This just in: Members of the postal unions and community supporters are planning a protest on Sept. 27 in every congressional district, asking the honorable congresspersons to do everything in their power to save the Postal Service. That includes a demonstration outside Rep. Cathy McMorris…
President Obama hit up Seattle Sunday afternoon for some campaign cash. There were no public events, unless you consider the motorcade driving down a closed-off freeway or along a city street. There also was limited press coverage (so limited that The Spokesman-Review did not send…
OLYMPIA – With almost all the news about Washington’s financial state hovering between dismal and abysmal over the last two weeks, it was good to catch one silver lining in the dark black revenue clouds that sit over the Capitol. Revenue collections were up in…
State Sen. Mike Baumgartner is weighing a run for the other Senate, the one in Washington, D.C. The Spokane Republican said he’ll make up his mind in the next few weeks about whether he’ll wage a campaign against Democrat Maria Cantwell, who’ll be seeking her…
OLYMPIA -- The Association of Washington Business endorsed Jeff Baxter Friday in the race for the state Senate seat in Spokane Valley's 4th District. The AWB is meeting this week at Suncadia lodge -- a resort near Cle Elum -- for its annual "policy summit".…
OLYMPIA -- After more than a week of bad budget news for Washington state, the Revenue Department did find a silver lining in at least one dark cloud. That is, the amount of revenue Washington state collected in fiscal 2011 was up almost 6 percent…
OLYMPIA -- If you're coming to Seattle for the weekend and hoping to catch President Obama, who'll be there for just over three hours on Sunday, bring cash. Not much chance of seeing him in the flesh without it. Obama has two campaign stops on…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature gets to spend the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas playing Scrooge to state agencies. Gov. Chris Gregoire said she is calling legislators back for a special session starting Nov. 28 to deal with declining revenue projections that are likely to decline…
Gov. Chris Gregoire at the Suncadia Lodge. CLE ELUM -- Washington's economic outlook is so much more likely to get worse in the next two months that Gov. Chris Gregoire said she won't call the Legislature into a special session until November. "It would be…
At least, that's what a proclamation signed by President Obama says. From last Saturday to this Friday, it's officially Constitution Week. This coincides with the 224th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17. That was Constitution Day, but a single day doesn't…
OLYMPIA -- For those who are Jonesing for some campaign-style polling, a Seattle political consulting firm is trying to supply a fix. It has a new poll of 500 voters that suggest if the election were held today, Republican Rob McKenna would beat Democrat Jay…
Former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton had a logical, sensible suggestion last week when releasing his proposal for Washington’s new congressional districts. So logical and sensible, in fact, that it has almost no chance of happening.... To read the rest of this item, go inside the…
OLYMPIA – With economic recovery described as “a mirage in the desert” and a projected gap between income and spending growing to $1.4 billion, state officials began setting the stage Thursday for a special legislative session that would find ways to cut more from the…
OLYMPIA -- The state's economic forecast for the remainder of this two-year budget cycle comes out this morning, and the real question here is not "Will it be bad?" but "How bad will it be?" In June, the forecast all but wiped out the budgetary…
Sen. Mike Baumgartner at his desk on the Senate floor this spring. File photo. OLYMPIA -- State Sen. Mike Baumgartner of Spokane is being discussed for the political equivalent of an upgrade, as a candidate for U.S. Senate against Democrat Maria Cantwell. Baumgartner said Wednesday…
Whether you were wishing that U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich would pull up stakes and move to Washington because you really, really like him, or the exact opposite, you're not going to get your wish. The Associated Press is reporting that Kucinich is likely to stay…
Slade Gorton and Commission Chairwoman Lura Powell review a redistricting map. OLYMPIA -- The state Redistricting Commissioner released its first round of maps for congressional and legislative districts, as described in the story here. Maps are online at the commission's website . While most of…
Brian Sonntag. File photo OLYMPIA – State Auditor Brian Sonntag, the longest serving state executive in office, will retire at the end of next year from a 20-year stint at the head of the office that keeps an eye on the other state offices. Sonntag,…
Caller wondered if it was true that there is yet still another GOP presidential debate tonight. Absolutely. A debate jointly sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party -- proving the old "strange bedfellows" adage -- will be llive on the cable news channel starting at…
The Supercommittee charged cutting the federal deficit got off to a raucous start last week, as protesters cut off one GOP member’s opening remarks with chants that Congress should "tax the rich." As enticing as that may sound to those who do not consider themselves…
While most of the political news is swirling around City Hall this morning with the press conference over the Otto Zehm case (read about that here), there was a development in the Council President race. Councilman Steve Corker, who finished third in the primary for…
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook A day late because of taping schedules, Jon Stewart delivers the best look at the GOP presidential debate, and the news media that covered it.…
AP photo OLYMPIA -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn't the only governor that has to worry about wildfires. Washington state is battling a fire in the Goldendale area which drew both Gov. Chris Gregoire and Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark for a look-see on Thursday. The…
. . . We'd all probably be in trouble. But someone had the bright idea to see which parts of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and all the Amendments are "liked" best -- Facebook style. The First Amendment is currently first in likes. Which…
Someone called to ask what station is carrying the GOP presidential debate, and what time is it on. The answer: 5 p.m. on MSNBC, wherever that falls on your cable box. The listing was not in the daily TV log in today's paper. Sorry about…
