Washington: Rob Mckenna

There's a public records debate going on in Olympia that raises some interesting questions about the limits of open government.

State Attorney General Rob McKenna, who's built a reputation as a defender of open government, is asking for an exception to the public disclosure law when handling requests from inmates. He says a handful of inmates are abusing the law and wasting money and "terrorizing" with frivolous records requests. "Prison inmates developed a cottage industry, filing multiple, complicated Public Records Act requests with the hope state government will make a mistake so they can sue for a windfall," he wrote. "This abuse threatens timely access to government information for all legitimate requestors and devours tax dollars in the process.

State Senator Pam Roach will be on a big stage tonight, appearing as a guest on Bill O'Reilly's cable television show according to an announcement made on her blog.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and Attorney General Rob McKenna released a statement Wednesday explaining the state’s policy on holiday displays in the capitol building, where current displays include a holiday tree, a Christian nativity scene and an atheist poster celebrating the winter solstice and denouncing religion.

A recent poll from SurveyUSA shows close margins in the statewide races for superintendent of public instruction and commissioner of public lands, but clear leaders on two ballot initiatives and in the race for attorney general.

Incumbent Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland (R-Tacoma) leads Okanogan Democrat Peter Goldmark 45-43, and challenger Randy Dorn is ahead of incumbent Terry Bergeson 43-38 in the race for superintendent.