The number of people forced out of work during the coronavirus lockdown keeps soaring. Last week, 4.4 million people filed for jobless benefits, boosting the total since last month to 26 million.Read More
Richard Bright says he was removed from his post because of his "insistence" that the government spend funds on "safe and scientifically vetted solutions" to address the coronavirus.Read More
Public health experts say finding and isolating coronavirus patients will be key to re-opening public life. That's going to take a lot of work.Read More
Protesters took to the streets and parks in Spokane Wednesday in two events to push back against statewide stay-home measures. One was largely a Tim Eyman campaign event. The other focused on people wanting to be allowed to fish.Read More
The first U.S. death known to be from COVID-19 occurred on Feb. 6 — nearly three weeks before deaths in the Seattle area that had been believed to be the country's first from the coronavirus, according to officials in Santa Clara County, Calif.Read More
President Trump said he plans to "temporarily suspend immigration into the United States," in an attempt to protect American workers from the coronavirus' economic toll. Read More
The cost of moving the summer games to 2021 is expected to be massive. The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday Japan would pay. Japanese officials said they didn't agree to foot the bill. Read More
As some states move to lift social distancing restrictions, government documents reveal how much more lethal the pandemic could still be without careful mitigation efforts.Read More
While most people and public officials may be complying with Washington's "stay home, stay healthy" orders, not all are. In fact, there’s evidence of growing restlessness with the shutdown of the economy, the skyrocketing job losses and the infringement on normal, daily activities. And in some places there are examples of outright opposition.Read More
Demonstrations from Olympia to Richland in Washington, to Sandpoint to Moscow to Boise in Idaho, have been organized by people flouting social distancing measures put in place for public health and to slow the spread of coronavirus.Read More
This year, fire camp could be as dangerous as the wildfires, and top Western managers are deep in planning how to make fire camps COVID-19 ready for fire crews. Hilary Franz is Washington’s commissioner of public lands. She says state, federal, tribal and local officials are trying to make fighting wildfires safe during a pandemic. Read More
More than 20 states designated marijuana businesses essential during the coronavirus shutdown. Cannabis activists say it's a remarkable development, given that it remains illegal under federal law. Read More
Nine rural hospitals in Washington from Forks to Omak to Republic have new shipments of hospital masks, thanks to the organization that advocates for them in Olympia. And that organization’s CEO is getting a big kick out of the whole thing.Read More
As COVID-19 fears grew, public officials and sports execs contemplated health risks — and debated a PR message — but let 33,000 fans into a Seattle Sounders soccer match, emails show.Read More
Many gun dealers say they are seeing a number of first-time buyers. Long-time gun owners from across the U.S. are helping the newcomers learn to handle firearms safely in a time of social distancing.Read More
Guidance regarding the CARES Act says health care providers who take emergency funds aren't allowed to "balance bill" coronavirus patients ― and every patient is a possible COVID-19 patient.Read More
The independent book business has been battered in recent decades, as locally owned sellers strained to compete with the online-giant Amazon. But the COVID-19 crisis has forced many to close their doors, depriving both readers and writers the spaces they thrive on.Read More
The U.S. and Canada have agreed to keep their shared border closed for nonessential travel to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision extends a partial ban implemented last month.Read More
Data shows people with certain chronic conditions are more likely to get severe COVID-19 symptoms. Why are they hit harder and what explains the disease's disproportionate affect on African Americans?Read More
On Friday, three of the four legislative caucuses sent the governor a request that he consider allowing a specific set of businesses to reopen, provided they adhere to strict public health guidelines.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has been called “an example of effective crisis leadership.” Not all Washingtonians agree that Inslee has done well — especially the people who want his job.Read More
The recent stock sales by the North Carolina Republican were a market-beating anomaly that didn't match his typically middling trading history, according to a new Dartmouth College analysis.Read More
News and information on the COVID-19 pandemic released by state and local governments is primarily in English. And though health districts and emergency management offices translate some of that information into Spanish, immigrant communities in places like the Yakima Valley still struggle to access that information. Read More
As of Thursday afternoon, 26 states, representing about half of the nation's public school students, have recommended or ordered their schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year, according to a tally by Education Week. The closures affect about 25 million of the nation's 50.8 million public school students.Read More
The number of people filing for unemployment climbed by another 5.2 million, as the toll of the nation's economic dive continues to mount. In the past four weeks, 22 million have filed claims.Read More
Around a million beef cattle are born each spring in the Northwest — about 228,000 in Washington, 533,000 in Oregon and 495,000 in Idaho last year. It takes a large crew working close to get through hundreds of cattle at a time, and ranchers say the job can’t wait — coronavirus or not. Read More
