Boeing news:

►  From Bloomberg -- Pentagon to release tanker bid proposal today -- The Air Force will release its final proposal for bids to restart an almost 9-year-old effort to build a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers. Boeing and a Northrop- Airbus are potential bidders for the contract to replace the military's fleet of KC-135 tankers, which were built by Boeing. The companies will have 75 days to respond to the proposal. The Air Force plans to buy 179 planes starting with seven in 2013, 12 in 2014 and 15 in 2015. Northrop has said the company may not bid for the program unless the draft request for bids that the Pentagon issued in September is amended to the company's satisfaction.

►  At Murray.Senate.gov -- Sen. Murray's statement on release of bid proposal -- "Given a fair shot, Washington state’s workers will bring home this contract. We have the skills, the technology, and the experience of having built the only combat-ready tanker to prove it. Our workers have done it before and I know they’re ready to do it again. With today’s RFP we now have the process in place that will allow our workers to deliver for our economy, military, and country."

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Sen. Cantwell jumps in front of tanker proposal -- "This is the largest contract in Pentagon history, so it is essential to U.S. national security and to safeguarding U.S. jobs that are vital to our nation's future defense industrial base," Cantwell says.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Boeing's fourth 787 set to fly today -- The flight plan is for it to take off from Paine Field at 10 a.m., to land at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake at 12:16 p.m.; and then take off for Boeing Field at 12:55 p.m., arriving at 1:30 p.m.

Legislative news:

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Senate moves to increase sales tax to erase budget gap -- Senate Democrats call for increasing the sales tax -- by 0.3% -- for the first time in three decades, increasing cigarette taxes $1 a pack and closing some tax loopholes to raise $918 million to mitigate spending cuts for schools, colleges and services for the poor. The House has a smaller tax plan of $857 million in the works, but no details were available at least until today.

►  In today's Olympian -- Senate proposes hike in sales tax -- House and Senate Democrats roll out rival budget plans that bridge a $2.8 billion budget gap with hundreds of millions of dollars of spending cuts that hit public schools, health programs and state worker jobs and could even close a few prison facilities.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- $500 million in tax breaks targeted to help close budget gap -- The budget shortfall is prompting the Legislature to take a closer look at a state tax code riddled with hundreds of tax breaks carved out over decades for various businesses. Senate Democratic leaders propose paring 26 tax loopholes, bringing back $500 million a year to the state treasury. They also want to ensure closer scrutiny of any future tax exemptions.

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Legislature begins reconciling budgets -- Democrats in both houses release plans to cut programs and raise taxes. Reconciling the three plans now begins, with the Legislature scheduled to adjourn March 11.

►  In today's News Tribune -- Budget proposals would keep Rainier School open -- The Buckley facility for adults with developmental disabilities avoids landing on either the House or the Senate’s proposed budget cuts. Closing down state institutions would hurt local economies as public employees lose the pay they would spend near home, said Tim Welch of WFSE, which is also fighting to avoid layoffs by keeping facilities including Maple Lane and Francis Haddon Morgan Center open.

►  In today's Columbian -- House budget would maintain some Larch funding -- Larch Corrections Center, slated for closure by Gov. Chris Gregoire, may get a reprieve. The House budget includes money to keep half the 480-bed minimum-security facility open.

►  In today's Olympian -- Senate budget drops sales tax break on coal for Centralia power plant -- The House and governor's budgets retain the tax break for the TransAlta plant. (Organized labor supports maintenance of this tax break as necessary to continued operation of the plans, the good -- and desperately needed -- jobs in Centralia and the community jobs they support.)

►  In today's News Tribune -- Republicans find it all too easy to target state workers (Rep. Brendan Williams column) -- I’m tired of hearing so many legislative Republicans who have never had private-sector jobs bash the public sector. I would like to see them put their money where their mouths are. ... I don’t believe legislators make too much money. But I don’t think other state workers make too much, either. In tough economic times when citizens are demanding more than ever the vital services state government provides, to seek unsustainable, one-time savings from furloughs would represent a grim destination along the anti-government road that began with Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address in 1981.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- State 'economic future' town hall set to discuss revenue increases, programs -- Rebuilding our Economic Future is a coalition of labor, education, health care and other groups that will discuss the impact of the recession on the state's budget and what it means for the programs. It takes place Thursday at the Bellingham Senior Center.

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Sen. Ed Murray: Microsoft's SR 520 move "like a punch in the face" -- On Feb. 1, McGinn, Murray and state Rep. Jamie Pedersen unveiled a plan for rehauling the state's finalized blueprints for replacing the current SR 520 corridor – from Interstate 5 to Medina – with a six-lane highway, including two HOV lanes. Their alternative calls for two lanes dedicated only to buses and light rail. But Microsoft, along with others that support the state's plan, says 13 years of study is enough -- there currently is no plan for light rail along the 520 corridor, and incorporation of it would needlessly necessitate further delays.

►  In today's Olympian -- Little progress achieved on government reform (editorial) -- We like Sen. Jim Kastama’s proposal to take this huge undertaking out of the hands of lawmakers. The Puyallup Democrat says a panel of elder statesmen should be convened to make recommendations for government reform that lawmakers must either vote up or down -- without changes.

