Visiting even ‘just one friend’ puts everyone at higher risk for coronavirus
After weeks of social distancing to help curb the spread of coronavirus, it’s only natural a few of us – okay, maybe a lot of us – might be thinking: What’s the harm in visiting just one friend? Well, according to researchers at the University of Washington, it could do quite a bit of harm and undo what our social distancing efforts have achieved. Continue reading at King 5. (UW & Statnet Development Team)

‘New normal’: distancing, masks likely needed for months
Even once the broad restrictions currently in place in Washington state in response to the coronavirus are lifted, health officials said Tuesday that for months to come the “new normal” will continue to look a lot like daily life does now: teleworking, physical distancing and use of masks in public. Continue reading at Peninsula Daily News. (Ted S. Warren)

Educators Get Creative To Serve Students With Disabilities
Despite cranky computers, conflicting schedules, shaky Internet connections and stubborn software glitches, Danielle Kovach got her whole class together a few Fridays ago for a video chat. Kovach teaches special education in Hopatcong, N.J., and this Friday class session was a celebration: They’d made it through the first few weeks of distance learning. Continue reading at KUOW. (Jessie Zhang)

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Associated Press
‘New normal’: distancing, masks likely needed for months
China didn’t warn public of likely pandemic for 6 key days
What you need to know today about the virus outbreak
Trump’s halting of funds to WHO sparks worldwide rebuke
IMF: Global economy will suffer worst year since Depression
In nod to governors, Trump walks back total authority claim
Judge says get out of bed, get dressed for Zoom hearings
Washington state sues Greyhound over immigration searches
Some politicians label lockdowns unconstitutional
Washington state warns of Asian giant hornet sightings
More than 30 have COVID-19 at state psychiatric hospital
Washington attorney general sues Facebook over campaign ads
Far-right US politicians label lockdowns anti-constitutional
California governor provides complex outline for reopening
Search for a COVID-19 vaccine heats up in China, US
Dozens of workers at Wallula food plant have coronavirus
10 pioneer-era apple types thought extinct found in US West
US governors grapple with relaxing virus restrictions
Virus: No date to lift restrictions, OR faces budget woes
Portland to furlough employees, cut mayor pay amid pandemic
Coronavirus relief checks won’t have to be repaid, feds say
Pot retailer moves business to Union Gap amid county ban
US governors grapple with relaxing virus restrictions

Aberdeen Daily World
Ocean Shores visitor numbers appear to taper over holiday weekend
Enrollment: Harder to project and higher stakes
Hoquiam council discusses creation of Transportation Benefit District
Pacific County expands drive through testing parameters
California governor provides complex outline for reopening

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Prepare yourself for the COVID-19 ‘new normal,’ says state health chief
Summer events should be canceled due to coronavirus, Whatcom Health Director says
Visiting just one friend is safe during the pandemic, right? Don’t do it, experts say
Whatcom’s coronavirus-related deaths reach 25 Tuesday, but only 1 new case reported
Bellingham hospital cared for 36 coronavirus patients, has room for more, City Council told
Bellingham business: Airport gets coronavirus funds; another local hand sanitizer
CORONAVIRUS
Inslee signs proclamations protecting stimulus checks, extending statute of limitations
Whatcom-B.C. border traffic will remain slow with Canadian coronavirus quarantines
Coronavirus update: More than 30 test positive at Western State Hospital
Coronavirus updates: Timing of stimulus payments; Washington in West Coast reopening pact
Facebook being sued – again – by Washington state because of political ads
Tacoma police make music video to encourage social distancing during coronavirus crisis
First wave of coronavirus stimulus payments crashes websites for banks, IRS
How many coronavirus patients on ventilators survive? Scientists race for an answer
No, you don’t have to pay back coronavirus stimulus money. Other myths debunked, too
Social distancing may be needed until 2022 without coronavirus vaccine, researchers say
When will you get your stimulus check? IRS payment tracker now online
Thinking of buying an at-home coronvirus test? Think again, FDA warns Americans
Two new recalls connected with a 17-state listeria outbreak that’s had four deaths

