The Bellingham Herald

• Koppenberg is GNAC golfer of the year, again
  For the second straight year, Western Washington University's Jake Koppenberg has earned the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year Award.
  The award goes to the player with the lowest stroke average through the conference tournament. Koppenberg, who won the GNAC individual title in a playoff with John Eisentrout of Saint Martin's Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Club, is averaging 71.12 shots for 26 rounds. Both players had 54-hole scores of even-par 213.

The Seattle P-I.com

• State moves closer to tuition hike
  Washington students could pay more for a college diploma under a bill approved by the state House on Wednesday. The measure, approved on a 50-47 vote, removes the current 7 percent cap in annual tuition increases for undergraduates who are state residents.

The Seattle Times

• State lawmakers reach accord on $4 billion in cuts
  Democratic leaders in the state House and Senate have reached agreement on deep cuts in funding for public schools, higher education, health care and other state services totaling nearly $4 billion.

The Everett Herald

• Lawmakers reach deal on state budget cuts
  House and Senate leaders reached agreement Wednesday on a state budget expected to slash $4 billion in spending on schools, colleges and medical care and cause thousands of state workers and teachers to lose their jobs.
  Democratic budget writers declined to discuss details Wednesday until they could brief their colleagues on its highlights and see the deal written into legislation.

Whidbey Island Examiner

• History students compete at state
  Coupeville seventh graders Joye Jackson and Heni Barnes took second in their division for their documentary on famous American chef and television personality Julia Child. Eighth grader Laura Harkins took first for her documentary on renowned photographer Edward S. Curtis, who documented the disappearing ways of life of Native Americans during the early 1900s. And Coupeville High School junior Kelly Snoden placed second for her paper on Charles Darwin, the English naturalist whose theories on natural selection served as the basis for evolutionary theory.
  While historical documents can often be found on the Internet, reviewing them in person can reveal more than seeing them on a computer monitor. Harkin recently spent two and a half days digging through archives at Western Washington University's Center for Pacific Northwest Studies researching correspondence between her subject and a retired Seattle librarian.