Even for people who are able to get tested (and there's still a big lag in testing ability in hot spots across the U.S.), there can be a frustratingly long wait for results — not just hours, but often days.Read More
Farmworkers are still working during the coronavirus epidemic. They're essential. But they're also at greater risk of infection.Read More
By the numbers, Little’s decision will cut state spending by $40 million, from a state general budget of close to $4 billion. State agencies will have to move quickly, imposing the spending cuts over the final three months of a budget year that ends June 30.Read More
Over the previous weekend, Dr. Jessica Van Fleet-Green rounded-up 200 masks for her team – a mix of the more protective N95s and standard surgical masks. The donations came from a dental office that’s now closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, two construction contractors and even her father who found two at home. Read More
Under the plan, single people earning incomes below $75,000 will receive as much as $1,200. The White House says it will issue funds in three weeks but experts say it could take months for some.Read More
Description of an American Public Media report on how many states are not collecting accurate COVID-19 hospital admissions. Read More
Governors and mayors in some parts of the country are requiring them to close like many other businesses. Other officials are letting gun sales continue. Gun rights groups are on the defensive. Read More
Parents have been circulating ideas for how to keep kids happy — or at least occupied — during this time of social isolation due to COVID-19. Our Arts Desk has some heart-felt suggestions to offer.Read More
The state Dept. of Ecology will bring the student crews back next summer. But the agency will will hire more adult crews, ages 18 and up, to pick up litter. There won’t be as many openings as with youth workers because the adults will work longer than three weeks. Read More
Max Brooks wrote the zombie apocalyptic horror novel World War Z, and is a lecturer at West Point’s Modern War Institute. He offers insight into pandemics and advice on what is fact hygiene. Read More
Each year, state, federal and local officials train around 1,000 firefighters. Trainings start in April and last through May. Now, that's all on hold.Read More
A historic $2 trillion economic recovery package will be sent to the president's desk for signature after House lawmakers passed the bipartisan bill Friday afternoon.Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee says people should prepare to stay home beyond the initial April 6 order, as officials work to flatten the COVID-19 curve.Read More
Like many decades-old businesses, Yakima and Seattle-based PaintSmith has had experience with layoffs. After the 2008 recession, the company went from 80 employees to just 10. It taught Smith that his company can survive financial downturns. Read More
Mirroring the national trend, Washington, Idaho and Oregon are experiencing an unprecedented spike in unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More
Yo-Yo Ma has brought joy to listeners for decades with his virtuosic musicianship. Now, he is using his music to offer some comfort to a global audience in the midst of a pandemic that has sparked widespread anxiety and pain.Read More
The petition for a writ of mandamus by Columbia Legal Services, a civil legal aid law firm, asks the Washington Supreme Court to intervene on behalf of older inmates, those with underlying health conditions and those who are within 18 months of their release date. Read More
New York alone could need nearly 90,000 more beds to deal with coronavirus patients, but in an interview with NPR, Mark Esper cautioned the Pentagon can only offer "a few thousand beds ... at most." Read More
More than 30 residents and employees of a Bellingham nursing facility have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting officials to take steps to avoid a deadly scenario that played out in Kirkland, Washington's Life Care Center.Read More
Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued a 21-day stay-at-home order Wednesday. Little had resisted issuing the order even as neighboring states were taking more drastic measures. On Thursday, the state officially announced three deaths from COVID-19.Read More
Northwest Public Broadcasting ha creado esta página para mantener a lectores hispanohablantes al tanto de recomendaciones y medidas gubernamentales para combatir el coronavirus, también conocido como COVID-19. Esta página será […]Read More
Community health centers in Washington are under increasing financial strain as they ramp up for coronavirus, while also losing some key sources of funding.Read More
Avoid layoffs at any cost. Set up emergency financing for states and cities to help health systems. Cut regulations to speed medical response. Those are some recommendations from leading economists.Read More
You’ll have to put off your favorite hike on Washington public lands for at least two weeks. State-managed parks and wildlife areas are closing starting Wednesday, March 25.Read More
According to the county Department of Corrections, the captured inmates told officials they were upset after Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide order to stay at home to fight the coronavirus pandemic and “the virus outbreak has them all scared.”Read More
COVID-19 is stretching health care resources in many different ways, but there’s a key piece of equipment getting a lot of attention: ventilators. So, what is a ventilator, and why does it matter?Read More
