Heat and smoke protections for WA farmworkers may fall short
While Washington regulators created new rules to protect farmworkers who harvest during the heat and smoke, worker advocates say the protections fall far short of what’s necessary. Under the emergency rules, temperatures must break 100 degrees before employers are required to provide a paid cooling break, and air pollution must reach hazardous levels before farm owners must provide masks. Continue reading at Crosscut.
Washington’s unemployment recovery among fastest in US
Washington’s unemployment rate continues to improve as it recovers from significant Covid-19 pandemic-related job losses. A report by WalletHub found Washington’s change in unemployment claim numbers for the week ending Aug. 2 was 75% less than it was the same week in 2020. The state still hasn’t fully returned to its 2019 level, however. There were about 1.5% more claims filed last week than were filed in the same period in 2019. Continue reading at Puget Sound Business Journal.
Rep. Lovick: Comment: State’s new laws on policing an aid to police, public
Forty years ago, I proudly joined the Washington State Patrol. Back then, I had the utmost respect for our community’s protectors. Now, I have 40 times more respect for them. Yet we are having more difficulty coming together than ever before. When you’re involved in complex legislation determining the future of policing, it isn’t about who is right, but about doing what is right. I spent 2020 looking into people’s eyes and listening to their pain. As someone who wore the badge for decades, I needed to hear this. It was the first step in a journey toward collective healing. Continue reading at The Everett Herald.
Associated Press
WSU to end ‘personal or philosophical’ vaccine exemptions
COVID-19 outbreak at veterans home kills 1, 32 test positive
Washington state promotes 3rd vaccine dose for ‘vulnerable’
Food stamp benefits to see largest single increase in program history
Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses
Aberdeen Daily World
Planners to ask Aberdeen for $7 million local commitment to North Shore Levee
Bainbridge Island Review
Kitsap expert: Wear masks in public indoors
Opinion: We have a moral responsibility to undo racism
Opinion: Spend more on front end to protect environment
Capital Press
Northwest potato farmers ‘clobbered’ by weather, hope for average crop
After the Bootleg: Ranchers add up losses from massive fire
Columbian
COVID presents Clark County schools chiefs with obstacles and opportunity
Opinion: In Our View: Infrastructure bill a win for Washington, U.S.
Opinion: In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Olympic spirit; bureaucracy
Courier-Herald
Opinion: Technology and the post-pandemic restructuring of education
Everett Herald
2020 Census: Snohomish County grows by more than 114,000
Frustration and fear as closures at Monroe prison begin
What the infrastructure bill could mean for Snohomish County
Mukilteo’s new road offers slower parallel to Speedway
Amid surging cases, nurses and others protest vax mandates
With no proof, Snohomish event will consider election fraud
Reykdal presses his case for mandatory teacher vaccinations
Rep. Lovick: Comment: State’s new laws on policing an aid to police, public
Editorial: The UN climate report, ‘The Lorax’ and us
Opinion: Burke: Can’t we agree on more than an onion shortage is bad?
Comment: What’s keeping us from affordable housing
Viewpoint: Heat waves not topping records but shattering them
Forum; Can we call a ceasefire to verbal gun battles?
Bloomberg Comment: Very few medical exemptions for vaccines legitimate
WaPo Comment: At 100, WWII vet mourns hate’s hold in own country
WaPo Comment: No, casual contact with fentanyl won’t cause overdose
Letter: There are other team names we should reconsider
Letter: Recent history explains much about rules of racism
The Facts Newspaper
Delta variant drives dramatic spike in cases, further exhausting hospital capacity across the state
Federal Way Mirror
County applies for acquisition funding assistance of Federal Way Red Lion hotel
The Inlander
Why Washington is knowingly violating its own laws in the treatment of mentally ill suspects
Rent in the Inland Northwest is soaring, and tenants feel powerless to stop it
Journal of the San Juan Islands
Regional transportation authorities consider passenger-only ferry options
Inslee announces vaccination requirement for most state employees, private health care and long-term care workers
Kirkland Reporter
Opinion: It’s time to rethink Washington’s long-term care law
Kitsap Sun
Deal to add 200 acres to Newberry Hill Heritage Park in the works
News Tribune
Prepare for 10-mile backups as construction closes state Route 167 later this month
Dedication ceremony set for Puyallup sculpture that pays tribute to Japanese Americans
More Idahoans are using ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Officials warn it could be dangerous
Op-Ed: Congress should do these 2 things to help Pierce County with safe, transparent police work
New York Times
Afghanistan Live Updates: Fear Spreads in Kabul as Taliban Take Charge
Delta Surge Drives Home Painful Truth: Covid Isn’t Going Away
As a big wildfire is contained in Oregon, others force thousands to evacuate across the West.
Food stamp aid will rise a record amount.
Olympian
Olympia, Lacey, Thurston County to work together to maintain junction of major trails
Mount Rainier National Park considering shuttles along Nisqually corridor
Are you ready to pay a tax in Thurston County to support low-income housing?
Thurston County school districts face a key shortage as the new year approaches
Hundreds gather at Capitol to protest Gov. Inslee’s vaccine mandate for state workers
Port Townsend Leader
Jefferson County Public Health: Nearly 90 percent of COVID cases are unvaccinated residents
Mask mandate to start Monday in Jefferson County
Puget Sound Business Journal
With City Hall Park now cleared, lawmaker suggests building affordable housing there
Sea-Tac Airport tenants grapple with building delays, worker shortages
Washington’s unemployment recovery among fastest in US
Seattle Times
Frustration, rage and surging COVID-19: This is not the summer we hoped for
5 census takeaways: When it comes to race, ethnicity in Seattle, 2020 data tells us who’s moving in, who’s moving out
UW Medicine offering third vaccinations, rescheduling surgeries as delta variant surges
Did the oldest male southern resident orca die too young — at just 35?
