The bills we’re tracking in the 2021 Washington state Legislature
As we hit the halfway point of the 2021 session, we wanted to help you track the policies that matter most to you. March 9 was the deadline for this legislative session’s policy bills to pass out of their house of origin. Bills related to the budget do not have a deadline, so even if a bill appears dead, it could come back to life later, if it’s related to the budget. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Dorothy Edwards)
Billy Frank Jr. statue one step closer to U.S. Capitol after House approves bill
A statue honoring the late Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually tribal member who championed treaty rights and protecting the environment, is one step closer to being on display at the U.S. Capitol. The state House of Representatives approved a bill Monday that would start a process to replace Washington’s Marcus Whitman statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection with a statue of Frank. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Toni L. Bailey)
Working families win; state is No. 1; dinosaur bill dies
Good morning. Lawmakers are shifting back into committee mode after a protracted stretch of voting concluded with Tuesday’s “house of origin” cutoff. A nearly unanimous House passed an expansion of the Working Families Tax Exemption, House Bill 1297. This program has been on the books since 2008 but never funded. Continue reading at The Everett Herald.
Associated Press
State House approves bill for Billy Frank Jr. statue (Lekanoff)
Bill to create fund to battle wildfires passes state House (Springer)
New in-person start date pushed back for Seattle schools
Why the pandemic left long-term scars on global job market
Western states chart diverging paths as water shortages loom
The Latest: Fauci: US virus shots ramping up toward immunity
Aberdeen Daily World
Overstock, Port reach lease termination agreement
Expanded Child Tax Credit in stimulus could be ‘one of the most impactful efforts to reduce child poverty in decades’
Commentary: TVW is antidote for dwindling trust in media
Letter: Bill would help prevent suicides
Letter: It’ll take some smarts
Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Tuesday in Washington state
Washington residents could see a stimulus check quickly once Biden signs the economic relief act
House advances bill providing ‘just cause’ protection for renters (Macri, Peterson)
As Whatcom nears anniversary of first COVID, state reports 24 confirmed cases Tuesday
While COVID infection rate drops below 100 in one Whatcom region, 3 others see increases
Whatcom’s mass COVID vaccination site to open Saturday at Bellingham Technical College
Whatcom’s vaccination efforts beginning to catch up, as 36 new COVID cases reported Monday
First lady Jill Biden tours JBLM: ‘We want to know what’s getting in your way’
Clinics wait to vaccinate farmworkers: ‘Our hands are tied’
Grocery worker pandemic pay approved by King County Council
Jill Biden tours Whidbey Island naval air station
Volunteers are key at vaccine sites. It pays off with a shot
Looking for a COVID vaccine? This site can help find spares — but you’ll need patience
Is it OK to exercise before or after COVID vaccination? Here’s what experts say
The US just had its coldest February in 30 years, data shows. Here’s how it happened
Capital Press
Washington Senate passes revised ag overtime bill (Van De Wege)
Washington cattlemen sound alarm over wolf suit
Cosmic Crisp apple price plunges; COVID-19 hinders in-store marketing
Washington Senate passes capital gains, exempts sales of farms (Robinson)
Northwest wildlife agencies warn of invasive zebra mussels
Timber group, counties challenge delay of spotted owl decision
Washington Farm Bureau still ‘no’ on carbon tax (Lovelett)
Second half of Columbia Basin Project completion depends on ‘political will’
Columbian
Clark County Public Health worker is at forefront of COVID-19 response
Vancouver lawmaker who voted no on capital gains tax wants focus on transportation (Cleveland)
Clark County reports 18 new COVID-19 cases, lowest daily count since September
In Our View: Symbolism of noose is clear, intolerable
Covington Reporter
WA Legislature grapples with funding roads, bridges (Ramos, Saldana)
Everett Herald (subscription required)
90% of incoming vaccines are reserved for second doses
Everett, port in talks to resume Jetty Island ferry service
First lady visits Whidbey to meet with military families
Cornfield Report: Working families win; state is No. 1; dinosaur bill dies (Jinkins)
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Boeing finally sees positive net orders for airplanes
Homecoming: Gray whales return to Whidbey waters
WaPo Comment: GOP’s opposition to naturalization will only hurt it
WaPo Comment: We must treat pyschic traumas of health-care workers
Editorial: Public health may see better funding, reforms (Robinson)
High Country News
Montana trans, two spirit and non-binary activists fight anti-trans legislation
Butterflies in the West are disappearing
International Examiner
API Legislative Week rallies around Asian-American led Working Families Tax Credit (Nguyen, Thai)
Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
COVID-19 vaccine appointments finally plentiful for those eligible, but not for long, providers warn
News Tribune (subscription required)
Pierce County tenants can apply for $58.6 million in rental, utility assistance
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Tuesday in Washington state
Pierce Transit considers eliminating hundreds of bus stops in hopes of faster service
All teachers now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. What does it mean for reopening schools?
