DAILY NEWS
VOTE, budget reality check, USPS, The Incredible Mitt…
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
ELECTION
ALSO see the Washington State Labor Council’s list of labor-endorsed candidates.
► At PubliCola — Inslee is ahead going into Tuesday’s primary — Both gubernatorial candidates are lowering expectations for Tuesday’s primary. Democrat Jay Inslee’s line: lower turnout (an early August election) means a more conservative electorate. However, according to a new KING 5 poll, Inslee is ahead going into Tuesday’s primary, 48-45. This follows a recent Elway Poll which had Inslee ahead 43-36.
► In today’s Columbian — Mailers in 17th District senate race get personal — Don Benton depicted as medieval king in ad sent by independent group, while Tim Probst complains of false claims.
STATE GOVERNMENT
► At TheOlympian.com — New outlook: State runs short by $492M in 2015 — Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget office put out a preliminary budget outlook today that shows state government’s general-fund accounts are going to be $492 million short by June 30, 2015. That assumes a $1.5 billion in increase in revenues in the next biennium and also assumes higher costs.
POSTAL SERVICE
► In today’s Olympian — Postal Service needs a break (editorial) — The U.S. Senate has given postal workers at the Lacey postal sorting center a reprieve over the summer, but no one knows when or if Congress will act to stabilize the financial crisis at the U.S. Postal Service. (It) hasn’t received any tax dollars for the last 30 years, and has been reasonably profitable — at least self-sustaining — during the recession. According to National Association of Letter Carriers, 85% of the USPS’s red ink results from the $5.5 billion annual payment it makes in September to pre-fund the health benefits. The Senate bill would loosen the benefit plan funding requirements and actually refund nearly $7 billion in over-funded payments to date.
LOCAL
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — No rebates from Big 3 health insurers for many in state — This year, for the first time, health insurance plans were required by federal law to rebate money to consumers if they didn’t meet the minimum spending requirements for medical care. In Washington, three of the state’s biggest health plans, Group Health, Premera Blue Cross and Regence BlueShield all met the spending requirements.
► At PubliCola — Seattle council voices support for $1.07 billion waterfront plan; transit advocates raise concerns — City council members and Mayor Mike McGinn seem confident that the city will come up with the money to pay for the waterfront project.
► In today’s Tri-City Herald — Tri-Cities Grain plans $2.8 million expansion— Workers are constructing an aluminum bin, part of a $2.8 million expansion project to keep up with increased demand for grain.
NATIONAL
► In today’s Philadelphia Daily News — Unions struggling to be heard — It’s being called “Workers Stand for America” — 30,000 union members packed in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday morning to say that any loss of power by organized labor is a danger to the middle class.
► In today’s Washington Post — At WTO, a growing U.S. record of wins against China, but a less than certain benefit — The United States has won an impressive string of victories against China at the World Trade Organization in the past few years but U.S. companies have seen only limited benefits.
► From Reuters — Chevron’s California refinery fire contained, not out yet — A massive fire struck at the core of Chevron Corp’s large Richmond, California, refinery on Monday, spewing flames and a column of smoke into the air, threatening a prolonged outage that may increase prices of the costliest U.S. gasoline.
► In today’s NY Times — Business fears the fiscal cliff(editorial) — Now that painful budget cuts are imminent, corporate executives seem to have realized that federal spending is important to the economy after all.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 9 a.m.