Capitol Buzz: Washington approved for extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits; New coronavirus rules could close some Washington family-owned farms for good Washington House Republicans sent this bulletin at 08/25/2020 10:07 AM PDT Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Capitol Buzz: August 25, 2020 08/25/2020 10:05 AM PDT CORONAVIRUS CASE COUNTS & COUNTY UPDATES Washington state reports 359 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths on Monday (The News Tribune) Cowlitz County reports five new COVID-19 cases over the weekend (The Daily News) County announces 14 new COVID-19 cases since Friday (The Daily Chronicle) Spokane County crests 5,000 COVID cases, but incidence rate continues to fall (The Spokesman-Review) Pierce County starts week with lowest COVID-19 single-day new case total since June (The News Tribune) 34 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Grays Harbor County since Friday (The Daily World) COVID-19 outbreak at St. Michael Medical Center linked to 45 cases (Kitsap Sun) Thurston County reports 13 new cases of COVID-19 Monday (The Olympian) 156th death from COVID reported in the Tri-Cities area. New cases continue decline (Tri-City Herald) Whatcom County sees three more COVID-19 cases, state reports Monday (The Bellingham Herald) Daily count of COVID-19 cases down to 14 in Yakima County (Yakima Herald) Seventy-four COVID-19 cases confirmed since Friday in Grant County; recoveries up to 1,147 (iFiberOne) BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR New coronavirus rules could close some Washington family-owned farms for good (KING TV) COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES Working parents consider childcare, alternative options to help kids with remote learning (KCPQ TV) CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Washington approved for extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits (KING TV) Feds provide grant to Washington state to boost unemployment pay for jobless (The News Tribune) Herrera Beutler calls on congressional leaders to resume COVID relief negotiations (The Reflector) COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT 11 inmates, two officers test positive for COVID-19 (The Daily Chronicle) EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY Seattle Public Schools superintendent pledges improved remote learning for students (KOMO TV) More than one in four Washington foster kids lost touch with school during spring distance learning (The News Tribune) Washington state public schools to spend $8.8M to boost student internet access (Puget Sound Business Journal) Here’s what in-person school in Washington will look like this fall, at a public and a private school (The Seattle Times) Central Kitsap School District puts 118 employees on standby (Kitsap Sun) Mead teachers blast back-to-school model (The Spokesman-Review) Whatcom Boys & Girls clubhouses, daycares to offer distanced learning centers (The Bellingham Herald) Yakima County districts find creative ways to get students online (Yakima Herald) Majority of Valley students start remote learning this week (KIT Radio) Tahoma School District reaches an agreement with its educators union on remote learning (KNKX Radio) MLSD enrollment to drop; 1/3 expected to choose in-person instruction (Columbia Basin Herald) Aberdeen School District moves online for all class levels (KXRO) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES Local firefighter lives in trailer for weeks to avoid exposing son to COVID-19 (KIRO TV) GENERAL NEWS How bars are fueling COVID-19 outbreaks in Washington state and elsewhere (Kaiser Health News/The Seattle Times) Skagit County’s popular drive-through COVID testing site to limit service to locals (KNKX Radio) EDITORIAL: Pandemic spurs innovation, transforms society (The Columbian) HEALTH CARE With flu season poised to collide with coronavirus, health officials in Washington say vaccination is more important than ever (The Seattle Times) Bremerton hospital says 45 have tested positive for COVID-19, and number likely to grow (The Seattle Times) HIGHER EDUCATION Whitman County COVID surge traced to WSU, as nearby U. Idaho begins in-person semester (Northwest Public Broadcasting) WSU’s first day of class a different experience for many students amid COVID-19 (The Spokesman-Review) Greek Row parties tied to ‘substantial increase’ in coronavirus, WSU officials say (The News Tribune) 2 schools on the Palouse, 2 approaches on how to handle COVID-19 (KHQ TV) HOMELESSNESS Outbreak at Seattle shelter contributes to rise in COVID-19 cases in King County homeless population (KNKX Radio) HOUSING Clark County rolls out emergency rent assistance program (The Columbian) Rental assistance steered toward Spokane’s young adults (The Spokesman-Review) Despite COVID-19, home sales strong in Yakima County (KIT Radio) MENTAL HEALTH When could the mental health strain from the COVID-19 pandemic be the worst? (The Bellingham Herald) The surprising ways people with OCD responded to coronavirus: ‘I’ve been training for this my whole life’ (KNKX Radio) Is COVID-19 impacting your child’s mental health? What you can do to help (KXLY TV) OTHER STATES Oregon will apply for Trump’s $300 unemployment bonus (The Oregonian) University of Idaho reopening plan receives pushback from students, faculty (The Spokesman-Review) Gov. Little announces $2.56 million in coronavirus federal relief money going to foodbanks (KLEW TV) 6 months of COVID-19: Why Oregon is faring better than neighbors but could be ‘next Idaho, California or Washington’ (The Oregonian) Coronavirus in Oregon: 220 new cases, three deaths as hospitalizations free fall (The Oregonian) SECURITY Residents of Point Roberts, Wash. desperate for help as US-Canada border closure stretches on (KING TV) AGRICULTURE & WATER August water supply numbers holding steady for local irrigators (Daily Record) CENSUS Census counting enters final month, with marked effects on local organizations (Daily Record) CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Former WA Attorney General: Trump claim of total authority as president is ‘false’ (MyNorthwest) Tacoma, Wenatchee postal workers go against USPS orders, reinstall sorting machines (MyNorthwest) COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT Seattle police break up overnight protest after fire set outside precinct on Capitol Hill (The Seattle Times) Auburn officer pleads not guilty to murder, assault charges in 2019 fatal shooting (The Seattle Times) Fired, but still a cop: How Washington state’s decertification process leaves troubled officers with their guns (The Seattle Times) Recent protests revive push for WA to speed up police reform (Crosscut) Tacoma officer accused of killing Bennie Branch cleared of criminal charges (KOMO TV) Judge sets bail for felon accused of killing member of gang and police dog (The News Tribune) Police Chief Doll offers apology at Bellingham council meeting for officers’ prank (The Bellingham Herald) EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY Yakima English teacher, student advocate Megan Anderson-Reilly chosen Regional Teacher of the Year (Yakima Herald) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES Vancouver, fire department, AMR aim to improve emergency medical services equity (The Columbian) ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS Next phase of Quiet Cove cleanup begins (Skagit Valley Herald) FISH Alaska salmon returning smaller amid climate change, competition with hatchery fish, study finds (The Seattle Times) A boost for Mother Nature: Fish group works to restore South Fork Toutle (The Daily News) HEALTH CARE OPINION: What will it take to end the insulin-insecurity crisis? (Dana VanBuecken, graduated from the University of Washington School of Nursing (master of science in nursing) and advanced registered nurse practitioner at the Diabetes Clinical Research Program at Benaroya Research Institute/The Seattle Times) OPINION: We can improve public health by cleaning up Washington’s tax code (Danny Low, family medicine physician and member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility; and Margaret Babayan, policy analyst with the Washington State Budget and Policy Center/Washington State Wire) OPINION: The storm of our lifetime has cost our livelihoods — it should not cost our lives (Dr. Paula Lantsberger, MD, MPH, FACOEM is an occupational medicine and preventive medicine specialist in Spokane, and Dr. Reena Koshy, MD is a family medicine specialist in Seattle/The Spokesman-Review) LOCAL GOVERNMENT King County Council reverses course on making Juneteenth a paid holiday for employees (The Seattle Times) Washington state auditor and lawmakers target ‘unauditable’ local government districts (The Seattle Times) Stevens County prosecutor asks judge for restraining order against commissioners (The Spokesman-Review) Stevens County commissioners could be ejected from office after judge ruled they misspent $130k from a public fund (Washington State Wire) Vancouver city council ratifies contract with fire marshal’s office union (The Columbian) Residents come to Olympia port commissioner’s defense after sexual harassment allegation (The Olympian) Mill Creek mayor resigns mid-term, citing personal reasons (Everett Herald) OPINION: Speak now on what stays, what goes in Everett budget (Carol A. Jensen, chairwoman of the City of Everett Council of Neighborhoods/Everett Herald) MILITARY & VETERANS ‘UUV city:’ Keyport leads the way on underwater drones (Kitsap Sun) Bellingham welcomes U.S. Marine to the place he considered home for the final time (The Bellingham Herald) OTHER STATES No turning back in the state that pioneered voting by mail (AP/The Seattle Times) Large crowds, protesters turn out for opening day of Idaho’s special legislative session (Northwest Public Broadcasting) Anger spills over at Capitol (AP/The Lewiston Tribune) Tolling initiative won’t be on November ballot; organizers blame coronavirus, will refile for 2022 (The Oregonian) POLITICS ELECTIONS New numbers from the primaries show thousands of ballots never got counted (KIRO TV) STATE Reflecting on Slade Gorton and his era of conservative politics (Crosscut) NATIONAL GOP convention offers traditional roll call with Washington, Idaho bragging about features (The Spokesman-Review) RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Feds release funds for port rail project (Columbia Basin Herald) STATE GOVERNMENT ‘Nobody will answer the phone’: Washingtonians still waiting on unemployment checks (MyNorthwest) TRANSPORTATION Traffic congestion has returned to near-normal levels across Washington (MyNorthwest) TRIBAL ISSUES Bill Iyall steps down as Cowlitz Tribe chairman, COO (The Daily News) Shooting reviews completed, Suquamish leaders rethinking relationship with Poulsbo (Kitsap Sun) WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE Washington fire officials say new satellites are ‘game-changer’ for fighting wildfires (KING TV) Pilot dies in helicopter crash while fighting wildfire in Mt. Hood National Forest (KOMO TV) Burnout operations planned on Jungle Creek Fire if weather allows (Yakima Herald)
