Historic overtime bill for agriculture workers provides a chance at equal labor laws
Washington State has the opportunity to become the second state to provide agriculture workers with overtime compensation. Currently, farmworkers do not receive overtime pay. In 1938, agriculture workers were specifically excluded from the Fair Labor Standards Act and many researchers have noted that New Deal-era legislation was crafted to block Black and other POC agricultural workers from receiving overtime pay. Continue reading at The South Seattle Emerald. (Alexandria Jonas)
‘Right to counsel’ law advancing through Legislature
A “right to counsel” measure that is getting closer to approval by the Legislature would make Washington the first state to ensure that low-income tenants have legal representation when faced with an eviction. The bill has passed both the Senate and the House, and has one final vote before the Senate before heading to the desk of Gov. Jay Inslee. Continue reading at KOMO News. (Rachel La Corte)
Senate approves expansion of low-income tax credit
The Washington Senate on Sunday approved a bill that would expand a tax credit for low-income workers and families that would start paying out benefits for the first time in 2023. The bill passed the Democratic-led chamber on a bipartisan 47-2 vote and now heads back to the House, which passed the bill last month but will need to take a final vote on whether or not to concur with changes made in the Senate. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald.
Associated Press
Senate approves expansion of low-income tax credit (Nguyen)
Biz groups ask governor not to roll some counties to Phase 2
Senate passes bill to prevent and fight wildfires (Springer)
Gov. Inslee alters criteria for COVID-19 reopening phases
Washington Legislature approves Juneteenth as state holiday
Tweaked COVID vaccines in testing aim to fend off variants
‘Right to counsel’ law advancing through Legislature
Aberdeen Daily World
More mass vaccination clinics announced
East Aberdeen traffic solution in current Senate and House transpo budgets (Tharinger)
New law restores voting rights to Washington felons upon release from prison (Simmons)
Op-ed: How to catch cheaters who don’t shoulder their share of the tax burden
Letter: Beverage tax hurts working families
Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
It was a long year for residents, loved ones. But the hugs are back at Mt. Baker Care Center
Pierce County had the first baby court in the state. Now it’s starting elsewhere
Here’s how Whatcom may regulate large marijuana farms and greenhouses
Here’s where you’ll see lane closures, other work on I-5 in Bellingham
Whatcom sees 42 new COVID cases Saturday
Whatcom sees 24 new COVID cases Friday
Governor updates guidance on counties staying in Phase 3. Here’s what that means to Whatcom
Wait until May to evaluate, business groups and county chambers ask in letter to Inslee
Worried about new coronavirus variant? Listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci explain
95% efficacy for COVID vaccines doesn’t mean there’s a 5% infection risk. Here’s why
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Friday in Washington state
Columbian
In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Outdoor dining; careless drivers
In Our View: Diligence, virus precautions must prevail
In Our View: Camas must prepare should paper mill close
Letter: Support HB 1310 for de-escalation
The Daily News
Economic development officials say Lower Columbia Region primed for growth as businesses seek to flee urban areas
Inslee loosens reopening criteria; local COVID-19 vaccine appointments available
Everett Herald (subscription required)
State order targets Boeing Everett plant’s polluted history
House transportation package proposes widening Highway 524 (Ortiz-Self)
High court ruling spurs effort to retool state’s drug laws (Dhingra, Rolfes, Davis)
Stilly River bridge work to jam I-5 traffic near Arlington
Cornfield Report: 5 wrinkles for lawmakers to iron out in session’s last days
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
McCoy receives an overdue tribute from Senate colleagues(Robinson, Conway, Hobbs, Rolfes)
Editorial: Court ruling requires focus on addiction treatment (Dhingra, Davis)
Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
Marvin Williams Center hosts vaccine event for marginalized and ‘hard-to-reach’ populations
Kitsap County to roll out additional $18 million in rental assistance and eviction prevention funding
Kitsap County plans to create equity and inclusion committee
Washington state Senate OKs carbon-cap legislation
Gorst fix gains traction, but will lawmakers pass $413 million plan to expand the highway?
News Tribune (subscription required)
Motion Church tells state mask, social distancing guidelines will be followed
16 years of waiting: Here’s everything you’ll find at Edgewood’s new 18-acre park
Pierce County had the first baby court in the state. Now it’s starting elsewhere
TPCHD leader warns of rising COVID cases after some county leaders call for delay in phase metrics
Does Tacoma really want to reduce gun violence? If so, it’s time to bite the bullet
Editorial: A big gamble for Washington: Help non-tribal cardrooms survive or let them die?
Wait until May to evaluate, business groups and county chambers ask in letter to Inslee
Olympian (subscription required)
Thurston County attorney to lead state Office of Public Defense
Multi-state salmonella outbreak prompts raw ground turkey health alert
Washington Gov. Inslee makes it harder for counties to backslide in COVID-19 reopening
Thurston County will spend up to $1 million to manage Olympia homeless encampments
Internet sensation K9 Arlo retires after recovering from I-5 shooting
Peninsula Daily News
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Travel could cause COVID surge
Appointments available for vaccination clinics
Peninsula overdose deaths seem to be on the rise
Port Hadlock’s Community Boat Project addresses affordable housing
EYE ON JEFFERSON: County to consider affordable housing project
Health officers: Get vaccinated for your community
Port Townsend Leader
COVID-19 case count in Jefferson County on the rise again
Puget Sound Business Journal
Inslee: Employers can now seek proof that workers are at high risk for Covid
Opinion: Make a difference. Mask up.
