DAILY NEWS
Hanford layoffs, withholding, must-see Jon Stewart…
LOCAL
EDITOR’S NOTE — These layoffs are directly related to the expiration of the federal stimulus money. So the next time your teabagging neighbor spouts his Faux News nonsense about how “Obama’s spending” didn’t help the economy, remind him that thousands of families in our state avoided the unemployment line in the past two years because of it. (in fact, Hanford was the biggest recipient of federal stimulus contracts.) Things will get much worse in the Tri-Cities, and not just because that stimulus money’s gone. As this story points out, the teabagger-controlled U.S. House is proposing to drop the $521 million proposed Hanford budget for the coming year to $408 million.
► In today’s Tri-City Herald — DOE plans to extend Batelle contract at PNNL — The Department of Energy plans to extend Battelle’s contract to operate and manage Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland for five more years.
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Kennewick council candidate: Shoot illegal immigrants — Loren Nichols, a city council candidate in Kennewick, has advanced to the general election on a platform that includes calling for illegal immigrants to be executed if they refuse to leave town.
► In today’s News Tribune — Bethel teachers OK contract; board to vote — Teachers signed off on a new two-year contract. Union leaders said they’re optimistic it will be approved by the five-member School Board.
BOEING
► In today’s Seattle Times — Boeing 747-8 cargo jet gets FAA approval — After a year and a half of flight tests, Boeing’s largest airplane ever, the 747-8 jumbo, received the FAA’s approval to enter service as a cargo jet. Cargolux of Luxembourg is expected to take the first delivery next month.
► In today’s Kitsap Sun — Kitsap leaders seek to buy a little 737 buzz — Local political, business and education leaders want to spend as much as $35,000 to try for a more major role than they’ve been asked to play in an upcoming study to keep future Boeing 737 work in Washington.
STATE GOVERNMENT
► In today’s Olympian — Final ruling needed on legality of two-thirds tax vote (editorial) — The issue needs to be settled by the courts. We look forward to a “yes” or “no” decision on the direct question of whether the voters can set voting requirements through an initiative or whether that takes a constitutional amendment. It’s time to end the uncertainty.
► At Slog — State Supreme Court rules public defenders eligible for state pensions — In a sometimes snippy 5-4 decision, the court upheld a lower court ruling that King County’s public defenders are eligible for the state’s PERS. The ruling could end up costing county taxpayers tens of millions dollars.
► In TheOlympian.com — Two PDC finalists announced — The PDC has settled on two finalists out of 71 applicants for the campaign-finance watchdog’s executive director job. Both Andrea McNamara Doyle and Alan E. Rathbun are veterans of state agencies. Both meet the public next Wednesday in an open house.
WITHHOLDING CONTRIBUTIONS
► In today’s Daily Kos — AFL-CIO election strategy emerging but questions remain — AFL-CIO President Trumka has suggested, without naming names, that organized labor would withhold support from Democratic incumbents who had not fought hard enough against Republican efforts to curb collective bargaining or cut social programs.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Compare the Seattle Times’ gushing praise to a super-rich CEO calling for the withholding of political contributions to what happened when Jeff Johnson of the Washington State Labor Council essentially suggested the same thing at the state level in March 2009 when labor-backed legislation with sufficient votes to pass was being quashed. The politicians called the cops considering it to be an illegal threat.
NATIONAL
► In today’s NY Times — Customers feel ripples from Verizon strike — As a strike by 45,000 Verizon workers approaches the two-week mark, the company’s customers are beginning to feel the impact — and are complaining about it. Verizon acknowledges “minor” disruptions since the strike began on Aug. 7. But some customers of its landline telephone, Internet and cable television service are reporting significant delays getting current lines repaired and new ones installed.
► In today’s NY Times — Not the America they expected (editorial) — There is much good to see in this country. And no one should want to sugar coat the tougher side of life here either, including long shifts at backbreaking jobs for low pay that is familiar to American workers. But no workers should have to put up with bullying from bosses or threats of firing (or in this case deportation) if they want to organize. That sort of “cultural experience” should shame us all.
SUPERCOMMITTEE!™
► At Politico — Slow start for Supercommittee! — Several members of the new Supercommittee! are willing to get a jump on slashing $1.5 trillion in government spending by Thanksgiving, but the power of August recess is proving difficult to overcome.
► In today’s Washington Post — Democrats’ road tour strikes back at GOP’s stand against raising taxes — In town hall meetings across the country this August, Democrats are making a concerted effort to use this month’s congressional recess to change a national narrative on taxes.
TODAY’S MUST-SEE
► Jon Stewart calls out The Poor: “You food-chilling mother-#$%s! How DARE you!”
Part 2:
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 9 a.m. Make this electronic “clip service” your first stop each morning! These links are functional on the date of posting, but sometimes expire.