Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 415
Clare McGraw Valley Herald SPOKANE VALLEY – The bitter cold has brought attention to the plight of the homeless, with an estimated 80-100 individuals grappling with the harsh conditions, according to Jill Smith, the city’s communications manager. Adding to the gravity of the situation, Smith revealed, “Our school districts in the Valley estimate that 700 kids do not have a permanent home, meaning they may be living in a hotel or temporarily staying with friends or family.” Addressing the issue as a collective effort, Smith e...
SPOKANE VALLEY – The Spokane County Sheriff's Office is looking for two suspects in an armed robbery Jan. 16. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to an apartment complex in the 2300 block of North Wilbur Road at 9:45 p.m. for a reported armed robbery. Victims told police they were inside the apartment when two armed people entered their unlocked door, records show. The suspects were wearing face masks, hoodies and gloves, and were allegedly armed. They d...
OLYMPIA – An initiative aimed at giving police wider discretion on when they engage in high-speed pursuits was forwarded to the Legislature on Jan. 11. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs notified the Legislature petitions for Initiative 2113 meet all legal requirements. Initiative 2113 backers want to amend a law on police pursuit that passed in 2021, which requires officers to have “probable cause” instead of “reasonable suspicion” to engage in pursuits. Critics say that measure hinders law enforcement officers who want to p...
SPOKANE VALLEY – McDonald’s restaurants in here and Geiger Heights were victims in a series of burglaries. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded promptly to four separate incidents, all involving the theft of donation money intended for Ronald McDonald House charities. The method of entry was consistent across all four locations, with the perpetrator breaking window and door glass to gain access. The primary target in each case was the Ronald McDonald House donation boxes, from which the stolen money was subse...
SPOKANE VALLEY – University High School went into lockdown at 8 a.m. Thursday morning, Jan. 4, when law enforcement informed the school that a suspicious person was walking around near the campus. “Law enforcement informed us that there was a suspicious individual, and University High School was put on lockdown for 30 minutes," schools spokeswoman Marla Nunberg said. "And Horizon Middle School, Chester elementary, University Elementary, Opportunity Elementary, South Pines Ele...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Two local men are facing federal charges in connection with a drug-trafficking case. Timothy Gary Maddox, 43, and Nicholas Bryan Adams, 35, were indicted Jan. 2 by a grand jury indictment in connection to the seizure of commercial pill presses, firearms and narcotics, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Vanessa R. Waldref said. The seized pill presses, one identified as the first commercial press linked to illegal fentanyl manufacturing in the region, have the potential to produce t...
SPOKANE VALLEY – An ongoing nationwide project got started as a simple family get together at a Father’s Day picnic in 2000. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) overheard some old war stories being shared, and decided to get his camera out and record the conversation because he realized the fleeting nature of these tales. This experience set the stage for Congress to create a national, grassroots oral history initiative, which would allow participants to interview veterans in the...
LIBERTY LAKE – With the new year here, the city of Liberty Lake has begun looking into some of the changes that will be happening throughout 2024. According to Finance Director, Kyle Dixon, there are a few big items on the agenda. Dixon said with city council accepting the Transportation Benefit District (TBD), there will be some changes to taxes coming soon. The TBD will essentially allow the city to use sales tax revenues to fund road projects. There had been ongoing d...
SPOKANE VALLEY – An ongoing discussion regarding city council members use of social media was moved to be discussed under the city governance manual with five votes for the action. City Manager John Hohman brought a discussion about social media use, how it ties to city government, and effective ways for council members to utilize it. “There’s been a lot of information, emails and discussion this last week on this particular item,” Hohman said. “I wanted to note that to m...
LIBERTY LAKE – The Liberty Lake Police Department is the city department that was allocated the biggest chunk of the 2024 budget, with 33% being allocated for public safety. According to Police Chief Damon Simmons, this is helping the department bring in some additional officers and resources. He said the department is bringing on two additional lateral officers to join the police force, but that is just the beginning of their expansion. Simmons also said they will be updating...
Valley News Herald SPOKANE VALLEY – Here are some of the area basketball scores over the last week: Boys Jan. 2 Ridgeline 59, Mead 57 University 46, Lewis and Clark 43 Ferris 70, Central Valley 59 Dec. 29 East Valley 51, Medical Lake 49 West Valley 68, Northwest Christian 58 Dec. 28 East Valley 59, Newport 46 Freeman 65, Shadle Park 45 West Valley 68, Colville 21 Dec. 27 West Valley 62, Bonner Ferry 61 Girls Jan. 2 Central Valley 76, Ferris 46 Lewis and Clark 53, University 48 Dec. 29 Kettle Falls 51, East Valley 36 West V...
SPOKANE VALLEY - Council approved the opportunity to pursue a grant proposal to help the city create an inventory and maintenance plan for the existing trees taken care of by the city Parks and Recreation Department. Approval came through with six votes yes, and Al Merkel being the only vote against the proposal. According to Engineering Manager Adam Jackson they have a grant request totaling $225,000. Jackson broke it down a bit and said those funds would be for a three-year...