After weeks of extraordinary efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, Washington state officials are beginning to talk more openly about easing social distancing restrictions and a sequential unlocking of the economy.Read More
How did the president respond to key moments during the pandemic? And how did representatives of the World Health Organization respond during the same period?Read More
Idaho’s statewide stay-at-home order has been extended through the end of April, Gov. Brad Little announced Wednesday. Little said the extension was necessary to ensure the state continues to slow the spread of the coronavirus, prevent health care facilities from being overwhelmed and hopefully hasten the end of the pandemic.Read More
Washington state's top public health official said it will take "many, many months," and probably the development of a vaccine, before life can return to pre-COVID-19 normalcy. Read More
Even with increasing numbers in Yakima County, there’s some good news. Health officials say they’re seeing fewer new hospitalizations — meaning the much-watched curve could be flattening.Read More
The president claimed "total" authority, per unnamed constitutional provisions. Experts remind him he is not a king, and cite Articles I, II, III; the 10th Amendment; and the Founding Fathers.Read More
Protective surgical gowns are one of the most scarce and eagerly sought items in the current coronavirus pandemic. Responders-turned-MacGyvers in at least three separate places, including two in Washington state, have independently hit upon a do-it-yourself alternative using common construction house wrap.Read More
A small team at Johns Hopkins University early on created what's become one of the most authoritative interactive online dashboards, tracking COVID-19 data around the world.Read More
With President Donald Trump suggesting he has authority to unilaterally re-open businesses around the country, West Coast governors on Monday presented a united front, saying they’ll only lift restrictions when public health data suggests they can.Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Corrections released their emergency plan to keep inmates safe from COVID-19 on Monday, after a back-and-forth of lawsuit responses between the state and Columbia Legal Services.Read More
Ammon Bundy had pledged to hold a nondenominational Easter service in a venue holding up to 1,000 people. In reality on Sunday, a much smaller crowd would turn out at a warehouse he owns in a dusty lot near the Emmett railroad tracks.Read More
As confirmed cases of the virus surge, state leaders are trying to slow its spread with sweeping measures. Here's a look at the rules enacted in all 50, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.Read More
Manufacturers, lawmakers and grocery store workers say the reusable bags could transmit the virus, but according to scientists there aren't enough studies to know whether that's true.Read More
The number of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities with confirmed COVID-19 cases more than doubled in the first eight days of April. Nursing and assisted-living centers in Bellingham, Coupeville, Everett, Kennewick, Kirkland, Richland and Shoreline have each reported at least 25 COVID-19 casesRead More
The horror writer says he understands why fans have said the COVID-19 pandemic feels like living inside one of his novels. King says he doesn't feel panic or terror, but rather, a "gnawing anxiety."Read More
Many of us are still venturing out to stock up on food and toiletries. But what's the safest way to shop during this pandemic? And what should you do once you've brought your haul home? We asked infectious disease, virology and food safety experts to share their tips about safe grocery shopping — and what you can stop worrying about.Read More
One of the most vulnerable groups currently working through the coronavirus pandemic is made up of immigrant farmworkers. As this population works through some of the unique challenges they face due to the coronavirus, one Tri-Cities radio station is trying to help.Read More
Dusty hikers fresh off the Pacific Crest Trail are a familiar summertime sight in Ashland and other towns along the West Coast. But this year, trail organizers are asking hikers to stay off the trail to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus.Read More
While there is anecdotal evidence hydroxychloroquine has helped manage some patients’ symptoms, there is no data that proves it is effective in treating or preventing COVID-19. But absent that kind of data, there has been confusion around how exactly to use the drug to treat patients sick with the virus — and whether it is effective.Read More
A Texas doctor decided to give dozens of coronavirus patients at a nursing home a controversial, experimental medication, in some cases without telling their families first. He defends the decision.Read More
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how wage rates for immigrant farmworkers can be reduced. Critics say it will hurt all workers.Read More
It is starting to take more time for cases, hospitalizations and deaths to double in several states, indicating social distancing is working. Here's how to make sense of those numbers. Read More
Construction industry advocates are asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to allow more home building to continue under his “stay home, stay healthy” order meant to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More
The coronavirus pandemic is also crushing to many traditions and religions trying to mourn their dead — no matter the cause of death. But for Native Americans in the Northwest, normal funerals can last two to three days and involve physical contact among tribal members. Read More
