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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control archive for Nov. 2014

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 2014

Spokane Mayor David Condon  (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

Voters to decide mayor's wage 

Spokane voters will get a chance to weigh in on the mayor’s salary next year, but City Council members say a change to the city charter may complicate other potential ballot measures that will seek money for schools and an expanded transit system. A proposed…

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TUESDAY, NOV. 25, 2014

A sidewalk chalk drawing by Rick Bocook, AKA Harpman Hatter, of Dr. Evil referring to Spokane Mayor David Condon inheriting $1 million. (Nicholas Deshais)

Harpman Hatter renders Dr. Evil

Rick Bocook, a perennial figure at Spokane City Council meetings, has just a few issues he rails on at City Hall. Freedom for street musicians. The tyranny of the city's sit-lie ordinance. Sidewalk chalk drawings. Bocook, AKA Harpman Hatter, was in fine form on this…

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SUNDAY, NOV. 23, 2014

Sunday Spin 3: Sin taxes roll in

Voters have a way of complicating the state’s revenue forecast by changing the laws on things that provide revenue. After they passed a law abolishing the state’s monopoly on wholesale and retail liquor sales, the state coffers saw a big bump in booze taxes. In…

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Sunday Spin 2: Other ways to divvy up court

OLYMPIA -- Legislators may be asked to split the state into districts to elect the state Supreme Court justices, an idea that got a sometimes friendly, sometimes skeptical hearing Friday before the Senate Law and Justice Committee. Jason Mercier, of the Center for Government Reform,…

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SATURDAY, NOV. 22, 2014

Sunday Spin: Could he spend money on a new metaphor? 

OLYMPIA – Someone please give Senate Republican budget writers a new metaphor for hyperbolic parsimony. Looking at the state’s less than cheery prospects of matching income to outgo last week, the chief GOP Senate budgeteer deployed the well-worn image of personal thriftiness, the squeezed toothpaste…

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FRIDAY, NOV. 21, 2014


Kristiansen re-elected House GOP leader

OLYMPIA -- House Republicans re-elected their top leadership today, returning Dan Kristiansen as their leader for the 2015 session.. Kristiansen, of Snohomish, was named to the job earlier this year after Rep. Richard DeBolt stepped down for health reasons. Joel Kretz of Wauconda was re-elected…

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Remote testimony: Split high court into districts

OLYMPIA — A Pasco-based government watchdog made a pitch Friday for district elections to the Supreme Court and two Spokane Valley law enforcement officers told legislators about rising arrest numbers for driving under the influence of marijuana. That would be fairly normal fare for a…

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THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014


Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart tells the media Friday at C.O.P.S. West that “I can’t in good conscience vote for Mayor Condon’s proposed 2015 budget.” Behind him are council member Amber Waldref, Chief Garry Park neighborhood co-chair Colleen Gardner and council members Karen Stratton and Candace Mumm. “I can comfortably say ... this budget for a vote today wouldn’t get a single vote,” Stuckart said. (Dan Pelle)

Stuckart fined $250 for ethics violation 

Spokane City Councilman Ben Stuckart was fined $250 for violating the city's ethics code, but committee members said his action did not financially harm the city. Stuckart was referred to the committee for leaking what city officials called a “highly confidential email regarding a pending…

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WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19, 2014

The International Harvester Company Truck Showroom built in 1929 at 1030 W. Third Ave. in downtown Spokane. Photo courtesy of The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture/Eastern Washington State Historical Society, Spokane, Washington.

The auto row building saved by compromise

In today's paper, I wrote about the proposed demolition of two historic buildings on Spokane’s storied auto row, part of the conceptual master plan by the Larry H. Miller Group to build a large downtown campus for its auto dealerships. The buildings to be razed…

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TUESDAY, NOV. 18, 2014

House Dems re-elect Chopp speaker

OLYMPIA -- House Democrats had their numbers shaved in this month's election but voted today to stick with most of last session's leadership. Seattle Rep. Frank Chopp was re-elected speaker, a position he has held by himself since 2002, and shared as co-speaker in 1999,…

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MONDAY, NOV. 17, 2014

SUNDAY, NOV. 16, 2014


SATURDAY, NOV. 15, 2014

Sunday Spin: Big majorities are temporary

OLYMPIA – The most ephemeral thing in politics might be big majorities. This should be particularly obvious to Democrats as they look to next year’s Legislature. Six years ago, Democrats approached the session with 31 of 49 seats in the Senate and 62 of 98…

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THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2014


McMorris Rodgers re-elected to GOP post 

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was re-elected the House Republican Conference chairwoman today by GOP members who returned all their top leaders for the upcoming Congress. House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise were also re-elected. The conference chairmanship is…

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WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12, 2014



Members of the Washington State Liquor Control Board, from left, Ruthann Kurose, Sharon Foster and Chris Marr, listen during a public forum on implementing I-502 at the Spokane Convention Center on Tuesday. (Colin Mulvany)

Marr, Foster leaving Liquor Board 

OLYMPIA – Two of the three members of the state board that oversees Washington’s liquor and marijuana laws will step down early next year. Chairwoman Sharon Foster has informed Gov. Jay Inslee that she will not accept a reappointment to the Liquor Control Board when…

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Today's fun video: Is this funny or sad? 

This is a standard laugh-getter: Go out on the street, or in this case a college campus, and ask people questions that grade school kids should be able to answer, then chuckle when they can't. But for these questions, and these students, it's a tossup…

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Quasqui- what? No, we didn't make that up

A few people have called or e-mailed to accuse the newspaper of making up quasquicentennial as a word to mean 125 year anniversary in this morning's story about Washington's birthday celebration. To which we would say, truthfully, we're not that smart. It's a real word,…

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



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