Cascadia High-Speed Rail: Will It Finally Happen Or Is It ‘Time To Kill This Thing’?
A new government report on high speed rail in the Pacific Northwest recommends that Oregon, Washington and British Columbia formalize their interest in a Cascadia bullet train by creating an independent body to plan and eventually build it. But a critic associated with a conservative think tank responded that the region should take heed of California’s high speed rail woes and put a spike in the Cascadia bullet train ambitions. Continue reading at Northwest Public Broadcasting. (Amtrak)

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Governor extends COVID-19 restrictions until Jan. 4
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday he is extending, through the holidays to Jan. 4, statewide restrictions on businesses and social gatherings intended to curb spread of the coronavirus, as key pandemic metrics continue to worsen locally and across Washington. Continue reading at The Everett Herald. (Sue Misao)

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Democrats And Some Republicans Push To Add Stimulus Checks To COVID-19 Relief Bill
Congressional leaders are working to finalize the details of a narrow, short-term coronavirus aid package, but some lawmakers are making a last-minute push to add a fresh round of stimulus checks to the deal. The current negotiations are focused on a $908 billion bipartisan plan that includes more money for small businesses, additional federal unemployment benefits and money for testing, vaccine distribution and schools. Continue reading at KUOW. (AP)

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Associated Press
Seattle Chamber of Commerce challenges tax on high-earners
Washington state report notes virus impact on child welfare
COVID-19 restrictions on dining, gyms extended to Jan. 4
COVID-19 continues to rage in Spokane and Moses Lake areas
New White House offer adds $600 checks to COVID-19 relief
Boeing 737 Max back in air 2 years after grounded by crashes
UK probing if allergic reactions linked to Pfizer vaccine
Canada health regulator approves Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Aberdeen Daily World
COVID outbreak hits Stafford Creek
72 new cases reported Tuesday, November cases double those in October
Washington’s COVID-19 restrictions extended to Jan. 4.
State sends plan to feds to help commercial fishers
Lawmakers look to introduce sweeping police reform legislative package in January (Billig, Goodman)
Letters: Do what’s right; wear a mask

Auburn Reporter
Study: Nonprofits struggle amid pandemic

Bellingham Herald (subscription required)
Washington Gov. Inslee extends COVID-19 restrictions through early January
Coronavirus updates: State passes 177k cases; report notes impact on child welfare
Restaurants face a difficult road with pandemic restrictions extended into January
Here’s how Bellingham’s hospital will handle a surge in serious COVID-19 patients
Whatcom sees 31 more COVID-19 cases Tuesday, high transmission rate at Thanksgiving
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Tuesday in Washington state
Many Black Americans don’t trust the COVID vaccine. Here’s why and what’s being done
Stimulus checks included in new COVID relief proposal. But they’d be half the size
No, the COVID vaccine cannot give you the virus. And here’s why
Want to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah next year? Then stay home this year, experts say
 
Capital Press
Biden plans to pick Vilsack for agriculture secretary
WSU requests $8 million to demolish Johnson Hall
WSDA to spray 639 acres for gypsy moths

Columbian
Clark County reports 210 new COVID-19 cases as death toll rises to 115
Clark County reports 564 new COVID-19 cases over four days, no new deaths
In Our View: Localized COVID-19 data vital to parents, schools

The Daily News
Herrera Beutler’s Problem Solvers Caucus is in national spotlight in debate over pandemic relief

Everett Herald (subscription required)
Governor extends COVID-19 restrictions until Jan. 4
$4.3 million grant to fund Everett shelter, ‘pallet’ project
What we know: Washington coronavirus outbreak at a glance
WaPo Comment: Constitution does not allow Trump to pardon himself
Editorial: Transit agency’s chief leaves it ready for future

Island’s Weekly
COVID-19 case reporting reflects backlog, duplicates

Journal of the San Juan Islands
Employment in San Juan County is down nearly a quarter
Column: Professional whale watchers serve sentinel role to protect whales | Guest column

