The TNT’s Sean Cockerham reported today story that U.S. Senate candidate Mike McGavick wants to portray himself as a moderate, pro-environment Republican in the mold of former Bush administration EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman.

On the issue of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, though, he’d be parting ways with first-term House Republican Dave Reichert of King County’s 8th Congressional District.

In a largely meaningless House vote Thursday, Reichert voted along with all of Washington’s Democratic representatives against opening up the refuge to drilling. Only Eastern Washington Republicans Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris joined

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Some interesting statistics that didn’t make their way into today’s editorial about the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County show the progress the organization is showing towards its goal of becoming a no-kill shelter by the end of 2008.

Euthanizations are down significantly. Between Jan. 1 and May 3, the shelter euthanized 36 dogs and 33 cats. Between January and May 2005, the shelter had put down 168 dogs and 279 cats. Part of the reason for the decrease is the Humane Society has built its ranks of foster families, growing them from 50 last

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Letter writers have at it Tuesday over the surprise demolition of the 1925-vintage North End Mattson Mansion. Here’s a sampling of opinions:

-”I think the news value of this story was more that the mansion was owned by a member of a prominent local family …”

-”Since when was 6,400 square feet not enough?”

-”Not everything old is worth saving. Sometimes it’s just not financially feasible to restore old buildings.”

-”Gone with this mansion was something all the money in the world can’t build: character.”

Word is that the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation will name the First United Methodist Church building in Tacoma to its list of most endangered historic properties on Tuesday. The First United congregration is selling to MultiCare, whose expansion in the Stadium District threatens several other historic churches.

I’m not sure what more the historic preservation community can do to save this particular Tacoma gem, but its plight is a call to get serious about helping neighboring churches that are trying to maintain aging buildings with the financial support of dwindling congregations.

It took a recent

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A mini-kerfluffle has hit Lakewood over the proposed public art for the city’s future Sound Transit station. On Sunday’s op-ed page, readers can get artist Mark Calderon’s take on the controversy and read what he was trying to communicate with his sculpture.

Here’s a preview, in Calderon’s own words: “The two simple forms of the sculpture, while essentially abstract, can also be read as recognizable shapes: a flower, a vase, an acorn or a bell, for example. Images of male or female body parts, as referenced in the story, never entered my mind as I designed this piece.”

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We spend most of our time focused on local and state issues, but there’s a larger world out there. Late Monday afternoon, Executive Editor David Zeeck and I spent the better part of an hour with a distinguished group of local citizens – including two representatives of World Vision, state Auditor Brian Sonntag, former Tacoma Councilmember Kevin Phelps and the Rev. Dean Curry of the Life Center in Tacoma – who wanted to enlist The News Tribune’s support in creating a sister-city relationship with Lesotho in southern Africa. Lesotho was already one of the poorest countries on earth before the

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One of our readers wrote to Executive Editor David Zeeck to complain about perceived liberal bias in our news coverage and editorial today on the latest NSA spying development. The reader urged us to make sure we have some “full-blooded conservatives” on our news and opinion staffs. Here’s my response.

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The City of Tacoma reminds us that washing your car on the street pollutes Commencement Bay by sending contaminants into the stormwater system. Wash your car at a commercial car wash or at a fund-raising car wash by a group using a free “earth-friendly” car wash kit loaned at no charge by the city.

Want a kit for your group’s car wash? Contact Mike Rhubright, 502-2220 or mike.rhubright@cityoftacoma.org.