Mon., March 7, 2011
OLYMPIA -- With time running out on the deadline to get bills out of their first chamber Monday, the state Senate spent some time taking care of animal concerns. They passed a bill to study the Mazama pocket gopher. They passed another to place more…
Mon., March 7, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Teen-agers who call to report a possible alcohol-related poisoning would be immune from prosecution for possessing alcohol under a bill approved today by the House. Despite objections from some Republicans that the bill was sending the wrong message for illegal underage drinking, HB…
Thu., March 3, 2011
OLYMPIA--Latest idea for a ballot measure: Let's change the state song. Quick, what is the state song right now? If you said "Louie, Louie" or "Roll On, Columbia" you're wrong. Those are the state's unofficial rock song, and the state's official folk song, respectively. The…
Thu., March 3, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Campaign committees would be less likely to hide who they are and where they get their money under a bill passed today by the Senate. With a 46-0 vote, the Senate passed SB 5021, which requires political action committees to list the name…
Thu., March 3, 2011
OLYMPIA -- With the session now officially half over after late evening sessions on Wednesday, both chambers are scheduled Thursday for a day of votes on a wide range of topics. Last night the Senate passed the latest version of SB 5073, which sets up…
Wed., March 2, 2011
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire repeated her call for a giant leap forward in education reform Wednesday while the Legislature showed it was inclined to take baby steps. Gregoire gathered with a handful of legislators, a parent and a Boeing executive to give another push…
Wed., March 2, 2011
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Indecision 2012 - Indecision Edition - Republican Candidacy Announcements www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook Or so Jon Stewart seems to think. The first…
Tue., March 1, 2011
OLYMPIA -- The House removed time limits on prosecuting pedophiles, allowing charges to be brought long after victims become adults. With a unanimous vote, the House approved HB 1647, which eliminates the statute of limitations on the most serious child sex crimes, and extends it…
Tue., March 1, 2011
Hollywood loves a sequel, but that could be hard with The King's Speech. Or so one might think. Not so, suggests Jimmy Kimmel.
Tue., March 1, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Both chambers continue full day floor sessions today as the Legislature rushes to get bills through their first house before the March 5 cutoff. The Senate is running relatively non-controversial bills. For example, a bill to clarify some portions of the sex offender…
Tue., March 1, 2011
Here's a Spokane metro-area map generated for last night's post with a slightly different color key, as well as population figures.
Tue., March 1, 2011
Last night's post discussed the population in Washington's legislative districts and had a statewide map. But we also generated more local maps for analysis. Here's a Spokane County map tied to the same color key. District 2010 population Growth since 2000 Difference from ideal 2012…
Mon., Feb. 28, 2011
OLYMPIA – Washington homeowners would be restricted from putting fertilizer with phosphorus on healthy lawns under a bill that passed the House Monday. Despite complaints from Republicans that homeowners are able to decide what fertilizer to put on their grass or that restrictions will send…
Mon., Feb. 28, 2011
Spokane-area legislative boundaries could change significantly by next year to make up for population shifts from the city’s urban core to the suburbs. While much of the attention so far on the 2010 U.S. Census figures has centered on Washington gaining its tenth congressional district,…
Sun., Feb. 27, 2011
With all the celebrating that has taken place since Boeing was declared the winner in the Air Force’s New Tanker Sweepstakes, it may be wise not to start adding all those jobs and money into the state’s moribund economy just yet. After all, the new…
Fri., Feb. 25, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Spokane-area freshmen senators continue to get razzed even when they aren't making their first floor speeches. More senior members were joking around the Sen. Andy Hill, R-Redmond, during the vote on his first bill, when they observed it was hard to tell all…
Fri., Feb. 25, 2011
OLYMPIA --Much of the South Puget Sound is closed or moving slow today, scared back to bed apparently by Seattle television weather persons proclaiming a snow-pocalypse. It's actually a rare day in Olympia, with snow on the ground and blue skies. The Legislature has floor…
Wed., Feb. 23, 2011
Some quick hits on the 2010 Census data as we work furiously to answer the Flakey Foont question "What does it all mean?" Spokane remains the Avis of Washington cities, with Tacoma dropping into a more distant third. Spokane is at 208,916, Tacoma is at…
Tue., Feb. 22, 2011
OLYMPIA – The U.S. Supreme Court answered once and for all Tuesday whether a conservative group can hide the names of donors to a campaign against an assisted suicide initiative. It can’t. The court refused to hear an appeal of lower courts’ rulings against Human…
Tue., Feb. 22, 2011
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Crisis in Dairyland - Revenge of the Curds www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook Is anyone else irked by some television news accounts that…
Tue., Feb. 22, 2011
OLYMPIA -- The House and Senate both have actual floor sessions today, considering some bills that have come out of committees. Among the first to move is SJR 8205, a possible constitutional amendment that would be on the fall ballot, a technical or "housekeeping" change…
Mon., Feb. 21, 2011
OLYMPIA -- Fourteen year-olds can probably forget about voting in this year's school board races. English may be the language everyone in the state uses for official events and documents but it’s unlikely to be declared the state’s "official language." The death penalty will likely…
Mon., Feb. 21, 2011
In honor of Presidents Day, here is some Oval Office worthy trivia. Before President's Day, the U.S. used to have Washington's Birthday as a federal holiday. What's Washington's real birthday? The faces of what four presidents are carved onto Mount Rushmore? What four state capitals…
Mon., Feb. 21, 2011
Happy Presidents Day, which should take on extra special meaning considering the wishes come from the only state named for a president. Most government offices are closed, which seems a bit odd concerning the day honors the 44 people who have been at the top…
Mon., Feb. 21, 2011
Former Rep. Mike Padden is running for the 4th District Senate seat that he was shut out of in the recent appointment process. Padden announced today that he'll run this fall for the seat formerly held for 30 years by Bob McCaslin, and to which…
