Sorted by date Results 355 - 379 of 520
To taxpayers, it’s just plain common sense. Elected officials, government employees and supporting boards and agencies cannot use taxpayer resources to campaign for or against a candidate or office or to endorse or oppose any ballot measure. To make sure elected officials and employees understand that, Revised Code of Washington 42.17A.555 specifically says: “No elective official nor any employee of his or her office nor any person appointed to or employed by any public office...
SPOKANE -- The Spokane medical community, and other partners have come together to help ease some of the increased patient volume hospitals and clinics are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up a drive-through screening site which opens Friday March 20. The site, at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds, will act in conjunction with existing on-line and phone screening systems set up by hospitals and clinics throughout the region. It is not a self-referral, guaranteed testing site. Health care professionals... Full story
SPOKANE -- Spokane County officials are taking further steps to protect its employees and the public during the COVID-19 outbreak by limiting access to the fourth floor of the Public Works Building until further notice. The fourth floor is the location for the Environmental Services Department, including Sewer Billing and the Regional Solid Waste System. According to a March 18 news release, sewer bills are due by Wednesday, March 25. County officials are asking residents to make their payments by phone, mail or online, but... Full story
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Jay Inslee signed several executive orders today extending previous requirements to close K-12 public schools and limit large gatherings to no more than 250 people in efforts to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. School districts will be closed beginning Tuesday, March 17 through April 24. Inslee took similar measures earlier this week with schools and large gatherings in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. In taking the action the governor noted the virus has spread to 15 counties in... Full story
CHENEY – A public hearing has been set for March 9 on changes to a pair of ordinances, one addressing residential occupancy issues and the other designed to encourage water conservation. Both ordinances changes acome after repeated concerns from citizens. The most vocal has been the issue of residential occupancy, specifically the concept of “functional family” and how that definition impacts such things as parking and noise complaints in neighborhoods. According to the Notice of Application from the city publishing the p...
Oligarchy. I like the sound of the word. It kind of rolls off the tongue, but I don’t like it as a form of government. Winning an election does not grant the victor wisdom beyond those of us who have never run for office. Those whom we have selected to represent us in Olympia seem to believe it does. Rather than be accountable to the electorate, our elected officials consider themselves a cut above the general public. It would seem private citizens, both individually and collectively, are viewed as a source of revenue, of n...
OLYMPIA -- A measure designed to protect the health, safety and overall well-being of domestic workers in has been sponsored by Democratic senators at the request of Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson. If passed, Senate Bill 6247 would guarantee that domestic workers be paid at least minimum wage, $13.50 per hour. Workers must also receive meal and rest breaks, and overtime pay, if applicable. A written agreement between employees and employers would also be required, as well as a two-week termination notice, e...
1 Years Ago Jan. 14, 2010 The Cheney City Council welcomed two new members to its ranks. After being sworn in, Councilman Fred Pollard took his seat, while Tom Truelove once again filled the mayor’s chair, his third non-consecutive term on the council. The Cheney Planning Commission approved the 33-acre Terra Vista planned unit development that included lot sizes 3,000 square feet smaller than the code at the time allowed, allowing developer Steve Emtman and consulting engineer Todd Whipple to sell 60 townhouse units r...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Contaminated water around Fairchild Air Force Base has generated another lawsuit. Melissa Commodore filed a $4 million lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense in federal court for the Eastern District of Washington on Dec. 26, alleging she and her son suffered health problems from consuming water found to be contaminated by chemicals used in firefighting foam for years at the base. The contaminants were found in water used by residents in and around A...
By LEE HUGHES Staff reporter MEDICAL LAKE — About 131 Medical Lake residents received disturbing news in late July when city maintenance crews went door-to-door distributing notices that routine water samples had tested positive for the presence of E.coli bacteria. The notice advised residents to use bottled water or boil tap water for one minute until further notice. While additional samples were drawn and submitted for testing the same day and came back without any signs of E.coli, it gave city officials a scare. “It was...
“Buy the ticket, take the ride,” or so wrote journalist Hunter S. Thompson in his book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” While the context of Thompson’s comment was certainly different, on the surface it’s perfectly relevant for I-976, the newest car tab reduction effort placed on next month’s ballot by serial initiative activist and anti-tax campaigner Tim Eyman. His fourth effort to reduce the cost of taxing licensed vehicles in the state, if passed, would pull a $2 bil...
CHENEY – The City Council has taken a somewhat unusual step and entered the political arena to oppose a statewide initiative that would reduce motor vehicle fees to just $30. At its Oct. 8 meeting, the council adopted by a 7-0 vote a resolution supporting opposition to Initiative 976, perennial initiative generator Tim Eyman’s latest anti-tax effort. The initiative would not only reduce motor vehicle fees, it would also eliminate the 0.3 percent sales tax on vehicle purchases, lower electric vehicle and snowmobile fees, mod...
