News Releases for June 2015

June 30

City Council posts draft policy for Safe and Sick Leave

3:20 p.m. - The City Council is accepting written comments on the draft Safe and Sick Leave policy.

Report recommends hospital cardiac arrest registry participation

12:14 p.m. - An Institute of Medicine report suggests participation in a national registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests to track and improve survival.

June 29

City details Fourth of July activities, closures

12:42 p.m. - In observance of the Independence Day holiday, Spokane City Hall will be closed on Friday, July 3.

Amateur fireworks ban continues on sale, use

12:30 p.m. - Amateur sale and use of fireworks is banned in Spokane for the 23rd consecutive year.

Attic fires damage two homes

11:42 a.m. - Electrical malfunctions caused attic fires in two separate homes late Sunday.

Spokane wins All-America City honors

11:03 a.m. - Spokane honored as All-America City for third time in 40 years.

June 27

Train, truck collision brings HazMat response

9:08 p.m. - A train and truck collision spilled several hundred gallons of magnesium chloride.

Fire damages north Spokane home

2:46 p.m. - No one was injured by a fire that damaged a north Spokane home on Friday evening.

North Spokane house fire under investigation

7:12 a.m. - No one was injured by a house fire that cause $100,000 in damage.

June 26

City Hall will be open during Hoopfest weekend

11:51 a.m. - Hoopfest players and fans are invited to enjoy air-conditioned relief inside City Hall during the weekend.

State, U.S. flags will be lowered Saturday

10:30 a.m. - Flags at all state agency facilities be lowered to half-staff on Saturday, June 27 in memory of Washington State University President Elson Floyd.

Mayor, Council ask citizens to take steps to reduce water usage

9:15 a.m. - With triple-digit temperatures in the forecast and a statewide drought, the Mayor & Council are asking citizens to conserve water this summer.

June 24

Places for unsheltered to seek relief from heat

2:57 p.m. - Here are a list of places to cool off starting Friday with extremely high temperatures expected over the next week.

Dominguez submits Ombudsman Commission resignation

1:30 p.m. - Third member of the independent citizen Police Ombudsman Commission submits his resignation.

June 23

City Names New Asset Management Director

10:04 a.m. - After an aggressive recruitment process, the City of Spokane is excited to announce Ed Lukas as the new Director of Asset Management.

June 22

Police Seek Help Identifying Davenport Grand Hotel Burglary Suspect

9:12 p.m. - Spokane Police are asking for help identifying a suspect in a burglary that took place the day before The Davenport Grand Hotel opened to the public.

Riverfront Park Hosts 4th of July Weekend Celebration

4:09 p.m. - This year’s celebration will offer new festivities including a food vendor public market, live music and entertainment, and a fireworks show.

City provides annual report on drinking water quality

4 p.m. - City of Spokane is releasing its annual report on drinking water quality. For 2014, the City met or exceeded all drinking water standards.

Deadline extended for new Greening Neighborhoods Grants

9:40 a.m. - The deadline to apply for the next round of Greening Neighborhoods Grants has been extended from June 30 to July 31, 2015.

June 19

Applicants sought for Ombudsman Commission

9:38 a.m. - The citizen Police Ombudsman Commission is seeking applications to fill open seats.

One escapes injury in kitchen grease fire

8:35 a.m. - No one was injured by a fire sparked by cooking grease.

June 18

Council removes one, accepts resignation of second

4:54 p.m. - Spokane City Council members today removed two members of the independent citizen Police Ombudsman Commission.

June 17

Investigators determine smoking materials sparked fire at high-rise

12:58 p.m. - A fire in a high-rise building downtown yesterday afternoon temporarily displaced over one-hundred residents.

Whistleblower Report Finds Commissioner Misconduct

Noon - An independent investigation into the citizen Police Ombudsman Commission has found behavioral misconduct during interactions with City employees.

