Washington House Republicans: Capitol Buzz

Capitol Buzz is a daily roundup of online media clips produced by House Republican Communications. For more information, contact: Lisa Fenton, Communications Director, at (360) 786-7728.

FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: http://www.houserepublicans.wa.gov

CAPITOL BUZZ ARCHIVES

August 17, 2009

	ABORTION OPINION: Health care: Don't cut off women's access (David Greenberg, executive director of Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette/Oregonian) BUDGET & TAXES EDITORIAL: Jeers to Washington Legislature for changing $5 donation to state parks (scroll down) (The Columbian - Saturday) BUSINESS, INDUSTRY & ECONOMY Trepidation over worker's compensation (The Columbian - Saturday) Fed extends consumer lending program through March (AP/Seattle Times) 'Clunkers' scarce on lots (The News Tribune - Saturday) Weyerhaeuser selling $300M of Oregon timberland (Puget Sound Business Journal - Thursday) Peninsula-wide program put 85 teens to work this summer (Peninsula Daily News) Imperium loses biodiesel contract with Hawaiian firm (The Daily World) BLOG: U.K. Airbus aid called "a major step in the wrong direction" (Aubrey Cohen/Seattle P-I - Sunday) OPINION: Oregonians deserve accurate jobs count (Elizabeth Hovde/Oregonian - Saturday) COLUMN: Questions linger about economic stimulus plan (David Broder/Seattle Times - Sunday) COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT Cops take aim at gang intervention (Yakima Herald-Republic) State prisons, social facilities in crosshairs (Olympian/The News Tribune - Friday) Judge says prosecution failed in case involving sex assault charge (The Chronicle) BLOG: Monroe prison eyed for possible closure (Nina Shapiro/Seattle Weekly - Friday) OPINION: Don't be driven to distraction; don't text and drive (Dr. David A. Lynch/Bellingham Herald - Sunday) DAMS Counts up for steelhead passing Bonneville dam (The Columbian/Seattle P-I - Sunday) EDUCATION (K-12) & SCHOOL SAFETY Area educators respond to this year’s WASL results (The News Tribune - Sunday) WASL results show more schools need to improve (Tri-City Herald - Saturday) Flat WASL scores create ripples (The Columbian - Saturday) WASL showings put more schools on the watch list (The Wenatchee World - Saturday) High-stakes standardized testing endures after WASL (The Columbian - Saturday) WASL still an uphill fight (Olympian - Saturday) Federal test standards impossible, top schools chief says (Peninsula Daily News) 13 Peninsula schools on federal watch list; WASL results fall short for second consecutive year (Peninsula Daily News) More schools miss feds’ goal (Saturday/Spokesman-Review) County’s math WASL scores drop slightly (Saturday/Spokesman-Review) Teachers' strike possible in Kent School District (KIRO TV) BLOG: Ed Reform should come now, not in 2013-15, GOP leader says (Joe Turner/ The News Tribune - Friday) BLOG: Dorn: Washington schools are better than AYP makes it seem, assessment test is still required without WASL (Niki Sullivan/ TVW) BLOG: WASL scores are plateauing, Burke says. About 60 percent of schools aren’t making “adequate” progress (Niki Sullivan/ TVW) BLOG: Dorn: “What are we going to do with the students who don’t make it?” (Niki Sullivan/ TVW) EDITORIAL: Down to the nitty gritty in K-12 education (The News Tribune - Sunday) ENERGY & UTILITIES BPA touts wind-energy production milestone (Tri-City Herald) EDITORIAL: Missed opportunity mars Energy secretary's visit (Tri-City Herald - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Cap-and-trade energy bill faces critics on both sides (Spokesman-Review) EDITORIAL: Northwest wind power: My, how you've grown (Oregonian - Saturday) ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES A nick-of-time court ruling stops the gravel project on Maury Island (Crosscut.com) Wildfire fight relies on keen eyes (Spokesman-Review) Phosphate detergent ban seems to be working (Spokesman-Review) Teams clean up 50 tons of illegally dumped trash (Olympian) Plates quiver under Puget Sound, getting ready for big one (Olympian - Sunday) OPINION: Save Washington's forests for public and environmental benefit (Brian J. Boyle, former commissioner of public lands/Seattle Times - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Loss of NOAA chance to re-examine plans (Bellingham Herald - Sunday) EDITORIAL: DNR Reaches Out (The Columbian) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EDITORIAL: Members of Congress should take trips that benefit public (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - Friday) GAMBLING COLUMN: Online poker should be decriminalized (George Will/Seattle Times - Sunday) HANFORD EDITORIAL: New agreement to remove Hanford waste must now be taken seriously (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - Saturday) HEALTH CARE Dicks ties health care reform bill to its