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Wednesday, October 12

FDA clears updated COVID boosters for kids as young as 5
The U.S. on Wednesday authorized updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave. Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, doses modified to target today’s most common and contagious omicron relative. While there wasn’t a big rush, federal health officials are urging that people seek the extra protection ahead of holiday gatherings. Now the Food and Drug Administration has given a green light for elementary school-age kids to get the updated booster doses, too — one made by Pfizer for 5- to 11-year-olds, and a version from rival Moderna for those as young as 6. Continue reading at The Associated Press. (Pfizer)

‘We are in trouble’: Study raises alarm about impacts of long covid
A new long-covid study based on the experiences of nearly 100,000 participants provides powerful evidence that many people do not fully recover months after being infected with the coronavirus. The Scottish study found that between six and 18 months after infection, 1 in 20 people had not recovered and 42 percent reported partial recovery. There were some reassuring aspects to the results: People with asymptomatic infections are unlikely to suffer long-term effects, and vaccination appears to offer some protection from long covid. The study found that the risk of long covid was greater among women, older people and those who live in economically disadvantaged communities. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Eve Edelheit)

Arlington program reaching out to those with mental, behavioral health struggles sees success
Arlington police already embed social workers to deal with addiction and homelessness. This team takes outreach to the next level by seeking out those who have avoided previous offers for help. They’ve ignored phone calls, texts and emails to come to the CJSW offices for assistance, so social workers are now showing up right at their front doors. Since the program started a year ago social workers have made contact with 500 people in need across Arlington. Their efforts have decreased transports to the hospital by nearly 60% and trips to jail by 90%. “It’s working,” said Dr. Kaitlyn Goubeau. “I get goosebumps when I think about it.” Continue reading at KING 5.

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Associated Press
FDA clears updated COVID boosters for kids as young as 5

Auburn Reporter
Local officials welcome federal money to fix outdated fish culverts

Bainbridge Island Review
Kitsap County set to receive $7.6 million in opioid settlement

Bellingham Herald
Wildfire smoke could be returning to Whatcom County. Here’s when

Capital Press
WDFW targets 2nd wolf pack in NE Washington
Potential rail strike back on the table

Kitsap Sun
State’s first opioid case settlement nets $7.6 million for Kitsap, cities

News Tribune
Tacoma proposes a $4 billion budget. What is in it and how will it affect your bills?

Olympian
Don’t like how Thurston County spends your money? Now you can balance the budget yourself

Seattle Times
Puget Sound salmon habitat restored with tribes leading the way
Millions in WA may have enrolled in a subscription service by accident
City and SPD leadership failures amplified CHOP dangers, report says
City of Seattle to lift COVID emergency at the end of October

Spokesman Review
Camp Hope population declines to 443 from 623 peak in July, managers say
Family of suicidal man shot and killed by Spokane police in 2019 sues city
Guardians Foundation employee may have embezzled $1 million, Spokane officials say

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Walla Walla’s city manager leaves the job; deputy assumes duties, but not title
Walla Walla Fire Department to demonstrate lifesaving equipment purchased through a $27K grant

Washington Post
A lost generation of Black coaching talent
FDA clears updated coronavirus booster for children as young as 5
‘We are in trouble’: Study raises alarm about impacts of long covid
New evidence to show Trump was warned of violence on Jan. 6
Study finds climate change is bringing more intense rains to U.S.

Yakima Herald-Republic
Business owners split over recommendation to charge for parking in downtown Yakima
Proposed pipeline would deliver water to farmers east of Moxee
City installs fencing along Naches Avenue in Yakima, forcing homeless people to move

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Tacoma City Council bans camping within 10 blocks of temporary shelters beginning
Silverdale hospital short on staff calls 911 for help after being overwhelmed with patients
Arlington program reaching out to those with mental, behavioral health struggles sees success

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Tacoma city officials vote to pass proposed homeless camping ban
Whooping cough infections increase in the fall, doctors urge getting vaccinated

KUOW Public Radio
When is someone going to turn on the rain around Washington?
What to know about the application for Biden’s student loan relief

Q13 TV (FOX)
Seattle to end COVID-19 emergency order Oct. 31

Web

Crosscut
PNW voter education efforts aim to combat election fraud claims
Spanish captions, now on Seattle stages near you