Capital Press
Gov. Kate Brown: Reopening Oregon will ‘take longer than we want’
New digital market opens for West’s most valuable resource: water
West Coast states see long battle against COVID-19
West Coast states form virus pact; no orders affected

Columbian
In Our View: Let’s protect the vulnerable in long-term care

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Even in U.S. 2 towns with 0 virus cases, rural economy reels
When life returns to normal, it won’t be the normal you knew
Paine Field to get a paltry amount of airport stimulus money
Edmonds College is the new name as school drops ‘Community’
WaPo Commentary: To save economy we must protect older Americans
WaPo: Commentary: What Trump means when he rants about ‘fake news’

Federal Way Mirror
Federal Way Arts Commission unveils newest “Traffic Graffic” representing Latino community
KCLS to remain closed, but offers online poetry contest, Día celebration
Distancing efforts working and must continue in key Washington counties

Islands’ Weekly
Talking to kids about school staying closed

Issaquah Reporter
Bellevue police town hall addresses racism stemming from COVID-19 outbreak

Journal of the San Juan Islands
COVID this week in the San Juans: A look at the resource centers
Attorney General launches campaign encouraging Washingtonians to report price gouging
IRS extends more tax deadlines to cover individuals, trusts, estates corporations and others

Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
Bremerton COVID-19 testing site broadens eligibility for free tests
Washington State Ferries relies heavily on fares to run. Ridership is at 1950s-era lows.
USS Nimitz to backup aircraft carrier fleet ‘shortly,’ chairman of joint chiefs says
Will my stimulus check be affected if I owe taxes or child support? Your coronavirus money questions, answered
Courts still open to the public, though hearings held over phone or video

New York Times
Coronavirus Live Updates: Retail Sales Show Steepest Drop on Record
The Virus Is Vaporizing Tax Revenues, Putting States in a Bind
Criticized for Pandemic Response, Trump Tries Shifting Blame to the W.H.O.
Wildlife Collapse From Climate Change Is Predicted to Hit Suddenly and Sooner
What doctors on the front lines wish they’d known a month ago
The WWE is now considered an ‘essential service’ in Florida
Does widespread disinfecting kill the coronavirus? It’s under debate.

Olympian (subscription required)
Thurston County commissioners extend local COVID-19 emergency declaration through end of May
Thurston County school districts regroup for extended COVID-19 shutdown
Thurston County sues vaping product manufacturers
Optical lab in Lacey cuts 78 jobs, state says
Business resources will be topic of Olympia virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday

Peninsula Daily News
North Olympic Peninsula hospitals adapt to COVID-19
Peninsula virus cases stay at 40
Port of Port Angeles to provide rent relief
Sequim schools prepare for $2.6M in cuts for 2020-21 academic year

Puget Sound Business Journal
Stocks slide on data showing economic damage from coronavirus
MLB employees become the subjects of a huge coronavirus study
Howard Schultz-backed fund for laid-off restaurant workers in King County hits $6M
Washington banks have loaned nearly $5B in PPP money so far
PitchBook report: Virus yet to hit venture capital in Q1, but Seattle investments dip
Sea-Tac Airport, Boeing Field land big federal grants to weather pandemic
The Federal Reserve’s $2.3 trillion pot — what’s in it for small businesses?
Amazon to hire 75,000 more workers to keep up with demand during pandemic

