This just in from state Rep.-elect Don Barlow, D-Spokane:

"The 2007 Legislature will face serious challenges in any number of issue areas,"

Barlow is quoted as saying in his first official press release.

"Many issues that will come before us will undergo a first round of discussion in my new committees, which cover a range of top issues in the state capital."

Barlow seems like a likable fellow, but for sheer news-free content, that quote rivals some of the pronouncements of Alan Greenspan (Example: "Reflecting that flexibility, the direction and the emphasis of legislative revision over the generations have mirrored the changing structure of our economy.") But at least Greenspan had the excuse that his comments could roil financial markets.

As it turns out, there was some news. Barlow, a longtime Spokane School Board member, was named vice-chairman of the House Education Committee, an unusual assignment for a freshman lawmaker.

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