Voting in Massachusetts’ special election to determine who will represent the Democratic and Republican parties in the race to succeed Senator John Kerry has ended, and the results are beginning to trickle in. As of just before 5:45 PM Pacific, with around one-fourth of precincts reporting, U.S. Representative Ed Markey and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez […]
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Kings set to stay in Sacramento after NBA committee unanimously rejects relocation
The Sacramento Kings are going to stay in Sactown. In a short statement issued a little bit ago, the National Basketball Association revealed that its Relocation Committee has unanimously voted to recommend rejection of the Kings’ application to move to Seattle. (The Kings are currently owned by the Maloofs, who struck an agreement to sell […]
Special session to begin on May 13th; Inslee says budget negotiations will continue
A special session of the Washington State Legislature will begin two weeks from tomorrow in order to give lawmakers more time to hammer out a budget for the 2013–2015 biennium, consider a transportation package, and address policy priorities that Senate Republicans refused to vote on, Governor Jay Inslee announced at a press conference in the […]
The anatomy of a headline: Some stories on Federal Way tragedy imply it’s part of Seattle
Last night’s deadly rampage in Federal Way — which resulted in the deaths of five individuals at the Pinewood Village apartments complex just off Pacific Highway South — has focused national and international attention on our region. Although the tragedy occurred in Federal Way and authorities there are handling the investigation, several national and international […]
U.S. House endangers digital freedom by passing CISPA for the second year in a row
Ignoring a veto threat from President Barack Obama, the U.S. House of Representatives voted today to pass Republican Congressman Mike Rogers’ Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, better known as CISPA, for the second year in a row. The vote on final passage, which happened this morning, was two hundred and eighty-eight to one hundred […]
U.S. Senate’s NRA caucus blocks legislation to require background checks on more gun sales
A bipartisan proposal to require background checks on the sale of firearms at gun shows and over the Internet has failed to advance in the United States Senate after being successfully filibustered by forty-one Republicans and four Democrats. By a vote of fifty-four to forty-six (with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid voting nay so that […]
White House threatens veto of Mike Rogers’ reincarnated CISPA in its current form
Legislation making its way through the U.S. House of Representatives that could further erode our civil liberties would be vetoed by President Obama were it to reach his desk in its current form, the White House said today. In a formal statement of administration policy on H.R. 624, more commonly known as the Cyber Intelligence Sharing […]
At least two killed, dozens wounded in blasts at Boston Marathon finish line
Terrible news out of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Two people were killed and at least 23 people were injured in two explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon steps away from the finish line. A senior U.S. intelligence official said two more explosive devices were found near the area, and they were being dismantled. The first blasts […]
Bad news for the Pacific Northwest: KOMO owner Fisher agrees to sell itself to Sinclair
And just like that, another local institution is gone. Fisher Communications, one of the last independently-owned media companies in the Pacific Northwest, has decided to sell itself to an out of state, right wing media conglomerate for $373 million, the company announced today. “After conducting our review of potential strategic alternatives, the Board concluded this all-cash […]
Senator Maria Cantwell on Sally Jewell: “I know that science will be her compass”
Editor’s Note: The following is the text of Senator Maria Cantwell’s speech on behalf of Interior nominee Sally Jewell, delivered on the floor of the United States Senate earlier today. (Jewell was confirmed by a vote of 87–11). Video of the speech is available on YouTube. Our thanks to Senator Cantwell for sharing her remarks […]
U.S. Senate confirms Sally Jewell as America’s next Secretary of the Interior in 87–11 vote
Good news out of our nation’s capital for a change: The United States Senate, by a vote of eighty-seven to eleven, has voted to confirm Washington’s own Sally Jewell as America’s next Secretary of the Interior. Jewell, a longtime Evergreen State business leader, is the outgoing chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment Incorporated, better known […]
Inslee and Higher Ed: Disappointing
The past week has not been a good one for higher education. As Governor Inslee (looking back to before November, it feels nice to call him ‘Governor’), released his budget priorities last Thursday, it included a recommendation for tuition to increase 3–5% (3 percent for regional universities like Western Washington University, 5 percent for Washington […]