Happy Easter!

To Christians everywhere, Happy Easter, and Happy Easter to everyone else who doesn't take offense at our splendid celebration of the Resurrection.

News briefs on this Easter Sunday:

More errors in GOP felon-voter list
David Postman of the Seattle Times has an update for us on the GOP's list of felons who supposedly voted illegally in the 2004 gubernatorial election. An excerpt:

“It’s really inconsistent information. But 1,100 felons voting makes a great headline,” said Yakima County Auditor Corky Mattingly.

She said that earlier this year, the county reviewed a list of 15 alleged felon voters compiled by Rossi backers but not submitted to the court. She said four of those 15 appeared to have voted improperly.

Republicans now say 31 felons voted illegally in Yakima County. Mattingly said she’s seen the list of names, but there are no birth dates or criminal case numbers, which makes the list difficult to research.

All too true. The number of errors on the GOP's list is astoundingly high. With all the whining they're doing about how imperfect the election is, why were they so sloppy in their own research? We already know there are hundreds of names that shouldn't be on there because the GOP added people with juvenile convictions who hadn't lost their right to vote. Apparently, the errors continue:

Whatcom appears to be one of the few counties that has completed a thorough review of the list.

According to the Republicans, the county had 13 illegal votes cast by felons. But county Auditor Shirley Forslof said a review by the court clerk found many errors:

Four of the voters in question were convicted of felonies but had their voting rights restored. One was entitled to vote because the conviction was for a gross misdemeanor, not a felony. One was free to vote because the felony case had been dismissed. Three on the list didn’t vote in the November election, contrary to what the Republicans had said.

The remaining four voters, Forslof said, appear to have voted illegally, and their names have been forwarded to the county prosecutor.

Their system of finding "evidence" is completely faulty and needs to be addressed. It seems the GOP has a double standard: demand perfection from elections officials but not worry about getting everything right in their own research.

Jerry Springer to Replace Unfiltered
A few days ago, when we learned Jerry Springer had signed a deal with Air America, we wondered how his show would fit into the lineup.

As it turns out, Air America's original late morning show, Unfiltered, goes off the air next week as Jerry Springer takes over with his new show, which is debuting across the nation on the Air America radio network from the 9 AM-12 PM time slot.

Unfiltered, which will be a year old by the time Springer's show takes over, is hosted by Chuck D (of Public Enemy) and Rachel Maddow. Lizz Winstead was previously another co-host, she left in February.

Former publisher announces another run for Idaho governor
From the Associated Press:

A former Idaho Falls newspaper publisher is making another run to become Idaho's governor in 2006, hoping he'll be the first Democrat in a decade and the first person from eastern Idaho in 20 years to hold the office.

Jerry Brady, former publisher of the Idaho Falls Post Register, said in an interview he will officially announce his candidacy Monday and Tuesday at events in seven Idaho cities.

"We've had pretty much lock-step leadership of one-party control. There's very little balance," Brady told The Associated Press on Friday. "The state worked very well when it had a Democratic governor and a Republican legislature, and I'd like to restore that."

Brady, 69, who remains president of the Post Co., which owns the Post Register and KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, lost the 2002 race to Dirk Kempthorne by a 56-42 percent margin.

Kempthorne, a Republican, isn't seeking a third term and U.S. Rep. Butch Otter has announced plans to run for the GOP nomination. Lt. Gov. Jim Risch is expected to announce his candidacy, but hasn't done so yet.

There's your news briefs for today, and again, Happy Easter to all celebrating the holiday.