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Tuesday, May 11

Insurers in WA must cover transgender health care under new bill
At 19, Venus Aoki left Mexico because of the discrimination she experienced there as a transgender woman. She came to the United States seeking medical care to aid her transition — a process that would require additional procedures and therapy. Yet, even since arriving in Washington state five years ago, Aoki, now 24, has still been unable to access some of the gender-affirming treatments prescribed by her doctor. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Dorothy Edwards)

‘A dramatic shift’: Inslee signs legislation to address child care shortages into law
A bill that supporters say expands access to child care and early learning was signed Friday by Gov. Jay Inslee in a virtual celebration for providers. The bill, which Spokane providers say was desperately needed after the COVID-19 pandemic, provides new funding for child care and early learning. Continue reading at The Spokesman-Review. (Ted S. Warren)

Spokane Tribe says ‘no’ to Native American mascots
Washington has a new law that bans schools from using Native American imagery without a tribe’s consent. The Spokane Tribe says it won’t be endorsing any such proposals. The Reardan-Edwall, Wellpinit and Spokane school districts all currently use Native American themed mascots. North Central High School in Spokane and Reardan-Edwall, which is spread between Lincoln and Spokane Counties and has many students from the tribe, both use Indians. Wellpinit uses a slur as its mascot. Continue reading at KUOW. (Rebecca White)

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Associated Press
Wash. governor signs bill requiring “just cause” eviction
EPA awards grants for beach water monitoring, notifications
Drug overdoses skyrocket in Washington state amid COVID
Pfizer COVID-19 shot expanded to US children as young as 12
Officials report state’s first rabies-positive bat of 2021
Inslee approves bill curbing debt-based license suspensions
Pentagon may scrap huge $10 billion computing contract awarded to Microsoft
UO, Western Oregon to require students to get COVID shotsz

Aberdeen Daily World
Treasury readies first batch of $350 billion aid to states, localities
Capital gains tax: A look at how Washington got here and what’s still to come
Letter: No low barrier shelter; fine, now what’s the plan?

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers confirmed Monday in Washington state
Whatcom’s fourth COVID wave looking quite different, as county sees three new variants
Kids between 12 and 15 years old can now receive Pfizer COVID vaccine, FDA announces
Mask-wearing could become seasonal after COVID pandemic, Fauci says. Here’s why
Why successful Asian Americans are penalized at the workplace

Capital Press
Nature’s cleanup crew: Dung beetles control farm pests and pathogens

Columbian
Clark County tallies three-day total of 290 COVID-19 cases

El Sol De Yakima (available in English via Google Translate)
Free food boxes to be distributed in Yakima, Sunnyside, Union Gap
Seniors can apply for food stamps to use at farmers markets

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Former community hub in Marysville set for demolition
Prosecutor suspended for evidence errors in drug ring trial
Coupeville ferry route down to one boat through June 27
Inslee signs bill extending tax break used by area cities
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
WaPo Comment: The Zoom era has changed our conversations
WaPo Comment: Justice Breyer should do what Ginsburg didn’t; retire
50 years ago, election ushered in new era for U.S. tribes

The Facts Newspaper
King County Remains in Phase 3

High Country News
Is California’s carbon offset program actually helping the environment?
Solving the West’s housing crisis

News Tribune (subscription required)
Graduation ceremonies will be outdoors, but in person, for Tacoma, other districts
Op-Ed: Of COVID and Voldemort: A year later, Tacoma mayor no longer slow to speak of virus
Editorial: ‘I was pretty mad’: Tacoma’s top lawmaker not fond of Inslee’s erratic COVID-19 plan (Jinkins, Nobles, Leavitt, Bronoske, Conway, Kirby, Morgan, Randall, Wilson)
Mayoral candidate says ‘minor things’ led to teaching ban in four Seattle schools

New York Times
To Vaccinate Younger Teens, States and Cities Look to Schools, Camps, Even Beaches
For Clean Energy, Buy American or Buy It Quick and Cheap?
Biden Administration Approves Nation’s First Major Offshore Wind Farm
Efforts to Weed Out Extremists in Law Enforcement Meet Resistance
Democrats’ election overhaul is expected to clear a major hurdle, but it faces a filibuster in the Senate.
The White House will allow undocumented college students access to emergency pandemic aid.

Olympian (subscription required)
Lummi tribal carvers make Olympia stop on totem journey to D.C.
Local military base starts farmers market. Vendors, including vets, encouraged to join
Move over, Sephora: New library branch to open in Capital Mall in June
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers confirmed Monday in Washington state

Peninsula Daily News
Clallam County eyes equity agenda
Free beer with vaccine
Police chief starts position
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Drug overdoses skyrocket in state amid COVID
Peninsula numbers leveling, but state cases may take a few more weeks
Rental, utility assistance available through Serenity House

Puget Sound Business Journal
SBA awards billions in Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants. But the money is likely to dry up quickly.
Boeing notches positive order stream for third consecutive month
Report: Seattle ranks among top 10 metros for tech job postings
Eastside program aims to help small businesses recover from pandemic
PPP loan forgiveness process could drag out for ‘six to eight years’
Opinion: Seattle, how important is equity to you?

