Olympia has lost another icon — longtime Rep. Bill Grant of Walla Walla (16th District) died Sunday after being hospitalized earlier in the week for pneumonia.  He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. Rep. Grant served as the Majority Caucus Chair, and it was his distinctive voice TVW viewers frequently heard announcing a “Democratic… Read More

Former State Senator Barney Goltz of Bellingham passed away on Christmas Day.  The news brought back memories for those of us with more salt than pepper in our hair. First elected to the House in 1972, Sen. Goltz moved to the Senate in 1976 where he remained for three terms, ultimately serving as President Pro-Tem. … Read More

Rep. Steve Hailey of Mesa (9th District) died Sunday morning after a year-long battle with colon cancer.  First elected to the House in 2006, Rep. Hailey was a long-time rancher and a former President of the Washington Cattleman’s Association.  He recently announced plans to step down before the 2009 session began.  You can find more… Read More

After a week of storms, both budgetary and natural, it’s great to be able to pass along a new college ranking that spotlights the UW. In the January 2009 issue, Smart Money magazine asks the question: which colleges and universities provide the best payback to students?  To come up with their rankings, the editors took… Read More

The Governor just finished her press conference on the proposed 2009-11 budget and the news was as grim as predicted.  For the UW, in less than two years we have gone from the best budget in twenty years to a significant state funding reduction. We will be posting more details later.  The quick summary of the… Read More

It may be snowy this morning in Olympia (and much of the rest of the state), but the lights are burning bright at the Governor’s office and OFM as final touches are put on the Governor’s budget release. TVW will carry the Governor’s budget announcement live tomorrow at 9:30 with repeats scheduled for noon, 6… Read More

Two stories in the news today serve as a good reminder that the release of the Governor’s budget proposal this Thursday is just the first step in a months-long process, and that the legislature will have its own ideas of how to close the funding gap. An article in the Olympian examines a number of… Read More

House leaders have announced that longtime State Rep. Bill Grant of Walla Walla has been diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. In addition to serving on the Appropriations and Rules Committees, Rep. Grant was the majority caucus chair — his frequent announcements of a “There will be a Democratic Caucus immediately,” are well-known… Read More

Today’s edition of The Olympian has a strong editorial on the challenges faced by lawmakers this session and the need to maintain our investments in higher education during the downturn. The paper’s editorial board met yesterday with President Emmert. Here is a portion of the editorial: The challenge of Gregoire and lawmakers is much the… Read More

The Governor’s budget is now tentatively scheduled to be released the morning of December 18. There are literally hundreds of decisions that go into the final preparation of a budget proposal, so people involved are emphasizing that it could slip a day — but not much more since state law requires the proposal to be… Read More