In the Media

Monday, November 22, 2010 - The Bellingham Herald

Streets south of Western Washington University campus got a bit treacherous Friday night, with cars sliding on hills and some ending up in ditches. Towing companies were busy picking up cars throughout the county late into the night Friday.

"There are still people sliding off the roads this morning," said Kerry Ratzlaff, owner of Berk's Towing.

Monday, November 22, 2010 - The Bellingham Herald

Forward Tom Whitehead scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the final 6:43 as Dixie State University defeated Western Washington University, 86-80, in first-day men's basketball action Friday, Nov. 19, at the Seattle Pacific University Tip-Off Classic.

The loss evened Western's record at 1-1. Guard Shedrick Nelson led five Vikings in double-figure scoring with 17 points.

Monday, November 22, 2010 - The Bellingham Herald

Reserve guard Kristin Schramm scored a game-high 19 points and center Lauren Hefflin added 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as Western Washington University rolled over nationally ranked UC San Diego 82-64 in first-day women's basketball action Friday, Nov. 19, at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference/California Collegiate Athletic Association Crossover Classic at Seattle Pacific University.

It was the season opener for Western, the 399th career win for Carmen Dolfo, who is in her 20th year as the Vikings' head coach, and WWU's first series win in eight meetings with the Tritons.

Monday, November 22, 2010 - Marketwire

Clint Romag, author of the Bigfoot Horror series "The Sasquatch Encounters," has released the next chapter "The Yeti Incident." There are Yeti in Washington State hidden away on the peaks of Mount Olympus. Quiet, intelligent and deadly, they have lived through the centuries in solitude, until now. Directed by a force they do not understand, the Yeti leave their mountaintops to exact vengeance on mankind.

Chad Gamin and Andrew Bridgeston come out of retirement one final time to investigate, not really believing they will find anything. Caught between violent men and the Yeti, there is no guarantee that both of them will make it off the mountain, and if they do, have they truly escaped or is this just the beginning?

Friday, November 19, 2010 - The News Tribune

Washington's public colleges and universities are requesting 10 percent of expected state income in the next two-year budget cycle.

The proposed $3.34 billion higher education budget would be equivalent to what they were given by the Legislature in 2009.

Bob Burdick, a spokesman for the Higher Education Coordinating Board, says those dollars would be enough to keep college enrollment stable for the next two years, and would allow the state to boost financial aid to better keep up with demand.

Friday, November 19, 2010 - The (Vancouver, Wash.) Columbian

The long line of hat-in-hand agencies making financial pleas to the state government is starting to look more like a mourners’ march.

Unlike legislators who have to balance budgets in the worst of economic times, each agency preaches a provincial sermon. Years ago, each plea was for growth. Before the state confronted repeated record deficits, each argument was persuasive. These days, though, each mournful message is about singular survival. No one will say where the state should cut spending. They say that’s not their job, that their duty is to advocate, not prioritize. Just don’t, each group begs, cut us.

Friday, November 19, 2010 - The (Everett) Herald

The Washington State Federation of Employees notified members late Thursday that Gov. Chris Gregoire wants them back at the bargaining table as a result of the latest bad budget news.

Friday, November 19, 2010 - The Seattle Times

THE new revenue forecast reduces state revenues expected by June 30, 2011, by $385 million and $1.2 billion by June 2013. That is the last straw. The Legislature must come into special session in December and make immediate cuts to state programs.

This page called for such a session last summer. Gov. Chris Gregoire refused to call it because Democratic leaders in the Senate and House did not want it. Instead, she ordered across-the-board cuts of 6.3 percent of fiscal 2011 funds, except for public schools and bond interest. Because the fiscal year already had begun, the cuts in unspent funds were more than 8 percent.

Friday, November 19, 2010 - The News Tribune

<p>
The State Executive Ethics Board has launched an investigation into the ethical practices of Western Washington University employee Douglas Nord. The board, which is connected to the State Attorney General&#39;s Office, initiated a complaint against Nord at its Nov. 12 meeting. That complaint has prompted an investigation into Nord&#39;s actions, according to Melanie deLeon, the board&#39;s executive director.</p>

Friday, November 19, 2010 - The Seattle Times

Officials were stunned to learn Thursday that the state is expected to take in $1.2 billion less in tax revenue than previously thought between now and June 2013, the latest grim result of an economy creeping toward recovery.&#13;
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The bleak forecast means the state will have to cut $385 million more from the budget for the current fiscal year, which runs through next June — on top of a $520 million across-the-board cut the governor ordered in September.