Seattle Medium
Inslee Signs Legislation That Expands Access To Childcare (Senn, Wilson)
Bill Expanding Affordable Housing Development Signed Into Law (Ramel, Das)
Governor Signs Berg Law To End Period Poverty For Students (Berg)

Seattle Times (subscription required)
Seattle 911 response times climbed in summer 2020. Now, police and activists debate what comes next
Halt to 737 MAX deliveries stymies Boeing’s recovery effort
Editorial: State Supreme Court undoes a piece of Washington’s racist past
Opinion: As Seattle slowly reopens, focus on the facts, not fears, of bus ridership

Spokesman Review
Capital gains tax: A look at how Washington got here and what’s still to come (Billig, Ormsby)
Restaurants worry about new plastics restrictions in Washington (Das)
‘A dramatic shift’: Inslee signs legislation to address child care shortages into law (Wilson, Billig)
Spin Control: Why is Washington so behind on vaccine freebies? Here’s some of the incentives it could offer

Vancouver Business Journal
Manufacturing, technology sectors provide solid foundation through pandemic and beyond

Washington Post
Opinion: Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal: We must fix the gaping holes in Medicare
Biden’s sweeping — and fluid — tax plans are making some congressional Democrats nervous
After Jerusalem erupts, deadly strikes and clashes spread across Israel and the Palestinian territories
Officers who killed Breonna Taylor should not have fired their weapons, internal investigator finds
Opinion: It’s time for Democrats to force Joe Manchin to show his hand

Yakima Herald Republic
As passenger numbers increase, Yakima Airport makes case for adding a 3rd daily Alaska Airlines flight
Pittsburg Post-Gazette Opinion: CNN commentator Rick Santorum needs a lesson on Native American history

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Olympia School District under fire after suggesting ineligible teens preregister for vaccines
Parents, schools prepare to give COVID-19 vaccines to kids 12 and up in Washington
Check your zip code: Map shows which King County neighborhoods are getting vaccinated
Sequim mayor’s t-shirt causes controversy
COVID-19 vaccinations appear to be driving down infections in Washington state

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Messages, ‘phone calls of hate’ reported after restaurant posts Covid-19 ‘tattletale list’
Lumen Field vaccination site prepares for kids ages 12 to 15
FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use for children age 12 to 15
New video storytelling campaign aims to lift up AAPI voices
SFD offering vaccines, free burgers at several Dick’s Drive-In locations
Lawsuits reveal city is missing June 2020 text messages from Seattle mayor, SPD leaders, fire chief

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Are lawmakers trying to fund major money projects using your tax dollars?

KNKX FM
Suicide warning signs missed at Washington state prisons, investigation finds

KUOW FM
Spokane Tribe says ‘no’ to Native American mascots
KUOW’s pandemic blog: Updates for the NW
Warren, Sanders Call For Expanding Food Aid To College Students
Why Soaring Stocks Could Be Bad News For The Economy
Government Housing Vouchers Are Hard To Get, And Hard To Use
FDA OKs Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For 12-15 Age Group
We asked for Mayor Jenny Durkan’s text messages, and this is what we got

Q13 TV (Fox)
‘There needs to be recourse’: Deputies have limited options in White Center vandalism cases

Web

Crosscut
Tribes can hunt on ancestral lands north of U.S. border, Canada says
Opinion: Why I’m holding my applause for Washington’s new foster care law
Tensions rise as Seattle City Hall seeks alternatives to police
Opinion: WA’s crackdown on street racing misses car culture’s bigger problem
Insurers in WA must cover transgender health care under new bill (Liias)
Opinion: In Washington politics, is it really Seattle’s state now?
What phase are we in? King County staying in Phase 3 — for now

Slog
Can Jet Fuel Ever Be “Sustainable”? The Port of Seattle Hopes So

West Seattle Blog
Another year proposed for outdoor restaurant/retail space, and maybe forever

Monday, May 10

Meet the students who fought for free menstrual products at Washington schools — and won
When they were freshmen, Jinyang Zhang and Ramya Arumilli advocated for free menstrual products in their school bathrooms. This year, they were part of a successful effort to secure the same for students statewide. Zhang and Arumilli, now seniors at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, were two of the many students who testified in support of House Bill 1273 during the legislative session that ended last month. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald. (TVW)

