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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control archive for Jan. 1, 2009

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30, 2009


Martindale to get $2.5 million state loan

Washington state will loan the Spokane Housing Authority more than $2.5 million to help turn the old Hillyard High School into apartments for homeless and low-income residents.The loan is among some $22.5 million in loans and grants from the state Commerce Department’s Housing Trust Fund…

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TUESDAY, DEC. 29, 2009

Terry Novak, former Spokane city manager, stands on the patio of the SIRTI building in August 1997 with the downtown skyline behind him. He died Aug. 15 at his Spokane home at the age of 68. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)

Three giants at Spokane City Hall

As the national media craft year-end rememberances of those who passed in 2009, it's worth mentioning three who transformed Spokane.The three men who served in the top spot at Spokane City Hall stretching from 1963 until 1991 died in just the last five months.Two of…

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High court to look at Ref. 71 case

The U.S. Supreme Court will take a peek at whether those names on the Referendum 71 petitions are public records or private info.The Washington Secretary of State's office, which says they are public records, announced today the Supremes have put the Ref. 71 issue on…

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What youths want from the Lege

Everybody's going to be asking the Legislature for something in the coming months. TVW takes a look at what the Legislative Youth Action Council will be seeking in this recent video.OK, at 38 minutes, it's longer than it needs to be. But it shows young…

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State flags lowered

Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered state flags lowered to half staff today in honor of Pierce County Deputy Sheriff Kent Mundell, who died yesterday of wounds suffered in answering a domestic violence call. They'll stay lowered for a week, through close of business on Jan. 5.Western…

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MONDAY, DEC. 28, 2009

FRIDAY, DEC. 25, 2009

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 2009

Try your hand at the annual Xmas Quiz

In honor of the holidays, Spin Control lays off politics to brighten our readers’ spirits with the annual Christmas Quiz. It’s a tradition that dates back at least to the last time Christmas was on a Sunday and there were no good topics for a…

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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23, 2009

TUESDAY, DEC. 22, 2009

New quiz coming, try your hand at an old one

From December 2007Merry Christmas, political junkies. With the War on Christmas held down to a few skirmishes this year, such as the assault of a firefighter Santa in Spokane, it’s likely that only the truly politically obsessed would be reading this column near or on…

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MONDAY, DEC. 21, 2009

Light blogging ahead; take a quiz

Happy Holidays from Olympia, where a 75 foot noble fir graces the Capitol rotunda, a menorrha and a message of general goodwill from atheists is on the lawn by the fountain outside, and if the lions aren't lying down with the kids, the Democrats and…

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SUNDAY, DEC. 20, 2009

Not really a good-bye, just a new address 

For many years, the last leg of my commute to work included a walk across the Monroe Street Bridge into downtown, reminding me of some things I like best about Spokane.The river below, which rushes so fast in spring the mist rises above the bridge,…

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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16, 2009

County has new specs to run track 

.Spokane County is looking for a new operator of its racetrack who will have to have something the last operator did not – experience running a track.A request for qualifications to bid on the contract for the Spokane County Raceway Park was released Wednesday and…

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Gregoire: Protests, what protests?

Gov. Chris Gregoire said today she's checked out some energy-efficient cars while at the climate sumitt in Denmark, talked up Washington state with "green" manufacurers, had meetings with other governors and provincial premiers and spent time assuring delegates from around the world that things are…

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TUESDAY, DEC. 15, 2009

Flight of fancy, 787 style

Most of the time, when a plane takes off and lands, that's not news. It's only when it fails to take off or land that we get news.Today's an exception, however, because Boeing's newest plane design, the 787 Dreamliner, took off and landed for the…

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Contractors sue county 

Six Spokane area contractors are suing Spokane County over unpaid bills from the county's West Plains racetrack.In the latest move in the ongoing dispute over the track's management by Austin Motorsports, the six contractors say they are owed a total of $1.13 million for worked…

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MONDAY, DEC. 14, 2009

No pardon urged for Goldberg

OLYMPIA – A former Newport, Wash., man should not be pardoned for helping slay his former son-in-law, a state board has recommended.The Clemency and Pardons Board recommended unanimously last week that Gov. Chris Gregoire not grant a pardon and early release to Morris “Mel” Goldberg,…

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McKenna takes on DirecTV 

Customers of the nation’s largest satellite television service are being lured into long contracts they don’t understand with fees they don’t know they must pay, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna contends.A spokesman for DirecTV said the company is “disappointed” the suit was filed but predicted…

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SUNDAY, DEC. 13, 2009

County wants out of its deal 

Spokane County commissioners seem to have the upper hand in their battle with county unions in the public relations war over next year’s budget.In adopting a budget last week that cuts positions or hours for almost every agency and department, the commissioners fired a broadside…

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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9, 2009

Gregoire's budget a start, not an end

Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed “all cuts, no new taxes” budget was described as everything from a good starting point to an unrealistic plan Wednesday in a Spokane forum. But even Gregoire’s own legislative liaison made clear it is far from a done deal.Democratic leaders told…

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TUESDAY, DEC. 8, 2009

Thunderbirds at Fairchild next July 

The Air Force's top aerial act, the Thunderbirds, will perform at Fairchild Air Force Base next July.Fairchild announced today the Thunderbirds put the Skyfest 2010 event on their schedule, which was released yesterday at a convention in Las Vegas.Maj. Angela Oconnell, a base spokeswoman, said…

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MONDAY, DEC. 7, 2009

Wood stepping down 

Alex Wood said he will retire from the Legislature at the end of next year, creating a possible free-for-all among Democrats in central Spokane's 3rd District.Wood told the Warren G. Magnuson Democratic Club at lunch today that the upcoming session (sessions, perhaps if they can't…

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SUNDAY, DEC. 6, 2009

The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.



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