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Wednesday, September 7

Seattle teachers strike, delaying first day of school
Seattle educators are on strike Wednesday after negotiating late into the night Tuesday, with classes canceled in the state’s largest school district on what would have been the first school day of the year. Teachers, paraprofessionals and certificated teaching staff began picketing at their schools at 7:30 a.m. and will stay on the picket lines until 3:30 p.m. each day until educators ratify a contract agreement, WEA said. Teachers have been negotiating with the district for months, with leadership mainly focused on pay increases and support for special education and multilingual students. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

A ‘doomsday glacier’ the size of Florida is disintegrating faster than thought
A large glacier in Antarctica that could raise sea levels several feet is disintegrating faster than last predicted, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience. The Thwaites Glacier — dubbed the “doomsday glacier” because scientists estimate that without it and its supporting ice shelves, sea levels could rise more than 3 to 10 feet — lies in the western part of the continent. After recently mapping it in high-resolution, a group of international researchers found that the glacial expanse experienced a phase of “rapid retreat” sometime in the past two centuries — over a duration of less than six months. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Alexandra Mazur)

This weekend could bring critical fire danger to WA Cascades and lowlands
This weekend’s combination of high heat, low humidity and wind has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning, meaning that wildfire danger is at a critical level. The danger extends from the Cascades to the Western Washington lowlands, the Weather Service said Tuesday. Gusty winds of 15-25 miles per hour from the north combined with humidity levels of 15-30 percent will make Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings dangerous, the Weather Service said. Smoke from existing and new wildfires across the region could impact air quality Friday and Saturday in Puget Sound. Continue reading at The News Tribune.

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Associated Press
Seattle cancels 1st day of school as teachers OK strike

Bellevue Reporter
COVID-19 boosters targeting Omicron now authorized for certain individuals

Bellingham Herald
Twenty percent of WA suicides are veterans, here’s where veterans can find help
Some Whatcom residents smelling this wildfire smoke, as air quality drops
Four lightning-caused fires burning in Whatcom County east of Mt. Baker Ski area
Smoke in the air? Washington health department offers these tips to stay safe

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Democracy vouchers return power to voters

The Daily News
Omicron COVID-19 vaccine boosters in limited supply in Cowlitz County
Wahkiakum schools’ lawsuit seeking money for aging buildings presses on
Wildfire in northeast Gifford Pinchot grows; Oregon fires prompt evacuations

Everett Herald
Just as MLB, NFL seasons overlap, Tulalip Tribes open sportsbooks
Comment: COLA raise for seniors helps them, but not inflation
Comment: For many workers, ‘quiet quitting’ isn’t an option
Editorial: Google, Facebook ought to pay for news they use

Islands’ Weekly
Lopez Island School is getting an electric school bus

Journal of the San Juan Islands
OPALCO announces planned county wide outage

Kirkland Reporter
Kirkland man appointed to senior position in Biden Administration

News Tribune
This weekend could bring critical fire danger to WA Cascades and lowlands

New York Times
Europe Is Sacrificing Its Ancient Forests for Energy
How to Save a Forest by Burning It
The Supply Chain Broke. Robots Are Supposed to Help Fix It.
They Have Debt but No Degree. Could Loan Forgiveness Send Them Back to School?

Olympian
80-acre Goat Rocks Wilderness fire expected to grow this week
‘This place is sacred to us.’ Offut Lake landowners want higher taxes to fix water quality

Peninsula Daily News
Port Angeles School District, union reach agreement; school resumes

Puget Sound Business Journal
Pay transparency changes are coming. Many workers are unaware.

