Jim Camden

All Stories

News >  Spokane

Wandler to challenge Kretz as an independent

UPDATED: Thu., May 14, 2020

A Mead resident who owns a Seattle restaurant and has operated Spokane eateries filed this week to run for the Legislature in Eastern Washington’s vast 7th District.

News >  WA Government

Jobless claims up in Washington; so are fraudulent claims

UPDATED: Thu., May 14, 2020

State officials are seeing an influx of fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits as they continue deal with record numbers of claims from people forced out of work by shutdowns from the COVID-19 epidemic.

News >  Spokane

Shea billed $4,700 for olive oil poured on Capitol steps in response to Satanist demonstration

UPDATED: Thu., May 14, 2020

Spokane Valley Rep. Matt Shea is being billed $4,700 for the cleanup of olive oil he poured on the steps of the domed Legislative Building in early March, part of a Christian group’s response to an earlier demonstration by Satanists who had marched around the building.

News >  WA Government

Precinct committee candidates who filed online may have to refile

UPDATED: Wed., May 13, 2020

Washington Democrats and Republicans who filed online to run for precinct committee officer will need to do it again by Friday afternoon.

News >  Washington

State agencies told to find almost $2 billion in savings, freeze hiring

UPDATED: Wed., May 13, 2020

Washington agencies will look for some $1.9 billion in budget cuts to accompany a freeze on hiring and equipment purchases ordered Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee.

News >  WA Government

Election chaos, giraffes and hobbits: Supreme Court considers Washington, Colorado ‘faithless elector’ laws

UPDATED: Wed., May 13, 2020

In late 2016, Washington presidential elector Peter Chiafalo had a plan to keep Donald Trump from becoming president by getting other electors around the country to vote for someone other than the winner of their state’s election

News >  Spokane

State ready to launch contact tracing initiative; testing plans in progress

UPDATED: Tue., May 12, 2020

The state’s COVID-19 response has launched a large contact tracing initiative, with increased testing plans in the works.

News >  Washington

Valley Republican files to challenge McMorris Rodgers

UPDATED: Tue., May 12, 2020

A Spokane Valley Republican is challenging Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, contending she was wrong to allow the national debt to grow by supporting relief packages to help people and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

News >  Spokane

Restaurants weigh cost, benefits of reopening under ‘long string’ of Phase 2 limits

UPDATED: Tue., May 12, 2020

Strict rules for restaurants that want to open in Phase 2 of Washington’s plan to reopen the economy have some owners wondering if they should stay closed. Others, however, plan to open with limited seating because the extra income will help, but hope the next phase comes quickly.

News >  Spokane

State Sen. Mark Schoesler blocks Inslee’s proposed extension of emergency rules on domestic violence orders

UPDATED: Tue., May 12, 2020

Republican leaders balked over the weekend at extending one of the emergency orders that suspend different laws during the COVID-19, prompting a debate over who’s protecting victims of domestic violence versus who’s protecting the rule of law.

News >  Spokane

Spokane-area legislative races fill up as candidate filing week starts

UPDATED: Tue., May 12, 2020

Spokane attorney Tom McGarry files for House against Jenny Graham. Businessman Mike Conrad files for Valley House seat.

News >  Spokane

With Inslee running for re-election, other Democrats staying put

UPDATED: Mon., May 11, 2020

By running for a third term, Gov. Jay Inslee has kept more Democrats in place in the 2020 elections but energized Republicans.

Opinion >  Column

Spin Control: Some campaigns are heavy on ‘the merch’

Sun., May 10, 2020

It may be a sign of age, but I can remember when the first thing a potential candidate did was hire a strategist and open an office. Now it seems the first thing is to put up a website, and sell merchandise.

News >  Spokane

Five Eastern Washington counties get green light to move to Phase 2 of reopening

UPDATED: Mon., May 11, 2020

Five counties in Eastern Washington can move ahead to Phase 2 in the state’s reopening plan, although many industries are waiting for guidelines from the governor’s office.

News >  Health

Retail stores, landscapers and dog-walkers get a limited go-ahead to return

UPDATED: Fri., May 8, 2020

Retail stores in Washington can resume limited operations with new rules on protection for employees and curbside delivery for customers ordering online or by phone.

News >  WA Government

New jobless claims down, totals steady as ‘major wave’ subsides

UPDATED: Thu., May 7, 2020

Fewer newly out-of-work Washington residents sought help last week from state unemployment benefits and special federal programs designed to ease the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.

News >  WA Government

Candidates who are broke will get a break when filling to get their names on the ballot

UPDATED: Wed., May 6, 2020

Washington candidates who can’t afford the filing fee next week won’t have to go the alternate route of gathering a voter’s signature for every $1 in the fee.

News >  WA Government

Car and boat dealerships in Washington can reopen under strict rules; guidelines released for drive-in religious services

UPDATED: Wed., May 6, 2020

Car and boat dealerships, drive-up religious services get a green light to resume.

News >  Washington

State budget facing $7 billion hole from pandemic shutdown

UPDATED: Tue., May 5, 2020

The economic shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic could blow a $7 billion hole in the state’s budget over the next three years, forcing a special session sometime in 2020.

News >  Washington

Island marble butterfly – once thought extinct and only known to exist in Washington – listed as endangered

UPDATED: Tue., May 5, 2020

For most of the 20th Century, the island marble butterfly was thought to be extinct. After being rediscovered about 20 years ago, it’s now endangered.

News >  Spokane

Regional approach to reopening Washington takes shape as local Spokane elected officials push for fast-tracked plan

UPDATED: Mon., May 4, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee’s phases to reopen Washington provided an outline for which businesses and activities will be allowed to operate and function in the coming months; some counties get to skip ahead a phase, leading to a regionalized approach.

News >  WA Government

Songs for a Pandemic Playlist

Sun., May 3, 2020

The coronavirus might be touching every aspect of life, down to the playlists on cell phones and iPods, prompting discussions of what titles should go on, and what should come off.

News >  WA Government

All-mail voting isn’t subject to fraud – but wouldn’t be easy for nation to adopt, experts say

Sun., May 3, 2020

Critics say all-mail voting is more subject to fraud. Fans say the whole country should switch to that system for November elections. They’re probably both wrong.

News >  WA Government

Inslee extends Washington’s stay-home order through May, outlines phased plan for reopening

UPDATED: Fri., May 1, 2020

Some aspects of Washington’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order will continue through May – and possibly into July – as state officials slowly relax restrictions on businesses and gatherings, Gov. Jay Inslee said today.

News >  WA Government

Washington unemployment claim numbers ‘gargantuan,’ commissioner says

UPDATED: Thu., April 30, 2020

More than 1 in 5 Washington workers sought some form of unemployment payment last week, in what the head of the agency that administers those claims called “gargantuan numbers.”