1. During the summer, Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA, 1) told us he was Jonesing to play basketball against President Obama after he and the Big O got into some hoops trash talking at a Democratic caucus retreat.
Inslee got his wish yesterday when he and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA, 2) were part of a U.S. House of Reps squad that balled against Team Obama on the newly installed White House outdoor b-ball court.
The PI’s Joel Connelly has the hoop scoop, including this weird conclusion:
The second question: Did the president, cabinet officers and members of Congress shower together after their time on court?
Alas, Inslee did not find himself in position to evaluate whether America has a well-equipped president. “We dressed with no shower at the White House,” said the 1st District congressman.
Um. Thanks for that report Joel. UPDATE: The PI Has removed that portion from the story.
(In other curious Obama news, the president won the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. Gotta say: ?)
2. One of Mayor Greg Nickels’ biggest union allies, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 (last seen hosting Nickels’ primary night “victory” party), has now thrown its weight behind environmental activist and attorney Mike McGinn for mayor. They’ve endorsed him.
The news, announced yesterday, scrambles the already confusing political alignments in this year’s mayoral campaign. McGinn’s opponent, T-Moblie VP Joe Mallahan, has been sweeping union support, including endorsements from the King County Labor Council, the AFL-CIO, the transit union, the aerospace union, the carpenters, and the firefighters among several other locals.
The politically active UFCW represents grocery, retail, and service industry workers and its McGinn endorsement came the same day Mallahan released a statement calling McGinn an “elitist.”
3. PubliCola has obtained a copy of the agreement between Seattle Port Commissioner John Creighton and his ex-girlfriend Susan Robinet, whom Creighton paid $5,000 to drop a restraining order against him. (Robinet accused Creighton of harassing her by text, phone, and email, and of “stalking” her. Details on Robinet’s stated reasons for taking out the restraining order, and Creighton’s response, here.)
In a statement responding to Robinet’s allegations, Creighton said he was choosing to abide by the written agreement, “even if this agreement isn’t honored in kind’—a reference to the fact that what Creighton called a “private matter” was “playing out in the public eye.”
However, as the language of the agreement makes clear, Robinet never promised she would keep silent about her allegations, only that she would no longer pursue the restraining order.
The agreement (in full here) reads, in part:
It is agreed as follows:
1. John Creighton shall have no contact of any kind either directly, or through third parties, with Susan Robinet.
2. In the event Mr. Creighton initiates future contact with Ms. Robinet, Ms. Robinet shall be entitled to seek relief through the Courts, including a Petition to the Courts for an Anti-harassment Protection Order.
3. In consideration of Ms. Robinet’s agreement to dismiss the Petition for Anti-harassment Protection Order, John Creighton shall pay the sum of five thousand dollars as and for terms, receipt of which is acknowledged by Ms. Robinet having received a check for $5,000.00 from John Creighton on September 24, 2009.
The agreement was dated September 30, 2009.
4. Here’s a blog we really like: Warren Etheredge’s The Warren Report.
More about why on Monday.
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