Capitol Buzz: State capitols face showdown over COVID powers and spending; A tale of two recessions: COVID’s economic toll in Washington state fell unevenly, may take years to heal

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Federal judge rejects USDA changes to H-2A Program (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• A tale of two recessions: COVID’s economic toll in Washington state fell unevenly, may take years to heal (The Seattle Times)
• Boeing 737 MAX resumes flying U.S. passengers after 2-year halt (The Seattle Times)
• Unemployed? When you’ll be getting extra money, plus more help for Washington PUA recipients (KIRO TV)
• Boeing reaches turning point in 737 Max crisis with 16 deliveries in December (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• While restaurants suffer, women who work in them share recovery and confront harassment (The Seattle Times)
• Uber raising its prices starting Jan. 1 (The Seattle Times)
• Protesters stage rally to support restaurants not following COVID-19 restrictions (KOMO TV)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• How a year of protests changed Seattle (The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• Schrier supported, Newhouse opposed boosting COVID-19 relief payouts (NCW Life Channel)
• ‘I believe assistance should be more targeted’: Rep. McMorris Rodgers on why voted against bigger stimulus checks (KXLY)

CORONAVIRUS

• Washington state coronavirus case data: A county-by-county breakdown (Seattle P-I)
• A Q&A about the new coronavirus variant with the Fred Hutch scientist who’s been tracking its spread (The Seattle Times)

COURTS (STATE)

• Spiffy’s Restaurant gets court hearing over COVID restrictions (MyNorthwest)
• Thurston judge affirms restraining order against Spiffy’s (KELA Radio)
• Farm Boy Drive-In held in contempt for violating COVID restrictions, Washington judge says (The Olympian)
• Family of man who died by suicide in Spokane County Jail files wrongful death suit (KREM TV)

CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Some question Tacoma’s decision for new interim police chief (KCPQ TV)
• Downtown Leavenworth reopened after bomb threat investigation (The Wenatchee World)

EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY

• Schools face a massive challenge to make up for learning lost during the pandemic (NPR/Northwest Public Broadcasting)
• COLUMN: Pandemic isolation has been brutal for schools. The best idea for 2021 is the exact opposite. (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Northwest Washington’s shaky week continues with a quake in Whatcom County Tuesday (The Bellingham Herald)

ENVIRONMENT

• 5,300 gallons of sewage spilled on Bainbridge Island over the weekend (Kitsap Sun)
• EDITORIAL: Resolve now to ditch single-use plastic bags (The Columbian)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Treasury secretary: Paper stimulus checks to be mailed Wednesday (KING TV)

HANFORD

• Aging tanks, aging watchdogs: Lots to work on for Washington’s new waste program manager (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• OPINION: A beacon of hope for Walla Walla Community College, our students and communities (Chad Hickox, president of WWCC/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

HOMELESSNESS

• Spike in COVID-19 found at Renton homeless hotel as King County homeless cases rise (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: Tacoma radicals hold Fife motel hostage, call on activist army for defense (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

HOUSING

• Affordable housing projects in WA get a boost (KONA Radio)

IMMIGRATION

• Judge makes public directive to detain Iranians in Blaine that Customs and Border Patrol earlier said was false (The Bellingham Herald)
• Canada is turning asylum seekers away at the border. In the U.S., they face deportation. (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)

LEGISLATURE

• State capitols face showdown over COVID powers and spending (AP/The Seattle Times)
• Amid uncertainty over business restrictions, Mullet pre-files bill to curb gubernatorial emergency powers (Washington State Wire)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Spokane County Commissioners spend last of federal COVID-19 aid on health district and correction officer, law enforcement salaries (The Spokesman-Review)
• Island County health officer, nurses resign amid COVID-19 surge on Camano, Whidbey Islands (KOMO TV)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon will start issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in January (The Oregonian)

POLITICS

LOCAL

• COLUMN: The problem with Seattle’s progressive chattering class (Dujie Tahat/Crosscut)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Statewide child care strike remains on the table as grants go out to providers (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• Washington Department of Corrections begins COVID-19 vaccinations (MyNorthwest)

TRANSPORTATION

• Officials reinstall derailed trains near Yakima, clean spill (AP/The Seattle Times)
• A week after Whatcom derailment, here’s what’s happening to burned oil tank cars (The Bellingham Herald)
• Still no cause in train derailment (Lynden Tribune)
• New Mukilteo ferry terminal debuts for Puget Sound passengers (KCPQ TV)
• Alaska Airlines, Delta restrict emotional support animals after attacks trigger rule change (Puget Sound Business Journal)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Native American advocate Hank Adams dies (Indian Country Today/The Daily World)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Whitman County Commissioners send another letter to White House asking for decision on federal disaster for Malden and Pine City (KQQQ Radio)

WILDLIFE

• Congress is helping states like Washington kill ‘murder hornets.’ Here’s how (The Bellingham Herald)