Monthly Archives: March 2021

Local, National

Washington has a path forward to implement permanent Daylight Savings Time

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) On Monday morning, bleary-eyed Washingtonians felt the impact of losing an hour on Sunday. In 2019, the Washinton state legislature overwhelmingly passed a measure to approve permanent Daylight Savings Time. With 46-2 approval in the state senate. Governor Jay Inslee signed the measure into law on May 8, 2019. Why did we move the clocks back, and why did we move them forward again this weekend? First, a bit of history.

Before 1883, time was set by “solar noon,” when the noon sun crossed a location’s meridian. Before creating intercontinental railroads, having over 300 local times tracked in the United States wasn’t a significant problem. As railroad travel became commonplace, the difference in time created scheduling problems for passengers, stations, and train engineers who could cover hundreds of miles in a day.

On November 18, 1883, the government divided the United States into four time zones in an effort headed by the Weather Service Bureau. A year later, Greenwich, England, was made the prime meridian, where all time around the world would set.

The idea of moving the clocks ahead was a wartime invention by Germany in 1916. European nations quickly followed, and the United States adopted the idea in 1918. It wasn’t until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that Daylight Savings Time (DST) became standardized in the United States. With the passage of the Act, Arizona and Michigan opted out of DST in 1967. Michigan adopted DST in 1972, while Arizona continues to leave clocks unchanged. Indiana ended recognizing DST in 2006.

The Act doesn’t require states to embrace DST; however, the Act did not provide individual states a legal path to stay on permanent DST. In the last decade, California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington have passed state measures to adopt year-round DST. Alabama and Arkansas are considering measures to do the same.

The states that have adopted permanent Daylight Savings Time have two paths forward: Congress could pass a bill allowing states to make the change, or the U.S. secretary of transportation could authorize the change. It is unlikely Congress would take up the measure in our current political climate.

Senators confirmed Pete Buttigieg as the U.S. secretary of transportation on February 3, 2021. The Office of the General Counsel administrates time zones for the Department of Transportation (DoT). To let Secretary Buttigieg know you support a declaration to move to permanent Daylight Savings Time, you can contact:

Mava Lewis
Office of the General Counsel
1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast
Washington, D.C. 20590
mava.lewis@dot.gov
(202) 366-4723
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern Time

It is possible Washingtonians can leave our clocks set where they are if enough residents request the DoT to make a declaration.

Local

Governor Inslee orders all schools to offer the option for in-student classes by April

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee announced that he would be making an emergency proclamation requiring all schools to provide the option of in-person classes by April. The proclamation will require the option for students in K-6 grades to return by April 5, and students in 7-12 grade to return by April 19.

The opening plan does not have to be full-time instruction. Schools will be required to offer a hybrid model of in-person learning for at least two days. The time does not need to be linear, so in-person instruction could be done as partial days.

School systems moved to remote instruction last year but could not overcome numerous obstacles. Zoom fatigue, inequality in access to the Internet and technology, security issues, and student disengagement has many researchers concerned.

“There is unfortunately and undeniably a mental health care crisis in this state regarding our youth,” Governor Inslee said this morning. “Now is the time for our schools to return…for in-person learning.”

The Lake Washington School District restarted optional in-person classes for K-1 grade students on February 18. The district had previously announced that optional in-person classes for 2-5 grade students would begin on March 30. The District’s website stated this afternoon, ” Later today, secondary families (grades 6-12) will receive an email with instructions to complete a survey in Skyward Family Access. The survey will ask families to indicate their preference for an in-person hybrid or a fully remote learning experience for their student(s) starting in April. Secondary staff will also receive an email later today with instructions to complete a survey in Skyward.”

The number of COVID infections across the United States has stabilized, however still at an elevated level. In Washington state, new cases are in decline with less than 4% of tests coming back positive. The American Medical Association wrote a report last month indicating that infection rates have declined due to more people wearing masks. Additionally, with 25% of the United States population estimated to have been infected with COVID, the number of new hosts for the virus has decreased.

