On tonight’s edition of The Impact, I talk with Gov. Chris Gregoire about her tax proposal, the state budget, special session, her thoughts on the Occupy protests at the capitol – and much more. We didn’t have time to air the entire interview on the show, so I’m posting the full, unedited version here.

But don’t miss tonigh’ts show: We’ve also got more on the protests, an on-set interview and news from the first week of this 30-day special session. You can watch at 7 and 10 p.m. on TVW.

Tags: Budget, Gov. Chris Gregoire, Governor, Occupy, protests, taxes, The Impact

This week, the blog’s been slow because I was filling in for Jessica Gao on The Impact. But now, in just about 30 minutes, you can catch up on the week’s news. Enjoy.

Tags: Jim Camden, mary selecky, methamphetamine, Mike Baker, taxes, The Impact

Now’s your chance to watch “Staying Afloat: Challenges facing Washington State Ferries,” a one-hour documentary by TVW’s Jessica Gao. Watch The Impact tonight at 7 p.m. on TVW for follow-up interviews.

Tags: documentary, ferries, The Impact

Within months of taking over the state Transportation Department, Secretary Paula Hammond pulled four 1920s-era vessels from service because of corrosion in the hulls. The decision in November 2007 left the Port Townsend-Coupeville route without vehicle service for two winter months. Transportation leaders scrambled to build new boats to fill the service gap. Two 64-car ferries are now running the route, and a third is on its way. In an in-depth interview, Jessica Gao questioned Secretary Hammond about the boat-building process, as well as funding and management issues.

The interview is part of Jessica’s documentary, “Staying Afloat: Challenges Facing Washington State Ferries.” You can watch the documentary on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. on TVW.

In the meantime, you can also check out the documentary’s page here.

Tags: ferries, Paula Hammond, Staying Afloat, The Impact, WSDOT

On The Impact on TVW at 7:00 pm tonight, you’ll see part of the big weekend ceremony, launching the removal of two dams on the Elwha River. When those dams come down, supporters say the free-flowing river will allow endangered salmon to return.  The National Park Service estimates 3,000 salmon were in the river before the dam removal.  When those dams went up in the early 1900s, it’s estimated that 300,000 salmon ran the river each year.

During the last scientific tour before demolition began, we interviewed two federal scientists who talk about the challenges of restoring salmon habitat, how this effort compares to other dam removals around the country, and how long it will take for abundant salmon runs to return. But there’s so much more to learn, so I’m providing you some links to the National Park Service, a site monitoring the removal through webcams, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, which all have much more information.

Also on The Impact tonight, I’m interviewing Les Purce, president of The Evergreen State College in Olympia.  Students are returning to campus this week, amid new concerns of another round of budget cuts. You can watch The Impact on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm on TVW and at various times on our four PBS partners.

Tags: Elwha Dams, higher ed, Salmon, The Impact

The Washington State Ferry system has faced challenge after challenge over the past decade or so.  Among the major issues is its boat-building program.  With three new 64-car ferries nearly complete, the next step is to build boats that can carry about 144 cars – these boats are considered more versatile with the ability to serve larger routes throughout the system.  The legislature secured money for the first of two 144-car ferries, and ferry administrators are working toward a contract to start the first one.

Interview with WSF director David Moseley at a Bainbridge Island church, where he had just finished addressing a group of engaged citizens

In a 40-minute, in-depth interview with ferries director David Moseley, he talked about the importance of new boats to the aging fleet, as the three Evergreen State Class ferries near the end of their 60-year lifecycle.

Bidding issues have held up boat-building programs before, and it wasn’t until the 80-year-old Steel Electrics were suddenly pulled from the system in 2007 that the 64-car program was pushed through. With the 144s in the pipeline Moseley told me “we’ve got the money to build, and we’re going to start building the 144s next year.”

Rep. Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor, has expressed concerns about the direction of the past and present boat procurement process (for background go here), and he’s asking the governor and state auditor’s office to investigate.

Will the state ferry system’s vessel replacement program continue to navigate rough waters in the future, as it has in the past?  It’s just one of the many questions we’re asking in our special report – Staying Afloat:  Challenges facing Washington State ferries.  Stay tuned for the premier on Tuesday, September 27th at 7:00 pm, on TVW.

