From Our Corner

Congratulations KCLS!

Image The King County Library System (KCLS) was recently awarded a $998,556 National Leadership Grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to fund a project that will develop the Evergreen open source library system, making it a more useful system for large public… Read more

Washington at Play: Snow!

Washington is blessed (is that the right word?!) with dramatic season changes ... which includes an often snow-kissed winter. And while we don't like having to drive in snow, do we ever love playing in it! So get your skis and snowboards ready ... soon we'll be heading up to the passes.… Read more

Judge retains reporting, gift limits for R-71 foes

U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton has refused to allow foes of Referendum 71 to keep their donors a secret and to lift the usual ban on contributions of over $5,000 or more during the final days of a campaign. Read more

Urban Fiction in Prisons

Urban fiction, street lit, and “gangsta” fiction are all terms used to describe novels that deal with life on the street. Some may say that the books glamorize the criminal element of the world and are not appropriate for anyone to read, but especially not for inmates. I would have to disagree. Many of us, and inmates included, read material that they can relate to, and for them this could be the urban books of the gangster lifestyle. Yes there is crime in these novels but at least one… Read more

WA Poll: R-71 leads, I-1033 trails

Image Fresh poll numbers for the ballot-topping statewide measures: The Washington Poll… Read more

From your corner of Washington: Des Moines

Located along the eastern shore of Puget Sound between Seattle and Tacoma, Des Moines is a city of 29,270 inhabitants. It’s well known for its marina (pictured above) and beautiful sunset views of Vashon Island and the Olympics. Image

So how did Des Moines (pronounced duh-MOINZ) acquire its name? The town was settled in 1870 and named in 1889 for the Des Moines Improvement Co., which had been named by one of its principals for his hometown… Read more

Clippings, October 23, 2009

Library News The Timberland Regional Library Board of Trustees will honor retiring TRL Executive Director Jodi Reng at a public open house on Sunday October 18th. Reng has served as executive director for six years and has spent nearly 20 years as the director of multi-branch library systems in Washington state and Minnesota. (Nisqually Valley News [Yelm], 10.9.09) The City of Quincy has $1 million earmarked for the construction of a new library. It’s planning on applying for a Community… Read more

State wins challenge in voting case

Image Washington's system for guarding against underage voting… Read more

Didyaknow...?

Image Didyaknow that four statues in the Capitol rotunda are replicas of ancient Roman-style firepots designed by the Tiffany Company? More than 2,000 years ago, the firepots were placed on the hilltops of Rome and filled with oil, then lit them… Read more

Ninth Circuit issues opinion on R-71 petition case

Last week in California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled to lift the ban on Washington releasing the Referendum 71 petitions. But the U.S. Supreme Court this week suspended the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, which means the ban remains in effect while the Supremes prepare to resolve this issue once and for all.

Read more

Digital Archives celebrates five years of excellence

Image Five years ago, the Washington State Digital Archives opened a brand-new building on the Eastern Washington University campus in Cheney. Since then, it has established itself as the leader among all states in the electronic preservation of… Read more

'An Expression of Touch' art show ends Friday

Image Walking into an art gallery, you can’t help but be impressed by the paintings, pottery, sculptures and other pieces of art on display. Now, imagine how impressed you’d be to see artwork created by individuals who can’t… Read more

WSL Updates for October 22, 2009

Volume 5, October 22, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) FIRST TUESDAYS – CHARITABLE TRUST DIRECTORY 2) ALASKA-YUKON-PACIFIC EXPOSITION 1909 – 2009 3) KAREN RETURNS 4) NEW CIVICS RESOURCE – SIMPLY WASHINGTON 5) ALA 2.0 ADVOCACY WEBINAR 6) WEBJUNCTION WEBINARS FOR SERVING SPANISH SPEAKERS 7) BCR ONLINE WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) FIRST TUESDAYS –… Read more

High court continues ban on releasing R-71 petitions

Image The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to continue blocking, at least temporarily, Washington State from releasing Referendum 71 petitions under the state's Public Records Act. The high court, ruling in a request by Justice Anthony Kennedy, agreed to keep in place… Read more

Clippings, October 19, 2009

Library News A group of municipal and county leaders proposed dramatic ideas for consolidating government services during a meeting about how Cowlitz County and its five cities can save money. Officials recommended that cities surrender control of libraries and parks to new metropolitan organizations that would oversee them. The also suggested the adoption of new technologies and sharing staff to reduce costs. (Daily News [Longview], 9.24.09) Woodinville High School has a new library.… Read more

Book Price Wars

Amazon and Wal-Mart are engaging in a price war for some "highly anticipated hardback titles" with prices at both retailers dropping below $10.00. Wal-Mart is also offering free shipping. For the details, see Book wars! Wal-Mart, Amazon slash costs from MSNBC and… Read more

R-71 petitions on hold: Justice Kennedy halts release

Image Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court has at least temporarily blocked release of petitions in support of putting Referendum 71 on the statewide ballot. Kennedy, in a… Read more

100 years later: Celebrating Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo

Image The Centennial Celebration for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition at the University of Washington is coming to an end October 27. If you haven’t seen the exhibits celebrating the centennial and can’t make it to the UW campus before they shut down… Read more

Friday update for R-71 signature courtwatchers

(UPDATE: This blog was updated 10-16-09 at 4:58 p.m.) Image Although the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has given the green light for releasing Referendum 71 petition sheets under terms of the state's Public Records Act, it's not quite that simple. Both state and… 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.

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