Opinion: Behavioral health professionals are key to addressing crisis
Sound Transit sets opening date for Northgate light rail extension
Microsoft to open public vaccination clinic on its Redmond campus
Seattle Gay News
37th District town hall centers economic, environmental justice (Saldaña, Santos, Harris-Talley)
Seattle Medium
Inslee Signs Bill Restoring Voting Rights To Formerly Incarcerated Individuals (Simmons)
Seattle Times (subscription required)
Cops for $1,000 a day: How Seattle spends millions hiring off-duty police officers but does little to monitor their moonlighting
Gas taxes, food delivery fees and more: Washington lawmakers eye 33 fees, taxes to pay for transportation (Hobbs)
As police reforms near passage, Washington State Patrol sexual misconduct case tests state oversight law
In Seattle, school district rushes to comply with Inslee’s order to reopen schools for secondary students
Opinion: Listen to the science regarding trans or intersex students
Editorial: Ensure high standards in sexual-assault response (Orwall)
Skagit Valley Herald
House passes bill allowing overtime pay for farmworkers
South Seattle Emerald
Historic overtime bill for agriculture workers provides a chance at equal labor laws
How medical racism robs Black families of joyous birth experiences
Amazon eyes site of Rainier Valley Lowe’s for new distribution center
Native communities seek to keep the spirit of the powwow alive during the pandemic
County faces steep decline in available vaccines, youth sports teams see outbreaks
Forum to address air and noise pollution in Beacon Hill, South King County
Opinion: Seattle activists’ continued fight for mutual aid, true equity, and defunding SPD
DAJD could do more to prevent deaths in jails, disciplines with racial bias, report finds
Participatory budgeting committee for unincorporated King county seeks participants
Honoring Yom Hashoah: Holocaust Remembrance Day
Spokesman Review
Getting There: New legislative funds could accelerate North Spokane Corridor construction, but don’t get your hopes up
A COVID-19 ‘vaccine passport’? Local lawmakers urge caution on possibility while also longing for herd immunity
Key leader in Spokane’s homelessness response leaves City Hall
Opinion: Faith and Values: Combatting climate change is a duty of our faith — whatever it may be
Vancouver Business Journal
City of Vancouver awards $6.2 million to local affordable housing, temporary shelter projects, homelessness services
Washington Post
The rise of domestic extremism in America
Police fatally shoot man, 20, in suburban Minneapolis, sparking protests
Yakima Herald Republic
Investigation finds nearly 200 cops with credibility issues still working in Washington state
Yakima Health District calls coronavirus trends ‘concerning;’ urges people to get vaccine and follow recommendations
Biz groups ask governor not to roll some counties to Phase 2
“Right to counsel” law advancing through Legislature (Kuderer)
Senate passes bill to prevent and fight wildfires (Springer)
Broadcast
KING5 TV (NBC)
Inslee could announce stricter COVID-19 rules for some Washington counties Monday
Washington closing in on law to ensure lawyers for some tenants facing eviction
WSDOT plans to widen I-5 through Seattle to hopefully improve congestion downtown
VERIFY: Are you better off if you get COVID-19 now versus a year ago?
KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Gov. Inslee expected to announce which counties may go back to phase 2
Toddler, 3 others injured in Central District shooting
Local union votes to authorize strike if contract cannot be reached with Boeing
Street racers flip over, shoot fireworks at car in the University District
Misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine may be driving a shortage of blood donations
Group of community leaders across state write letter to Gov. Inslee asking for pause on phase rollback
State changes rules, fewer counties to return to Phase 2
KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Seattle home to new trial to test updated Moderna vaccine
WSDOT seeking recent high school graduates to join their maintenance team
KNKX FM
As police reforms near passage, Washington State Patrol sexual misconduct case tests state oversight
Washington Lawmakers Move Closer To Passing Clean Fuels Bill; Opponents Say It’s Too Costly (Fitzgibbon)
Inslee alters COVID criteria for counties to reopen — or roll back
KUOW FM
One-third of COVID cases are ‘variants of concern’ in Washington State
As police reforms near passage, Washington State Patrol sexual misconduct case tests state oversight
Northwest ports pledge to stop air pollution (29 years from now)
Coronavirus blog: Updates for Seattle and Washington state
People living outside struggle to get on Seattle’s housing waitlist as homelessness rises
Police accountability, a new charter initiative, and the end of the Amazon union push, this week
Eligible for a vaccine in Seattle but unable to get one? It might be your ZIP code
This week in head scratchers: Bezos supports a rise in the corporate tax rate?
KXLY (ABC)
Spokane Arena vaccine site taking walk-ins
Spokane Phase 3 evaluation on Monday
Q13 TV (Fox)
Counties at risk of reopening rollbacks
Inslee: Counties must now fail 2 metrics, not just 1, to move back to Phase 2 in Washington
Washington state businesses call on Gov. Inslee to pause plans to roll back some counties to Phase 2
The Divide: Counties face phase relapse
Online COVID-19 vaccine locators prepare for influx in users once eligibility opens to all adults April 15
Brandi Kruse: Stop punishing kids with your ‘wokeness’
Web
Crosscut
Grocery workers accuse QFC of closing stores as union retaliation
Community science could help us save Washington’s amphibians
Opinion: A better way to plan the post-pandemic Puget Sound
MyNorthwest
Business organizations urge Gov. Inslee to delay rollback decision
Local union votes to authorize strike if deal can’t be met with Boeing
Juneteenth set to become an official Washington state holiday
COVID updates: Some counties could drop back to Phase 2 this week
Toddler, three others injured in Central District shooting
Street racers flip over, shoot fireworks at car in the University District
What to expect with 5 Washington counties now at risk of rollback to Phase 2
Legislature poised to bring sweeping police reforms to Washington
King, Snohomish counties likely to avoid roll back to Phase 2 next week
Slog
Seattle Public Utilities Wants to Turn Us All into Waterbenders