The Biden Administration announced today that it met the goal of 100 million Americans vaccinated, 49 days ahead of schedule. Thirty-five-million Americans are now fully vaccinated and the administration set a goal of anyone adult wanting to get a vaccination being able to get a virtual place in line by May 1.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

All Washington counties moving to Phase 3 reopening on March 22

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee announced that all Washington counties will be moving to Phase 3 reopening effective March 22, 2021. Also, it was announced that all people in the Tier 2 group for immunization will be eligible ahead of schedule, on March 17, 2021.

An industry-by-industry list of changes has not been provided by the governor’s office, however, the list represents a major move toward normalcy for residents and businesses alike.

  • Restaurants will be able to seat at up to 50% capacity or 400 people indoors, whichever is lower
  • Indoor venues with permanent seating for 800 people or less, such as movie theaters, will be able to reopen at 50% capacity
  • Indoor venues with permanent eating for 800 or more people, such as indoor arenas, will be able to reopen at 25% capacity
  • Outdoor venues such as stadiums will be able to have in-person spectators again, at 25% of maximum capacity, this includes high school sports, professional sports, rodeos, motorsports, and other spectator events
  • All indoor spaces, including offices, factories, gyms, fitness centers, and others will be able to open up to 50% capacity or a maximum of 400 people, whichever is lower

Masks and social distancing rules will still be required. This is a breaking news story with more information to come.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local, National

Biden signs $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, what it means for Washingtonians

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The sweeping measure provides a wide range of support to states and municipalities, businesses, and individuals impacted by COVID-related hardship.

The bill provides sweeping measures that will provide benefits for many in Washington state. Individuals tax filers who earned less than $75,000 and households that earned less than $150,000 can expect to receive their $1,400 stimulus check by the end of March. A household of four that made under $150,000 could receive as much as $5,600 in stimulus money. A reduced benefit is provided for individuals who earned up to $80,000 and households that earned up to $160,000.

For the unemployed, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) have been extended to September 6, 2021. For Washington state residents, the extension will end on September 4, 2021. Also, the $300 federal boost to unemployment will continue through the same period. The Washington Employment Security website indicates that most recipients will not have a gap in benefits. However, those that are on extended unemployment benefits will need to apply for PUA or PEUC. A spokesperson for the state indicated that PUA is the last resort for those who don’t qualify for PEUC.

The first $10,200 of unemployment compensation paid in 2020 and 2021 is tax-exempt. Individuals that have already filed their 2020 tax return will have to make an amended return.

Another benefit for Washingtonians will provide financial relief to those buying health insurance through the federal health exchange or state marketplace. The amount paid is capped for the next two years at 8.5% of income, significantly reducing healthcare premiums for hundreds of thousands.

If you’re paying for health insurance through COBRA, and your job loss was COVID-related, the government will pay 100% of the premiums from April 1 to September 30, 2021.

For government, healthcare, and direct COVID response

  • $219.8 billion available through December 31, 2024, for states, US territories, and tribal governments to mitigate the fiscal impact from COVID response
    • $195.3 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to states and districts
    • $4.5 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam
    • $20 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to tribal governments
    • $130.2 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to cities, towns, and counties
  • $91 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to accelerate the production of COVID vaccines and fund continued research while expanding testing and contact tracing
  • $47.8 billion to HHS to diagnose, trace, and monitor COVID infections, directing HHS to implement a national, coordinated strategy, including the use and distribution of testing kits, adding lab capacity, and creating mobile test capacity to support rural communities
  • $7.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control for tracking vaccination nationally and monitor efficacy long term
  • $7.6 billion to assist Community Health Centers in rural and poor regions of the country to provide vaccinations and COVID related medical services
  • $7.7 billion to HHS to rehire and expand staffing that was cut by the prior administration
  • $58.5 billion to be set aside to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster fund through FY2025, to reimburse states for COVID related expenses, and to help states fund rural health care, providers

