Under the Dome

Compiled Brad Shannon

Originally published Thursday, March 14, 2002

TODAY

Good morning. Today is Thursday, March 14, the final day of the 60-day regular session.

OVERHEARD

"Six-point-six is too close to the mark of the devil."

-- Sen. Erik Poulsen, D-West Seattle, explaining tongue-in-cheek why the Senate and House budget writers dropped their 6.6 percent liquor-tax proposal in favor of a 5 percent sales tax increase on hard liquor sales at state-run stores and on sales at restaurants and cocktail lounges.

HONORED

The Senate honored academic decathlon teams from Olympia and Timberline high schools in Thurston County on Wednesday, as well as a team from tiny Curlew High.

The schools finished first, second and third in recent statewide competition, and the Olympia team will move on to the national competition in Phoenix next month.

"We spend a lot of time in the Legislature trying to assure quality education and I think the achievements of these students show we are doing something right," said Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County, who co-sponsored Senate Resolution 8785 with Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls.

"Where's Curlew?" Morton asked, adding that the school with 234 students is in northern Ferry County in northeast Washington.

Seeing such a small school compete well with larger ones makes him feel "exceedingly proud," Morton said.

The Olympia team was coached by William Curtis, Timberline's by Richard Kistler and Curlew's by Karen Schaaf. Members of the Olympia and Curlew teams both stood in the galleries as Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and lawmakers showered them with praise.

"I remember the years when all we celebrated was the football stars and the baseball stars," said Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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