• Republicans in the state senate resubmitted an abortion bill on January 28 after it was revealed that the original bill would have completely repealed Washington State's abortion laws. SB 5156, also known as the parental notification bill, would require 48-hour notice to a parent or guardian before a girl under 18 receives an abortion. However, the first line of the bill repealed two laws that legalize abortion in our state—a prominent detail that all of the bill's 18 cosponsors (most of them male Republicans) somehow missed. Republican caucus spokesman Eric Campbell blamed the code reviser's office, saying in an e-mail, "This drafting error is obviously as unfortunate as they come."
• The FCC recently announced that it will be accepting applications for low-power FM radio licenses in urban areas from community-based nonprofits and education institutions, starting this fall. Low-power FM stations broadcast for a radius of one to three and a half miles.
• A poll of Washington State voters commissioned by Washington CeaseFire found that 76 percent support tighter gun laws. Meanwhile, a national poll of NRA members shows they overwhelmingly oppose banning assault rifles and closing the gun-show loophole. You don't say. (Also in the NRA poll: 92 percent oppose "gun confiscation via mandatory buyback laws." Which leads us to wonder: Why the fuck are the other 8 percent in the NRA?)
• The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW)—once the best- financed conservative political organization in the state—suffered yet another blow last week when a state appeals court not only upheld a lower court ruling finding it guilty of skimming millions of dollars from members' trust funds, but overturned the lower court ruling that the BIAW was not responsible for repaying skimmed interest. As a result, the BIAW will ultimately repay members hundreds of thousands of dollars more than it would have had it not appealed. Ha-ha!
• Are the $10 Mast Brothers chocolate bars at Stumptown Coffee, which are handcrafted by Brooklyn artisans, worth the price? No. No, they are not.
• We did it, Seattle! In an interview with Seattlepi.com's Joel Connelly, Republican Rob McKenna explained away his gubernatorial loss by pointing to his huge in-city deficits, saying: "It's a Seattle problem." We actually think it's more of a McKenna problem, but we're happy to take the credit.
• "Moderate Democrat" Rodney Tom, along with Tim Sheldon ("D"-35) and nine Republican state senators, has sponsored a bill to repeal Washington's Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, meaning they want to repeal benefits for low-income families who qualify for unpaid leave under federal law but can't afford to take it. Stay classy, Rodney. 
