State Senate leaders on Thursday proposed a $2.7 billion construction budget for the next two years. That's about $300 million more than Gov. Gary Locke recommended in his first-out-of-the-gate budget proposal last December.
Locally, the potential winners included the Fox Theater and Chewelah Peak Environmental Learning Center, both of which are slated for $2 million grants. The Fox had wanted more -- $6 million -- but neither of these projects were included at all in Locke's version.
Other apparent winners include WSU and Eastern, which would get tens of millions of dollars for maintenance and renovations.
Among the losers: Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, which would get about $1.5 million less than Locke suggested for renovation of the hospital's activity therapy building.
None of this is a done deal -- the state House of Representatives will also have a big say in what ultimately gets money and what doesn't. They haven't yet released their construction proposals.
That's the quick look -- for a more detailed overview of the proposal, see tomorrow morning's newspaper.

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