"Jay, you have a long way to go in proving that you can be more to the middle, more balanced." -- Sen. Bob Morton, R-Orient"If the people who would breach my dams and take away my water rights are happy about this, I can't be.…
Gov. Christine Gregoire on Tuesday signed into law a bill renaming King County -- that's where Seattle is -- after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.King did, in fact, visit Seattle in 1961. The King County Council renamed the county for Dr. King back in 1986,…
Gov. Christine Gregoire signed into law this week a bill that would require colleges to exercise more control over who's marketing credit cards to their students on campus."Where were you when I was in college?" Gregoire said to the bill's sponsors as she signed the…
For better or for worse, "love" is not a word that makes it into many statehouse speeches. Yet it -- and many other fond words -- came up when the most beloved Seattle Mariner stopped by the capitol recently for a resolution in his honor.Edgar…
Spokane gets a new state senator this week, if only for a couple of days.The guy who'd normally be in the seat -- Sen. Brad Benson -- will trade his legislative suit and tie for chem gear as he reverts to Maj. Benson at his…
Washington State University supporters tried Wednesday morning to tack an amendment onto the House construction budget to fund WSU's top priority: a $57 million biotech research center in Pullman."We are, I think, making a tremendous error in this budget in not funding the bio/life-sciences building…
The House budget proposed this week has some good news for local hospitals. It would pour an estimated $2 million more in Medicaid reimbursements for Sacred Heart, Deaconess, Valley and Holy Family hospitals.
The state Senate -- which, like most senates, has the reputation of being the cooler-headed "more deliberative" chamber -- nonetheless turned quite hot on Friday morning when the topic turned to embryonic stem cell research. Below is an abbreviated version of the floor debate.The bill…
"There's never a shortage of people to come and praise raising taxes when they know they're on the receiving end." --- Sen. Brad Benson, R-Spokane, on support from mass-transit groups and road contractors for a $9 billion transportation tax hike proposed by the state Senate.
The online search company Google has put searchable satellite photos online at http://maps.google.com/ . (Type a location into the search box and click on "satellite.")The images vary in resolution. If you're looking for a photo of the state capitol, it's pretty blurry. But the images…
"Golf clubs coming out and acting like spears, all kinds of things could be happening." -- Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, explaining why she voted against EHB 1246, which requires motorists who mount household stereo speakers in their truck bed or car back seat to bolt…
"A herd of sacred cows is still grazing on the lawn here." -- Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, on the Democrat-written Senate budget proposal. Republicans had argued unsuccessfully for more budget cuts.
Here's a fact that's rarely mentioned in the debate over reinstating Washington's estate tax: very few people would actually have to pay it.The state Supreme Court in January tossed out the tax, saying it was based on a federal version that's now suspended. Gov. Gregoire…
The "Education Governor's" legacy took a hit last week, as Senate budget writers axed not one but two of former Gov. Gary Locke's pet programs. They also pared down a third.The Reading Corps, a program that matches struggling students with volunteer tutors, was eliminated completely…
Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.
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