Disease transmission is skyrocketing, Washington State Health Officer Kathy Lofy said in a news release Monday. Meanwhile, a four-week shutdown on indoor service at restaurants and bars prompted by an alarming statewide spike in COVID-19 cases is expected to cost the industry some $800 million.Read More
Even in a county that generally supports Democrats for governor and president, Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers won. In fact, she got more votes in Whitman County than Jay Inslee did for governor. Read More
Since 2013, Shah has been executive director of Harris County Public Health in Houston, Texas. He will replace outgoing Secretary John Wiesman who has served in the position since 2013. Previously, Wiesman announced his plan to leave the post at the end of the year to take a teaching job in North Carolina. Read More
"We are today in a more dangerous position than we were in March when our first stay-home order was issued," Gov. Jay Inslee said during a Sunday press conference. "In March, we were heading into the summer months. And we were largely successful relative to other states because of the combination that we acted early we did not wait," he added.Read More
While Inslee's office did not release details in advance of the 11 a.m. Sunday event, industry group emails sent to grocery store and restaurant owners, and obtained by the public radio Northwest News Network, outlined what Inslee is expected to order.Read More
The latest COVID situation report shows the transmission rate of the virus is now well above one meaning one sick person is likely to spread it to more than one other person. In addition, hospitalizations are on the rise on both sides of the Cascades. Health experts are especially concerned about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.Read More
The Washington state legislature is shaping up to be … pretty much how it looked before the election – with Democrats in control of both houses. But not with super-majorities. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins breaks down the 2020 election in Washington state, on this episode of NWPB's Uniquely NW News.Read More
Washington is among a handful of Western states that have joined California in a pact to independently review the safety and efficacy of any coronavirus vaccine that is ultimately approved by the FDA before any distribution occurs in those states, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday.Read More
Since 2011, Washington has been an all vote-by-mail state. This year, ballots will be mailed out no later than October 16. They must be returned to an official ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day or postmarked by that day. Election officials recommend voters use one of the nearly 500 official ballot drop boxes or voter centers statewide. Read More
The governor issued more restrictions on Tuesday, Oct. 20, for higher education campuses. It comes as the University of Washington struggles to contain an outbreak among its fraternities and sororities. There have been outbreaks in Whitman County, home of Washington State University, as well. Whitman County announced three more COVID-19 deaths Tuesday. The county had not Read More
If there was a meme for this race, it would be Jay Inslee wearing a face mask next to an image of Loren Culp without a mask. While Inslee has been evangelizing about masks, Culp has been holding mostly maskless outdoor rallies across the state. Those rallies are a symbol of the defiant nature of Culp’s campaign and his live-and-let-live political philosophy.Read More
No more Washington counties will be in Phase 1 of the state’s four-phase reopening plan. Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that Chelan, Douglas, Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties could advance to Phase 2.Read More
The governor said in a news conference Wednesday that he’s concerned about housing insecurity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read More
Washington voters got their first glimpse of how the two candidates for Washington governor feel about the same issues at the same time. Two-term Gov. Jay Inslee met with his Republican challenger, Republic police chief Loren Culp, Wednesday night for a one-hour debate.Read More
Washington state libraries, theaters and some youth sports will now have fewer restrictions during certain stages of re-opening. It’s part of Gov. Jay Inslee’s revised plan announced Tuesday afternoon.Read More
The fires in Washington are largely under control now, but the state has been experiencing dangerous, even deadly, wildfires for years, something Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee says are only made worse by climate change.Read More
Back in May, Culp was one of three dozen candidates running for Washington governor. A first-time candidate, he lacked the statewide name recognition of Tim Eyman, the anti-tax initiative promoter who was also running. But the police chief of Republic, population 1,100, in the northeast corner of the state seemed to have something the other candidates didn’t: a fired-up Read More
In Washington, bringing a home-grown apple from west to east is a misdemeanor. There are road signs and posters. The penalty can cost 90 days in jail. But the Washington Department of Agriculture has never enforced the law. Sources at the department say it’s more about education.Read More
Thurston County, where Inslee lives in the governor’s mansion, is under apple maggot quarantine, whereas Douglas County is not. It’s illegal to bring apples to Douglas County, apple country, from Thurston County.Read More
On Tuesday night, the Pullman City Council updated municipal code to allow police to ticket individual party attendees – not just hosts. A first offense will cost $250. A second will be $500 with a mandatory court appearance. (See the full ordinance change here.)Read More
Washington State University decided in late July that this fall semester would be entirely online. But thousands of students are still in Pullman. President Kirk Schulz says the university is very concerned about the rapid increase in cases.Read More
Washington state leaders say the earliest they would hold a emergency session at this point would most likely be after the November election, if they convene at all. It’s quite possible legislators won’t meet again until January, when their regular 105-day session is scheduled to begin.Read More
In June, the Yakima Health District was reporting as many as 200 new COVID-19 cases per day. Now, daily cases are in the 20s since Sunday, Aug. 16. Gov. Jay Inslee says the county’s early masking directive is the likely cause.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide emergency Wednesday to help with fires burning in on the Olympic Peninsula and in central and eastern Washington. Read More
Washington’s all vote-by-mail Aug. 4 primary is in the books, with final results certified soon. And it revealed some noteworthy trends. Republican Loren Culp will be Gov. Jay Inslee’s opponent on the November ballot as Inslee seeks a rare third term. Read More
Many of the county’s cases have spread in the small town of Brewster, where there is a large tree-fruit growing, packing and shipping industry. According to public health officials, there have been 885 positive cases in Okanogan County –– 518 in Brewster.Read More
