In The News
House Passes Bill to Keep Government Open, Goes to Senate Next
by Natalie Brand
The House has passed a temporary government-wide funding bill that would avert a government shutdown this weekend. However, the measure still faces iffy prospects in the Senate, where Democrats are poised to block it in hopes of spurring slow-moving talks on immigration. The measure that passed the House would keep the government running through Feb. 16; it also reauthorizes the CHIP children's health insurance program for six years. The 230-197 vote came after an influential bloc of House con… Continue Reading
01.18.18
House Spending Bill Ignores Dreamers; Senate Likely to Reject
by Joel Connelly
Republican leaders stitched together enough votes to pass yet another stopgap federal spending bill late Thursday, but the legislation moves on to the U.S. Senate, where Democrats have the votes to stop it. The legislation, passed 230-197 on a near-party line vote, keeps the federal government up and running just until February 16th. Republicans offered a "lulu" -- on old New York expression for sweetener -- by including a provision a provision to restore the expired the Children's Health Insu… Continue Reading
01.17.18
Gig Harbor honors teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
by Katt Janson Merilo
More than 200 people gathered at the Gig Harbor Boatyard and Marina on Monday night to celebrate and learn from the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event was co-hosted by Indivisible Gig Harbor and the Social Democrats Club and featured performances by community members and by the Peninsula High School Advanced Chamber Choir led by Alison Ellis; readings of Dr. King and related works by community members and local high school students; greetings from Congressman Derek Kilmer, Pierce… Continue Reading
01.17.18
Objections mount to new coastal oil and gas exploration
Tribal leaders, fishermen and representatives of the tourism industry joined U.S. Sen. Maria Canwell (D-WA) on Sunday in Seattle to "send a clear message to the Trump Administration: the people of Washington state will not stand for oil and gas drilling off their coastline." With the backdrop of Fisherman's Terminal in Ballard, the senator and others, including Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman and Makah Tribal Council Chairman Nate Tyler, outlined what they said were "obvious threats … Continue Reading
01.16.18
Congressman Kilmer hosts telephone town hall this week
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer wants to talk about the year ahead for Congress, and will host a telephone town hall to get input this week from his constituents in Washington's 6th Congressional District. Kilmer (D-WA) will hold the town hall at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18. People can ask the congressman a question or leave a message with their comments. "As we start the new year, there is a lot of work that Congress needs to get done," Kilmer said. "It is vital to me to remain accessible and accountabl… Continue Reading
01.15.18
Tacomans celebrate MLK Day as local teacher calls for focus on King’s “radical” legacy
by Walker Orenstein
More than 1,000 people celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Tacoma's convention center Monday, where local high school teacher Nathan Gibbs-Bowling implored the state to honor the civil rights legend by fighting poverty and increasing equity. In a speech at Tacoma's 30th annual celebration of King, Gibbs-Bowling said Americans should focus on the more "radical" aspects of the reverend's legacy, such as his efforts to end the war in Vietnam and his push for higher wages. King was assassinat… Continue Reading
01.14.18
Kilmer telephone town hall set Thursday
Congressman Derek Kilmer plans a telephone town hall at 6 p.m. Thursday to hear to hear from constituents about the issues that matter to them. Participants will have the opportunity to ask Kilmer a question or leave a message with their comments. Kilmer, a Democrat living in Gig Harbor, represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula. "As we start the new year, there is a lot of work that Congress needs to get done," Kilmer said. "It is vital to me to re… Continue Reading
01.12.18
EPA funding critical to salmon and clean water
by Charlotte Garrido
Our environment and natural systems hold a special place in Kitsap County's history and culture, and are significant to quality of life for our families, friends and community. For years, communities across the nation have made investments in programs and projects that protect or restore these natural treasures. Such efforts have built economies that integrate environmental stewardship as part of successful modern business models. This certainly holds true across Kitsap County. Despite years of… Continue Reading
01.12.18
Congressman Kilmer: Keep Washington state out of Trump’s offshore drilling plan
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) said Washington should be added to the list of states exempt from President Trump's offshore drilling plan. On Wednesday, the United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced that Florida would be the only state in the nation exempted from Trump's plan to open nearly all federal waters to oil drilling. Kilmer, a Gig Harbor Democrat, noted that the exclusion of Florida, where the president owns a seaside hotel, drew widespread, bipartisan opposition. Ad… Continue Reading
01.12.18
House T&I Dems intro PTC funding, final deadline bill
by Kyra Senese
Rep. DeFazio is a ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Capuano is a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. The proposed legislation, entitled as the Positive Train Control Implementation and Financing Act, comes in response to the Dec. 18, 2017, derailment of Amtrak Train 501 in Washington, which killed three and injured others. The National Transportation Safety Board reported last week that the acci… Continue Reading
01.11.18
Harbor legislators believe Democratic control will steer session