Seattle Times
Seattle teachers strike, delaying first day of school
Friday Harbor, where seaplanes are a familiar presence, reels after crash
Get a flu shot with your updated COVID booster, King County health officials urge
Kent teachers strike could end as union reaches tentative deal
Why is union organizing at a modern peak in WA? Starbucks workers

Spokesman Review
Forecast for hot, dry, windy Wednesday prompts National Weather Service to issue red flag warning
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Bjelkengren nominated by Biden to fill post on U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington
Sandy Williams remembered after plane crash as passionate journalist, community advocate

Washington Post
Material on foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities seized at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
A ‘doomsday glacier’ the size of Florida is disintegrating faster than thought

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima County enters $2.5 million settlement regarding teen struck by sheriff deputy’s vehicle

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Kent teachers reach tentative agreement with school district
Eatonville School District delays first day of school as teachers go on strike
Parents fear Seattle Public Schools enrollment drop could impact quality of education
First day of classes delayed for Seattle Public Schools due to teacher strike
Child care center and families feel impacts of Seattle Public Schools’ first-day delay

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Seattle City Council passes legislation to regulate so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
Cash America to pay nearly $380K to Seattle employees over minimum wage, wage theft allegations

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Strike over? Kent teachers reportedly reach tentative agreement with school district
Tumwater Association of Paraprofessionals vote to authorize strike
First day of classes canceled for Seattle Public Schools due to strike. What’s next?
Health officials: Get updated COVID-19 booster, flu shot

KNKX Public Radio
The new COVID booster could be the last you’ll need for a year, federal officials say

KUOW Public Radio
Omicron-targeted Covid boosters arriving in Washington state this week
Can’t we just eat those invasive crabs until they’re gone? (Probably not)

KXLY (ABC)
Level 3 Evacuations issued for fast-moving wildfire burning in Stevens County

Web

Crosscut
Four years later, voter-approved WA gun law hasn’t been implemented (Hansen)

Tuesday, September 6

10 presumed dead in seaplane crash off Whidbey Island, rescue efforts suspended
Rescue efforts were suspended midday Monday for nine people still missing after a floatplane crashed off Whidbey Island the day before, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. All ten people who were aboard the plane when it crashed Sunday shortly after 3 p.m. are presumed dead. A woman’s body was recovered Sunday shortly after the crash by the first crews to respond, while the other nine people, including a child, remain unaccounted for. The plane, a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter owned by the charter service Northwest Seaplanes and operated by Friday Harbor Seaplanes, was traveling from Friday Harbor to Renton. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)

‘Tragic outcomes’: Mentally ill face fatal risk with police
Time and time again across the U.S., people experiencing mental health crises are being killed by police, but the exact number remains unknown because of a yawning governmental information gap. The 21st Century Cures Act, passed by Congress with bipartisan votes in 2016, requires the Department of Justice to collect and publish data on how often federal, state and local officers use force, how many times that force ends up being fatal and how often the deceased had a mental illness. But the law doesn’t require police departments to tell the DOJ how many people their officers killed. The FBI tries to collect the statistics, but for the first quarter of this year it estimated that only 40% of all sworn law enforcement agencies submitted use-of-force numbers. That figure is far below the participation level necessary to justify policy changes. Continue reading at The Associated Press. (Craig Mitchelldyer)

Hiring and retaining K-12 teachers: Washington state schools battle shortage
The U.S. Department of Education reports the demand for teachers in special education, technology, bilingual education and math has been constant, but the COVID-19 pandemic only made the shortage worse and upped the competition to recruit teachers. On Aug. 31, U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sent a joint letter to education and workforce leaders with an outline of three recommendations to address the teacher shortage. The letter includes information about establishing high quality paid apprenticeship programs, the benefits of increasing partnerships with workforce and education systems and ensuring teachers are paid a livable and competitive wage. Continue reading at KING5.