The Cameroonian musician who became an international star with his song "Soul Makossa" died Tuesday at age 86 in Paris. His music helped fuel disco — and songs by Michael Jackson and Rihanna.Read More
During what the board called a “soft closure,” schools will be closed to students. At least for now, the shutdown runs through April 20. The shutdown is designed to provide some guidance for school administrators, as a global pandemic shakes the foundation of Idaho education.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a stay-at-home order Monday for all Washington residents. The order builds on other "unprecedented steps" that the state has already imposed, including closing schools and public places such as bars and in-house dining services. It's all an effort to reduce in-person physical social interactions.Read More
Coronavirus continues to spread in Washington and Idaho. As of Sunday, March 22, Washington had nearly 2,000 confirmed cases, with at least 95 deaths since the outbreak began. Idaho’s official number stood at 47 cases, with most in Blaine County. Read More
Washington school districts — and some in Idaho — have closed their doors for the foreseeable future, due to coronavirus precautions. But most are providing free meals to students and non-students alike. Here's a round-up of what some Inland Northwest districts are doing.Read More
Public health professionals are urging “social distancing” – basically, staying away from crowds and other peoples’ personal space – to curb the spread of the virus. Though the disease seems to hit the elderly and immunocompromised the hardest, even young and healthy people are strongly encouraged to practice social distancing. Why?Read More
NPR health reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin reflects on her family's decision to travel to Canada to be closer to extended family during the coronavirus pandemic.Read More
These days Dr. Scott Lindquist is operating more like a military logistics officer. His phone is blowing up with calls from local public health officials on the frontlines of the battle against coronavirus. They’re asking for help in procuring the personal protective equipment that healthcare workers need to test and treat patients.Read More
Forecasters say the government's aggressive efforts to curtail the spread of the virus will trigger the sharpest slowdown on record. Some see the economy shrinking a staggering 24%.Read More
NPR is launching The National Conversation with NPR's All Things Considered where we're going to have experts answer the questions you ask.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is not on the verge of issuing a statewide shelter-in-place order, as governors in California and elsewhere have done recently, a top Inslee aide said Friday.Read More
U.S. taxpayers will have a three-month extension to file their taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. He said that at the president's direction, "we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15."Read More
There may not be enough beds for coronavirus patients in Idaho, if even the most conservative estimates from state epidemiologists are accurate.Read More
The best available science suggests that people should maintain at least six feet of distance from others to avoid contracting COVID-19 – which is believed to be spread through droplets. But practicing safe distancing is often a challenge in congregate living settings.Read More
Across the country, public health workers on Native reservations are scrambling to prepare for COVID-19. In Washington, one of those who died at the hard-struck nursing home in Kirkland was a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. But tribes are expecting much worse to come, and they're trying to get ready.Read More
Sen. Richard Burr issued a warning at a private event weeks ago to prepare for dire effects from the coronavirus, going further than his more public comments, according to a recording obtained by NPR.Read More
Bigger artists may count on fan support and labels to carry them through canceled tours, but working musicians — from orchestra members and wedding singers to indie rappers — are looking elsewhere.Read More
Coronavirus concerns and social distancing guidelines have prompted organizers to cancel thousands of blood drives around the country. Now officials warn there's a shortage for hospitals. Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a slate of measures Wednesday to help the state’s workers, businesses and renters. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little urged his state’s citizens to impose more discipline on themselves to keep COVID-19 from spreading. Read More
About 250,000 workers came to the U.S. on H-2A visas last year, the majority of them from Mexico. They've become an increasingly important piece of America's food industry.Read More
While the greater Seattle area has so far borne the brunt of the outbreak in Washington, health care workers outside the epicenter are bracing for what’s to come. Read More
Thanks to coronavirus, one dreaded chore is temporarily off limits. No need to brace for long lines at the DMV to renew a driver license because those offices are closed for now in Washington and perhaps soon in Oregon.Read More
"We want to go big," President Trump said as his administration seeks to boost the now stalled economy.Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee made it official Monday: Any Washington businesses that aren’t essential retailers, such as grocery stores or pharmacies, are shutting down for at least two weeks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.Read More
