The Washington State Gambling Commission is meeting Thursday and Friday in Spokane.

The poker game betting limit is up for a discussion, not a vote.

Last month, the commission raised the betting limit for Black Jack games at house-banked cardrooms to $300 from $200.

The Recreational Gaming Association wanted the commission to raise both maximum betting limits to $500.

Here is a link to the Gambling Commission. Click on "public meeting agenda" to get more details for Thursday and Friday meetings.

Tim Eyman forwarded this invitation to me. He's so looking forward to debating King County Executive Ron Sims at Seattle City Club next week.

The debate is during the lunch hour on Oct. 16 at the Washington Athletic Club. Eyman said TVW is taping the debate.

I've seen both of them speak. Eyman is the in-your-face, mile-a-minute talker. Sims is your classic southern preacher. Each of them will try to baptize his listeners.

"It will be a Goliath versus Goliath debate where sparks are guaranteed," Eyman said in his e-mail to reporters and supporters.

KIRO TV's Essex Porter is supposed to be the moderator.

Seattle City Club can be reached at (206) 682-7395 or cityclub@seattlecityclub.org. The athletic club is at 1325 Sixth Ave. Seattle.

The luncheon will cost you. It's from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
From Eyman:

You can attend and have lunch: $45 for the general public, $35 for city club members or guests of members. You can attend and have coffee: $8 for the general public, $5 for city club members or guests of members. Members of the media can attend for free.

I put this out there just for the sake of discussion. Keep in mind, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Joel Connelly is a columnist, so he gets to have more opinions than I do.

He's writing about the part of Initiative 985 that would open up carpool lanes during "off-peak" hours. Tim Eyman's ballot measure defines "peak hours" at 6-9 a.m. Monday thru Friday, and 3-6 p.m., also on weekdays.

Saturday and Sunday, carpool lanes would be wide open if I-985 passes.

I was stationed in our downtown Seattle bureau for a year in the early 1990s and had to commute from Tacoma and drive right into the teeth of congestion. Even back then, peak hours were longer. In fact, on Friday, it didn't matter if I left downtown Seattle at 2 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. It was going to take me an hour to an hour and a half to get home.

Anyone who commutes north on Interstate 5 already knows that "peak" commuting times are more like 4 to 5 hours at each end of the work day, not just 3 hours.

Here is a link to Joel's column.

Democrat Rob Cerqui (pronounced, CHAIR-kwee) has bought some television time, too. Last week I wrote about how his opponent, Republican Bruce Dammeier had purchase cable TV time.

You can watch Cerqui's ad by going to his Web site.

Here is a link to Cerqui's home page. Click on his face to run the ad.

Cerqui is focusing on how he's a 4th generation farmer. Dammeier is focusing on how he will be a "year-round" representative.

Here's Cerqui's news release from his campaign.

CONTACT:
Samantha Casne
People to Elect Rob Cerqui
Office number: (253) 845-3506
Samantha@robcerqui.com

PUYALLUP, October 6, 2008 - The campaign to bring the local values and leadership of the 25th district to the State House hits the airwaves today as People to Elect Rob Cerqui releases two television ads, which can be found at www.robcerqui.com.

=> Read more!

Deadline for making reservations is Monday, Oct. 13, at noon. It'll cost you $30 (for lunch) if you're not a member.

The debate is Wednesday, Oct. 15.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lela Fishe, administrator
253-272-9561
office@cityclubtacoma.org
www.cityclubtacoma.org

City Club of Tacoma to host Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate forum

(Tacoma, Wash.) – The two candidates in the upcoming election for superintendent of public instruction are debating education issues that are critical to the future of public education in Washington: the federal No Child Left Behind law, student achievement, testing, school funding, and dropout rates.

But Education Week newspaper reports that observers question whether the three-term incumbent, Terry Bergeson, and her opponent, Randy Dorn, executive director of Public School Employee’s of Washington, are making much of a dent on the electorate amid the high-voltage presidential campaign and the intense contest for governor.

=> Read more!

Tim Eyman, prime sponsor of I-985, cc'd me an invitation he got from the 28th District Republican Club. They're meeing in Tacoma on Thursday.

Hi Tim,
The 28th District Republican Club is looking forward to hearing from you this Thursday, October 9th at 6:30pm at King Oscar's on Hosmer right off
I-5 just south of Tacoma. We will have a buffet dinner featuring salmon and lemon chicken. Your dinner is on us, of course. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further directions.

Thanks,
Patti Winfrey
Program Chair

Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark claims incumbent Republican Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland has taken care of the people who have contributed $600,000 toward Sutherland's campaign.