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Associated Press
‘Tragic outcomes’: Mentally ill face fatal risk with police

Aberdeen Daily World
Local Grays Harbor health agencies thrilled to provide education, resources on Overdose Awareness Day

Bellingham Herald
These are the highest-paid Bellingham employees, and their department is over budget
Omicron-specific COVID boosters will be available in WA soon; here’s what you should know
Mount Rainier’s ice caves may be beautiful but they’re also deadly, Park Service warns
Bellingham ‘streateries’ are here to stay as city plans program improvements

Columbian
Editorial: In Our View: Labor Day a chance to review plight of workers
Editorial: In Our View: No two ways about it, bilingualism has benefits
Editorial: In Our View: Federal cannabis laws stuck in the past
Editorial: In Our View: Virus only part of story in life expectancy decline

The Daily News
Kalama leaders favor regional police academy for Southwest Washington

Everett Herald
Editorial: Rebates, rules and the road to electric vehicles

Islands’ Weekly
Editorial: The struggle behind Labor Day

Kent Reporter
Day 8 of Kent teachers’ strike: No school on Tuesday, Sept. 6

Kitsap Sun
Seabeck green crab find helps launch funding push to fight invasion in Hood Canal and beyond

News Tribune
Civil rights activist, winemaker among 10 victims in seaplane crash on WA’s Puget Sound

Olympian
Olympia, state officials outline who’s responsible for turning Capitol Lake into an estuary
Parents with children in foster care will no longer have to pay child support, says DCYF
Are elections in WA safe from cybersecurity attacks and misinformation? Here’s what experts say
WA campaign finance laws were intentionally violated by Facebook parent Meta, judge says

Peninsula Daily News
Coast Guard ends search for nine missing in floatplane crash off Whidbey Island

Puget Sound Business Journal
Many workers still aren’t taking vacation, but there is some good news
Opinion: Startup layoffs have major implications for H-1B workers

Seattle Times
10 presumed dead in seaplane crash off Whidbey Island, rescue efforts suspended
Victims of Whidbey Island floatplane crash identified
WA’s top education leader on this school year’s opportunities and challenges
Seattle teachers prepare for a strike as negotiations continue
Editorial: Phasing out gas leaf blowers is the right move for Seattle (Carlyle)

Skagit Valley Herald
Inflation Reduction Act gives solar power its latest push forward
Department of Natural Resources improves accessibility to assistance programs
Skagit County continues to show improvement in COVID-19 case rate

The Skanner
Seattle Environmental Justice Fund 2022 Grant Applications Open

Spokesman Review
Spokane civil rights activist Sandy Williams was aboard plane that crashed in Puget Sound
After slump, Ferry County attempts to regain lost population in 2020 census
The ABCs of back to school, from asking questions to ZPass
Remote work allowed more people to move into rural areas like the Methow Valley, but locals now worry about housing, staffing

Washington Post
The fight to keep a little-known bacteria out of powdered baby formula
The summer drought’s hefty toll on American crops
Judge to appoint special master to review Trump’s Mar-a-Lago documents

Yakima Herald-Republic
It Happened Here: Union members, farmers battle at Congdon Orchards

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Hiring and retaining K-12 teachers: Washington state schools battle shortage
Strike decisions loom for Seattle Public Schools, several other school districts

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Teachers in Port Angeles reach tentative agreement with district
All 10 victims identified in deadly floatplane crash into Puget Sound

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Gas prices continue to drop across Seattle, Washington state, nation

KNKX Public Radio
Despite pandemic impacts, WA and OR among states with longest life expectancy
B.C. tailings dam failure could spell disaster for Canada, Washington, studies say

KUOW Public Radio
Fishing boat that sank in orca waters ran into trouble 24 hours earlier
1 person is dead and 9 are missing after a floatplane crashes in the Puget Sound

KXLY (ABC)
New Spokane middle schools to welcome sixth and seventh graders
Executive director of Carl Maxey Center lost in Puget Sound plane crash

NW Public Radio
What Happens In Our Urban Neighborhoods When There’s A Heatwave?

