OLYMPIA -- A coalition of labor unions, church groups, social service workers and progressive organizations plan to bring thousands of protesters to the state capital next week for a series of escalating demonstrations against budget cuts. They'll try to put pressure on state legislators, who…
OLYMPIA -- Hearings started early today, with the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee holding a packed-room session on the plan to save museums in Spokane and Tacoma by creating a mega-agency for arts and culture. Elswewhere in the Legislature, the Senate has a…
OLYMPIA – These adolescent males can be trouble. They wander around, get into fights on hostile turf, bother hard-working people just trying to make a living. The experts don’t always agree on the best way to handle these problem teens. Should we hunt them down…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate agreed Washington should recognize domestic partnerships from other states, giving 28-19 approval to a bill that now goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire. On a largely party line vote, the Senate approved HB 1649, which allows domestic partnerships and other contracctual unions…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate approved a plan to allow liquor sampling in a handful of state liquor stores as a test program. By a 31-17 vote, the Senate approved an amended version of HB 1202, which would allow 30 state liquor stores to set up…
OLYMPIA -- Hearings continue today on a wide range of ideas, and the Senate has a floor session this morning to move some bills. The most controversial bill scheduled for a floor vote is probably HB 1649, which extends reciprocity on domestic partnerships to same-sex…
Owners of cars registered in Spokane will start paying an additional $20 to license their cars starting Sept. 1 to pay for the city’s new vehicle tax. The state Department of Licensing finalized the date earlier this month. The Spokane City Council approved the tab…
OLYMPIA --A proposed $100 fee on electric vehicles, to help pay for road construction and maintenance from which those cars benefit without paying gasoline taxes, passed the Senate today after a ruling that it needed only a simple majority. SB 5251 would require electric car…
Several marches and demonstrations are on the calendar in the coming days, and the summer's not even here*. Here's a quick list: March to Demand Peace and Promote Justice 3 p.m. Sunday Starts at Veterans Memorial Arena, ends at Riverfront Park. Organizers say it will…
The draft version of the West Plains Spokane International Airport transportation study, that looks at continued development of the business park and the effects that will have on the roads out there, was released this morning. There's a month left to comment on it. Want…
OLYMPIA -- It's another cut off day in the Legislature, in which appropriations bills have to get out of their committees today or risk oblivion. That doesn't count for bills in the Ways and Means or Capital committees, but the various other spending committees are…
The field of candidates to replace council President Joe Shogan remains just two. In recent weeks, City Councilman Jon Snyder and former City Councilman Brad Stark considered entering the race for council president, but both say they likely will stay out of the contest. "I…
OLYMPIA -- If you can remember when March of the year before a presidential election was way too early to be talking about the field of candidates with designs on the White House, you're probably old enough to remember when television was mostly black and…
OLYMPIA -- A House version of the 2011-13 general operating fund budget is rumored to be set for release today. Nothing official yet, but folks from the governor on down last week were pegging the release for today. Gov. Chris Gregoire also observed that there…
It was just days after the 1984 Democratic National Convention, when she'd been named the first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party's ticket, that Geraldine Ferraro did Spokane. For those who can't remember back that far, think back to 2008, when another relatively…
OLYMPIA -- The House overwhelmingly passed an $8.9 billion spending plan for roads, bridges and ferries for 2011-13 this afternoon. On an 89-6 vote, the House sent its transportation plan, HB 1175, to the Senate, which has a plan with some key differences. A story…
OLYMPIA -- Fans of Spokane's Museum of Arts and Culture who were cheered by news the House may tap a special fund to keep the MAC open should be warned: The Senate isn't wild about the idea. As reported Thursday, the House has a new…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate approved a ban on phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, but with changes that will send the bill back to the House for another vote. Among the changes: HB 1489 no longer exempts commercial organic fertilizers that contain phosphorus, and no longer has…
OLYMPIA -- There's an air of TGIF around the Capitol, with light schedules in committees and some morning floor activity. The Senate has a resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of the state's Workers Compensation System. Democrats may be eager to wish it many happy returns…
OLYMPIA -- A proposal that would keep the Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane and the State History Museum in Tacoma open, by taking money from a fund to build a Heritage Center in Olympia, was introduced today in the House. Supported by Spokane…
OLYMPIA -- An attempt to breathe life back into efforts to revise the state's workers compensation system will be released late today or Friday by the governor's office -- a new bill that tries to find savings to help make the system solvent, Gov. Chris…
OLYMPIA -- Two questions for the big thinkers out there: Do you have an idea how to improve Washington state in the future? Do you think it would stack up so well to other peoples' ideas that it could make the top 100? If so,…
OLYMPIA -- Committees are trying to wrap up "policy" bills with the approach of Friday's deadline that says they must be out of the committee in the second chamber if they want to stay alive. So the Senate Government Ops has a hearing on moving…
OLYMPIA – Three dozen legislators are taking the Washington State Patrol to task for sending a letter to gun dealers that they fear is an unconstitutional “fishing expedition.” The patrol, which is searching for one of its semiautomatic rifles that might be stolen, concedes the…
Representatives from Envision Spokane on Wednesday moved forward on their plan to offer city voters a new version of its "Community Bill of Rights." In order to make the November ballot, the group will need to collect an amount of signatures from registered voters in…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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