In 2017, the city of Spokane adopted a "Bicycle Master Plan" that set ridership goals and a vision for an interconnected bike network that "guides cyclists of all ages and abilities safely throughout Spokane and its unique geography" by 2037. On Monday, city planners reported the city has completed 56 miles of bike lanes — a little over half of the 113 miles that are planned to be finished by 2037. Things are running behind schedule when it comes to building more neighborhood greenways, which are low-volume, low-speed streets optimized for bicycle and pedestrian travel. The goal is to complete 20 miles of neighborhood greenways by 2037, but only 1.95 miles have been finished. The city is ahead of schedule, however, when it comes to completing shared-use paths where bicyclists and pedestrians intermingle (picture Centennial Trail). Nearly 60% of the planned 85 miles of shared-use paths have been completed so far, city planner Colin Quinn-Hurst said during a Monday presentation to Spokane City Council members. The city's bike plan also aims for 2.1% of Spokanites to be primarily commuting by bike by 2037. The current number is 0.7%. On Monday, Quinn-Hurst presented data from the Netherlands showing that many people will take short trips by bike when safe, protected bicycle infrastructure is in place. "That gives us an indication of what is possible," Quinn-Hurst said. (NATE SANFORD)
CHANGE OF VENUE
Bryan Kohberger, 29, woke up on Sept. 16 in the Ada County Jail as his case is moving forward in another part of the state. Latah County District Judge John Judge, who was presiding over Kohberger's case, granted a motion for a change of venue on Sept. 6 after the defense argued the jury pool was compromised with prejudice. Kohberger is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in 2022 and faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. His defense claimed that the exposure of news accounts and the small pool of potential jurors in Latah County created the need to change the venue for his trial. The small court staff in Latah County is also poorly equipped to handle high-profile cases alongside day-to-day cases. On Sept. 12, the Idaho Supreme Court issued an order moving Kohberger to the 4th Judicial District in Ada County, with Judge Steven Hippler presiding over the case. The trial is scheduled for June 2, 2025. (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
REBUILDING THE PAC-12
Over the past few years, 10 schools have exited the Pac-12, leaving Washington State University and Oregon State University as the only members of the century-old athletic conference. While that could have ended the Pac-12 entirely, the remaining schools instead decided to rebuild the conference to maintain serious athletic competition for their students. Last week, the conference accepted the applications of four Mountain West Conference schools, including Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. The four schools are set to join the Pac-12 starting in the 2025-26 school year. "I think there's been lots of energy and positive excitement around this, and it's been the culmination of several months' worth of work," WSU President Kirk Schulz said at a Sept. 13 WSU Board of Regents meeting. (COLTON RASANEN) ♦
