OLYMPIA – A special legislative session to address the state’s budget problems will continue until one side or the other blinks on the sales tax.On one side: A majority of Democrats who control the Senate want to increase the sales tax as part of their…
OLYMPIA -- Washington's Republican attorney general will join other states in a lawsuit against the federal health care reform plan, a move its Democratic governor denounced as "not representing the people of this state."Attorney General Rob McKenna said Monday afternoon he would join a lawsuit…
OLYMPIA -- Secretary of State Sam Reed is out of surgery for kidney cancer, and his wife Maggie reports "everything went really well."Reed had a minimally invasive surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. He's not expected to need chemotherapy unless the cancer…
OLYMPIA -- The two competing factions in the Legislature (House Democrats and Senate Democrats) have staked out their territory on taxes.While they try to negotiate a compromise, or until one side gives in to the other, the houses will be debating and voting on a…
The New York Times has a nice map that shows how members of Congress voted yesterday on the Health Care legislation.As a sometime maker of political maps, Spin Control recommends it to those who enjoy visuals. Find it here:
OLYMPIA – While Democrats with huge majorities in both houses fight among themselves over the budget, Republicans have plenty of free time to express confidence the November election will change the math.Democrats seem intent on helping them out. They’re going to raise taxes, which ranks…
OLYMPIA – Using a compromise plan suggested by the governor, House Democrats stripped an increased sales tax out of plans to balance the state budget and countered with higher business taxes.Saturday afternoon they voted 53-42 to stake out different territory in their efforts to combine…
OLYMPIA -- The House passed a compromise tax bill suggested by Gov. Chris Gregoire that does not raise the state sales tax but does have a broader increase in business taxes.In a 53-42 vote, with no Republicans voting for the package, the House stripped away…
OLYMPIA -- The House of Representatives is debating Saturday morning a new tax plan that does away with the sales tax hike approved by the Senate on Friday.The debate is likely to be much the same. Republicans will say this will hurt the economy and…
OLYMPIA -- TheSenate approved temporary jumps in state sales and business taxes, narrowly passing a tax plan that may not survive the weekend in the House.Senate Democrats made some changes in the plan they passed during the regular session which also was gutted in the…
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cGary Locke Pt. 1www.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care ReformOh right, the census.That's why former Washington Gov. and current Commerce Secretary Gary Locke was on the Daily Show Thursday night. The Commerce Department, see, is…
OLYMPIA -- Both houses of the Legislature start at 10 a.m., plan to break fairly quickly for caucuses, then come back for votes on "bills necessary to implement the budget."Does that mean they, you know, have a budget?Not necessarily. But the Senate may have a…
Early numbers aren't looking good for Spokane and other local governments hoping to avoid more budget gloom.Sales tax distributions for the first two months of 2010 were the lowest since 2005 for Spokane, Spokane County, Spokane Valley and the Spokane Transit Authority.Because of the increased…
OLYMPIA – As the Legislature crawled through its fourth day of a special session without a solution to its budget problems, Gov. Chris Gregoire was among those expressing frustration with the progress, or apparent lack of it.The session could be done by Sunday, which would…
OLYMPIA – Washington counted twice as many people working in “green” jobs last year as in 2008.Although changes in the way jobs were counted are responsible for much of that growth, the state still saw an increase in people building wind turbines, constructing new energy-efficient…
Gary Locke, the state's former governor and the country's current commerce secretary, is the featured guest tonight on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.Really. Spin Control can't make this stuff up. (And if we were going to make stuff up, would this be it? We…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature has another light day scheduled, with a 10 a.m. start for the House and a noon start for the Senate, with breaks for caucues coming shortly afterward.The House Finance Committee holds a hearing this morning on a plan to give tax…
OLYMPIA -- A bill to offer tax breaks for the construction and outfitting of data centers in rural counties passed the House Tuesday, a day after it passed the Senate. Amendments to allow the tax breaks to be extended to other areas of the state,…
OLYMPIA -- A growing number of legislators say they will refuse the $90 per day they can receive for food and lodging during all or part of the special session.Twenty-one senators, out of the total of 49, have notified the secretary of the Senate they…
OLYMPIA -- Republican leaders of both house in the Legislature showed clear frustration with the pace -- or lack of it -- thus far in the special session.A few minutes after the state Senate recessed for the day, GOP leaders in the House and Senate…
For a little background music today...
President Obama is predicting that Florida State will beat Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA tournament.Obama released his NCAA picks today. He also expects Michigan State and Texas A & M to make it out of Spokane into the Sweet Sixteen.He says Kansas…
OLYMPIA--The Special Session goes into Day 3 with floor, with more than the usual amount of green shirts, blouses and ties on display, and some very bad attempts at an Irish brogue. Some St. Patrick's Day banter is being mixed in with fairly routine morning…
OLYMPIA -- Secretary of State Sam Reed will have cancer surgery Monday in Seattle, his office announced this morning. He's expected to return to work after a brief recovery period.Reed, 69, was diagnosed recently with the early stages of kidney cancer: "Thanks to early detection…
When Census forms arrive in the mail this week, remember, pride may be at stake.In the middle part of the last decade, fears rose that Spokane would lose its rank as Washington's second largest city. But Spokane ended the Aughts (is that what we're calling…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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