Tue., Jan. 11, 2011
OLYMPIA – Amid the tension of a state budget some $4.6 billion out of whack and proposals to cut programs for some of the state’s poorest and most vulnerable, Gov. Chris Gregoire tried to sound upbeat Tuesday with a promise Washington would come out of…
Tue., Jan. 11, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire's take on "the state" of Washington state, with the latest excerpt on top of older excerpts: Make no mistake, I expect you to make the changes that will benefit the state for today and the next 80 years. Last year,…
Tue., Jan. 11, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire will tell a joint session of the Legislature the "state of the state", which chances are she'll say is struggling. What? You thought she'd say everything was just peachy? You have not been paying attention. She'll likely list many of…
Tue., Jan. 11, 2011
OLYMPIA-- A state senator stays a member of his or her caucus until a successor is sworn in. Thus, Jean Berkey and Chris Marr and some others defeated in the 2010 elections remained on the Senate Democratic Caucus roster yesterday morning, and up to that…
Mon., Jan. 10, 2011
State Supreme Court Justice Tom Chambers congratulates Mike Baumgartner after swearing him in Monday. OLYMPIA -- With much less drama than Senator-elect Nick Harper's swearing in, Sen. Mike Baumgartner of Spokane's 6th District took the oath of office on the opening day of the session
Mon., Jan. 10, 2011
OLYMPIA -- An initial effort to keep a Snohomish County senator-elect from being seated in the Senate failed Monday afternoon as a parliamentary procedure failed on a 23-18 vote. Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, tried to keep all newly-elected senators from being sworn in while the…
Mon., Jan. 10, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Washington's Legislature is staring up its engines today with all 49 senators and 98 representatives getting sworn in. The anticipated skirmish over Nick Harper taking his Senate seat in Snohomish County's 38th District won't come up for a while, as each newly elected…
Mon., Jan. 10, 2011
Curt Fackler, former Spokane County Republican chairman, is joining the race for the state GOP chairmanship. Current chair Luke Esser wants to keep the job and at least two others from western Washington are interested. In a letter sent out today, Fackler questions the effectiveness…
Mon., Jan. 10, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Washington's 105-day legislative session formally gets underway at noon, with the official and officious opening ceremonies in each chamber. It's the time for swearing in. Simple swearing to come later. One potential glitch in the Senate involves the swearing in of Nick Harper…
Sat., Jan. 8, 2011
OLYMPIA – When the Legislature starts Monday, it would be nice if the first bill they passed would outlaw certain stock phrases that are already worn out. The much-needed Bill to Ban Over-Used Rhetoric might contain the following: “Everything is on the table…” when used…
Thu., Jan. 6, 2011
Jim and Carolyn McCullar check to see how much money he brought to Olympia to pick up their Mega Million jackpot winnings. He had $8 in his pocket. OLYMPIA – When Jim McCullar woke his wife Carolyn shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday night, she was…
Wed., Jan. 5, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Justice Debra Stephens, the Washington Supreme Court's newest member, is also its most influential, a conservative think tank says. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation gave Stephens, the first woman from Eastern Washington to serve on the state's highest court, its first-ever ranking of most…
Wed., Jan. 5, 2011
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers moved onto the House Energy and Commerce Committee and off the Armed Services, Natural Resources and Education and Labor committees. She'll serve on three E & C subcommittees: Energy and Power, Environment and the Economy, and Health. From those, the Eastern…
Wed., Jan. 5, 2011
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature should not dilly-dally with a supplemental state budget that figures out how to reduce expenses through the end of June, State Treasurer James McIntire said Wednesday. They should pass the revised spending plan by the end of the month "without gimmmicks…
Wed., Jan. 5, 2011
Gov. Chris Gregoire explains proposals for education and higher education at a press conference Wednesday. OLYMPIA — All of Washington's education systems and programs, from preschool through graduate degrees at universities, should be working together and overseen by a single office, Gov. Chris Gregoire said…
Tue., Jan. 4, 2011
Slade Gorton and Tom Huff in front of maps of the current congressional and legislative districts. OLYMPIA -- Former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton was named today to the panel that will redraw congressional and legislative boundaries because of the state's population growth. Gorton, a three-term…
Tue., Jan. 4, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Sen. Bob McCaslin, the most senior member of the Legislature who has represented Spokane Valley's 4th District for 30 years, is retiring because of health problems. In a prepared statement, McCaslin said health problems have resurfaced that have changed his plans to serve…
Mon., Jan. 3, 2011
If you aren't tired of looking back over 2010, this video is fun, despite its cynicism.
Wed., Dec. 29, 2010
OLYMPIA -- New numbers from the Washington Secretary of State's office confirm what political experts in Spokane have long believed: Central Spokane's 3rd Legislative District, along with being among the state's poorest, is among the state's lightest voting. The state Elections Office released voter turnout…
Thu., Dec. 23, 2010
Christmas Quiz 2010 » funny quizzes Or go inside the blog to take the quiz the old fashioned way:
Tue., Dec. 21, 2010
Washington gets a new congressional district, upping its population in the U.S. House of Representatives from nine to 10, Census Bureau officials announced today. Politicians all over the state, from Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, to Luke Esser, state Republican Party chairman, are thrilled. And…
Mon., Dec. 20, 2010
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Will Ferrell
Fri., Dec. 17, 2010
OLYMPIA -- The state could balance its books by the end of the June by cutting more funds for school children, dropping payments to small school districts, eliminating some health care programs on March 1, and mailing checks worth some $253 million a day later.Those…
Thu., Dec. 16, 2010
OLYMPIA -- With little fanfare or complaints, Seattle Atheists have erected a decorated tree and a sign on the Capitol campus in honor of not-Christmas.A tree? As in, a Christmas Tree?Not exactly. The group calls it "A Tree of Knowledge" -- although it's unclear if…
Thu., Dec. 16, 2010
The omnibus appropriations bill for this fiscal year (which started on Oct. 1, by the way) that is moving through Congress has at least 6.631 earmarks worth $8.6 billiion, Citizens Against Government Waste says. At least because the organization hasn't located all the anonymous earmarks…