Q13 TV (FOX)
New sustainable buildings choosing wood over steel and concrete

Web

Crosscut
How federal ‘revenue’ relief obscures local government spending

The Stranger
This Week in Worker Conquests

Friday, September 2

Labor market added 315,000 jobs in August, a bright spot in the economy
The U.S. labor market added 315,000 jobs in August, hitting a 20-month streak in strong job growth that’s powering an economy through ominously high inflation. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 3.7 percent, according to a monthly jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, with 344,000 more people unemployed than the previous month. The labor force participation rate also ticked up by 0.3 percent in August up to 62.4 percent, a sign that more Americans are looking to return to work, with many finding jobs. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Craig Hudson)

Sound Transit goes all-in on a gentler kind of fare enforcement
After two years of not enforcing payment, Sound Transit will bring back spot checks of passengers by deploying “fare ambassadors” who educate nonpaying riders and issue lighter penalties — a new strategy leaders hope will change the agency’s history of unequal enforcement against Black and homeless people. The transit agency will invest a possible $672 million over the next quarter-century for this new method, which will have blue-and-yellow clad ambassadors asking 10% of daily light-rail passengers to show a fare ticket or ORCA fare card. Sound Transit and King County Metro suspended fare enforcement by security guards in paramilitary uniforms in spring 2020 to reduce risk of COVID-19 spread. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner)

Wildfire smoke is here to stay. But critics say our preparations are still ‘lackadaisical’
August and September in the Pacific Northwest now come with a reliable risk of wildfire smoke. When it rolls in, the sky turns orange and hazy. The air smells like a campfire. And our health — physical and mental — suffers. But local governments are still working out how to protect people from this polluted air. For some, the smoke can be fatal. Researchers estimate that Washington state’s two weeks of wildfire smoke in 2020 contributed to about 160 deaths. Continue reading at KUOW. (Megan Farmer)

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Associated Press
Amtrak restarting service from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C.
‘Devastating’: Mass shootings obscure daily U.S. gun toll

Auburn Reporter
Hate crimes: King County Council to consider legislation for a reporting system

Bellingham Herald
Another boat sinks in Bellingham waters

Capital Press
Washington state scouts for new airport site, looks at farmland

The Daily News
Attention small forest landowners: State launches a tool just for you

Everett Herald
‘Just get on the bus’: Kids can ride for free now in Snohomish County (Liias)

Kent Reporter
How to stay safe from wildfire smoke in Washington

Olympian
WA ferries are almost back to pre-pandemic rider levels, expecting a busy holiday weekend
COVID-19 disease activity falls again in Thurston County as CDC risk level stays low

Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle office demand fell in July as pace of hiring slowed

Seattle Times
Sound Transit goes all-in on a gentler kind of fare enforcement
Seattle Children’s nurses new contract brings ‘unprecedented’ raises
Wildfire in WA’s Colville National Forest grows, forces evacuations
Column: Data shows how well Seattle’s democracy voucher program is working
Opinion: Job No. 1: Ensure every Washington worker goes home safe at the end of the day

Spokesman Review
Officials tour grounds as Spokane’s Trent Avenue homeless shelter readies for opening Tuesday

Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities expected to break a heat record before Labor Day. When will we get relief?
Editorial: Claims of being bullied by elected officials show ugly underbelly in Franklin County, WA

Washington Post
Unsealed FBI list shows how Trump mixed classified, unclassified items
Labor market added 315,000 jobs in August, a bright spot in the economy
G-7 nations say they will cap the price of Russian oil
Covid, monkeypox, polio: Summer of viruses reflects travel, warming trends

Yakima Herald-Republic
L&I stakeholders give feedback on proposed year-round heat protection rules
Yakima Valley Memorial cuts traveling staff in response to ‘large financial losses’

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Seattle is No. 1 domestic destination for Labor Day, AAA reports
Seattle, Highline school districts struggle to hire enough bus drivers
Kent teacher strike moves into second week
Port Angeles teachers plan strike next week if new contract isn’t agreed

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Tukwila residents to vote on $3 increase to city’s minimum wage
Recovery operation ongoing for fishing vessel that sank off San Juan Island