ability to pay for itself (Peninsula Daily News) Protesters line up outside 'listening session' on health care (Peninsula Daily News) Obama brings town hall campaign to Belgrade, Mont. (Saturday/Spokesman-Review) Rep. Baird's town hall will move to Clark County Amphitheater (Oregonian - Saturday) Baird announces upcoming town hall meeting in Longview (Longview Daily News - Saturday) Venting about health reform (Yakima Herald-Republic - Friday) Viability of public option in question (The Washington Post/Seattle Times) Who's behind the fight against health-care change (Seattle Times) BLOG: Not just potted plants (Jill Hodges/Seattle P-I - Sunday) BLOG: Alaska's loose harpoon still distorts the health care debate (Bob Simmons/ Crosscut.com) OPINION: Don't need Uncle Sam prescribing my pills (Lynda Jo Staples/ Daily Sun News) OPINION: Why Obama's health reforms are in trouble (Ted Van Dyk/ Crosscut.com) OPINION: End-of-life care: Killing a good idea (Susan Nielsen/Oregonian - Sunday) COLUMN: Town-hall shouters muddy the waters of the health-care debate (Leonard Pitts Jr./Seattle Times - Sunday) COLUMN: Stop the compromising (Neal Starkman/Seattle P-I - Friday) COLUMN: The myth of preventive care — it actually increases medical costs (Charles Krauthammer/Seattle Times - Friday) EDITORIAL: Health-care reform: Distortions doom end-of-life counseling (Seattle Times - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Health-care debate: Some concerns are valid (Everett Herald - Sunday) EDITORIAL: We can’t get complacent about swine flu (The News Tribune) HIGHER EDUCATION EDITORIAL: Four-year med school a win-win regional goal (Spokesman-Review) HOUSING New living option for poor (Spokesman-Review) IMMIGRATION Clark County considering mandatory E-Verify participation for contractors (Longview Daily News) LABOR COLUMN: The big dog of organized labor has a bone to pick with some Democrats (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I - Friday) LAND USE & PROPERTY RIGHTS Testimony sought on zone change (Spokesman-Review) LEGISLATURE COLUMN: Facing revolt from allies, House Speaker Chopp has to mend fences (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I) LOCAL GOVERNMENT Bremerton Sees Another Budget Shortfall on the Horizon (Kitsap Sun - Sunday) County commissioners set hearing on septic ordinance (Longview Daily News) Former city manager Novak dead at 68 (Spoksman-Review) Port of Port Angeles commissioners defend executive director selection process (Peninsula Daily News) OPINON: U.S. cities can expect to feel recession’s pinch for years (David S. Broder/ Washington Post/ The News Tribune - Sunday) MEDIA Eclectic KBCS-FM overhauls programming as listener interest wanes (Seattle Times)
	POLITICS
		BALLOT MEASURES BLOG: Anti-gay rights ref. signature error rate inching up (Chris Grygiel/Seattle P-I - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Referendum 71 donors should be revealed — it's the law (Seattle Times - Sunday) ELECTIONS Election ballots are due on Tuesday (The Everett Herald) Primary ballots due back Tuesday (Tri-City Herald - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Get that ballot in the mail (Tri-City Herald) EDITORIAL: Tuesday Deadline (The Columbian - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Get Up, Listen Up and Pay Attention (Kitsap Sun - Sunday) LEGISLATURE Wash. primary features 3 statehouse contests (AP/Seattle P-I - Sunday) LOCAL Vancouver mayoral race heats up (Oregonian - Sunday) County’s top elections official discusses the vote-by-mail process (Spokesman-Review) Bremerton Budget Troubles Challenge Council Incumbents (Kitsap Sun - Sunday) BLOG: Seattle bag tax - Questions and answers (Chris Grygiel/Seattle P-I - Sunday) COLUMN: Do we see strength in weakness? (Danny Westneat/Seattle Times - Sunday) ENDORSEMENT: Seattle Times endorsements for Tuesday's primary election (Seattle Times - Saturday) STATE COLUMN: What was Baird thinking? (Lou Brancaccio/The Columbian- Saturday) NATIONAL BLOG: Sorry birthers, McMorris Rodgers thinks Obama's a citizen (Jim Camden/Spokesman-Review) EDITORIAL: 72-hour waiting period in Congress is a reasonable request (Longview Daily News - Sunday) EDITORIAL: Policy shift on tracking Internet habits should include extensive debate (Longview Daily News)
	SEX OFFENDERS Registered sex offender system adds e-mail alert (The News Tribune - Sunday) STATE GOVERNMENT Demise appears imminent for butternut tree planted to honor pioneer (Olympian - Sunday) TRANSPORTATION State installing quieter highway in Bellevue (AP/Seattle P-I - Sunday) Washington considering 2.5 percent ferry fare hike (AP/Seattle Times) TRIBES Federal agency gives grant to Squaxin tribe (Olympian - Sunday) WATER Tacoma’s water worries (The News Tribune - Sunday) Upper County well issue may become statewide (Daily Record)

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