WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Tuesday, August 11

Seattle police Chief Carmen Best announced Monday night that she is going to retire. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best says she will retire amid protests, City Council cuts
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best will step down, she has announced, in the wake of protests against police brutality, criticism over the Police Department’s response and votes by the City Council to shrink the police force and cut her wages. “This was a difficult decision for me, but when it’s time, it’s time,” Best wrote in a Monday night message to Police Department employees. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Mike Siegel)


Seattle Fire Department’s Senior Personnel Specialist Dori Towler spotted fraudulent claims filed using the identities of Fire Department employees.

Why did it take more than 2 months to stop the largest fraud in Washington state history?
Revelations last week that this spring’s $576 million unemployment fraud, the largest in state history, started much earlier than previously acknowledged have spurred a storm of new questions over the handling of the crime. Data released Aug. 3 by the state Employment Security Department shows that criminals were filing fake claims in the first week of March. Continue reading at The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. (Mike Siegel)


The waterfront in San Francisco is eerily empty on an August afternoon. (Nick Otto for The Washington Post)

With no end to the pandemic in sight, coronavirus fatigue grips America
Parents lie awake, their minds racing with thoughts of how to balance work with their newfound role as home-schoolers. Frontline health workers are bone tired, their nerves frayed by endless shifts and constant encounters with the virus and its victims. Senior citizens have grown weary of isolation. Unemployed workers fret over jobs lost, benefits that are running out, rent payments that are overdue. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Nick Otto)


Print

Associated Press
No federal relief leaves states, cities facing big deficits
Seattle City Council OKs cuts to police positions, budget
Seattle police chief to resign following department cuts
States strain to carry out Trump order on unemployment aid
Boeing: No orders, more cancellations for grounded 737 Max
Portland protesters rally as arrest of activist draws ire
U.S. producer prices up 0.6% in July, biggest jump since 2018
Cuts, reserve funds help lawmakers balance Oregon budget
[Oregon] Lawmakers adjourn special session, restrict choke holds
Activist’s arrest in Portland galvanizes Black Lives Matter
Seattle police chief to resign following department cuts
Deal would bar Seattle police from targeting some people

Aberdeen Daily World
COVID-19 contributed to death of Beehive resident
Grays Harbor County Commissioners OK nine more small businesses for CARES Act grants

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Regulations on religious services relaxed by new coronavirus reopening guidance
Gov. Inslee praises Seahawks wearing masks in training-camp workouts, ‘because masks work’
As racist vandalism continues in Bellingham, ‘we’re not going to be intimidated’
Wildfire smoke could make people vulnerable to infections like COVID-19

Capital Press
WDFW to restart culling of Wedge wolf pack
JBS purchase of processing plant worries Western sheep ranchers

Columbian
Four Clark County school superintendents sign letter asking Inslee to limit virus liability
Clark County reports 92 new COVID-19 cases over weekend
In Our View: Police reform starts with close look at budget

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Who’s that 20-foot masked man? It’s the anti-virus Muffler Man
Health district reports 18 COVID-19 outbreaks in the county
Rep. Larsen tours small businesses given federal PPP loans
Police: Man confronts mask-less men with knife and repellent
Snohomish County PUD embraces ‘smart’ meters despite concerns
Boeing: No orders, more cancellations for grounded 737 Max
Commentary: TV has reinforced ambition as bad trait for women
Wapo Commentary: Improper spending has left NRA out of ammo
Harrop: Every country made mistakes; we didn’t learn from ours

Highline Times
Seattle City Council votes to cut Police budget; Creates new department of Community Safety
Economic forecast highlights continued City revenue declining through 2021; $337 million less 
 
Issaquah Reporter
Inslee lifts visitation ban at long-term care facilities

Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
SKSD board reverses decision, votes to start school year with remote learning
Few details released six days after Kitsap deputy killed man
Friends, family mourn loss of ‘The Senator,’ Betti Sheldon, who died at 85

News Tribune (subscription required)
Q&A with Chen: Pierce County health director discusses plateau in cases, protests & more
Pierce County reports 58 new COVID-19 cases, no additional deaths
Most Pierce COVID deaths have underlying conditions. But what does that really mean?
Gov. Inslee praises Seahawks wearing masks in training-camp workouts, ‘because masks work’

New York Times
How Covid Sends Some Bodies to War With Themselves
Are Racial Attitudes Really Changing? Some Black Activists Are Skeptical
The Virus Is Killing Young Floridians. Work, Not Partying, Is Often to Blame.
Seattle Police Chief to Resign as Council Pursues Ambitious Plan to Cut Budget
Children May Carry Coronavirus at High Levels, Study Finds
For Doctors of Color, Microaggressions Are All Too Familiar

Olympian (subscription required)
Port of Olympia adjusts policy after employee accuses commissioner of sexual harassment
Coronavirus updates: Wildland firefighter tests positive; regulations on religious services relaxed
It took a village to run this year’s college football season into the ground
Why does COVID-19 strike some and not others? Fauci sees an answer in new study
Washington state reports 584 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths on Monday
Thurston County reports 13 new COVID-19 cases Monday
Regulations on religious services relaxed by new coronavirus reopening guidance