Suicide warning signs missed at Washington prisons, investigation finds
For the second time in less than a year, Washington’s Corrections Ombuds (OCO) is warning that the state’s prison system needs to do more to prevent inmate suicides. In a 15-page investigation scheduled for release Monday, the OCO found that two inmates died by suicide in 2020 after prison staff failed to recognize signs of mental distress and didn’t follow suicide prevention policies. Continue reading at KUOW. (Thomas Hawk)

What Mom really wants is help for her family
No doubt, Mom will love what you got her for Mother’s Day, whether it’s a fuchsia basket, a gift certificate, chocolates, the day off from cooking and clean-up or just a card. (But tell us you did get her more than a card.) Certainly, she’ll appreciate the sentiment behind the gift and the gratitude you’ve shown for all she’s done. But what she might really like — and not just for herself, but for her daughters and granddaughters, too — would be some progress on changes that could make life easier for herself and her family, things that have become especially clear during the pandemic. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (The Columbus Dispatch)

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Associated Press
Idaho shooting: Very few school incidents committed by girls
50 years ago, election ushered in new era for U.S. tribes
Stocks trade mixed after hitting record highs last week

Aberdeen Daily World
County Commissioners reviewing Naloxone program
Local hospitals managing COVID patients, even with a surge in late April, early May
Lewis County meeting canceled after Winlock mayor refuses to wear mask

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Bellingham considers taking this environmental step two years before Washington law
This new residential addiction recovery house will be the first in Whatcom in decades
Wearing out a seat belt is a good thing, it shows it was used. As for replacing it …?
Whatcom vaccination slots going unused while COVID-related hospitalizations on the rise
19 residents, staff sickened in COVID-19 outbreak at this Whatcom long-term care facility
Meet the students who fought for free menstrual products at Washington schools — and won (Berg)
Coronavirus weekly-need-to-know: Shot walk-ins, J&J anxiety, unvaccinated advice & more
Biden admin reinstates health care protections for trans people. Here’s what changed

Capital Press
Agriculture pleased administration recognizes its role in conservation
Washington dairy blames lawsuit delay on EPA
Washington issues new rules for housing farmworkers
King County reports 7 children infected with toxic E. coli
Most NW cities warmed, but some have cooled in past decade

Columbian
Funding, reuse of CRC work key issues in Interstate 5 Bridge replacement (Cleveland, Wylie, Fey)
New bridge replacement effort strives to avoid light rail controversy (Cleveland)
Cheers & Jeers: Electric buses; climate woes

El Sol de Yakima (English available via Google Translate)
Northwest Harvest to Build Food Distribution Center, Free Market in Yakima
Activities, COVID vaccination clinics in the Yakima Valley
Largest cherry harvest expected this year

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Nurses picket at Providence Everett amid contract talks
Prosecutor suspended for evidence errors in drug ring trial
With Sound Transit funding, Edmonds eyes bike lane projects
Anger boils over a year into Washington’s unemployment mess (Hasegawa, Fey)
Vaccinated seniors are largely missing COVID’s fourth wave
Painted swastikas reported in Edmonds, Tulalip
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
WaPo Viewpoints: Facebook’s ‘court’ declines to give it an easy out
WaPo Comment: When women sought independence they got Mother’s Day
Harrop: Biden’s policies more aligned with Truman than FDR
Comment: It’s time to reform state’s sentencing reforms
Comment: STEM students get own day to sign and shine
Editorial: What Mom really wants is help for her family
Letter: Those in Congress voting to overturn election violated oath
Letter: Ask senators to end time switch
Letter: Chauvin’s guilty verdict was justice but not victory

High Country News
How ‘sustainable’ is California’s groundwater sustainability act?
The battle over Point Reyes’ tule elk

News Tribune (subscription required)
Sumner gets the money for White River flood mitigation. When will construction start?
Still wary of shedding COVID-19 protections? Experts say that’s normal
Two more Tacoma libraries open for walk-ins, appointments starting Tuesday
Black bear is ‘put down’ due to safety concerns after it was seen near homes
Tacoma writer’s family history shapes graphic novel on resistance to WWII internment
Milk, fish, a fatality and a massive traffic jam: How Friday’s I-5 snarl paralyzed us
Mayoral candidate is barred from teaching in four Seattle schools. Here’s why
Slight leveling in COVID-19 numbers; Gig Harbor total now 1,426, Key Peninsula 379.

