Tightening the belt: Gregoire orders spending cuts
Governor Gregoire has just inked an executive order requiring most agencies and programs of Washington state government to trim their sails some more. The actual percentage — in the 4-to-7-percent range — will be filled in by the state budget office after the new revenue forecast is released on Thursday morning. The cuts, which take effect Oct. 1, will apply to all programs without a constitutional protection, such as basic aid-to-education, bond debt service and pensions, or federal entitlements. A…