WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Tuesday, March 1

Gov. Jay Inslee stands at a podium giving an announcement

Gov. Jay Inslee: Indoor, school mask mandates will end March 12 as COVID-19 rates fall
Gov. Jay Inslee said on Monday that he is moving up the date in which the state will no longer require people to wear masks in public indoor spaces and schools to March 12. Inslee last month set the date to drop the indoor mask mandate to March 21. But on Monday, Inslee said that he is confident that a continuing trend of declining COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations will make it safe to lift mask mandates about a week before that. Continue reading at Kitsap Sun. (Ted S. Warren)


A graphic of people in business attire walking over a bridge connected by a hand holding up a book

Rep. Sullivan: Tear down barriers to higher education and higher wages
Higher education opens doors to opportunity and good-paying jobs — for our children, our workers, and for our local businesses and hospitals as they face shortages in workers with the right skills and degrees. It is time to tear down some longstanding barriers to higher education for Washington students and families. Doing so would better uphold the notion that a degree or postsecondary credential is available to anyone willing to study hard and do the work. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Getty Images)


Inslee says ‘Washington stands with Ukraine,’ orders state to cut connections with Russia
Washington state agencies have been directed to identify and cancel commercial or other connections with Russian entities, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday during a press conference. “Simply put, the people of Washington stand with the people of Ukraine,” said Inslee. “We stand with the people of Russia who are protesting this vicious, malicious, totally unjustified act of violence.” Continue reading at The Olympian.


Print

Associated Press
‘Atmospheric river’ fuels rains, snow in Pacific Northwest
WA House drops vaccination requirement for lawmakers on floor (Jinkins, Kloba, Kirby)
Changes in indoor mask rules moved up to March 12
California, Oregon, Washington to End School Mask Mandates
2 fixes to police reform laws head to Inslee’s desk
Inslee directs agencies to cut ties with Russian companies

Auburn Reporter
Inslee changes end of mask mandate to March 12

Bellingham Herald
Home appreciation posted this huge one-year jump across Whatcom County in 2021
‘Atmospheric river’ raises flood concerns in Whatcom lowlands this week

Capital Press
Washington lawmakers urge halt to hemp-derived THC in state (Keiser)

Columbian
Opinion: In Our View: Lifting of mask mandate marks a turning point
Opinion: In Our View: State redistricting system good, could be better

Everett Herald
Sleepless nights for Ukrainian immigrants in Snohomish County
Cornfield Report: Olympia jargon: No, NTIB is not some new kind of face mask (Ortiz-Self)
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Snohomish mayor ousts city administrator, names a new one
Cued by CDC, Inslee moves up end of mask mandate to March 12
Editorial: Legislature, Congress must update cannabis rules

Kitsap Sun
Gov. Jay Inslee: Indoor, school mask mandates will end March 12 as COVID-19 rates fall

News Tribune
Op-Ed: Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has a use-of-force problem. The data says it all
Millions of dollars and 3,000 blocks later, how has voter-approved streets initiative fared in Tacoma?

New York Times
Live Updates: Explosions Shake Kyiv and Ukraine’s Second-Largest City
Covid Live Updates: Poll Finds Americans Are Less Worried About Virus
These Climate Scientists Are Fed Up and Ready to Go on Strike
Ukrainian Invasion Adds to Chaos for Global Supply Chains

North American Post
Farewell WMC

Olympian
Statewide indoor mask mandates to ease March 12, Gov. Inslee announces
Thurston County adds 6 deaths as COVID-19 activity continues downward trend
Inslee says ‘Washington stands with Ukraine,’ orders state to cut connections with Russia
Thurston Climate Action Team gets $75,000 grant to combat climate change
‘Not a time to throw caution to the wind,’ as Washington sets end to mask mandate
COVID left Washington’s roads a trashy mess. Here’s what the state’s doing to fix that
Olympia area sees record rainfall totals as Thurston County goes under flood warning

Peninsula Daily News
Jefferson County considers banning fireworks
Regional health officer urges individuals to decide to wear masks
Washington, Oregon, California to lift mask madates March 12

