Gov. Gregoire's farewell looks back, forward

Two-term Gov. Chris Gregoire has begun her final address to the state Legislature today. Prepared remarks for the yearly State of the State message touch on her efforts during the Great Recession to spare schools and the safety net from deeper cuts and boost foreign trade, expand the aerospace industry, protect the environment and expand civil rights for gay couples.

In a line that drew applause, she said: “I can say the state of our state is strong!"

The Democrat, who hands off tomorrow to Democratic Gov.-elect Jay Inslee, also is urging lawmakers to embrace the huge challenges of fully funding K-12 public schools and finding new ways to pay for the state’s transportation needs.

Gregoire also remembered two former legislators - longtime Democratic Senate leader Sid Snyder of Long Beach and longtime Senate member Lorraine Wojahn of Tacoma - who died in the last year. She also invoked the memories of Eva Santos, former state human resources director, who died last month after battling breast cancer for several years, and members of the armed services who have died.

We'll have more later.