Starting in 2023, an estimated 420,000 Washingtonians will get tax rebates of $300 to $1,200
Starting in 2023, an estimated 420,000 Washingtonians will receive rebates of between $300 and $1,200. The program, modeled after the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), is expected to pay out about $250 million a year. “I wish we could do more. But this is a historical piece,” said Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Newcastle, the chief sponsor of tax-rebate measure, House Bill 1297. “It’s a little thing that government can do for the people.” Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Greg Gilbert)
Gov. Inslee signs bills to help Washington’s unemployed residents
With a sweep of the governor’s pen, a set of bills aimed at helping improve the state’s unemployed residents became law on Friday. The governor signed Substitute House Bill 1455, Substitute House Bill 1493, and Substitute Senate Bill 5425, all of which passed the Legislature last week. Continue reading at MyNorthwest. (Ted S. Warren)
All Washington students can be learning in-person Monday
Students in Washington who have have not already begun in-person learning and want to will do so on Monday. Gov. Jay Inslee signed an emergency proclamation in March requiring all public K-12 schools to provide an in-person learning option for all students by April 19, KING5 reported. The proclamation requires schools to offer an in-person instruction option that equates to at least 30% instructional time. Continue reading at The Yakima Herald.
Associated Press
Lawsuit over 737 crash alleges autothrottle malfunction
Boeing sees uptick in airplane orders as travel picks up
Inslee signs measure addressing health provider PPE costs
State Senate OKs bill to reinstate drug possession penalties
Billions spent on coronavirus fight, but what happens next?
Public health seeks steady funding, not feast or famine
All Washington students will be learning in-person Monday
Fire crews battle brush fire amid hot temperatures, wind
Marshawn Lynch discusses vaccine hesitancy with Dr. Fauci
Aberdeen Daily World
New approach to drug possession: State Senate says make it a gross misdemeanor (Dhingra, Simmons)
Aberdeen City Hall homeless camp extended through July 31
Two more mass vaccination site clinics scheduled, many other local vaccine options available
Auburn Reporter
Auburn studies criminal penalties for illegal camping on public property
Column: Democrats, Republicans, budgets and taxes | Roegner
Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
These BTC students’ efforts ‘will have a cascading effect on future generations’ of salmon
State restricts outdoor fires as conditions dry out
New pandemic relief considered in Bellingham for these ‘essential’ workers
Whatcom sees 52 new COVID-19 cases Saturday
Republican lawmakers still pressing for action to limit governor’s emergency powers
Chinook Salmon are returning to Whatcom Creek thanks to this program
Whatcom sees 30 new COVID-19 cases Friday, WWU changes phases to open up more
‘This doesn’t feel like the right moment’ to reopen U.S. border, Canadian official says
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Friday in Washington state
Capital Press
Washington lawmakers look at three ways to increase fuel costs
Columbian
In Our View: Wildfire bill approval will be investment in state
In Our View: President on right track with infrastructure plan
In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Manufacturing jobs; COVID-19
The Daily News
Effort to bring K-5 back to class Monday is ‘problem solving room by room’
Study finds Chinook salmon are returning to rivers younger than before, re-sparking debate on fish management
Everett Herald (subscription required)
County nixes new shelter plan, expands cold-weather refuge
Survey: Snohomish is state’s sixth-healthiest county
Paull Shin went from Seoul streets to Senate leadership (Liias, Ryu)
Cornfield Report: Is the ‘grand bargain’ crumbling? Is a drug-law fix coming? (Fitzgibbon)
Mill Creek has new drug law — it could be obsolete in days
Ouch: Judge orders Tim Eyman to pay state’s $2.9M legal tab
Tulalip Tribes reach deal with state on sports betting
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
State order targets Boeing Everett plant’s polluted history
Comment: State’s drug abuse reforms should include prevention
Comment: Lawmakers can start restoring equity to state taxes
Bloomberg Comment: Canceling kids’ sports is doing more harm than good
Editorial: Lawmakers must keep at transportation’s grand deal (Fitzgibbon)
High Country News
Species conservation is a human problem
Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
A little more than a year after COVID-19 hit, Kitsap reaches 100 virus deaths
Future of state transportation projects hinge on carbon-pricing debate (Hobbs)
Opinion: History of discrimination against Asian Americans echoes back
News Tribune (subscription required)
Puyallup begins search for diversity consultant after calls for action against racism
Expect noise from JBLM as soldiers participate in training exercises
New York Times
As New Police Reform Laws Sweep Across the U.S., Some Ask: Are They Enough?
