OLYMPIA -- School administrators, teachers, middle school pupils and college students pleaded with a Senate panel to spare many of the programs on the chopping block in a budget fix proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Some broke down in tears when they described state programs…
Former state Sen. Jeff Baxter is paying for a partial recount of ballots in his unsuccessful bid to retain his Spokane Valley seat despite losing the race by more than 3,400 votes. Baxter’s opponent in the contest, Mike Padden, was sworn in as senator representing…
OLYMPIA — Governors from Washington and Rhode Island asked the federal government Wednesday to reclassify marijuana so it can be used for medical use. Gov. Chris Gregoire and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration to take off Schedule I, which is…
Maintenance worker checks the Capitol dome for leaks Wednesday morning. OLYMPIA -- Senate budget hearings resume this afternoon, with the Ways and Means Committee scheduled to concentrate on proposed cuts to public schools and state universities. Both the House and Senate are scheduled to come…
Chris Clark of Deer Park ties a list of concerns about budget cuts to the string of a helium balloon outside the Capitol. OLYMPIA -- About 20 people from the Spokane area joined protesters in the state Capitol urging legislators to close a budget gap…
Mike Padden, with wife Laura, waves to family and friends in the Senate chamber after being sworn in by Supreme Courth Justice Jim Johnson OLYMPIA -- Mike Padden took the oath of office Tuesday afternoon in the Senate chambers shortly after Spokane County certified the…
The final outcome of the City Council race for a seat representing south Spokane won’t be decided until next week. That’s when the Spokane County Election’s Office will recount ballots in a contest so close that state law required a second examination. Former Councilman Mike…
OLYMPIA -- Washington State Troopers stood on the steps above protesters Monday evening, awaiting orders to clear the building.
OLYMPIA – Fasten your seatbelts, to paraphrase Bette Davis. It’s going to be a bumpy month. Amid chants in the hallways and rallies on the Capitol steps, the Legislature began its 30-day emergency session to close a $1.4 billion gap in its operating budget. Social…
OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Patrol has ordered protesters out of the Capitol, warning them that anyone who doesn't leave will be subject to arrest and a 30-day ban from state property. "We respect your right to free speech and protest," Lt. Mark Arras, acting…
OLYMPIA -- Several hundred protesters, many of them chanting slogans from the "Occupy" movement, are in and around the Capitol rotunda. But perhaps only for the time being. The director of Enterprise Services said just minutes ago that the protesters will not be allowed to…
OLYMPIA -- Most Senate Democrats oppose a plan that closes the state's $1.4 billion budget gap solely with cuts, but there's no agreement at this point on where to find more tax revenue, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said Monday. "It's going to take a…
OLYMPIA -- Members of the "occupy" movement are interrupting the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on a plan to help the struggling Wenatchee Public Facilities District by demanding a "citizens arrest" of the Legislature. Chairman Ross Hunter has tried several times to get a…
OLYMPIA -- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there, does it make a noise? If the Occupy movement occupies the Senate gallery, and no senators are there, does it make its point? When some 200 "occupiers" crowded into the Senate…
OLYMPIA -- After marching around a Capitol rotunda decorated with a Christmas tree and chanting "We are the 99 percent", some 200 protesters decided to "occupy" the Senate gallery this afternoon. They filled the benches on both sides of the chamber and demanding the Legislature…
OLYMPIA -- With protesters outside on the Capitol steps and more expected later today, the Legislature started its special session shortly after noon with limited pomp and circumstance. The Legislature is generally without its army of teen-aged pages for this emergency budget session. The pages…
OLYMPIA -- Protesters filling the north steps of the Capitol seem united in their call for at least some new taxes to help close the gap in the state budget. But the source of those taxes may lead to disputes among the protesters as well…
OLYMPIA -- Several hundred protesters, some in wheelchairs and others being escorted by home care workers, are gathered on the north steps of the Capitol to protest further cuts in payments for Medicaid services. They're also voicing support for the half-cent increase in the state…
OLYMPIA -- Legislative caucuses meet at 10 a.m. while home care workers will gathering on the steps outside the Capitol Building. Large tents have been set up on the lawn to the east of the Legislative Building, and protesters with signs are already moving across…
OLYMPIA -- It won't be just the state's 147 legislators -- 148 if you count the two state senators from Spokane Valley's 4th District -- who will be coming to the capital Monday for the start of the special session. The Occupy movement, along with…
Spokane Mayor-elect David Condon today announced in a news release the leaders of five task forces that will make up his transition team. Nancy Isserlis, attorney and former chairwoman of the Spokane Ethics Commission, will lead the public safety group. Mike Senske, chief executive officer…
If you haven't seen the video of the police officer applying pepper spray to the protesters at University of California - Davis the way a gardener lavishes bug spray on his prize roses, you probably don't follow any news at all. The image has reached…
It’s hard to imagine how Mayor Mary Verner could have lost so much ground between the primary and the November election without concerns about the Otto Zehm case eating at her base. With some members of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane expressing…
OLYMPIA — Voters could be asked to approve a half-cent sales tax increase next March to help replace a portion of the $1.7 billion in cuts the Legislature will face when it convenes next week for a special session. Gov. Chris Gregoire said this morning…
It's official: The Supercommittee isn't super. It's a bust A press release from Sen. Patty Murray and her supercomm co-chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling acknowledge as much today. Of course, they tried to put the best face on it possible, saying that they hope Congress can…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
| Nov. 2011 | ||||
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 22 |
| 21 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 | 08 |
| 07 | 06 | 05 | 04 | 03 |
| 02 | 01 |
