The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook If all the fighting over immigration reform has you scratching your head, Jon Stewart won't clear it up so much as show you some of the sillier elements of it.
4. Voters at Fairchild Air Force Base support expanded background checks for gun sales – resoundingly. Initiative 594 won the precinct at Fairchild 72 votes to 38. On the other hand, maybe they don't. Voters there also supported Initiative 591, though not by as much…
In politics, as in military campaigns, victory has many fathers. That may explain the self-congratulatory press release from supporters of I-594. . . To continue reading this item, or to comment, continue inside the blog.
Spokane County voters said yes to both gun initiatives, causing some observers on the West Side of the state to scratch their heads on election night. One could reasonably vote no on I-591 and I-594, they opined, but voting yes twice seemed illogical on measures…
OLYMPIA – The most ephemeral thing in politics might be big majorities. This should be particularly obvious to Democrats as they look to next year’s Legislature. Six years ago, Democrats approached the session with 31 of 49 seats in the Senate and 62 of 98…
The Spokane Transit Authority is passing around an online survey today looking for feedback on its Moving Forward campaign and a potential tax increase to expand its service. In an email, the transit organizations had this to say: Dear community member, STA Moving Forward is…
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was re-elected the House Republican Conference chairwoman today by GOP members who returned all their top leaders for the upcoming Congress. House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise were also re-elected. The conference chairmanship is…
OLYMPIA – Gun rights activists plan to bring their firearms to the Capitol next month in an effort engage in civil disobedience by violating the new background check law that they despise. But there may be a flaw in the plan. What they say they’re…
Scott Chesney, Spokane’s planning director who was abruptly ousted from his position last week, said today he was taking the “high road” and ending his role at the city. Chesney did not give details on why he was forced to resign, but his silence is…
OLYMPIA – Two of the three members of the state board that oversees Washington’s liquor and marijuana laws will step down early next year. Chairwoman Sharon Foster has informed Gov. Jay Inslee that she will not accept a reappointment to the Liquor Control Board when…
This is a standard laugh-getter: Go out on the street, or in this case a college campus, and ask people questions that grade school kids should be able to answer, then chuckle when they can't. But for these questions, and these students, it's a tossup…
A few people have called or e-mailed to accuse the newspaper of making up quasquicentennial as a word to mean 125 year anniversary in this morning's story about Washington's birthday celebration. To which we would say, truthfully, we're not that smart. It's a real word,…
Young "Keepers of the Capsule" take the oath Tuesday. OLYMPIA –Washington marked its quasquicentennial Tuesday with an eye to the future, swearing in a new group of children charged with sending a bit of today to coming generations. Quasquicentennials are 125 year anniversaries. They aren't…
John Oliver has fun with the latest innovation for getting salmon back to their spawning grounds.
Parking is free in Spokane today in honor of Veterans Day. Washington state parks are also free, for the same reason. Giving the rest of us two more things for which to thank veterans. Two small things, to be sure, compared to thanks for their…
Secretary of State Kim Wyman OLYMPIA – 1889 was a momentous year for Washington. Three of its largest cities, including Spokane Falls, nearly burned to the ground that summer then began to rise from their ashes. A second railroad announced plans to join the Northern…
John Oliver on Last Week Tonight reminds us what happens when state's go into the gambling business.
All of the races for the state Legislature, as well as Initiative 1351 which requires smaller class sizes, are now far enough apart that they wouldn't trigger an automatic recount, the Secretary of State's office said this morning. The I-1351 campaign was claiming victory over…
OLYMPIA – A paragraph in the political correspondents’ code requires us to tell voters “what it all means” on the Sunday after an election. Personally, I’ve always believed that by now you’ve all figured it out for yourselves, but to break the code means I…
The state initiative aimed at lowering class sizes increased its lead on the fourth day of ballot counting. The Washington Secretary of State’s website says Initiative 1351 leads by 9,172 votes. After Tuesday’s count, the measure was behind by about 12,000 votes. By Thursday’s count,…
Yet another Spokane developer has given his support to Scott Chesney, the city's planner who was abruptly dismissed from City Hall yesterday. Dave Black, who brought Target to the South Hill, said it was a "tragedy" that Chesney was fired. "The guy is a get…
Spokane County votes on the gun initiatives are almost, but not quite, a mirror image of each other. (Click on the "continue reading" function to see both maps on the same page.) That's not surprising, considering the two ballot measures essentially were competing with each…
Add one more prominent Spokane developer and a well-known downtown real estate attorney to the list calling for Scott Chesney to remain at City Hall: Walt Worthy and James Black. In a short email written early this morning to Jan Quintrall, the head of the…
Incumbent Sen. Mike Baumgartner topped Democratic challenger Rich Cowan in most precincts outside the city of Spokane. Inside the city, Cowan picked up votes in some South Hill and Northside precincts but Baumgartner showed strong in others.
Scott Chesney, Spokane’s planning director since 2011, abruptly left the city Wednesday for unknown reasons. “I resigned due to the mayor’s loss of confidence in me,” Chesney said in a text message. “I respect his choice.” Jan Quintrall, head of the city’s Business and Development…
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