Olympian (subscription required)
Yelm rallies to support youth baseball league after theft — and attracts big-league help
Microhouses replace tents at Olympia’s mitigation site
Decision to withdraw was not about Evergreen but about ‘where I am today,’ finalist says
Coalition works to combat invasive European green crab in Grays Harbor
3 percent of Thurston County residents have contracted COVID-19

Peninsula Daily News
Sequim mayor’s T-shirt draws attention (Van De Wege)
Washington State Parks hopes for $32 million in stimulus funding for Fort Worden
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Olympic Peninsula counties leading vaccine efforts
EYE ON CLALLAM: County to consider measure condemning discrimination

Port Townsend Leader
COVID-19 arms race hits crucial point

Puget Sound Business Journal
Opinion: Cities need bold federal action to support recovery
Lake Washington School District lands rare 25-acre parcel in urban growth zone

Seattle Times (subscription required)
Seattle’s lack of school bus service leaves scores of students at home
Cyberattacks grind Hanford nuclear energy workers’ benefit program to a halt
Breanna Stewart continues to make her presence felt … with the Storm and around the world
In wake of COVID, employers step up automation and use of robots
Southern resident orcas celebrate 3 healthy calves as researchers find J pod in best overall condition in a decade
Noriko Nasu was the victim of a violent, unprovoked attack in Seattle. Now, she’s speaking out against anti-Asian hate crimes
Not just the mayor: Text messages of Seattle police and fire chiefs from June 2020 also missing
Washington schools are carefully planning to welcome all students back to buildings this fall
Vote no and take the dough? It’s a proud conservative tradition
Op-ed by Rep. Alicia Rule: Redefining homelessness so children and families don’t fall through the cracks

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit Valley natives invent high-tech fix for farmers’ irrigation problems

Washington Post
The making of a myth
Contentious ‘Jerusalem Day’ march begins in wake of clashes that left more than 300 Palestinians injured
Europe turns away from AstraZeneca vaccine in favor of Pfizer-BioNTech
After Black driver is handcuffed and arrested, Va. prosecutor says she never should have been pulled over

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Seattle physician is ‘eager’ for her children to be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine
Will Washington keep flattening the COVID-19 curve? It’s too early to tell, state says
Meet the nurse behind Seattle’s largest mass COVID-19 vaccination site

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Increasing vaccinations will help King County ‘push play and not rewind’
Southern resident orca pod in best condition in decade
FBI warns of harsh penalty that comes with faking COVID vaccination cards
Health officials monitoring COVID-19 outbreak at Whatcom County nursing facility
COVID pandemic creates spike in mental illness

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Restaurants apply for Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants; hope for reopening date
Washington healthcare workers hope to help COVID-19 patients in India
Coronavirus transmission rate remains high in Washington
Wash. reports more than 1,400 new coronavirus cases Saturday

KUOW FM
Suicide warning signs missed at Washington prisons, investigation finds
Covid updates for Seattle and the Northwest
To Bridge The Digital Divide, Biden Administration Launches Vaccine Hotline

KXLY
Possible ‘widespread COVID-19 exposure’ linked to Colville golf course events

Q13 TV (Fox)
Americans not getting mental health care needed amid pandemic, reports suggest
Brandi Kruse: Governor Inslee’s mixed messages
The Divide: Dems break with Inslee
Mayor Durkan, city officials’ text messages missing following investigation into public records requests
PPP loan money has run out for traditional banks but not everywhere as PNW businesses continue to struggle
20% of all new US COVID-19 cases in last week of April were children, data shows
Seattle Pacific University, CWU and WWU to require vaccines for students ahead of fall 2021 term

Friday, May 7

These tribes have not received federal assistance during the pandemic. Here’s why.
The Indian Health Service has been lauded for the success of its vaccine rollout. But there’s one group of tribes that received no vaccines, no testing supplies, and none of the federal relief money that’s gone to Indian Country during the pandemic. Most tribes received testing supplies that Indian Health Service sent to their clinics. And as sovereign nations, they got their own vaccine allocations that they could prioritize as they chose. Continue reading at KUOW. (Ellis O’Neill/KUOW)

New IHME study says COVID-19 has caused over 905,000 deaths in U.S., 6.9 million deaths globally
A new study concludes that COVID-19 has caused more than 905,000 deaths in America and more than double the number of global deaths that have been reported. The updated analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine found that COVID-19 deaths are significantly underreported in almost every country. Continue reading at Q13.

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Associated Press
WA Democratic lawmakers decry pause of Pierce County (Leavitt, Bronoske, Morgan, Kirby, Randall, Nobles, Conway, Wilson)
Western, Central Washington universities to require vaccines
Feud breaks out among GOP lawmakers over Snake River dams

Aberdeen Daily World
Some summer festivals planned, but pandemic predicament persists

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Thursday in Washington state
Whatcom returns to making hospitalization goal as county records 47 new COVID-19 cases
Do temperature checks really catch COVID infections? Depends on your age, experts say

Capital Press
Washington dairy blames lawsuit delay on EPA
Simpson, NW lawmakers clash over dam conversations with Oregon’s Brown

El Sol De Yakima (available in English via Google Translate)
Victims of violence can find a “safe space” to recover

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Carbon-free water power electrifies much of Snohomish County
WaPo Comment: Culture war could end child care’s bipartisan support
WaPo Comment: Facebook’s problem isn’t Trump; it’s Facebook
Letter: A path out of poverty serves justice, too
Letter: Border crisis is no different than in the past