Seattle Times (subscription required)
Seattle-area grocery workers frightened, shoppers confused amid coronavirus precautions
FYI Guy: Washington young adults are getting slammed financially by the pandemic, new survey shows
New modeling shows slowing coronavirus transmission in Seattle area
Inslee issues new proclamations on criminal statutes and wage garnishments as part of coronavirus response
Mold found in baby’s heart after surgery; family suing Seattle Children’s hospital
Here’s what people are noticing about Seattle-area streets as they walk more around their neighborhoods
How far does a $10,000 relief grant go toward helping a Seattle restaurant stay afloat amid the coronavirus?
Inslee plan to release hundreds of prison inmates leaves questions, draws criticisms from all sides (Goodman)
Alaska Air lines up nearly $1 billion in aid as U.S. agrees with airlines on relief
King County’s small and midsize cities worry they’re being left behind in federal coronavirus relief plan
Temperatures and pollen counts both predicted to rise this week in Seattle area
Lengthy legal fight over Seattle’s Uber unionization law comes to an end
Aircraft to spray insecticide for invasive moths in Everett, Woodway
Feds award $192 million to Sea-Tac for coronavirus relief, smaller grants to other Washington airports
Alaska Air lines up nearly $1 billion in aid as U.S. agrees with airlines on relief
Boeing’s jet deliveries slowed further in March while order losses increased
50 years ago, the global Earth Day movement was born — and so was WWU’s Huxley College, both shaping national environmental conversation
Op-Ed: Coronavirus will overwhelm our civil legal-aid system
Op-Ed: Journalism is never more vital — and at risk

Seattle Weekly
Up to 950 inmates may be let out early amid COVID-19 concern

Sequim Gazette
Inslee signs, vetoes 2020 legislation (Tharinger, Dolan, Doglio, Gregerson, Fey, Slatter, Chopp, Keiser, Hunt, Liias, Cleveland, Nguyen)

Skagit Valley Herald
COVID-19 having an impact on an already difficult time

Spokesman Review
Far-right politicians denounce government’s COVID-19 response in Washington, Idaho
State health officials see ‘plateau’ in numbers, but warn of ‘new normal’ going forward
City offers Spokane businesses a deferral on utility bills
$35,000 donation will aid Spokane community college students impacted by COVID-19
State sues Greyhound for allowing warrantless ‘sweeps’ at Intermodal Center
Shawn Vestal: An existing force for good in Northeast Spokane becomes a coronavirus lifeline

Tri-City Herald
Millions in coronavirus stimulus money could help hard-hit Tri-Cities Airport
Tri-Cities families ‘adopted’ during coronavirus outbreak. Others also step up to help
Tri-Cities firm gets $4 million contract to stabilize plutonium trenches, tank at risk of collapse
31 Tri-Citians are coronavirus victims, as cases rise. A 7th senior care home impacted

USA Today
Analysis: Trump halts funding to WHO. Experts say we need it now more than ever
US farmers estimated to lose $20 billion in 2020 due to coronavirus crisis

Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Editorial: Pandemic forces college-bound athletes to adjust dreams

Washington Post
Bill Gates, in rebuke of Trump, calls WHO funding cut during pandemic ‘as dangerous as it sounds’
CDC, FEMA have created a plan to reopen America. Here’s what it says.
Amazon fires two tech workers who criticized conditions in its warehouse workplace
COVID-19 checkpoints targeting out-of-state residents draw complaints and legal scrutiny
In unprecedented move, Treasury orders Trump’s name printed on stimulus checks
Small-business program intended for quick grants is running weeks behind
Trump wants to declare U.S. open by May 1 — but the reality will be much slower
As humans stay indoors, wild animals take back what was once theirs
Coronavirus destroys lungs. But doctors are finding its damage in kidneys, hearts and elsewhere.
The Postal Service needs a bailout. Congress is partly to blame.
Islamic State cell plotted attacks on U.S. bases in Germany, prosecutors say
South Korean voters pass through coronavirus medical checks on way to ballot box
The Cybersecurity 202: Hospitals face a surge of cyberattacks during the novel coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus immunity remains big question mark for a country eager to reopen
More than 9,000 U.S. health-care workers have been infected with the coronavirus
Despite the risks, letting Americans vote by mail in November is good for democracy
The Technology 202: Apple is now helping officials track how well coronavirus social distancing works