WEDNESDAY, JULY 19  ▪  Rally to support veterans' health care Thursday in Tacoma 

Political news:
▪  Today at Postman on Politics -- Eyman says some I-917 petitions "pilfered;" SecState says no way
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- Eyman's drive-by politics don't help conservatives (Dick Davis op-ed) -- If he has failed again (to collect sufficient signatures for I-917), the transportation package passed by the Legislature in 2005 -- and affirmed last November -- will stand. That would be good, both because the policy is right and because we need a breather from Eyman's manic antics.
▪  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Farm Bureau shuns Rep. Grant, endorses GOP opponent -- The wheat farming Democrat fails to get lobbying group's nod, despite a 73% voting record with them.
▪  In the (Aberdeen) Daily World -- Area man: Giant McGavick sign is free speech -- City asks man to remove it because it violates ordinances, but he says it's... a mural... yeah, that's the ticket!
▪  In today's Salem S-J -- Kulongoski picks up backing of two Oregon public-employee unions
▪  In today's NY Times -- Microsoft lobbyist Ralph Reed loses Georgia primary race to no-name

Boeing news:
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Air-lease chief gives Boeing a big boost -- Steve Udvar-Hazy, the most influential player in commercial aviation, delivered his influential verdict on the Boeing and Airbus product strategies today at the Farnborough Air Show. Boeing executives are smiling.
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Renton likely home of new 737, but no guarantee -- "It is hard to imagine doing it somewhere else, but we will look at alternatives," says McNerney.
▪  From Bloomberg -- Boeing widens lead over Airbus, wins $3.3B Emirates order for 10 747-8s  
▪  From AP -- Boeing looks for a bigger deal; Emirates still mum on big passenger-jet order
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- 787 will take shape in Charleston -- South Carolina will assemble parts from around the world before the final assembly work is done in Everett.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Senators look into Boeing, U.S. settlement in tanker scandal

News from Oregon (home of the Mighty Portland Trailblazers!):
▪  In today's Oregonian -- Study finds Hispanic forest workers hold harder jobs with fewer benefits
▪  In today's Oregonian -- SEIU dissolves small Portland unit at Kaiser Permanente -- The union dissolves a recently organized bargaining unit to settle a complaint by a worker who accused the union of reneging on a promise to hold a vote. The settlement marks an escalation in the fight over card-check union organizing, which is being fiercely opposed by anti-union groups. 

Sonics news:  Editors' note: Although the Seattle SuperSonics are not affiliated with the WSLC -- the Super Bowl Championship-robbed Seattle Seahawks ARE affiliates -- the Sonics are union members whose new employer clearly wants to move them to a right-to-work (for less) state.  Regardless of where your sympathies lie, we couldn't resist posting a few rare links to sports columnists who are responsible not only for some of the best newspaper writing out there, but unlike their Business Section counterparts, aren't afraid to call bulls--- on corporate bosses.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Schultz sold out Seattle for $350 million (Kelley column) -- This is one of the saddest days ever in Seattle sports. Tuesday, the Schultz group sold the Sonics and sold out the city. What is the price of betrayal? At least on this day it was $350 million.
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Hey Howard, we're not morons (Thiel column) --  Despite the fact that a proposed extension of so-called tourist taxes to solve the arena problem was a light touch on the average taxpayer, the industry is uncontrolled, ravenous and unworthy of public subsidy. 
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Sonics flight plan on file (Miller column) -- There will be some posturing at "good faith negotiations" throughout a lame-duck season before (new owner) Bennett figures out a way to escape a KeyArena lease that runs through 2010. How stupid is this song and dance?

National news:
▪  In today's NY Times -- Public vs. private schools (editorial) -- The emerging data show that public, private, charter and religious schools all suffer from the wide fluctuations in quality and effectiveness. Instead of arguing about the alleged superiority of one category over another, the country should stay focused on the overarching problem: American schoolchildren are performing at mediocre levels in reading, math and science -- wherever they attend school.
▪  Today from AP -- Wal-Mart, critics slam each other on the web -- One corporate reputation management expert (?) calls Wal-Mart's paidcritics.com ''a name-calling, nastily aggressive little Web site'' that marks an escalation in Wal-Mart's battle with critics. WakeUpWalMart.com responds with www.ABunchOfGreedyRightwingLiarsWhoWorkForWalMart.com.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Immigration enforcement benefits prison firms -- The Corrections Corp. of America and the Geo Group (formerly the Wackenhut Corrections Corp.) -- the two biggest prison operators -- are jockeying for a bigger piece of the detained-immigrants action.
▪  In today's Wash. Post -- UAW chief cautious about GM deal -- Gettelfinger: a possible alliance among GM, Nissan and Renault "raises very serious concerns" for the workers he represents.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Bush blocked ethics inquiry, Gonzales says -- "That's MY job," says Doc.

Earlier this week: MONDAY, 7/17 -- TUESDAY, 7/18