Port Townsend Leader
Indoor mask mandate ends March 11 in Jefferson County

Puget Sound Business Journal
More Washington companies are sharing salary ranges in job postings
Amazon to make masks optional for warehouse employees
Inslee moves up date to drop indoor mask requirement
Report: Immigrants have outsize impact on state’s STEM workforce  INNO
Opinion: Washington’s economy demands more support for students to complete credentials

Seattle Medium
Lawmakers For Stopping Hemp-Derived THC In Washington State (Keiser)
Outdoor Education Bill In Budget Negotiations
Successful Space Economy In Washington State
Fatal 3rd & Pike Shooting Creates Crime Spike Talks

Seattle Times
‘We’ve been here before’: Fatal shooting underscores longtime problems at Seattle’s Third and Pine
Gov. Inslee will lift Washington’s COVID-19 mask requirements on March 12 after change to federal guidelines
Women who ran Seattle: Ruby Chow, restaurateur, civic activist and first Asian American elected to King County Council
Seattle area in for a showery start to meteorological spring
Gov. Inslee directs WA agencies to cut ties with Russian companies over invasion of Ukraine
World, including WA, not adapting fast enough to climate change, U.N. report warns
Rep. Sullivan: Tear down barriers to higher education and higher wages

Skagit Valley Herald
COVID-19 cases continue to drop in Skagit County

South Seattle Emerald
Gov. Inslee and King County Announce End to Mask Mandate as of March 12
With Advocates Watching Closely, State Legislators Propose Office to Respond to Encampments (Kuderer, Peterson)
Storyville Coffee Workers Are Unionizing to Fight for Better Pay

Washington Post
Invasion escalates as convoy threatens Kyiv, Kharkiv ‘surrounded’
Biden to deliver first State of the Union address amid global crisis
‘These are powerful people who are attacking children’: Parents respond to Texas’s latest anti-trans directive

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Health District to follow Washington’s timeline: Masks optional indoors starting March 12
Cooper Kupp honored by state legislators
Prosser Memorial Health plans new $78 million hospital complex
Yakima Valley schools prepare for transition to optional masking

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Landslides, flooding reported across western Washington
Ukrainians, Russians in western Washington speak out against war
Snow season in popular northern Washington region disappearing amid climate change, wildfires
Thousands of Washington businesses could get a tax break (Rolfes)
Seattle mayor, businesses address Third Avenue safety concerns in downtown Seattle

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Record rain causes Seattle-area mudslides, flooding, and road closures
Rivers flood after record-breaking rainfall
Another mudslide in Bellevue neighborhood that devastated area six weeks ago
Pleas for help from frustrated business owners in downtown Seattle
Russia attacks Ukraine: Russian forces hit television tower
State indoor mask mandate to be lifted early starting March 12

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington, other West Coast states to drop indoor mask mandates in 2 weeks
Tacoma on pace for more homicides this year than 2020, 2021
Seattle to vote on retroactive hiring bonuses for police, dispatchers
State shuts down nearly 15 miles of SR-7 after severe flooding
Another landslide reported in neighborhood of demolished Bellevue home

KNKX Public Radio
Inslee announces Washington’s mask mandate will lift ahead of schedule, on March 12
Immigrant advocates call for protections for undocumented Ukrainians
Washington, Oregon officials prep for worst-case radiological event scenario from Russia and Ukraine

KUOW Public Radio
Pandemic updates: Eviction moratorium for Seattle renters expires Monday
State Senator proposes lowering WA’s blood alcohol limit to .05 (Lovick)
U.S. expels 12 Russian diplomats for allegedly ‘engaging in espionage’
Walking through the headlines: Today So Far

KXLY (ABC)
Inslee directs Washington agencies to evaluate, terminate possible partnerships with Russia
Washington to lift mask mandate earlier than previously announced

NW Public Radio
Washington State Mask Mandate To Be Lifted Early

Q13 TV (FOX)
Washington, Oregon, California to end mask mandates in schools, most public places by March 12

Web

Crosscut
WA bill proposes subsidy to help some families buy diapers (Nobles)
Shrinking WA kelp and eelgrass beds draw legislative attention (Lovelett)
WA indoor mask mandate to lift March 12 in light of CDC guidance

The Stranger
Inslee Moves Up Date to Lift Indoor Mask Mandate to March 12, Joining Other West Coast States