Budget woes dominate new legislative session
Washington’s election-year session gets under way at high noon on Monday, with lawmakers and the governor facing 2.6 billion problems. That, of course, is the size of the new projected budget deficit, $2.6 billion. Less than a year ago, lawmakers closed a $9 billion gap, but the anemic economy, coupled with soaring demand for state services during this recession, has produced yet another yawning chasm. Governor Gregoire says a no-new-taxes budget fix would require service cuts and layoffs totaling $1.7…