One of the fundamental jobs of a state legislature is to write and approve budgets that determine how much state agencies have to spend. It’s tedious work and often not very interesting. But this year in Olympia, there may be some drama as legislators determine how to balance a budget that will likely be tighter than in recent years. Could there be tax increases? Where will spending be cut?
Last week, legislative leaders talked about the budget and their priorities during their annual pre-session forum sponsored by Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington and the Washington State Association of Broadcasters. Here are a few excerpts.
When former Washington state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance left his party in 2017, he began a political journey that has had some interesting turns. He worked to create a third major party. He worked to ensure that Donald Trump would not be elected president. He endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president in 2024.
After the dust of the election had settled, we called Vance to talk about his future — and he was coy.
More than four thousand unaccompanied migrant children have moved in with sponsors in Washington, Idaho and Oregon since the beginning of 2015, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Many of them are awaiting their court proceedings and staying with families in rural parts of the Northwest.
SPR’s Owen Henderson talked with Rachel Spacek from Investigate West, who’s been digging into the challenges those kids and their sponsors are facing.
Inland Journal is Spokane Public Radio's weekly public affairs program, heard every Sunday at 6 pm on KSFC FM 91.9 and every Thursday at noon on KPBX FM 91.1 in Spokane.