News Tribune (subscription required)
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Thursday in Washington state
Thursday’s COVID numbers put Pierce County in Phase 1 territory; evaluation in 2 weeks
Activists plan Saturday motorcade along Ruston Way in Tacoma to support voting rights
Tacoma-area broker who accepted thousands from elderly client’s will faces suspension
Grocery chain with Tacoma stores makes deal to keep its locations in place for years
Editorial: He missed more votes than all other Pierce County senators combined, but won’t say why

Olympian (subscription required)
Thurston County adds 1 COVID-19 death, 54 cases; Evergreen requiring vaccinations
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Thursday in Washington state
A Chehalis man vowed to follow COVID-19 rules. Then he led a 153-person Grand Canyon hike
Thurston County reports 2 new COVID-19 deaths and 27 more cases on Wednesday

Puget Sound Business Journal
Report: Seattle’s hotel industry won’t fully recover until 2024
Hospitality trade group petition seeks full reopening for Washington by June 15
Opinion: Digital transformation must start with guiding principles
It’s time for us to wean off government checks

Seattle Times (subscription required)
WA Democratic lawmakers decry pause of Pierce County (Leavitt, Bronoske, Morgan, Kirby, Randall, Nobles, Conway, Wilson)
Police panel clears Renton officer who partnered in businesses with a Proud Boys leader
After decades of neglect, old seminary at Saint Edward State Park reopens as $57M hotel
Public records requests mishandled after Seattle mayor’s texts went missing, whistleblower investigation finds
Five months and $100,000 later, Seattle City Council asks: Where are the street sinks?
The end of the pandemic lockdown is closer than you think

Skagit Valley Herald
Fisheries group sues over salmon management

The Skanner
Concrete Wall Around Seattle Police Precinct Comes Down

Spokesman Review
Patty Murray’s decades-long fight to transform U.S. child care system may finally become reality
‘Pioneering’ first class at Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine graduates Thursday in Spokane
‘About a lie’: Author dissects tale of murdered Washington missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman
Eastern Washington University will not require COVID-19 vaccinations for the fall
Unwilling to negotiate in public, labor union sues Spokane over new charter rule on bargaining

Tri-City Herald
Some good COVID news. But will Tri-Cities blow it with grad parties and Mother’s Day?
WA state to close Tri-Cities mass COVID vaccine site in a few weeks
Will Tri-Cities fairgoers be able to have the ‘Best Week of Summer’ this August?

Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Man pleads guilty to escaping from Walla Walla County Courthouse
About 100 College Place residents without power Thursday due to car crash
Police: Man wanted on warrants coerced out of Walla Walla Travelodge

Washington Post
Economy picked up just 266,000 jobs in April, well below expectations as economy struggles to rebound
Justice Dept. charges ex-Minneapolis police officers with violating George Floyd’s civil rights
DeJoy charges ahead with USPS cost-cutting despite beating financial projections

Yakima Herald Republic
Yakima County commissioners hit with lawsuit alleging open public meeting violations
Central Washington University, Western to require vaccines

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Washington healthcare exec faces charges after Grand Canyon hike allegedly broke COVID-19 rules
Lawmakers criticize Inslee for reopening pause while Pierce County remains in Phase 2
A pandemic within a pandemic: Kids battling mental health crisis during COVID-19
Tacoma Public Schools to offer full-time in-person learning this fall
Monroe prison gave outdated COVID-19 vaccines to inmates, state says

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Sheriff: Girl shoots 3 at Idaho school; teacher disarms her
Bellevue Police offering $16K bonuses for some new hires
Feud breaks out among GOP lawmakers over Snake River dams
Western Washington University to require COVID-19 vaccines for students and employees

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
UW study: True global COVID death toll is more than double the official toll
Evergreen State College to require COVID-19 vaccines
Gov. Inslee faces criticism for his COVID reopening plan – including from Democrats
Family calls for hate crime charges in fatal attack on Bothell man
Vaccinations for children is ‘absolutely critical,’ says doctor
More and more sites offering incentives to encourage people to get COVID-19 vaccines

KNKX FM
The pandemic made things harder on teens, so they wrote a new state law to help
Washington state prisons to allow visitors again

KUOW FM
These tribes have not received federal assistance during the pandemic
Covid updates for Seattle and the Northwest
‘New Era In Resettlement’: U.S. Refugee Advocates Count On More Community-Based Help

KXLY (ABC)
EWU will not require students to get vaccinated
Reports show students are falling behind in school

Q13 TV (Fox)
Democrats threaten Inslee with special session over state’s reopening plan
Gov. Inslee signs bill mandating schools provide free menstrual hygiene products
You could still get into the Pierce County housing market without a down payment
New IHME study says COVID-19 has caused over 905,000 deaths in U.S., 6.9 million deaths globally
Western, Central Washington universities to require vaccines

