Morning News Digest: Tuesday, November 18, 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.

State shortfall likely to increase

Gov. Chris Gregoire and state budget writers are bracing for other bad blows this week when the latest state employment and revenue outlooks are issued. (Brad Shannon, The Olympian)

http://www.theolympian.com/stategovernment/story/665634.html

Spokane County to examine some 6th District ballots

Spokane County elections workers will check a sample of some 200 ballots that had to be “remade” because of problems with the way they were marked or handled by voters. (Jim Camden, Spokesman Review)

http://spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=17803

$30M set aside to help untangle the 'Mercer Mess'

City Council members gave some and took some away as they worked to balance the 2009-10 city budgets Monday, voting on more than 100 items at a rapid clip -- including $30 million for work on Mercer Street. (Kathy Mulady, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/388197_budget18.html

McIntire to create transition team for treasurer

State Treasurer-elect Jim McIntire, who narrowly defeated Republican Allan Martin two weeks ago, has announced the creation of a transition team to help pave the way for his move into the office being vacated by outgoing State Treasurer Mike Murphy, a Democrat who had supported Martin in the race. (PolitickerWA.com)

http://www.politickerwa.com/bryanbissell/2632/mcintire-create-transition-team-treasurer

State Senate Democrats choose new leadership

State Senate Democrats voted to retain much of their leadership core from last session when they met over the weekend in Sea-Tac. (PolitickerWA.com)

http://www.politickerwa.com/bryanbissell/2631/senate-democrats-choose-new-leadership

Local schools missing pricey items

Some of the state’s largest school districts are missing millions of dollars in equipment – from computers to digital cameras and projectors – that taxpayers provided for their classrooms.  (Associated Press)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topstories/story/541120.html

County eyes design contract for courts building

Yakima County officials want to separate the county's courts from its administrative offices -- a project with a price tag that could exceed $100 million -- and they expect to take another step toward that today. (Pat Muir, Yakima Herald-Republic)

http://yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/11/17/county-eyes-design-contract-for-courts-building

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.