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54 stories matching contenti
- The First Fight for Women’s Suffrage in Seattle
Before statehood, the 1887 Washington Territorial Legislature sparked a fierce, floor-level battle over the right of women to vote and hold office.
- The Price of Progress: Who Should Pay for City Streets?
Tacoma’s City Council debates whether property owners or the general public should shoulder the cost of local infrastructure improvements.
- The Neighborhood Siege on Commercial Street
A century and a half ago, a massive petition of Seattle residents demanded the city ‘cleanse’ a house of ‘contagious pollution,’ setting a precedent for civic moral panics.
- The Great University Feud: A Lawmaker’s Stand
Gordon C. Moores breaks with local sentiment to support a contentious bill restricting academic duplication between Washington State College and the University of Washington.
- The Political Circus at the Armory
A rowdy King County Republican convention reveals the deep divisions and high-stakes maneuvering behind the scenes of Washington's impending statehood.
- Domestic Abuse Leads to Contentious Divorce Case in Hanford
A woman files for divorce citing physical abuse, property disputes, and claims that her husband locked her out of the kitchen.
- The Political Machine at the Armory
A raucous Republican convention in 1892 sees John Leary nominated for mayor after heated debates over ward delegations and the city's future.
- The Price of Public Education
Facing a financial crisis, the Seattle School Board slashes teacher pay and cancels special programs in a contentious, late-night vote.
- Thistles vs. Seattle at Madison Street Park
A tight, 1-0 match between the Ballard Thistles and a Seattle team ends in a contentious, injury-marred struggle.
- The Political Knife is Sharpened
A contentious city council election in North Yakima pits the Knights of Labor against incumbent officials, foreshadowing a bitter political autumn.
- Surveying the Frozen Frontier
Government engineers and international commissions prepare to map the contentious boundary between Alaska and British Columbia, impacting the future of vital salmon canneries and gold mines.
- City Hall Scandal and the 'Kid's' Crusade
A contentious legal battle over an embezzling city treasurer pulls the Mayor into the line of fire.
- The Battle Over Corporate Power at Washington’s Constitutional Convention
As Washington delegates gathered to draft a new state constitution, a heated clash erupted over whether to explicitly restrain the influence of monopolies and the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The High Price of Schooling
Aberdeen voters face a contentious ballot measure regarding an extra tax for schools, sparking a local debate on the limits of civic spending during an economic downturn.
- Seattle's 1889 Fight Over Tide Flats and Docks
As Washington prepares for statehood, a contentious battle emerges over who owns—and who profits from—the valuable tide lands bordering Seattle.
- The Widow’s Hard Struggle in Probate Court
A woman’s claim to her deceased husband's estate sparks a contentious legal battle after he died by suicide in Portland.
- Council Spars Over Land for Stubblefield Home
Walla Walla's city council debates a contentious land donation to secure a charitable legacy amid pressure from rival town Pendleton.
- The Battle for Seattle's Soul
On the eve of a contentious city election in 1886, two rival political factions clashed at the Opera House, setting the stage for a fight over the future of labor, law, and the anti-Chinese riots.
- Showdown at the Whatcom Land Dispute
A contentious meeting regarding a contested land claim ended in an attempted confrontation with the Pettibone brothers.
- The Populist Party's Contentious Bid for Power
A critical look at the new labor-focused political ticket emerging in Grays Harbor, amidst fears of social chaos and questions of candidate competency.
- The Governor’s Dilemma: The Hand-Me-Down Prison
When Washington became a state, the federal government tried to offload the McNeil Island Penitentiary and its prisoners to state control—but Governor Elisha Ferry wasn't having it.
- The Looming Battle for Puget Sound's Shoreline
As Washington prepares for statehood, a contentious legal struggle over the future of tide lands begins to take shape.
- Seattle and Port Townsend Vie for Methodist University
Before the University of Puget Sound was established, Seattle’s founding elites fought a bitter, public battle over which developer’s land would house the city’s next great institution.
- A Night Out, A Forgotten Medical Crisis
A husband’s late-night obsession with the contentious 1876 presidential election nearly costs his wife her life.
- The Rowdy Election of 1872: When Seattle Politics Was a Bare-Knuckle Brawl
A stormy Republican County Convention in 1872 exposes the messy, insider-heavy machinery behind early Seattle's local government.