Capitol Buzz: No post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge, signs of flattening curve in Washington; WA unemployment problems persist, with some going unpaid for months Washington House Republicans sent this bulletin at 12/17/2020 09:29 AM PST Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Capitol Buzz: December 17, 2020 12/17/2020 09:29 AM PST CORONAVIRUS AGRICULTURE & WATER WSDA, UW, WSU teaming up to survey COVID impact on state’s farm community (Pacific Northwest Ag Network) BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR Spokane-area gym owners face grim reality of pandemic shutdown (The Spokesman-Review) Black Diamond restaurant defies Governor Inslee’s order and opens for dine-in, owner hopes others will join him (KHQ TV) CONGRESS Close but not yet: Deal near on COVID-19 economic aid bill (AP/The Seattle Times) Small businesses are in ‘free fall’ as Congress works on new PPP, stimulus (Puget Sound Business Journal) EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY Inslee announces guidelines to reopening Washington schools for in-person learning (Seattle P-I) WA Education Association: Safety requirements need to be ‘fully in place’ before in-person return (MyNorthwest) COVID infection rates in four Whatcom school district regions decrease, but another rockets to record level (The Bellingham Herald) Issaquah High School closes after two staff members test positive for COVID-19 (KOMO TV) GENERAL NEWS No post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge, signs of flattening curve in Washington (KCPQ TV) Washington sees encouraging signs in virus data (AP/The Columbian) Use of COVID quarantine facility in Bellingham is at its highest. This is one reason why (The Bellingham Herald) HEALTH CARE 2nd COVID-19 vaccine gets public review ahead of US decision (The Seattle Times) Who’s next in line for the COVID-19 vaccine after front line health care workers? (The News Tribune) HOUSING States grapple with next steps on evictions as crisis grows (AP/Yakima Herald) IMMIGRATION Looking for pandemic transparency at the NW Detention Center (KUOW Radio) LEGISLATURE Schoesler says he didn’t attend ‘superspreader’ wedding (The Lewiston Tribune) LOCAL GOVERNMENT Durkan extends residential, commercial eviction moratoriums as landlords struggle (Puget Sound Business Journal) MILITARY & VETERANS JBLM begins vaccinating its health care workers against COVID-19 (The Olympian) Walla Walla VA preparing to make calls for vaccinating local veterans (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) OTHER STATES All of Oregon Coast now classified at ‘extreme risk’ of COVID-19 spread, Gov. Kate Brown says (The Oregonian) More Oregonians are struggling to keep up with rental payments (The Oregonian) Idaho health board rejects regional mask, distancing order (AP/The Columbian) PRIVACY COLUMN: WA Notify – Say What? (Sue Lani Madsen/The Spokesman-Review) STATE GOVERNMENT WA unemployment problems persist, with some going unpaid for months (Crosscut) WA lawmaker shocked by ‘complete mismanagement’ of unemployment aid (MyNorthwest) COLUMN: WA analyst: State mislabeled some drug, injury deaths as COVID related (Dori Monson/MyNorthwest) TRIBAL ISSUES A rural tribe tried to keep Covid at bay, but a last hurrah seeded an outbreak (KUOW Radio) BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR Washington unemployment rate in November was 6% (AP/KOMO TV) Deadline set to start planning shutdown of convention center project in Seattle (Puget Sound Business Journal) COLUMN: 2021 will be a year of sloppy economic thinking in Seattle (Katie Wilson/Crosscut) CONGRESS OPINION: It is time to secure an updated Columbia River Treaty (Rep. Dan Newhouse represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives/Columbia Basin Herald) COURTS (STATE) COLUMN: As crimes surge, Seattle judge releases dangerous suspects without bail (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest) CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT Second shooter at political melee in Olympia is sought by Washington State Patrol (The Seattle Times) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES New fire station near LNG plant on Tacoma Tideflats could sit empty when completed in 2021 (The News Tribune) FISH For the first time in more than 80 years salmon spawning in the Upper Columbia River (The Spokesman-Review) HIGHER EDUCATION EDITORIAL: Seattle Promise gains ground in higher education (The Seattle Times) HOMELESSNESS Under threat of sweep, Seattle protesters defend houseless encampment at Cal Anderson Park (KUOW Radio) Federal judge considers order to stop tent removal at Cal Anderson Park; city says encampment is a health and safety risk (The Seattle Times) LEGISLATURE Democrats and Republicans reveal their parties’ priorities for the next session (Washington State Wire) Housing, GMA legislation possible for 2021 (Lens) LOCAL GOVERNMENT Future of fluoride study for Spokane’s water remains uncertain (The Spokesman-Review) COLUMN: Pam Roach — yes, that Pam Roach — narrowly averts public health coup. Now what? (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune) EDITORIAL: Heroes of averted Health Department takeover? Pierce County residents who spoke out (The News Tribune) OTHER STATES Voters support Measure 11 but open to reducing sentences for some lower-level crimes, poll finds (The Oregonian) Gun sales surge in Oregon amid pandemic, election (KEPR-TV) POLITICS CONGRESS EDITORIAL: Newhouse must repair damage done after backing Trump’s claims of fraud (Tri-City Herald) ELECTIONS EDITORIAL: Threats of political violence must end (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) LEGISLATURE 6 weeks after Election Day, Mullet wins 5th Legislative District race (The Seattle Times) TECHNOLOGY Facebook takes the gloves off in feud with Apple (The New York Times/The Seattle Times) TRANSPORTATION 188 concrete columns: Light rail to Lynnwood is 25% done (The Everett Herald) WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE DNR Commissioner Franz will present new fire engine to Malden (KREM TV)