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Vandal targets garden that replaced homeless camp in Seattle
Seattle Children’s Hospital reaches agreement on new contract

KNKX Public Radio
No charges in Washington ballot drop box surveillance investigation
Monkeypox cases dropping, a good sign but not a complete picture

KUOW Public Radio
Free transit rolls out for youth across Washington state
Wildfire smoke is here to stay. But critics say our preparations are still ‘lackadaisical’
Swinomish Tribe builds U.S.’s first modern ‘clam garden,’ reviving ancient practice
Amazon loses key step in its attempt to reverse its workers’ historic union vote

KXLY (ABC)
SPS offers mental health resources for students to start new school year

NW Public Radio
Washington And Oregon Among States With Longest Life Expectancy, But Pandemic Hurt
School Districts In Central WA Try To Relieve Teachers’ Burnout

Q13 TV (FOX)
Seattle Children’s nurses ratify new contract

Web

Crosscut
Despite Biden’s promises, logging poses major threat to PNW forests

The Stranger
The CEO of Seattle Is Hiring for the 2023 City Council

Thursday, September 1

Free transit starts today for most youths across WA
Young transit riders in most of Washington won’t pay their bus fares today or any day until they turn 19, as agencies across the state pivot toward providing free rides for people 18 and under. The shift is one piece of a massive 16-year, nearly $17 billion transportation funding measure passed mostly along party lines during the 2022 legislative session in Olympia. While the package included billions in new spending on roads and highways, Democratic lawmakers set aside more than $3 billion for transit in the state, over the opposition of the minority Republicans. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

Wary optimism as students, educators embark on new school year
A year ago, back-to-school preparations meant measuring distances between desks, retooling class schedules to ensure social distancing in cafeterias at lunch time and stocking up masks because everyone had to wear them indoors. This year, it’s about lesson plans, enrichment programs and counseling services. COVID, too, but less than before. School leaders saw firsthand how the pandemic hurt students academically. Standardized test scores in Washington dropped several points between 2019 and 2021. COVID also took a toll on students’ mental health. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Olivia Vanni)

Rising rent: Why prices are only going higher
If you rent your house or apartment, you are in a club with over 100 million other Americans. And you may be wondering, why has it become so expensive now to be in that club? From Seattle to Austin to Tampa, rent is soaring. Finding a place to rent is stressful, for a bunch of different reasons. Rising rent is one of the biggest ways people feel inflation in their daily lives. These cost increases feel unavoidable. People have to live somewhere. There’s no single reason why rent costs are up. Instead, a clash of factors have made it so that renting a house or apartment — your perfect nest — is more expensive than ever. Continue reading at The Washington Post.

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Associated Press
King County begins year-round free transit for those 18 and under
Carbon should cost 3.6 times more than current price, study says

Bellingham Herald
Can I pray at school? Can I choose my pronouns? Bellingham school rules you should know
Amtrak is getting ready to restart its route through Bellingham. Here are the details

Bloomberg
Women’s pay growth outpaces men’s, but still hasn’t caught up

Columbian
Clark County Council OKs $10.23 million in COVID relief for jail renovations
Editorial: In Our View: Trees are a key ally in fighting climate change

The Daily News
Students kick off 2022 school year across Cowlitz County

Everett Herald
Wary optimism as students, educators embark on new school year

News Tribune
Footprint, timeline for new Tacoma children’s hospital revised after pandemic reassessment
How much higher can they go? Here’s how Tacoma, other cities are faring with rents

Olympian
FDA approval will likely send omicron-specific COVID vaccines to Washington
Olympia School District budget includes teacher raises amid millions in adjustments

Peninsula Daily News
Summer ridership on ferries climbing

Seattle Times
Seattle mayor does damage control after leaked criticism of homelessness agency, City Council
‘Rainbow fentanyl’ that looks like candy is seized on West Coast
Washington prepares for a school year with fewer health protocols, new challenges
Free transit starts today for most youths across WA (Liias)
What WA needs to know about the new omicron-specific COVID boosters

