Dec. 31, 2024

Another year has come and gone, and 2024 was one for the history books. A consequential presidential election filled with twists and turns, the escalation of deadly conflict in Gaza, devastating hurricanes, the rapid expansion of commercial uses for artificial intelligence, the fall of the Syrian autocracy and the death of Jimmy Carter.

News >  Idaho

Numerica Credit Union offers five days of free activities for families cash-strapped by holidays

Mon., Dec. 30, 2024

The holidays may be a special time for families, but they’re also expensive. With Christmas over and New Year’s Day on the horizon, Numerica Credit Union is hosting free activities for the next five days for families with kids of all ages.

News >  Local government

After initial concern, Salvation Army Spokane exceeds Red Kettle Campaign goal

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 27, 2024

Despite concerns that the Salvation Army was falling short of its Red Kettle Campaign fundraising target, that goal was not only met but exceeded by the end of Christmas Eve after an outpouring of community support, according to Capt. David Cain.

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News >  Local government

Misery in the meanwhile as Spokane shifts shelter system and beds are limited

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 27, 2024

It’s a bit above freezing on Christmas Eve, and the persistent drizzle pushes people without homes to squat under leaky railroad viaducts, where they are expressly forbidden from being but are also offered some limited relief from the rain.

News >  Local government

Spokane seeks to limit sale of alcohol, drug paraphernalia downtown

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 27, 2024

The day after Christmas in Spokane is bleary and wet as passengers young and old wait for their bus at the downtown plaza.

News >  Local government

Spokane moving forward with $500,000 settlement with fiancée of man killed by police

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 16, 2024

The fiancée of a man shot and killed by Spokane police officers may soon receive $500,000 to settle a wrongful death claim, according to briefing documents presented Monday to the Spokane City Council.

News >  Local government

Despite criticism of the city’s handling of homelessness, data shows citations are up

UPDATED: Sun., Dec. 15, 2024

While some politicians, business groups and their supporters accuse the city of Spokane and the Spokane Police Department of not enforcing laws on the homeless, one patrol officer is spending his time in the area around Second Avenue and Division Street sometimes 10 times a day.

News >  Local government

Of 29 Spokane city employees that got layoff notices this summer, only three lost their jobs

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 10, 2024

Two months ago, 29 Spokane city employees learned their jobs could be on the chopping block as the city tried to finish balancing the 2025-2026 budget. By the end of the year, three of them lost their jobs, though at least one was able to move to another position in the city.

News >  Local government

Spokane C.O.P.S., angered by need to compete for city funding, gets brief reprieve

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 10, 2024

Spokane’s nonprofit group to assist policing efforts got a three-month reprieve Monday night, as the City Council approved a $125,000 extension to its contract after weeks of volunteers, staff and advocates arguing the organization shouldn’t have to fight for city funding in the first place.

News >  Local government

Spokane City Council will continue to meet on Mondays after contentious fight ends in concessions

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 10, 2024

Spokane’s City Council will continue to meet on Mondays as it has for more than 112 years, after concerns were raised about major changes to the council’s rules that the conservative minority believed were intended to weaken their already nominal power.

News >  Local government

Northeast Spokane gets a representative on the Transit Authority as the city council shuffles board appointments

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 10, 2024

Northeast Spokane’s conservative representatives on Monday got something they’ve been asking for all year: a voting seat on the Spokane Transit Authority, which operates the region’s transit system.

News >  Local government

After 112 years, Spokane City Council may stop meeting on Mondays

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 6, 2024

Spokane city government has a reputation for change. Only one mayor in the last 45 years has served more than a term. But there has been at least one constant: Monday meetings.

News >  Local government

Spokane green bins will soon be picked up year-round, with limited winter service

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 4, 2024

Spokane residents with a food and yard waste bin can soon get them  picked up by the city during the winter with a limited service coming in January.

News >  Local government

Spokane City Council asks for delay to transfer of Thorpe Road property to developer

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 2, 2024

The Spokane City Council has asked for a delay to the transfer of a 160-acre woodland south of Thorpe Road amid traffic concerns that a developer’s plans to build 1,000 homes would further burden roadways.

News >  Local government

Spokane’s building fees jump again next year as city tries to afford growth

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 2, 2024

Development fees will significantly increase across Spokane next year, the second phase in a three-year process of making those fees closer to the cost to the city to service new development.

News >  Local government

Getting There: Disagreements flare again over how to pay for promised Spokane traffic unit that still hasn’t ramped up

Mon., Dec. 2, 2024

Transportation safety activists are accusing Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown of hypocrisy after her budget proposal continues to recommend paying for traffic officers with a fund typically understood to pay for infrastructure, such as speed bumps.

News >  Local government

Spokane seeks study on infrastructure needs for anticipated growth in Latah Valley – and how to pay for it

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 26, 2024

Six months after putting a second stop to development in the Latah Valley citing strained infrastructure and safety concerns, the city of Spokane has contracted for a study of what needs to be built in the area and how best to pay for those improvements.

News >  Local government

Minor failure underscores major improvement in Spokane’s stormwater system

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 25, 2024

A failure earlier this month in one of the largest parts of Spokane’s stormwater system initially set off some alarm bells, but city officials argue it highlights the major work done in the last year to keep pollution out of the Spokane River.

News >  Local government

Conservationists make last ditch effort to stop 1,000 homes being built on undeveloped Spokane woodland

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 25, 2024

Conservation activists are gearing up for a final attempt to slow down or stop efforts to develop a wooded area into housing near Thorpe Road on the western end of Spokane. They argue the land contains increasingly rare geological, ecological and cultural features that could be lost beneath pavement.

News >  Local government

Spokane parks tax will likely be delayed for a third time – this time with the Park Board’s blessing

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 18, 2024

Voters may one day get the opportunity to weigh in on whether the city of Spokane should increase property taxes to make significant investments in the park system – but that day likely won’t come this February.

News >  Transportation

Snow season arrives in Spokane, and plow season along with it

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 18, 2024

With a light dusting Saturday and a couple inches forecast this week, snow season has officially arrived in Spokane, and the plows are ready.

News >  Local government

Getting There: Elected leaders look to improve Spokane’s most dangerous intersections

Mon., Nov. 18, 2024

Spokane’s most dangerous intersections, where hundreds of collisions have occurred in the past seven years, fall along the city’s major north-south arterials. Current and future city leaders argue the most effective way to make them safer is to make them slower.

News >  Local government

Spokane to examine its 32-year partnership with C.O.P.S.

Sun., Nov. 17, 2024

Spokane may soon reconsider its 32-year partnership with Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services, or C.O.P.S., examining whether it’s still worth the investment or if another organization could better fill that role.

News >  Local government

Abandoned RVs piling up after Washington’s program put on pause that reimbursed disposal

Fri., Nov. 15, 2024

There are dozens of abandoned or disabled RVs littering Spokane’s streets, and for the past two months, the city has had no way to have them hauled off and destroyed.

News >  Local government

Congressman-elect Michael Baumgartner endorses replacement county treasurer; county GOP pledges appointment is wide open

UPDATED: Wed., Nov. 13, 2024

The Spokane County Republican Party will reject “cronyism” and consider applications from anyone eligible for appointment as the county treasurer after Congressman-elect Michael Baumgartner vacates that seat in January, said Rob Linebarger, a member of party leadership.