Public Periscope
Keeping score
School’s out and the Washington Conservation Voters organization has issued its report card on state legislators for their votes on bills the environmental group considers most important. No big surprises here: Although the group is bipartisan, most Democrats get passing grades, most Republicans don’t … The group contends those with poor scores are “out of touch with their constituents on environmental and conservation issues.” One small quibble with that claim - they base it on the results of a survey of 500 state residents that revealed that 71 percent of voters think environmental laws need to be tougher and 85 percent thought environmental threats were serious … It’s a stretch to get from those generalities to something as specific as water rights, growth management and salmon license buybacks. And 500 voters statewide translate to about 10 voters in each legislative district.
Still, scorecards are always interesting, and you can see how your legislators did by checking out the group’s Web site: www.wcvoters.org/wcvoters.
There’s even a surprise there. Sen. Bob Morton of northeastern Washington’s 7th District may have only scored a 13 percent on his card, but he was cited for a “Good Green Deed” for his work on the Dawn Mining controversy.
Taken up on a hairy challenge
Community college executive Terry Brown is sporting a bald pate because the downtown Rotary Club took him up on a challenge: Raise $15,000 in an hour, he said, and he’d shave his head. Club members came up with the cash to support student scholarships and other club projects in just 20 minutes … “They took it right down to the nubs,” said Brown, 63, who is completing his term as president of the club. “It’ll grow back.” … Brown, who retires this month as chief executive officer of the Community Colleges of Spokane, normally sports thick, white hair. He’s avoiding sunburn and awkward stares with a Mariners cap.
“I could be the new Michael Jordan,” he says. “I can still hit the jumper.”
Web site of the week
Our vote for the silliest Web site in a while goes to one that lets you vote for the ugliest president. It’s a promotional stunt for a new book about an un-ugly presidential candidate, which we won’t name here because that would be giving that person a plug … The author and his 7-year-old daughter waded through the pictures of presidents to come up with 12 nominees. Since ugly is, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder, you can vote for any of the other chief execs by write-in … The site isn’t totally worthless, it has some decent links to other, interesting presidential sites. It’s at http://www.infortainment.com/UGLY-PRS.HTM.
On a personal note
Folks in city government won’t have Spokesman-Review reporter and frequent Periscope contributor Kristina Johnson to kick around for a while. Or to ask “Haven’t you had that baby yet?” … Lily Lucille Morehouse, 8 pounds 15 ounces, was born Thursday and Johnson will be taking a break from City Hall for more important things … Lily arrived on her due date, which tells us she’s good on deadline, just like her mom.
This sidebar appeared with the story: HOT TOPICS Today: Supporters of broadcasting the names of alleged criminals on the city’s cable channel are trying to make a comeback. That’s one of the items before the Spokane City Council’s Public Safety Committee. 11 a.m., 5th Floor Conference Room, City Hall.