I posted an item on the blog last week about how the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development appeared to be going ahead with a $35,000 personal service contract in spite of a freeze imposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Turns out, that particular contract is under review, said CTED spokeswoman Penny Thomas.

Although Gregoire's budget office "approved" the contract extension, it hasn't been signed yet, Thomas said. As are ALL contracts, she said.

The $35,000 was to extend until the end of December, a contract for a Belgium company to continue promoting tourism in Washington by trying to get citizens of The Netherlands and neighboring countries to come here and spend money.

Budget director Victor Moore said economic development, which includes tourism, is exempt from the freeze.

The state is facing a $3.2 billion budget deficit for 2009-11 and Gregoire has ordered state agencies to find $330 million in savings this year, which should translate into $604 million in savings for the next biennium.

I took a call from a reader who didn't like the article that Dave Wickert and I wrote for today's paper about the Biden rally yesterday in Tacoma.

Among his complaints was the fact that it didn't mention anything about Biden's prediction that Obama, if he is elected president, will quickly be tested by some kind of crisis.

I told the caller that I didn't hear Biden say that. He was astonished that I could have missed it.

So I fired up the Internet and found this blog entry from the New York Times. It says in part:

“Mark my words,” Mr. Biden warned at the Seattle fund-raiser, according to reports from network producers traveling with him, “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember, I said it standing here, if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”

The comments attributed to Biden are obviously newsworthy. I would have reported them if I heard them. But they were made in Seattle, not Tacoma.

Pierce County executive candidate Calvin Goings has picked up endorsements from fellow County Councilman Tim Farrell and from Tacoma City Councilwoman Lauren Walker. Here’s the release:

Local Leaders Support Goings Momentum

In the final weeks of the campaign for Pierce County Executive, two key local leaders have given their endorsement to Calvin Goings. Tim Farrell, Pierce County Councilmember, and Lauren Walker, Tacoma City Councilmember, are endorsing Goings' campaign citing his private sector management experience, 18 years of public service, and his bold vision for a more prosperous Pierce County.

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During his appearance yesterday at Cheney Stadium, Joe Biden took note of President John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech at the same ball park.

Biden, who was joined on stage by Gov. Chris Gregoire and U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, also noted that Kennedy was joined by U.S. Sens. Warren Magnuson and Henry "Scoop" Jackson.

For those who missed it, here's the article that the TNT's Cole Cosgrove wrote last month about the Kennedy visit as part of the paper's series commemorating its 125th anniversary.

Cole opened his piece this way:

When President John F. Kennedy arrived at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium on Sept. 27, 1963, a 14-year-old named John waited with his camera ready.

The ninth-grader gained admittance to the roped-off press area by volunteering to take pictures for his Jason Lee Junior High School newspaper.

Also there, sitting in the front row usually reserved for the hard-boiled White House press corps, an enthusiastic 21-year-old University of Puget Sound senior named Bill held his notepad ready as he awaited the president’s entrance.

I saw John the "photographer" at the stadium yesterday. He's running for Attorney General now and spoke to crowd.

I didn't notice Bill the "reporter," but I'm guessing he was somewhere in the crowd, as well.

UPDATE: From the comments section, confirmation that Bill was there.

I’m catching up on my reading this morning and found three interesting takes on Pierce County issues in local publications.

• On his blog, ranked choice voting advocate Kelly Haughton speculates that executive candidate Calvin Goings’ recent attacks on fellow Democrat Pat McCarthy will backfire.

Haughton holds to the notion that ranked choice voting penalizes negative campaigning. According to that theory, unless you can win a majority of first-place votes, you’re going to need the second-choice votes of your opponents to win the election. If you’ve alienated the supporters of your rivals, you’re not going to get their votes.

Or so the theory goes. Read more of Haughton’s thoughts here.

• The Weekly Volcano takes a critical look at Pierce County’s enforcement of wetlands regulations in an article here.

• The Tacoma Weekly profiles the candidates for the County Council’s District 4 seat, which pits incumbent Tim Farrell against challenger Ken Paulson. Read it here.

I found two Republicans on NARAL's list of endorsements: Marcia McCraw, who is running against incumbent Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. Owen did not get an endorsement. And Steve Litzow, a Republican running for the state House seat being vacated by Rep. Fred Jarrett, D-Mercer Island. Jarrett is running for Senate.

The abortion rights organization gave a dual endorsement in the 41st Legislative District race: Litzow and Democrat Marcie Maxwell.

NARAL also endorsed Initiative 1000, the Death With Dignity ballot measure. I suppose that's consistent for a group that advocates for "choice."

2008 Federal Candidates

U.S. President
Barack Obama (D)

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The Pierce County volunteers for John McCain's campaign say they have a bunch of signs, if you want one.

Team McCain

A surprise shipment of over 200 4'x4' McCain/Palin signs arrived in Washington this week and we need help getting them up. If you have/know of a location where a bright blue and yellow McCain/Palin sign needs to go; let me know. We need these signs put up in the highest traffic areas across Pierce County this week. If you know of a place, please email me (wavolunteer@johnmccain.com) with a brief description of where you think it should go.

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