WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Tuesday, May 11

On a concrete rooftop patio wit ha city skyline nad mountains in the background, a person in a pink suit stands and looks up at the sky.

Insurers in WA must cover transgender health care under new bill
At 19, Venus Aoki left Mexico because of the discrimination she experienced there as a transgender woman. She came to the United States seeking medical care to aid her transition — a process that would require additional procedures and therapy. Yet, even since arriving in Washington state five years ago, Aoki, now 24, has still been unable to access some of the gender-affirming treatments prescribed by her doctor. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Dorothy Edwards)


The light gray dome and pillars of the Washington state capitol against a blue sky, with daffodils in the foreground lining the walkway toward the building.

‘A dramatic shift’: Inslee signs legislation to address child care shortages into law
A bill that supporters say expands access to child care and early learning was signed Friday by Gov. Jay Inslee in a virtual celebration for providers. The bill, which Spokane providers say was desperately needed after the COVID-19 pandemic, provides new funding for child care and early learning. Continue reading at The Spokesman-Review. (Ted S. Warren)


A brick school building is silhouetted against a blue sky, with bare trees lining the street in front of it while a school billboard stands in the middle of a lawn. The sign has a Native American mascot illustrated above the words “North Central Indians.”

Spokane Tribe says ‘no’ to Native American mascots
Washington has a new law that bans schools from using Native American imagery without a tribe’s consent. The Spokane Tribe says it won’t be endorsing any such proposals. The Reardan-Edwall, Wellpinit and Spokane school districts all currently use Native American themed mascots. North Central High School in Spokane and Reardan-Edwall, which is spread between Lincoln and Spokane Counties and has many students from the tribe, both use Indians. Wellpinit uses a slur as its mascot. Continue reading at KUOW. (Rebecca White)


Print

Associated Press
Wash. governor signs bill requiring “just cause” eviction
EPA awards grants for beach water monitoring, notifications
Drug overdoses skyrocket in Washington state amid COVID
Pfizer COVID-19 shot expanded to US children as young as 12
Officials report state’s first rabies-positive bat of 2021
Inslee approves bill curbing debt-based license suspensions
Pentagon may scrap huge $10 billion computing contract awarded to Microsoft
UO, Western Oregon to require students to get COVID shotsz

Aberdeen Daily World
Treasury readies first batch of $350 billion aid to states, localities
Capital gains tax: A look at how Washington got here and what’s still to come
Letter: No low barrier shelter; fine, now what’s the plan?

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers confirmed Monday in Washington state
Whatcom’s fourth COVID wave looking quite different, as county sees three new variants
Kids between 12 and 15 years old can now receive Pfizer COVID vaccine, FDA announces
Mask-wearing could become seasonal after COVID pandemic, Fauci says. Here’s why
Why successful Asian Americans are penalized at the workplace

Capital Press
Nature’s cleanup crew: Dung beetles control farm pests and pathogens

Columbian
Clark County tallies three-day total of 290 COVID-19 cases

El Sol De Yakima (available in English via Google Translate)
Free food boxes to be distributed in Yakima, Sunnyside, Union Gap
Seniors can apply for food stamps to use at farmers markets

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Former community hub in Marysville set for demolition
Prosecutor suspended for evidence errors in drug ring trial
Coupeville ferry route down to one boat through June 27
Inslee signs bill extending tax break used by area cities
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
WaPo Comment: The Zoom era has changed our conversations
WaPo Comment: Justice Breyer should do what Ginsburg didn’t; retire
50 years ago, election ushered in new era for U.S. tribes

The Facts Newspaper
King County Remains in Phase 3

High Country News
Is California’s carbon offset program actually helping the environment?
Solving the West’s housing crisis

News Tribune (subscription required)
Graduation ceremonies will be outdoors, but in person, for Tacoma, other districts
Op-Ed: Of COVID and Voldemort: A year later, Tacoma mayor no longer slow to speak of virus
Editorial: ‘I was pretty mad’: Tacoma’s top lawmaker not fond of Inslee’s erratic COVID-19 plan (Jinkins, Nobles, Leavitt, Bronoske, Conway, Kirby, Morgan, Randall, Wilson)
Mayoral candidate says ‘minor things’ led to teaching ban in four Seattle schools

New York Times
To Vaccinate Younger Teens, States and Cities Look to Schools, Camps, Even Beaches
For Clean Energy, Buy American or Buy It Quick and Cheap?
Biden Administration Approves Nation’s First Major Offshore Wind Farm
Efforts to Weed Out Extremists in Law Enforcement Meet Resistance
Democrats’ election overhaul is expected to clear a major hurdle, but it faces a filibuster in the Senate.
The White House will allow undocumented college students access to emergency pandemic aid.

