Lambdin to join Spokane City Council
Shelby Lambdin will be the newest member of Spokane City Council.
The council voted 4-2 to appoint her to represent the city’s southern district for the next four months. Councilmembers Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle voted against, both voicing support for another finalist, Ryan Oelrich.
Lambdin is the Health Equity director at CHAS Health and the vice president of the Spokane Public Libraries Board of Trustees.
Lili Navarrete vacated her District 2 seat at the end of June, citing health concerns. That meant the six other council members got to choose someone to fill the seat.
"We did this a little bit differently in terms of how we had a committee hearing. We took public testimony there. I think there's still some ways that we can fine-tune this process but I was happy with the road that got us here," remaining District 2 Councilmember Paul Dillon said during the council’s vote at Monday night’s legislative meeting. "I think that Shelby Lambdin did a fantastic job in her responses and thoughtfulness and look forward to serving with her over these next four months."
Lambdin will serve until either Kate Telis or Alejandro Barrientos wins the seat in the November election, at which point the winner will be sworn in after election certification.
Spokane moves to make childcare more accessible through zoning
Thousands of Spokanites have lost or left jobs because they weren’t able to find adequate childcare, a local study shows.
Mayor Lisa Brown and her policy advisor Adam McDaniel say they’re trying to change that.
"The city has really kind of limited tools in the ways that we can help child care. But one of the things that we can do is do our zoning code," McDaniel said. "So, essentially, the ordinance would permit daycares and child care centers in residential and all residential and all commercial zones."
By removing conditional use permits, McDaniel said the city could make it cheaper and easier to open daycares in neighborhoods and business districts.
Washington’s state legislature passed a bill this spring requiring cities to do this kind of rezoning within the next two years.
Spokane is acting ahead of that deadline: The mayor’s office introduced a new zoning ordinance Monday afternoon.
The City Council will most likely vote on the ordinance in late August.
Moscow Police launch web page of documents from U of I murder case
There’s a new web page where documents from the investigation into the deaths of four University of Idaho students can be downloaded.
This, after the killer was sentenced last week.
After Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to killing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in November 2022, he was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
The Moscow Police department created a page on the city’s website to house documents related to the case because of the intense public interest.
News of the killings garnered international attention and the small police department expected a surge of public records requests. The webpage provides a transparent and easy way for public access.
Hundreds of pages of redacted records reveal the sea of tips and information investigators navigated, even after Kohberger's arrest, and more could be coming.
Idaho sued over trans campus bathroom bill
Two transgender individuals are suing Idaho's Board of Education, Boise State University and University of Idaho over the state's recently passed campus bathroom restrictions.
The law in question requires colleges and universities to designate dorms, restrooms and changing rooms as exclusively for male or female use.
The two plaintiffs are a trans man attending BSU and a trans woman who spends a significant amount of time on the U of I campus.
Both say they both have used the restrooms aligning with their gender identities for years without incident and that using the facilities for their sex assigned at birth would out them as trans and put them at risk for violence or harassment.
The plaintiffs want a temporary restraining order on the law by August 25, when classes start at both universities.
Spokane-born Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg dies at 65
Baseball Hall of Famer and Spokanite Ryne Sandberg has died of cancer. He was 65 years old.
Sandberg graduated from North Central High School in 1978. He was a multi-sport star who chose a baseball career over college football.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. But it was with the Chicago Cubs that he made his mark.
He won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1984 as the Cubs made the playoffs for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Sandberg made 10 All-Star teams and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. He later managed the Phillies for nearly two seasons.
In 2023, Sandberg announced he’d been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It eventually spread to other parts of his body.
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Reporting by Eliza Billingham, Lauren Paterson, Owen Henderson and Doug Nadvornick.