Reader Jim Nelson called this morning as a followup to Sunday's column, to wonder where does the Washington state Lottery money going. Specifically, is it or isn't it going to schools?Spin Control can't answer every question from readers, but this is a fairly slow morning,…
If you were up and out early on Sunday, busy with chores or otherwise occupied, here's a roundup of the morning talking head shows, courtesy of TalkingPointsMemo.Steele and Kane on Meet the Press:Liz Cheney on This Week: If you fell asleep before Saturday Night Live…
Whether they like it or not, practically everyone attached to state government in Washington is being forced to cut back. Universities are cancelling programs and students are facing higher tuition. School teachers are getting layoff notices. State employees are looking at lower wages or higher…
This is a commercial produced for the Republican National Committee, but it probably will air more on the Web than on your local TV stations.It's got some cute bits, but how much longer are folks going to rely on the American Express "priceless" theme as…
It would seem what's up was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. TalkingPointsMemo's encapsulation of the day suggests her press conference on CIA torture briefings will be her ignominious downfall. Or not. What do you think? Click on the comment button and add yours.
Seattle attorney Jenny Durkan was nominated today by the Obama Administration to be the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington.OK, so where have you heard that name before? Durkan was legal counsel to Gov. Chris Gregoire, and a political adviser to her during the 2004 gubernatorial…
In case you fell asleep last night before The Daily Show, Jon Stewart took on the the president's shifting positions on releasing photos of torture and Don't Ask, Don't Tell.The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10cMoral Kombatthedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesEconomic CrisisPolitical…
The flag flying below the Stars and Stripes on the Spokane County Courthouse is the official Prisoner of War/Missing In Action flag.It has a black field with a white circle in the middle, which has a profile of a head in silhouette. The county flies…
In case you're wondering:May 15 is Peace Officers Memorial Day. Because of this, flags on government buildings -- and some commercial and private buildings with flagpoles -- lowered to half staff.And even though Monday was the day that local officials marked the loss of life…
When swine flu was all the rage last week, hardly an hour went by without some well-meaning organization sending "tips" to avoid the flu and how to handle it if you got it.Most of them were pretty standard stuff your mom always told you, like…
The Spokane County Planning Commission has a hearing Thursday morning on clusters.Not the vegetative kind, although these do affect rural areas. Not the Army ordinance kind, although the issue could be explosive.The hearing involves rural cluster development, which is a way to shift current county…
State Rep. Don Cox, the Colfax Republican who came back to the Legislature to fill the vacancy created when Steve Hailey died of cancer last year, won't run in the special election this fall.The state House Republican Caucus announced this afternoon that Cox says he…
Sen. Patty Murray, who knows how to pick a friendly crowd, spent part of Tuesday talking about keeping defense jobs in the United States to the IAMAW.That's the International Association of Machiniest and Aircraft Workers, as in, the biggest union at Boeing.Murray, who has led…
If you took Mom to brunch Sunday and missed the talking head shows, here's the wrapup from TalkingPointsMemo, who seems to think the only one worth watching was Dick Cheney's interview on CBS.For a few yucks, here's some clips from the White House correspondents' dinner.Embedded…
Just in time for Mother's Day, a survey arrived last week from Adecco Group -- described in the press release as the world’s largest staffing agency -- on the most admired “celebrity”mothers. To determine this, the agency paid to survey working moms, working dads and…
...and Friday ain't one of them. Tomorrow, May 8, is the first Friday the Spokane County Building and Planning Department will not be open because of budget cuts. So if you need a permit for that weekend project, better get their this afternoon.And if you…
And if you think the Democrats' commerical in the post below is a bit over the top, what about this offering from the folks supporting National Prayer Day?Is it just me, or does it feel like a trailer for a Jerry Bruckheimer disaster flick?. National…
With all the talk about the Republican Party searching for its direction-leader-heart-soul, the Democratic National Committee apparently decided to strike with the unkindest weapon of all.Mockery.It's an ad that's clearly designed to circulate mainly on the Internet and will probably never be aired on local…
If you saw Mayor Mary Verner on the Bloomsday course and wondered what her time was, don't bother checking the race site or the newly published tabloid.She's not in there.Verner did walk the course with her 7-year-old granddaughter Bariah. But she wasn't an official participant...She…
For all those out there who think Washingtonians are so virulently anti-California, please note that the Washington Federation of Republican Women have taken a stand firmly in supoport of Miss California.For those who don't follow pageants, Carrie Prejean answered a question during the Miss USA…