Judge rules Kroger-Albertsons merger violates WA law
A judge in King County says a planned merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons is illegal and cannot proceed.
Superior Court Judge Marshall Ferguson sided with those challenging the proposed merger, ruling that the deal would reduce competition and that the companies’ plan to sell some Washington stores to a third party was inadequate to dispel concerns.
In a written statement, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the ruling was a win for Washington grocery shoppers.
“We went to court to block this illegal merger to protect Washingtonians struggling with high grocery prices and the workers whose jobs were at stake,” the attorney general said. “This is an important victory for affordability, worker protections and the rule of law.”
Ferguson challenged the merger over concerns that the deal would turn Washington markets into near-monopolies. Collectively, Kroger and Albertsons own more than half the grocery stores in the state.
The Washington ruling wasn’t the only blow the merger received Tuesday. A federal district judge also put the brakes on the $24.6 billion deal as it undergoes a Federal Trade Commission review. NPR News reported the two grocery chains could appeal the rulings or give up on the merger.
Kroger and Albertsons have argued the merger would be important to help them compete with other companies that have expanded into groceries, such as Walmart, Costco and Amazon.
Spokane budget puts city on better footing
The 2025-26 budget Spokane City Council members adopted Monday night is the city’s first biennial budget, a move long championed by Council Member Michael Cathcart. He argued it will help the city stop using short-term solutions to balance its budget.
By law, cities in Washington must pass balanced budgets, and Cathcart said planning for a longer timeframe will make it harder to rely on stop-gap measures to get by.
The council acknowledged a lot of hard decisions and sacrifices had to be made to reach the finish line.
Still, Council Member Jonathan Bingle and others on the dais pointed out the new budget won’t solve the city’s financial woes — just put it on a better track.
“There were challenges, we may have overcome some, but we’re still using a lot of one-time dollars,” Bingle noted.
Under the spending plan, Spokane will relaunch the Neighborhood Resource Officer program, reinstate the Fire Academy and more than double funding for inclement weather sheltering.
North Idaho College board to hire new legal counsel
Tonight, the North Idaho College Board of Trustees will meet to pick a new attorney for the school’s legal needs. It’ll be the college’s fifth legal counsel in three years.
In a special meeting tonight, the five trustees will consider bids from Lake City Law in Coeur d’Alene and Stevens Clay in Spokane. Both firms have experience in education and are considered qualified choices.
The selection is seen in some circles as a move toward stability after the college’s previous three-person board majority cycled through lawyers and law firms since longtime counsel Lyons O’Dowd resigned in November 2022.
The following month, the majority trio hired Art Macomber, a political ally and campaign donor. In April 2023, trustees hired a Boise law firm, Holland and Hart. That decision was rescinded about a month later.
In August of last year, the majority hired Colton Boyles, an attorney with no experience representing a higher ed institution. The board also hired another firm, Washington D.C.-based Evershed Sutherland, to help deal with the accreditation crisis they helped cause.
Dismissing Boyles was among the first actions taken by the new board in their first meeting after last month’s election.
NIC paid Boyles more than $219,000, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported, and Eversheds Sutherland claimed more than $121,000 from April to September.
In discussing the need for new legal representation, NIC Board Vice Chair Tarie Zimmerman emphasized the importance of getting the community college’s legal costs under control.
Career fair highlights career options for Spokane students
Many students leave high school with no clues about what they’ll do after graduation. Tuesday, the Spokane School District’s NewTech Career Center presented students with a variety of options.
Haley Johnson greeted curious students at a Providence Health display. Just one year ago, she was a senior at NewTech and taking a class to learn about a career as a nurses’ aide. That led to an internship with Providence while still in high school.
“We did 10 hours a week,” Johnson told SPR News. “We’d go over in the mornings and we’d get to go have one-on-ones, preempting. We were actively on the floor learning those skills and practicing.”
Now she’s sharing the word about opportunities available to current high school students.
NewTech Principal David Ulyanchuk said now is a good time for a career fair.
“Because it’s winter and, for the graduating students, they can start seeing the colleges and different employers are out there,” he said. “For the 10th and 11th graders, it allows them to see the employers and what are the next steps they need to get to those jobs.”
The fair also highlighted careers in automotive, aviation, culinary and design industries.
Wildlife officials study scope of bighorn sheep illness outbreak
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists are going up in helicopters to count bighorn sheep living in Hells Canyon.
A few herds there have been impacted for the last year by a bacterial infection that causes pneumonia.
Ground surveys of the animals were conducted in the summer. Biologist William Moore told SPR News the aerial survey will give them more up-to-date information.
“An aerial survey just gives us a better viewing platform, to be able to see the landscape better, and more animals better,” Moore said.
Data gathered will be used to establish a baseline estimate of the population, which has been estimated at 1,700. Moore said biologists will also try to confirm mortality estimates that were indicated by some of the sheep wearing radio collars. He believes as many of 60% of the animals are affected.
After the initial outbreak, Moore said, the disease should moderate, with some of the older sheep becoming asymptomatic carriers. He said the adult population will generally be okay, but the disease can spread to baby lambs for several years.
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Reporting was contributed by Brandon Hollingsworth, Owen Henderson, Doug Nadvornick and Steve Jackson.