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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Olympia

TUESDAY, OCT. 11, 2005

FRIDAY, OCT. 7, 2005

And check your mailbox...

The state's election guide will start arriving in mailboxes across the state on Saturday, Oct. 8, according to the Secretary of State's office. Can't wait? See it here .And if you think it's going to be too boring, here are a few choice samples:-- "Our…

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THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2005

Working on the, um, vegetable gang...

State prisons have donated more than six tons of vegetables to food banks across the state this year, according to figures compiled by the state Department of Corrections.The prison farm programs are designed to produce food for inmates, as well as work for them. The…

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5, 2005

MONDAY, OCT. 3, 2005

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29, 2005

"These are our levees..."

"If the (2001) Nisqually earthquake had lasted a mere 15 seconds longer, the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle and S-R 520 (floating bridge) would have crumbled, and bridges all up and down the I-5 corridor would have been highly vulnerable. The loss of life could…

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MONDAY, SEPT. 26, 2005


THURSDAY, SEPT. 8, 2005

"...And finally, you do it for the money."

It's a bit startling to see a long list of newspapers, TV stations and radio stations listed on campaign finance reports as contributing thousands of dollars to www.nonewgastax.com, the group that's trying to reverse the 9.5-cent gas tax increase lawmakers approved earlier this year.According to…

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 6, 2005

Not going to play the accountability game...

One phrase we're hearing an awful lot of in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is "I'm not going to play the blame game." Bush administration officials are turning to it to deflect criticism now, and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire uses it periodically in press conferences…

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31, 2005

Judge's reaction...

"I don't think I can comment on that case. Technically I think it's still a pending case in the sense (that) the voters are the tribunal at this point...It's always nice to be affirmed, I can tell you that."Benton County Superior Court Judge Craig Matheson,…

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FRIDAY, AUG. 26, 2005

TUESDAY, AUG. 23, 2005

Paying to police itself...

The nation's largest seller of tobacco products -- 7-eleven, Inc. -- has agreed to new procedures aimed at cutting tobacco sales to minors."The fewer kids who start smoking, the fewer who will eventually die from smoking-related illnesses," said Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna. The 7-Eleven…

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FRIDAY, AUG. 12, 2005

Poll raises GOP Senate hopes...

At first we thought we were reading an old George-Nethercutt-for-Senate press release. On Wednesday, supporters of GOP maybe-candidate-for-Senate Mike McGavick sent out a press release touting a poll saying that Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell's yes votes are "well below the 50 percent mark, at 46…

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 10, 2005

TUESDAY, AUG. 9, 2005

Initiatives: the primer:

We'll be writing a lot about ballot measures in the coming weeks and months on this site. So here's a short review of the major items on the fall ballot:I-330: Would limit pain-and-suffering awards in medical malpractice lawsuits to $350,000, with some exceptions, as well…

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August heats up...

Okay, we're calling an early end to the political dog days of summer. There's too much afoot to ignore:-A libertarian non-profit law firm, the Institute for Justice, is appealing a court order that radio talk-show touting of (what became) Initiative 912 be reported as political…

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2005

The fat lady sang...

"P.S.: Dino is NOT running for King County Executive." -- the closing line on the final email as the Dino Rossi campaign folded its tent this week. Rossi decided not to continue the legal fight to oust Gov. Christine Gregoire, saying that the "political makeup"…

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2005


On drawing the short straw...

"Superior court judges throughout the state of Washington laugh when I walk down the street." -- Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges, who for months has had the dubious honor of presiding over the massive lawsuit involving the nation's closest-ever governor's race.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2005

Closing arguments this p.m....

After two weeks, thousand of documents and several dueling professors, the battle in Wenatchee will draw to a close this afternoon.Republicans will end with arguments that considering the slim 129-vote victory (out of 2.8 million votes) by Democratic Gov. Gregoire, errors so muddied the water…

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2005

Logan's on the stand...

Dean Logan, the man at the center of much of the election's political storm is on the stand Wednesday morning.Logan appears at the request of Democratic attorneys, who are trying to convince Judge John Bridges of two things: a) that the errors in November's governor's…

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TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2005

Wenatchee notes...

Eye on Olympia's going to be Eye on Wenatchee this week, where we're camped out in a Chelan County courtroom, watching Week 2 of Republican's legal effort to force a new election in the governor's race, which Democrat Christine Gregoire won after three counts by…

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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2005


Rufus who?

Gov. Christine Gregoire on Tuesday signed into law a bill renaming King County -- that's where Seattle is -- after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.King did, in fact, visit Seattle in 1961. The King County Council renamed the county for Dr. King back in 1986,…

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