The Association of Washington Business (AWB) has announced it will host its fifth gubernatorial debate on June 12 at the historic Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, in partnership with Greater Spokane, Inc. The debate will feature U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D) and Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna (R). Austin Jenkins, Olympia correspondent for the Northwest News Network, will moderate the debate. In addition to the gubernatorial exchange, AWB will also host a debate between candidates for attorney general with Reagan Dunn (R) and Bob Ferguson (D). Jenkins will also moderate the attorney general debate. read more »

Belfair resident and Washington native Danny Hamilton has announced his candidacy for Mason County commissioner. He is a small business owner, a worldwide emergency management practitioner, a trainer and a facilitator of learning. Locally, he has facilitated community meetings and strategic planning sessions for several North Mason organizations. He is a member of the Mason County Re-entry Coalition; a volunteer with Belfair’s Faith in Action and provides personal planning skills for homeless and incarcerated Military Veterans.

Hamilton has a master’s degree in counseling psychology and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, Southern Africa and an Associate Peace Corps Director in Thailand. read more »

Former federal prosecutor and King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn announced that his campaign for Attorney General raised more than half a million dollars in the seven months since his announcement. Dunn’s opponent has reported less than $450,000 in almost a year of campaigning.

Even during the traditional slow month of December, Dunn posted his second best fundraising total of nearly $70,000. This performance is second only to the first month in which Dunn raised a record $150,000 to kick off the campaign. read more »

Rep. Jan Angel is inviting constituents on the 26th District to participate in a telephone town hall meeting on Thursday evening, Jan. 12, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The program works much like a radio call-in talk show. Citizens may dial in to learn more about the current legislative session, ask questions, and participate in surveys or just listen in. Local residents who would like to participate in the event can call (877) 229-8493 and enter code 15472. read more »

Former federal prosecutor and King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn announced today that his campaign for Attorney General has raised more than $440,000 in six months. Dunn’s opponent has reported just $418,000 in ten months of campaigning.

No candidate since 2000, when electronic records were made available, has ever lost a race for Attorney General after raising more money than his or her opponent for six consecutive months. Rob McKenna outraised John Ladenburg between June and November of 2008. No other candidate for Attorney General in recent memory has outraised their opponent six months in a row. read more »

Former federal prosecutor and Attorney General Candidate Reagan Dunn announced the endorsement of 25 elected prosecutors and sheriffs from 18 different counties. Dunn has been in the Attorney General race since June, and his list of endorsements continues to grow.

“County sheriffs and prosecutors are on the front lines of justice,” said Dunn. “The State of Washington needs these individuals to be successful for our communities to be safe. Yet, many of the cuts and unfunded mandates from Olympia flow down to them. As Attorney General, I will advocate for the tools they need to fight crime in their communities.” read more »

It’s been nearly four years since we were being told that the economic recession was officially over; yet today, there are 14 million people who are still listed as unemployed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (And we’re not counting the additional 12 million who are part-timers and temporary workers, and those who finally gave up looking for work in a bleak job market.)

Labor Leaders were virtually unanimous in praising President Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill, with some economists estimating that it would create as many as 2 to 3 million jobs by the end of 2013. But with Republicans strongly opposed, the Jobs Act has little chance of being approved by Congress, especially since there is no agreement as to who would pay for the $447 billion bill. read more »

The Port Orchard Chamber will host a candidate forum on Wed. Sept. 28 at the Port Orchard Pavilion, 701 Bay St. Downtown Port Orchard. The candidates will be Port of Bremerton Commissioner candidates Axel Strakeljahn and Shawn Cucciardi and Kitsap County Commissioner candidates Robert Gelder and Chris Tibbs. There is no cost to attend and is open to the public. Coffee and muffins will be provided at 7:50 a.m., with the forum starting at 8 a.m. Reservations are appreciated to office [at] portorchard [dot] com.