West Seattle Blog
CORONAVIRUS: City to join state in ending ’emergency’ after this month

Tuesday, October 11

We’re having driest October since the 1940s in Puget Sound area. Any rain in sight?
We’re only 10 days in, but so far October is proving to be the driest since the 1940s, according to the National Weather Service. No measurable precipitation has fallen in the Puget Sound region as of Monday. Along with that deficit of rain, daily high-temperature records have been falling across the region, according to Kayla Mazurkiewicz, a National Weather Service forecaster. On Friday, Seattle hit 77 degrees. The Bolt and two other fires in the Cascades are contributing to smoky skies in Western Washington. On Tuesday, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency labeled Pierce County air as moderately unhealthy, particularly for people sensitive to air quality. It’s not going to get better anytime soon. Continue reading at The News Tribune. (Cheyenne Boone)

Extreme heat could make parts of Asia, Africa uninhabitable in decades
By the year 2100, extreme heat events will make parts of Asia and Africa uninhabitable for up to 600 million people, the United Nations and the Red Cross said Monday. Projected death rates from heat waves are “staggeringly high,” comparable to all cancers or all infectious diseases, according to a report released ahead of next month’s U.N. Climate Change Conference in Egypt by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The report adds to the growing number of studies that show climate change is exacerbating the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events. Heat waves in the Western United States this year broke hundreds of records after days of triple-digit temperatures and weeks of dry weather. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Akhtar Soomro)

‘We definitely want to be more pro-active’ as flood season nears. Here’s how that will work
Whatcom County will begin mobilizing earlier and providing more communication to the public when flooding is possible, emergency management officials said at a discussion of recent weather disasters. They’re setting a 72-hour action plan and promoting the WhatcomReady.org website with links to information about road closings, river gauge height, available shelter, and other disaster resources when severe weather is imminent. November 2021 saw a series of atmospheric rivers that dumped nearly three times the normal November rainfall on Whatcom County, causing upwards of $200 million in damage and killing one person. Hundreds of people are struggling to rebuild or relocate, and 40 to 60 people remain without permanent shelter, [John] Gargett said. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald.

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Associated Press
West Coast gray whale population continues to decline but scientists remain cautiously optimistic
Washington’s paid family leave program may hit a deficit by end of year
FAA issues warning about type of seaplane that crashed
Large rail union rejects deal, renewing strike possibility
6 wolves poisoned in northeast Washington, reward offered

Bainbridge Island Review
Medical hurting due to electronic records issues

Bellingham Herald
Wildfire smoke is causing unhealthy air in Whatcom. Here’s how long it will last
‘We definitely want to be more pro-active’ as flood season nears. Here’s how that will work

Bothell-Kenmore Reporter
Collective action needed to avoid worst impacts of climate change

Capital Press
Wolf advocates offer reward to nab poacher

Everett Herald
Smoky air to linger in Snohomish County, with no end in sight

International Examiner
Opinion: Hooverville then and now: Who is worthy of space?

Islands’ Weekly
State board awards nearly $76 million in grants to recover salmon

News Tribune
‘He was not under arrest.’ Family of man shot dead by officers in Puyallup files lawsuit
Tacoma street cars return to the rails Tuesday after 10-week absence
We’re having driest October since the 1940s in Puget Sound area. Any rain in sight?

Olympian
COVID-19 activity plateaus in Thurston County as bivalent boosters roll out

Peninsula Daily News
Jefferson County may keep emergency orders

Port Townsend Leader
State lawmakers visit Jefferson Healthcare (Tharinger, Chapman)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Report: Apartment developers have ‘voracious appetite’ for Seattle area

Seattle Times
Seattle weather: More warm days and a (short) break from smoke
WA’s stolen unemployment money trickling in 3 years later
Conservation concerns cancel Alaska’s Bering snow, king crab seasons

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit County’s COVID-19 case rate shows slight increase

Spokesman Review
Gonzaga professor, member of Spokane Tribe named editor of new journal exploring Indigenous business issues

Tri-City Herald
Back from the brink. Once threatened pelicans are thriving on a WA island near Tri-Cities
Will gay pride and other flags be banned from class? 2 Tri-City boards consider restrictions
Public health officials have not reported this for months about COVID in the Tri-Cities

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
$1.8 million of opioid settlement coming to Walla Walla County, city. What now?

