The State House Democrats begin girding for July 1 government shutdown House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D-47) says the House and Senate are fa-a-a-r from closing in on a deal – and he’s not talking a few days. “We are still pretty far apart,” Sullivan said, noting Gov. Jay Inslee‘s statement before special session that the parties were…
The State Republicans can’t (or won’t) legislate; would rather punt everything to voters The Washington Senate proposed Sunday to have statewide votes on policies that would alter how lawmakers manage the budget and how school principals manage their teachers. Sen. Steve Litzow (R-41) said that leaders had decided to put the ideas to a referendum as…
King County Backers of SeaTac Good Jobs Initiative turn in petitions The SeaTac Good Jobs Initiative took a major step forward Wednesday as supporters filed more than 2,500 signatures and called on the city to place the initiative on the November 2013 ballot. Only 1,541 valid signatures are required to qualify the measure in the…
King County Supporters protest Seattle teacher’s transfer More than 100 supporters of a teacher at Seattle’s Center School packed Wednesday night’s School Board meeting to protest disciplinary action that will move him to another school next year. Decked out in green clothes and armbands, they insisted Seattle Public Schools board members reinstate Jon Greenberg at the…
King County Fast-food walkouts: Local politicians support the gesture, but not the wage The only thing that spread faster than Thursday’s city-wide labor walkout at Seattle fast-food joints were the local politicians scrambling to support it. As hundreds of activists marched from fast-food chain to fast-food chain to demand $15 an hour and the right…
The State Water dispute clouds future for Whatcom County farms, factories Everyone involved in Whatcom County’s water rights disputes seems to agree that a local settlement would be a good idea, but representatives of Lummi Nation have made it clear they will not sacrifice Nooksack River salmon to benefit farms, industries or cities. Both the…
The State Will Hanford ever be cleaned up? Double-shell Tank AY-102 is shown under construction in 1969. The tank has sprung a leak of radioactive waste from its inner shell into the containment area of its outer shell. For 42 years, tank AY-102 has stored some of the deadliest material at one of the most…
The State Will Hanford ever be cleaned up? For 42 years, tank AY-102 has stored some of the deadliest material at one of the most environmentally contaminated places in the country: the Hanford nuclear reservation. This complex along the Columbia River holds a storied place in American history. It was here that workers produced the…