U.S. Senator Patty Murray tops the list of campaign fundraisers from Washington heading into the primary, which is less than a month away on Aug. 17.

The three-term Democratic incumbent is far and away the number one money getter in the state this year, drawing $11 million in donations toward her bid for re-election.

Murray spent $4.2 million before July – more than top opponents Dino Rossi and Clint Didier could even raise by then.

Rossi, a Republican known for two unsuccessful gubernatorial bids, reported $1.4 million in donations as of June 30.

Murray’s figures dwarf that amount, but Rossi only announced his candidacy in May. He is on pace to bring in around $6 million before the general election in November, but that’s still less than the $6.8 million Murray currently has on hand.

GOP hopeful Clint Didier has raised $570,000 since entering the race. His figures surged following endorsements from Tea Party darlings Sarah Palin and Ron Paul.

Murray may need all the money she can get to protect her seat. A Rasumssen Reports poll released July 16 shows the incumbent senator trailing 48 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, regardless of whether she takes on Rossi or Didier.

Rossi and Murray were virtually tied in another Rasmussen poll the previous month. That means Rossi is getting more bang for his buck, having spent only $65,000 in June.

Challengers across the country are benefitting from voter backlash over a stagnant economy, growing budget deficits, and high unemployment numbers, all of which have persisted since Democrats swept the 2008 election.

It appears some candidates may be trying to ride that wave for free.

Republican Philip Wilson, challenging State Representative Deb Eddy, raised no money as of late June. Meanwhile, Eddy had collected $88,000.

Similarly, State Representative Judy Clibborn raised $72,000, while her opponents, Republican Stephen Strader and independent candidate Orion Webster, brought in $204 and $0 respectively.

Among the candidates for state legislature, Republican Gregg Bennett is the top fundraiser, netting $282,000 in contributions as of late June. His opponent, Sen. Rodney Tom, reported donations of $95,000, although he had a later start due to restrictions on fundraising during legislative sessions.

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The Bellevue City Council on Monday missed its last chance to name a preferred route for light rail along 112th Avenue.

The group instead voted 4-3 to send a letter to Sound Transit opposing all available options and reiterating its support for B7, an altogether different route that would utilize the abandoned Burlington-Northern rail corridor west of I-90.

The move accentuates differences between the council and the Sound Transit board over where to build light rail through Southwest Bellevue.

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The chance that Sound Transit builds light rail along the center of 112th Avenue appears to be dead following a meeting of the agency’s capital committee Thursday.

The group agreed to include only side-running alternatives in a resolution that the Sound Transit board will use for naming its preferred alignment July 22.

All west- and east-running options are still on the table, but public support has shifted almost unanimously in favor of the western routes.

A group of condo owners and influential businesses from 112th Avenue joined forces last week to support the west-running options.

The condo owners would lose their homes with a western alignment, but they’ve said they prefer buyouts over having to deal with the impacts of light rail across the street.

Neighbors in the adjoining Surrey Downs community face the same plight from impacts, but Sound Transit isn’t proposing buyouts for most of them, since few of their homes will be displaced.

Surrey Downs residents are still rallying around the B7 route that would protect their neighborhood by running light rail through Southwest Bellevue along the abandoned Burlington Northern rail corridor west of I-90.

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A group of businesses and homeowners from 112th Avenue have joined forces to support light-rail options that would cause the most property takings along their street.

The new alliance includes the upscale Bellevue Club, the Red Lion Inn, the Hilton Hotel, and even condo owners who would lose their homes with the favored alignments.

The group sent a letter to Sound Transit last Friday supporting two routes along the west side of 112th Avenue and opposing anything that would use the center or east side of the road.

The Sound Transit board is due to vote on a preferred alignment for that area July 22.

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Rep. Ross Hunter voted in April to approve new taxes on soda and bottled water.

That was after the Medina Democrat lambasted such measures proposed to help close the state’s $2.8-billion budget deficit.

Hunter, who is chair of the House finance committee, told The Reporter he didn’t like the potential impacts such taxes could have on the Coca Cola bottling facility in Bellevue.

“There’s a lot of good family-wage jobs that will be lost,” he said in March. “That obviously factors in. I also just think it’s stupid.”

Hunter sponsored six amendments to the state’s 2010 tax bill, but he never touched the sections dealing with taxes on soda and bottled water. He voted in favor of the measure, along with every other Bellevue legislator except Sen. Rodney Tom – who took heat from fellow Democrats for his lack of support.

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A woman was critically injured Sunday afternoon when her SUV rolled in a ditch near Lake Hills Park and partially ejected her from the vehicle.

