No more Washington counties will be in Phase 1 of the state’s four-phase reopening plan. Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday that Chelan, Douglas, Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties could advance to Phase 2. Continue Reading Read More
Business & Economy
The governor said in a news conference Wednesday that he’s concerned about housing insecurity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading Governor Jay Inslee Extends Washington Eviction Moratorium Through End Of Read More
"To our departing 13,000 family members: thank you for your dedication and we look forward to welcoming you back," United told employees, as CARES Act payroll aid was set to expire. Continue Reading United And American Airlines Tell Read More
Online classes and no fall college sports spell trouble for Washington college towns like Pullman, Ellensburg and Bellingham that lean on a higher education-fueled economy. Continue Reading From Pullman To Ellensburg Read More
The new eviction ban is being enacted through the Centers for Disease Control. The goal is to stem the spread of the COVID outbreak, which the agency says in it's order, "presents a historic threat to public health." Continue Reading Read More
Apple first crossed the $1 trillion mark just two years ago. The iPhone maker and a handful of other tech giants propelled the S&P 500 index to a new record this week. Continue Reading Apple Is Worth $2 Trillion — 1st American Company To Hit Read More
On Aug. 3, Gov. Inslee announced new rules for indoor fitness studios and gyms that nearly tripled the required spacing between class participants from six feet to 17 feet. Krueger expressed her frustration in a 4-minute video she posted to Instagram. “I have to say that I am freaking pissed,” she said in the video. “We’re unable to pay our bills with these mandates; that Read More
President Trump has directed the Treasury Department to stop collecting payroll taxes this fall in an effort to boost workers' paychecks. But the move is temporary, and could spark headaches in 2021. Continue Reading Payroll Tax Delay To Boost Read More
President Trump signed four executive actions to provide economic relief amid the coronavirus pandemic. They amount to a stopgap measure after not reaching a deal with Congress. Continue Reading In Executive Actions, Trump Extends Read More
Thousands of foreign workers who entered the U.S. on temporary work visas received $1,200 pandemic stimulus checks in error, and many of them are spending the money in their home countries. Continue Reading Foreign Workers Living Read More
The parent company Tailored Brands earlier said it would close up to 500 stores and cut 20% of corporate jobs. It's joined in pandemic bankruptcy by rival Brooks Brothers and a growing list of others. Continue Reading Unsuitable For A Read More
The coronavirus pandemic has served to remind many of us how much we count on strangers staying healthy so we can restock our cupboards and go about daily life. That's especially true for Alaskans who depend on a marine cargo lifeline from the Pacific Northwest for the majority of their goods. Read More
The coronavirus triggered the sharpest economic contraction in modern history in the second quarter as the pandemic hammered the economy, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Continue Reading U.S. Economy Drops 32.9% In Worst GDP Report EverRead More
Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties have been approved for more business and recreational activities beginning this Saturday. The approval means additional operations within the counties’ current modified Phase 1 – not moving to a full Phase 2. Read More
After days of delays, congressional Republicans unveiled their $1 trillion proposal for a fifth wave of pandemic relief. Democrats are not on board — signaling tough negotiations ahead. Continue Reading After Delays, Republicans Read More
State governments face a precipitous drop in revenue, parents and teachers are debating how kids will return to school in the fall, and millions of unemployed workers face the prospect of their pandemic assistance running out at the end of the month. Read More
When the price of oil crashes, oil companies often merge and big oil gets even bigger. So this crisis could be an opportunity for companies, but it comes with a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Continue Reading Oil Industry, Read More
Effective July 10, travelers from "reduced risk" countries, including Spain, France, Germany and Italy, won't have to self-Isolate for 14 days. The U.S. is not among the exempt countries. Continue Reading England To Lift Quarantine Read More
In another sign of how the coronavirus is disrupting commerce, banks are running short of nickels, dimes and quarters. The Federal Reserve, which supplies banks, is having to ration change. Continue Reading The Latest Pandemic Shortage: Coins Are Read More
Spending is still nowhere near last year's. But as more states and cities allowed restaurants and shopping centers to reopen, May saw a big swing from a historic collapse in March and April. Continue Reading Retail Sales Bounce Up 17.7% After Read More
The Fed leaves interest rates near zero as expected, and promises to use all of its tools to support the economy. Officials project unemployment above 9% at the end of this year. Continue Reading Federal Reserve Vows To Help Economy Weather Read More
The committee tasked with marking U.S. business cycles says the economy peaked in February and has since been in a recession triggered by the pandemic. But it says the recession could be short-lived. Continue Reading It’s Read More
Frustration with long delays in getting jobless benefits is boiling over into a lawsuit against the Washington State Employment Security Department. Attorneys representing two laid off workers and the nonprofit Unemployment Law Project filed the case directly with the state Supreme Court on Friday. Read More
Nine rural counties are eligible to apply to the state Secretary of Health this week to move to the next stage in Gov. Jay Inslee's four-phase reopening plan. Lincoln, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Columbia and Wahkiakum counties wasted no time and submitted the necessary paperwork and letters of support on Wednesday to advance from Phase 2 to Phase 3. Read More
Hardship programs appear to be helping many people pause payments and survive the economic shutdown so far. But not everybody is getting the help, and advocates see big potential trouble ahead. Continue Reading Millions Of Read More
