Capitol Buzz: Republican leaders begin to push back on Inslee’s ‘stay home’ order, seek easing of some restrictions; Washington sees nearly 90,000 new jobless claims as coronavirus crisis continues

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 state reporting 12,494 COVID-19 cases, 692 deaths (The News Tribune)
• Yakima County has highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the state, double the state rate (Yakima Herald)
• Walla Walla County ‘hot spot’ of coronavirus, officials say (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Clark County now has 313 confirmed COVID-19 cases (The Columbian)
• 40th coronavirus death reported in Tri-Cities area. New cases increase by just 2% to 740 (Tri-City Herald)
• Pierce County sees 17 new COVID-19 cases, four deaths; new estimates on number recovered (The News Tribune)
• Thirteen new cases of COVID-19, another death in Tri-Cities area (KAPP-TV/KVEW-TV)
• COVID-19 case counts in North Central Washington (The Wenatchee World)
• Coronavirus: Four new cases in Grant County reported Wednesday (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Fourth positive case of COVID-19 confirmed in Pacific County (KXRO Radio)

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Expanded testing planned after ‘remarkable’ rate of cases in agriculture housing (The Wenatchee World)
• Confined housing and lack of info: Farmworkers brace for COVID-19 (The Wenatchee World)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Republican leaders begin to push back on Inslee’s ‘stay home’ order, seek easing of some restrictions (The Seattle Times)
• State Republican leader talks protecting the workforce — and economy — amid the pandemic (KNKX Radio)
• Legislative Republicans unveil ‘safe economic restart plan’ (The Daily World)
• Washington sees nearly 90,000 new jobless claims as coronavirus crisis continues (The Seattle Times)
• “I do believe that there’s a double standard”: dozens gather for small business rally at City Hall (KHQ TV)
• ‘We are not the Puget Sound’: Leaders want to reopen Spokane County soon (KREM TV)
• 100 workers sick in COVID-19 outbreak at Tyson Fresh Meats plant near Pasco (KIRO TV)
• Mandatory coronavirus testing to start at Tyson (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Tyson beef plant worker in Tri-Cities dies of coronavirus. All workers to be tested (Tri-City Herald)
• Deluge continues: 26 million jobs list in just five weeks (KUOW Radio)
• Hexcel abandons merger plans, lays off hundreds amid 737 Max troubles (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Boeing workers’ return after coronavirus closure is a test case for industrial recovery (The Seattle Times)
• Boeing employees are back to work. Can they stay safe? (KUOW Radio)
• Construction restart hinges on health data (The Wenatchee World)
• Didn’t get a PPP loan the first time? Here’s some advice on how to be successful in round two (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Businesses need to keep tight control of expenses (Columbia Basin Herald)
• How to get a small-business loan under the new $484 billion coronavirus aid package (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• Second-round of small business loans may spell final lifeline for many Washington businesses (KIRO TV)
• Pierce County, Congress making more money available for small businesses during coronavirus (The News Tribune)
• Is enough being done to help Pierce County’s independent restaurants survive COVID-19? (The News Tribune)
• OPINION: Hospitality is where community happens, what our communities stand to lose (Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association/The Spokesman-Review)
• COLUMN: Inslee misses the point – and the opportunity (Sue Lani Madsen/The Spokesman-Review)
• COLUMN: Millions of small businesses are about to collapse — we can’t afford the mistakes we made in 2008 (Roger Lowenstein, Los Angeles Times/The Seattle Times)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Moses Lake Food Bank operating with less than half staff (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Baker Boyer funds feed emergency, health workers (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Salvation Army in Vancouver looks to replenish pantry (The Columbian)
• COLUMN: Living through her second pandemic, longtime Tacoma waitress ‘Teeny’ celebrates 102 birthday (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)
• EDITORIAL: Washingtonians have lots of chances to demonstrate their generosity (Yakima Herald)

CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• Rep. Newhouse says it’s clear that Gov. Inslee has not developed a plan for coronavirus recovery (KAPP-TV/KVEW-TV)
• Congressman Newhouse critical of Gov. Inslee’s initial plan to reopen economy (iFiberOne TV)
• Newhouse: Reopening American economy best way to help farmers (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)

COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Mill Creek man held on charge he threatened to kill Gov. Inslee and staff (The News Tribune)
• Two Washington State Patrol troopers in Southeastern Washington diagnosed with COVID-19 (KNDO/KNDU)
• Sheriff calls governor’s stay-home order unconstitutional (The Everett Herald)
• Snohomish County sheriff says he won’t enforce Washington state’s stay-home order (The Seattle Times)
• Snohomish County sheriff says he won’t enforce Inslee’s stay-home order (KCPQ TV)
• Whatcom sheriff urges ‘sound and reasonable efforts’ in battle against coronavirus (The Bellingham Herald)
• Yakima County sheriff clarifies enforcement in letter about COVID-19 restrictions (KIT Radio)
• More than 300 inmates released due to COVID-19 concerns (AP/The Columbian)
• Authorities sound alarm about dangerous criminals being released (KIT Radio)
• State frees hundreds of prisoners, including some from Grant, Adams counties (Columbia Basin Herald)
• Washington prison inmates and families, dreading coronavirus spread, taking fight to state Supreme Court (The Seattle Times)
• State Supreme Court hearing arguments to allow mass release of prisoners due to pandemic (KIRO TV)
• Advocates seek early release for incarcerated youth amid COVID-19 (Crosscut)
• Early inmate release a ‘kick in the gut’ for Chehalis burglary victim (KING TV)
• County courts enter Emergency Local Rule (Daily Record)
• OPINION: Releasing 1,100 WA inmates with no support is a bad plan (Hannah Myrick, a writer for the Post Prison Education Program/Crosscut)
• EDITORIAL: Public health isn’t part of Sheriff Fortney’s beat (The Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Society locked down, but inmates released (Columbia Basin Herald)

EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY

• Washington teachers can assign letter grades or ‘incomplete’ during pandemic; Fs not an option (The News Tribune)
• No failing grades for high-school students during coronavirus closures, Reykdal says (The Seattle Times)
• Washington students literally can’t fail semester as state adjusts grading guidance (The Spokesman-Review)
• OSPI issues guidance on grading for school districts (KONA Radio)
• New grading guidelines released by state superintendent (KGMI Radio)
• School districts work to sort out how to pay for child care for essential workers (KNKX Radio)
• Pierce Transit to dispatch buses as Wi-Fi ‘hot spots’ for students amid school closures (The News Tribune)

ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS

• Hunters, anglers, even Fish and Wildlife commissioners say restrictions on recreation should be lifted (The Spokesman-Review)
• ‘Let us fish!’: Washington anglers, hunters want restrictions lowered (The Daily News)
• ‘I rely on it to feed my family’: Protest in north Spokane aims to reopen fishing in Washington (KHQ TV)
• ‘Let us fish’ protest one of two in Spokane to question stay-home measures (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• Protest on fishing ban planned this weekend in Wenatchee (NCW Life Channel)
• On Earth Day, activists call for environmental justice in the face of the coronavirus pandemic (KNKX Radio)

GENERAL NEWS

• Inslee stands firm in face of growing resistance to stay-at-home orders (AP/The Columbian)
• Inslee, Ferguson warn residents not to listen to local officials on ignoring Stay Home order (NCW Life Channel)
• Coronavirus: Inslee faces growing resistance to stay-at-home orders (KIRO TV)
• Inslee faces growing resistance to stay-at-home orders, says changes will be data-led (KCPQ TV)
• As opponents get louder, Inslee stands his ground on stay-at-home order (The Olympian)
• Rep. Matt Shea, initiative promoter Tim Eyman join protest of governor’s COVID-19 response (The Spokesman-Review)
• Ephrata law firm calls Inslee’s Stay-At-Home Order “unconstitutional”; petitions Grant County leaders for redress (iFiberOne TV)
• Medical experts recommend extending Inslee’s stay-home order by another three weeks (Seattle P-I)
• Poll: Majority of Americans support stay-home orders to combat virus (AP/The Columbian)
• Bill Gates calls fight against Covid-19 ‘defining moment of our lifetimes’ (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• New study shows how many Whatcom residents are staying home to fight coronavirus (The Bellingham Herald)
• Coronavirus concerns linked to increase in household cleaner poison exposures (The News Tribune)
• Tri-Cities residents struggling with bills during coronavirus outbreak can apply for cash (Tri-City Herald)
• COLUMN: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he won’t be guided by ‘irrational forces’ that gamble with health (Joel Connelly/Seattle P-I)
• COLUMN: It will take creativity, resolve to thrive after the COVID crisis (Rufus Woods, Publisher Emeritus/The Wenatchee World)
• EDITORIAL: Testing Washington’s patience (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: It’s been a learning experience (Daily Record)