A resident called 911 around 2:20 p.m. to report an accident on the 16200 block of SE Phantom Way.

Police found a woman partially thrown through the driver’s-side window of a 1999 Chevy Tracker. She was pinned by the vehicle.

The victim, identified as a 29-year-old female, was listed in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon.

There were no passengers in the car.

Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the accident Tuesday.

Portions of SE Phantom Way were closed down for over four hours while police analyzed the accident scene.

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Residents of an upscale Bellevue community are surprised and even scared after firefighters discovered a massive marijuana-growing operation in a neighbor’s home early Sunday morning.

Crews responding to a fire in the 16600 block of SE 70th Street – Cougar Crest – found a massive pot-growing operation that spanned nearly every room in the 4,000-plus-square-foot house, with grow lights, ductwork, fans, and 739 plants.

No one was in the home at the time of the incident.

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Plans for opening a private helistop in downtown Bellevue are still on hold following the latest in a series of steps to reach a permitting decision.

The city council and hearing examiner have been punting the issue back and forth for over a year now and the issue dragged out further on Tuesday as the council balked on its next likely move – sending the case back to the hearing examiner.

Kemper Development meanwhile awaits word on the conditional-use permit it needs to operate a helicopter-landing station atop the Bank of America Building, located kitty corner from Bellevue Square on NE Eighth Street.

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The King County Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) wants more volunteers. Many more.

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Community grumbling and tunnel cropping continue as Sound Transit tries to find a design that will make East Link light rail work for Bellevue residents and officials.
The agency is considering another shortened tunnel for downtown, this one connecting with 112th Ave. NE – where many residents don’t want to see light rail at all.
The newest tunnel proposal could save upwards of $75 million on East Link, according to Sound Transit project manager Don Billen. It would run the tracks below 110th Ave. NE, between NE Second Street and NE Sixth Street.

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One of the largest community food drives expected for Bellevue this year took place last Saturday at Forest Glen Park.

The event brought in around 700 pounds of human food – almost double the amount from last year – and several hundred pounds of pet food, as well as numerous pet essentials.

Donations went to the World Impact food bank and Seattle Humane Society.

Synneva Wang organized the event on behalf of the Forest Ridge community, hoping to draw residents from all neighborhoods along Forest Drive.

Neighbor Link provided assistance for the project. The city-sponsored program, now in its second year, helps individuals and groups plan community-service projects, identify resources, and mobilize support.

The city gives each group a “Party-in-a-Box” to help celebrate their achievements. The boxes contain 50 burritos apiece from Chipotle, party banners, and decorations.

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Vandals reportedly smeared excrement on a van displaying ads about Islam while the vehicle was parked outside a Bellevue mosque Thursday.

The incident happened outside the Islamic Center of Eastside, near the corner of Main Street and 148th Ave. NE.

The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIRN-WA) has asked police to investigate the matter as a possible hate crime.

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If you want to master the SAT, it’s best to learn from someone who’s already conquered it.

That’s the idea Andrew West and Martin Willner are banking on as they embark on their first attempt at entrepreneurism.

Both Bellevue Ivy Leaguers are test-taking aces who scored in the highest percentiles on their college-entrance exams. Now the two Columbia University students have teamed up to help others earn spots at top-flight schools.

They’ll be picking up business experience along the way.

“I’m really in it for the skills and the teaching,” Willner said. “We may not make much money, but we’ll get the skills and see if business is still something we want to do.”

West, a 2009 graduate of Newport High, scored a 31 on the ACT and earned AP Scholar with Distinction and National Hispanic Scholar awards for his achievement on the PSAT and AP tests. Willner earned a 2170 on his SAT, and graduated in 2007 as the valedictorian of Bellevue High.

They’re among eight Washington college students launching local branches of the Ivy Insiders test-prep program, which claims to have helped over 4,000 people improve their test scores by an average of around 300 points apiece since 2003, when a group of Harvard undergraduates developed the curriculum.

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Downtown Bellevue is a retail powerhouse that has economic potential to spare. But there is still plenty to be desired when it comes shopping and dining in the area.

That’s according to Jana Koeberle and Maria Royer, two retail experts who spoke Tuesday at the Bellevue Downtown Association breakfast at the Hyatt Regency.

Koeberle is vice president of leasing for Kemper Development Company, and Royer is a partner with industry consultant Real Retail.

Both women agreed that Bellevue could benefit from more street-level retail and boutique-style businesses – like chef-driven restaurants, for example.

The problem is that the city isn’t built for that yet.

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