Editorial: You’ll soon pay Pierce County mental health tax. But leaders must fix mistake first
New York Times
Biden Got the Vaccine Rollout Humming, With Trump’s Help
Live Updates: Biden’s Stimulus Plan Is Hours From Final Vote
‘I Was So Nervous’: Back to Class After a Year Online
How America’s Vaccine System Makes People With Health Problems Fight for a Place in Line
The Officers Danced at a Black Lives Matter Rally. Then They Stormed the Capitol.
Olympian (subscription required)
Thurston County adds eight COVID-19 cases Tuesday, plans more mass vaccine events
COVID-19 even affects apples: Washington farm exports crimped by cargo-container shortage
House advances bill providing ‘just cause’ protection for renters (Macri, Peterson)
Data breach exposes information of more than 200,000 MultiCare staff, patients
Billy Frank Jr. statue one step closer to U.S. Capitol after House approves bill (Lekanoff)
First lady Jill Biden tours JBLM: ‘We want to know what’s getting in your way’
Will lawsuit stop Navy from training in WA state parks? Environmental group hopes so
Here’s how Thurston officials are responding to a landmark ruling on drug possession
Washington is the best state in US for second consecutive time, report says. Here’s why
Permanent Daylight Saving Time? Senate considers idea amid debate over pros and cons
Ferry owner has paid to keep vessel at Port of Olympia through June
Peninsula Daily News
State corrects information about pot licenses
Nearly one-third have had first COVID-19 vaccine shot in Peninsula counties
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Port Townsend Leader
No new COVID cases in a week as Jefferson County preps for more vaccine shipments
Puget Sound Business Journal
Businesses can’t apply for both PPP and venue grants. The American Rescue Plan Act fixes that.
Seattle still among nation’s most congested cities, even as traffic falls to historic lows
$73M wood innovation center coming to tiny Darrington
Microsoft hack escalates as criminal groups rush to exploit flaws
Nasdaq soars in ‘relief rally’ as big tech stocks rebound sharply
Boeing logs more jet orders than cancellations for first time in 14 months
Despite many PPP changes, this type of small business fell through the cracks
Seattle Times (subscription required)
Washington state Legislature considers clean-fuels standard as part of climate change ‘grand bargain’ (Carlyle, Hobbs, Fitzgibbon)
Lumen Field Event Center opens Saturday as huge COVID-19 vaccination clinic; here’s how it will work
Volunteers are key at vaccine sites. It pays off with a shot
First lady Jill Biden visits Washington military bases in support of families
The verdict is in on who did the vaccines right, Washington or Oregon. Hint: It wasn’t us.
Opinion: Drug treatment, not incarceration, better serves the common good
Editorial: Guidelines for the vaccinated give us cautious optimism
King County approves hazard pay for grocery workers in unincorporated areas
Opinion: Drug treatment, not incarceration, better serves the common good
Editorial: Guidelines for the vaccinated give us cautious optimism
Skagit Valley Herald
COVID-19: One year into a pandemic
Skagit Regional Health receives more of the COVID-19 vaccine
Group files appeal over Navy training in state parks
The Skanner
Volunteers Are Key at Vaccine Sites. It Pays off With a Shot
Spokesman Review
Pandemic relief bill would restore daily Empire Builder train service — and advocates push for more
Shawn Vestal: Our matching death rates suggest we’ve already had plenty of Idaho influence
‘It’s OK to not be OK’: Kids at Hutton Settlement get a show, food – and encouragement to open up
Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities COVID rates among highest in WA state. What Gov. Inslee had to say about it
More contagious COVID variant found in Tri-Cities. First time in Eastern WA
Gov. Inslee praises reopening of Pasco schools during Tri-Cities visit
Tri-Cities COVID cases level off. More vaccine help for seniors and veterans
Tri-Cities teen jailed in knife attack after confrontation over Snapchat posts
Vancouver Business Journal
Business Growth MAP Alliance online forum focuses on positive organization
Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Milton-Freewater council appoints Damien Reino, who hopes to honor legacy of Verl Presnall
Vaccination clinic at County Fairgrounds rescheduled, 3 new coronavirus cases Tuesday
Rural Education Support initiative launches at Dayton schools
Volunteer celebrates 81st birthday at Walla Walla COVID-19 vaccination clinic
Washington Post
Biden to announce that U.S. will secure an additional 100 million doses of J&J vaccine
Biden wants to sell the stimulus. The White House is still figuring out how.