For individuals

  • $,1400 in direct payments to individual US social security number holders who filed a tax return or were claimed on a tax return and made $75,000 or less in 2020, or $150,000 or less per household – the direct payments represent 21% of the entire cost of the bill
    • The direct payment phases out for individuals tax filers making $80,000 or more and households making $160,000 or more
  • Removes the income gap for two years for health insurance premium tax credits for individuals and families using the federal health exchange or Washington state marketplace for health insurance
    • The amount paid out of pocket is limited to 8.5% of income, as measured by the exchange
    • Any taxpayer who received too much tax credit during the 2020 tax season won’t have to pay back the excess to the IRS
  • Extends Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation until September 6, 2021, providing extended unemployment payments for those out of work due to COVID related shutdowns or slowdowns
  • Extends Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) which supports 1099, gig workers, and the self-employed who have lost work due to COVID related shutdowns or can’t work due to being in a vulnerable group
  • Extends the additional $300 federal unemployment increase through September 6, 2021, for anyone drawing unemployment
  • Exempts the first $10,200 collected through unemployment compensation in 2020 and 2021 from federal taxes
  • Expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from $2000 to $3000, and to $3600 for children under the age of 6
  • Expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit increasing the credit to $4,000 for one child and $8,000 for two or more children
  • $21.5 billion in Emergency Federal Rental Assistance to aid those facing eviction for unpaid rent
  • $5 billion to support community efforts to provide support services and housing solutions to the homeless
  • $10 billion through the Department of Treasury to provide direct assistance to homeowners and small landlords facing foreclosure due to job loss or uncollected rent

For businesses

  • $28.6 billion in relief to small and midsized restaurants, expanding money available in the Restaurants Revitalization Fund
  • $1.25 billion added to the Shuttered Venture Operator Grant program to help live music venues, performing arts centers, independent movie theaters, and museums
  • $15 billion in new funds for the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan grant
  • $7 billion added to the existing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is expanded to support 501(c)(5) non-profits
  • $10 billion to aid the creation of state-led programs which utilize private capital for low-interest loans and other investment to support entrepreneurs
  • Extends the Employee Retention Tax Credit through December 31, 2021
  • Restores Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) tax credits providing payroll tax credits to employers who voluntarily provide paid sick leave through the end of September 2021 to those infected with COVID, or have to care for an FMLA qualified relative who has COVID

Controversial pork projects were largely removed from the bill as it was reconciled in the Senate. Not a single Republican voted in favor of the bill.

Weather

Springing ahead, literally and metaphorically

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Winter will finally lose its grip over the Puget Sound lowlands with a warming trend and Daylight Savings Time ahead. Thursday through Saturday will see a run of sunshine, and 60 degrees over most of the Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville area by the weekend. Also, Daylight Savings Time starts on March 14 at 2:00 AM, when we turn our clocks forward.

Thursday will see highs in the mid-50s with abundant sunshine. Due to a lack of cloud cover, lows will drop to between 31 and 35 Thursday night.

Friday will see even warmer temperatures, with hot spots like Totem Lake and downtown Bellevue ticking 60 degrees. Overnight temperatures will drop to 32 to 36 degrees.

Saturday will see almost all areas break 60, with temperatures from 58 to 63 degrees. Clouds will start to roll in by sunset. The cloud cover will act like a blanket, keeping temperatures between 39 and 42, with rain developing.

Sunday is looking like a rainy day, however, high temperatures will be 56 to 59 degrees. If you’re picking a day for outdoor activity, Saturday is the winner.

On Saturday night we’ll turn the clocks ahead an hour, providing daylight hours past 7 PM. Looking at the long-range forecast, it appears we’ll be able to enjoy that extra daylight starting on Monday with no rain indicated until deep into next week.

Local, Weather

Yesterday’s weather isn’t very unusual for March

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) The weather yesterday put on a choose your own adventure show across the region. Torrential rain, gusty winds, graupel, hail, and lightning crashed from black skies followed by periods of calm. Rinse, recycle, and repeat until the evening hours came. The weather may have seemed wild, but it isn’t an unusual March weather pattern. The picture of what is affectionately called a “mothership,” in meteorology? That wasn’t taken yesterday. That picture was snapped on March 6, 2016, in Kirkland!

