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Former nurse and current administrator for health programs Robin Fleming told KIRO Radio's Dave Ross that the Legislature needs as much as $10 billion to fully fund basic education. (AP) Fall menus are back. PSL stands for "Pumpkin Spice Latte," the annual Starbucks treat that shows up before the official start of fall and lasts until the weeks before Christmas. Pumpkin Spice is one Starbucks' most anticipated annual items, and it definitely tastes like fall. Halloween candy is on sale at your local drug store. Drug stores like Rite Aid, Walgreens and Bartell Drugs are advertising sales on their bags of fun-sized Halloween candy. We suppose it doesn't hurt to stock up early. And with another tradition that school is starting up, that back to school section at Target will be turning into a costume boutique any time now. Fall beer is here. Grocery stores have replaced summer shandies and berry brews with IPAs and pumpkin beer. The shift in the beer drinking pallet isn't limited to your groceries. Now is the time to purchase your Oktoberfest tickets, whether you're hoping to spend it in Fremont, Leavenworth or somewhere in between. Break out your boots and sweaters. Fashion magazines don't tell you to stop wearing white after Labor Day like they used to. The signs of fall fashion are back as soon as you see women wearing boots on the street and you're carrying a sweater with you at night (if not wearing it all the time.) MyNorthwest.com boot-lover Linda Thomas documents her love of boots and her anticipation of boot season on her Facebook page. College football begins. If you were like most Americans, your Labor Day Weekend probably included at least a few minutes taking in a football game...or at least making fun of someone's tailgating photos posted to Facebook. The UW Huskies take on LSU's Tigers Saturday at 6:00pm and the WSU Cougars play the Eastern Washington Eagles at noon. Goodbye sun. Your days are getting shorter. The sunrise this week is at about 6:35am and the sunset is well before 8:00pm at 7:35pm. A little math has determined that's about 13 hours of daylight, compared to nearly 16 hours in June. Make sure the Christmas lights are up before Dec. 21 when you get a whopping 8 hours, 25 minutes of daylight. Spring bulbs in stores. If you heeded the advice of Ciscoe Morris last Friday and visited the nursery for end of summer deals, you would have noticed they're stocking spring bulbs. According to master gardener and NW icon, Ed Hume, "the bulbs of spring flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus are planted during the fall months of September, October and November." Check out Hume's gardening calendar and find out when to fertilize, harvest, and sod a new lawn. Do the Puyallup! The Puyallup Fair kicks off Friday with the Pro Rodeo and Willie Nelson. If you're in downtown Puyallup Friday at 10am, watch out for the annual Cattle Drive traveling down Meridian Street. Chase away the back to school blues with rides, sheep races, super cute piglets, giant pumpkins, face painting, the trout pond, the Body Exhibit, and Friday night fireworks. Oh, and don't forget the food: Cowgirl Candy Cone, fried lemonade, Krusty Pups, and cotton candy. Wading pools and spray parks are closed. The sun is still out, but places to cool off are closed for the year. The Seattle Parks and Recreation department has closed down all of the city's wading pools - even if it's over 70 degrees. Three spray parks will remain open if it's warm, just watch out for the crowds at Ballard Commons, Lake Union Park, or the Miller Community Center.
10 signs your summer is over