LOCAL

► In today’s Columbian — Mail carriers to carry off food Saturday — If you set some nonperishable food donations out by your mailbox on Saturday, you won’t just be helping to stamp out hunger in Clark County — you’ll also be taking part in what’s billed as the largest one-day food drive on the planet.

► In the Bellingham Herald — County mail carriers to pick up food at mailboxes Saturday — With the demand at food banks only increasing during the long economic slump, postal carriers in the county are anticipating the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive with enthusiasm.

► In the Bellingham Herald — Mt. Baker School District faces $1.95 million shortfall, teacher layoffs— The district is proposing to cut its workforce by 23.1 full-time equivalent positions, with 14.4 of that in teaching. The remainder is in classified and administrative staff.

► In today’s Peninsula Daily News — Health care reform essential to Peninsula medical facilities, forum told — Olympic Medical Center hospital’s future is threatened without health-care reform and depends on it to survive, the hospital’s chief executive officer said.

► In today’s Seattle Times — Yakima Valley’s fat asparagus season lean on skilled cutters — Some farms in the Tri-Cities and in the Lower Yakima Valley have stopped cutting this year due to lack of workers, some farmers report.

STATE GOVERNMENT

► In the Spokesman-Review — Lisa Brown’s departure will be loss for Spokane (editorial) — Lisa Brown’s departure from a position of power is sudden, but no less surprising than her arrival. From a lone Democratic island in a sea of Eastern Washington conservatism, she fought off charges of communism and radicalism to become one of Spokane’s most influential legislators.

► In today’s Peninsula Daily News — State board to consider tuition hike for community colleges — The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges will vote on a proposed 12% average increase for community college tuition Thursday. The board raised tuition last year by 13% for full-time students and 11% for part-timers.

ELECTION

► In the Olympian — Governor hopefuls target tax breaks— When Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna explain how they would pay for their agendas as governor, they point to the state’s hundreds of tax breaks – but don’t say which ones they would cancel. Gov. Gregoire scoffs at the idea that her successor would be able to keep the state’s promises to schools simply by closing tax loopholes.

► In the Daily News — Boehner to attend Herrera Beutler fundraiser in Vancouver — A $1,000 donation to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s campaign buys a ticket for a photo reception with the House Speaker.

► From AP — Obama fundraiser Thursday in Seattle

► Today in The Hill — AFL-CIO SuperPAC to begin running ads targeting Mitt Romney — Workers’ Voice will run online ads taking issue with Romney, saying he will be “president for the 1 percent,” that he thinks “corporations are people” and that the candidate is a “corporate outsourcer” and “vulture capitalist.” (See the ads.)

AUSTERITY: IT AIN’T WORKIN’

► In today’s Washington Post — French, Greek voters say “no” to austerity— Voters in France and Greece redrew Europe’s political map Sunday in a powerful backlash against the German-led cure for the region’s debt crisis: painful austerity.

► In today’s NY Times — Austerity faces sharper debate after European elections — The balance between reducing debt and addressing popular anger at austerity measures is proving complicated for Europeans.

► In today’s NY Times — Those revolting Europeans (Paul Krugman column) — It’s far from clear how soon the votes will lead to changes in actual policy, but time is clearly running out for the strategy of recovery through austerity — and that’s a good thing.

NATIONAL

► Today in The Hill — House lawmakers push for vote on Senate Postal Service reform bill — Lawmakers hoping to force a House vote on a Senate-passed postal reform bill believe some of their colleagues could be swayed by their message of saving jobs and rural access to postal services. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who is circulating a letter of support for the Senate bill with Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), says the measure has momentum.

► At AFL-CIO Now — Trumka on ‘Newsmakers:’ Jobs, GOP, NLRB, and Walker — When Republican candidates ask Americans if they’re better off than they were four years ago when President Obama was elected, here’s what working people will be thinking about, according to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: Former President George W. Bush lost U.S. jobs during a good economy. Obama has created jobs during the disastrous economy he inherited.

► In Sunday’s NY Times — Jobs few, grads flock to unpaid internships — While unpaid postcollege internships have long existed in the film and nonprofit worlds, they have recently spread to fashion houses, book and magazine publishers, marketing companies, public relations firms, art galleries, talent agencies — even to some law firms.

► In Sunday’s NY Times — The jobless young find their voice — Two movements have sprouted to fight for this generation’s right to move out of the parental basement (or avoid it altogether): the Campaign for Young America and Fix Young America. In a way, they are the younger siblings of Occupy Wall Street, but with a nonpartisan agenda, more centralized leadership and one specific mission: to help young people find jobs.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 9 a.m. These links are functional at the date of posting, but sometimes expire.