To produce the wild weather we had yesterday you need moisture, atmospheric energy, and instability. When colder air rides over the top of warmer air, the warmer air wants to rise, and the colder air wants to sink. Throw in our microclimates, terrain, and the Convergence Zone, and you end up with some crazy weather. Warm air rushing up can carry raindrops into the colder air above, which freeze. They fall back down to be carried aloft again and build another layer. Eventually, the frozen raindrops grow so heavy the updrafts can’t carry them anymore, so they fall as hail. The miniature snowballs that fell yesterday are called graupel. Graupel forms when snowflakes at a higher elevation clump together, and are lifted repeatedly by updrafts like hail. The little snowballs reach a weight where they can’t be carried anymore.

Thunderstorms in the Pacific Northwest are unlike those that form in other parts of the country. In the Midwest and even out to the Northeast, supercell thunderstorms can tower 50,000 to 60,000 feet in the air. Here, the Pacific Ocean moderates our temperatures so thunderstorm rarely grow taller than 15,000 to 20,000 feet. The rumbles yesterday were created by the same instability that produced downpours, hail, and graupel. There are exceptions for Pacific Northwest thunderstorm development but they are exceedingly rare. For example, September 8, 2019, had a line of thunderstorms form after dark that would be more at home in Alabama than Washington.

Our bursts of wild lowland weather in March happens because of changing weather patterns as we approach astrological spring (meteorological spring started on March 1) and the Jet Stream starts to shift. The moisture and instability create our wild weather.

Pictures of Mammatus clouds flooded social media yesterday. These formations look like pouches hanging from the sky and are more associated with severe weather in the Midwest. They are formed when cold air is falling and pulls the cloud formations downward.

As for the rest of the week? The weather forecast is calling for normal conditions with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. Wednesday will produce a little rain, but no wild weather ahead!

Health and Lifestyle, Local

COVID infections plateau in Washington as new mutations loom

New COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have reached early fall levels across Washington as signs point to an improving situation. Although the number of tests given statewide has declined significantly, the positivity rate is at 3.9% indicates adequate testing. With the business world, the medical community, and citizens welcoming the improved situation, the data suggests the state has hit a plateau as more contagious variants are detected.

Several factors are receiving credit for improving the numbers over the last eight weeks. Washingtonians have high mask compliance, and the winter months move more people indoors. Improvements within long-term care facilities in nursing homes helped dramatically lower the number of infections and deaths over the last three months. Some models estimate that 25% of the population has had COVID since last year, reducing the number of people that can still be infected.

One thing not receiving credit for lowering the number of infections is the ongoing vaccination effort. The two-dose vaccine wouldn’t have taken hold until February, and not enough people have received vaccinations to make a statistical difference. That is a factor that should change over the next 60 to 90 days as Washington is now vaccinated 45,000 people daily.

Researchers and epidemiologists are concerned we could there could be a fourth spike this spring. COVID fatigue is battering mental health even for the resilient. Daylight Savings Time brings more people outside and into contact with each other in Washington, while shifting weather will move people into social activities.

Several new variants that are more contagious, including the United Kingdom B.1.1.7 and the South African B 1.351 mutations, have been detected in Washington. A new variant in Oregon that has combined modifications of both the U.K. and South African variant has raised researchers’ interest. Of these three, researchers predict the B.1.1.7 strain will be the dominant virus in the United States by summer. All three variants are more contagious. The South African variant has shown resistance to the Pfizer vaccine and specific treatments.

Despite most craving a return to normalcy, most experts agree we will still need to wear masks into 2022, even after vaccination. Until 70% of the country has been immunized or sickened, COVID will be a part of life. Also, mask-wearing reduces the number of infections, which also lowers the number of naturally occurring mutations.

