Inslee: Mask mandate is going away, but not quite yet
As mask mandates disappear around the country, Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday it will happen in Washington, too, very soon. The governor said he’ll reveal exactly when next week. “Today is not the day to totally eliminate masks. The day is close,” he said at a virtual news conference. “It is no longer a matter of if. It is a matter of when.” COVID cases are falling “like a rock” after a rocket-like surge fueled by the omicron variant, he said. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Ted S. Warren)
WA House members unanimously pass legislation to provide relief for farmers, ranchers
House legislators voted unanimously Wednesday on a measure to help provide short-term financial disaster relief to farmers and ranchers in Washington state. Under the bill, the Washington State Conservation Commission would be tasked with developing and implementing the program to provide funds for farmers and ranchers who can furnish documentation of “lost agricultural income or activity.” The bill doesn’t identify funding for the aid after a $600,000 appropriation from the State General Fund was removed from the original bill. Continue reading at The Olympian.
House passes bill allowing Medicaid to pay for doula services
Members of the state’s House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday, 85-8, to allow doula services to be covered by Medicaid. Doulas, non-medical advocates who assist birthing families before, during, and after births, would receive state certification under House Bill 1881. The optional certification would allow doula services to be covered by Medicaid, the primary health insurance provider for low-income residents. Bill sponsor Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley said Medicaid provides health coverage for 52 percent of births in the state. Continue reading at KING 5.
Associated Press
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WA Senate approves temporary $35 cap on 30-day insulin supply
Bainbridge Island Review
Subs help keep BI schools open during surge
Bellevue Reporter
U.S. House passes postal service reform bill after concerns of facility closures and declining service standards
Bellingham Herald
County asking about interest in buyouts, elevating sites damaged in November flood
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Capital Press
House passes bill to help Whatcom County farmers recuperate from floods; funding unsure (Rule, Ormsby, Springer)
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Columbian
COVID-19 cases declining in Clark County school districts
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Everett Herald
Inslee: Mask mandate is going away, but not quite yet
School funding measures now passing in Snohomish, Northshore
New political mapping concludes with revisions by lawmakers
Cornfield report: 5 things Democrats didn’t say about their $17B transpo plan (Saldana)
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
WaPo Comment: WWII tale shows white ’comfort’ ingrained in schools
Editorial: Celebrating our partners in ‘defense of democracy’
The Inlander
For months, the downtown police precinct’s building featured “mosquito devices” banned by the Spokane City Council
Journal of the San Juan Islands
Black History Month is a time to honor and remember
News Tribune
Group that taught people to evade vaccine mandate is raising cash for Troyer’s legal fees
Exclusive: Steilacoom teacher warned to stop touching students. He didn’t, records show
Column: There’s no rush to end WA’s indoor mask mandate. Stop putting politics over public health
Op-Ed: There’s a severe nursing shortage in WA hospitals. This bill would make the crisis worse
New York Times
Prices climbed 7.5 percent in January, the fastest inflation since 1982.
Canada Live Updates: Multiple Blockades at U.S.-Canada Border Disrupt Auto Industry
Covid Live Updates: U.S. Emerges Unevenly From Omicron Surge
How Billions in Infrastructure Funding Could Worsen Global Warming
Masks Come Off in More States, but Not Everyone Is Grinning
Olympian
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers confirmed Wednesday in Washington state
Outdoor mask mandates to be lifted, indoor mandate under consideration, says Gov. Inslee
WA House members unanimously pass legislation to provide relief for farmers, ranchers
Peninsula Daily News
No lasting state fix coming for Highway 112 (Chapman, Tharinger)
School district bond threshold remains 60 percent (Tharinger, Van De Wege)
Region’s health officer warns of lifting mask mandates too soon
Puget Sound Business Journal
King County seeks deals to keep concrete flowing for up to 6 years
Businesses’ two biggest challenges are colliding. Price hikes are coming.
