It’s the good, bad & ugly session

Newspaper B&O tax exemption still alive, but more secrecy sought by legislators

Washington’s newspapers are winning some and losing some in this year’s Legislative session.

A bill extending B&O tax advantages for newspapers remains alive because of its budget implications and likely will be approved as part of the final state budget, according to Rowland Thompson of Allied Daily Newspapers.

A bill that would shield employment records of any public employee, however, remains alive.

HB 1533

Presented as a way to help shield victims of harassment and domestic violence, this bill is winning legislative support.

Under the proposal, any public employee can file an affidavit claiming they could be harassed and have their name, job title and other information kept secret.

Grant County Journal drops Monday edition, now publishes weekly

For more than four decades, the Grant County Journal has been one of the few community newspapers in Washington state published twice a week.

That ended in early March when its staff decided to drop its Monday edition and consolidate into a single weekly issue that will be distributed on Thursdays.

In a notice to readers, the newspaper staff cited economic and staffing considerations as reasons for the change.

With the change, all local subscribers will receive their newspaper by mail, and home delivery by carrier within Ephrata will end. The Journal will be printed and mailed on Wednesdays and arrive in local mailboxes on Thursdays.

The Journal’s office hours will remain 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, but the office will now be closed on Fridays.

Looking ahead, the Journal staff told readers they intend for the consolidated weekly Journal to provide expanded content and an online version.

“We’re proud to have served as your community newspaper for over 116 years and we want to continue in that role,” the notice to reader said.

“Our sincere thanks to all our readers for being part of this journey.”

Open government advocates point out the bill would make it nearly impossible for the public to obtain records about potentially dangerous people working for the government and with vulnerable populations.

It also would make it impossible to know how government agencies are investigating problem employees and preventing them from harming others.

The bill passed the House of Representatives on an 80-