Thursday, August 11

DOH releases COVID-19 updates for Washington K-12 schools, child care
With school starting back in just a few weeks, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated its COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools and for child care. “We are entering a new stage of co-existing with COVID-19 in our communities, knowing that COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future,” said Washington’s Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah. “DOH also recognizes the importance of being able to maintain in-person learning for children, and the fundamental links between education and long-term health outcomes.” The guidance for the 2022-2023 school year “takes lessons learned from the first two and a half years of the pandemic” that will help reduce COVID transmissions at schools and care facilities. Continue reading at The Auburn Reporter. (Olivia Sullivan)

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Washington’s designated crisis responders, a ‘last resort’ in mental health care, face overwhelming demand
In a mental health crisis, police officers or EMTs may be the first to a scene. They’re not, however, tasked with evaluating whether the person in crisis must be involuntarily detained for treatment. That daunting decision is the responsibility of the designated crisis responder, a straightforward title for a complicated role. “I think a lot of times people don’t know [who we are] and so they’ll call and ask for a DCR, not really understanding what they’re asking for,” said Justina Nieciag, a licensed clinical social worker and a designated crisis responder in Lacey, overseeing crisis calls in Thurston and Mason counties. Continue reading at The Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)

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Historians privately warn Biden that America’s democracy is teetering
President Biden paused last week, during one of the busiest stretches of his presidency, for a nearly two-hour private history lesson from a group of academics who raised alarms about the dire condition of democracy at home and abroad. The conversation during a ferocious lightning storm on Aug. 4 unfolded as a sort of Socratic dialogue between the commander in chief and a select group of scholars, who painted the current moment as among the most perilous in modern history for democratic governance, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private meeting. The group that gathered in the White House Map Room last week was part of a regular effort by presidential historians to brief presidents, a practice that dates at least as far back as the Reagan administration. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Demetrius Freeman)

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Auburn Reporter
Free vaccination events provide required back-to-school immunizations
DOH releases COVID-19 updates for Washington K-12 schools, child care

Capital Press
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Columbian
Clark County has 3 cases of monkeypox

The Daily News
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Everett Herald
Snohomish Health District hiring full-time monkeypox task force
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The Inlander
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News Tribune
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Olympian
City of Olympia proposes using block grant money to expand Familiar Faces program
Washington state releases new COVID-19 school rules you need to know before school starts

Peninsula Daily News
Port Townsend City Council to consider welcome statement for transgender people

Puget Sound Business Journal
Colleges have slashed millions from travel budgets — and it may never come back
Downtown Seattle retail shows uneven signs of recovery

Seattle Times
Designated crisis responders, a ‘last resort’ in mental health care, face overwhelming demand
Judge faults federal plan to protect orcas from Alaska salmon harvests
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Seattle City Light proposes rate increases for 2023, 2024 as customer debt mounts
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Tri-City Herald
Tri-Cities biggest employer to share in $17B to develop next-generation computer chips

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Eastern Oregon school security summit raises awareness, sets plans in action
Columbia County’s search continues for emergency management director

Washington Post
Climate change’s impact intensifies as U.S. prepares to take action
Historians privately warn Biden that America’s democracy is teetering
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Gas prices fall below $4 a gallon, the lowest point since March
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KING 5 TV (NBC)
SDOT to provide update on West Seattle Bridge opening timeline
Alaska Airlines taking a lead in using sustainable aviation fuel

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Snohomish County hopes to convert Days Inn into shelter
Outreach services are having trouble keeping up with rise in homeless
Poll: 7 in 10 Americans would vote in favor of legalizing abortion at state level

KUOW Public Radio
Floods, faulty toilets, and a slew of early defects at Seattle’s new youth jail
SCOTUS decision on Bremerton football coach creates uncertainty around school prayer
The promises and pitfalls of ranked choice voting

Q13 TV (FOX)
Gov. Inslee drops COVID booster mandate for WA state workers
WA DOH releases new COVID guidelines for schools
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State’s new Missing Indigenous Person Alert System shows promising results

MyNorthwest
BA.5 wave on downturn in King County, but numbers still high
Snohomish County purchases hotel in Everett to increase housing for the homeless

The Stranger
Guerrilla Gardening Enters Seattle’s War on the Homeless

West Seattle Blog
FAUNTLEROY FERRY-DOCK PROJECT: Community Advisory Group to reconvene
UPDATE: PCC/Luna building declared safe after Seattle Fire hazmat response for CO2 problem