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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Olympia archive for Jan. 1, 2008

FRIDAY, JAN. 18, 2008

Long-distance lobbying by the planeload...

In a statehouse where competing interests clash for a limited amount of state cash and legislative time, Spokane-area business groups, universities, city and county officials and community groups have painstakingly learned a key lesson in recent years: it helps to be singing in chorus.Nearly 80…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16, 2008



State of the state -- how it went

And so it begins.If anyone had any doubts that the looming election won't heavily overshadow this year's legislative session, look at last night.For most of an hour, Gov. Chris Gregoire touted her three years in office and a series of Democrat-led initiatives and reforms: a…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 15, 2008

Other interesting reads...

Runner-up for poet laureate: UW lobbyist ("state relations director) Randy Hodgins, with these lines in a recent blog post:So let’s have a final systems check. Shoes are polished, tie is straight (for now), shirt tucked in and two pens clipped inside the coat pocket. Time…

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Democratic response...

Democrats, not surprisingly, were underwhelmed. In a statement sent out to reporters minutes after Rossi's streaming-video "Real State of the State" speech, state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz called it an: "online gimmick which offered zero substance or even variation from his tired stump speech…

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MONDAY, JAN. 14, 2008


Initiatives blooming in the January rains...

Ballot measures are blossoming this year, with more than two dozen potential initiatives to the people filed so far.Among them, of course, are former Gov. Booth Gardner's death-with-dignity assisted suicide measure and Tim Eyman's anti-traffic-congestion proposal.Less known so far is the proposal by Steilacoom's Michael…

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9, 2008

Gardner files measure...

Former Gov. Booth Gardner returned to the statehouse Wednesday, again facing a bank of news cameras for what he called his "last campaign": a battle to allow terminally ill people to have a doctor's help in ending their own lives.Gardner, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in…

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TUESDAY, JAN. 8, 2008


Paid family leave: How to pay?

One key thing that remains unsettled as lawmakers pack for a two month stay in Olympia: how to pay for the family leave program that would pay a $250-a-week stipend to help parents of new children stay home for a few weeks to bond with…

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FRIDAY, JAN. 4, 2008


On Eyman...

Initiative pro Tim Eyman this morning filed his still-unnumbered 2008 ballot measure: a proposal based partly on the suggestions contained in a recent state performance audit of the Department of Transportation.What it would do:-Allow all motorists to use carpool lanes at "non-peak" times, which Eyman…

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On taxes...

-Property tax foes are preparing an opening-day "Property Tax Tea Party" on the steps of the state capitol Jan. 14.-Initiative 960, approved by voters in November, requires extensive public notices of tax and fee proposals in Olympia, as well as the 10-year costs of them.…

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Whacky nation...

Much as I hate to add to the echo chamber -- a political blogger writing about a political blogger taking shots at yet another political blogger who's defended by etc. -- conservative former newspaperman and Whacky Nation blogger Lou Guzzo blasted contemporary colleague David Postman…

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Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.



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