Immigration arrests have fallen sharply under Biden, ICE data show
Yakima Herald Republic
Vaccines for child care providers could be a turning point – but first, they’ll need to find an appointment
Grocery worker pandemic pay approved by King County Council
State House approves bill for Billy Frank Jr. statue (Lekanoff)
Volunteers are key at vaccine sites. It pays off with a shot
Chelan PUD studies targeted power cuts to control wildfire risks
Broadcast
KING5 TV (NBC)
Washington once again ranked best state in the US in national report
Reports: Biden to announce plans to order 100 million more Johnson & Johnson vaccines
Appointments slow to fill at some Washington COVID-19 vaccination sites
Issaquah School District starts vaccinating teachers and staff for COVID-19
Third stimulus check update: House set to pass COVID bill with $1,400 payments today
Cancer patients await eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in Washington
VERIFY: Most of the COVID relief bill is directed toward COVID-related things
KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Video showing banned restraint results in changes at Swedish Hospital
Data breach exposes information of more than 200,000 MultiCare staff, patients
Police response times rise in Seattle
Scientists confirm gender of orca calf born last year
Council approves hazard pay for grocery workers in unincorporated areas of King County
Washington ranked best state in country for second time in a row
Seattle Public Schools delays return to in-person learning until late March
First lady Jill Biden visits Washington military bases
KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Victim of attack in Chinatown-International District says assault was hate crime
Seattle police response times slower because of officer shortages, acting chief says
First Lady Jill Biden reaches out to military families during Wash. visit
Health officials encouraged by positive COVID-19 trends in Puget Sound
Price for Seattle homes continue climbing in one of hottest housing markets in U.S.
Everett mulls ordinance that would outlaw homeless encampments in part of the city
KNKX FM
Seattle, Highline make progress in bringing some students back to classrooms
Here’s What’s In The American Rescue Plan As It Heads Toward Final Passage
KUOW FM
YOUR PRIVACY AND YOUR SEATTLE COMMUTE: POTENTIAL DARK SIDE TO CITY DATA MONITORING
Pandemic updates for the Northwest
Nearly 1 in 3 Women Experience Violence: Landmark Report From WHO
Biden Moves To Make It Illegal (Again) To Accidentally Kill Migratory Birds
States Try To Push Out Billions Of Emergency Rental Aid To Families
Postal Service Delivered Vast Majority Of Mail Ballots On Time, Report Finds
KXLY (ABC)
North Central High School student helps create bill to remove Native American mascots
New research shows third shift workers may have heightened health concerns
Providence opens 1,000 vaccine appointments for upcoming clinic
Spokane Police aiming to reduce property crimes through crime prevention missions
NW Public Radio
The Secret Life Of Trees: Researchers Probe Methane In Washington’s Coastal Forests
Q13 TV (Fox)
Cyberattack impacts 200,000 people connected to MultiCare Health Systems
House again set to vote on COVID-19 relief bill
Pollution solution digs deep; $500M+ project aims to bring Seattle’s waterways into federal compliance
First Lady Jill Biden tours Whidbey Island naval base and Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Bill to create fund to battle wildfires passes state House (Springer)
Washington named best state in America for the second year in a row
Web
Crosscut
The bills we’re tracking in the 2021 Washington state Legislature
Shuttered and stressed, WA arts organizations are running out of cash
Amazon tells Gov. Inslee it supports a clean fuel standard in WA (Fitzgibbon, Carlyle, Hobbs)
MyNorthwest
As council eyes $5.4 million in further police cuts, SPD and mayor warn of dire impact
King County Council establishes grocery store hazard pay for unincorporated areas
Seattle teachers, district reach deal to delay start of in-person classes to late March
King County Council establishes grocery store hazard pay for unincorporated areas
Seattle teachers, district reach deal to delay start of in-person classes to late March
UW modeler: Yearly surges could make COVID a ‘persistent and seasonal’ affair
3 feet should be default distance for schools, say district leaders
Slog
The King County Council Wants to Avoid Creating Food Deserts with its Grocery Hazard Pay Ordinance
West Seattle Blog
Jack Block Park pier may need to be rebuilt
Progress in Seattle Public Schools standoff over next step in resuming in-person learning, but no student return before March 29