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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Ellen Dennis

This individual is no longer an employee with The Spokesman-Review.

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News >  WA Government

Washington gubernatorial hopeful, other candidates left off speaking bill at this year’s state Democratic convention

Organizers of the three-day event at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue appeared to have designed the lineup of speakers in a way that would mask any divisions in party ranks. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mark Mullet, a state senator from Issaquah, wasn’t invited to speak at the event, so he chose to skip it all together. Also not invited to speak were state attorney general candidates Nick Brown, a former U.S. attorney, and state Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, along with state lands commissioner hopefuls Dave Upthegrove, a member of the King County Council, and state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Lake Sutherland.
News >  WA Government

Washington’s statewide races are heating up. Here’s a look at the three contenders for attorney general.

The three leading candidates in the race for the next Attorney General of Washington have so far spent a combined $2.5 million on their campaigns, making it the second-most expensive race in the state behind that for governor. Whoever is elected will assume power over the state’s top legal office after November marks the first open election for the seat since 2012.

News >  WA Government

Washington Lands Commissioner: Wildfire season is here, so be careful

Wildfire season has officially begun in Washington, and state officials are urging people to avoid sparking a fire as they head out to recreate this Memorial Day weekend.“We know that every time we have a vacation holiday weekend, everybody loves getting outside,” state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in a news conference Friday. “Sometimes that leads to danger if they’re not being wildfire safe.”
News >  WA Government

Washington governor sends back plan for huge Tri-Cities wind farm, asks to add more turbines

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday sent a letter to a government energy council saying it cut too many turbines out of the proposed construction plan for one of the largest wind farms in the state. In its response, the governor’s office wrote that it wants the stretch of land that will be developed to achieve “full or near-full” energy generation capacity.
News >  WA Government

One Bob to rule them all: Two of the three candidates for governor named Bob Ferguson drop out of Washington’s race

Drama that ensued last week when three people named Bob Ferguson all filed campaigns to run for Washington’s governor appeared to have boiled over Monday when two of the trio of Bobs dropped out of the race. On Monday afternoon, state attorney general Bob Ferguson issued a public statement in which he threatened to take legal action if the other two people by the same name did not withdraw their candidacies by the deadline later that day.
News >  Transportation

Getting There: Most Washington IDs won’t fly in a year, state officials say, urging people to get their enhanced licenses for airplane travel

In one year, a standard driver's license or state-issued ID card will no longer be adequate identification for Washington residents to board an airplane, state officials announced last week.Instead, people 18 and older will need to bring an enhanced driver’s license or ID card, U.S. Passport, Tribal ID, Military ID, green card, or another approved identification document with them to the airport.
News >  WA Government

‘Overcoming reefer madness’: Feds appear poised to ease restrictions on weed. Here’s how the change could impact Washington.

The U.S. government is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less harmful drug, a federal spokesperson confirmed this week. If finalized, this change in classification by the U.S. Department of Justice would federally recognize the medical use of cannabis. It would not federally legalize the drug for recreational use, however.
News >  WA Government

State Republican Party convention erupts in chaos after GOP leaders try to stop governor endorsement vote

Roughly 1,800 delegates showed up to the three-day political gathering at the Spokane Convention Center, marking the annual event’s highest turnout in history, officials said. The GOP’s attempt to forgo making an endorsement in the governor’s race came after news broke that gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird was convicted in 1993 of a misdemeanor for lying on a credit card application.