Kitsap Sun (subscription required)
Meet Keiko, a COVID-killing handheld sanitizer developed at Puget Sound Naval shipyard
Kitsap Public Health District reports 29th COVID-19 death
Bremerton shuts down ‘massive’ unauthorized softball tournament at Pendergast Park
Drive-thru test sites move to Harborside garage, Kitsap County Fairgrounds and Poulsbo
Kitsap man arrested for shooting at pro-Trump rally also protested outside Inslee’s house
Man without life jacket rescued from water near Kingston after falling from boat

Lynnwood Times
Local Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self on her political rise that she never saw coming (Ortiz-Self)

News Tribune (subscription required)
Pierce County reports high number of COVID cases Tuesday as it makes progress on backlog
Lakewood City Council member leaving his seat early
Housing for homeless advocacy group places tent in busy intersection to raise awareness
Coronavirus updates: State passes 187k cases; job search requirements remain suspended
Editorial: Are your hopes dashed by Gov. Inslee’s COVID-19 shutdown extension? They shouldn’t be

Olympian (subscription required)
Thurston adds 67 cases Tuesday as Providence limits some surgeries to preserve capacity
Here are the latest COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Tuesday in Washington state
Washington Gov. Inslee extends COVID-19 restrictions through early January
Coronavirus updates: State passes 177k cases; report notes impact on child welfare
Freedom from masks comes at cost of rising COVID-19 cases in one Idaho school district

Peninsula Daily News
Clallam commissioners OK federal relief fund distribution
WHAT WE KNOW: Coronavirus outbreak at a glance
Port Townsend City Council supports affordable housing tax
COVID-19 restrictions extended through Jan. 4

Port Townsend Leader
Two more cases of COVID-19 reported in Jefferson County
Jefferson Healthcare restricts visitation

Puget Sound Business Journal
US to shift burden from banks in overhaul of money laundering laws
White House offers $916 billion stimulus proposal as talks intensify
Industry group cries foul as Inslee extends restaurant, bar closures
Seattle chamber asks judge to deem city’s payroll tax unconstitutional

Runta News
Washington Employers Unite for Racial Equity: New Report Highlights Inequities

Seattle Times (subscription required)
UW football pauses team activities due to increase in positive COVID-19 cases
Microsoft, Brooks and 11 more companies join Amazon’s Climate Pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2040
Jenny Durkan won’t run for reelection. What’s it take to become Seattle mayor — and how might that be changing?
In Kent, reaching out in tough times with food, tutors, counselors and more — so kids and families know ‘they’re not alone’
A pandemic winter foretells a backcountry skiing boom, but it’s not a sport to take lightly
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau will resign in June
624 Seattle restaurants and bars have closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, survey finds
Liberal trailblazers are falling like dominoes in Seattle — for not trailblazing enough

Seattle Weekly
Governor extends restrictions on businesses and gatherings
King County reopens COVID-19 isolation center in Kent at former hotel
Study: Nonprofits struggle amid pandemic

Skagit Valley Herald
New officers on the way for Sedro-Woolley police department

South Seattle Emerald
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau set to leave
City Of Seattle announces $55.8 Million in new affordable housing projects, including partnerships with Black church housing nonprofits
Skyway businesses reckon with new COVID-19 restrictions
Federal District Court judge finds Seattle in contempt of crowd control injunction
Breaking: 16 inmates at King County jail test positive for covid-19
Opinion: Why we, The NAACP Youth Council, are demanding Superintendent Denise Juneau’s termination

Spokesman Review
Inslee extends COVID-19 restrictions
Idaho health board meeting halted after ‘intense protests’
With Behavioral Health Unit, authorities recorded zero uses of force beyond handcuffing in November
One in three Airway Heights prisoners have COVID; conditions called obscene
Prisoners protest after COVID cases triple and officers beat inmate
COVID cases in Spokane detention centers multiply eightfold in four days
Opinion: Schools need resources, not new mandates, in grappling with COVID-19 pandemic

Tri-City Herald
Inslee extends state’s enhanced COVID-19 restrictions until Jan. 4
Franklin County sheriff forced to rehire a deputy he fired twice
Tri-Cities COVID cases jump 300+. Greatest increase in 20-somethings
Op-Ed: Expedite Hanford cleanup with new science-driven approach 

Walla Walla Union Bulletin (subscription required)
Red Kettle bells ring for many in Walla Walla, but more volunteers needed
Waitsburg’s middle and high schools to remain remote until at least January