Majoring in Debt:

UPDATE!  The Bellingham Herald has updated its earlier story, "House committee OKs letting UW, WSU, WWU set tuitions." to now read -- House committee hears plan to allow 3 schools to set tuition -- The House Higher Education Committee hears but does not vote on the Senate-approved SB 6562. Under the proposal, the three universities could raise tuition each year for seven years. Yearly tuition hikes would be capped at 14%, provided the average annual increase compounded over 15 years wouldn't be pushed above 9%.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Keep lawmakers accountable on tuition rates (guest column) -- If people want to continue sending their children to the UW, WSU or WWU, I strongly encourage them to revisit the ideas behind SB 6562, and decide if they want unelected bureaucrats making decisions that will price out the kids currently attending high school. SB 6562 is currently a bad policy for students and families.

►  At Huffington Post -- Majoring in debt -- Recent college graduates carry an average debt burden of $23,200. As college becomes less and less affordable, that figure continues to rise. Recent graduates are also saddled with an economic climate that makes it that much more difficult to find work that can pay off loans. So after investing thousands of dollars in their educations, many students are left with massive debt and not much else.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- AFL-CIO's Shuler: Youths, union together can change nation -- Saying today’s young workers are the “guinea pigs of the new normal economy,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler called for a new national economic strategy that addresses the real needs of young people in the workforce and creates good jobs that provide the security and prosperity previous generations enjoyed.

►  At Huffington Post -- Democrat youth support dwindling -- A year after backing Barack Obama by an overwhelming 2-to-1 ratio, young adults are quickly cooling toward Democrats amid dissatisfaction over the lack of change in Washington.

Local news:

►  In the Spokesman-Review -- Stimulus grant stokes jobs, dreams of efficient traffic flow (editorial) -- The North Spokane Corridor project will save shippers both time and money, free Spokane motorists from avoidable traffic congestion, relieve much of the 2.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated when the large rigs creep from intersection to intersection, and create an estimated 106 jobs during the peak of activity. That’s a welcome bonus anytime, but especially in a harsh recession. (Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers voted against its funding.)

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Labor Dept. sues 3 restaurants over wages, overtime -- Three Snohomish County-area Chinese-buffet restaurants are accused of paying employees less than the federal minimum wage and not paying overtime. How common are such violations among businesses with largely immigrant staffs? "It's not uncommon," says the DOL. "Folks that are of an immigrant population are at great risk of not being paid in compliance with the law."

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Number of farms in state grows, report finds -- The number rose 6% between 2000 and 2008, maining the state has the same number of farms as it did in 1970, though total farming acreage has shrunk; 90% of the farms are owned by individuals or families.

►  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Richland should consider private garbage service (editorial) -- The other Tri-Cities don't operate their own garbage collection services. They contract with companies to take care of it. The primary providers are Basin Disposal Inc. and Waste Management.

►  In today's Yakima H-R -- From mill to multi-purpose? -- A new complex proposed for the Yakima Bears, other sports and community events, including concerts, is a leading contender to launch development at Yakima's former Boise Cascade property.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- King County Metro Transit to replace tunnel security firm -- Metro is planning within the next few days to replace Olympic Security, the firm whose guards called police but didn't intervene while a girl was kicked in the head at Westlake Station. 

Health care news:

►  At Huffington Post -- White House: Public option doesn't have the votes -- The White House makes it official: the president doesn't think the votes are there to get a public option passed through reconciliation and consequently won't make a push to include the provision.

►  In today's NY Times -- Big questions still linger on eve of health care summit -- Thursday’s bipartisan summit feels a bit like the start of the final act. Congress could still end up passing a sweeping bill, a small bill or no bill at all.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Gregoire: Governors need to get involved on health care -- She says there was an amazing amount of bipartisan agreement on health care among the governors, and she and her colleagues may want to weigh in collectively with Congress.

►  In today's NY Times -- Bust the health care trusts (Robert Reich column) -- Congress should repeal the health insurance industry’s exemption from federal antitrust laws.

National news:

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Time is now for TSO bargaining rights -- Hundreds of workers braved the cold Washington, D.C., weather Tuesday to send a message to the Transportation Security Administration: Give transportation security officers who protect the flying public the opportunity to protect themselves with the right to bargain a union contract. This week, AFGE filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority for an election to allow the 41,000 TSOs to vote on union representation. In 2003, the Bush administration stripped the workers of collective bargaining rights.

►  In today's NY Times -- Democrats seek to push ahead with $15 billion jobs plan; more to come -- Senior Democrats say the House is preparing to quickly pass the measure once it is approved by the Senate. Democrats would then try to pass other initiatives intended to produce new jobs.

►  In today's NY Times -- Five Republican votes on a Senate jobs bill (editorial) -- Are Americans seeing a new willingness for bipartisanship in order to tackle joblessness?

►  In today's Washington Post -- Wall Street shifting political donations to Republicans -- Commercial banks and high-flying investment firms have shifted their political contributions toward Republicans in recent months amid harsh rhetoric from Democrats about fat bank profits, generous bonuses and stingy lending policies on Wall Street

►  In today's LA Times -- Bank of America resisting shareholders on executive pay -- Unlike other financial giants, the bank is working to keep investor proposals on executive pay off the ballot.

►  In The Onion -- Latest Sarah Palin speech opens sixth seal -- Speaking unto an audience of anti-immigration advocates, global-warming deniers, and members of the Tea Party Nation, former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave forth utterances Monday that reportedly opened the sixth seal of the Book of the Apocalypse. "Admittedly, this is not what we were expecting," said Robert Harwood, a doctor of divinity at the University of Cambridge. "The Bible speaks of a beast with seven horns and seven eyes, not a raven-haired woman from the north who knows not what foolishness she speaks of."