‘It’s a nightmare’: Their homeland racked by war, famine, Seattle’s Tigrayan community looks for answers
Thin blue line thickens after murder charges for Tacoma police officers in Manuel Ellis’ death
As wildfires overwhelm the West, officials try to predict their path
Sound Transit faces a $6.5 billion shortfall. Here’s what it might do (Fey, Hackney)
Sen. Das: Green roof legislation promises a multitude of community benefits
Skagit Valley Herald
Despite year’s challenges, Skagit County Fair sees higher attendance
Hitting Home: Latest climate change report underscores impacts for Skagit County
Controversy continues between Seattle, tribes over Skagit River dam
Fix-It Days project offers 10th year of repairs in continued effort to reduce trash
New Anacortes police chief a familiar face
Bear Creek Fire smoldering in North Cascades National Park
Smoke settles over Skagit County
The Skanner
Seattle Park Encampment Gone After Dozens Get Housing
Death Toll of Powerful Earthquake in Haiti Soars to 1,297
Chaos as Thousands flee Afghanistan after Taliban Takeover
Afghan Women Losing Rights as Taliban Approach Kabul
Federal Judge Leaves CDC Evictions Moratorium in Place
Snoqualmie Valley Record
North Bend asks residents to voluntarily conserve water
County enters planning phases for Snoqualmie Valley improvement plan
South Whidbey Record
Letter: Children should not be forced to endure face masks
Tri-City Herald
‘Wishing for a deep breath.’ Fundraisers launched for Tri-Citians in ICU with COVID
This entrance to Kennewick’s Columbia Park is closing until fall for construction
More Tri-Cities deaths from COVID reported. Mostly unvaccinated people dying
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
Delta variant drives dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases across state
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Ports in Walla Walla, Columbia counties awarded $2 million for rural broadband projects
Hospitals staggering as variant spreads ‘like wildfire’ in Washington, not quite as quickly in Walla Walla, Columbia counties
Ports in Walla Walla, Columbia counties awarded $2 million for rural broadband projects
Dayton City Council member Delphine Bailey resigns amid turmoil over recent firings of top city staff
Designer approved for Walla Walla’s Heritage Square project, $2.5 million construction slated for 2022
Washington Post
Fear, uncertainty and chaos in Afghanistan after Taliban’s rapid return to power
Scenes of deadly chaos unfold at Kabul airport after Taliban’s return
Afghan security forces’ wholesale collapse was years in the making
Aid workers scramble to save Haiti earthquake victims as storm approaches
Nearly a third of U.S. workers under 40 considered changing careers during the pandemic
Whidbey News-Times
Oak Harbor school board clears the room after audience shouts disrupt meeting
Letter: Mask up for the safety of those on the front line
Letter: Need to step up, mandate wearing of face masks
Letter: Non-citizens get more protections than U.S. citizens
Yakima Herald Republic
Yakima sets record with 103-degree high Sunday, but air quality remains an issue
Danger level remains high for Schneider Springs Fire as closures expand
Attorney says Don Wayman was fired for being a whistleblower, but Selah mayor disagrees
Yakima protesters object to mask and vaccine requirements
Editorial: First responders deserve our thanks — it’s their busy season
LA Times Column: Here’s how Fox News’ white supremacist propaganda can be stopped
Broadcast
KING5 TV (NBC)
Wildfire forces evacuations near Lake Chelan
Puget Sound region gets relief after days dealing with wildfire smoke
Wildfire smoke linked to a rise of COVID-19 cases in Washington during 2020, Harvard study finds
Kent community fights back against gun violence
KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Back to school: Parents urged to get their kids’ vaccines, well-checks now
Unemployment benefits may be denied to workers fired for not being vaccinated
Rising COVID cases in Washington stir concern about another lockdown
KXLY (ABC)
Spokane air quality improves to ‘moderate’
Packed In: Realtors turn to cold calling to get more homes on the market
Gonzaga requiring all people on campus to wear masks
Fire near Ford grows to 2000 acres, prompting Level 3 evacuations
Spokane sets new weather record for 90 degree days
‘It’s sad:’ Families leave without playing soccer tournament due to unhealthy air quality
Q13 TV (Fox)
State Superintendent wants Inslee to require COVID-19 vaccination for K–12 school employees
Officials: Delta causing COVID-19 cases in Washington to ‘spread like wildfire’
COVID-19 outbreak at veterans home kills 1, 32 test positive
Web
Crosscut
King County rent relief still slow to reach tenants
Opinion: Seattle should require vaccine proof at restaurants and bars
Cleaning up nuclear waste at Hanford: Secrecy, delays and budget debates
Communities under fire | Comunidades e incendios
Heat and smoke protections for WA farmworkers may fall short
MyNorthwest
Seattle council set to vote on bill limiting SPD’s use of less lethal weapons during protests
Puget Sound region gets early-week breather from heat and smoke
Kent husband, father working to get family out of Afghanistan
Lawmaker calls for Seattle to give county control over City Hall Park following closure
Kitsap renewed mask directive follows ‘explosion’ in cases
Where COVID case rates, hospitalizations are highest in Washington
Seattle Public Schools requires all ‘non-represented’ staff to be vaccinated
New mask guidance for high school sports in Washington
La Raza del Noroeste
Las variantes del COVID-19: Cómo mantenerse protegido a largo plazo