Steve Jackson

A local group has formed to try to save 48 acres of farmland in the Vinegar Flats neighborhood in southwest Spokane.

The current owner of a parcel known as the Pilcher property has applied for and received conditional approval for a permit that would allow for 94 homes to be built on land that is zoned agricultural. There are no immediate plans yet to build the development.

A new AARP survey asks respondents about their experiences with prescription drug prices, and it finds support for some legislation pending in the Washington legislature to deal with those costs.

The Spokane City Council Monday night heard from several residents upset with plans to expand the Centennial Trail in their neighborhood.

The city is poised to begin work on the trail from Boone Avenue along Summit, through Mission and West Point.

Planned Parenthood officials say the city of Spokane should do more to control protests that are routinely happening outside their Spokane clinic.

The protests by anti-abortion activists have been occurring about every month. They're sponsored by a group calling itself “The Church at Planned Parenthood” and often number more than 200 people, with members speaking through a public address system.

The federal Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, says keeping the National Archives and Records Administration office open in Seattle is costing too much money.

It wants to shut the Seattle facility down and move the archived materials to California and Kansas City.

That doesn’t sit too well with Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who says the archive is important because it's a treasure trove of historic data including census records, maps, photos, and land records.

More than 100 social agencies and other vendors served people at Spokane’s annual Homeless Connect event Thursday in the Convention Center.

“There’s a food bank. There’s a clothing bank. They can get a free meal while they’re here. They’re doing hepatitis screening right now. EPI Pharmaceutical is here with their bus,” said Maurice Smith, a spokesman for the Spokane Homeless Coalition.

UPDATED: Friday 1:50 pm. Here is the link to the materials that are part of the investigations into the actions of Matt Shea.

Hundreds of documents compiled as part of a special investigation into Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley) have been made available to the public.

The Washington State House commissioned the investigation.

The 500 pages of documents include online chat information, emails, social media posts and other materials.

Some Spokane residents are upset with plans by the city to construct a portion of the Centennial Trail through their neighborhood.

That neighborhood is bounded by Boone Avenue along Summit Boulevard, through Mission and West Point.

Laura Garrabrant owns a home on Mission across from the bluff overlooking the Spokane River.

The Pend Oreille County Public Utility District is defending itself from criticism leveled by the CEO of a Canadian company that wants to build a silicon smelter near Newport, Washington.

The critique came in a recent letter from PacWest Silicon chief Jayson Tymko to Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

A Canadian company says it has put on hold its plans to build a smelter near Newport.

The CEO of PacWest Silicon has sent a letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee, detailing his reasons for the delay.

Google is sponsoring a Spokane event for business owners to get some hands-on learning this week in digital skills.

Google spokeswoman Nicky Rigg says the company will hold classes related to marketing your business at the Spokane Public Library.

On a day when the Articles of Impeachment were sent to the Senate from the U.S. House, leaders from both parties joined on Wednesday to honor one former Spokanite with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Steve Gleason played football at Gonzaga Prep and Washington State University and went on to play with the New Orleans Saints.

Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but even that couldn’t slow him down, as witnessed by his famous quote, “No white flags.”

The U.S. Census Bureau is searching for workers in the Inland Northwest to carry out the once-every-10-years count.  

The bureau is advertising thousands of temporary jobs in the region. Those jobs will last about eight weeks. Pay is up to $16 an hour.

The death toll has risen in the aftermath of the avalanche that hit the Silver Mountain ski resort in northern Idaho this week.

Searchers today [Thursday] located the body of a third person. That person hasn't yet been publicly identified.

Idaho officials say the number of people who signed up for health insurance under the state insurance exchange was down this year.

The decrease was exactly what officials anticipated would occur with the recent Medicaid expansion.

Idaho Governor Brad Little delivered his State of the State address Monday.

Much of his focus was on education.

The Idaho Republican Governor touted improvements in the state’s school system, including pay raises for teachers, and doubling funding for literacy programs.

Providence Sacred Heart and its nurses have reached a tentative labor agreement.

The pact includes key provisions sought by nurses, including enhanced language about staffing levels and workplace violence prevention and limits on the employer's ability to raise premiums. It also preserves important health benefits, provides wage increases of 10% over the duration of the three-year contract and a ratification bonus of $2,100, prorated for part-time nurses.

Nadine Woodward was sworn in Monday as Spokane's 45th mayor.

An inaugural ceremony was held at the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park.

After being introduced by her former TV news colleague, Charles Rowe, Woodward gave an inaugural address that included remarks focusing on the homeless issue that she made a centerpiece of her campaign.

The Republican minority leader of the Washington state House of Representatives is calling for Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley) to step down following an independent investigation that says Shea has promoted domestic terrorism.

One who has followed the Shea story for several years is Leah Sottile, who as a free lance journalist has written for Rolling Stone and Atlantic magazines.

An event to mark National Homeless Persons Memorial Day was held in Spokane Friday.

The names of 76 people who died in Spokane this year who had no place to call their own were read out loud at an event downtown. Participants came forward and placed a bell with that person’s name on a small Christmas tree.

The audience heard how the homeless, on average, can expect to live 30 fewer years than those who have permanent housing.

The Pend Oreille County Public Utility District has halted an agreement with a Canadian company that proposes to build a silicon smelter near Newport.

The PUD recently sent a letter to PacWest Silicon, saying it has terminated what is called a "cost reimbursement agreement." The letter also contained a $315,000 check.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s office has awarded $1.7 million to the Spokane Workforce Council.

The Economic Security for All Grant will help the collaborative efforts at the Spokane EnVision Center.

Nearly 80 years after the completion of Grand Coulee Dam, the Spokane Tribe will finally receive compensation for losses it suffered from the project.

The tribe lost lands that became submerged under the waters of the Columbia River. It also lost the salmon runs that had fed their people for centuries.

The city of Rathdrum, Idaho found elevated levels of lead during routine testing of the water system of three residences.

The sampling has been ongoing since 1998, but it wasn’t until the most recent testing of 23 homes in August that official found high lead levels. Three homes showed levels higher than the federal standard of 15 parts per billion, with highest one testing at 63 parts per billion.

Plans for rezoning a parcel of property along Lake Coeur d'Alene are coming under fire from nearby residents. The proposed development could include a large dock and perhaps a building.

A number of health care providers in Washington are coming together to ensure they are prepared to deal with climate change and its impact on patients.

The Washington Health Care Climate Alliance includes eight health care systems statewide that represent 40 hospitals.

Opponents of a proposed smelter project near Newport are celebrating a victory.

Pend Oreille County commissioners have rejected a comprehensive plan amendment which would have changed the public lands designation in the county to rural lands, a step that was seen as opening the door for industrial use outside of the urban growth areas. The plan would have allowed the construction of a controversial silicon smelter just outside of Newport.

A new statue was put in place in Redband Park in Spokane on Wednesday. Redband Park was formerly known as Glover Park in Peaceful Valley.

The statue is of a redband trout, a native fish of the Spokane River.

Sponsors of the project included the city of Spokane, Spokane Indians baseball team, TC Energy, Spokane Tribe, and the Spokane River Forum.

The forum’s Andy Dunau says the "Redband Rising" statue is designed to call attention to the fish, which has been in decline for many years.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has officially pulled out of a pact with the state to oversee the lake management plan and Governor Brad Little has asked for a third party to conduct a review and analysis of the previous lake management efforts.