Covid-19 Live Updates: All U.S. Adults Eligible for Vaccine, Meeting a Biden Goal
Live Updates: Biden Invites More Lawmakers to the White House to Discuss Infrastructure
Progressive Lawmakers to Unveil Legislation on Energy and Public Housing
The Fed Faces Criticism as It Wades Into Climate and Equity Issues
North American Post
Nikkei Uncovered, A Poetry Column: Year-Ending
Olympian (subscription required)
Republican lawmakers still pressing for action to limit governor’s emergency powers (Paul, Chapman, Jinkins, Leavitt, Bronoske, Kirby)
Thurston County turns to voters to increase funding for Medic One system
As debate on Snake River dams churns, tribes quietly lead the way in reintroducing salmon
Racist Zoom bombings in North Thurston and across the state prompt calls for reform
Peninsula Daily News
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Virus cases rising on Olympic Peninsula
Port Townsend Leader
New COVID-19 infection found in mid-county area
Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle judge allows data privacy suits against Microsoft, Amazon to proceed
King County has millions for rental assistance, but payments face delays
Many employers are weighing vaccine mandates. They might not be worth the headache.
Seattle Medium
Inslee Signs Bill To Help Communities With Large Manufacturing Centers (Entenman)
Strickland Announces Diverse Community Project Funding Advisory Panel
Proposed Legislation By Cantwell, DelBene Would Build Millions Of New Affordable Housing Units
Seattle Times (subscription required)
Why some health care workers in Washington state were reluctant to get COVID shots
Politics, race were key factors when Washington schools reopened for in-person learning during pandemic
From incarceration to the Washington Legislature, Rep. Tarra Simmons hits her stride in first term in Olympia (Simmons, Randall)
How a Japanese immigrant stood up to the injustices of his day with a pioneering civil rights message that resonates in ours
Auburn’s proposal to change civil fee to criminal charge is not ‘criminalizing homelessness,’ say officials
Opinion: Earth Day 2021: A year for bold action on climate and environmental justice
Starting in 2023, an estimated 420,000 Washingtonians will get tax rebates of $300 to $1,200 (Thai, Nguyen)
Zoom bombings that target marginalized people spark demands for legal protections
Skagit Valley Herald
New trails and restoration work highlight group’s efforts
South Seattle Emerald
Opinion: Loss in Bessemer was the beginning, not the end, of organizing inside Amazon
Lawsuit challenges state and counties to refund financial penalties for drug charges
Weekend Long Reads: Why the CDC ‘paused’ the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine
Current and former staff call out anti-Blackness at Ingersoll Gender Center
Case numbers hold steady but health officials warn, ‘not the time to blink’
Port of Seattle business accelerator centers women- and minority-owned businesses
Councilmember Morales unveils legislation to stop “discriminatory” loophole and prevent no-cause evictions
Spokesman Review
Police halt drug possession arrests as they await major rewrite of Washington’s drug laws after Supreme Court ruling (Dhingra, Frockt)
Coeur d’Alene, Walla Walla, Lewiston and other ‘metropolitan areas’ could lose that status under federal proposal
Department of Children, Youth and Family Services to pay $300,000 settlement following discrimination investigation
Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities online auction to help women with scholarships, mentorships and more
Every day is Earth Day for some PNNL researchers
Critic of Kennewick School District COVID decisions to run for school board
Tri-Cities food banks delivered 1,600% increase in meals during COVID pandemic
‘Senseless death.’ Two young Tri-Cities fathers. More than two lives ruined
‘Iconic view.’ Developer proposes Tri-Cities hilltop hotel. Neighbors are up in arms
Free COVID vaccinations available at Pasco drive-thru event Sunday
Woman, 25, dies of gunshot wound outside a Tri-Cities home
2 more COVID deaths in Tri-Cities area, as new cases still rising
Finley crash ties up traffic when 21-year-old hits oncoming construction truck
Tri-Cities garden to cultivate health and crush cancer
Tri-Cities physical therapist’s license suspended after sexual assaults in senior care facilities
Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Weston-McEwen student Aiden Wolf writes about growing out his hair to honor his native culture
