Council considers switching city's legal newspaper to The Spokesman-Review; public urges caution
November 05, 2025 | Spokane Valley, Spokane County, Washington
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
"The Spokesman-Review is a daily publication of roughly 40,000 readers...the Valley News Herald is a weekly publication with roughly over 650 in print," staff said, summarizing circulation and pricing differences. Staff noted The Spokesman-Review quoted a line rate of $1.57 per line (with discounts on repeat insertions and the first affidavit provided at no cost) while the Valley News Herald quoted about $0.90 per line plus a $10 effective service fee per insertion for affidavit and online placement.
Staff emphasized the operational benefit of a daily paper for permitting and planning deadlines: the daily paper typically requires less than 24 hours turnaround versus the weekly publication schedule the Herald follows, which staff said makes it harder to meet time-sensitive development and permitting schedules.
Several councilmembers raised concerns about keeping publication local. Councilmember Merkel and public commenter Mike Patton urged more analysis of cost and the Valley News Herald's local ties; Patton said the Herald had signaled willingness to reestablish a local office. Staff noted the Herald is owned by the Cheney Free Press and currently does not maintain a local office.
Staff asked for consensus to proceed with a resolution to name The Spokesman-Review as the official legal paper with a likely January start to allow a clean transition; council indicated support to move forward and staff said they will return with a resolution.
What happens next: staff will prepare a resolution to designate The Spokesman-Review as the city's official legal newspaper and present it for council action; if approved, the transition would be targeted for January.
View full meeting
This article is based on a recent meeting—watch the full video and explore the complete transcript for deeper insights into the discussion.
View full meetingSponsors
Proudly supported by sponsors who keep Washington articles free in 2025