Washington Post
Britain warns against Pfizer vaccine for people with history of ‘significant’ allergic reactions
Opinion: ‘Warp speed’ for the coronavirus vaccine ended when it reached U.S. regulators
The world’s rich need to cut their carbon footprint by a factor of 30 to slow climate change, U.N. warns
Amazon adds Microsoft, Unilever to its climate group that critics say lacks transparency
Trump EPA finalizes rollback making it harder to enact new public health rules

Whidbey News-Times
Schools shuffled in new plan to replace buildings

Yakima Herald Republic
Selah approves budget, after paring back some raises
Judge rules in favor of Yakima Valley gym owner contesting COVID fine
Yakima County reports 247 coronavirus cases Tuesday, reflecting backlog in test processing

Broadcast

KING5 TV (NBC)
Caregiver says she was fired from Marysville facility after complaining about poor response to COVID-19 outbreak
UW football pauses all activities due to increased COVID-19 tests
Canadian health officials approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccines won’t curb COVID-19 spread in US until late spring, White House report says
Chehalis restaurant Spiffy’s faces over $67,000 in state fines for defying orders
Washington’s COVID-19 restrictions on indoor dining and gyms extended to Jan. 4

KIRO7 TV (CBS)
Ocean Shores man attacked after confronting men for not wearing masks
Gov. Inslee extends current COVID-19 restrictions in state for 3 more weeks
UW Medicine’s ultracold freezers ready for COVID-19 vaccine
Small landlords say they’ve been stiffed by property management company
Hospitals face shortage of ICU nurses as COVID-19 cases surge
Protestors push back on proposal to dissolve Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
L&I sees record caseload as businesses refuse to follow COVID-19 rules
Washington restaurants face another three weeks without indoor dining

KOMO4 TV (ABC)
I-5 shut down in Mt. Vernon after tanker truck strikes barrier at Skagit River Bridge
UW football team pauses all activities due to COVID-19 increase; Oregon game in limbo?
‘Pirates of the Columbia’ wreak havoc near I-5 Bridge, residents say
‘Heartbreaking and outrageous:’ Restaurants struggle during COVID-19
Judge: Yakima gym does not have to pay virus fines for violating rules
Chehalis eatery fined $67,000 for ‘willfully’ flaunting state’s COVID-19 indoor
2 years after grounding, Boeing Max is back in air with passengers
Benton County Sheriff’s Office won’t enforce Inslee’s extended restrictions
Seattle City Council again mulls poverty defense for some accused suspects

KNKX FM
Inslee extends COVID restrictions on dining, gyms, gatherings to Jan. 4
Hotel stays up, child abuse reports down. New report highlights COVID impacts on WA child welfare

KUOW FM
Pandemic updates for the Northwest
Democrats And Some Republicans Push To Add Stimulus Checks To COVID-19 Relief Bill

NW Public Radio
Governor Announces Current Washington Business Closures Will Extend Into The New Year
COVID First Hit Long-Term Care In Puget Sound Region. Now It’s Hitting Home In Rural Areas
Cascadia High-Speed Rail: Will It Finally Happen Or Is It ‘Time To Kill This Thing’?

Q13 TV (Fox)
I-5 closed in both directions at Skagit River Bridge after semi strikes barrier
Spiffy’s restaurant fined $67,000 for defying Covid-19 restrictions
Inslee extends latest Covid-19 restrictions in Washington state through Jan. 4
Restaurants continue to suffer amid restriction extension
‘A little closure for us’: Seattle police settle Che Taylor wrongful-death lawsuit for $1.5M

Web

MyNorthwest
With COVID vaccine approval days away, Washington gears up to distribute first doses
Blue Angels will return to Seafair in summer 2021
Seattle Chamber of Commerce files lawsuit against city over big business tax
Job search requirement for WA unemployment suspended through late January
Lacking school board support, Seattle superintendent announces resignation
Gov. Inslee: Penalties will be ‘significant’ for restaurants flouting COVID rules
Gov. Inslee extends statewide ban on indoor dining, gatherings to January

Seattle P.I.
Seattle’s SR-520 bridge and SR-99 tunnel tolls could increase amid $72M revenue shortfall

SLOG
Gov. Inslee Extends COVID-19 Restrictions Until January 4