UPDATE, 12/6: Kelley was fined $200 today, with half of the fine suspended if he commits no more violations over the next four years. UPDATE 12/6 2 p.m.: The PDC voted to drop the rest of the allegations.

ORIGINAL POST FROM 12/3:

As Troy Kelley gets ready to take office as auditor, the chairman of the state Public Disclosure Commission will decide at a hearing Thursday if the Tacoma state lawmaker should be fined for leaving information out when he disclosed his finances to the public.

Years after he filed the original disclosure forms, Kelley sent the PDC revised forms last month. PDC staff concluded he violated the law by not filing them sooner, and scheduled his case for what’s known as a “brief enforcement hearing” presided over by Chairman Amit Ranade, who has authority to fine him up to $500.

“The brief hearings are used when the allegations are relatively minor and there’s no dispute as to the facts,” PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said.

Most of the information investigators say was omitted about Kelley’s mortgage document-tracking company United National was available in previous disclosures by Kelley for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Read more »

President Barack Obama’s administration hasn’t swooped in to try to prevent Washington’s Initiative 502 from taking effect at midnight. And his Justice Department still isn’t saying what it will do once it is in effect. The agency is still reviewing the law, local U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan wrote in a statement today.

But Durkan did say in her statement that it’s still illegal under federal law to have marijuana, even if it becomes legal to possess small amounts under state law.

Here’s the statement. Parse away:

The Department of Justice is reviewing the legalization initiatives recently passed in Colorado

…

Read more »

The process to fill outgoing Tacoma City Council member Jake Fey‘s council seat kicks off today, as the city begins advertising for applications to fill the position.

As we wrote about here, the council plans to choose a replacement for Fey on Jan. 29, with an application process and public interviews scheduled before then.

The application deadline for prospective candidates is Dec. 19. (Here’s the council’s appointment schedule).

Fey, with still a year left on his council term, will vacate his Position 2 council seat Dec. 31 to head to Olympia as a state representative for Tacoma’s 27th …

Read more »

It came after a journey that included grim projections, hard truths and a seemingly ever-changing cast of characters, but the City of Tacoma arrived at a new budget destination Tuesday – a place with far fewer employees and scaled-back public services where Tacoma will plant its flag for at least the next two years.

After two months spent dissecting a proposed 2013-14 general fund budget that had been several more months in the making, Tacoma’s City Council unanimously adopted City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s $397 million spending plan Tuesday.

“The word I would use to describe this budget situation is `painful,’” …

Read more »

Washington state human resources director Eva Santos died early Tuesday after her latest battle with breast cancer. Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office confirmed late in the day that Santos, 56, had passed away.

Gregoire herself is a breast cancer survivor and her office released this statement from the governor:

“Eva was one of a kind and was one of the finest people with whom I’ve ever had the chance to work. She was a rare blend of fun and seriousness, able to bring clarity and levity to any situation at the same time. She served on my cabinet for the past eight years and was a bright spark in every cabinet meeting and in every interaction. Everyone who worked with her knew her integrity, her skill, and her passion for service.

“We have lost a great leader and I have lost a cherished friend. My heart is heavy and her family and friends are in my thoughts.”

Read more »

Gov. Chris Gregoire has a few misgivings about what state policy makers had to do as they worked through the Great Recession over the past four years, and tuition policy is one apparent regret. The two-term governor told The Olympian’s editorial board Tuesday that she would like to see tuition reduced in the future, reversing what has been a galloping growth in students’ share of costs for higher education – now hitting 70 percent of the cost of education at four-year universities.

That is double what tuition’s share was in 2000.

Gregoire, a Democrat, did not specify how low she wants tuition to drop, and her top spokesman Cory Curtis later said there was nothing specific in the works in terms of a proposal for her successor, Gov.-elect Jay Inslee. “I think it’s still a question, coming out of the recession, what can the budget handle. This may not be the time to handle that,” Curtis said.

Read more »

UPDATE 9 a.m. Wednesday: Senate Republicans says a recount didn’t change the results in a Clark County Senate race and GOP Sen. Don Benton has unofficially won re-election — trimming Democrats’ majority to 26-23 and giving Republicans major leverage.

Preliminary results had Benton beating Rep. Tim Probst by 78 votes. Republicans said and elections officials confirmed (update 1:30 p.m.) Benton is now ahead by 74 votes, with nine ballots due to go before the county canvassing board on Monday for examination.

—-

A recount didn’t change the results in the 47th District race for state House, King County Elections announced …

Read more »

The sale of the historic First Congregational Church in Tacoma to Mars Hill Church is final.

Mars Hill’s purchase of the building near Wright Park for $1.9 million closed Nov. 30. Mars Hill is raising $1.5 million to renovate the building as the site of Mars Hill Tacoma, the 15th location for the Seattle-based megachurch. It hopes to start having services in the church at Division Avenue and South J Street in fall 2013.

First Congregational Church continued its weekly worship Sunday in the Knights of Pythias building at 924 Broadway. The church is in talks with three …

Read more »

One event is being held by a House Democrat from Tacoma, Laurie Jinkins, the other by a Senate Republican from Lakewood, Mike Carrell.

Jinkins’ community forum is at 6 p.m. at Tacoma Community College. Carrell is holding his forum by teleconference at 7 p.m.

Details: Read more »