SR.com Blogs | Eye on Olympia

State Rep. Steve Hailey, dead at 63...

State Rep. Steve Hailey, R-Mesa, died Sunday after a year-long struggle with colon cancer. ( Full post )

Did you misplace that $1000 bill?

Next Thursday and Friday in Kenmore, Murphy Auctions will sell to the highest bidder a long list of stuff found in abandoned bank safe deposit boxes. ( Full post )

School reform task force: $3 billion more, and some ideas on how to pay that...

On the K-12 schools front, the "Full Funding Coalition" (including the teachers'-, principals'-, administrators'-, school stafffers'- and school board associations), are proposing two waysto raise hundreds of millions of dollars more for education:
-setting aside any future state revenue increases over 5 percent a year for schools.
-and increasing state property taxes. ( Full post )

Catching up:

I was in Spokane for a few days earlier this week; am now back in Olympia, trying to catch this blog up with events. ( Full post )

Video about the holiday display controversy...

S-R political writer Jim Camden found this amateur video of the holiday display controversy at the capitol. ( Full post )

Religious display requests include one for The Flying Spaghetti Monster...

After a bizarre week -- a stolen atheist sign, a nativity scene constructed on the spot out of dozens of long balloons, the "Santa will take you to hell" sign -- applications for additional holiday displays at the statehouse continue to roll in. ( Full post )

Controversial Kansas "church" wants to erect "Santa Claus will take you to hell" sign at capitol...

The Westboro Baptist Church, an extremely controversial group that has made anti-gay messages its hallmark, is the latest group asking to place a holiday sign at the state capitol. ( Full post )

Another agency head heads into the sunset...

Another member of Gov. Chris Gregoire's cabinet is departing. ( Full post )

"Trial Lawyers" no more...

The Washington State Trial Lawyers' Association has given itself a new name: the "Washington State Association for Justice." ( Full post )

Senate chairs and leadership...

From the Senate Democrats: ( Full post )

Pam Roach to speak about sign and free speech...

State Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, plans to go on TV tonight with the conservative TV host whose unhappiness with the atheist sign has left the governor's phones ringing off the hook all week. ( Full post )

Troopers recover atheist sign; it's en route back to state capitol...

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Ted DeHart says that a detective stopped by KMPS, the radio station where the sign was dropped off, and recovered it. ( Full post )

Sign-thief drops it off at Seattle radio station, and new requests include one for Festivus...

The Associated Press is reporting that a man dropped the atheist sign off at Seattle radio station KMPS's front desk around 10 a.m. The state police -- who've made it very clear that this is theft -- are apparently trying to recover the sign. ( Full post )

Dear God...

Five days after a Wisconsin atheist group erected a small sign in Washington's state capitol declaring that there is no God, someone has stolen the sign. ( Full post )

House names committee chairs: Linville gets Appropriations (with a new name)...

Agriculture and Natural Resources: Brian Blake (Aberdeen)
Audit Review and Oversight: Mark Miloscia (Federal Way)
Capital Budget: Hans Dunshee (Snohomish)
Commerce and Labor: Steve Conway (Tacoma)
Community and Economic Development and Trade: Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (Seattle)
Early Learning and Children�s Services: Ruth Kagi (Lake Forest Park)
Ecology and Parks: Dave Upthegrove (Des Moines)
Education: Dave Quall (Mount Vernon)
Education Appropriations: Kathy Haigh (Shelton)
Environmental Health: Tom Campbell (Roy)
Finance: Ross Hunter (Medina)
Financial Institutions and Insurance: Steve Kirby (Tacoma)
General Government Appropriations: Jeannie Darneille (Tacoma)
Health and Human Services Appropriations: Eric Pettigrew (Seattle)
Health Care and Wellness: Eileen Cody (Seattle)
Higher Education: Deb Wallace (Vancouver)
Human Services: Mary Lou Dickerson (Seattle)
Judiciary: Jamie Pedersen (Seattle)
Local Government and Housing: Geoff Simpson (Covington)
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness: Christopher Hurst (Enumclaw)
Rules: Frank Chopp (Seattle)
State Government and Tribal Affairs: Sam Hunt (Olympia)
Technology, Energy and Communications: John McCoy (Tulalip)
Transportation: Judy Clibborn (Mercer Island)
Ways and Means: Kelli Linville (Bellingham)

Additionally, two vice chairs were also selected:
Ways and Means: Mark Ericks (Bothell)
Capital Budget: Timm Ormsby (Spokane) ( Full post )

It's official: state Rep. John Driscoll, D-Spokane...

After a hand recount in a razor-thin race, Spokane election officials say that challenger John Driscoll, a Spokane Democrat, has successfully ousted state Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane. ( Full post )

Teachers' union agrees to pay nearly $1 million to settle long-running political-spending case...

Washington's teachers' union has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle state allegations that it improperly spent non-members' money on politics. ( Full post )

WSU Cougars feel the love: "fools", "provincial", and "you should be ashamed"...

Can't go home for the night without noting a story by Jim Brunner in today's Seattle Times. ( Full post )

A farewell gesture? Sutherland signs a 30-year lease for new gravel mine dock at Maury Island...

Only weeks before leaving office, Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland has signed a controversial 30-year lease that would allow Northwest Aggregates to build a new dock for its gravel mine on Maury Island. The annual rent for the state land under the dock: $1,500. ( Full post )

The departures continue among state agency brass..

State Fish and Wildlife head Jeff Koening's resigned under pressure last night, apparently a victim of the tug-of-war between commercial fisherman and sport anglers. See The Olympian's story here. ( Full post )