Skagit Valley Herald
Swinomish tribe, Skagit Valley College partner on new dental therapy program
Grip Road gravel mine hearing to continue Friday

Snoqualmie Valley Record
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital releases community needs health assessment

Spokesman Review
Spokane ties 100-degree heat record Wednesday; gusting winds blow dust into region

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Walla Walla’s community paramedic program receives grant to keep going

Washington Post
American students’ test scores plunge to levels unseen for decades
Justice filing points to new legal trouble for Trump and lawyers, experts say
Rising rent: Why prices are only going higher
It seems everyone is mad at airlines. Fall could bring calmer skies.

Yakima Herald-Republic
Q&A: How California’s new electric vehicle standards might affect WA

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Kitsap County DUI case challenging breathalyzers headed to state Supreme Court
A historically white industry is pushing for more inclusion in Washington
Violent attacks against Seattle firefighters on the rise, union says

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Amtrak Cascades service to Vancouver, BC resumes after 2-year pause due to pandemic
Pharmacies bracing for new COVID-19 booster demand
Washington ferry ridership at highest since start of pandemic

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell unveils park budget proposal to make parks ‘accessible to all’
Educators from Seattle Public Schools set to vote on strike authorization this weekend

KNKX Public Radio
Animal crossings over and under highways can save big dollars — not just lives — says new study

KUOW Public Radio
What Does the New Climate Bill Mean for Washington State?
Free lunch at school is more than just a meal — it’s fuel for students’ futures

NW Public Radio
Smaller Apple Harvest From Washington This Year Due To Cold Snap, Rising Costs
Farmworkers Call For Climate Emergency Declaration In Washington

Web

Crosscut
Seattle community court referrals are surging. Here’s why

MyNorthwest
Seattle Schools shuffles student bus routes as driver shortages persist
Most public transit now free to kids across Washington
State superintendant unveils plan to expand dual-language education programs to all of Washington

The Stranger
Seattle Teachers Strike Looms

West Seattle Blog
FOLLOWUP: Seattle Education Association to vote on strike authorization

Wednesday, August 31

US clears updated COVID boosters targeting newest variants
The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. Shots could begin within days. The move by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives. The hope is that the modified boosters will blunt yet another winter surge. Until now, COVID-19 vaccines have targeted the original coronavirus strain, even as wildly different mutants emerged. The new U.S. boosters are combination, or “bivalent,” shots. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, called BA.4 and BA.5, that are considered the most contagious yet. Continue reading at The Associated Press. (AP)

Seattle employee is found to hold racist beliefs; then city pays him $125K in settlement
A longtime employee of the Seattle Department of Transportation who sent a Black woman racist and threatening messages at the height of the protests over the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 is still working with the city agency, despite concerns over his problematic history with the department and continued interaction with the public. Department investigators who looked into the matter concluded that [Kirk] Calkins holds “deeply racist beliefs regarding Black people and displayed a willingness to threaten violence in furtherance of those beliefs.” Despite the outcome of the investigation, Calkins was not fired. Instead, he received a 30-day suspension last year. In addition, the City of Seattle reached a settlement with Calkins at the beginning of this year, paying him $125,000. Continue reading at KNKX. (Alex Savini)

‘Guys only’: Regional staffing agency sued for alleged sex discrimination
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges that a Puget Sound-area staffing company, SmartTalent, repeatedly refused to assign female workers to certain temporary jobs. SmartTalent is based in Gig Harbor and operates five branches between Lacey and Lynnwood. In a civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Aug. 5, the EEOC claims that since at least the start of 2015, SmartTalent received emails from clients specifically seeking “strong dudes” and “guys only” for work assignments. A recruiter witnessed a branch manager tell another recruiter who raised concerns about complying with discriminatory requests to “shut up and do her job,” and “stop complaining,” states the lawsuit. Continue reading at Puget Sound Business Journal. (JacobStudio)