SPOKANE VALLEY – As the new year has started, Spokane Valley City Council has resumed weekly meetings in City Hall starting Jan. 2. Repairs have been ongoing since last April, and according to Communications Manager Jill Smith, the city anticipates finalizing construction early this year. “The timing of final completion depends on supplies, subcontractors and weather,” Smith said via email. “As most of the final work is on the exterior of the building.” $5.3 million was the g...
SPOKANE VALLEY – The first item on city council’s agenda for 2024 was the council selection of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and Pam Haley won by a vote of 5-2. City Clerk Marci Patterson instructed council on the process, and then opened the floor for nominations. Councilwoman Pam Haley was nominated first. Councilman Al Merkel nominated himself, and Councilman Ben Wick followed suit and nominated himself. Ballots were handed out, and council wrote in their votes. Patterson then co...
SPOKANE VALLEY - Assistant Engineer with Planning and Grants Dan Baker spoke about the grant opportunities available to the city for their City Safety Program. He said this funding is made available by the United States Department of Transportation through their Highway Safety Improvement Program. Baker said the funding is offered every two years, and that a total of $35 million is available for spot location or systemic projects. There is also $1,000,000 available to help...
LIBERTY LAKE – Six city council members out of seven were sworn in on Tuesday, January 2 in Liberty Lake. County District Judge Richard Leland conducted the oaths of office for the winners of last November’s Liberty Lake City Council and mayor races shortly after the start of the council’s first 2024 meeting. Linda Ball, who has many years of experience working for local and city governments from Anchorage to Seattle, was appointed to City Council Position 1. Dan Dunne, who j...
ODESSA – An Othello woman and Spokane Valley man were arrested Dec. 23 on State Highway 21 in connection with an alleged burglary. According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Shannon D. Awtrey, 55, of Othello, and John M. Daigneault, 50 of Spokane Valley arrested for second-degree burglary. The couple was stopped at about 4:23 p.m. after leaving a property in a pickup truck with a bed full of items in the 2000 block of the highway north of Othello and south of Odessa, according to an arrest report. Further details on the...
Those hoping for tax relief in Washington state in 2024 might want to watch paint dry instead. Current state leadership is choosing to tax us more even in times of budget surplus. Contrast this with the many states, including Idaho, California and New York, who recently chose tax relief for their state residents. Or compare Washington’s tax ways with the state of Oregon, where taxpayers are used to tax refunds of hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in budget years with revenue excess because of a decades-old kicker law. O...
On Tuesday, Rep. April Connors, R-Kennewick, and I introduced House Bill 2040, also known as the Carbon Auction Rebate program. The bill seeks to provide rebates to Washington motorists suffering from our state’s high gas prices. This past summer, for the first time, Washington surpassed California for the highest gasoline price in the nation. With the summer travel season behind us, our gasoline prices have fallen, but they are still much higher than our surrounding states. The average price for gasoline in Washington, a...
FREEMAN – The West Valley boys wrestling team finished third Dec. 30 at the Freeman Winter Classic. The Eagles scored 152.0 points to finish behind Post Falls with 178.5 points in first and Riverside with 156.5 in second. Freeman finished 9th with 94.5 points and University finished 15th as a team with 30 points. Several Spokane Valley area wrestlers placed in the tournament including Freeman’s Levi Vetter at 106, Logan Allen at 132, Chase Smith at 138, Zachariah Lynn at 157...
University High traveled to the West Plains on January 3 to battle it out with the Cheney Blackhawks. The Titans won the night 36 to 31....
CHENEY — The Eastern Washington football team will hope to plug the leak in their roster caused by the transfer portal with athletes who indicated they plan to come to Cheney after the early national letter of intent signing, Dec. 20. A total of 23 players, including five transfers, are part of this group. Emphasis was focused on the offensive line (5), tight ends (4) and wide receivers (4). Included in the 2024 class are 15 players on offense and eight on defense. Ten of the 23 recruits came from the state of California, e...
FREEMAN – The West Valley boys wrestling team finished third Dec. 30 at the Freeman Winter Classic. The Eagles scored 152.0 points to finish behind Post Falls with 178.5 points in first and Riverside with 156.5 in second. Freeman finished 9th with 94.5 points and University finished 15th as a team with 30 points. Several Spokane Valley area wrestlers placed in the tournament including Freeman’s Levi Vetter at 106, Logan Allen at 132, Chase Smith at 138, Zachariah Lynn at 157...
CHENEY – Gun enthusiasts are gearing up for a special event to kick off the new year at Farm Out Range. Owner Bob Hamilton said the Post-Christmas Rimfire Special will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 30 at the Farm Out Range, 20437 W. Cordill Lane. The event is open to the public. The event is a precision rifle series focusing on rim-fire matches. Hamilton, who typically organizes monthly matches for both rim-fire and center-fire, decided to throw in this special match to cater to those who received new “toys” for Christmas. Hamilt...
CHENEY – Washington State Parks is hosting a First Day Hike at the Columbia Plateau Trail on Jan. 1. The hike is traditionally held on New Year’s Day, and participants don’t need a Discover Pass to join in. Rex Schultz, one of the guides leading the way, delved into what makes this trail so special. The hike is from 1-3 p.m. and starts at the Cheney Trailhead. The northern portion of the trail runs from Cheney to Sprague, but the First Day Hike won’t cover the whole distance. “Of the parts of the trail I know, I recommend...
