Regional News

Today on Inland Journal, our final conversation with David Condon while he serves as mayor of Spokane and a look at a new KSPS documentary that tells the story of three photographers who worked in Spokane and the Okanogan Valley during the early 20th century.

Mead School District officials are looking at their next step following rejection of a levy at the polls last week but say a Washington State Supreme Court ruling made that levy even more critical.

The $14 million levy was going to mitigate some cuts to the district that were implemented last spring and also increase some security in the district.
The cuts were the result of changes in school funding that were the direct result of the Supreme Court's McCleary decision that also resulted in increased pay for teachers.

Today on the Inland Journal podcast, our final conversation with David Condon while he serves as mayor of Spokane.

Condon is leaving after eight years. He was the first person to be re-elected to the office in more than 40 years.

Tonight [Thursday], KSPS Public Television airs a new documentary called “Capturing History.” It’s about three early 20th century photographers whose pictures tell us a lot about our collective history in Spokane and in the Okanogan Valley. We talked with the documentary’s producer, Mary DeCesare, its executive producer, Jim Zimmer, and the narrator, photographer Don Hamilton, about who these photographers were and the importance of their work.

The vote count will continue tomorrow [Tuesday] in Spokane County as elections officials work through the last group of ballots.

One question still unanswered is whether the progressive majority on the Spokane City Council will continue to have the numbers needed to override vetoes by the new mayor.

For the last couple of years, six council members have voted as a group with the ability to advance proposals that split the council along ideological lines. And they’ve been able to override Mayor David Condon’s vetoes.

Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman says Tuesday's election, when anyone could register to vote up to and including Election Day, meant extra work behind the scenes for election officials.

As Veteran’s Day approaches, many of us take time to honor family members and previous generations who have served in the Armed Forces. But for Gonzaga University student, Scott Davis, a childhood fascination has become an all-consuming passion to document the first-hand stories of World War II veterans.

Today on Inland Journal, two items about making improvements to Spokane County’s criminal justice system. We’ll hear about expanding a well-received program that pairs police officers and mental health professionals on patrol. And a task force studying Spokane’s criminal justice system is coming to consensus on a variety of measures meant to ease the pressure on the overcrowded jail.

Today on the Inland Journal podcast, we put a wrap on the 2019 municipal election for the city of Spokane and some of the other cities in Spokane County. We’ll hear who Spokane’s new mayor will be. We’ll hear about the city council president’s race where there isn’t yet a clear winner, and who will be sitting on the council next year. We’ll also look at results from Spokane Valley.

Frontier Behavioral Health is expanding its partnership with Spokane area law enforcement agencies to provide mental health expertise on police patrols. That partnership is still relatively new, but it’s been widely praised for diverting people away from the jail and into services they need.

End-of-life conversations are becoming more common as the overall population grows older. Usually, those discussions are confined to individual families. But two weeks ago, a group of Sandpoint residents extended the conversation to their entire community and made a week of it.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has sent a letter to PacWest Silicon, the company that hopes to build a silicon smelter in Pend Oreille County, asking for better communication from the company about its intentions.

Spokane Mayor David Condon on Friday released his budget for 2020.
 
The document lays out how the city will spend about $200 million to fund day-to-day services. It includes about $350 million for water, waste water and other utilities. The other $550 million pays for capital expenses, debt service and other technology and finance-related costs.

Indoor professional football is coming back to Spokane.

The Spokane Shock football team will be back and playing in the Indoor Football League next spring, after several seasons of dormancy. The new owner is a familiar name to fans of the Seattle Seahawks.