OLYMPIA -- A House committee might get the ball rolling on a supplemental budget this afternoon, sending it to the floor for a vote later this week. House Democrats alternative supplemental budget gets worked over in the Ways and Means Committee's executive session, starting at…
OLYMPIA -- House Democrats released their proposal for cuts to the state budget through the end of June, which veer off from Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal in some respects. What Ways and Means Chairman Ross Hunter is calling an "early action budget" because it tries…
OLYMPIA -- While we've all been proceeding on the assumption that Washington will get a tenth congressional seat this year, it hasn't really been official. As in not signed, sealed and delivered official from the folks who have the ultimate say in such things, the…
OLYMPIA -- The annual rally against legalized abortion, which is traditionally one of the largest demonstrations at the Capitol in the early months of any session, drew an estimated 4,500 to the north Capitol steps at noon today. Sympathetic legislators promised to keep up the…
OLYMPIA -- The panel that will redraw the state's congressional and legislative district lines was sworn in today, held its first meeting and adjourned without picking its fifth, non-voting chairman or chairwoman. The four appointees took the oath of office from State Supreme Court Chief…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature and the people who want it to do something will be kicked into a higher gear today as abortion opponents and social activists will both hold marches in the afternoon. House Democrats will release their counter to Gov. Chris Gregoire's supplemental…
OLYMPIA – Talk of election shenanigans in 2010 was second only last week to talk of budget disasters for 2011, and legislators are toying with tweaking state campaign disclosure laws that allow average folks to know the source of money being spent to convince them…
OLYMPIA – There’s more cooperation between the two political parties than previous years, but not much chance that some of Gov. Chris Gregoire’s major reforms will make pass this legislative session, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said Friday. Speaking with reporters at the end of…
Tjr 4th Legislative District Republican precinct committee officers to name three possible replacements for Sen. Bob McCaslin is back on for Saturday morning. The time and place have been changed. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting at 9:30 a.m., at the Luxury…
OLYMPIA -- A gray Friday with relatively little committee action and even less floor action. The Senate's main task this morning was passing a resolution on National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The House was in and out quickly. Committee meetings were mainly "work…
The number of contenders to replace state Sen. Bob McCaslin is growing but efforts to get the seat filled quickly were derailed Thursday. Saturday’s meeting to nominate possible replacements was postponed after a group supporting a leading contender, Rep. Matt Shea, called for a major…
OLYMPIA -- Both houses have extensive hearing schedules today, with the most media attention being given to a proposal to tighten campaign disclosure laws in the wake of problems in a Snohomish County state Senate race that has already drawn more attention than anything short…
A federal judge's ruling that Washington state's way of electing precinct committee officers is unconstitutional may have some wondering about the ones elected last August. Precinct committee officers, or PCOs as they are usually called, are the backbone of county party organizations. They pick the…
OLYMPIA – Amid the tension of a state budget some $4.6 billion out of whack and proposals to cut programs for some of the state’s poorest and most vulnerable, Gov. Chris Gregoire tried to sound upbeat Tuesday with a promise Washington would come out of…
One of Sen. Patty Murray's first public appearances since the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., will be in Spokane Wednesday afternoon at a very secure location. The Spokane Police Academy. Murray and Mayor Mary Verner have a 1:30 p.m. tour of the facility and a 2…
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Arizona Shootings Reaction www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook Finally, someone admits that he has no idea what contributed to the Arizona shootings... Best…
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire's take on "the state" of Washington state, with the latest excerpt on top of older excerpts: Make no mistake, I expect you to make the changes that will benefit the state for today and the next 80 years. Last year,…
Downtown businessman Steve Salvatori filed paperwork this month to launch a bid for Spokane City Council. Salvatori, a Republican who run unsuccessfully for the Spokane County Commission last year, hopes to win the seat representing Northwest Spokane that will be vacated by Councilman Steve Corker.…
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire and other state elected officials are being called to the House chambers for the joint session. Suprem Court justices are being escored in. Once Gregoire begins her speech, Spin Control will run a "continuous" blog post, putting the most recent…
OLYMPIA -- Members of the Senate are enterring the House chamber for the joint session of the Legislature to hear Gov. Chris Gregoire's State of the State address. Applause all around. This is probably the friendliest the two chambers will be for the next 104…
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire will tell a joint session of the Legislature the "state of the state", which chances are she'll say is struggling. What? You thought she'd say everything was just peachy? You have not been paying attention. She'll likely list many of…
OLYMPIA-- A state senator stays a member of his or her caucus until a successor is sworn in. Thus, Jean Berkey and Chris Marr and some others defeated in the 2010 elections remained on the Senate Democratic Caucus roster yesterday morning, and up to that…
Even without newly elected officials on the Spokane City Council, power appears to be shifting in the New Year. One year after the council removed Nancy McLaughlin from the board overseeing the Spokane Transit Authority, the Spokane City Council voted to reappoint McLaughlin -- the…
State Supreme Court Justice Tom Chambers congratulates Mike Baumgartner after swearing him in Monday. OLYMPIA -- With much less drama than Senator-elect Nick Harper's swearing in, Sen. Mike Baumgartner of Spokane's 6th District took the oath of office on the opening day of the session
OLYMPIA -- An initial effort to keep a Snohomish County senator-elect from being seated in the Senate failed Monday afternoon as a parliamentary procedure failed on a 23-18 vote. Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, tried to keep all newly-elected senators from being sworn in while the…