A new proposal is being shopped around to local elected officials. The proposal could build a new regional animal facility that voters turned down last November. After going back to the drawing board, Spokane County Commission Todd Mielke, says the proposal is cheaper by a few million.
The original concept was estimated to be about $15 million. When the proposal made the ballot last year, it was reduced to $9.3 million to convert an already existing building into what they’d need. That was voted down.
The new plan has been reduced to $4.5 million and would take over an existing building. Mielke says they have three choices, one at the vacant Harley Davidson building on East Trent, another in a now vacant mattress building north of Sprague and Fancher. Another on the east end of the Fairgrounds on Broadway that went on the market last week.
If approved by all the jurisdictions, this proposal doesn’t need voter approval because it’s below $6.5 million.
City council regular, Ron Wright said during his moment of testimony: "You have a duty to the city of Spokane just like the Police Department. Either vote this down or go with Condon and defer them until an answer from the Human Rights Commission. It’s being fast tracked by city staff to cover their butts for a series of incompetent, inept and corrupt behavior."
During his final seconds of Wright's three minutes, he mentioned that Anne Kirkpatrick was not selected as the finalists for police chief in Phoenix.
Following up on that,According to KPHO in Phoenix, Arizona, former Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick is not in the finalists for the Phoenix police chief position. She was originally one of seven who met last week in a panel discussion with Phoenix businessman and community leaders, but that did not get her to the final four.
Local supporters of the Marriage Equality Bill are hitting the road to celebrate the legislation signed into law by Governor Chris Gregoire earlier this month.
Occupy Spokane is spearheading a gathering planned with the LGBT Center at the rest area on along eastbound I-90 near Sprague starting Thursday morning at 4 a.m.
The groups will be there until Midnight encouraging travelers to not sign R-74, the referendum filed by the bill’s opposition to reverse the Governor’s decision.
Across the state, an effort to block the ballot title of Referendum 74 is heading to court. Preserve Marriage Washington has filed a court challenge to the Attorney General Office to change the title of the referendum saying it does the reflect the gender neutrality change for “husband” and “wife”.
They’re not the only ones challenging the title. Supporters of the new law are expected to challenge as well. They all have until next Monday to file their case. Challenges are typically held at the same meeting, but a hearing date hasn’t even been announced yet.
(Updated 11:10 a.m.) - Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul, addressed a crowd of 2,577 in downtown Spokane on Friday night, hoping to earn their vote for the upcoming Washington State Republican caucus on March 3rd. The first to arrive lined up outside the convention center doors at 2:30 p.m. waiting for five hours until the doors finally opened. Crowds lined Spokane Falls Blvd. waving signs until for support of the candidate until the last minute.
Paul says he thought the crowd size was much better than four years ago, two or three times as many people as his previous visit.
He spoke to media after the rally saying the crowd verified one of his many talking points:
"I've always been told this part of the country and this state is very supportive of liberty. I think that was verified tonight," Paul said.
Paul has yet to win a state caucus, always placing in second or third, but he believes he's still in a good race right now.
"We believe we're doing a very good job even in the states that we don't come out on top on the popular votes," Paul said. "In other states we're going to do well for the delegate vote and that's what really counts for a campaign like this."
If Paul does not make the primary later this year, he says he does not have any intention to run as an independent.
North Idaho had a recent visit from Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. This Friday, Spokane is getting their own visit from another candidate: Ron Paul.
He'll be in town for a rally at Spokane Convention Center at 7:30 p.m. It's not on the official campaign website yet, but it has been confirmed by the campaign's Eastern Washington regional director.
AP caucus results show Paul going back and forth between 2nd and 3rd place. The most recent caucus in Maine have Paul at 35.7% following candidate Mitt Romney at 39.2%.
Paul's arrival to Washington comes a month before the first of the party state caucuses. The Washington State Republican Party Caucus is scheduled for Saturday, March 3rd. The Washington State Democrats Caucus is scheduled for Sunday, April 15th. For more information about what the political party caucuses are, the Secretary of State's website has a couple helpful links.
Elected officials from the 3rd Legislative District will be back in Spokane on Saturday, February 18th from Olympia to host a legislative town hall.
State Reps. Timm Ormsby and Andy Billig will feature updates on current issues they’ve been discussing at the capital including the proposed Jobs Bill and the state budget. There will be an audience question and answer session as well.
They’re hosting the event at the West Central Community Center, located at 1603 N. Belt Street in Spokane. The town hall starts at 10 a.m.
Share: What would you ask your elected officials in Olympia?
What's a Poet Laureate? They're poets appointed by the government to write for state occasions. We have one nationally, recently appointed Philip Levine. The New York Times highlighted him last August describing him as the "voice of the workingman".
Locally in the state of Washington, we now have Kathleen Flenniken. Humanities Washington announced today she's the newly appointed Poet Laureate by Governor Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Arts Commission
This is the first Poet Laureate we've had since 2009. Samuel Green held the previous two-year position, but it was eliminated in 2009 due to a budget shortfall. During that time, the position carried a stipend of $10,000 according to The Library of Congress.