Web

Crosscut
Insurers in WA must cover transgender health care under new bill (Liias)
In Washington politics, is it really Seattle’s state now? (Jinkins, Billig)

MyNorthwest
Report: Seattle mayor’s office avoided answering records requests for missing text messages
Pair of major collisions shut down all lanes of NB I-5 in Fife near county line
Man in Mountlake Terrace clung to hood of fleeing car after foiling catalytic converter theft
Why no one should skip the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
WA Democratic lawmakers decry pause of Pierce County
Washington Hospitality Association wants to fully reopen state by June
Local construction company offers $500 to employees who get vaccine
King County Council puts off vote on proposal to ban facial recognition technology
A year later, more questions than answers over Seattle council’s stance on defunding SPD
Kshama Sawant reintroduces proposal to bring rent control to Seattle
Thurston County looking to distribute 800 expiring vaccine doses by end of week
State reducing vaccine access barriers with Uber, Lyft rides, new hotline

Slog
King County May Prohibit Sheriffs from Eating Your Face

Thursday, May 6

There’s a crisis of missing, murdered Indigenous women. Here’s what Washington plans
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office will lead a coordinated task force to assess systemic causes behind the high rates of disappearance and murders of Indigenous women in Washington, according to Wednesday news release. The 21-member task force was announced in recognition of the national Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5. The task force will include tribes, tribal organizations and local, state and federal policy makers, the release states. Continue reading at The Bellingham Herald. (Inland Northwest Native News)

Washington state families celebrate progress on police reform, name future priorities
Looking back on the 2021 legislative session, family members who’ve lost loved ones to police violence in Washington state see progress toward rebuilding communities’ trust in law enforcement. Looking ahead, they see more work to do. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Sara Gentzler)

Legislature Acts To Ensure Fewer Families Will Face Forced Separations
Advocates hailed passage of House Bill 1227, called the Keeping Families Together Act, because it builds on extensive research showing that removing children from their family causes children profound harm and that children often have better outcomes over time if allowed to remain with their families. It also works to counter the extreme racism of the system: Black and Indigenous children are about twice as likely to be removed from their families as white children, according to a 2019 state analysis. Continue reading at The Seattle Medium.

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Associated Press
CDC sets rules for trial cruises with volunteer passengers
Western Washington University to require COVID-19 vaccines
Washington health officials see hopeful COVID signs
Oregon moves toward safe storage of guns; ban from Capitol
Shooting highlights lack of body cams among Portland police
Amid legal challenge, WA capital gains tax signed into law

Aberdeen Daily World
Harbor tourism trend: Life’s a beach during pandemic
Safeway now offering walk-in COVID vaccinations
Two-way traffic reopens on State Route 107 Chehalis River Bridge in Montesano
Inslee signs capital gains tax into law

Auburn Reporter
New laws will tax the rich, offer aid to low-income workers (Frame, Thai, Robinson)

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Here are Wednesday’s COVID-19 case numbers for WA state
Whatcom sees 18 new COVID-related hospitalizations, now failing metric to stay in Phase 3
Whatcom health officials concerned by these two trends amid rise in COVID cases
WWU joins other Washington universities in making the call on required COVID vaccines
There’s a crisis of missing, murdered Indigenous women. Here’s what Washington plans (Lekanoff, Dhingra)
Five Whatcom regions see COVID infection rate increases last week — two climb above 350
Washington health officials see hopeful COVID signs
Unvaccinated people may be COVID variant ‘incubators,’ Bill Nye says: ‘It’s not fair’

Capital Press
Washington legislature funds some range riders, but not others
U.S. flower growers scramble to meet huge jump in demand
NW solar, wind developments could impact vast swaths of ag land
SW Washington county showcases its first Voluntary Stewardship Program project

Columbian
Clark County reports 101 new COVID-19 cases as activity rate jumps 26 percent
In Our View: Transparent hospital billing helps patients
In Our View: Pause in reopening a balanced approach

The Daily News
Cowlitz County contracts with CAP to distribute $6.1 million in rent, utility assistance from feds
State health officials urge caution, vaccination as ‘hopeful numbers’ of new COVID-19 cases reported
$1.1M in improvements planned at Lake Sacajawea Park, including new restrooms

El Sol De Yakima (available in English via Google Translate)
Workers continue to fight after strikes in 2020
From lawsuit to legislation: overtime for farmworkers in Washington
Yakima County to remain in Phase 3 due to hiatus in state reopening plan
Restaurants can request part of a $ 28 billion fund

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Port, county to pay Everett for Jetty Island ferry this year
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance

