I wrote an article for today's paper about a possible end to decades of contention between Tacoma Power and the Skokomish Tribe over the Cushman Hydroelectric Project.

The City Council gave its approval to the terms tonight, following up on last week's approval by the Tacoma Public Utilities board of directors.

Councilman Mike Lonergan called it a historic night, and said he hoped the tribe would also agree to the terms.

Councilman Jake Fey said the possible agreement was "simply amazing." Fey said it could remove a "black mark" regarding Tacoma's regard for the environment and the tribe.

The City of Tacoma received the benefit of low electricity rates as a result of the dam, and "up until recently pretty much ignored" the tribe, he added. Fey praised the TPU officials who worked on the deal. "It's a very significant accomplishment," he said.

The proposal calls for the utility to pay the tribe $12.6 million in upfront cash and transfer 1,140 acres of Tacoma Power property to the tribe in exchange for dropping all claims left over from a $5.6 billion lawsuit.

Tacoma Power also would give the tribe 300 acres of tidelands, and make annual payments equal to 7.25 percent of the value of electricity produced by Cushman Dam No. 2 for 40 years. For the first 20 years, the payments could not be less than $300,000 or more than $500,000 per year; for the 20 years after that, they’d fall between $625,000 and $950,000 per year.

The deal won't be complete until the tribe agrees, and several federal agencies also need to sign on, according to TPU officials.

That's what Tacoma City Council members were told Tuesday.

Even though officials haven't secured all of the estimated $80 million it will take to rehabilitate the bridge and re-open it to traffic, they are ready to replace the cables. That will allow the bridge to remain open to pedestrians, rather than lock it in the upright position -- something that was contemplated.

Jim Parvey, an assistant public works director, and Kevin Dayton, state Department of Transportation regional administrator, updated council members on the effort to rehabilitate the iconic bridge that connects downtown to the Tideflats.

It's been closed to vehicles since October, 2007.

The men outlined a four-phase approach to rehabilitating the bridge that starts with replacing the cables.

Doing so will cost about the same amount -- $3 million -- as it would to lock the bridge in the upright position. The money might as well be spent on something that will contribute to the rehab effort, they said.

About $36 million is currently set aside for bridge work.

"At this point, we are ready to move forward with the design of the lift cable replacement," Parvey said. The work is scheduled to be finished by July.

The other phases include:

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Former Seattle City Attorney Mark Sidran got the appointment at the beginning of Gov. Chris Gregoire's first term.

He, like 5 or 6 others, won't be around for Gregoire's second term.

Mark Sidran to leave UTC

OLYMPIA, Dec. 16, 2008 – Mark Sidran will step down as chair of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission early next year, the UTC announced today.

"I've completed my term and it's time to move on," Sidran said. "It has been a rewarding experience, and I'm grateful to Gov. Gregoire for giving me the opportunity to serve."

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I couldn't make this morning's meeting of the Washington Transportation Commission to hear Robert Ryan, chairman of the Narrows Bridge Toll Citizen Advisory Committee, make his pitch for no change in tolls for state fiscal year 2010. (That's from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.)

But he did pass on the CAC recommendation.

The commission will take no action until March or April -- if at all, said Pam Boyd, who passed on message from Reema Griffith, commission executive director. If commissioners do make a recommendation, it will be in spring, while the Legislature is still in session.

That's IF, she emphasized. Stay tuned.

These photos from the Washington State Department of Transportation show the giant icicles crews are battling on Highway 20 near Newhalem.

To see more photos, follow this link.

According to a WSDOT press release:

WSDOT maintenance crews working on SR 20 near Newhalem face some unique challenges when it comes to keeping the road safe for drivers. In the tunnels east of Newhalem, water dripping from the walls and roof form giant icicles when the temperature dips below freezing. Some of the icicles can get so large, they nearly impede traffic. Crews have to constantly monitor the tunnel and keep the icicles from growing too large.

Fortunately, traffic near Newhalem is limited since the North Cascades passes closed Monday, Dec. 15. For more detailed information about the pass, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades

The Pierce County Council likely will get a new leader when it reconvenes in January.

Councilman Roger Bush, R-Graham, will be elected chairman of the seven-member council next month, several council members say.

Bush would replace current Chairman Terry Lee, R-Gig Harbor.

Bush wouldn’t say he will be the new chairman. But he confirmed his interest in the job.

“I would look forward to any position in leadership that could bring some higher visibility to some issues dear to my constituents,” Bush said in an interview Monday.

Last month Bush won re-election to the District 3 council seat. The district covers much of southeast Pierce County, stretching from Mount Rainier to South Hill, Frederickson and Graham.

Lee served as council chairman for two years. Lee said it’s very unusual for someone to serve three terms as chairman, and he’s content to step aside.

The chairman runs the council’s regular meetings and also chairs the powerful Rules Committee, which serves as a gatekeeper for council legislation. As chairman, Bush also would work closely with new County Executive Pat McCarthy, a Democrat.

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That's what Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is telling us in this news release. Washington will get $150,000 of the $7 million that Airborne makers are paying to settle lawsuits in 32 states.

“Airborne landed itself in hot water by marketing itself as a cold prevention remedy, claims that have since been disproven,” McKenna said in the news release.

Read on.

Grounding Airborne: McKenna announces $7 million settlement with maker of popular fizzing tablet

“Truth in advertising is nothing to sneeze at,” AG says

SEATTLE – Airborne is the top-selling product in the cold and cough aisles of major retailers. But it’s not a cold-buster, say state attorneys general. Just in time for the sniffling season, attorneys general in 32 states and the District of Columbia announced that they, too, have reached a settlement with the makers of the popular effervescent tablet.

=> Read more!

This just in from Employment Security. November's unemployment rose to 6.4 percent from 6.3 percent.

Washington’s unemployment rate inches up in November

OLYMPIA – Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 6.4 percent in November, up from October’s rate of 6.3 percent, according to the state Employment Security Department.

Washington lost an estimated 11,700 non-agricultural jobs in November, seasonally adjusted. The employment number also has been adjusted to remove the effect of the Boeing worker strike that ended Nov. 1.

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This report at Stateline estimates that the 50 states have a $200 billion budget hole to fill. Washington's share of that could reach $6 billion by the time the Legislature begins to try to fix it.

The head of the National Governors Association called it the biggest budget crisis in 25 years. That refers to the recession of 1981-82 when Washington had problems similar to what it is going through now.

The story holds this fascinating fact – states will see a decline in spending for the first time since that recession. That means that during more-recent recessions the states increased their spending, just not as much as they had during more-flush times.

Gov. Chris Gregoire will release her budget proposal Thursday.