Undocumented workers who lost income because of the coronavirus pandemic, but were passed over for federal assistance, will finally be getting some help in Washington state, thanks to a new $40 million relief fund.Read More
The June agreement is one of three, six-figure-a-week, no-bid contracts the state of Washington has entered into with McKinsey – one of the largest consulting firms in the world -- in the midst of the pandemic, according to a review by the public media Northwest News Network and The Seattle Times. The nature and price of the contracts has raised questions about whether Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday that schools in the majority of Washington’s counties should strongly consider online-only learning for students this fall due to COVID-19 and canceling or postponing sports and all other in-person extracurricular activities. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little is urging schools to reopen where it's deemed safe.Read More
The race for governor and lieutenant governor were among dozens of federal, statewide and local races that voters were deciding in the state’s top-two primary, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the November ballot, regardless of party. Last-minute voters had until 8 p.m. to drop their ballots off at drop off boxes around the state.Read More
While turnout in November could easily top 80 percent, Washington’s August primary typically draws 40 percent or less of the electorate. We break down the dynamics of this year's unusual election season during the coronavirus pandemic.Read More
In recent days, health officers in Snohomish and Thurston counties have recommended against reopening school buildings this fall. And some districts, including the Olympia district, have already announced they will stick with remote learning for now. Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the coronavirus pandemic continues to greatly affect the state in serious and dangerous ways. In a news conference Thursday, Inslee announced updates to the state’s ongoing response and four-phase reopening plan.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says there is a concerning rise in the rate of coronavirus infections in the state. On Thursday he announced one measure to address it as counties wait in limbo for further reopening. Beginning Monday, July 20, social gatherings in current Phase 3 counties will be limited to 10 or fewer people.Read More
This week Oregon and California took steps to slow or rollback their re-openings, and Washington could be next, Gov. Jay Inslee said. Dramatic growth in COVID cases over the past month has pushed the state over its previous peak in April.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is responding to President Donald Trump’s threat to penalize states that don’t reopen schools this fall. At a news conference Thursday, Inslee pushed back hard on the president and said the state won’t be bullied.Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the state Health Secretary are hitting the pause button on the county-by-county reopening process in response to the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Inslee announced that for at least the next two weeks all counties in Washington state will stay in whatever reopening phase they are currently in -- with a couple of exceptions.Read More
One Anytime Fitness franchisee location in Yakima County has been fined nearly $10,000 for staying open despite not being allowed to operate given the county’s current operating phase. It’s the first business fined for ignoring Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Safe Start” measures. Read More
Over the past two weeks, Inslee said infection rates have increased six-fold in Franklin County and nearly five-fold in Benton County. The main thing that could help, he said: masks. “Yes, there’s controversy, as there is in any great, noble endeavor, but the vast majority of people in (the Tri-Cities region) want to beat this pandemic,” Inslee said.Read More
Ultimately, presiding judge Kristin Ferrera sided with the state and did not issue an injunction on the emergency order. She said she didn’t have enough evidence on its current harms to the plaintiffs, representing business owners and individuals in Chelan and Douglas counties.Read More
Hours after Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide mandate for people to wear masks in public, a Republican sheriff in southwest Washington appeared to urge open defiance of the order. “Don’t be a sheep,” Lewis County Sheriff Robert Snaza said to loud applause from a mostly mask-less crowd gathered in a church parking lot. Read More
After weeks of relying on voluntary compliance, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday afternoon announced an enforceable, statewide requirement that people wear face coverings when in public, including outdoors when six feet of separation can't be maintained. The new public health order, to be issued by the Secretary of Health, takes effect on Friday.Read More
In a move not seen since the Great Recession, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday canceled pay raises for some state employees and ordered furloughs for many more through at least this fall. The move came the same day a new state revenue forecast projected an $8.8 billion drop in tax collections over the next three years.Read More
Stepping up an attack he began on Twitter last week, President Trump on Monday spent more than four minutes at a White House meeting inveighing against Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and the six-block protest area now known as CHOP, for Capitol Hill Organized Protest.Read More
Unlike during the Great Recession, when the budget was largely balanced through spending cuts, this time around majority Democrats and their allies, like labor unions, are already signaling that tax increases are almost certain to be part of any solution. Read More
Manuel Ellis' death was ruled a homicide by the Pierce County medical examiner. It was caused by a lack of oxygen due to physical restraint. Records reviewed by KNKX Public Radio show Ellis said he couldn’t breathe within two minutes of making contact with officers.Read More
President Trump reportedly makes comments during a contentious phone call with state leaders to discuss protests following the death of George Floyd.Read More
Residents of Chelan and Douglas counties have filed lawsuits against Gov. Jay Inslee, demanding an injunction on his emergency measures to address coronavirus in Washington.Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order will end at midnight on May 31. Instead, state officials will use a phased plan outlined at the beginning of the month to govern county-by-county reopening permissions.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is allowing religious services to resume – but with restrictions. In Phase 1 counties, outdoor services with up to 100 people are now allowed. In counties approved for Phase 2, indoor services are allowed at 25-percent capacity or with fewer than 50 people, whichever is less.Read More