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Be aware of potentially fraudulent solicitors

Be aware of potentially fraudulent solicitors

Each year, the Washington State Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division (AGO) and the Office of Secretary of State’s Charities Program (OSOS) reach out to grocery store managers across the state to provide important information about charitable solicitors. Increasingly, solicitors are asking for donations outside of retail establishments and will often set up a table at an entrance or exit of a store. They ask patrons for small cash, check, debit, or credit card donations, purportedly for various causes, such as…

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Suspicious about a request for money? Check it out first

Suspicious about a request for money? Check it out first

Recently, a pair of solicitations for money surfaced that insinuated connections to the Office of Secretary of State. Although each is easy to debunk with a little research, their appearance is a good reminder that if you have questions about a bill, check it out before you send a check. In the first case, about which the Secretary of State has issued an official press release to raise awareness, an Edmonds business received a letter from a “Filing Compliance Department”…

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Col. Patrick Henry Winston and the Statue of Limitations

Col. Patrick Henry Winston and the Statue of Limitations

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library The newspaper on microfilm reel grabbed at random this week holds a tale of “Colonel” Patrick Henry Winston and the Statue of Limitations. Yes, I meant to use the word “Statue” rather than “Statute.” You’ll see why. “Colonel” Patrick Henry Winston, Jr. was born Aug. 22, 1847 in Windsor, North Carolina, the product of a family line that had also raised Patrick Henry, one of…

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And they’re off and running!

And they’re off and running!

Washington’s campaign season is officially under way. Filing Week opened with a bang Monday with hundreds of candidates statewide filing for office.  There are 344 state offices open this year, along with potentially thousands of party precinct committee officer slots. Besides the presidential election and a U.S. Senate race, the state has an unusually rich assortment of open offices this year that are sure to attract heavy attention this week, says Secretary of State Sam Reed.  Reed himself is an…

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‘Unredacted’: New Clint Eastwood flick?

‘Unredacted’: New Clint Eastwood flick?

Nope, silly, it’s the Washington attorney general’s new online resource to help you navigate in the world of public records and open public meetings. AG Rob McKenna, mixing his metaphors, calls it “a roadmap for pulling back the curtain to find out what elected officials are up to.”   The new website, as well as an online open government manual, help citizens know the ins-and-outs of public meetings, how to halt an illegal closed meeting, how to obtain public records for a state or…

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