Medical Lake is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 6:30 p.m. during its regularly scheduled City Council meeting to discuss and receive public comment on the city’s 2020 current expense budget and a possible increase in the Emergency Medical Services levy and regular property taxes, according to a legal notice. The council chambers are on the second floor of City Hall at 124 S. Lefevre St....
Medical Lake’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. in the Medical Lake City Hall at 124 S. Lefevre St. to discuss amendments to sections of the city’s municipal code. The amendments including subdivision design standards, the definition of “family,” flood hazard areas and adding a section related to electric vehicle infrastructure, according to a public notice. The proposed changes are a result of the update of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Language related to the revisions...
The city of Medical Lake’s Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing on Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. in the Medical Lake City Hall at 124 S. Lefevre St. to discuss amendments to sections of the city’s municipal code, Including subdivision design standards, the definition of “family,” flood hazard areas, and adding a section related to electric vehicle infrastructure, according to a public notice. The proposed changes are a result of the update of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Language related to the revisions and additions...
The Airway Heights City Council faced an extensive agenda at its Aug. 5 meeting, honoring local legislators and hearing a presentation relating to a proposed Highland Village development resolution. Council first unanimously passed a resolution honoring the 6th District’s legislative delegation, comprised of Sen. Jeff Holy, Rep. Mike Volz and Rep. Jenny Graham, for their work during the 2019 legislative session. Airway Heights received significant funds from this year’s session, including more than $5 million for the Hig...
Some 131 Medical Lake residents received disturbing news last week. A notice, hand delivered by city maintenance personnel on Wednesday, July 24, informed them that routine water samples had tested positive for E.coli bacteria. The notice advised residents to use bottled water or boil tap water for one minute until further notice. “It was my worst nightmare,” Scott Duncan, Medical Lake maintenance supervisor, said. Additional samples were drawn and submitted for testing the...
Tucked away in a mobile home park off of Sunset Highway in Airway Heights, a drama worthy of a telenovela has quietly been playing out since late June, expanding to involve city departments, local officials and residents alike. What started as a routine code enforcement call has rapidly turned into a quagmire of issues code enforcement officer Kristina Blake says highlights the need for additional city code detailing rental inspection rules. Essentially uninhabitable Last mont...
On Saturday, June 22, eight members of an Army parachute team relaxed in a plane hovering at an altitude of 11,500 feet, its door wide open to catch the freezing 120 mile per hour winds and offer a stomach-churning view of sprawling farmland below reduced to the size of postage stamps. While prepping for their jump, they talked about "getting out" of the plane the way others would talk about getting out of a cab. But for them, it's just another day at the office. The U.S....
Congratulations graduates! It’s been a long time since I stood in your place. I remember being excited to finish a big phase in my life and apprehensive about starting a new one. I am sure you feel much the same. For the past 12 years, you have been a child in our public school system. Your graduation is the rite of passage from childhood into the world of adults. Well...almost. Our court system considers you an adult, so shoplifting is no longer a juvenile offense. You can serve in the military or get married without a...
The city of Medical is poised to ink its updated Comprehensive Plan, or comp plan, according to a public notice. The plan is the guiding document that will be used to drive Medical Lake’s growth and direction for the next decade. Citizens have until 5 p.m., Friday, June 28, to review and comment on the new plan. The Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing at 5 p.m., Thursday, June 27, at Medical Lake City Hall to review the proposed update and to make a recommendation of approval to the City Council. The s...
The Cheney Care Center has submitted a rezone application to the city in order to proceed with the next phase of its Blackstone Estates project. The application, submitted April 15 with a notice dated May 28, would change the designation of 4.94 acres of land from R-1 single-family residential to R-2 two-family residential. If approved, the Care Center would proceed with building 12 senior housing duplexes, 24 units total that would be home to up to 48 middle to high-income...
Enjoy the clear blue spring sky while you can. By all accounts, this year will be host to yet another hot, dry and smoky summer fire season. “We’re already really dry,” Spokane County District 3 Division Chief Dustin Flock said. “The predictive outlook is higher than normal.” He noted that moisture content is low in the area. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources, who is responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 13 million acres of public and priva...
Representatives from several levels of the United States Air Force had little to say last week in response to an Airway Heights letter demanding nearly $47 million in damages because of the 2017 contamination of its water supply. Fairchild personnel originally referred queries seeking a response to the letter to the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) in San Antonio, Texas, which has played a large part in water testing and other contamination-related activities on the West Plains. AFCEC spokesperson Mark Kinkade said he...
The city of Airway Heights sent a letter to the United States Air Force and the United States Department of Defense Thursday, May 2, demanding they pay nearly $47 million in damages as the result of the 2017 contamination of the city’s water supply by Fairchild Air Force Base. According to the letter, the city and the Air Force are in agreement that Air Force activities contributed to PFOA and PFAS contamination via firefighting foam, which the city believes makes the Air Force liable for damages for “trespass, nuisance and...
