Cities and counties couldn’t ban licensed marijuana stores without a public vote under a proposal approved Monday by a House committee.

OLYMPIA – Cities and counties couldn’t ban licensed marijuana stores without a public vote under a proposal approved Monday by a House committee.

Bill targets dawdling drivers in the passing lane.

A Senate committee could issue subpoenas as early as mid week to the state Department of Corrections for records related to computer problems that led to the early release of thousands of inmates. Democratic leaders called it a political diversion from more important work.

The Legislature marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day with some speeches but not a day off. The holiday means the Capitol is full of people pleading their case on different issues.

OLYMPIA – It didn’t take long for Washington’s Democratic governor and legislative Republicans to accuse each other of politics, which, of course, was completely unexpected for a legislative session in a major political election year.

Spokane County would have five county commissioners under a new bill in the Legislature.

A fairly busy day in Olympia, as Gov. Jay Inslee has scheduled an 11 a.m. press conference, the Senate Ways and Means Committee has a hearing on his budget at 3:30 p.m., and Senate Law and Justice has a hearing on dividing the state into districts for Supreme Court elections.

OLYMPIA – The Legislature should agree to pay public school teachers more, take steps to prevent devastating wildfires and expand mental health services, Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday. It should lay the groundwork for major improvements to school funding in 2017.

OLYMPIA – A Senate committee questioned Senate Law and Justice Committee to grill Department of Corrections on screw up that led to thousands of inmates being released early.

OLYMPIA – A Senate committee questions Department of Corrections on long-running mistake that led to thousands of inmates being released early.

OLYMPIA – 2016 session of the Legislature opens

Lawmakers were urged to work together to improve public schools, mental health programs and to pay for last year’s emergencies, and think of the state as a whole, not just the booming Puget Sound.

Legislature opens at noon with standard ceremony. Today's committee meetings include hearing on Department of Corrections SNAFU that let inmates out early.

Keeping tabs on the Washington Legislature, which can feature competing floor sessions or dawn-to-dusk committee hearings, is challenging for denizens of the state capital but even more so for Spokane residents some 300 miles away. The Internet and other technology make it easier than a generation ago, both for reporters and for readers