Washington Post
Ukraine war at a turning point with rapid escalation of conflict
Extreme heat could make parts of Asia, Africa uninhabitable in decades

Wenatchee World
Wenatchee air quality to improve a bit next week — and then worsen again

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
$51,400 reward offered for information in fatal poisoning of 6 Gray wolves in Stevens County
Seattle housing market sees uptick in supply, length of time homes are available

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Smoke continues to linger in the Puget Sound, when will the air begin to clear?

KNKX Public Radio
Washington’s fire season the mildest in a decade

KXLY (ABC)
Homeless operator notifies city of possible mishandling of funds

Q13 TV (FOX)
FBI raises flag on elder fraud after thousands of retirees are scammed out of $1.7 billion

Web

Crosscut
Divisive issues like Native disenrollment take careful reporting
Data gaps make relief payments to WA officials hard to trace (Mullet)

MyNorthwest
T Line restarts service as expansion continues on track
Bad air quality continues to hang over Puget Sound region

The Stranger
Hundreds Hold Hands Across 520 Bridge in Solidarity with Iranian Protesters

West Seattle Blog
FOLLOWUP: Last day for Des Moines passenger-ferry test; West Seattle residents voice noise concerns

Monday, October 10

Traumatized by boarding schools, WA tribes chart new path for Native kids
Lingering scars caused by residential boarding schools run deep for many Native American families, after decades of targeted efforts by U.S. government and religious leaders to stamp out tribal culture. But more Native people are talking about what they, their parents, and grandparents experienced. They hope to break cycles of generational trauma caused by the schools, and explore how current education systems can change to better meet the needs of tribal communities and students. “We have to recognize that it happened … that’s the basis of the education in this territory,” said Chelsea Craig, a member of the Tulalip Tribes and assistant principal at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary School, of the boarding schools that aimed to assimilate Native American children. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)

No turning back. World’s largest radioactive waste melter starts in Eastern WA
There’s no turning back at the Hanford site’s vitrification plant after the heat up of the world’s largest melter for radioactive waste started Saturday, 20 years after construction of the plant began. The 300-ton melter now must remain hot continuously around the clock as it initially makes practice glass and eventually starts glassifying radioactive waste for the first time at the nuclear reservation. Glassification prepares the waste for permanent disposal. The 580-square-mile Hanford nuclear reservation near Richland in Eastern Washington produced about two-thirds of the nation’s plutonium for its nuclear weapons program from World War II through the Cold War. Continue reading at Tri-City Herald. (Bechtel National)

Social Security boost will help millions of kids, too
Social Security’s cost of living adjustment, otherwise known as the COLA, for 2023 is expected to be around 9% or even higher, the highest in 40 years, analysts estimate. It will be announced Thursday morning. It’s not just old people who will gain. About 4 million children receive benefits, and an untold number of others also will be helped because they’re being cared for by Social Security beneficiaries, sometimes their grandparents. Coupled with a decline in Medicare Part B premium, the Social Security COLA will put more money in the hands of the 70 million Americans who receive benefits, including the growing number of grandfamilies like [Cassandra] Gentry’s. According to the U.S. Census, in 2020, there were about 2.4 million grandparents responsible their grandchildren. Continue reading at The Associated Press. (Andrew Harnik)

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Associated Press
Some airport websites go offline; cause being investigated
Social Security boost will help millions of kids, too

Bellingham Herald
Here’s why 500 gathered Saturday at Bellingham City Hall

Capital Press
9th Circuit takes up wolf-cattle clash in Colville

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Special education part of school mandate

Everett Herald
Telehealth funds update Snohomish Health District beyond paper, pencil
State pays $2.75 million to Monroe woman in ‘highway of death’ crash
Comment: The ‘red-state burden’ and other immigration myths

News Tribune
Pierce County Council vote to nix worker-verification program vetoed by the executive

Olympian
New pitch for Lacey police station: Using supportive housing funds to pay for part of it

Peninsula Daily News
Recreational fishing curtailed by low water levels
Broadband, opioid funds before county boards
Sen. Maria Cantwell visits Port of Port Townsend’s jetty project
Port Angeles upgrades water emergency, limits outdoor use

Puget Sound Business Journal
Meta intentionally violated state campaign ad law 822 times, judge finds

