OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire is calling the Legislature back into session starting noon Monday to solve the state's projected $2.8 billion budget shortfall and telling them to do it in seven days.Democratic leaders say ageement, and budget negotiators from both houses will work over…
(First, because it's not from our newspaper archives, I should start with information about the photo: It shows the Howard Street bridge and Havermale and Canada islands, sometime before 1927. There is vacant land southwest of the bridge where the downtown YMCA would be built…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature voted to adjourn the regular session "sine die" which is fancy Latin for "That's all folks." Not sure what the Latin is for "for the time being, anyway."Lt. Gov. Brad Owen just brought the gavel down in the Senate and the…
OLYMPIA -- The two warring factions in the Legislature, the House and the Senate, have reached agreement on one of the sticking points, education reform.The Senate just passed HB2776, a bill on K-12 funding, which essentially puts off until next biennium the heavy lifting on…
OLYMPIA -- Sen. Bob McCaslin is out of surgery for a heart bypass and valve replacement, the Senate was just told.Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, asked for a "point of personal privilege" to read an e-mail that said McCaslin came through surgery well and is expected…
OLYMPIA – The town of Fairfield takes the American flag seriously – arguably more seriously than any place else in the country. Thursday, the state saluted Fairfield for its 100 years of saluting the flag. With about two dozen current and former residents of the…
OLYMPIA -- On the calendar, this is the last day of the session. It will also be the day that a special session is called, most likely by Gov. Chris Gregoire.The regular session is expected to close late today, after all the work that can…