Rescue Plan lowers health plan costs, drives record sign-ups, state exchange says
More than 57,000 Washington residents signed up for health care coverage between Feb. 15 and Aug. 15 on the state’s insurance marketplace, according to Washington Healthplanfinder. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange opened a special enrollment period in February in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic upheaval. Any individual in Washington was able to apply for coverage or compare and upgrade their existing insurance. Continue reading at The Olympian.

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Data shows failing grades across several school districts as educators face ‘COVID slide’
As kids head back to the classroom, educators will be assessing the pandemic’s impact on learning — what’s been called the “COVID slide” — and identifying any skill gaps to get students back on track. Data shows learning challenges are real in some areas, with some districts recording high numbers of failing grades as students and teachers tried to adjust to remote classes. Continue reading at KIRO 7.

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Washington state had fifth-most hate crimes per capita in 2020, a new FBI report says
New data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations shows a sharp rise in hate crimes in 2020 and the trend appears to be continuing this year, with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filing one such charge just days ago. Of the 7,764 reported hate crimes, 451 took place in Washington state. Many researchers and prosecutors believe the numbers are much higher as these types of crimes are often underreported. Continue reading at KOMO News.

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Associated Press
Seattle Children’s Hospital confirms 1st COVID-19 death
Report: Cops failure to make reforms contributed to shooting
Masks mandated for Washington State Fair visitors
Hanford orders new COVID-19 requirements for 11,000 workers

Auburn Reporter
State Fair in Puyallup to require face coverings at all times

Bellevue Reporter
Construction begins on Bellevue supportive housing project

Bellingham Herald
Whatcom wraps up second-worst month of pandemic with two more COVID-related deaths
Manager says 10-day Northwest Washington Fair ‘exceeded expectations’
Vaccinated Americans may be able to travel to Canada, but CDC issues advisory against it
 
Bothell-Kenmore Reporter
King County Council steps closer to establishing hate crime hotline

Capital Press
Drought, markets, demand push most NW farmland rental rates higher
Court strikes down Navigable Waters Protection Rule
Biologists research how climate change may impact Rocky Mountain elk

Columbian
Larch officer’s suit alleges discrimination by Washington DOC
Opinion: In Our View: Pandemic reinforces need for conservation

Courier-Herald
Fortunato calls on legislators to ‘rein in’ Inslee’s powers

The Daily News
Cowlitz County commissioners approve resolutions opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates
Wahkiakum County’s July unemployment rate is high for region, state, low for county
Visually impaired locals join statewide push for better transit options

Everett Herald
5 big transportation developments in 2021 to keep us rolling
Hospitalizations and COVID cases are near last winter’s peaks
Tribal casinos get federal OK to set up sports betting
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Editorial: Mob’s actions at school board meeting unacceptable
WaPo Comment: There is no silver bullet that can defeat covid-19
Letter: Recent police reforms don’t keep police from doing job
Letter: Vaccines and public health about more than individual

Federal Way Mirror
New policy prohibits unvaccinated South King firefighters from working with public

Issaquah Reporter
June heatwave, COVID overwhelm regional hospitals

Kent Reporter
Kent schools off to smooth start so far during pandemic
City of Kent won’t require vaccine mandates for employees

News Tribune
Dead people voted in Pierce County’s 2020 election. But it was grief, not a conspiracy
Tacoma fire crews extinguish Jefferson Park structure fire overnight
Latest COVID-19 surge continues in Pierce County. Woman in 20s among the dead
Tacoma area hospitals turning to tents to accommodate rush of patients amid COVID surge
Bonney Lake man calls 911 to report he shot a home intruder, deputies say
Of Serbs and salmon: How an immigrant’s heirs helped save a creek from development
Editorial: Take politics out of fire safety and limit Pierce County fireworks use to just one day

New York Times
After Silence From Supreme Court, Texas Clinics Confront Near-Total Abortion Ban

Olympian
Hanford orders new COVID vaccine requirement for 11,000 workers
Rescue Plan lowers health plan costs, drives record sign-ups, state exchange says
8 more Thurston County residents die of COVID amid 723 more cases in past week
Worries over COVID-19 surge lead to increased safety protocols at Washington State Fair

Peninsula Daily News
Clallam County man dies of COVID

Port Townsend Leader
Mothers feel pressure from pandemic on childcare, income and education