Olympian (subscription required)
Lummi tribal carvers make Olympia stop on totem journey to D.C.
Local military base starts farmers market. Vendors, including vets, encouraged to join
Move over, Sephora: New library branch to open in Capital Mall in June
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers confirmed Monday in Washington state

Peninsula Daily News
Clallam County eyes equity agenda
Free beer with vaccine
Police chief starts position
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Drug overdoses skyrocket in state amid COVID
Peninsula numbers leveling, but state cases may take a few more weeks
Rental, utility assistance available through Serenity House

Puget Sound Business Journal
SBA awards billions in Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants. But the money is likely to dry up quickly.
Boeing notches positive order stream for third consecutive month
Report: Seattle ranks among top 10 metros for tech job postings
Eastside program aims to help small businesses recover from pandemic
PPP loan forgiveness process could drag out for ‘six to eight years’
Opinion: Seattle, how important is equity to you?

Seattle Medium
Inslee Signs Legislation That Expands Access To Childcare (Senn, Wilson)
Bill Expanding Affordable Housing Development Signed Into Law (Ramel, Das)
Governor Signs Berg Law To End Period Poverty For Students (Berg)

Seattle Times (subscription required)
Seattle 911 response times climbed in summer 2020. Now, police and activists debate what comes next
Halt to 737 MAX deliveries stymies Boeing’s recovery effort
Editorial: State Supreme Court undoes a piece of Washington’s racist past
Opinion: As Seattle slowly reopens, focus on the facts, not fears, of bus ridership

Spokesman Review
Capital gains tax: A look at how Washington got here and what’s still to come (Billig, Ormsby)
Restaurants worry about new plastics restrictions in Washington (Das)
‘A dramatic shift’: Inslee signs legislation to address child care shortages into law (Wilson, Billig)
Spin Control: Why is Washington so behind on vaccine freebies? Here’s some of the incentives it could offer

Vancouver Business Journal
Manufacturing, technology sectors provide solid foundation through pandemic and beyond

Washington Post
Opinion: Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal: We must fix the gaping holes in Medicare
Biden’s sweeping — and fluid — tax plans are making some congressional Democrats nervous
After Jerusalem erupts, deadly strikes and clashes spread across Israel and the Palestinian territories
Officers who killed Breonna Taylor should not have fired their weapons, internal investigator finds
Opinion: It’s time for Democrats to force Joe Manchin to show his hand

Yakima Herald Republic
As passenger numbers increase, Yakima Airport makes case for adding a 3rd daily Alaska Airlines flight
Pittsburg Post-Gazette Opinion: CNN commentator Rick Santorum needs a lesson on Native American history

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Olympia School District under fire after suggesting ineligible teens preregister for vaccines
Parents, schools prepare to give COVID-19 vaccines to kids 12 and up in Washington
Check your zip code: Map shows which King County neighborhoods are getting vaccinated
Sequim mayor’s t-shirt causes controversy
COVID-19 vaccinations appear to be driving down infections in Washington state

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Messages, ‘phone calls of hate’ reported after restaurant posts Covid-19 ‘tattletale list’
Lumen Field vaccination site prepares for kids ages 12 to 15
FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use for children age 12 to 15
New video storytelling campaign aims to lift up AAPI voices
SFD offering vaccines, free burgers at several Dick’s Drive-In locations
Lawsuits reveal city is missing June 2020 text messages from Seattle mayor, SPD leaders, fire chief

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Are lawmakers trying to fund major money projects using your tax dollars?

KNKX FM
Suicide warning signs missed at Washington state prisons, investigation finds

KUOW FM
Spokane Tribe says ‘no’ to Native American mascots
KUOW’s pandemic blog: Updates for the NW
Warren, Sanders Call For Expanding Food Aid To College Students
Why Soaring Stocks Could Be Bad News For The Economy
Government Housing Vouchers Are Hard To Get, And Hard To Use
FDA OKs Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For 12-15 Age Group
We asked for Mayor Jenny Durkan’s text messages, and this is what we got

Q13 TV (Fox)
‘There needs to be recourse’: Deputies have limited options in White Center vandalism cases

Web

Crosscut
Tribes can hunt on ancestral lands north of U.S. border, Canada says
Opinion: Why I’m holding my applause for Washington’s new foster care law
Tensions rise as Seattle City Hall seeks alternatives to police
Opinion: WA’s crackdown on street racing misses car culture’s bigger problem
Insurers in WA must cover transgender health care under new bill (Liias)
Opinion: In Washington politics, is it really Seattle’s state now?
What phase are we in? King County staying in Phase 3 — for now

Slog
Can Jet Fuel Ever Be “Sustainable”? The Port of Seattle Hopes So

West Seattle Blog
Another year proposed for outdoor restaurant/retail space, and maybe forever