Charges for a Seattle cop, "spring spheres," more dollars for homeless shelters, some serious creepiness, and a local woman sending fake anthrax to President Obama more ›

Last week, the State House released its proposed 2011-2013 budget, one that slashes $4.4 billion in spending from education and health care, sparking protests and outrage. Last night, the Senate's Ways and Means Committee released their own, and it doesn't look too good, either -- it cuts $5.3 billion in spending and, unlike the House's plan (which raises money through leasing out the state's liquor distribution), it does not include any plans for raising revenue. more ›

Spawned by one too many Mary Kay Letourneau-like stories coming out of the state, a new bill is waiting for Senate approval in Olympia. The "Student Protection Bill" would expand the crimes for which Washington State teachers could lose their certification. The proposed bill also seeks to encourage more oversight at the local level, asking school districts to report teachers who have displayed "boundary issues," which would not necessitate legal action. It also hopes to encourage inter-district information sharing, and would allow school superintendents to file profession-practice complaints about teachers in districts outside their own. more ›

photo by Flickr Contributor lachance more ›

This week the Washington State Senate is deciding whether to make Washington to the first state in the nation to ban the fire retardant deca-BDE [ESHB 1024]. (The House, where Jamie Pedersen was a sponsor, passed the bill this February.) more ›

For the second straight year, the Washington State Senate failed to vote on a billl that would require the phasing out of PBDEs. (We've written previously about PBDEs, which are accumulating steadily in breast milk, and are implicated in the impairment of childhood development. They're also reaching alarming levels in wildlife.) more ›

Much like that wacky, lasagna-loving Garfield, we hate Mondays. Unlike that darn cat, we dislike the first day of the week mainly out of fear our annoying office mate will once again say 'Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays' while chuckling to herself about her wit. We are, however, a little excited about this upcoming Monday because according to our beloved Washington State Senate, Monday is KEXP Day. more ›