K9 Non-Profit to Raise Funds for SPD's K9 Unit

9:48 a.m. - K9 Non-Profit to Raise Funds for SPD's K9 Unit

Spokane Municipal Court Judge Logan Honored

9:36 a.m. - Spokane Municipal Court Judge Mary Logan has been honored with the 2015 Access to Justice Judicial Leadership Award.

June 16

Fire marshal issues restrictions on outdoor recreational fires

3:53 p.m. - Restrictions on outdoor recreational fires will take effect tomorrow, June 17, 2015.

Fire damages unoccupied home for second time

8:39 a.m. - Spokane fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of two fires that have burned the same home twice in a month.

June 13

Spokane PD officers make arrest in isolated drive by shooting

10:07 p.m. - Officers believe the incident started over someone complaining about the suspects’ driving.

June 12

Special Victims Unit Detectives make arrest in sexual assault

12:58 p.m. - On Monday, June 8, 2015, a citizen turned over a video to Spokane PD that allegedly contained images of a sexual assault.

Request for Expression of Interest

Noon - The city-owned building previously occupied by the Peaceful Valley Community Center is available for rent.

June 11

Team of Experts to Visit Lincoln Heights Next Week

2 p.m. - A team of experts will visit the Lincoln Heights commercial district to provide input June 17 and 18.

Fire on North Monroe intentionally set

12:04 p.m. - Investigators have determined a fire on North Monroe early today was arson.

June 10

Flags to Fly Half-Staff Thursday

1:38 p.m. - Flags at all City facilities will be lowered to half-staff on Thursday, June 11 in memory of Spokane Fire Department Lieutenant Terry Canfield.

City Council sets timeline for sick leave ordinance

11:39 a.m. - The Spokane City Council expects to receive the final report and recommendations from its earned safe and sick leave task force this week.

June 9

20 mph speed limit signs installed at City parks

4:08 p.m. - In preparation for the end of the school year, 20 mph speed limit signs have been posted at some City parks Tuesday.

June 8

City asks citizens for feedback, suggestions

1:30 p.m. - Starting this month, a six-month promotion begins encouraging citizens to talk about their experience with the City.

Marijuana Policy Subcommittee Summit is Thursday

12:30 p.m. - The Marijuana Policy Subcommittee of the City of Spokane will be holding a summit on June 11, 2015 at 9 a.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Mayor, Council President Announce Work Group

11:30 a.m. - The formation of a work group is part of plans to encourage economic investment, create jobs, and improve the median household income in Spokane.

June 6

Unattended food on stoves causes two fires

9:29 p.m. - Unattended food on stoves damaged two kitchens in separate fires.

Spokane PD Responds to Two Serious Collisions

10:37 a.m. - On Saturday, Spokane PD responded to an incident near Sunset Ave and Government Way and another near Nevada St. and Queen Ave.

June 4

Flags to be lowered for fallen Spokane Marine

9:30 a.m. - Governor Jay Inslee has directed that Washington State and United States flags at all state agency facilities be lowered to half-staff on Friday.

Spokane Police Arrest Suspect from May 26th North Monroe Homicide

Midnight - Spokane Police Arrest Homicide Suspect from May 26th North Monroe Incident

June 3

Mayor to Host Community Conversation Tuesday

12:07 p.m. - Spokane Mayor David Condon will host the next installment in the City’s ongoing series of community conversations on Tuesday, June 9 from 6-7 p.m.

June 2

“Thank You Spokane” Celebration to be held in Riverfront Park Saturday

11:41 a.m. - Spokane Parks and Recreation will host a “Thank You Spokane” event to thank the Spokane community for passing the Bond to revitalize Riverfront Park.

Richard Aguirre Taken into Custody for 1st Degree Murder

Midnight - Richard Aguirre Taken into Custody for 1st Degree Murder

June 1

Thousands take part in Spokane Gives Week

2:38 p.m. - Thousands more volunteers participated in the second annual Spokane Gives Week in April.

Spokane Homeless Count Shows Decrease

12:34 p.m. - Results of this year’s Point-in-Time count of persons and families experiencing homelessness show a decrease in Spokane from the previous year.