Peninsula Daily News
Exercise rules change, but mission doesn’t
All County Picnic In Place a new take on annual preparedness event
Clallam nonprofits ‘doing more with less’ during pandemic

Puget Sound Business Journal
A third Boeing 777X test jet takes to the skies after rolling out of Everett factory
Boeing delivers handful of jets in July, but notches no new orders
‘A Band-Aid on a gunshot wound:’ Small businesses desperately look to Congress for more relief
To withhold or not: Trump’s order gives employers a new dilemma
Seattle council votes to cut SPD budget
Whistleblower alleges ESD errors opened its own systems to fraud, left jobless in the lurch
‘It’s not your father’s Kirkland anymore’: Covid-19 accelerates mall trends
SBA has opened its PPP forgiveness portal. Here’s why many small businesses will have to wait.
Opinion: We can’t afford to gamble on breaching hydroelectric dams

Seattle Times (subscription required)
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best says she will retire amid protests, City Council cuts
Seattle agrees police can’t use riot declaration to justify indiscriminate force at protests, can’t target medics
Seattle City Council rebalances 2020 budget, passes initial Police Department cuts
As coronavirus spreads in Washington’s prisons, here’s what a state watchdog says needs to change
America’s obesity epidemic threatens effectiveness of any COVID-19 vaccine

Skagit Valley Herald
Commissioners approve small-business grants

Spokesman Review
Record low mortgage rates, low inventory, out-of-area buyers fueling demand for homes in Spokane County as median price exceeds $300,000 in July
Dollars for Double-deckers: STA receives $3 million for new buses on Cheney Line

Tri-City Herald
2 more COVID deaths in Tri-Cities area. New cases slowed over weekend
Reservoir north of Pasco closed because of toxic algae. It can kill dogs
Wildfire chars 600 acres along Highway 395 south of Kennewick
Rep. Newhouse tours Columbia riverfront that Tri-City agencies want returned

USA Today
George Floyd protests: Lawsuits extend fight against police brutality from streets to courtrooms
California judge rules Uber and Lyft drivers are employees

Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
VA nursing home reports COVID-19 case
Proclamation focuses on student eye health for online learning
Editorial: After relief benefits are approved it will take months to roll out
Guest Column: Community can help get children back to school
Seattle Times: Why did it take more than 2 months to stop the largest fraud in Washington state history?
Seattle Times: Watchdog recommends changes in Washington’s prisons amid coronavirus pandemic

Washington Post
With no end to the pandemic in sight, coronavirus fatigue grips America
If you can punish a teenage girl for spaghetti straps, you can enforce a mask mandate
Protests: Seattle Police Chief retires amid efforts to defund department in wake of unrest

Yakima Herald Republic
Yakima Valley Libraries will offer curbside pickup services soon
Only 19 newly reported COVID-19 cases for Yakima County on Monday
Washington apple crop in 2020 similar in size to last year
SunDome artwork by famed Ellensburg artist gets a close look from state conservation team

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best retiring following department cuts, protests
Pac-12 could cancel 2020 football season amid coronavirus concerns
Washington Rep. Rick Larsen ‘confident’ Congress will pass new pandemic relief plan
Top Washington lawmakers ask for border exemption between Canada and small Whatcom County town

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Seattle Police Chief Best makes stunning retirement announcement after department cuts
Defunding Seattle police: City Council OKs sharp cuts but avoid 50% budget reduction
14 wildland firefighters in quarantine after fellow firefighter diagnosed with COVID-19
Unclear how Oregon, Washington will pay for unemployment benefits announced by Trump
President Trump tweets Oregon leaders should bring National Guard to Portland
Protesters wanting Seattle police defunded by 50 percent disappointed in proposed cuts
Community has mixed reaction to Seattle police department budget cuts
Seattle businesses owners fed up with crime, worry about cuts to police department

KUOW FM
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best resigns
Blog: Covid-19 pandemic in Washington state
Federal judge rejects attempt to enforce Seattle crowd weapons ban in lawsuit over protesters’ protective gear
Seattle Council approves cuts to police department

Q13 TV (Fox)
Sources: Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best to resign
Seattle City Council votes to cut police budget, officers
Fish and wildlife experts call public to steer-clear of pregnant orcas in Puget Sound
Health officials urge Kittitas Co. wedding attendees to get tested after six guests test positive for COVID-19
Downtown business decides to shut down due to city council’s decision to defund Seattle Police
Parklets could be lifeline to sustain small town businesses

Web

Crosscut
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best to resign in September
Coronavirus cuts off a Washington border town from two countries
Behind a yearlong investigation into WA prison health care

MyNorthwest.com
COVID-19 updates: 64,647 confirmed cases, 1,697 deaths in Washington
Seattle journalist Omari Salisbury says city is treating symptoms, not the disease

Slog
The City Council Is Already Rolling Back Commitments to Defund the Police
Tens of Millions of Families Face Evictions in the Next Few Months