Wed., Feb. 11, 2009
A day after Washington State University started to reveal its plans for handling proposed deep budget cuts, it's time for another local school to do the same.Late this afternoon in the Senate's higher education committee, Eastern Washington University will detail how it would be affected.In…
Wed., Feb. 11, 2009
The state Senate is scheduled this morning to pass a bill, HB 1113, sponsored by local Rep. John Driscoll.The bill is a $133 million sale of state bonds to pay for school construction projects that are already underway.The work was already planned, but inflation and…
Tue., Feb. 10, 2009
From tomorrow's paper:Washington's two largest public universities painted a bleak picture Tuesday of looming budget cuts as the state grapples with a budget shortfall that lawmakers say could reach $8 billion. State lawmakers won't finalize the budget for another two months, but state colleges and…
Tue., Feb. 10, 2009
With Washington's sin taxes pretty much maxxed out -- we have among the highest tobacco and liquor taxes in America -- one state lawmaker has a novel idea for a new source of state revenue: a tax on pornography.In essence, the proposal would tax porn…
Tue., Feb. 10, 2009
The news continues to get worse for Washington's treasury.The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council today said that state revenue is down about $63 million lower than expected over the past four weeks. Revenue from Jan. 11 to Feb. 10 -- which due to delays…
Tue., Feb. 10, 2009
HEADS UP: THE VIDEO BELOW, from the fake-news site The Onion, IS CHOCK-FULL OF EXPLETIVES.But it's also a pitch-perfect mockery of the sorts of gotta-have-it electronics marketing that we're all immersed in, all the time. If you're at home and the kids are out of…
Tue., Feb. 10, 2009
It happens every year. Poor people and advocates descend on the capitol, decrying usurious rates ($100 loan rolled over for a year: 391 percent APR) and saying that the payday lending industry traps people in a nearly unbreakable cycle of high-interest debt.Lawmakers propose bills --…
Mon., Feb. 9, 2009
Kettle Falls' Brandon Hatch silenced the room this morning, telling what he saw recently when he visited a lifelong friend who happened to be running a puppy mill breeding operation in Gold Bar. (Tech note: To replay this clip, first hit refresh on your browser.)Sen.…
Mon., Feb. 9, 2009
Ouch: Senate Democratic chief of staff Rich Nafziger, on his personal blog, blasts Gov. Chris Gregoire for continuing to favor budget cuts over a tax increase. Nafziger, tongue firmly in cheek, names Gregoire the recipient of his new weekly Herbert Hoover award. (Vast 1930s' tent…
Mon., Feb. 9, 2009
Asked if she's satisfied with lawmakers' pace approving early budget cuts, Gregoire said no."It's no secret I'm frustrated," she said. "And I've had my conversations with leadership in the House and the Senate. I think we need to move. And we needed to move consistent…
Mon., Feb. 9, 2009
Here's the list of boards and commissions slated for elimination or reconsideration.In a press conference, Gregoire talked about needing to "de-layer state government" and make it more nimble and relevant to Washingtonians' needs.The 154 boards and commissions she's ending (or recommending that lawmakers do) are…
Mon., Feb. 9, 2009
Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has repeatedly vowed to “blow past the bureaucracy,” today proposed blowing parts of it away.Gregoire wants to eliminating 154 of the state’s 470 boards and advisory commissions. Among those on the chopping block:• Interagency Task Force on Milfoil Control,• Acupuncture Ad…
Mon., Feb. 9, 2009
Gov. Chris Gregoire has delayed the 9:30 a.m. rollout of a series of government reforms because she's been called for jury duty at the county courthouse."No, I am not kidding," Gregoire spokesman Pearse Edwards wrote in an e-mail announcing the delay.
Sun., Feb. 8, 2009
In the Senate, legislators are mulling "creat(ing) a commission within the legislature to evaluate the legislature."I'm guessing that means studying whether Washington needs a full-time legislature, but judge for yourself. After some rhetorical throat-clearing, here's how the bill starts out:"WHEREAS, Questions arise as to whether…
Sat., Feb. 7, 2009
Newly returned state Rep. Don Cox, R-Colfax, and a dozen other lawmakers want to change state law so that for an additional $10 fee, anglers in some places would be allowed to use two fishing poles at once.The bill is HB 1993.
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
(And thanks to the helpful person who compiled this for me.)28: Number of sign-in sheets required for the standing-room-only crowd that testified in a House committee Thursday.197: Number of people who signed in.43: In favor of the bill, which would grant domestic partners virtually all…
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
With unemployment levels nationwide at the highest rates since 1992, Washington’s House of Representatives on Friday voted to temporarily boost benefits for jobless workers by $45 a week.“An extra 45 bucks can mean a meal’s on the table for the kids,” said Rep. Maureen Walsh,…
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
Back on Tuesday, more than 150 advocates for saving adult day health programs fanned out around the capitol campus to make the case for preserving the centers. These are places where elderly or otherwise frail adults can go to take part in activities, meet people,…
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
Rich Nafziger, Senate Democrats' chief of staff, does a good job of capturing the headlong feeling of a legislative session, with 147 lawmakers trying to make sense of a thousand or more bills spiraling through the capitol at once.In general, for most of the legislative…
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
From the state Parks and Recreation Commission:"State Parks Commission holds special meetingto change location of next regular meeting"
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
Rather than try to shoehorn my lengthy print story into a blog post, here are some quotes from yesterday's standing-room-only hearings on the "everything but marriage" law for state-registered domestic partners in Washington.“You may not consider my family a family, but I know in my…
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
From the print paper:OLYMPIA – For nearly two years, Dan Joy says, his boss at a Spokane grocery store badgered him and other employees to go to the boss’ church.It would, they were told, help their careers.Joy declined, over and over. He said his boss…
Fri., Feb. 6, 2009
From the printed paper:OLYMPIA – Fred Watley’s need for a liver is changing state law.A year ago, the Spokane man nearly died while waiting for an insurance-law loophole to expire so he could get the liver transplant he desperately needed. His insurer finally relented.On Thursday,…
Thu., Feb. 5, 2009
From the print paper this morning:Shortly after moving into her new home three years ago, Karen Veldheer and her family noticed water leaking through the foundation. Then another leak. And another. Those trickles and a host of other problems with the home launched Veldheer on…
Thu., Feb. 5, 2009
From the print paper this morning:A few years ago, a homeless woman named Lee Ann Winters was nearly run over by a car while walking across a downtown Spokane intersection. She yelled at the driver, saying she was in a crosswalk and had a green…
Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.
