King County ‘Nonpartisan’ Susan Hutchison considers run for state GOP chair The surprise resignation of state GOP chairman Kirby Wilbur has sent a flurry of text messages and emails flying in Republican circles, as party activists chat up possible successors. One name that has emerged is Susan Hutchison, the former KIRO-TV anchor who unsuccessfully ran for King County Executive in 2009, largely…
King County Seattle City Council votes to leave homeless camps unregulated The Seattle City Council voted Monday afternoon to kill a bill that would further legalize and regulate homeless encampments. Council member Nick Licata, the bill’s sponsor,hoped it could make encampments in the city safer and better organized—encampments like Nickelsville, which has been plagued by crime and…
King County The case against Mike McGinn: It’s his agenda, not ours The closing days of this year’s primary campaign for Seattle Mayor have witnessed a closing of ranks against Mayor Mike McGinn by public officials who’ve had up-close experience working with him. They use phrases like “strong willed” to describe McGinn — not meant as…
King County Fast food workers file criminal complaints over wage theft Fast food workers said Thursday today that they were filing criminal complaints with the Seattle Police Department on the grounds that their employers committed wage theft, with employees in Seattle allegedly losing an estimated $100,000 a week. Rebecca Smith of the National Employment Law Project…
King County SeaTac City Council sends $15 minimum wage initiative to November ballot, a local measure of national significance A local ballot measure that would impose a $15-an-hour minimum wage on Sea-Tac International Airport and surrounding businesses is headed for the November ballot, placing this small King County city on the front line of a…
(Daily Clips will not publish Wednesday, July 24, so that the editor can attend the monthly meeting of the King County Democratic Central Committee Tuesday evening. See you there.) King County Seatac businesses, unions ready for showdown tonight at City Council meeting over minimum wage initiative Powerful business interests and unions are staging a showdown…
King County Murray got job at UW amid cuts In 2009, the University of Washington faced an $81 million state budget cut, rising tuition, and elimination of hundreds of jobs. Its Office of Planning and Budgeting took one of the largest hits, with the budget slashed by 16 percent. Nevertheless, the small department found money that fall…
King County Murray, McGinn lead new Seattle mayor poll Incumbent Mike McGinn and state Senator Ed Murray lead the race for Seattle mayor over Mayor Mike McGinn by one percentage point in a new, exclusive KING 5 News poll, less than three weeks before the primary election. Twenty-five percent of likely voters remain undecided. The SurveyUSA poll…
The State Vancouver oil terminal plan draws some green star power The proposal to build the largest oil terminal in the Pacific Northwest at the Port of Vancouver is no mere local controversy. Nationally known environmental activist Bill McKibben’s decision to tour the Columbia River Wednesday morning put an exclamation point on that. Organized by Columbia…
King County McGinn throws huge crimp into West Seattle Whole Foods megaproject, citing lack of livable wages and benefits In a July 15 letter (pdf) to Seattle Department of Transportation director Peter Hahn, Mayor Mike McGinn has instructed SDOT to reject a request to vacate a city alley and transfer ownership to developers of a controversial Whole…