From Our Corner

Don’t let bogus requirements fool you!

Image Washington business owners should be on their guard for scams that demand they pay to register “corporate minutes” or other internal corporate paperwork with the state, the Office of Secretary of State’s Corporations Division warned today. The… Read more

WSL Speakers Series Now Available via Streaming Video

Image Many of Washington State Library’s series of events, including our evening and brown bag speakers events, are now available online via streaming video! To find them, try searching the WSL catalog using keywords ‘Educational Outreach Event’ and you will find a list of events to choose from. From the search results list, you may choose… Read more

Clippings, September 21, 2009

Clippings – September 21, 2009 Library News Tacoma Public Library Board of Trustees has been briefed on plans to spend $150,000 to remodel the Kobetich branch and is scheduled to vote on approving the funding later this month. (Photo) (Tacoma Weekly, 9.3.09) http://www.tacomaweekly.com/article/3498/ Puyallup Public Library updated its Web site including new themes, redesigned layout, tab navigation and interactive features. More… Read more

How R-71 does on the field

Our Elections Division this week put the final touches on this fall’s statewide Voters’ Pamphlet and sent it to the printer. (More than 3 million copies will be printed and mailed throughout Washington in October.) Of the 56 pages that make up this year’s edition, 37 are devoted to Referendum 71. The photo below shows how the pages look when you stretch them out on a football field. (… Read more

Study break: From the old school

Happy Friday to all the students across Washington who have their noses back in the books! Need a real quick study break? Here, St. Martin’s students enjoy a break from all those books - back in 1965. Visible in the background are “Old Main” and the “Grand Staircase.” The stairs being the traditional location for the college’s commencement ceremonies. Image The Digital Archives is a great student resource, and has thousands of old photos… Read more

We work here, too

I was reminded today that libraries are places where people work - not just places where people come to hang out, find information, relax and meet friends, use a wireless connection, attend a story time, or much more. A message came across my computer screen today from the Oregon library email discussion list, Libs-Or, posted by Jane S. Kirby. The message pointed to the the Oregon OSHA web site which recently… Read more

New revenue forecast shows $238 million drop

The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council Thursday morning released its quarterly revenue forecast, which shows a "relatively modest $238 million reduction to our revenue forecast" from three months ago. Here is the council's news release about the latest forecast, and here is The AP's story about it.

It's Constitution Day!

Image It never gets as much attention as Independence Day, and it doesn't give people an excuse to have a barbecue or shoot off fireworks like so many of us do on July 4. But today, September 17, is Constitution Day. Today is the 222th anniversary of that… Read more

The disclosure history of petition sheets

Image On Wednesday, initiative king Tim Eyman distributed an e-mail to his supporters,the media, legislators and Gov. Gregoire in which he criticized Secretary of State Sam Reed and officials in our office regarding our office’s history on our policy regarding the… Read more

WSL Updates for September 17, 2009

Volume 5, September 17, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN SEPTEMBER, PART TWO

2) BOOKS FOR BABIES GRANTS – DEADLINE NEAR

3) PNC/MLA ANNUAL MEETING

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1) FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN SEPTEMBER, PART TWO

  • The Scoop on Series Nonfiction: Best Uses, Best Practices, and Best… Read more

From Your Corner: Coupeville's name

Located along picturesque Penn Cove on the northern half of Whidbey Island, Coupeville is a small, charming town of about 1,900 people that draws many tourists and visitors who step foot on Washington’s largest island and one of the largest islands in the lower 48 states. Coupeville is a great place to watch the annual Whidbey Island Race Week sailing competition (pictured below) in July.

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So how did the Island County seat acquire… Read more

Heartwarming story about Roy teens and their library

A sizable budget deficit is forcing the town of Roy to do what no town wants to do: close the Roy City Library until the beginning of the new year. In the last year or so the Roy Library had become the place for the local teenagers to hang out to use the computers and check out materials. When Librarian Cecelia Hanson gave the teens the news that the library was going to have to close until January, the kids refused to accept it. They organized and have raised over $600 - enough to keep the… Read more

Oral ruling on R-71 lawsuit now available

Image Last week, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Thomas McPhee issued an oral ruling on the Referendum 71 lawsuit filed by Washington Families Standing Together. WFST sought an injunction against the Secretary of State that would have prevented R-71 from being placed on… Read more

Friday night lights

It's that time of year when students are cracking open their text books ... and that means high school football is starting all over the state. Check out a flash back from 80 years ago, when the Olympia Bears hosted the Vancouver Trappers on Thanksgiving Day in 1929. The teams are seen playing on Stevens Field, since Olympia High School, then located across the street from the state capitol building, had no field of its own. The game’s final score: 14-0 Bears.

Image… Read more

Heads, you win office...

Image It seldom happens, but sometimes an election race is decided by a coin toss. That was the case last week when two candidates for mayor in the Lewis County town of Winlock were tied for second place in last month's Primary Election after a recount. The two… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

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Hoquiam, Loggers Play Day -Sent in by Ben.

Submit us your photo from your corner of Washington, and add our… Read more

State to appeal Judge Settle’s R-71 ruling

Image As many already know, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle yesterday issued a preliminary Read more

I-1033: Judge won’t edit wording in Voters' Pamphlet

Image Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks denied Initiative 1033 sponsor Tim Eyman’s request this morning that wording about I-1033 be changed in the statewide Voters’ Pamphlet. Eyman had… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

Image - A view along Interstate-90 Submit us your photo from your corner of Washington, and add our… Read more

R-71 coming up: Understand your choices

Image Washington Families Standing Together announced Wednesday night that… Read more

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The Washington Office of the Secretary of State’s blog provides from-the-source information about important state news and public services.

This space acts as a bridge between the public and Secretary Steve Hobbs and his staff, and we invite you to contribute often to the conversation here.

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