High Country News
A path to getting Native lands back

The Inlander
Idaho activists are trying to make “equity” and “social justice” taboo on college campuses
Stop Saying the ‘I’ Word: No human being is illegal

Journal of the San Juan Islands
Lawmakers send a $59 billion budget to the governor (Billig, Fitzgibbon)

News Tribune (subscription required)
Pierce County man loved on Instagram, hated by neighbors. What are limits of online speech?
Folks aren’t happy that Inslee’s pause of COVID rollbacks came too late for Pierce County
WA state to pay millions to settle women’s ‘horrific’ foster-care abuse lawsuit
The next Seattle? No way. But here’s how Tacoma can get tech jobs for its college grads
County Council OKs hazard pay for grocery workers. Here’s why they likely won’t get it
Pierce County’s largest school district will have full-time in-person learning this fall

Olympian (subscription required)
3 finalists to be president of The Evergreen State College withdraw from process, trustees announce
Washington state families celebrate progress on police reform, name future priorities (Johnson, Pedersen, Entenman, Dhingra, Nguyen)
Here are Wednesday’s COVID-19 case numbers for WA state
Freaky string of lights passes through night sky in Washington, Idaho. What was it?
Burned-out Griswold’s building in downtown Olympia to become mixed-income housing

Peninsula Daily News
Port of Port Townsend to receive $3.5 million from state
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Clallam County plans to funnel state funding to 15 housing projects

Puget Sound Business Journal
Post-pandemic lessons: Employee wellbeing is paramount
Opinion: State financial incentives available for creating clean buildings
More than 180,000 businesses apply to Restaurant Revitalization Fund in opening days

Seattle Medium
Constantine Signs Executive Order To Increase Opportunities For Minority Contractors
Dept. Of Corrections To Resume In-Person Visitation
Legislature Acts To Ensure Fewer Families Will Face Forced Separations
Inslee Signs Two Bills That Focus On The Needs Of Youth (Callan)

Seattle Times (subscription required)
Washington state remains in 4th COVID wave but new numbers are ‘hopeful,’ officials say
Some relief for Seattle-area homebuyers, as more houses are listed and condo buyers find plenty to choose from
As Boeing and airlines contract, Paine Field airport faces churn, yet stays in the black
Concrete wall around Seattle police’s East Precinct comes down after more than 8 months
Among the first to close and likely last to return, Seattle’s theater stagehand community fears a mental health crisis
Opinion: King County voters have spoken: Police reform and a new sheriff are coming

Skagit Valley Herald
Western Washington ‘riper for wildfire;’ county declares May Wildfire Awareness Month
Mount Vernon, PUD join fight against mining in Skagit headwaters

South Seattle Emerald
As summer approaches, encampment sweeps ramp up
A highly compelling session: an evaluation of the 2021 Washington State Legislature (Saldaña, Hobbs, Robinson, Fey)

Spokesman Review
Inslee signs capital gains tax into law
Newhouse, McMorris Rodgers slam Simpson for coordinating with Oregon governor on dam-breaching proposal
Most counties, including Spokane and King, will stay at Phase 3, Inslee announces
Downtown stadium approved by Spokane Public Schools board
Washington State University may use debt to fix the university’s athletics budget shortfall
Coming soon: Catch an Uber or Lyft to get vaccinated in Washington

Tri-City Herald
Richland delta fire started at homeless camp. New details released
First 2 cases of South Africa Variant detected in Tri-Cities
Person found dead by Finley field had been dead for years, say investigators
Update: 3 Tri-Cities teens accused in drive-by Airsoft shooting of 5-year-old and others
Tri-Cities pop-up COVID vaccine clinics planned. No appointments, no cost
Planning commission votes on contentious Tri-Cities hilltop hotel and condo proposal
2 Tri-Cities businesses to pay penalties to settle EPA lead paint claims
Tri-Cities July 4th River of Fire 2021 fireworks canceled. Other summer events change
Police look for woman in Mexican TikTok video to compare DNA to missing Tri-Cities girl
Tri-Cities dodges tighter COVID restrictions. But COVID hospital patients, case rates rise

Vancouver Business Journal
Public Health hosting two weekend COVID-19 vaccination clinics, extending hours at Tower Mall
Vancouver Housing Authority offers rent discount to residents entering childcare workforce

Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Dayton’s Weinhard Cafe sold, to reopen in May
Whitman College joins other Washington schools to require COVID-19 vaccine, WWU and WWCC do not
Did you spot a moving string of lights in Walla Walla’s evening sky? Those were SpaceX satellites
COVID-19 cases among teens on the rise in Walla Walla County

Washington Post
Florida’s DeSantis signs new voting restrictions into law, making the state the latest to add hurdles to the voting process
In Biden’s infrastructure moonshot, a big question: Can the nation still achieve its highest ambitions?
Biden commits to waiving vaccine patents, driving wedge with pharmaceutical companies