Reporter’s notebook: Supply chain concerns weigh on aerospace industry
Inslee to begin lifting mask mandates as state ‘transitions’ out of pandemic
Amazon’s headcount in Washington state swells past 85,000
Seattle Medium
Seattle Mayor Raises Issue Of Violence
Seattle Times
WA Senate OKs ban on sales of gun ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds (Liias, Jinkins)
Unfunded Seattle Police hiring bonuses continued last month contrary to City Council vote
WA to end outdoor mask mandate next week; more mask changes likely ahead
Are cottages like this a fix for WA housing problems? How zoning change played out in South Park (Bateman, Pollet)
Sharon Jodock-King, advocate for people with disabilities in Washington and beyond, dies at 81
Sen. Liias and Rep. Fey: We can modernize WA transportation priorities without raising the gas tax
Skagit Valley Herald
Downtown Mount Vernon medical center taking shape
Sol De Yakima
Escuelas de Zillah, Wapato investigan insulto racial en juego de básquetbol
Superintendente estatal de Washington pide quitar mandato de mascarilla en escuelas
Resultados mixtos salen en elecciones especiales de distritos escolares
South Seattle Emerald
Inslee: Indoor Mask Mandate Will Stay in Place for ‘Weeks Rather Than Months’
With Backing Of Build Back Black Alliance, Yimby Housing Bill Moves Forward
Concrete Workers Strike, Rainier Beach High Revisions, City Crime Crackdown
Spokesman Review
Washington House approves bill to prevent disclosure of voter envelopes and signatures
Spokane County stands to lose thousands in MacArthur funding over stalled criminal justice reform program
Inslee plans to announce next week when Washington’s indoor mask mandate will end
First train pulled by Amtrak’s new, more efficient locomotive headed to Spokane
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
College Place pursues state funding for more trees in local parks
Urgent care facility coming to College Place
Walla Walla to consider tattoo policy for city employees as residents threaten litigation
Washington Post
Prices climbed 7.5% in January, compared with last year, continuing inflation’s fastest pace in 40 years
‘From the White House down,’ pleas for help disrupted Afghan evacuation, top U.S. commander says
More cities seek to redress widespread 20th-century destruction of Black neighborhoods
They rushed to get IUDs before Trump took office. Five years later, would they do it again?
Yakima Herald-Republic
Attorney objects to use of Chief Owhi name for Selah park, saying permission is needed
Yakima students support longer summer break as district looks at calendar changes
Opinion: Toppenish School District didn’t rush to judgment
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
House passes bill allowing Medicaid to pay for doula services (Harris-Talley)
Washington Senate passes ban on sale of high capacity magazines
Washington’s outdoor mask mandate will lift by Feb. 18, no date for indoor mandate
King County Drug Diversion Court offering hope for its graduates
Here’s why millions of Americans are quitting their jobs to change careers
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Concrete workers’ strike could delay reopening of West Seattle Bridge
Seattle business vandalized, worries about downtown crime
Boeing Seafair to return “100%” this summer
Gov. Inslee announces statewide outdoor mask mandate to be lifted Feb. 18
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Inslee: State to lift outdoor mask mandate Feb.18, info on indoor mask mandate to come
Schools Superintendent Reykdal: Time to drop statewide face mask mandate for students
Chinatown-ID Seattle business owners call out city leaders, demand action to stop crime
Local business owners, councilmembers discuss efforts to combat crime in Seattle
City’s inaction on parked RVs in Ballard neighborhood has many residents revved up
Concrete strike could cost King County taxpayers, delay projects
Tensions flare at dueling rallies in Kirkland over homeless shelter proposal
KNKX Public Radio
Washington governor says announcement on state indoor mask mandate coming next week
KUOW Public Radio
Wash. Gov. Inslee says state outdoor mask rule will end this February
Pandemic updates for Seattle: Thursday, February 10, 2022
A healthcare researcher weighs in on the nurse-to-patient ratio debate
How to protect yourself from a data breach
Washington state legislators propose tax on Oregon drivers’ fuel (Fey, Liias, Wylie)
NW Public Radio
Are Homeless Being Bused Into The Tri Cities?
Richland Fred Meyer Shooter: A Tale Of Fraying Mental Health And Early Warnings
Washington Lawmakers Unveil 16-Year Transportation Package (Fey, Liias)
Teen Dating Violence Is Serious In WA
Q13 TV (FOX)
Washington outdoor mask mandate to end Feb. 18, but what about indoors?
Pierce County Executive wants police restriction removed
Web
Crosscut
Washington ski resorts tested by climate and pandemic
WA officials want to end fees charged to parents for kids’ jail time
MyNorthwest
Washington superintendent calls for end to state’s school mask mandate
Seattle private downtown security a ‘stopgap’ until ‘hotspot’ policing materializes
Pressure mounts in concrete strike as King County offers $35 million bargaining chip
Washington’s outdoor mask mandate to be lifted Feb. 18; indoor to follow
Tsunami safety bond in North Beach School District failing in early results
State fines trio of companies for knowingly putting warehouse workers at risk for COVID
Seattle adds new layer to 911 calls with ‘Nurse Navigator’ program
The Stranger
Harrell Wants Local Control Over Gun Policy. He’ll Need Way More Than Luck. (Nguyen, Hackney, Macri, Kuderer)
WA Lawmakers Aren’t Just “Tweaking” Police Accountability Bills, They’re Poised to Roll Back Protections (Goodman)
West Seattle Blog
CORONAVIRUS: What the governor announced today, and how local numbers are going
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: City says concrete strike may push back reopening schedule