Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• Editorial: Bill making mug shots public should be adopted

  March 18, 2011 in Opinion on Page A11 By an encouragingly comfortable 77-19 margin, the Washington House of Representatives has passed legislation to restore a measure of access to public records that the Washington state Supreme Court closed … 3

• Editorial: Court ruling preserves transparency in government

  June 25, 2010 in Opinion on Page A17 The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a big victory for open government when it ruled that political petition signers do not have a broad First Amendment guarantee to hide their names …

• Editorial: Welcome bills push online public information

  May 11, 2010 in Opinion on Page A9 The good thing about the federal Freedom of Information Act is that it declares the kind of clarity about government operations that citizens require if they’re going to make a … 1

• Idaho watching R-71 signature case

  April 27, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 BOISE – Idaho has much at stake in Washington’s big U.S. Supreme Court case over whether referendum petition signatures should be public. “Our initiative and referendum statute is very similar …

• Idaho has stake in Washington signatures case

    April 26, 2010 in Idaho Idaho has much at stake in Washington’s big U.S. Supreme Court case over whether referendum petition signatures should be public or not. “Our initiative and referendum statute is very similar … 3

• Editorial: Sunshine panel must stay; much work ahead

  December 9, 2009 in Opinion on Page A15 For the second straight year, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has recommended eclipsing the Sunshine Committee as part of an overall effort to close the budget gap. The committee was formed …

• Editorial: Petition signers help to create legislation

  October 27, 2009 in Opinion on Page A9 It looks as if the fate of Referendum 71 will be decided long before a final decision is made on whether to release the names of the more than 120,000 … 2

• Editorial: Pair lead struggle for more-open government

  October 6, 2009 in Opinion on Page A19 Back in the 1970s it was citizens of Washington state who took the initiative – literally – to force government to do its business in the open. Government officials in …

• Idaho site offers nitty-gritty on spending

  August 19, 2009 in Idaho on Page A7 BOISE – A nonprofit group on Tuesday launched a “government transparency” Web site that offers details about state and local government spending in Idaho, from a mayor’s salary to an …

• Our View: Directive on open government a promising start

  January 25, 2009 in Opinion on Page B10 It’s never certain whether political leaders mean it when they pledge allegiance to open government, so it is wise to wait before drawing conclusions. Nonetheless, President Barack Obama’s recent executive …

• Washington gets high scores on ‘integrity index’

  November 14, 2008 in Idaho on Page B1 BOISE – A new national survey ranks Washington fourth in the nation for governmental integrity, openness and accountability – and Idaho 44th. The survey, conducted by the Chicago-based Better Government …