Capitol Buzz: Washington Department of Corrections names 1,100+ inmates to be released in coming days due to coronavirus concerns; Surge in unemployment continues as clunky state systems await upgrade

Washington House Republicans: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Resources
Governor’s Office: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information and Updates
Washington State Department of Health (DOH): 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19)

CORONAVIRUS

CASE COUNTS & COUNTY UPDATES

• Washington passes 11,000 COVID-19 cases, reports 583 deaths (The News Tribune)
• Clark County reaches 265 confirmed COVID-19 cases (The Columbian)
• 4 more Tri-Cities coronavirus deaths. More cases at Tyson beef plant (Tri-City Herald)
• 1st coronavirus case reported at Hanford. Thousands of workers to stay home longer (Tri-City Herald)
• Yakima County COVID-19 cases break 700 (KAPP-TV/KVEW-TV)
• COVID-19 rates aren’t higher in Spokane County communities of color. That may reflect testing inequities. (The Spokesman-Review)
• Pierce County sees 37 new COVID-19 cases, one new death (The News Tribune)
• Washington state cases pass 10,700; Inslee outlines rollback idea (The News Tribune)
• Thurston County COVID-19 cases rise to 86 with announcement of four more Thursday (The Olympian)
• Whatcom coronavirus cases continue to slow with two positive tests, no deaths Thursday (The Bellingham Herald)

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Farm worker unions sue Washington state for safer work conditions due to coronavirus (Tri-City Herald)
• Coronavirus-related cattle industry losses estimated at $13.6 billion (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
• Dairy industry seeks COVID disaster relief (Lynden Tribune)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Boeing to resume Washington airplane production next week (The Everett Herald)
• Boeing will resume work in phases next week, including a restart of 737 MAX production preparations (The Seattle Times)
• Boeing to restart commercial airplane production in phases next week, vows to keep workers safe (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Boeing reopening Puget Sound operations, with 27,000 heading back to work (The News Tribune)
• State jobless benefits top $272M since pandemic took hold; more than 500,000 apply (The Spokesman-Review)
• Claims for unemployment benefits remain at record levels (AP/Seattle P-I)
• Manufacturing companies report hundreds of layoffs as state pays out record unemployment benefits (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Unemployment claims in Clark County fall 40% from previous week (The Columbian)
• Late filing penalties waived for Clark County businesses (The Columbian)
• As Alaska fishing season set to begin, fearful communities and seafood industry try to prevent spread of coronavirus (The Seattle Times)
• Tri-Cities job losses remain high. Manufacturing takes a big hit statewide last week (Tri-City Herald)
• Washington Department of Labor & Industries suggests agricultural workers and employers continue working; but with limited interaction and separate living spaces to stop COVID-19 from spreading (KNDO-KNDU)
• Washington farmers markets are reopening, but won’t look the same (Crosscut)
• Coronavirus: Gov. Inslee lays out two key priorities before he can reopen the state’s economy (KIRO TV)
• Total weekly unemployment claims highest in state history, officials say (KIRO TV)
• Out of work due to coronavirus crisis? See Washington’s new unemployment rules (KING TV)
• Local restaurant owner shares quarantine views on ‘Dr. Phil’ show (The Wenatchee World)
• Food service workers and specialty contractors hit hardest by business shutdowns (The Wenatchee World)
• State braces for a flood of unemployment claims as eligibility expands (The News Tribune)
• Builders offer Inslee recommendations to safely restart construction (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Inslee outlines criteria for restarting Washington’s economy (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• ‘You Have to Disobey’ protests planned for Washington, Idaho capitols in response to shutdown orders (KHQ TV)
• The ins and outs of unemployment benefits for Washington real estate brokers (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Lose your job due to coronavirus pandemic? Here’s when extra money should arrive (The News Tribune)
• Thurston job losses remain high; manufacturing takes a big hit statewide (The Olympian)
• Starbucks prepares to gradually reopen stores – but service will look different (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Residential home construction continues on certain projects in Grant County (iFiberOne TV)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Central Washington non-profits adjust to provide critical Spanish-language coronavirus information (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• Car thieves taking advantage of Washington’s stay-home orders (KING TV)
• Community Foundation gives $2 million to nonprofits battling COVID-19 (The Daily News)

CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• Govt lending program on hold after reaching lending limit (AP/The Columbian)
• Glitches prevent $1,200 stimulus checks from reaching millions of Americans (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• As testing outcry mounts, Trump cedes to states in announcing guidelines for slow reopening (The Seattle Times)
• Trump gives governors 3-phase plan to reopen economy (AP/Seattle P-I)
• COLUMN: Now’s not the time for anxiety about the national debt (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)

COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Washington Department of Corrections names 1,100+ inmates to be released in coming days due to coronavirus concerns (The Seattle Times)
• Vancouver police launch prescription delivery pilot program (The Columbian)
• Victim of attempted ‘murder for hire’ plot concerned by release of Washington inmates (KING TV)
• ‘The bad guys aren’t staying home’: Officials say car thefts are up during quarantine (KCPQ TV)
• Washington DOC prepares for release of individuals back to their communities (KBKW Radio)
• Corrections announces upcoming transfer of individuals back to the community (iFiberOneNewsRadio-KMAS)
• Criminals busy stealing cars in city of Yakima (KIT Radio)
• Gov. Inslee signs orders to reduce prison population in response to COVID-19 (KNKX Radio)
• Covid-19 immunity permits for Washingtonians? ‘We’re not quite there’ (KUOW Radio)
• EDITORIAL: Prison pandemic response requires credible actions (The Seattle Times)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• COVID-19 outbreak drives gas prices way down (The Daily News)

ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS

• Fishing, hunting closures could become more targeted, WDFW Director says during S-R forum (The Spokesman-Review)

GENERAL NEWS

• Coronavirus daily news updates, April 17: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the nation (The Seattle Times)
• To draw governor’s attention, group to gather at capitol in protest of restrictions (The Reflector)
• Why it’s so hard to figure out the death rate rate from COVID-19 — and why it matters (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• Republican urges Inslee to look to the south (My Columbia Basin)
• Coronavirus freezes scientific research, threatening endangered species (Crosscut)
• Debt collectors can’t go after stimulus checks in Washington (KING TV)
• Senator Murray discusses steps along path to reopening the state (Daily Record)
• Washington receives new coronavirus testing devices that yield results in minutes (The News Tribune)
• Northwest Laboratory to start offering coronavirus tests to Whatcom pre-op patients (The Bellingham Herald)
• More locals wear masks in public, though not mandated in Washington (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Here’s why the coronavirus is hitting Hispanics in Washington state particularly hard (The Bellingham Herald)
• Major League Baseball participates in study to help shed light on infection rate of COVID-19 (KNXK Radio)
• Food Lifeline, corporate donors double emergency supply capacity in one week (KNKX Radio)

HEALTH CARE

• Camas nurse recounts coming through COVID-19 (The Columbian)
• Testing, tracing key to lifting coronavirus restrictions, Pierce health director says (The News Tribune)
• ‘This is probably the hardest we’ve ever worked’: TransformativeMed rolls out specialized COVID-19 tool (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Moses Lake pharmacy to offer COVID-19 antibody testing (Columbia Basin Herald)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WA students want tuition refunds after colleges go virtual (Crosscut)
• Central Washington University music department adjusting to the online education (Daily Record)
• CWU grads playing role in state’s efforts to combat COVID-19 (Daily Record)

HOMELESSNESS

• Seattle Navigation Team’s homeless strategy shifts amid COVID-19 as encampments grow (KOMO TV)

HOUSING

• Inslee expands statewide moratorium on evictions and freezes rent hikes in Washington (The Seattle Times)
• Live in an apartment or senior living facility? Here’s how long your coronavirus eviction moratorium lasts (The Seattle Times)
• Inslee extends eviction moratorium and bans rent hikes, late fees (The News Tribune)
• Inslee extends and expands eviction moratorium, prohibiting rent hikes (KNKX Radio)

IMMIGRATION

• EDITORIAL: Tacoma immigrant detention center could be next viral hot spot. So what’s being done about it? (The News Tribune)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Okanogan and Douglas counties pass lodging bans (The Wenatchee World)

MEDIA

• Tribune receives Facebook grant (Lynden Tribune)
• For ‘Seattle’s Only Newspaper,’ glimmers of hope in more than strange times (KUOW Radio)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon expects $2.45 billion in federal coronavirus relief, including direct money for Portland, Multnomah, Washington counties (The Oregonian)
• Coronavirus closures mean Oregon high school students won’t receive letter grades this year (The Oregonian)
• Coronavirus in Oregon: 6 new deaths as known cases surpass 1,700, health officials say (The Oregonian)

SECURITY

• Trudeau: US-Canada border won’t reopen soon to nonessential travel (KING TV)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Surge in unemployment continues as clunky state systems await upgrade (NW News Network)
• Washington state preparing to fight wildfires in the time of coronavirus (KING TV)

TAXES

• No relief for car tab fees as Washington unemployment soars during coronavirus crisis (KING TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Transit union demands hazard pay, stronger social-distancing rules because of coronavirus (The Seattle Times)
• Alaska Airlines makes changes for coronavirus, including blocking off middle seats (Tri-City Herald)
• EDITORIAL: $18 million infusion will help local airport weather pandemic (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)