OLYMPIA – It is a rare day in the session that some legislator doesn’t offer the folksy wisdom that the state would be fine if it would just balance the budget like the folks back home. Sometimes, those folks are mom and pop entrepreneurs on…
Leeman Able, a member of the Shoshone Paiute tribe, stands at the Washington Vietnam Memorial Friday during a ceremony to welcome home Vietnam veterans. OLYMPIA -- Saturday is officially "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" under a bill passed by the Legislature and signed Friday by…
Gov. Jay Inslee explains his budget as students from Seattle's Cleveland High School look on. OLYMPIA — The state should make temporary tax increases on beer and some business services permanent, cancel a variety of other tax breaks and spend an extra $1.2 billion on…
House Speaker Frank Chopp buys cookies and a brownie from Kate Hunter and Maureen Bo, who were manning the table of a "bake sale" for seniors and the disabled in the Capitol. OLYMPIA -- The Legislature has a pretty full day of hearings on this…
OLYMPIA – Washington gets a good grade for showing its residents how the state spends their money, but probably deserves lower marks for letting them see how those spending decisions are made, government watchdog groups said Wednesday on the eve of the next big milestone…
OLYMPIA – Although the state’s unemployment numbers may be slowly declining, the number of open jobs for skilled workers is rising and could double in the next five years, a business group said Wednesday. A new study by an international consulting firm estimates the state’s…
OLYMPIA -- Legislative committees have a fairly full day of hearings today, on topics large and small, ranging from legislation on spaying pets to a work session on the Washington State University global campus. The Legislature will also get a grade on transparency in how…
Cadet honor guard carries the state flag to the Senate rostrum during joint session to honor Gardner. OLYMPIA – With his family in the gallery and flags outside lowered to half-staff, Booth Gardner was eulogized Friday in the Senate chamber where he once served, as…
In what has become an annual ritual, President Obama filled out his NCAA Tournament Bracket for ESPN earlier this week. (Spoiler alert: He says nice things about Gonzaga, but doesn't pick them to win it all.) Which prompted the second annual ritual of Republicans complaining…
The Spokane Public Library will get new leadership just as its funding stabilizes after years of uncertainty. Pat Partovi, who has led the library since 2003, will retire May 10. “It’s a perfect opportunity for a new director,” Partovi said. The process to pick Partovi’s…
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, emphasized substance over style in the upcoming budget and immigration policy talks Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Addressing the media with other conservative members of Congress, Labrador said he was encouraged by the ideas behind a budget plan set…
Shelby sits while his owners John Stevie and Sharon Willoya describe the wolf attack that almost killed the dog on March 10. OLYMPIA – The key witness at a hearing on whether Eastern Washington needs new laws on wolves need to be changed didn't say…
Rep. Matt Shea will have telephone town hall session Wednesday evening which will give voters a chance to call in their questions about the current legislative session. The Spokane Valley Republican likened it to a radio call-in talk show, where voters from his 4th Legislative…
OLYMPIA – Revenue projections for the next two years suggest the state budget will grow by about $2 billion. That’s more than some legislators expected and more than enough to fuel the debate between Senate Republicans and House Democrats over spending cuts and tax increases.…
OLYMPIA – Some time in the next year, Washington residents will be able to walk into a store and buy legal marijuana. Will that store be like Nordstrom, Wal-Mart or a mom and pop grocery? That question surfaced Tuesday in a legislative hearing, although it…
Ten workers who lost their jobs last year at the East Central Community will remain off the city payroll. The Spokane Civil Service Commission on Tuesday unanimously rejected a complaint from the union that represented the laid off workers. Local 270 of the Washington State…
Rep. Matt Shea will have telephone town hall session Wednesday evening which will give voters a chance to call in their questions about the current legislative session. The Spokane Valley Republican likened it to a radio call-in talk show, where voters from his 4th Legislative…
WASHINGTON — A group of education and industry professionals from Washington state offered U.S. lawmakers their suggestions to promote science, technology, education and math instruction Tuesday on Capitol Hill. The meeting, co-hosted by Washington STEM, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Sen. Patty Murray, focused on…
OLYMPIA -- Senate Republicans announced what they dubbed a bold plan to reverse the trend in the state's public colleges and universities, saying they wanted to add $300 million to the budget for higher education over the next two years and cut tuition by 3…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature should take a look at tax breaks for insurance agents and travel agents, for high tech manufacturers and bio-tech manufacturers, for folks who load big ships and folks who catch certain kinds of fish, a House committee was told Monday. Some…
OLYMPIA – The state Transportation Department would have to report mistakes on projects that cost more than $500,000 and in some cases explain to the Legislature why the person responsible wasn’t fired, under a bill being considered by a House committee. The proposal is partly…
Booth Gardner seemed the most unlikely of gubernatorial candidates when he first hit the campaign trail as “Booth Who?” in 1984. Sure, he was the Pierce County executive and a former legislator, so he wasn’t a complete political novice. And he was a Weyerhaeuser heir,…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature is back in hearing mode, with committees in each chamber taking up bills the other chamber managed to pass before last week's deadline. The House Finance Committee gets a report on an always popular topic: tax preferences, or as critics prefer…
OLYMPIA – As the Legislature passed a key deadline last week, the “bi” word was thrown around quite a bit. Bipartisan. The problem was that bipartisan seems to mean different things to different people. . . To read the rest of this item, or to…
Spokane-area residents will have chances to ask their legislators what’s going on in Olympia at several town hall meetings today. Sen. Andy Billig, Reps. Timm Ormsby and Marcus Riccelli, all Democrats from central Spokane’s 3rd District, have a 10 a.m. meeting at Shadle Park High…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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