Rep. Matt Shea urges demonstrators for the March for LIfe to continue the fight against legalized abortion. OLYMPIA -- The annual March for Life brought several thousand demonstrators to the Capitol Tuesday, filling the north steps of the Legislative Building and the Temple of Justice.…
"Going Richard Sherman" might become the go-to phrase for someone who elevates trash-talking with a long-time adversary to a whole new -- and more public -- level. Consider this posting by Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick the city of Portland's website. Going Richard Sherman on…
OLYMPIA -- A bill to give all businesses in Washington the same low Business and Occupation Tax rate, cutting some $1.8 billion out of state coffers next year, is a bad idea several people told the House Finance Committee. Including the bill's sponsor, Rep. Larry…
OLYMPIA – Drunk drivers could face prison on their fourth conviction – one less than Washington law currently allows – if the Legislature can find a way to pay for the extra costs for that time in state prisons and county jails. One possible source…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature meets today despite the state holiday for Martin Luther King Day. Not much floor action,but a full day of hearings on a potpourri of bills that include tougher rules for driving under the influence, changes to the state lottery, revised rules…
OLYMPIA – For a while, it seemed as though someone hit the rewind button Friday in the Legislature. Last year’s ballot battle over genetically modified food was being rerun in a hearing as some fishing groups called for a ban on re-engineered salmon and others…
Sen. Joe Fain, R-Auburn, sports Seahawks attire while leading the Senate through today's pro forma session. OLYMPIA -- It is Seahawks attire day in the Capitol, where Senators and staff were allowed -- actually encouraged -- to wear team attire or team colors and a…
OLYMPIA – Cities and counties can say no to recreational marijuana businesses even though Washington voters have said yes, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday. In a formal attorney general's opinion responding to questions from the Liquor Control Board, Ferguson and his staff said Initiative…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature has a smorgasbord of issues on its hearing schedule today. Genetically modified fish. Old convictions for tribal fishing protests. Ski lift safety. EPI pens. Sexually violent predators. Crooks in body armor. All those and more will be the subjects of bills…
OLYMPIA – Electricity from the West Plains garbage incinerator would be classified as a renewable energy, and be more valuable to an electric utility, under a bill proposed by Spokane Sen. Mike Baumgartner. Spokane’s waste-to-energy plant should be designated as a renewable resource, Baumgartner told…
Spokane Mayor David Condon is heeding the advice of Spokane City Council members who have pushed him to reopen contract negotiations with the Spokane Police Guild. The mayor and guild agreed to a tentative four-year labor contract last fall, but that deal was rejected by…
As mentioned elsewhere on the website, Washington's official pitch for the 777X names the West Plains as an alternative site for the assembly plant and describes all the good things the state has done and will do for Boeing. For those who want to delve…
OLYMPIA -- Medical marijuana patients bashed a proposal by state agencies to change current state laws on the drug as everything from unworkable to unconstitutional at a morning legislative hearing. Legislators also sharply questioned staff from the Liquor Control Board and the Department of Health…
OLYMPIA -- The ceremonial beginnings of the Legislature now over, the honorables get down to the more mundane work: Committee hearings. There will be hearings on medical marijuana legislation at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. A bill on "knockout game" assaults at 1:30 p.m. Discussions…
OLYMPIA – Washington should raise its minimum wage, spend more on schools and highways, raise teacher salaries and do something about climate change, Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday. “We have done hard things. And we can do more,” the Democratic governor told a joint legislative…
A West Central Neighborhood leader says his life won’t be altered much by his recent lottery win that will give him $1,000 a week for the rest of his life. Kelly Cruz, 53, was with his father on New Year’s Eve at Safeway on Northwest…
We're covering Gov. Jay Inslee's state of the state address with a live Twitter feed from the House of Representatives floor: Tweets about "#waleg"
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Jay Inslee delivers his "state of the state" address to a joint session of the Legislature at noon. Last month he signaled he's pushing for a "hold steady, get ready" budget for the short session. The road to "hold steady" could get…
The new majority of the Spokane City Council flexed its muscles twice on Monday in the first 4-3 votes of the year. Both votes rejected nonbinding efforts to back a state Senate bill designating energy produced at the city’s Waste-to-Energy Plant as renewable. But council…
Sen. Brian Dansel, R-Republic, at his desk on the Senate floor. OLYMPIA -- Brian Dansel, the Republic Republican elected to the Senate in November, was formally sworn in to the Senate with other new members Monday, then sent to the governor's office. It's not like…
Newly appointed Rep. Leonard Christian received his committee assignments Monday on his first day in the Legislature. Appropriations. Capital Budget. Government Operations & Elections. Labor & Workforce Development. He also attended his first Appropriations Committee hearing, where Chairman Ross Hunter assigned him to the front…
House Speaker Frank Chopp presides over the opening day of the session. OLYMPIA -- The House moved swiftly to reiterate its support for expanding college aid to qualifying students who aren't legal residents, passing the so-called DREAM Act less than an hour after the session…
Gov. Jay Inslee talks with TVW's Anita Kissee before the session starts. OLYMPIA -- The Legislature returns to the Capitol for its 2014 session with caucuses in the morning and formal opening at noon. Opening days are often light on substance other than opening speeches.…
OLYMPIA – Keeping tabs on the Legislature, which sometimes features dueling floor sessions or dawn-to-dusk committee hearings, can be challenging in the state capital and even more so for Spokane residents some 300 miles away. But the Internet and other technology makes it easier than…
OLYMPIA -- Add one more politicians' bet to the list of wagers over today's Seahawks-Saints game. Gov. Jay Inslee's office said today he has bet Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal that if the 'Hawks win, Jindal will donate 100 pounds of Louisiana seafood to a food…
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