Inflation may be easing — but low-income people are still paying the steepest prices
The rising costs of housing, food and other necessities are big drivers of inflation, and they fall especially hard on lower-income Americans, posing a growing challenge for President Biden and the nation’s top economic policymakers. A report from the Labor Department Wednesday shows consumer prices in April were 8.3% higher than a year earlier. That’s a modest decrease from the March inflation rate of 8.5%, thanks in part to a short-lived drop in gasoline prices last month. Continue reading at KUOW. (Getty Images)
U.S. surpasses record 100,000 overdose deaths in 2021
More Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021 than any previous year, a grim milestone in an epidemic that has now claimed 1 million lives in the 21st century, according to federal data released Wednesday. More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, up 15 percent from the previous year, according to the figures released by the National Center for Health Statistics. The sobering tally reflects challenges exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic: lost access to treatment, social isolation and a more potent drug supply. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (David Goldman)
Washington is the first state to require all-electric heating in new buildings
Washington recently became the first state in the country to mandate that newly constructed buildings be outfitted with all-electric space heating and hot water systems. The State Building Code Council voted 11-3 on April 22 to adopt a revised energy code that requires most new commercial buildings and large multifamily buildings to install electric heat pumps. The council is expected to consider a similar proposal for smaller residential buildings later this year. Continue reading at Crosscut. (David Jaewon Oh)
Associated Press
US inflation slowed last month from 40-year high
US overdose deaths hit record 107,000 last year, CDC says
ORCA bus and ferry cards get a refresh, fare-free weekend
Bill Gates says he has COVID, experiencing mild symptoms
Aberdeen Daily World
GHEMS gets financial boost from Quinault Nation
Bellingham Herald
Here’s how food staple prices stack up at Bellingham grocery stores in May
Bellingham sewer rates may quadruple. Here’s why
This Bellingham council member excused from meetings for three months
Capital Press
Odessa stakeholders ask for review of Reclamation repayment policy
Columbian
Opinion: In Our View: Dam safety should take higher priority
Everett Herald
Marysville School Board proposes parental consent to join LGBTQ clubs
Sightings of mammal-eating orcas increasing in Puget Sound
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
WaPo Comment: Parents of unvaccinated kids need better guidance
WaPo Comment: What Dred Scott says about SCOTUS’s abortion ruling
Letter: ‘Pro-life’ implies support from birth until death
International Examiner
The xenophobic career of Miller Freeman, founding father of modern Bellevue
Opinion: Gary Locke shares his own story as keynote speaker at the 2021 Eradicate Hate Conference
News Tribune
Well-used Pierce County library to close due to leaky roof. Where will it relocate?
New York Times
Prices Continued to Rise in April, But Gains Slowed a Little: Live Updates
Report Catalogs Abuse of Native American Children at Former Government Schools
Live Updates: Senate to Vote on Abortion Rights
Olympian
Thurston County adds 571 COVID cases as disease activity remains ‘high’
862 pounds of deli meat recalled in Washington, 2 other states due to printing error
Beloved bear, last of his kind at Point Defiance Zoo, euthanized after battling cancer
Thousands of forest acres were destroyed by heat, insects, and disease last year, DNR says
Puget Sound Business Journal
US housing market starts to shift from pandemic frenzy but not evenly across markets
Boeing falls behind Airbus on jet orders for the year
Amazon’s top 3 execs received raises last year. Here’s what they’re making.
Apple sees employee departure, anger before May 23 return-to-work date
Development to restart on controversial Tacoma mental health hospital
Seattle council members reach deal on police hiring incentives
Seattle Times
Seattle is home to many raptors. These volunteers protect them from the dangers of city living
Seattle clears Woodland Park homeless encampment after months of trying to place people into shelter
Seattle’s ‘Bicycle Weekends’ return to Lake Washington Boulevard this summer
UW Medicine looks to teach friends and family of sexual assault survivors how to offer support
Baby formula shortage in WA has caregivers, parents scrambling to feed their infants
Seattle City Council moves toward compromise on police hiring incentive
Editorial: Rainy, chilly Seattle is the envy of a drought-ravaged world
Opinion: U.S. Postal Service can deliver for a clean-energy future with electric fleet
Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County commissioners decry having to make cuts to Board of Health
Skagit County staff make recommendations on proposed changes to Comprehensive Plan
Sol De Yakima
Residentes llenan reunión del Ayuntamiento de Sunnyside para expresar preocupación sobre balacera
Spokesman Review
‘Don’t study the problem to death’: San Diego shares lessons on homelessness as Woodward administration pushes for East Trent shelter
Spokane County gives nonprofit $20,000 to help homeless people leave Spokane
‘An evolution for us’: Spokane Falls Community College hires new dean of diversity, equity and inclusion
Tri-City Herald
2 tornadoes rip through Blue Mountains. Roof carried 300 feet.
Tri-Cities student employees join hundreds of WSU workers demanding to unionize
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Updates to Mcnary Wildlife Refuge land management under consideration, public input sought
Washington Post
Inflation rates edged down in April compared to a month earlier, showing potential signs of easing
Putin prepared for ‘prolonged’ conflict, U.S. intelligence chief says
UNACCOUNTABLE: When the sheriff waged a war on drugs in a Mississippi county
American reporter killed by IDF, network says; Israel calls for inquiry
The New Mexico Provider Trying to Save Abortion for Texas Women
Seeking to spark an uprising, Democrats put abortion on Senate floor
U.S. surpasses record 100,000 overdose deaths in 2021
Black communities are last in line for disaster planning in Texas
With high court in spotlight, Democrats push judicial ethics overhaul
Yakima Herald-Republic
Opinion: At least our justices are willing to listen
Letter: Anti-abortion clamor never seems to focus on men’s role
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Senator ‘very frustrated’ over how natural gas ban came about
Seattle’s Colman Dock project on track to be completed on time
Woodland Park encampment clean-up means less help for homeless pets
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
‘I’m going to be homeless’: Bellevue residents face soaring rent hikes
Western Washington families feel squeeze of formula shortage as state faces 40% out-of-stock rate
80% of Washington child care programs are understaffed
King County councilmembers, except one, vote to maintain abortion rights
Washington attorney general completes project to collect DNA from registered sex offenders
Musk says he would reverse Twitter’s ban of Donald Trump
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
COVID pandemic delays place strain on those ready for permanent housing
Seattle City Council passes proposals aimed at helping police
Snohomish County homeless shelter finds success keeping families together
KUOW Public Radio
Seattle Fish Research Could Shake Up Global Tire Industry
What would overturning Roe mean for birth control?
Inflation may be easing — but low-income people are still paying the steepest prices
Australia says most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached
Prescribed burns are back in Washington state. Why?
Wildlife funding problems emerge as fewer people learn to hunt in the NW
KXLY (ABC)
City of Spokane offering more emergency rent assistance soon
Web
Crosscut
Washington is the first state to require all-electric heating in new buildings
Gov. Inslee won’t lift WA’s vaccine mandate for state employees yet
MyNorthwest
Necessary dye to operate CT scans facing significant shortage
Impending City of Seattle budget gap underpins SPD-hiring deliberation
King County Libraries opts for ‘Fresh Start for All,’ removes current late fees
Businesses, residents suing the City of Seattle over CHOP denied class action certification
AP analysis finds growing number of poor, high-hazard dams
The Stranger
Seattle Cop Tells Queers They Need to “Work on Respecting” Bigots
Finally, a Crime Dashboard You Should Care About (Dhingra)