Oregon’s congressional delegation is finally whole again. After having spent nearly six months without representation in Congress, voters in the Beaver State’s 1st Congressional District (which spans the northwestern part of the state) finally got the chance this month to choose a new representative to serve them in the U.S. House. And tonight, with the first […]
Monthly Archives: January 2012
Happy seventh birthday, Pacific NW Portal!
One of our most important projects, which we’ve been investing a lot of energy into lately, is turning seven today: Pacific NW Portal, first launched on January 31st, 2005, has now been online for a grand total of eighty four months. Since the day it launched, it’s helped to bring the netroots of Washington, Oregon, […]
Big vote on marriage equality tomorrow
In a matter of hours, Washington’s Senate is set to take up Ed Murray’s bill, SB 6239, to make marriage equality the law of the land across the Evergreen State. At least twenty-five senators (including some Republicans) have already committed to vote in favor of the bill, so it is expected to pass. However, if you […]
Congressional insider trading bill being considered in the U.S. Senate today
Last week in his State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama renewed the call to end the little-known unethical practice that helps members of Congress increase their wealth through insider trading. Today the Senate will consider S. 2038, sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman (Party of One — Connecticut) which will prohibit members from trading […]
Bill to require more transparency in ballot measure advertising moves forward
Earlier today, along with NPI board member Steve Zemke and NPI contributor Steve Breaux, I participated in a public hearing in support of House Bill 2499, prime sponsored by Representative Andy Billig. HB 2499 would require advertising for or against ballot measures in Washington to include the name and address of the entity paying for […]
Pacific NW Portal 5.1 (Agate Beach) released
Last month, when we unveiled Pacific NW Portal Version 5.0 (codenamed Newport), we also committed to adopting a more frequent release cycle for the project, delivering improvements on a more incremental basis, like we did during Pacific NW Portal’s early days seven years ago. I am pleased today to announce that the first fruits of our […]
Liveblogging the 2012 State of the Union
Welcome all to NPI’s 2012 coverage of the State of the Union address. We’ll be updating this post periodically throughout the President’s speech. Various dignitaries are currently filing into the House chamber, and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D‑AZ) just entered the chamber to a standing ovation. Giffords looks radiant. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly is a […]
Marriage equality gains twenty-fifth vote in state Senate; Haugen to vote yes
Great news this afternoon: We finally have the votes to pass marriage equality in the Washington State Legislature! Minutes ago, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen — who had previously said she was only willing to support putting the issue on the ballot for a public vote — reversed her position and decided to join the forces […]
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion names new chief executive officer and board chair
Big, big news out of Waterloo (Ontario) tonight: BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious companies, has announced that its two top executives — who have jointly led the company as as co-chief executive officers and co-chairmen of the board for many years — are stepping down from those positions, […]
News networks project a Newt Gingrich victory in South Carolina Republican primary
If news networks’ projections are to be believed, Newt Gingrich has just won the 2012 South Carolina Republican primary, making him the third candidate in the party’s narrowing presidential field to have won a nominating contest this month. As pundits on cable television are noting, never before have Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina Republicans […]
Leaders of opposition to SOPA and PIPA in Congress congratulate Net strike organizers
As we reported earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scrapped plans to hold a vote on the “Protect IP Act”, also known as PIPA, next Tuesday. PIPA is one of the two MPAA and RIAA-backed bills that would permit major media conglomerates to indirectly censor the Internet, using the long arm of the […]
Harry Reid calls off next week’s vote on PIPA
Another victory! From Senator Harry Reid’s office: In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT I.P. Act. There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved. Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each […]
Governor Gregoire declares state of emergency in response to winter storms
Governor Chris Gregoire proclaimed a winter storm emergency this morning, following a series of events that have forced schools and offices to shut their doors and made many roads impassable. “This is purely a precautionary measure,” Gregoire said in a news release. “So far, we haven’t received any requests for state assistance – but we […]
Mission accomplished: Internet strike turns SOPA, PIPA into a top story for the first time
We’re back! Twenty-one hours ago, we took down this blog, The Advocate, along with Pacific NW Portal and our home page to protest two destructive bills that threaten Internet freedom, stability, and security: the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) and the “Protect IP Act” (PIPA). In their place, we activated an action center explaining our […]