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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control archive for Aug. 2009

THURSDAY, AUG. 27, 2009

Al French for county auditor? 

Spokane City Councilman Al French appears to be readying for a 2010 election, but what that election is, he won't say. "I look forward to serving as long as the public will allow me to serve," French said in an interview on Thursday. Earlier this…

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TUESDAY, AUG. 25, 2009

GOP memo ponders Staab's political leanings 

The debate over Municipal Court Judge Tracy Staab’s residency isn’t going away. A memo circulated with local GOP leaders indicates that Spokane City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, who is active in the party, has questioned the party’s decision to oppose Staab’s candidacy. Party leaders formally opposed…

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MONDAY, AUG. 24, 2009

Eugster not done

Fresh off a fourth-place finish for a City Council seat, former Councilman Steve Eugster said he will run in 2011 for City Council president.Eugster said he was encouraged by his finish: "I got 1,800 votes, and I didn't even spend a nickel," he said in…

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SUNDAY, AUG. 23, 2009

Town hall meetings have limits 

Town hall meetings are under the microscope this August as some members of Congress find hostile constituents waiting when they’re back from Washington, D.C. Liberals and conservatives argue whether the town halls represent the general public mood or ginned up outrage. In truth, they may…

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THURSDAY, AUG. 20, 2009

Since when do Democrats win late counts? 

Jon Snyder must be smiling with the latest counts from Tuesday's primary.What was virtually a tie on election night between him and incumbent Spokane City Councilman Mike Allen has become an easy win for him. Since Tuesday's count, he has gotten 455 more votes than…

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TUESDAY, AUG. 18, 2009

The race is on

Mike Allen and Jon Snyder are virtually tied in tonight's primary election tally for Spokane City Council.Though Allen is in second place by a hair, he has some reason to feel good about the numbers. Kristina Sabestinas finished a strong third, and her conservative supporters…

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MONDAY, AUG. 17, 2009

Hey! There's an election going on here

Clock is ticking down to the deadline for turning in ballots for primary elections all over Washington state.Most of the primaries are for city or town councils, school or fired district boards. But there's a hot five-way race for an open state representative seat in…

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Separating wheat & chaff on health care reform

There are so many statements about what health care reform will or won't do, it's hard to keep up.Set up death panels?Raise taxes?Mandate sex change operations?Town hall meetings aren't really the best place to get questions answered, or to separate the fact from the fiction.…

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SUNDAY, AUG. 16, 2009

FRIDAY, AUG. 14, 2009

THURSDAY, AUG. 13, 2009

Air Force 1 overhead? Yes and no 

Think you saw Air Force One flying low over the West Plains this afternoon? Well, you weren't hallucinating.One of two planes used by the president as Air Force One did land at Fairchild Air Force Base Thursday afternoon. It's at the base for two days…

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12, 2009

Surprise endorsement?

Karen Kearney, who is one of five challengers to incumbent City Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, has listed two new endorsements on her Web site. One is from the Spokane Regional Labor Council. That's no surprise. Kearney has garnered strong union support throughout her campaign.The other, however,…

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TUESDAY, AUG. 11, 2009

McMorris Rodgers in Colville Weds. 

Some members of Congress are getting an earful about health care reform and other topics at their town hall meetings this August break from the session. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' office released the first few days of her public schedule for the August break, and…

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County GOP knocks Staab 

Spokane Municipal Court races are non partisan, but the County Republican Party is weighing in on one of the races and criticizing Judge Tracy Staab.The GOP's problem with Staab is not judicial activism or any decision she's made. Instead, it's residence.As in, Staab doesn't live…

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Campaign has some familiar names

One of the campaign organizations set up to oppose the "Community Bill of Rights" mentioned in this morning's newspaper report has some familiar names.Jobs & Opportunities Benefiting Spokane has hired Polis Political Services of Olympia and Brian Murray as political consultants.Murray may be more familiar…

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SUNDAY, AUG. 9, 2009

Cooking the books, city election style 

Whether they realize it or not, the Spokane City Council is asking to cook the books on the Community Bill of Rights charter amendment and skew the results of the November vote. They’re using a strategy campaigns sometimes use to get the result they want.…

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FRIDAY, AUG. 7, 2009

RIP, Comstock elm

The City Parks Department cut down an elm in Comstock Park Friday. It was a traumatic event, or so one might assume from the press release issued announcing the tree's demise.In it we find out the tree's age (60-70 years), its species (Siberian elm), pre-removal…

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Time to register running out

Washington residents who want to cast a ballot in the Aug. 18 primary have to be registered by Monday, or they’re out of luck. Those who aren’t registered, but want to, must register in person at their local county elections office by filling out a…

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Fri. a.m. video: Sonia vote Thurs. 

You all knew this was going to happen, but Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation still dominated the cable news on Thursday. The funniest thing seemed to be that after months of the nomination-and-hearing process, some people still have trouble pronouncing her name. Here's the rundown from TalkingPointsMemo.

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THURSDAY, AUG. 6, 2009

We're flush with ideas...

The City of Spokane and Spokane County were plugging their water conservation program Thursday, which offers rebates for people who replace their toilets with commodes that use much less water per flush.It is not, however, going to be called "Cash for Crappers."And that wouldn't be…

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The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.



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