Over 30K pounds of dog food donated to Blue Mountain Humane Society
Walla Walla streateries can stay — with new guidelines
Walla Walla officials say mass clinics will wind down as case counts remain low
Walla Walla County reports five new COVID-19 cases Thursday
Walla Walla Valley farmers markets plan season openers with pandemic guidelines set
Walla Walla’s Ryan Dahlin back in jail for allegedly violating release agreement on child sex crimes
April’s Walla Walla Wine Month booming in 2021 as restrictions ease
Walla Walla woman pleads guilty to taking grandma’s car
Washington Post
Ex-officer who police say killed 3 in Austin has been arrested after 20-hour manhunt
Union alleges Amazon pressured workers as it seeks to set aside warehouse vote
The race to untangle the secrets of rare, severe blood clots after Johnson & Johnson vaccination
NASA flies a helicopter on Mars, the first time an aircraft has flown on another planet
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny moved to prison hospital amid concerns for his failing health
Prosecution’s closing arguments urge jury to believe what it saw
Yakima Herald Republic
County pest board seeks public’s help to contain apple maggots
Yakima faith coalition to host Zoom memorial for COVID victims
All Washington students can be learning in-person Monday
Billions spent on coronavirus fight, but what happens next?
Fire crews battle brush fire amid hot temperatures, wind
Yakima Valley schools likely to apply for high school graduation waiver option
Wildfire bill focused on electric utilities heads to Inslee’s desk
Broadcast
KING5 TV (NBC)
Remainder of Washington students can return to classrooms Monday
Washington could ban new gasoline cars by 2030, ahead of other states
Washington’s universities consider requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students
Mother of man killed by police hopes lawsuit, more diversity in Washington Legislature will change laws (Johnson, Nobles, Lovick)
KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Parents want removal of homeless encampment near school
Young people driving another COVID-19 surge in Pierce County, health officials say
Concerns warm weather could lead to tragedy on the water
Students protest Seattle Pacific University policies after discrimination lawsuit
Crowd concerns at forefront as warm weather drives people outdoors
Senate passes drug possession fix, sponsor votes against it (Dhingra, Goodman)
KOMO4 TV (ABC)
One homeless encampment cleared, but another remains as Seattle students return to school
Coronavirus vaccine supply is still well short of demand
KNKX FM
Northwest Snowpack Is Good, But Dry, Cold, Windy Spring Wreaking Havoc With Crops
KUOW FM
Blog: Pandemic updates for Washington
U.S., China Agree To Cooperate On Climate Crisis With Urgency
After a milestone week, calls for patience and perseverance on a tenuous Covid plateau
NW Public Radio
Unrecognized Tribes Like The Chinook In SW Washington Struggle Without Federal Help In Pandemic
Past As Prologue: Sheep, Ranching And The Beginning Of Industrial Agriculture In The Northwest
Q13 TV (Fox)
State lawmakers debate drug possession laws (Nguyen)
Washington becomes first state to provide forensic exams for survivors of strangulation (Dhingra)
Potential COVID-19 antiviral drug being tested in humans after proving effective in hamster study
Brandi Kruse: Supporting police doesn’t mean ignoring mistakes
The Divide: What is behind vaccine hesitancy?
Web
Car and Driver
Washington State Plans to Ban Sales of Gasoline Cars after 2030 (Liias)
Crosscut
Washington now recognizes Juneteenth, but there’s more to the story
MyNorthwest
Parents want removal of homeless encampment near school
Boeing union members ratify new contract, avoid a strike
COVID updates: All US adults now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Tulalip Tribe reaches deal for first sports betting contract in Washington
Tentative agreement reached between Boeing, local union
King County hovering just below Phase 3 threshold
Gov. Inslee signs bill to put statue of tribal rights activist Billy Frank Jr. at U.S. Capitol
Gov. Inslee signs bills to help Washington’s unemployed residents
State Auditor responds to ESD’s claim that audit numbers are ‘inflated’
West Seattle Blog
ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, WEATHER: Back-to-school Monday watch, with Water Taxi schedule change
Part-time in-person learning starts for middle-, high-school students