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Spin Control archive for Jan. 2011

MONDAY, JAN. 31, 2011

Electronic bracelets for stalkers?

OLYMPIA -- Requiring stalkers to wear electronic monitoring bracelets could have saved the life of a Tacoma teacher, a House panel was told Monday. The parents of Jennifer Paulson pleaded with the House Judiciary Committee to approve HB 1180, a bill that would allow judges…

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Cantwell to lead aviation subcommittee

Sen. Maria Cantwell was named Monday the chairwoman of the senate panel that oversees aviaition.\ Technically, it's known as the aviation operations, safety and security subcommittee of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which is admittedly two long names with lots of commas. It's main…

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SATURDAY, JAN. 29, 2011


Rebuttal: Inmate requests eat up your money 

Editor's note: Longtime Assistant City Attorney Bob Beaumier takes issue with last Sunday's Spin Control column regarding proposed changes to the law on certain public records requests. While I don't agree with some of his conclusions (just as he disagrees with mine) Spin Control is…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 28, 2011


House adopts rules over GOP objections

OLYMPIA -- The House of Representatives will have to wait at least 24 hours between the time a budget bill is written and a final vote is taken under rules adopted today on a party-line vote. Republicans objected, saying there should be a 72-hour delay,…

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Lura Powell chosen to head Redistricting Commish

OLYMPIA -- Lura Powell of Richland was named chaiwoman of the state Redistricting Commission this morning. Powell, former director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was the unanimous choice of the four members who were each appointed by a legislative leader of one party from…

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THURSDAY, JAN. 27, 2011

Marr on state Liquor Board

OLYMPIA -- Former state Sen. Chris Marr was appointed to the Washington State Liquor Control Board Thursday by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Marr, who served one term in the Senate from Spokane's 6th District but lost his re-election on Nov. 2 to Republican Mike Baumgartner, replaces…

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WA Lege Day 18: Split the House districts?

OLYMPIA -- Splitting the legislative districts in half, so that a different state representative is elected in each half, would increase the contacts with constituents, the sponsor of the plan said. But it would also cut in half each voter's representation in the House, and…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 26, 2011

Smoking in cars with kids could mean a ticket 10 

OLYMPIA -- Washington drivers who smoke in a car with children would be liable for a traffic ticket under a bill being discussed in the state Senate. The proposal, which had its first hearing Wednesday in the Senate Transportation Committee, wouldn't allow law enforcement officers…

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OFM: Spokane Med School not on list

OLYMPIA – A new medical school building in Spokane is not on the list of large construction projects being proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire for the next two years, a group of government and business leaders from Eastern Washington was told Wednesday. Marty Brown, the…

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WA Lege Day 17: Spokane comes to Oly

OLYMPIA -- State legislators won't spend much time on "the floor" today, but have a full slate of hearings on everything from foreclosures to college efficiencies to smoking in cars with kids. Meanwhile, members of the Greater Spokane Inc. delegation is scheduled to hit town…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 25, 2011

Something phish-y about IRS e-mail

If you get an e-mail from the IRS asking for your name, address and other information so the agency can check its records, promising you a $50 reward for being so helpful...don't respond. Don't open the attachment. Don't do anything except hit the delete button.…

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Who's your speech date?

Being watched almost as closely as what President Obama says tonight are the locations of where the honorable members of Congress will sit. Put another way: Who's your date for the State of the Union? Traditionally, the Democrats sit on one side of the House…

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WA Lege Day 16: Gregoire wants UI bill soon

OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire urged legislators to move quickly on proposals to cancel planned increases in unemployment insurance taxes, saying she needs a bill in two weeks. At a press conference this morning, Gregoire repeated a call for legislators to keep rate hikes that…

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MONDAY, JAN. 24, 2011

Wa Lege Day 15: Budget debate begins

OLYMPIA -- Members of the House have begun their first real votes of the session, taking up the supplemental budget. First up are amendments: On a unanimous vote, the House stripped out provisions to let the Transportation Commission set ferry rates. Sponsor Ross Hunter said…

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WA Lege Day 15: Budget debate in House

OLYMPIA -- The first floor debate on budget cuts this session is scheduled for this morning as the state House of Representatives takes up a portion of the 2011 supplemental budget. This is the budget that gets the state through June 30 -- although not…

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SATURDAY, JAN. 22, 2011

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



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