Inside the exhausting start to Washington’s school year: COVID outbreaks, school-bus cuts and more
The chicken nuggets come with a side of Pacific Northwest breeze at Hazel Valley Elementary School in Burien. In an unmistakably pandemic scene last week, the external doors to the school cafeteria were propped open during lunchtime. Inside, children sat 6 feet apart at tables. Just outside, kids favoring a meal outdoors sat on opposite sides of repurposed computer tables under a large white tent, several clutching a new style of fidget toy under their tables. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Bettina Hansen)
Prison reform curbs some solitary confinement, but how much?
When a prisoner at the Monroe Correctional Complex was sanctioned for trying to incite a hunger strike last fall, his punishment was supposed to be 20 days in solitary confinement. Instead, he spent 112 days alone inside a cell as a drawn-out disciplinary process unfolded, according to a report by the Office of Corrections Ombuds, a state agency that monitors conditions in Washington prisons. Since July 2020, at least five other people at the Monroe prison were held in solitary for over a month while under investigation for infractions, the report says. Continue reading at The Everett Herald.
Vaccination rates rise at WA agencies ahead of deadline
COVID-19 vaccination rates at state agencies in Washington have climbed in recent weeks, ahead of a deadline for workers to be fully vaccinated or lose their jobs. Under Gov. Jay Inslee’s August order — considered one of the strictest in the nation — state and school workers and hundreds of thousands of health care employees are required to get their shots or lose their jobs on Oct. 18, unless they have received both a medical or religious exemption and a work accommodation. Continue reading at The Associated Press.
Associated Press
Vaccination rates rise at WA agencies ahead of deadline
Merck asks US FDA to authorize promising anti-COVID pill
More Washington State Ferries runs halted amid crew shortage
Rep. McMorris Rodgers has tested positive for COVID-19
Aberdeen Daily World
Aberdeen seriously considering downtown building for new museum location
Op-Ed: Protect our bears
Bellingham Herald
Bellingham gets new stoplights to help people cross these streets
Here are some safety tips if you’re driving and approach a blind person at a crosswalk
Whatcom sees four COVID-related deaths reported for second consecutive Friday
Ferndale Police officer placed on leave after allegedly contacting extremist group
Lynden Christian welcomes high school students back to class following COVID outbreak
Capital Press
Rep. McMorris Rodgers has tested positive for COVID-19
Washington wheat farmer charged with fraud
Columbian
Opinion: In Our View: Advisory votes waste taxpayer money
Opinion: In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Battle Ground council vote
The Daily News
Cowlitz County ex-convicts struggle to find housing after incarceration
Everett Herald
Trees, fighters of climate change, are also victims of it
League of Women Voters has a new mission: Defend urban trees
Mandate won’t keep unvaccinated teachers out of classrooms
Northgate light rail frees buses for Snohomish County routes
Prison reform curbs some solitary confinement, but how much? (Peterson)
Vaccine compliance high among health care workers here
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Comment: Goodbye, Columbus; hello, Indigenous Peoples Day
Comment: ‘Aknowledging’ Indigenous land often achieves opposite
Comment: Salmon art exhibit will send global climate message
Comment: Help small businesses continue their community role
Comment: Ancient virus returns to wreak havoc on society
Comment: Facebook has data, ability to rein in Instagram
Comment: A lifetime of vaccinations made difference
WaPo Comment: It doesn’t have to be a burning cross to be racism
WaPo Comment: Putting Facebook back in human control
Letter: Boarding school atrocities not ancient history
High Country News
Home after fire: A new housing model aims to give kids stability
7 questions about Freedmen answered
International Examiner
Opinion: Family members speak out on behalf of their elder against Asian hate crimes in Seattle
Kitsap Sun
‘I wouldn’t think twice:’ Pregnant OB/GYN advises patients to get vaccinated
News Tribune
Deaths of 2 Black men years apart linked by one cop. Did the system fail Said Joquin?
A lahar evacuation bridge in the works for decades is being built in Pierce County
PenMet meets with Fox Island leader about termination of park hosts. Here’s how it went
Next U.S. attorney in western Washington is Steilacoom grad Nick Brown
Caretakers who disappeared with 4 vulnerable clients retain WA state licenses for now
Olympian
COVID-19 spreads through Thurston County schools as cases spike
State Senate GOP lawmakers urge Inslee to mobilize National Guard for hospitals
Was limited bathroom access for disabled inmate cruel? Here’s what WA Supreme Court says
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers confirmed Friday in Washington state
Should Olympia reallocate law enforcement funding to social services?
Peninsula Daily News
COVID-19 cases remain at plateau on Peninsula
School districts losing little staff to mandate
Comment on proposed waiver for Makah whaling deadline looms
Port Townsend Leader
A CHANCE TO GO WITH THE FLOW: Plans include removal, replacement of US 101 bridges and highway through critical habitat
Puget Sound Business Journal
Aerospace workers are quitting. Can this grant program stem the tide?
Sea-Tac Airport opens cellphone lot overpass aimed at easing traffic backups
Boeing joins Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena in environmental efforts
Tourists return to downtown Seattle, but office workers are staying home
Developers scramble to build in Tacoma, but will new units be enough for population growth?
