Parties unveil latest redistricting proposals

News Team | October 16, 2011

Jordan Schrader, TNT | 10-16-2011 Republicans and Democrats took their latest negotiating postures Friday in the process of redrawing districts for the state Legislature. The bipartisan Redistricting Commission unveiled two maps, one for each party, a step in the process of setting state political lines that the commission hopes to finish by ……Read More

New WA driver license rules may be discouraging illegal immigrants

News Team | July 15, 2011

Lornet Turnbull, Seattle Times | 7-15-2011 In a state frequently criticized as a haven for illegal immigrants seeking driver’s licenses, licensing officials here believe stricter rules are discouraging those from out of state. After noticing a three-year surge in the number of out-of-state license applicants who lacked Social Security numbers, the Washington Department of Licensing [...]

GOP thinks Washington in play for 2012 presidential

News Team | July 7, 2011

Brad Shannon, The Olympian | 7-07-2011 State Republican Party chairman Kirby Wilbur spoke to reporters this morning in Washington about a new Republican-paid ad airing in 50 states that attacks President Obama’s record on the economy. The Republican National Committee held press briefings with 13 states, including Washington. It and state Republican chairman Kirby Wilbur [...]

Pierce County Districting: Would a change in the numbers designating two districts solve an incumbency problem?

News Team | July 5, 2011

Peter Callaghan, TNT | 7-05-2011 There’s an idea floating around the fairly small circle of Pierce County Districting Committee followers that might either be a simple fix to a thorny problem or a controversial blending of politics and map making. What if the five-member districting committee took the final map submitted by Districting Master Steven [...]

GOP Governors Are Showing the Way

News Team | June 25, 2011

Bob McDonnell, WSJ op-ed | 6-25-2011 State Republicans are tackling the issues voters want addressed. That will be a major asset for the party’s presidential nominee in 2012. Democrats say otherwise, but Republican governors and their records will be a major asset to the GOP in 2012. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s monumental achievement this [...]

Washington state tells Kucinich to stay home

News Team | May 13, 2011

Rachel Rose Hartman | 5-12-2011 The idea that Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich could relocate to Washington state to beat redistricting challenges doesn’t appear to be sitting well with some people who live there. “Democratic U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich can just stay in Ohio, thank you very much,” The Olympian’s editorial board wrote Wednesday. “Washington state [...]

Best/Worst States for Business

News Team | May 5, 2011

J P Donlon, Chief Executive.net | 5-4-2011 More than 500 CEOs considered a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment, in our annual ranking of the best states for business. The charts and articles in this special report show how each state fares on the factors most essential [...]

How state budgets are different

News Team | April 15, 2011

Jordan Schrader, The Olympian | 4-14-2011 The state House has advanced a spending plan authored by Democrats, and the Senate could approve its own bipartisan plan as soon as Friday. Next comes the negotiations. With just 11 days left in the scheduled legislative session in Olympia, there are major differences to work out between the [...]

Washington state ends poll voting

News Team | March 26, 2011

Jordan Schrader, TNT | 3-26-2011 The Legislature has agreed to end poll voting in Washington. A measure that would close the polls in the last holdout – Pierce County – passed the House on Friday on a largely partisan 52-43 vote that sends it to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature……… Read More

Rep. Angel awarded Legislator of the Year by career and technical education administrators

News Team | March 18, 2011

Washington House Republicans | 3-18-2011 Rep. Jan Angel was honored this week as the Northwest Region Legislator of the Year at a recognition reception by the Washington Association of Vocational Administrators. The organization awarded Angel for “promoting and supporting the efforts and value of career and technical education within the legislative processes and venues throughout [...]