The Capitol Buzz is a weekday summary of online news stories from across the state, highlighting policies, politics and other issues that affect Washingtonians.
CORONAVIRUS
CASE COUNTS & COUNTY UPDATES
- Washington reports 640 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, cumulative deaths pass 1,400 (Tri-City Herald)
- 4 days of double-digit coronavirus deaths in Washington state: How to interpret the data (The Seattle Times)
- Pause for phased reopening may continue in Washington state if cases climb (AP/Kitsap Sun)
- Clark County adds 38 COVID-19 cases, one death (The Columbian)
- As Yakima County reports 104 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, Inslee urges people to mask up (Yakima Herald)
- 97 new COVID-19 cases reported in N. Idaho, 53 in Spokane County (KXLY TV)
- Seventh Grant County COVID-19 related death (KNDO-KNDU)
- Kittitas County has first positive COVID-19 case at long-term care facility (Daily Record)
- COVID: 127 new cases in Tri-Cities region Thursday (KAPP-TV-KVEW-TV)
- Could Benton County be near its COVID peak? 127 new cases in Tri-Cities area, 1 death (Tri-City Herald)
- Coronavirus: 28 new cases in Grant County (Columbia Basin Herald)
- Adams Co. sees 29 COVID-19 cases confirmed Thursday, all in Othello (iFiberOne TV)
AGRICULTURE & WATER
- Apple growers now qualify for new federal coronavirus financial help (Yakima Herald)
- Newhouse pleased that apples, potatoes added to Coronavirus Food Assistance Program list (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
- Whatcom County farmers may be eligible for expanded USDA pandemic assistance (KGMI Radio)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- New business starts in Washington are warming up (The Seattle Times)
- Clark County’s initial jobless claims inch up (The Columbian)
- Yakima area unemployment claims reach second-lowest point since pandemic (Yakima Herald)
- Parklets, sidewalk cafes help Vancouver restaurants weather pandemic (The Columbian)
- Thousands of local jobs saved through Payroll Protection Program loans. Here are the numbers per city… (iFiberOne TV)
- US economy may be stalling out as viral outbreak worsens (AP/The Seattle Times)
- OPINION: Construction will bounce back quicker than most industries (Jeff Tobin, partner and chief operating officer at Schuchart/Puget Sound Business Journal)
COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- 225 inmates, 54 employees at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center test positive for COVID-19 (KXLY Radio)
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
- Inslee: Trump threats on reopening schools ‘hogwash’ (AP/The Seattle Times)
- Gov. Inslee says he won’t let federal government ‘bully’ Washington into making decisions about schools this fall (KHQ TV)
- Inslee says president’s K-12 threat ‘hogwash,’ ‘courts available’ if needed (The Olympian)
- Inslee blasts Trump in fiery press conference, dismisses threats about education funding as ‘total baloney’ (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- Schools beginning to release plans for fall (The Daily World)
- OPINION: Safety for students, staff and teachers key to reopen schools (Larry Delaney, president of the Washington Education Association, and Janie White, vice president of the Washington Education Association/The Seattle Times)
- EDITORIAL: Federal funds, local plans to safely open school (The Columbian)
GAMBLING
GENERAL NEWS
- ‘This is just a reality’: Inslee urges residents to wear masks to reopen economy (The Spokesman-Review)
- Yes, you can wear a mask while exercising. Here’s how 3 options stack up (The Seattle Times)
- 97 percent of Washingtonians need to wear masks, wash hands if we’re to stop COVID, experts say (The Olympian)
- Growing chorus pushes for renewed coronavirus shutdown orders (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
HEALTH CARE
- Long line moving through Whatcom’s now open low-barrier drive-thru testing site Friday (The Bellingham Herald)
- Criteria expanded at community COVID-19 testing sites (Yakima Herald)
HIGHER EDUCATION
- Education simulation: Remote instruction challenges arise for hands-on programs like nursing, technician training (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- COVID-19 outbreak on UW’s Greek Row could impact sports as well as school in fall (KNKX Radio)
- UW Professor on reopening schools: ‘I would encourage parents to wait, not take the risk’ (KOMO News)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
OTHER STATES
- Oregon COVID-19 cases rise 51 percent in a week (Albany Democrat-Herald/The Columbian)
- Oregon’s coronavirus count reaches record-breaking heights with 389 new cases and 6 deaths on Thursday (The Oregonian)
- Customers, employees say some Oregon businesses aren’t enforcing mask restrictions (The Oregonian)
- Oregon Democratic leaders want to send $500 for people waiting for unemployment (KEPR-TV)
- Idaho Gov. Brad Little pushes for in-person instruction in Idaho schools this fall (KCLK Radio)
- Idaho’s weekly initial claims decline 9 percent from previous week (KCLK Radio)