Seattle Times
Plight of WA’s Hmong farmers underscores disparities in US agriculture
Traumatized by boarding schools, WA tribes chart new path for Native kids
Seattle jumps to fourth-highest household income among large metros

Spokesman Review
Washington officials determine 6 wolves found dead in Northeastern Washington were poisoned

Tri-City Herald
No turning back. World’s largest radioactive waste melter starts in Eastern WA
There’s a ‘critical’ national ag teacher shortage. What some Tri-Cities schools are doing about it
Smoke persists over Tri-Cities. Now another threat to air quality is forecast

Washington Post
Putin boasts of ‘massive strike’ across Ukraine; Biden condemns ‘utter brutality’ of Russian war
Spread of Catholic hospitals limits reproductive care across the U.S.

Yakima Herald-Republic
Survey: Yakima Valley Memorial has most ER visits of any hospital in state

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Seattle awards nearly $900K in grants for educator diversity
Pacific Northwest salmon migration slowed after warm, dry summer

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
US 2 closures remain hardship for businesses near Bolt Creek Fire

KUOW Public Radio
Wildfire season gave Washington a break in 2022
$1B up for grabs to help salmon get to where they’re going

KXLY (ABC)
‘We are way behind’: City of Spokane wants to build more dog parks across the city

Q13 TV (FOX)
Bolt Creek Fire: US 2 reopens after tree falls across highway
Biggest Social Security cost-of-living increase in decades expected this week

Web

La Raza del Noroeste
WA DOH listed among the nation’s health and safety leaders

The Stranger
Opinion: Washington Needs to Tax Empty Homes

Friday, October 7

Biden pardons thousands for ‘simple possession’ of marijuana
President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color. Biden’s move also covers thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia. He is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Immigrant Relief Fund opens long-delayed third round of aid
Following months-long delays, undocumented immigrants can now apply for Washington’s third round of COVID-19 relief funding. The application process, which opened Sept. 19, has seen tens of thousands of submissions from those ineligible for the federal aid that many U.S. citizens leaned on to soften the pandemic’s financial blows. Each approved applicant can expect to receive at least $1,000. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Chona Kasinger/Crosscut)

First lady Jill Biden to stop at Tacoma college during West Coast swing this week
First lady Jill Biden will visit Tacoma on Friday for an event at Bates Technical College, according to the White House. The first lady also will go to Seattle and is expected to speak at an event for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. After attending events in San Francisco, Biden will arrive in Western Washington about 3:15 p.m. Friday at King County International Airport, according to a schedule released Tuesday. None of the events are open to the public. Continue reading at Tacoma News Tribune.

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Aberdeen Daily World
Study pegs Harbor’s gap in behavioral health services

Bellingham Herald
Buttigieg wades into Northwest salmon transportation

Capital Press
Another wolf attack confirmed; Fish and Wildlife deliberates
Easterday sentenced to 11 years in prison for $244 million fraud case

Everett Herald
Everett aims to ‘streamline’ cumbersome process for code violations
Housing Hope CEO reflects on 25-year career helping unsheltered people (Doglio, Dolan HB 1590)

Federal Way Mirror
City Council spends round of ARPA funds, signs off on townhouse project at old Bally’s property

Islands’ Weekly
Fire danger downgraded to moderate

Kitsap Sun
Culvert project coming to South Kitsap creeks in 2023, but DOT wants feedback on Sedgwick closure now

Mercer Island Reporter
City council receives preliminary biennial budget at meeting

News Tribune
WSDOT, state troopers’ vehicles struck by multiple cars at crash scene on I-5 in Tacoma
Editorial: Pierce County is the last place a new Puget Sound airport should be built. Here’s why
Crossing the Narrows Bridge just got cheaper. Here’s a rundown of local WSDOT tolls
As VMFH network outage hits Day 4, concerns of ransomware attack on health giant grow
Hilltop housing project’s future uncertain after WA tribe yanks support for federal grant
First lady Jill Biden to stop at Tacoma college during West Coast swing this week

Olympian
Lacey employee fires back at anti-Pride flag comments; more concerns about Chick-fil-A
Contractor settles with state over Lacey water quality violations
Olympia to close Ensign Road again Thursday to move those living in vehicles
Buttigieg wades into Northwest salmon transportation
Former WA state treasurer leaves retirement to help run Franklin County
Here’s how first lady Jill Biden’s WA visit will impact your commute and travels