Yakima Herald Republic
State task force will assess causes behind crisis of missing, murdered Indigenous women
Northwest Harvest will build a food distribution center and store in Yakima

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Counties giving millions in rental assistance before state eviction moratorium ends
Seattle health expert says reaching herd immunity unlikely
Mixed messages? Is Washington at a COVID-19 plateau or amid a 4th wave
Grocery workers rally after Pierce County executive rejects hazard pay legislation
Washington schools will provide free tampons, pads by 2022-23 school year

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Ferry could be out for months; rest of the system will feel the pain
Pfizer seeks approval for 12- to 15-year-olds, local children react
Who’s hiring? Healthcare ‘here to stay’ despite pandemic shocks
SPD removes concrete barricade from around East Precinct
Seattle restaurant closed due to COVID-19 violations
County Council OKs hazard pay for grocery workers. Here’s why they likely won’t get it

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
Restaurants, hotels face staff shortages, struggle to hire as business returns
Seattle ranks last among U.S. metros in job growth, study finds
Needle exchange program helping drug users living on Seattle school district property
State health leaders: Demand for COVID-19 vaccines starting to ‘soften’
Seattle, King County mull ban on facial recognition technology amid racial bias concerns
COVID-19 vaccine data: 43 percent of 16+ year olds in King County fully vaccinated
Child Tax Credit payments to start in July
Tacoma Rainiers to be first team in Washington to open vaccinated-only fan sections

KNKX FM
Pierce County COVID response faces $14.8 million budget shortfall as fourth wave continues

KUOW FM
Covid updates for Seattle and the Northwest
Seattle Now: King County stays in phase 3

KXLY (ABC)
‘It’s a real epidemic across the U.S.’: Community gathers to remember murdered and missing Indigenous women
‘I want to be able to enjoy life again’: People share why they decided to get vaccinated
Washington Dept. of Health hopes two-week pause pushes people to get vaccinated
Spokane Public Schools Board approves downtown stadium proposal

NW Public Radio
Tribes Team With Northwest Researchers To Show Viability Of Salmon Above Upper Columbia Dams
West Coast Now Covered By Earthquake Early Warning System With Addition Of Washington
Governor Signs Washington Capital Gains Tax Into Law As Legal Challenges Loom (Robinson)

Q13 TV (Fox)
South Sound grocery workers denied hazard pay with veto threat
Free at-home summer learning program available for 700 families in Washington state
Washington health officials see hopeful signs in COVID-19 data, vaccine allocations
Seattle organization raising funds, supplies to support fight against COVID-19 in India

Web

MyNorthwest
King County Council puts off vote on proposal to ban facial recognition technology
A year later, more questions than answers over Seattle council’s stance on defunding SPD
Kshama Sawant reintroduces proposal to bring rent control to Seattle
Thurston County looking to distribute 800 expiring vaccine doses by end of week
State reducing vaccine access barriers with Uber, Lyft rides, new hotline
Seattle police remove concrete barriers outside East Precinct
Cluster of 7 children in King County infected with toxin-producing E. coli
Seattle Storm will welcome back limited number of fans to start season
Bidding has begun on a ticket to space with Blue Origin
Tacoma Rainiers will be first team in state to start using ‘vaccinated only’ seating
Seattle Mariners to hand out $65,000 in racial equity grants
Pierce County Executive to veto newly-passed grocery store hazard pay ordinance
Pause in rollback ‘welcome news’ for many Washington residents, businesses

Wednesday, May 5

New laws will tax the rich, offer aid to low-income workers
Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed bills that will impose a new tax on the state’s super wealthy and offer a bit of cash back to the poorest of Washington’s taxpayers. Seated at a table outside the Tukwila Community Center, Inslee first put his signature on the Working Families Tax Exemption which will steer annual rebates of up to $1,200 to low-income individuals and families across the state. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Ted S. Warren)

Legislation removes second-degree robbery charges from three strikes law
During this year’s session, the Washington State Legislature voted nearly along party lines to pass a bill that removes all second-degree robbery convictions from the list of charges that apply to the state’s “three strikes” policy. On April 26, Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5164 into law, which will grant a resentencing hearing to people who have already been convicted of second-degree robbery and were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole under the three strikes law because of that conviction. Continue reading at The South Seattle Emerald. (Karen Neoh)

Suspending licenses for unpaid tickets is unconstitutional, WA court rules
A Thurston County Superior Court judge has ruled that Washington state’s practice of suspending licenses because of unpaid traffic fines is unconstitutional. In the ruling, Judge Mary Sue Wilson said the state’s Department of Licensing can only suspend licenses after it develops a method for evaluating whether people have the ability to pay for the tickets. Before the ruling, the department could suspend licenses for any unpaid moving violations, such as speeding tickets. Continue reading at KNKX. (Elaine Thompson)