To search the updated database of state employees' salaries, click here. OLYMPIA – The best-paying state jobs in Washington are still in academia, with the very best in athletics. The annual listing of salaries for all state employees shows once again that the biggest paychecks…
Former Spokane Mayor Sheri Barnard voted for Mary Verner. But she’s impressed with the first several months of Mayor David Condon's administration. “So far, I think the moves he’s made are excellent,” Barnard said.
OLYMPIA -- The honor of the Avis of Washington population goes once again to Spokane. The state Office of Financial Management released its annual population estimates today, which show overall population is up slightly, pretty much all around the state. Seattle, of course, is the…
OLYMPIA -- The state Elections Division has expanded its help to register voters and get them information about the candidates and ballot issues they face on this year's ballot to include three languages besides English. MyVote now offers links to voter registration and information in…
The dog days of summer are a good time to play the game of What-If, and the Annenberg Public Policy Center has a fun one at FlackCheck.org. What if the kind of campaigns we run today were available in the presidential race of 1864? For…
Last week, like most weeks, among the hundreds of e-mails that made it through the spam filter were some cheery yet urgent missives from politicians. Among them was one from Patty Murray, Washington’s Democratic senior senator, andanother from Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. Not…
OLYMPIA -- The state attorney general's office will weigh in on a potential fight between the Legislature and the Executive branch over the meaning of three little words: "within available funds." Those three words appear twice in a 2005 statute that requires state agencies to…
The council gets the budget outlook. From left, Marty Brown, Ross Hunter, Ed Orcutt and Steve Lerch. OLYMPIA -- While the map may say this is the state of Washington, a revenue forecast that is essentially no better or worse than February puts us "in…
If you are a true believer in one major political party or the other, you may find it difficult to stay friends with those in the opposite party, at least through the November election. Not long ago, that may have meant simply avoiding them in…
A Republican precinct committee officer is challenging the campaign advertising of a GOP candidate for state House. But the candidate, Ben Oakley, said he cleared his signs and logos with the state Public Disclosure Commission before he started using them. Oakley, a Republican, is running…
The U.S. Department of Transportation will give the state $10 million for the North Spokane Corridor, to be used to help relocate some railroad tracis and extend a bike trail. A joint announcement from U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers…
About 40 people on Monday urged local leaders to find out how vastly increased train traffic could cause health problems in Spokane. After hearing from them, the Spokane City Council unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution asking state and federal officials to study the environmental effects…
I’ll be watching the cable TV drama “The Killing” Sunday night to find out who killed Rosie Larson, even though it irks me. Not just because the main character, Sarah Linden, could get an Emmy for worst TV mother in a drama, or that it…
This came from colleage Erik P. Smith of the Washington Wire, a former Spokesman-Review reporter and Spokane resident, who covered the AWB debates. How fitting, he said, that candidates for Washington governor and attorney general were debating at The Bing Crosby Theater. Because, he said,…
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Redistricting Commission has put the finishing touches on the new maps for congressional and legislative districts. True, the lines were set by the Legislature months ago, and the commission got them online fairly quickly. But getting everything in a nice map…
For all the attention on this week's debate between the two main gubernatorial hopefuls, it was really the showdown between two of the candidates for attorney general that was more exciting. And above is the link that highlighted it all, an exchange that started with…
National political groups try to find deep meaning in local elections, so it's not surprising the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants to spread Tuesday's victory in Arizona over as much of the country as possible. But they may need a new calculator before they use…
In a move that may shock no one, the Association of Washington Business endorsed Republicans Rob McKenna for governor and Reagan Dunn for state attorney general. The business group, which functions as the state's Chamber of Commerce, co-hosted debates in Spokane Wednesday for both offices…
The two leading candidates for Washington governor debated for the first time on Tuesday and agreed that new taxes aren’t needed to improve schools. But they disagreed on most other points, including education in the hour-long debate at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane. Former…
Inslee: There's a federal process and that process needs to be followed. I have a concern about expansion of tribal gaming that could lead to harm for existing businesses. Each of them needs to be reviewed on the merits. Need to look at land use…
How will you vote on the initiative? McKenna: We will go to the Supreme Court and I believe they will overturn the King County ruling the supermajority is unconstitutional. The voters have been clear on taxes. They did so because it provides a higher wall.…
When is the right time to ask voters for a tax increase for transportation? McKenna: The fall of 2013 or fall of 2014. It will depend on the voters' reaction to the list of projects...including the North Spokane Corridor. We need to look for ways…
If you could do it over, would you make it possible to make it easier to get mortgagest for people with poor credit? Inslee: The problem was de-regulation of Wall Street. I stood up to Bill Clinton and my party on the repeal of Glass…
Inslee: As King County Council president, the council passed a budget that was out of balance in King County, why should voters trust you as governor? McKenna: I opposed a new tax increase, the council passed it. In my opinion, it was the wrong thing…
Inslee: Look at them through the lens of jobs and job benefits, and the potential downsides for the towns the trains will go through, including Spokane. Right policy and it is the law. This is a moment of truth for the state of Washington: Will…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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