National

Senate lowers jobless benefits boost to $300 while extending unemployment through September

Five Fast Facts

  • The House version of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package would have provided a $400 a week boost for the unemployed through August
  • The boost has almost no Republican support and was met with resistance by some moderate Democrats
  • The compromise lowers the weekly benefit above regular unemployment, but adds another month of support, this update is supported by Democrats and with a few Republicans indicating they may support the Bill as revisions continue
  • The $1.9 trillion package is being passed through the Senate using Budget Reconciliation, requiring only a simple majority to approve
  • Job losses are improving, with 379,000 new jobs created in February 2021, but in the last week of the Donald Trump Administration, 1.4 million Americas applied for unemployment for the first time, and four-million Americans have been unemployed for 27 or more weeks

WASHINGTON — On the verge of passing a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill, Senate Democrats agreed to lower the measure’s federal unemployment benefits to $300 a week and extend the coverage to September, according to two Democratic sources.

That’s a reduction from the House-passed version, which included $400-per-week jobless benefits through August, and it comes as the Senate begins a long series of votes Friday to finalize the package.

Keep reading at NBC News

Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, National

7-year old Liza Scott selling lemonade to support her own brain surgery

1 Comment

Five Fast Facts

@malcontentnews

##fyp ##foryourpage ##healthcare ##news ##liza ##unitedstates ##healthinsurance Liza Scott is 7 years old and funding her own brain surgery ##wtf

♬ original sound – TheMalcontent
  • Seven-year old Liza Scott opened up a lemonade stand outside her parent’s bakery in Homewood, Alabama so she could buy herself toys and some high heeled shoes she wanted
  • About the same time she opened the stand, Liza started having seizures
  • Her mother learned that she has cerebral malformations that will need multiple brain surgeries at Boston’s Children Hospital
  • Despite owning her own business and having health insurance, her mother learned uncovered expenses and copays will be financially devastated
  • Liza told her mother she would keep selling lemonade to help fund her own surgery
  • When it comes to the looming surgery, Liza said, “I’m not worried, but I’m afraid.”

HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Liza Scott, 7, started a lemonade stand at her mom’s bakery last summer so she could buy some frills like toys and sequined high-heel shoes. The bouncy little girl is still in business months later, yet the money is going toward something entirely different: surgery on her brain.

Last month, doctors determined a series of seizures that Liza began suffering were caused by cerebral malformations that needed repair, said her mother, Elizabeth Scott. Always eager to help out and with an eye toward entrepreneurship after a childhood spent around a small business, the little girl volunteered to help raise money for her upcoming operation.

Keep reading at ABC News

BIPOC, Local

Accused International District attacker has a violent past

1 Comment

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Noriko Nasu was with her boyfriend in the International District of Seattle when a random man attacked her with a sock laden with a rock. He beat her so badly in what appeared to be a random attack she is now suffering from shattered teeth and multiple facial fractures. In a report with KOMO news, Michael Poffenbarger reported he was also struck in the head. “I truly believe he was trying to kill us,” he stated. On Thursday, Seattle Police arrested 41 years old Sean Holdip for the crime. He is being held on unspecified charges as prosecutors mull bias crime charges.

A review of records shows that Holdip has a lengthy history of bizarre and violent behavior spanning across the United States. Holdip graduated from Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in 1997, a public college preparatory secondary school in Lower Manhattan. His promising start brought him to the New York City Fire Department where he was employed as an EMT.

In 2010, the first complaint against Holdip was filed by a coworker. According to the New York Post and public court records, the coworker claimed that Holdip had swung a broom handle at them aggressively because he had insulted his driving ability. There was a misogynist incident with a female coworker and then in 2012, he was accused of pulling a knife on another coworker. In 2014 he told a judge he was going to use the knife to, “clean his nails.” While the case against him dragged through the system for three years, Holdip was assigned to work in a supply room and not interact with patients. He was fired in September 2014 and exhausted his appeals in February 2015.

Public records indicated Holdip has moved between New York and California. His current address is indicated to be in New York, and there is no record of him having an address in Washington.

Nasu is home and recovering from her injuries. Poffenbarger reports he brandished a pocket knife in an effort to deter Holdip, but that he kept coming. Good Samaritans stepped in and broke up the assault, and Holdip fled. There has been a significant increase of violent crime bias attacks against minorities in Seattle through 2020, with a significant increase against people of Asian descent.