In a blow to the hopes of gay and lesbian couples across the state -- and a victory for social conservatives -- the state Supreme Court has just upheld the state's Defense of Marriage Act, which bans same-sex marriage.
Sixteen months after hearing oral arguments in two same-sex marriage cases, the state Supreme Court will issue a ruling tomorrow morning. PDF files containing the rulings and any dissents will be posted on the court website at 8 a.m.The court website is: www.courts.wa.gov."The anticipation and…
Jeff West, Jim West's nephew, provided this statement from the family:The world and the city of Spokane have just lost a great man. Many people have told us he was the best Spokane mayor ever. He dedicated his life to community service and positively impacted…
Former Spokane Mayor and longtime state lawmaker Jim West is listed in critical condition at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. That's a downgrade from yesterday, when he was listed in serious condition. West is battling post-surgical complications from cancer treatment.Read our story…
Former Spokane Mayor and longtime state lawmaker Jim West is hospitalized in Seattle with serious complications from recent cancer surgery, West's attorney told the S-R's Jim Camden.Read more here.
Some data from Gov. Chris Gregoire's recent pulse-taking town-hall meeting in Spokane:What people thought was not working well in state government:-Unfriendly business climate-Too much money and attention spent on west side of state-Higher gas tax, "but roads on the east side are worse than ever"-License…
Remember in January, when a Republican political group mailed out "SEX OFFENDER NOTIFICATION" postcards announcing that "This violent predator lives in your community"?As it turned out, the man pictured on the cards lived in Gig Harbor, not in Vancouver, Walla Walla or the other far-flung…
Washington has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a six-year-old class-action lawsuit based on pay disparities between workers doing the same sorts of jobs, according to an attorney for the workers.Largely as an artifact from old personnel boards, state workers in virtually identical jobs…
A neo-Nazi group planning to rally on the steps of the state capitol today said Saturday that its members plan nothing more than a peaceful demonstration."We are not here to instigate any problems whatsoever. You have my word on that," said Nigel Fovargue, a Los…
Even as the state battles in court over whether it can ban some felons from voting, it's booting other felons from the rolls.On Thursday, Secretary of State Sam Reed announced that Washington has cancelled the voter registrations of 848 felons."We are upholding the law," Reed…
Okay, we'll write it first: There's a new Trooper on patrol at the governor's mansion in Olympia.Gov. Chris Gregoire and her family have a new shiba puppy to replace former First Dog "Franz", the family's longtime pomeranian. Franz was struck and killed by a car…
In another bit of international diplomacy, Gov. Chris Gregoire and top staff are headed tonight to Victoria, British Columbia, for a dinner and day of meetings with BC Premier Gordon Campbell and his staff.On the agenda: border security, mutual aid in emergencies, public health and…
President George Bush swooped into Seattle’s “Gold Coast” Friday, headlining a $1,000-a-person Republican fundraiser at an Internet millionaire’s mansion in the tiny city of Medina.“I’m excited and honored. He has had a really wonderful week,” said state GOP chairwoman Diane Tebelius, ticking off recent news,…
State insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler has fined Apple Computer, Inc. $100,000 for selling tens of thousands of service contracts in Washington without registering.Under a seven-year-old law, any company that sells a service contract -- a promise to repair or replace a computer, appliance or other…
Breaking: King County Judge Mary Roberts has just thrown out 2001's Initiative 747 as unconstitutional. The measure had imposed a 1 percent cap on property tax increases, unless voters approved more.The lawsuit was brought by environmental, welfare rights, citizens groups and Whitman County.Reached by phone,…
For more on the collapse of Eyman's referendum, read our print story from this morning's paper.Some church leaders said Tuesday evening they might try again – but this time, probably without Eyman."It's almost inconceivable to me that we can't get 112,000 signatures, when we can…
Tim Eyman, who said yesterday that he'll be turning in his Referendum 65 petitions today at 4 p.m. now says he's running late. He'll be turning them in "closer to 5" he said in a phone call. Mike Fagan, flying in to Sea-Tac after gathering…
It was the best-covered non-event in Olympia Monday.Tim Eyman, who'd announced in an email last week that he'd be "bringing down petitions" to the Secretary of State's office Monday, showed up Monday as promised. Reporters figured "bringing down" petitions meaned "turning in" petitions, as did…
Tim Eyman says that, yes, he'll drop off petitions for Referendum 65 on Monday at 11 a.m. at the Secretary of State's office at 520 Union Street in Olympia. (CORRECTION: Eyman said he'd be "bringing down" petitions.)
The very conservative "Reagan Wing" of the state GOP won't be setting up its booth at the Republican convention in Yakima this weekend after all.In a statement posted on his website and similar press release, blogger and Reagan Wing president Doug Parris blasts new state…
The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday asked the state Utilities and Transportation Commission to look into whether telephone companies here "have regularly shared consumer telephone records with the National Security Agency without legal authority."The request was prompted by a May 11th article ("NSA has…
Two California firms who allegedly "blanketed" computers at the Seattle School District and elsewhere in 2004 with junk e-mails have agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements in the state's first lawsuit under the federal anti-spam act. A judgement in the case…
Moderate Republicans, who met near Seattle last weekend, say they can offer two critical things – campaign help and electability – to a GOP bruised in both Washingtons."We have a special place in the political spectrum," said Alex Hays, executive director of the Mainstream Republicans…
Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman, who cut his blogging teeth with real-time dispatches from the Wenatchee election trial that decided the governor's race last year, has a new blog: Postman on Politics.Interestingly, Postman has largely unplugged from the print version of the paper…
Oh, the geoduck, snorkeling in the muck with its long, um, snout. A state icon of sorts. The official mascot of The Evergreen State College. (College fight song: "Go, Geoduck, Go!" Really.)This week, government and company officials from Mexico's Baja Peninsula arrived in Olympia to…