Praise the Lord and release the hounds — because our good state Legislature has enacted a law which makes it legal once again to use dogs to hunt cougars. Now, I didn't even know cougar hunting was legal in Washington — minus Cougars wearing crimson — but apparently, it is. While the bill was actually passed by the Legislature in February, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting on Friday to discuss whether the pilot program should continue for another three years.
Meanwhile, Micheal Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has compiled a list of some other curious laws enacted by the Washington Legislature this year. My personal favorite: Violators may face up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail for selling raw or unprocessed huckleberries without a permit.
In Tacoma, Pierce County sheriff candidate Robert "The Traveller" Hill is pissing off quite a few people. For one thing, Pierce County wants him off the November ballot because he forged a judge's signature. Yesterday, the Tacoma City Council kicked him out of a meeting for mocking proceedings during public comment by wearing a telephone headset and asking the council members to speak louder because he could "barely hear them on this connection." From the News Tribune:
Two weeks ago, Hill removed his clothing at a City Council meeting and sat in the front row of the council chambers in only shorts or underpants and a T-shirt. He was sitting in a way that exposed himself to at least one council member on the dais, City Manager Eric Anderson said.
At this point, [the city's prosecutor] is not recommending pursuing an indecent exposure charge, though she said a report would be made to document Hill's behavior.
Game Preserve: Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., wants the B Reactor at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to be a national historic landmark. ...
Game permit: While Mayor Greg Nickels and almost all City Council members agree that converting parts of Seattle's Mercer Street to two-way traffic would a good idea, local neighborhoods groups say it isn't. ...
Not permitted: The City of Portland will sue you for advertising with sidewalk chalk.
Big game hunt: Chad Shue at WashBlog explains what it takes for a progressive pundit to get a job in Seattle. ...
Natural habitat? While yesterday's Wall Street Journal story says "Idaho is no longer a lock for Republicans," the state's lieutenant governor, a Republican, has raised $1.7 million in his U.S. senate bid — a million bucks more than his Democratic opponent.
Playing possum: The University of Washington is preparing to ask the Legislature for more money, despite the fact that the school raked in $2.68 billion from donors during the past eight years. ...
Playing with the cubs: State Republicans reach out to the conservative youth vote — and actually find some. ...
Lone wolf: Republican congressional candidate Mike Erickson has spent nearly $1.5 million of his own money in his bid to win Oregon's 5th Congressional District. ...
Big cat: Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly writes about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his criticism of the GOP's stance on global warming. ...
Big deal: Washington Policy Center Blog reports Washington is seeking to improve government transparency by re-tooling its Web site's search function. ...
PAC hunting: GOP gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi could soon be getting a boost from the Republican Governors Association, who will reportedly spend upwards of $30 million by Nov. 4. ...
Releasing the hounds: Erica C. Barnett at The Stranger criticizes The Seattle Times for their soft coverage of yesterday's big story about sexual harassment and Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland. ...
And finally, Chris Mulick at the Tri-City Herald takes a look at the state's new 2008 Primary Voter's Guide. He's sifted through it and picked out some interesting passages, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christian Pierre Joubert's support of "amazing dopamine-producing raw vegan chocolate mousses" and Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Will Baker's conspiracy theory-based plea for voters to "please call 60 Minutes at (212) 975-2006 and please press zero to speak to a live person." As always, good luck to everyone on the ballot. ...
