Tribal members gather in the Capitol Building after a bill signing. OLYMPIA -- Legislators unhappy about her refusal to sign many bills should take their concerns up with their leadership, Gov. Chris Gregoire said Monday. "I don't take threats from legislators," Gregoire said, responding to…
OLYMPIA – Washington is among the least "corruptible" states in the nation, while Idaho placed 40th out of 50 in a scorecard released Monday. Two watchdog organizations, the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity joined with Public Radio International and journalists around the country…
OLYMPIA – “I’m not going to negotiate in the news media.” Politicians at all levels of government love to utter that sentence – when it’s to their advantage. But let’s get real. If they think it will help their cause, their legislation or their budget,…
OLYMPIA -- Jay Inslee’s not-so-timely departure from Congress could result in a special election in Western Washington. Special, the way the Church Lady used to say the word on "Saturday Night Live." The Secretary of State’s office is exploring the possibility of a special election…
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a handful of bills this afternoon, refining her threat from Thursday she hopes will get the Legislature to come up with a passable budget. She's signing the bills that are important to her, she said, and that people had…
The Spokane City Council on Monday will consider rushing its normal voting procedure to condemn the proposed Spokane Tribe of Indians casino on the West Plains. Councilman Mike Fagan is sponsoring the resolution to put the city on record as opposing the casino and has…
Dave White, a county utilities inspector and Republican activist, will run for the state House of Representatives this fall in central Spokane’s 3rd District in an effort to rein in state spending and improve state infrastructure. White, 59, said Thursday he’ll challenge Democratic incumbent Timm…
OLYMPIA – For the first three days of the special session, everything involving the state’s troubled budget was done behind the closed doors. That went by the wayside Thursday. Senate Republicans and their three Democratic allies released a new budget proposal at a morning press…
OLYMPIA -- A visibly angry Gov. Chris Gregoire threatened to hold bills hostage unless legislators reach a budget deal, and accused Senate Republicans of "theatrics" for releasing their new spending plan at a morning press conference. "It is a waste of time," she said at…
OLYMPIA -- In an effort to break a budget logjam, Senate Republicans and their three Democratic allies unveiled a new spending plan Thursday morning that would spend more on public schools and state colleges. It also offers more money for child care for working families…
OLYMPIA--Washington voters will choose candidates this fall for the congressional and legislative districts approved this year by a special commission, the state Supreme Court said Wednesday. Whether those districts will need to be adjusted before the 2014 elections, based on a challenge that they were…
OLYMPIA – And you thought you were paying too much for your cell phone. The state found ways to save about $1.7 million this biennium by turning in thousands of cell phones that state agencies were using very little or not at all, and switching…
OLYMPIA -- With most legislators still at home, their leaders continued meeting Tuesday with Gov. Chris Gregoire in search of a solution to the state's budget problems They reached no agreements on a key sticking point. Gregoire told them to set those disagreements aside and…
OLYMPIA -- A Thurston County judge rewrote the ballot language for Referendum 74, the ballot measure that will try to overturn the state's new same-sex marriage law if enough signatures are gathered. Details of Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee's decision can be found here. A…
The Occupy movement may have packed up its tents and sleeping bags in most cities for the winter, but this video shows they haven't gone away. Instead, a few of them went into the recording and video studios, to cut a music video about Fannie…
Most Spokane City Council members said Monday that they don’t like the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision that prevents lawmakers from limiting some forms of political spending by corporations. But there wasn’t a majority who supported asking lawmakers to do anything about it. The council…
Democrats will give voters a choice in at least one race in the 6th Legislative District. Former state Democratic state Rep. Dennis Dellwo filed paperwork with the state Public Disclosure Commission last month announcing a bid to challenge Republican state Rep. John Ahern. Democrats had…
The special session opens. ...Or you'll miss it. The Special Session of the Legislature opened and quickly adjourned for the day. Total elapsed time: About one minute. In the Senate, Sens. Debbie Regala, D-Regala, and Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, were on hand to see Lt. Gov.…
OLYMPIA -- The special session of the Legislature starts at noon today, but don't expect big announcements quickly on the budget. The agenda for the Senate says "pro forma" session which is Latin for something like "not much will happen." For those keeping track at…
OLYMPIA – One of the hallmarks of the closing days of a legislative session is that people say and do bizarre things. Make that more bizarre than normal. The marbled halls and floors of the Capitol Building don’t protect against the weird; they just dress…
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee resigned his congressional seat today to concentrate on his run for governor. Inslee announced he'd leave Congress on March 20, saying he was not one "half-measures or half-hearted efforts." “It was a difficult decision, but what I need to do right…
OLYMPIA – Overtime starts Monday for the Legislature, which failed to pass a general operating budget by midnight Thursday and was called back for a special session. After issuing a proclamation for the special session, Gov. Chris Gregoire was emphatic that she wants it devoted…
That's all folks...the gavel comes down in the Senate on the 2012 regular session. The Legislature returns Monday for a special session. OLYMPIA -- The Legislature adjourned at midnight Thursday without passing a new general operating budget, and Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered them back to…
Gregoire to Legislature: Everyone's tired. Get over it OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire again tried to avoid saying the words "special session" while acknowledging it's clear the Legislature will not finish by midnight, even with a new budget proposal available for a vote in the…
OLYMPIA -- With time running out on the regular session, House Democrats are poised to vote on another general fund budget plan sometime today, a compromise between the budget they passed more than a week ago and the Senate Democratic budget that never came to…
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