by Angelo Bruscas
When the state Legislature convenes the 2018 session Monday, Democrats now in control of both the Senate and the House plan to get right to work to pass a capital spending plan that could fund several projects for the Harbor. Local Democrat lawmakers and the lone Republican in the area gathered in Aberdeen on Jan. 5 to set out their legislative agendas for the coming session. All of them predicted that with Democratic control, this year's legislative calendar in Olympia should last just 60 days… Continue Reading
01.11.18
SOS: NOAA funding cuts would hurt coastal Washington
Mike Cassinelli is the owner of Beacon Charters in Ilwaco, at the mouth of the Columbia River. Mike makes his living taking recreational anglers fishing for salmon and sturgeon, but never sends a boat out before checking the weather. The Washington coast doesn't often get catastrophic storms, but we do deal with some of the world's most persistently rough weather. Like every other coastal mariner, Mike relies heavily on NOAA-funded weather monitoring to make it safely back to port. Coastal comm… Continue Reading
01.11.18
Chamber Looks to The Economic Forecast Ahead at Annual Breakfast
by Andrew Fickes
The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce welcomes members and non-members alike to attend the 2018 Horizons Economic Forecast from 7-9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center where they're guaranteed to learn a little of what to expect in the coming year, both locally and nationally, and walk away with the tools to better prepare their respective businesses. Tom Pierson, the chamber's president and chief executive officer, said industry professionals a… Continue Reading
01.11.18
State Leaders Slam Zinke for Letting Florida off Hook on Drilling
by Joel Connelly
U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made a slick political decision to let Florida off the hook on offshore oil drilling, while other coastal states including Washington get drilled, state political leaders charged Thursday. Gov. Jay Inslee and Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray fired off angry letters that Zinke is unlikely to answer. They are all Democrats while Florida Gov. Rick Scott is a Republican and backer of President Trump. Inslee cited two past spills off the Washington Coast, not… Continue Reading
01.10.18
Join Legislators in Opposition to Opening Up Arctic National Refuge
by Robert B. Kaplan
The Arctic National Refuge in Alaska has sustained the native Gwich'in people for centuries. Its coastal plain has provided the birthing grounds for the caribou of the Porcupine caribou herd, which use its unique ecosystem to bear and rear their young, according to the Gwich'in Steering Committee at ourarcticrefuge.org. The Gwich'in people call the coastal plain "the sacred place where life begins." Protecting the caribou and the Gwich'in way of life is a matter of basic human rights. Yet it… Continue Reading
01.09.18
U.S. Rep. Kilmer Seeks Veteran for Fellowship in Washington, D.C. office
Congressman Derek Kilmer is seeking a wounded warrior or medically retired veteran for a fellowship position in his Washington, D.C. office. "Veterans bring a unique and valuable perspective to the workplace," said U.S. Rep. Kilmer, a Gig Harbor Democrat who represents Washington state's 6th Congressional District. "Working on legislation and advocating for veterans and military families who ask for assistance from my office is a great way to continue serving the country," Kilmer said. The fe… Continue Reading
01.08.18
FEC’s New Facebook Ruling Requires Ad Sharing Info Yet Gives Reformers Little to Like
by Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
A December Federal Election Commission ruling will require Facebook ads to let internet users know which organizations are behind election advertisements -- but won't do much to let them know who actually paid for the ads. Last month, the five members of the commission ruled that election ads on Facebook must contain disclaimers revealing who paid for them. The decision occurred in the wake of revelations that Russian groups used the social network to boost Donald Trump's successful 2016 presid… Continue Reading
01.04.18
Congressman Kilmer: Change on legal marijuana is federal meddling
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer said Thursday that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' plan to direct the Department of Justice to rescind the Cole Memorandum on legalized marijuana was wrong and akin to federal meddling on a state issue. Kilmer, a 6th District Democrat, issued the following statement Thursday: "This action by Attorney General Sessions would silence the voices of the majority of Washington state's voters," Kilmer said. "No matter how you feel about the legalization of marijuana, this… Continue Reading
12.12.17
The seeds of a moderate movement must be nurtured
by Mort Kondracke
Ten years ago, The Atlantic's Ron Brownstein wrote a book, "The Second Civil War," describing and lamenting the polarization and paralysis afflicting American politics. Since then, America has become an even more divided country, its political partisans split into tribes that literally hate each other. The trend has been well-documented, and is constantly exacerbated by tribal chieftains who purify their ranks by the purging of moderates who stray from the party line. If this is a new civil war… Continue Reading
12.04.17
Retiring Olympic College president's legacy seen "in the success of every student"
by Chris Henry
BREMERTON - Retiring Olympic College President David Mitchell oversaw $150 million in capital projects during his 15-year tenure. Mitchell is proud of the buildings that expanded opportunities on three campuses, but he most wants people to remember "that I cared about students." Mitchell, with less than a month left at the helm, is optimistic about the future of the college, which he says is poised to grow. "I think people are moving in, companies are moving in. The capacity to handle the grow… Continue Reading