For Immediate Release: Monday, October 6, 2008
Contact: Peter Goldmark (206) 447-4169

Goldmark Launches First Television Commercials of Lands Commissioner Campaign

Ads focus on steep slope clear-cut logging and back room land deals; common thread is Republican Sutherland’s rewards to large special interest contributors

Meanwhile, those same special interests have amassed nearly $600,000 in special fund to bail out embattled incumbent

SEATTLE—Okanogan rancher Peter Goldmark, Democratic candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands, today kicked off advertising in the competitive race to serve as manager of Washington’s 5 million acres of forest, shoreline, grazing and aquatic resources.

=> Read more!

Just got this one in my e-mail.

West Nile virus found in two additional western Washington counties — first detections this year in these locations

Dead crows collected in Lewis and Pierce County test positive for the virus

OLYMPIA --Three dead birds — one from Lewis County and two from Pierce County — have tested positive for West Nile virus. The state Department of Health says these are the first positive test results in these west side counties this season; West Nile positive dead birds were previously reported in King and Thurston counties in 2008. The latest test results also detected more positive dead birds in King County (1), and Benton County (5) and two more horse cases.

The virus has already been active in eastern and central Washington this year. Three human cases of West Nile infection have been confirmed so far this season. Health officials believe all three were exposed while traveling in eastern Washington or eastern Oregon.

=> Read more!

Quadrennial (?) presidential candidate Ralph Nader is coming to Seattle later this month to talk about topical issues (Wall Street bailout) and to complain about being left out of the John McCain-Barack Obama debates.

News Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan Mehta, 408-348-0681, rmehta@votenader.org (National HQ); Ben Meiklejohn, 207-699-6360 (Local)

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RALPH NADER TO SPEAK IN SEATTLE
WHO: Ralph Nader
WHAT: Press Conference and Rally
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21 at 7:00pm and 7:30pm, respectively
WHERE: 1119 8th Ave. Seattle, WA 98101

On Tuesday, October 21 at 7:00pm consumer advocate and Presidential candidate Ralph Nader will host a press conference in the Board Room on 1119 8th Ave. Seattle, WA 98101. At 7:30 the rally will begin.. He will speak about the Wall St. Bailout, single-payer health care, the Iraq War, the environment, and the state of the Presidential debates from which he was excluded.

=> Read more!

This is part of Gov. Chris Gregoire's attempts to rein in spending in the face of a projected $3.2 billion deficit for the 2009-11 budget period.

Gregoire expects the "four 10s" to save part of the $290 million she has asked her budget folks to find.

I can help but wonder just how much money is saved by shutting down an office one day a week. Lower lighting and heating bills, I suppose. And the upside is workers get a 3-day weekend.

Another thing I wonder: How helpful is it to provide services to veterans between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.?

This work week change affects 57 of the agency's 630 employees, and only those at its headquarter's office in Olympia. The state VA also has offices at the Orting Soldiers Home.

For Immediate Release
Date: October 3, 2008
Contact: Heidi Audette
Phone: 360-725-2154

Olympia – The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs will participate in the state's trial of a 10-hour-per-day, four-day work week.

=> Read more!

What to make of Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg?

In leading the county for eight years, he’s become the kind of politician who inspires strong feelings, both good and bad. Fair or not, people’s opinions of Ladenburg often boil down to what they think of Chambers Bay Golf Course. Admirers see a visionary whose gamble on Chambers Bay paid off when the county won the right to host the 2015 U.S. Open. Others can’t stand him or the course, which caters to affluent golfers.

The four candidates for county executive take a middle ground. The portrait of Ladenburg that emerges from their comments is of an executive who swung for the fences but neglected the little things. Here’s what they have to say about Ladenburg:

• Republican Shawn Bunney said he’s always respected Ladenburg’s professionalism, even when he’s disagreed with him. But he faulted the executive for a hands-off approach to building permit backlogs at the county planning department.

You can listen to Bunney’s comments here. Of the four candidates, his response is the most guarded. You’ll hear him take more than a minute to respond, and I twice had to remind him he couldn’t answer the question “off the record.”

• Democrat Calvin Goings said Ladenburg has done “a solid job.” But he said he would do things differently. One example: he opposes county investment in hotels and lodging at Chambers Bay, preferring instead to lease the property to a private developer who could develop those amenities. Goings also pledged not to accept the 21 percent pay raise Ladenburg got two years ago. You can listen to his full comments here.

• Executive Excellence candidate Mike Lonergan said he faults not what Ladenburg has done, but what he hasn’t done. He cited the need to pay more attention to clearing blight and to improving services like permitting and animal control. You can listen to his comments here.

• Democrat Pat McCarthy said Ladenburg has “done some terrific things,” including “a huge gamble” on the golf course. But because his “vision has been out, as opposed to in, I think we need some work internally.” She also cited permitting problems. You can listen to her comments here.

Coming Tuesday: do the executive candidates think the building and real estate industries have too much influence on county government?