Tags: ferries, The Impact

I just got off the set with Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, who provided me with a draft copy of new legislation dealing with medical marijuana production and a registry for patients. Last week, the governor vetoed of significant portions of the regular session legislation, including measures that would regulate the production and distribution of cannabis for medicinal uses.  Sen. Delvin said the governor’s staff was directly involved in drafting the new bill that will be introduced during the special session.

Here are some of the main provisions:

• The registry:  the Department of Health would create a medical cannabis registry by January 1, 2013, allowing a health care professional to register a patient or a designated provider.  Registration would be voluntary, except for nonprofit patient cooperatives, which would be required to register their locations.
• Collective gardens:  ten or fewer patients could participate in a collective garden that could grow 15 plants per patient, up to 45 plans in total.  Members would be required to carry their proof of registration with the medical cannabis registry.  Local governments could not ban collective gardens.
• Nonprofit cooperatives:  if a collective garden has more than 10 members, it could become a nonprofit patient cooperative, registered with the Secretary of State.  According to the draft legislation, the maximum number of cannabis plants would still be 45.  Local governments could ban cooperatives. If counties or cities want to approve cooperatives, they could create for a cooperative, including business licensing and security requirements.

As I mentioned, this is draft legislation and it hasn’t been formally dropped this session.  Learn more in my interview with Sen. Delvin, who sponsored the original legislation in the Senate.  I also talk with Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlach, who opposes the measure.  The Impact airs tonight at 7pm & 10pm on TVW.

Tags: medical marijuana, The Impact

Marijuana legalization is a much sexier headline than something about the the state’s budget process as lawmakers move toward sine die.  So, I’ll get to pot talk later in this post.  But yesterday was policy cutoff for the legislature, and The Impact crew was set up  between House and Senate chambers for the entire day, conducting 27 interviews with the governor and key lawmakers on the budget, education, health care, jobs, and yes – marijuana. Here are some of my takeaways:

Look for the budget chairs to roll out their proposals on March 21 or 22 - the Monday or Tuesday after the March 17th revenue forecast. Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, said he’s expecting a $500 million to $1.5 billion drop in revenue projections and has some contingency plans ready to go.  He also said the budget proposal will include plans to close the shortfall for the budget ending in June, as well as the next two-year budget cycle.

The governor’s budget director, Marty Brown, has both state and federal budget cuts on his mind.  He’s watching for $200 million to $700 million in federal cuts that would mostly impact social services. Brown said “it’s really hard to tell when they’re sort of passing things in two week increments right now.”  Congress has until October to finalize their budget proposals. (more…)

Tags: Budget, marijuana, The Impact

Tune into The Impact tonight at 7:00 pm on TVW to watch the eight-minute, unedited interview with Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail about the circumstances surrounding the murder of Corrections Officer Jayme Biendl. I ask about prison budget cuts, safety concerns, and monitoring of repeat sex offenders. There are also new memorial funds set up in honor of Officer Biendl.

Here’s how to contribute to the funds set up by the Department of Corrections:

To support Officer Biendl’s family: donate at any Key Bank location under the name “Jayme Biendl Memorial Fund.”

For costs related to memorial service: donate at any Union Bank, formerly known as Frontier Bank, under the name “In memory of Jayme Biendl.”  Any remaining funds will be given to the family.

Here’s how to contribute to a fund set up by her union:

For funeral expenses and Officer Biendl’s family:  donate at any Bank of America branch under the name “Jayme Biendl Benevolent Fund.”

In the second half of the show, we take a closer look at Washington’s unique redistricting commission system, responsible for creating new political boundaries.  One of the commissioners gives me his initial impressions of where a new 10th Congressional District could be drawn up.

Don’t miss The Impact Wednesday nights at 7:00 pm & 10:00 pm on TVW.

Tags: Jayme Biendl, prison safety, redistricting, The Impact

Here’s this week’s edition of The Impact, with Speaker of the House Frank Chopp and schools chief Randy Dorn.

Tags: Budget, Chopp, Dorn, education, The Impact