Biden to issue Earth Day order to safeguard old-growth forests
President Biden will sign an executive order on Friday in Seattle laying the groundwork for protecting some of the biggest and oldest trees in America’s forests, according to five individuals briefed on the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was not yet finalized. Biden will direct the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to inventory mature and old-growth forests nationwide, three of the individuals said. He will also require the agencies to identify threats to these trees and to use that information to write policies that protect them. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Salwan Georges)
Summer wildfire smoke leaves mark, as Whatcom air quality ranked among 25 worst in U.S.
Wildfire smoke has choked portions of Whatcom County’s summers in recent years, impacting the quality of the air we all breathe. The American Lung Association has noticed, handing Whatcom County a failing grade for its air quality for a second straight year and placing it among the top 25 most polluted counties in the United States based on daily particulate matter. The Bellingham metropolitan area, which is basically all of Whatcom County, tied the Boise, Idaho, metro area (which includes a portion of eastern Oregon) for 24th most polluted by daily particulate matter, according to the American Lung Association’s 2022 State of the Air report, which was released Thursday, April 21. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald. (Warren Sterling)
As COVID policies loosen, health officials urge caution
State health experts urge people to keep wearing masks in public even as they’re no longer federally or locally required on buses, ferries, planes and trains. Transit agencies across the Puget Sound region, including Everett Transit and Community Transit, announced Tuesday they’ve ended mask mandates for passengers. It is a “new era of this pandemic,” said Kathleen Custer, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 1576, the union that represents Community Transit drivers. She said the union has been frustrated by the agency’s apparent refusal to assist drivers with mask enforcement. Continue reading at The Everett Herald.
Associated Press
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Bellingham Herald
Summer wildfire smoke leaves mark, as Whatcom air quality ranked among 25 worst in U.S.
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Capital Press
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Everett Herald
As COVID policies loosen, health officials urge caution
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High Country News
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Indian Country Today
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News Tribune
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Olympian
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Port Townsend Leader
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Seattle Times
‘The ugliest building in downtown Seattle’ or ‘a piece of public art’? Either way, King County is closing it down
President Biden to make Portland and Seattle appearances starting Thursday
Seattle CEO and big-business antagonist Dan Price accused of assaulting woman after dinner meeting
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Skagit Valley Herald
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Tri-City Herald
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Walla Walla Union Bulletin
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Washington Post
Biden announces millions in new aid and a ban on Russian-affiliated ships
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Biden to issue Earth Day order to safeguard old-growth forests
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Yakima Herald-Republic
State officials get a close up look at Union Gap, and its transportation issues
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Broadcast
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President Biden to arrive in Seattle Thursday
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KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
President Biden to arrive in Seattle Thursday
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KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Biden to begin Earth Day trip to Seattle Thursday after stop in Portland, Oregon
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KUOW Public Radio
Delivery apps boomed during the pandemic. Gig workers say it’s time for companies to pay up.
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Web
MyNorthwest
Joe Biden to arrive in Seattle Thursday night for his first visit as president
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King County Metro involved in 104 preventable accidents over last four years
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The Stranger
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