- Are mask mandates unconstitutional? University of Idaho law professor weighs in (KLEW TV)
- North Idaho officials work to slow ‘rapid and widespread community transmission’ of virus without mask mandate (The Spokesman-Review)
- Idaho school reopening plan OK’d (The Lewiston Tribune)
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Initial jobless claims in Washington down last week, but backlog remains (The Spokesman-Review)
- Washington working to clear backlog of jobless benefits claims by end of July (The Lewiston Tribune)
- Victims of unemployment fraud have assets frozen by bank (KIRO TV)
- Legal non-profit urges those awaiting unemployment benefits to contact lawmakers (KCPQ TV)
- Washington’s jobless claims fall, but state’s unemployed may soon lose $600 benefit (The Seattle Times)
- Unemployment claims in Washington remain at record levels despite decrease from previous week (KIRO TV)
TRIBAL ISSUES
AGRICULTURE & WATER
- Yakima water rights completely restored (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
- Franklin, Walla Walla counties designated natural disaster areas (Washington Ag Network/KONA Radio)
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- FAA probing Boeing’s alleged pressure on designated inspectors (Everett Herald)
- Displaced Intalco workers get federal help (KGMI Radio)
CENSUS
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
- The political power of graffiti: Erased from CHOP, on display in Everett (Crosscut)
- OPINION: A new study shows rise in racial bias, but my children and I already knew that (Kiki Monifa, editor-in-chief of BlackHistoryEveryday.com/The Seattle Times)
- EDITORIAL: Officer Small wisely decides to alter controversial tattoo (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
CONGRESS & FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- Homeland Security gets new role under Trump monument order (AP/KCPQ TV)
- WA Sen. Murray: Using federal funds as ‘bargaining chip’ to reopen schools is ‘appalling’ (MyNorthwest)
- COLUMN: President Trump was ‘set to go into Seattle’ to end CHOP (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)
COURTS, CRIME & LAW ENFORCEMENT
- New state task force discussing proposals to reform police departments (KOMO TV)
- Gov. Inslee holds first meeting of task force on police use of force (MyNorthwest)
- This is how Whatcom residents’ ideas will help inform governor’s policing task force (The Bellingham Herald)
- Are dog bites deescalation? Spokane police say yes as council considers limits on K9 use (The Spokesman-Review)
- WSP investigation: Spokane officer was driving twice speed limit before crash that led to charges (The Spokesman-Review)
- Protesters’ lawyers say Seattle violated judge’s crowd control order by using pepper spray, projectiles (The Seattle Times)
- Video shows Yakima cop forcing K-9 dog to bite pinned-down suspect (KOMO TV)
- Man indicted for siphoning $360,000 cash from Boeing VIP retirement accounts in elaborate fraud (Puget Sound Business Journal)
- These are the protesters who face criminal charges in Seattle (KUOW Radio)
EDUCATION & SCHOOL SAFETY
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES
- Leak at Wild Waves causes hazmat response (KIRO TV)
- Richland man rescued from Columbia River, highlighting need for water safety (KONA Radio)
HANFORD
HIGHER EDUCATION
- UW opener against Michigan canceled after Big Ten moves fall sports to conference-only games (KIRO TV)
- WSU America’s 47th Best Public College according to Stacker.com (KQQQ Radio)
- LCC planning more hybrid courses for fall quarter, careful reopening (The Daily News)
- PLU placed on ‘censure’ list after investigation into faculty member’s dismissal (The News Tribune)
- UW international students get message of support after policy announced that could force them home (KIRO TV)
- COLUMN: Foundation named for slain Pullman woman moves ahead on campus safety initiatives (Shawn Vestal/The Spokesman-Review)
HOMELESSNESS
- Homeless encampment in Everett cleared out, raising new questions (KOMO TV)
- Over 100 forced to disperse as Everett evicts homeless camp (Everett Herald)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Majority of Seattle council pledges to support Police Department defunding plan laid out by advocates (The Seattle Times)
- Seattle city leaders throw support behind defunding SPD by 50% (KIRO TV)
- Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan reacts to handling of CHOP and to calls for defunding police (KING TV)
- Segregated diversity training session at Seattle City Hall stirs controversy (KOMO TV)
MILITARY & VETERANS
- Navy now plans to send 3 more ships to Everett (Everett Herald)
- Bears on JBLM? Sightings are more common than you would think (The Olympian)
TAXES
TRANSPORTATION
- Everett’s Paine Field to reopen in August with limited service (KOMO TV)
- Washington receives $5.5M grant to continue road usage charge research (Puget Sound Business Journal)
TRIBAL ISSUES
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
WILDLIFE
