Morning News Digest: Friday, November 14, 2008

With the PolitickerWA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Washington's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

Connelly: Gay rights supporters should think strategy

Homophobia is the malaria of societal diseases: It appears to be on the wane but then re-emerges in full fury. (Joel Connelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/387781_Joel14.html

State agencies trim 1,100 paychecks

The number of people drawing a state paycheck has dropped by 1,185 since Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered a hiring freeze in early August. (Adam Wilson, The Olympian)

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/661343.html

As votes dribble in, Pierce County still counting

With fewer than 25,000 ballots to be counted, you might think some close Pierce County races will be decided in the next day or two. You’d be wrong.  (David Wickert, The News Tribune)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topstories/story/537262.html

New vote tallies in Pierce exec race show no change

A Wednesday night vote update from Pierce County elections shows Shawn Bunney (R-Bonney Lake) still leading the Pierce County executive race in the first round of voting. (PolitickerWA.com)

http://www.politickerwa.com/bryanbissell/2620/new-vote-tallies-pierce-exec-race-show-no-change

$1.52M award against county upheld

OLYMPIA – The state Court of Appeals has upheld a jury's $1.52 million award in a sex-­discrimination lawsuit against Thurston County.

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/661350.html

District's pick for health officer turns down job

A California physician has declined a job offer as health officer for the Spokane Regional Health District. The decision by Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, 51, follows a two-year search by the health board, which comprises all three county commissioners and other local officials. (John Stucke, Spokesman Review)

http://spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=17744

Greg Smith considering run for Seattle mayor

Greg Smith, a real estate developer in Seattle, tells Crosscut he is "seriously considering" running for mayor in 2009. If he ends up challenging Mayor Greg Nickels, who is gearing up and has been raising money for a re-election campaign next year, it would be a surprise, given how close Smith has been to Nickels' office in recent years. (Crosscut)

http://crosscut.com/2008/11/13/seattle-city-hall/18634/

Third runway opponents see victory in concessions

During decades of conflict, a coalition of cities around Sea-Tac International Airport spent more than $15 million suing to block construction of a third runway. (Kristen Millares Young, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/387805_runway14.html

With the PolitickerWA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Washington's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.