Washington

The Washington House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Wednesday and now supporters on both sides of the issue are preparing for a legal fight that will likely end in a referendum vote.

The House voted 55-43 in favor of the same-sex marriage bill a week after the state's Senate passed the measure. Gov. Christine Gregoire hailed the bill's passage and said she is eager to sign the bill into law.

"This is truly a historic day in Washington state, and one where I couldn't be more proud," Gregoire said in a statement. "With today's vote, we tell the nation that Washington state will no longer deny our citizens the opportunity to marry the person they love. more >>

Washington is poised to be the seventh U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state legislature passed the bill Wednesday evening and the governor has vowed to sign it.

In a 55-43 vote, the state House passed the bill today, exactly a week after the state Senate approved the legislation. The Senate's vote last week, however, was closer: 28-21.

Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire said, "With today's vote, we tell the nation that Washington state will no longer deny our citizens the opportunity to marry the person they love." more >>

Amazon has been a large part of the online market, but it may be branching out and coming to a location near you.

The company, launched in 1995, has grown from a simple bookstore to an international conglomerate where users can buy nearly anything. It has done very well, with a corner on the online market. In 2011 alone, it produced revenue of $48 billion dollars.

Now, though, it is looking to create physical retail stores. The company will begin with a single store in Seattle in order to test the waters before launching nationwide. more >>

After the Washington State Senate voted in favor of a bill allowing same-sex marriage in the state on Wednesday, proponents of preserving the definition of traditional marriage have vowed to fight the measure by forcing a referendum and introducing legislation of their own.

The National Organization for Marriage said it would fund the campaigns of challengers to the seats of four Republican senators who crossed party lines to vote in favor of the bill. NOM will also team with local pro-family groups to collect the 120,577 signatures needed to force the issue to a referendum on the November ballot.

NOM President Brian Brown said the organization has successfully removed Republican legislators who voted in favor of same-sex marriage bills in the past and promised to attack Washington lawmakers with similar vengeance and great fervor. more >>

A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against a Washington state library district that blocked access to pornographic and other websites is raising the question of what kind of content should be allowed in public libraries.

The North Central Regional Library District (NCRL) is defending its Wenatchee public library for barring access to pornographic content on its computer's search engines, although the ACLU, a nonprofit organization, claims that such censorship restricts college students from working on assignments and other library patrons wanting to access legal content.

"We believe having pornography in public places hurts our ability to accomplish our mission (of reading and learning)," said Dan Howard, director of public services at the library, Seattle's King 5 TV reported. more >>

The Washington State Senate voted to approve a same-sex marriage bill late Wednesday night, effectively clearing the final obstacle to becoming the seventh state to redefine traditional marriage.

The Senate voted 28-21 in favor of the bill, with four Republicans voting in favor and three Democrats opposed. The bill's supporters have long viewed the Senate as the biggest hurdle to pass as the state's House of Representatives and Gov. Christine Gregoire have both expressed support for legalizing same-sex marriage.

The final recourse for those opposed to the bill is to force a referendum onto the November ballot. In order to do so, opponents will have to collect 120,577 signatures by June 6. more >>