The City of Gig Harbor hasn’t been able to share a lot of good news lately when it comes to its financial standing. Between its mandatory furloughs and a $1.9 million budget shortfall it dealt with last year, it was about time the Maritime City got some good news. It came last week, packaged as a new Standard and Poor’s AA bond rating.

Last October, Bonneville Power Administration raised its wholesale rates for Northwest utilities, and that included Peninsula Light Company, which serves more than 25,000 members on the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas. It was a fairly steep climb of 7.6 percent to start a new two-year cycle, but PenLight didn’t pass all of that on to its ratepayers.

I was asked to provide my reasoning for voting no on Senate Bill 6130, the measure that suspended the Taxpayer Protection Act, Initiative 960. The initiative, which was approved by voters in November 2007, requires the Legislature to have a two-thirds approval to raise taxes. I joined with my House Republican colleagues in more than 10 hours of debate on the House floor, arguing that SB 6130 should be set aside indefinitely.

I'm just going to say what everyone is thinking: I love spring. The birds are back in our yard with a vengeance.

This year, I’ll celebrate my 20th year as a business owner and Gig Harbor resident. In the past two decades, I have been an active participant in our community, serving on many boards and community action committees, including the Design Review Board.

Please take the following two-question quiz: 1) Name as many members of “The Simpsons” TV show family as you can; 2) Name as many of the rights enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as you can.

The state Legislature voted last week to temporarily suspend I-960, the voter-approved initiative that, among other things, required a two-thirds majority vote to increase state taxes. Many of those who disapprove of the move are casting a general cry of foul, blaming the Democrat-controlled House and Senate for pushing for more revenue before they do all they can to cut state expenses.

It came as no surprise when we received a call from both Sen. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Larry Seaquist this week to announce that funding for lights on the New Narrows bridge would not be part of the state capital budget. It’s been a long-standing topic of conversation among peninsula residents, but it’s a necessary cut, even though it won’t make much of a dent in the total budget.

I was disrespectful of Gov. Christine Gregoire when she signed Senate Bill 6130, which gutted voter-approved I-960. I attended the public bill signing in a suit and tie, and I stood beside her, holding my nose with one hand and showing thumbs down with the other.

More than seven years ago, Women in Black began a weekly vigil in Gig Harbor. We are a diverse group of women whose over-riding concern is peace. We stand every Friday evening to remind ourselves that peace begins with each of us.

Our state’s constitution declares education funding to be Washington’s “paramount duty.” Unfortunately, our state has a history of leaving that duty unfulfilled.

Societies declare an adequate and decent education to be a right for every citizen and, in doing so, it is expected that every educated citizen becomes a better citizen. All boats are raised, and society is improved as a result.

Newspaper publishers get lots of letters from readers. Some agree with editorials we’ve written, some do not. Some like articles we’ve published, others do not. Some are nice, some are rude.

THE STATE Legislature has just 2 1/2 weeks remaining in its short, 60-day session, and countless arguments have been heard in regards to closing a $2.8 billion shortfall. Here’s a novel thought: Let’s stop politicking for votes, worrying about sacred cows and start thinking about our future.

The New Narrows bridge is making waves in Olympia. Senate Bill 6499, which passed nearly unanimously last week, would alter how toll violations are collected and where that money goes. The bill would take violations out of the hands of the court and make it what it really is: a bill.

When the phone rings at 4:30 a.m., it’s never good news.

As most of us will admit, we’ve become a nation huffing and puffing toward our next super-size meal. Each January, hordes of us try to combat the trend by joining a gym. By now, many are bored and ready to quit.

Gov. Christine Gregoire and some legislative leaders have proposed closing the Rainier School in Buckley as part of a plan to help balance the state budget, which is currently facing a $2.8 billion deficit.

In my never-ending quest to make this column seem more intellectual and culturally relevant, I have decided to tackle some of the enduring questions that have tested the world’s greatest philosophers.

Thank you, Gig Harbor, for showing that you care. Thank you for doing more than talking about bridge tolls over a cup of coffee. Thank you for attending, en masse, the Citizen Advisory Committee's meeting last week when the board hosted the State Treasurer Jim McIntire, among others.

The state Legislature is facing a $2.3 billion deficit during the current 60-day short session, and many are protesting potential tax packages at the capitol in Olympia. Somehow, some way, a supplemental balanced budget will be passed later this spring.

Where did it belong, on the back part of the paper by the want ads? The life of a 4-year-old child is surely more important than a game score. This story was put exactly where it should have been.

Perusing the Gateway letters concerning health care coverage this past year, you can easily conclude that beliefs are extremely polarized, more so even than opinions on defense policy. In our community, health care issues seem to be striking at the core of readers’ concerns, ranging from privacy to budgets, and, of course, our well-being.

Family emergencies are never fun. And when they involve a trip to a hospital, they can be downright scary.

Aren’t those Olympic events exciting? I’ll just bet you’ve locked on to NBC for a thrilling 975 hours of televised downhill skiing, half-pipe frontside 920s, the skeleton, the 500 meters, the 1,000 meters, the 1,522 meters, women’s curling and ... the luge.

LAST MONTH, Key Peninsula veterinarian Lisa Woods lost the last of her farm animals, a goat and a sheep, to two dogs that breached the fence that surrounds her pasture while they chased a wild deer. Two other goats, owned by one of Woods’ staff members, also were killed. The animals were considered pets.