In brief: New taxes on pop, candy to end today

Those new taxes on bottled water, soda pop and candy should be gone today.

Created by state lawmakers earlier this year to help balance the budget, the new taxes were overwhelmingly repealed by voters Nov. 2 under Initiative 1107. The ballot measure also repealed increased business and occupation tax rates for meat processors and eliminated tax credits for candy makers.

The state Revenue Department advised retailers to discontinue collecting the tax beginning today.

David Wasson

Second child is girl for McMorris Rodgers

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers gave birth to an 8 pound, 4 ounce baby girl early Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

McMorris Rodgers announced the birth with a message on Twitter and a Facebook post headlined “It’s a girl.”

“Brian and I are overjoyed by the birth of our daughter,” she wrote. “Both the baby and I are doing well at the hospital.”

Their son, Cole, is 3  1/2. McMorris Rodgers is the first member of Congress to give birth twice while in office.

Staff reports

Recycling services to resume in Five Mile

City recycling trucks skipped parts of Five Mile Prairie on Wednesday because of snow conditions.

Trucks will try to pick up missed bins today, said city spokeswoman Marlene Feist in a news release.

Meanwhile, more cars were towed from Browne’s Addition to create room for plowing. The neighborhood west of downtown is the only area where the city tows cars to clear snow. Residents whose cars are missing are asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

The city continued plowing arterials and bus routes under a stage 1 emergency Wednesday. Drivers are asked to move cars parked along those streets. The city recently completed a stage 2 emergency, in which neighborhood streets are plowed and cars parked on the street are supposed to be parked on the side with even-numbered addresses.

This is the second winter under the parking rules, but last year’s mild weather meant they hadn’t been used until now.

Street officials said the parking rules were largely ignored but that they hope they will catch on to allow for more efficient street clearing.

“We did not see that it was really being observed by the citizens,” Street Director Mark Serbousek said earlier this week.

Jonathan Brunt