Puget Sound Business Journal
More questions than answers for renters, landlords after Supreme Court blocks federal evictions moratorium
Puyallup City Council votes to delay adoption of housing plan
Google is postponing its reopening until January amid surging Covid cases

Seattle Times
Washington State Ferries cruise toward a rocky Labor Day weekend (Hobbs, Rolfes)
Another strange year of school begins for Seattle-area kids, this time in person
Seattle sees a chilly start to meteorological fall, though warmer temps are expected soon
Column: After a COVID skeptic falls to the disease, people ask an awkward question: Should we care?
Seattle Children’s confirms its first patient death from COVID
King County sheriff’s failure to adopt reforms contributed to fatal shooting of Black Diamond man, report finds

Skagit Valley Herald
County COVID-19 testing and vaccine site reopens

Snoqualmie Valley Record
School district approves budget, suspends bus routes

South Whidbey Record
COVID cases skyrocketed among those without shots

Spokesman Review
As COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline draws near, unions hurry to reach bargaining deals
Spokane broke all sorts of weather records this summer, but experts warn the heat ‘will be fairly typical’ as time goes on
Hospitalizations, deaths due to COVID-19 continue dangerous climb in Inland Northwest
Opinion: Gordon S. Jackson: The right to go left

Tri-City Herald
Franklin COVID infections still nearly double WA state rate
Tri-Cities students head back to classes as COVID surges. Here’s what to expect
State’s new police reform laws have changed training on force, weapons use

Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
Islanders eligible for new County fund for child care resources
Census reveals slow growth for Vashon, a trend since the 1990s
First day of school arrives, as district fully reopens classrooms

Washington Post
Ida-linked deaths climb to 6, with hundreds of thousands still without power
With ban in effect, Texas abortion clinics will no longer terminate pregnancies after 6 weeks
Taliban engaged in heavy fighting around last province outside its control
Massive randomized study is proof that surgical masks limit coronavirus spread, authors say

Yakima Herald Republic
COVID vaccine Q&A: Safe for pregnancy, accountability for side effects and mRNA
Yakima County agrees to settlement in lawsuit alleging disenfranchisement of Latino voters

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
First Seattle Children’s patient dies of COVID-19
Back-to-school resource guide: How districts will handle COVID-19 safety
CDC director shares Labor Day, back-to-school tips amid COVID surge
In Ida’s aftermath, no quick relief in sight for Louisiana
Seattle Public Schools warns of bus delays on the first day of school Wednesday

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Seattle students head back to class, but some buses could run hours late
Seattle Children’s announces first patient death from COVID-19
Washington State Fair to require masks indoors and outdoors
Data shows failing grades across several school districts as educators face ‘COVID slide’
Kent man says US left his brother, mother behind in Afghanistan

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Washington state had fifth-most hate crimes per capita in 2020, a new FBI report says
Hate crimes against elderly Asians under-reported, local advocacy group says
Seattle Public School buses running up to two hours behind on first day of class
Seattle Children’s Hospital says first patient died of COVID-19

KNKX FM
‘This is likely to be a deadly threat’: What can we do to survive the next heat wave?
Biden Lays Out The Costs Of War To Defend His Decision To Leave Afghanistan
Vaccine mandate, long-term care insurance stirring controversy in Olympia
For local communities, combatting climate change starts with more plants, less pavement

KUOW FM
King County Considers Hate Crime Hotline Amid Rise in Racist Attacks
Pandemic blog: Updates for Washington state

KXLY (ABC)
‘There is no workforce’: Child care centers can’t find long term staff

NW Public Radio
Want To Opt-Out Of Washington’s New Long-Term Care Tax? Good Luck Getting A Private Policy In Time (Thai, Macri)

Q13 TV (Fox)
Summer flip-flop: Seattle ends up with more 100° days than Houston
‘We are better than this:’ Interim Seattle police chief says more officers needed to fight gun violence
Masks to be required for all, both indoors and outdoors, at 2021 Washington State Fair

Web

Crosscut
Vaccine-hesitant Washingtonians open up about their fears
King County’s rise in gun violence doesn’t have an easy explanation

MyNorthwest
Thousands of Seattle students return to school with COVID protocols
Hanford orders new COVID vaccination requirements
Masks required indoors and outdoors at Washington State Fair

Slog
“Compassion Seattle” Tossed as Seattle Public Schools Faces the Homelessness Crisis