HEALTH CARE

• State ramps up contact tracing forces in preparation for reopening (The Spokesman-Review)
• Washington builds contact tracing ‘fire brigade’ as state looks toward gradual reopening (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• School nurses are joining ranks in testing clinics, health departments to boost coronavirus efforts (The Seattle Times)
• Bellingham nursing home to accept patients who have tested positive for coronavirus (The Bellingham Herald)
• The latest on the coronavirus story from Virginia Mason Memorial (KIT Radio)
• Coronavirus causing Quincy Valley Medical Center major financial strain, Microsoft donates $20,000 (iFiberOne TV)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Unprecedented numbers of college students seek help to pay rent, buy food during pandemic (The News Tribune)
• $2.4 million aide package for WVC a boost, but not a total fix for COVID-19 fallout (KOHO Radio)
• WSU, EWU begin making hand sanitizer to fight coronavirus (The Spokesman-Review)
• WSU brews its own hand sanitizer ‘Cougar Clean’ (KLEW TV)

HOMELESSNESS

• HopeSource helping homeless during COVID-19 Stay at Home (Daily Record)
• Pierce County announces $1 million allocation to homeless shelters (The News Tribune)
• Thurston commission opts not to partner with Salvation Army for shelter expansion (The Olympian)
• Crowding, lack of social distancing enforcement may have contributed to COVID-19 outbreaks at Seattle shelters (KUOW Radio)

HOUSING

• Tacoma launches rental assistance program (The News Tribune)
• Cowlitz housing market steady despite COVID-19, new realty rules (The Daily News)

LEGISLATURE

• Rep. Keith Goehner working with constituents on COVID recovery plan, announces bid for re-election (KOHO Radio)
• Local lawmakers host tele-town hall (KONA Radio)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Franklin Co Commissioner walks back support of “re-open” motion (KONA Radio)
• State tells Franklin commissioners they can’t defy governor’s stay-at-home order (Tri-City Herald)
• Gov. Inslee sends rebuke of Franklin Co. motion to re-open (KONA Radio)
• Gov. Inslee directs Franklin County to retract motion to open businesses (KREM TV)
• Mayors and pols to Inslee: “you can’t make me.” But can he? (KUOW Radio)
• Clark County councilors Quiring, Medvigy question Inslee order (The Columbian)
• Spokane County leaders will follow statewide distancing orders as some in state push back (The Spokesman-Review)
• County outlines legal requirements for business operations under state order (Daily Record)
• Chelan and Douglas counties stop construction restart (The Wenatchee World)
• Fear and apprehension in Pacific County, pop. 22,000: ‘If you live in Seattle, stay in Seattle.’ (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: ‘A wrong-headed approach.’ Reopening Franklin County endangers us all (Tri-City Herald)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• State asks National Guard for 500 people to help with coronavirus contact tracing work (The News Tribune)
• Walla Walla Veterans Home employee tests positive for COVID-19 (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

OTHER STATES

• Hundreds of Oregon businesses questioned Brown about lifting coronavirus restrictions, fulfilling unemployment benefits and delaying new corporate tax (The Oregonian)
• Amid coronavirus closures, Oregon elementary, middle schoolers to advance a grade regardless of performance (The Oregonian)
• Oregonians of all parties support coronavirus stay-at-home orders, new survey finds (The Oregonian)
• Coronavirus in Oregon: No new deaths as known cases rise to 2,059, health officials say (The Oregonian)
• Oregon lawmakers to consider more than $30 million in coronavirus-related spending (The Oregonian)
• Idaho’s Reckoning: From business and school closures to a long, slow reopening (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• HHS awards $2,276,559 to Idaho to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities (KCLK Radio)
• U of I researchers work to find a cure for coronaviruses (KLEW TV)

POLITICS

• GOP gubernatorial candidate sues Inslee to lift religious gathering restrictions (KXLY)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Applications for food and cash assistance skyrocket in Washington as coronavirus pandemic continues (The Seattle Times)
• Inslee: Don’t let ‘irrational forces’ dictate action on COVID-19 response (The Chronicle)
• EDITORIAL: State cooperation provides future framework (The Columbian)

TECHNOLOGY

• UW, Microsoft release coronavirus contact-tracing app (KING TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Coronavirus has hit Washington’s transportation budget hard. Now state is asking for help (The News Tribune)
• Kitsap Transit receives $13 million in federal relief funding (Kitsap Sun)
• Skagit Transit awarded CARES Act, PSRC funding (KGMI Radio)
• EDITORIAL: What’ll it take to finally give Washington car-tab relief? Maybe a COVID-19 pandemic (The News Tribune)