Gov. Jay Inslee and his wife Trudi greet Hyogo Prefecture Gov. Toshizo Ido at a ceremony marking the sister state relationship between the two areas. OLYMPIA -- Washington state officials will mark the 50th anniversary of a relationship with Japan's Hyogo prefecture with some pomp…
OLYMPIA – Add to the long list of things the Puget Sound communities have that Spokane residents can be glad they don’t: Toll bridges. Spokane’s last such facility, the Maple Street Bridge, removed “Toll” from its title in 1990 after some 42 years of collecting…
Using the theory that the way to pot smoker's brains is through their stomachs, or perhaps that no one will pass up a good munchie, Seattle police have a plan to get the word out about marijuana policy at Hempfest this weekend. For those unfamiliar,…
Following several declarations from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel the Pentagon would be extending health care and housing benefits to same-sex couples in the military, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday they would be available to employees Sept. 3. In a news release, the Department cited…
OLYMPIA – More than 15,000 people who qualify for a program to aid the disabled are on a waiting list and receive no services because there's not enough money, a state audit of the Developmental Disability program says. The program spends about $900 million a…
OLYMPIA -- The state's rules for legally growing and selling marijuana will get another rewrite. The Washington State Liquor Control Board voted unanimously this morning to delay final approval of the rules while the staff crafts new provisions in several areas, including a possible limit…
The federal government must resume work on the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada that would store the high-level nuclear waste from Hanford and other sites around the country, a federal appeals court said today. In what amounts to a judicial smackdown of the Obama administration,…
OLYMPIA – Washington should revise its proposed rules to grow and sell recreational marijuana and delay adopting them by a couple of months, the staff of a state board recommended Tuesday. The Washington State Liquor Control Board was scheduled vote Wednesday on the final rules…
The Daily Show asks that question, then has Rand Paul on as a guest...
One footnote from last week's primary elections, prompted by an item by colleague Jim Brunner of The Seattle Times: Seattle's mayoral primary results -- State Sen. Ed Murray and incumbent Mike McGinn advance from the Top 2 to the general election -- mean Seattle will…
OLYMPIA – Things are quiet enough at the Capitol that it’s possible to do something reporters generally avoid: clean out the unsolicited emails clogging up the inbox. We avoid wading through such correspondence for several reasons, like being busy most days with face-to-face and phone…
A member of U.S. House of Representatives leadership grabbed some java to go at a Spokane-area Dutch Bros. Coffee this morning. And it wasn't who you might think. Franchise owner and state Republican lawmaker Kevin Parker hosted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor at one of…
Politico's Rachel Bade reports this morning U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, may be considering a slot as chairman of the House of Representative Oversight Committee, to be vacated by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., at the end of next year. "Call this Boehner ally and personal…
OLYMPIA – Washington’s proposed rules for growing and selling recreational marijuana were conflict with federal drug laws and state environmental laws, critics said Wednesday. They would make the end product to be smoked or eaten too expensive from taxes, some said. They might favor the…
A liberal political group trying to rally its members to fight discrimination against gays and lesbians in Russia asked Spokane residents Wednesday to petition their City Council to cut “sister city” ties to a Russian city. MoveOn.org briefly had Spokane on a list of 27…
The Secretary of State's office has a map of Tuesday's results in the 7th District Senate race that shows John Smith on top in four counties and Brian Dansel on top in one. That one, Ferry County, which is Dansel's home county. So one would…
It shouldn’t be any surprise that Candace Mumm topped all the candidates for Spokane’s Northwest City Council seat. Her two main opponents lean Republican and were bound to split the vote. Topping 50 percent in a four-way race, however, is a win of sorts for…
South Spokane voters will pick between two familiar candidates for the Second District council seat this fall. Incumbent Jon Snyder will face former State Rep. John Ahern in the general election. Snyder finished Tuesday night's count with nearly 56 percent of the votes; Ahern had…
Appointed State Sen. John Smith will face Ferry County Commissioner Brian Dansel for the rights to fill northeast Washington’s 7th District Senate seat in next year’s legislative session. Smith easily finished first in the off-year primary and at the end of ballot counting Tuesday night…
Early returns put State Sen. John Smith of Colville firmly in first place in the primary for the 7th District Senate seat. Smith has 51 percent of the vote and Ferry County Commissioner Brian Dansel is second with about 28 percent of the vote. Mike…
Candace Mumm will face Michael Cannon this fall in the race for the open council seat in Northwest Spokane's 3rd District. In Tuesday night's count, Mumm was easily in first place with 56 percent of the vote. Cannon was solidly in second, with 27 percent…
Talking Points Memo does a synopsis about the Republican National Committee's threat to ban CNN and NBC from its 2016 primary debates if the networks do Hillary Clinton documentaries. Then there's The Hillary Project, a New Hampshire-based PAC intent on keeping Clinton from running, that…
Spokane County could count as much as 90 percent of the ballots for the primary tonight. Elections Manager Mike McLaughlin said county elections staff have processed and readied for tabulation all ballots received by this morning. That leaves only the ballots being placed in the…
This is the last day to turn in a ballot for the primary election. For most Eastern Washington voters, it's a short ballot, if they have one at all. One or two races for city council seat, a fire district or school board. Northeastern Washington's…
Tuesday is the last day to turn in a ballot for the primary election. For most Eastern Washington voters, it's a short ballot. One or two races for city council seat, a fire district or school board. The names might not be household words. The…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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