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The Divorce: Washington State Republicans vs. Big Business & Boeing

Michael van Baker — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 18:51:55 +0000

But Boeing's support -- and that of heavyweights the Association of Washington Business and Washington Roundtable -- for a $9.5-billion transportation package was not enough for Washington's Senate Republicans, who were against a 10-cent gas tax increase (phased in over five years, upped two cents annually).

Why That Fish You Ordered is Holding Up the State Budget

Michael van Baker — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:16:53 +0000

Yesterday afternoon, the Everett Herald's Jerry Cornfield reported that the delay in approving a Washington State budget was truly fishy: "Boeing's opposition to fish study a sticking point in budget," went the headline. With a government shutdown to come in fewer than five days, it might seem strange that negotiations are getting hung up on a mundane study of how often people eat fish.

Legislature Taking Another Look at Safer, Slower Speeds on City Streets

Michael van Baker — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:17:19 +0000

The Neighborhood Safe Streets bill is back, says KIRO Radio's Kim Shepard, saying there's a "big push" to get it voted on this legislative session. The bill would allow municipalities across the state to lower speed limits on city roads to as slow as 20 mph without commissioning expensive traffic studies. As the bill's title indicates, the focus is on neighborhood pedestrian safety.

Amid Celebration, Gay Marriage in Washington State Could Be Delayed by Referendum

Michael van Baker — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:41:35 +0000

The Senate's Wednesday-night passage of legislation legalizing gay marriage in Washington State means that now the House of Representatives will have a chance to vote, sometime within the next few days to a week. The Senate's 28-21 vote represented the larger hurdle--supporters are confident they have more than enough votes in the House. Senate Bill 6239, publicly supported by Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Vulcan, opens the definition of marriage to between "two persons" (with the U.S. Supreme Court we have, this phrasing does open the door to corporate marriage).

Redfin: “It’s All About the Inventory”

Michael van Baker — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:34:01 +0000

Redfin's Seattle-area heat map for July shows a few bastions of hot property (prices up, multiple offers): Magnolia, Ballard, Queen Anne, and North Seattle. They're enough to keep Seattle at 12th on the national heat index (but at a tepid 56.6 "degrees," behind Portland at 59). Home values were down most in Lake Union, Rainier Valley, Lake City, Delridge, and Snoqualmie Ridge.