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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control archive for Feb. 2014

FRIDAY, FEB. 28, 2014

Flurry of excitement in the Senate

OLYMPIA -- Friday's debate over the Senate capital budget amendments prompted a brief but interesting bit of parliamentary drama in the ongoing maneuvering between minority Democrats and the predominantly Republican coalition that controls the chamber. Democrats first objected to a fairly minor amendment to add…

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Spokane GOP caucuses Saturday

Republican activists in Spokane, and those who might be thinking of becoming more active, will be gathering Saturday morning for precinct caucuses. No, there isn't a presidential election this year that's sneaking up on you. Although caucuses get the most attention when they occur during…

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THURSDAY, FEB. 27, 2014

Senate passes budget plan

OLYMPIA – With strong bipartisan support, the Senate passed a budget plan that was described by supporters and opponents more for what it doesn't do than what it does. It doesn't put state spending out of balance, doesn't raise taxes or college tuition, supporters said.…

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Classroom building plan passes committee

OLYMPIA -- On a unanimous vote, a House committee approved a plan to build some 2,000 new classrooms at schools around the state by tapping lottery funds. The House Capital Budget Committee voted 13-0 this morning in favor of a proposal to sell $700 million…

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26, 2014

Trash burner power bill dies

OLYMPIA – A proposal to make power from the West Plains garbage incinerator worth more money, one of the city of Spokane’s top legislative priorities, died a quiet death Wednesday in a House committee. A proposal to reclassify power from the city's Waste-to-Energy facility as…

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WA Lege Day 45: Another day, another budget

OLYMPIA -- House Democrats will unveil their operating budget at noon, and their capital budget at 12:45 p.m.,at back-to-back press conferences, in a day filled with committee hearings and media events. Also around the Capitol, Sen. Janea Holmquist Newbry talks about studying lower taxes for…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 25, 2014


MONDAY, FEB. 24, 2014

Senate budget plan 'simply an update'

OLYMPIA – Public schools would get more money for math and science supplies and state colleges would keep tuition from going up in a proposal released by the Senate budget writers. But there would be no major new expenses, no cost-of-living raises for teachers, no…

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WA Lege Day 43: Senate budget to be released

OLYMPIA -- Members of the Senate from both parties will unveil their proposal for a supplemental budget this afternoon, a day before they hold a hearing on it in the Ways and Means Committee. Not much time, government watchdog Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy…

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SATURDAY, FEB. 22, 2014

FRIDAY, FEB. 21, 2014

Legislative town halls at the MAC today

The Museum of Arts and Culture will be a busy place this weekend for Spokane residents who want to ask their legislators what’s happening in Olympia. As the 2014 session nears the two-thirds mark, legislators from the 3rd and 6th Districts have town hall meetings…

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WA Lege Day 40: 66.66667 percent done

OLYMPIA -- The Legislature hits the two-thirds mark in its 60-day session today with a relatively light work, fairly typical for Friday, work schedule. Some hearings in the morning and early afternoon, nothing late in the day to get in the way of legislators heading…

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THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 2014

Will state ban 'conversion therapy' for gay youth? 

OLYMPIA – Doctors and licensed therapists in Washington could soon be barred from trying to turn gay teens straight through techniques known as “conversion therapy.” A bill labels such practices, also known as sexual orientation change efforts or reparative therapy, as unprofessional conduct if used…

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Extending online voter signup

OLYMPIA -- Procrastinating voters who delay registering as the election approaches would have a little more time to sign up on-line before an election under a bill moving through the Legislature. But those who would prefer to go to the elections office and fill out…

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 19, 2014

Liquor Board sets new pot-growing limits 

UPDATE: OLYMPIA — Faced with far more people wanting to grow legal marijuana than state rules would allow, the Liquor Control Board upped the amount of land that can be planted to the drug by more than five-fold. But it also put some new restrictions…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2014



Contract liquor stores offered help

OLYMPIA -- Owners of former contract liquor stores struggling with the new law on liquor sales would get some help from fees under a bill approved Tuesday by the Senate. After voters approved a ballot measure getting the state out of the wholesale and retail…

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WA Lege Day 37: 5 p.m. witching hour

OLYMPIA -- The hopes of many interest groups, lobbyists and citizens with hopes for key pieces of legislation hang in the balance today, a major "cut-off" day for bills. If a bill doesn't have some fiscal aspect to it, it must have passed the chamber…

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MONDAY, FEB. 17, 2014


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



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