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke predicts business ‘renaissance’ as Seattle emerges from pandemic
Providence aims to address burnout with systemwide mental health survey
Seattle Times
Where does your Seattle neighborhood fall in this ‘diversity index’? Check the map
Coronavirus daily news updates, Oct. 11: What to know today about COVID-19
Washington state Department of Transportation website, cameras, alerts and mobile app down
Inside the exhausting start to Washington’s school year: COVID outbreaks, school-bus cuts and more
COVID outbreaks closing doors again at Washington long-term care facilities
Uncommon partners come together to tackle youth incarceration in Washington
How a mental health evaluation can change the course of an immigrant’s life
Teletherapy often leaves out older people. Here’s how a Washington researcher is trying to help them connect
Seattle police watchdog agency investigating whether officer posted offensive tweets
Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County records 387 new COVID-19 cases for the week
Staff shortages lead to ‘unprecedented’ disruptions for Washington State Ferries
Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission pulled into conflict over dam relicensing
Skagit County commissioners commit more ARPA funding
Sol De Yakima
Se manifestarán en Yakima el lunes en busca de una reforma migratoria
Amplían opciones de pruebas de COVID distritos escolares por aumento de casos en niños
Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities had one of its deadliest weeks of the COVID pandemic. Total deaths near 500
First freeze of fall is forecast for Tri-Cities area. Snow on I-90 and in the Blues
A Tri-Cities student’s heart gave a WA man 2nd chance at life. Then COVID cut it short
COVID-inspired demand for online schools catches Tri-Cities educators by surprise
50-year-old Tri-Cities waterfront hotel could be the latest micro apartment project
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
New businesses continue opening around Walla Walla Valley
‘Second chances’ offered to students through Open Doors program at Lincoln High School
Grace in the cosmetics aisle: College Place program aims to curb shoplifting at Walmart
Washington Post
As Columbus monuments come down, he is still honored in 6,000 U.S. spots. Here’s where.
In search for covid origins, Hubei caves and wildlife farms draw new scrutiny
Merck seeks emergency authorization for covid pill
More than 100 Haitians found in trailer in Guatemala amid desperate efforts to reach U.S.
In Iraqi elections triggered by protests, voters only trickle in
Yakima Herald Republic
Fire repair and rehabilitation underway at Schneider Springs
Officials say water forecast looks promising for Yakima Valley, with wet winter predicted
The Vine will be Habitat for Humanity’s biggest development in Yakima County
Immigration activists plan Monday rally in Yakima
Editorial: Carbon pricing offers a clear path forward
Broadcast
KING5 TV (NBC)
Pierce Transit to remove 214 bus stops by late March to improve run times
KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Drivers risk school bus service as vaccine mandate approaches
Ferry delays, cancelations continue through weekend
Grants to help fund private security? Fed up Seattle businesses ask for help
Judge overturns emergency order removing credit scoring from insurance rates
COVID hospitalizations decrease in King County
Seattle to resume enforcement of its 72-hour parking rule
KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Washington State Ferries near full staffing by end of weekend, but delays still possible
Seattle cop’s possible connection to offensive tweets under investigation
As deadline nears to opt out of state’s long-term care insurance fund, some are doing so
New emergency heat rules for outdoor workers go into effect today
KNKX FM
Jayapal pushes Biden for $3 trillion spending bill
KUOW FM
Is your kid’s school safe in a quake? This retired WA lawmaker is sounding the alarm
Pandemic blog: Updates for Seattle and the NW
Our trees are stressed
Overwhelmed with the return to school, Seattle teens are withdrawing into their cocoons
La Niña winter in NW is ‘good news for sports enthusiasts’ and, you know, the environment
‘That’s their individual choice’: Seattle mayor on officers who defy vaccine mandate
A Native American scientist on ‘the question of our time’
NW Public Radio
Poll Finds Many Washington Voters Support Removing Snake River Dams
Q13 TV (Fox)
Merck seeks FDA authorization of antiviral COVID-19 pill
YMCA of Greater Seattle joins vaccine mandate
Seattle cracking down on vehicles parked for 72 hours or longer
Web
MyNorthwest
Seattle police officer being investigated over Twitter account with history of offensive posts
Drivers risk Seattle school bus service as vaccine mandate approaches
State ferries website goes down following tough weekend of delays, reduced sailings
Visiting Washington’s Sno-Parks will cost more this fall-winter
Health officer says King County’s COVID vaccination policy is ‘based on risk’
UW doctor says you might not need 10,000 steps
It just got easier to use the cell phone parking lot at Sea-Tac Airport
Best Washington schools and districts named for 2022
New protected bike lane through downtown Seattle opens on Fourth Avenue
With WA state’s ferries in a ‘critical situation,’ solutions are months, years to come
SR 520 ramps, Montlake Bridge will close for weekend of Oct. 8-11
Enforcement of Seattle’s 72-hour parking rule set to resume on Oct. 15
Washington AG renews legal fight against ‘drastic’ changes to US Postal Service
West Seattle Blog
FERRY ALERT: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth back to 3 boats Monday
Welcome, salmon: ‘This is always a hopeful time of year on Fauntleroy Creek’