Spokane mayoral candidate David Condon advertises himself as "nonpartisan" on his signs, but that didn't stop the former aide to Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers from getting a $25,000 contribution from the state Republican Party. The contribution, the largest so far in a Spokane…
OLYMPIA -- State Sen. Lisa Brown is dropping any plans to run for statewide office in 2012 Democrat Brown, the Senate majority leader from Spokane, has been rumored for two possible statewide posts on next year's ballot, lieutenant governor and state auditor. The auditor's seat…
This is the final, absolute, no-spit Sherlock deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election. If you are a resident of Washington who is otherwise eligible, but not yet registered, you would have to get yourself down to your county elections office today…
Every year at this time, Spin Control offers some free advice to the thousands of people who have campaign yard signs for their favorite candidate or ballot issue: Put your coffee cup down, go out, pull them out of the ground and put them in…
When you pass the Occupy Spokane protesters or any other demonstrators at any location, you might honk and wave to show support. Or you might honk and wave just one finger to show the opposite. When you’re waiting with the motor running for a friend…
The results are in and they're somewhat shocking. Spokane's utility billing department has compiled the data from water bills that were received in August and September, and 53 percent of them were less than they would have been under the 2010 rate structure. Other stats…
Gov. Chris Gregoire at Thursday's press conference. OLYMPIA -- While most of Gov. Chris Gregoire's press conference Thursday revolved around the cuts that could be made or should be made, she did field a few questions a bit farther afield. At one point she was…
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Federation of State Employees has an answer to Gov. Chris Gregoire's request to reopen their contracts and pay more for health care premiums. It's not quite "hell no" or "drop dead" -- or something more colorful but less printable -- but…
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire is asking state employees' unions to reopen their contracts and agree to higher health insurance costs. In a letter to the unions, Office of Financial Management Director Marty Brown cites the projected imbalance of $1.4 billion between projected state revenues…
As colleague Betsy Russell reports on Eye on Boise, Idaho Republicans will hold a presidential straw poll on Jan. 6 in Boise in hopes of attracting the would-be GOP nominees to address any Idahoan who signs up as a Republican and pays $30 to cast…
A coalition of organizations including the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane is asking Spokane mayoral and City Council candidates to pledge not to vote for a Spokane Police Guild contract unless it includes stronger oversight. The guild's contract expires at the end of…
Here's the latest of election video. Condon: "To find out that the city started to know some of the facts in 2009 and here we are nearly two years later not dealing with those facts, that's what was troubling me." Verner: "We can not critique…
Following the lead of the state Legislature, the Spokane City Council voted unanimously to allow council members to take a 3 percent pay cut to help balance the budget. Council members earn $30,000 a year. The council president earns $55,000. Spokane resident Gretchen McDevitt told…
The Spokane City Council took another chance on Monday to critique Proposition 1, the Community Bill of Rights. Council members voted 6-1 to formally oppose the initiative, which appears on the November ballot. The rejection is no surprise. All the members of City Council already…
For Spokane residents who haven’t dealt with a local toll way since the booths came down on the Maple Street Bridge in 1990, Initiative 1125 might seem like a ballot measure more important to the west side of the state. Not so, say supporters and…
OLYMPIA -- The Museum of Flight tried very hard to get one of the nation's Space Shuttles earlier this year when NASA got out of the shuttle business. NASA eventually said no to Seattle and bunches of other cities that covet one of the space…
OLYMPIA -- Not far from the un-U.N. Day protest on the Capitol steps is the 99%-Occupy Olympia protest. They have a nice place to set up tents, between Capitol Lake and the Budd Bay Harbor, as the leaves are changing for autumn. But it is…
If you have a calendar that lists a wide-enough array of special days, you could check to discover that today is United Nations Day. The U.N. was formed 66 years ago today. In Olympia, however, it is un-U.N. Day for about 60 people who gathered…
OLYMPIA -- Folks who would like to get the United States out of the United Nations, and vice versa, have planned a rally today at the state Capitol. Advance info for the rally says to expect representatives from The Freedom Foundation, the Second Amendment Foundation,…
OLYMPIA -- Flags will be flyiing at half-staff at state buildings for state Sen. Scott White, who died over the weekend. The Kittitas County coroner said White, 41, died of a previously undiagnosed enlarged heart. He was found in his hotel room at a resort…
OLYMPIA – As the news media lurches between ignoring and overexposing the Occupy Wall Street/Spokane/Seattle/Everywhere movement, is it too much to ask for the pontificators to show a little consistency in their love or disdain for populist rebellions that spring up in the 21st Century?…
OLYMPIA -- Those with long memories might recall a point last fall when the state received a waiver of the federal deadline for getting ballots to the troops overseas, and FOX News commentators briefly came unglued because they thought the state was trying to take…
Not surprisingly, the campaign of David Condon is taking full advantage of the endorsement he got from former Spokane County Democratic Chairman Tom Keefe. Keefe is featured in the Condon TV ad above and is the first endorsement listed on a Condon mailer that arrived…
OLYMPIA – In an effort to get voters to end the state's liquor monopoly, Costco this week made the largest contribution in history – nearly $9 million – to a state ballot campaign. The discount retail giant based in Issaquah, Wash., nearly doubled down on…
A new campaign ad that’s been posted on YouTube by the campaign of Dennis Hession starts with him making the following statement: “Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.’ I believe that. My opponent does not.”…