Puget Sound Business Journal
Opinion: Climate adaptation is our reality and here’s what we need to do
Seattle passed on buying, preserving 1,400 affordable apartments

Seattle Medium
Western Governors Sign Agreement To Tackle Climate Crisis And Transition To Clean Energy

Seattle Times
Biden pardons thousands for ‘simple possession’ of marijuana
Paratransit drivers want better pay as they serve older and disabled people
Judge: Facebook intentionally violated WA campaign finance law 822 times
King County Jail using bottled water after week of ‘cloudy’ tap water
WA, West Coast leaders renew pledge to fight climate change
Buttigieg wades into Northwest salmon transportation

Skagit Valley Herald
Helping Hands opens food bank on Swinomish reservation
Skagit County: Big Lake landowner must accept liability for beaver dam
Mount Vernon businesses take part in Manufacturing Week tour

The Skanner
Vancouver City Council Bans Large Fossil Fuel Facilities

Spokesman Review
Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton reassures voters that local elections are secure
Washington State Supreme Court visits Gonzaga University for hearing on public collective bargaining
It’s warm now, but here’s what the ‘triple dip’ La Nina could mean for the Northwest

Tri-City Herald
0% affordable housing vacancy rate in Kennewick. City plan would add apartments
Fred Meyer workers shaken by deadly Tri-Cities shooting ready to finalize 1st contract

Yakima Herald-Republic
Attorney shortage, caseloads leading to shortage of court-appointed attorneys
Biden pardons thousands for ‘simple possession’ of marijuana
Budget talks: Yakima City Council considers permit, park fees as options for new revenue
Opinion: Why can’t there be some free rides in life?

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Advocates say there’s more to be done after simple marijuana possession convictions pardoned
Buttigieg visits Washington state, celebrates grant program aimed at helping fish passage
Powwow for Indigenous prisoners in Walla Walla provides an opportunity for healing
263,000 new jobs in September, US hiring report says

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
More federal money coming to replace culverts

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle works to protect bike lanes, keep parked vehicles out amid safety concerns
Poll: 8 out of 10 US adults think mental health is as important as physical health

KUOW Public Radio
No place for workers to live? Whidbey Island town aims to fix that

KXLY (ABC)
Judge rules Meta intentionally violated Washington campaign finance laws
‘We are human too’: People living in Camp Hope bring us inside
WSDOT adds rules, restrictions to Camp Hope despite threat of lawsuit

Web

Crosscut
How Seattle parents are coping with mental health struggles
Immigrant Relief Fund opens long-delayed third round of aid

The Stranger
Strauss Now Determined to Make Design Review Reforms Permanent

Thursday, October 6

Climate change made summer hotter and drier worldwide, study finds
Human-caused global warming has made severe droughts like the ones this summer in Europe, North America and China at least 20 times as likely to occur as they would have been more than a century ago, scientists said Wednesday. It’s the latest evidence of how climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels is imperiling food, water and electricity supplies around the world. The main driver of this year’s droughts was searing heat throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, the researchers reported in a new study. Such high average temperatures, over such a large area, would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of greenhouse gas emissions, the scientists said. Continue reading at The New York Times. (Steven Senne)

Federal court rules DACA ‘unlawful,’ allows program to remain amid review
A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled unlawful the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects an estimated 600,000 immigrants, including 17,000 in Washington, from deportation. The three-judge panel on the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 2021 ruling against the program from a federal judge in Texas, but did not order the Biden administration to stop the program, known by the acronym DACA. Thousands of people who are eligible for DACA but have been unable to apply remain in limbo. The halt on the program and lack of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people in the U.S. has left families with permanent fears. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (J. Scott Applewhite)

Vancouver City Council bans large fossil fuel facilities
The city council in Vancouver, Washington, has approved a permanent ban on new fossil fuel developments after years of temporary moratoriums. While new facilities that distribute, extract, refine or process fossil fuels have been temporarily prohibited by the Vancouver City Council since 2020, the council this week unanimously made the ban permanent, The Columbian reported. “We’re concerned fossil fuel facilities pose a risk to the area’s health and safety,” Chad Eiken, the city’s community development director, said in a news release. The ordinance is set to take effect in early November. Continue reading at The Associated Press.