African Americans are 40% less likely to own their homes than whites. And blacks are more likely to hold jobs that put them at risk of the coronavirus. The civil unrest follows decades of inequality. Continue Reading From Jobs To Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order will end at midnight on May 31. Instead, state officials will use a phased plan outlined at the beginning of the month to govern county-by-county reopening permissions. Continue Reading Read More
Idaho Governor Brad Little announced Thursday his state is ready to move on to the next phase of its coronavirus reopening plan, beginning Saturday, May 30. Continue Reading Idaho Moves To Phase 3 Of 4-Stage Reopening PlanRead More
More than 1 in 4 U.S. workers have lost their jobs since coronavirus shutdowns began. Last week, an additional 2.1 million people filed for unemployment benefits. Continue Reading 40.8 Million Out Of Work In The Past 10 Weeks — 26% Of Labor Read More
The number of people traveling by air has plummeted more than 90% since the beginning of March. More than half of the employees losing their jobs are being laid off involuntarily. Continue Reading Boeing Cuts More Than 12,000 Jobs Due To Drop In Air Read More
The airlines have lost billions of dollars in revenue with virtually no demand during the coronavirus pandemic. Now they are seeing more bookings despite concern from passengers. Continue Reading After Months of Steep Declines, Air Traffic Is Picking Read More
Impostors have used the stolen information of tens of thousands of people in Washington to fraudulently receive hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits, the head of the state’s Employment Security Department said Thursday. Read More
So far this month, more than 400 Yakima Valley fruit packing workers have gone on strike, according to Familias Unidas Por La Justicia. The farmworker advocacy group, based in Skagit County, is helping these workers organize committees, negotiate with employers and seek legal advice. Read More
Washington’s Commerce Department has announced about $10 million in coronavirus relief grants for some of the state’s smallest businesses. Nearly 200 businesses in rural eastern Washington towns are among the recipients. Continue Read More
Because of the COVID-19 crisis, 47% of adults say their households have lost employment income and close to 40% have delayed getting medical care, according to early results of a Census Bureau survey. Continue Reading About Half Of U.S. Read More
Though its stores remained open, Target saw its online sales jump 141% in the past three months, with 5 million shopping on the retailer chain's website for the first time. Continue Reading Target’s Average Day In April Was Bigger Than Cyber Read More
Lawmakers squabbled over how quickly the economy can rebound from the coronavirus shutdown and whether the government is doing enough to support struggling families and businesses. Continue Reading Senators Clash Over How Soon To Reopen The EconomyRead More
Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday said that 10 additional counties are eligible to apply to loosen some social distancing restrictions in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Continue Reading 10 More Washington Read More
A Baker County judge has invalidated Brown’s restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, along with every other executive order Brown has issued under a state of emergency she ordered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue Read More
Like so many sectors of the economy, higher education is taking a big hit from the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education has so far distributed more than $10 billion in relief funds to colleges. Continue Reading Congress Gave Colleges A Read More
Governors around the country have begun slowly allowing stores, restaurants and malls to serve customers again. But it won't count for much if people are afraid to venture out again. Continue Reading Businesses Are Reopening, But Many Read More
There is growing economic pressure to reopen national parks and ease travel restrictions even as many states are still seeing a rise in coronavirus cases. Continue Reading Yellowstone National Park Set To Reopen — With CaveatsRead More
The flowchart-like documents released by the CDC ask businesses, schools and workplaces to first and foremost consider whether reopening is consistent with state and local stay-at-home orders. Continue Reading CDC Issues Tools To Guide Read More
Retail sales saw record drops for the second month in a row. Other categories with huge declines included a 59% dive in furniture sales and 29% decreases in department stores and gas stations. Continue Reading Pandemic Hits Spending Read More
Idaho Gov. Brad Little says the Gem State will move to the second phase of state’s four-part coronavirus recovery plan on Saturday. That means businesses such as gyms and hair salons will be able to reopen with the appropriate precautions. Little made his announcement Thursday and threw in a surprise as well. Read More
As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the meat industry, hog farmers anticipate they'll soon be forced to euthanize millions of pigs unable to be sent for processing. Continue Reading Millions Of Pigs Will Be Euthanized As Pandemic Read More
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is stepping aside during the Justice Department's investigation, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement Thursday. Continue Reading Richard Burr To Step Down As Senate Intelligence Read More
The latest inflation data offers a snapshot of Americans' new pandemic spending habits. Prices are down for most goods and services but up sharply for groceries. Continue Reading We’re Eating More At Home, And It’s Costing Us MoreRead More
Health officials in Kittitas County have found at least one new positive case of COVID-19: a worker at a Twin City Foods processing plant in Ellensburg. The news came Friday after more than three weeks of no new confirmed cases. That plus the county’s low population made Kittitas County eligible to lift social distancing measures earlier than other parts of the state. Read More
The current estimated unemployment rate far exceeds the 10 percent peak reached in the Great Recession in 2009. It is the most devastating loss of jobs since the Great Depression, when economists estimate the unemployment rate reached 25 percent in 1933. Read More
