Tag Archives: jay inslee

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Judgement Day – COVID case numbers indicate Phase 2 ahead for King County

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Data from King County Health indicated COVID spread was accelerating in King County as officials start their review of statewide infection rate and hospitalization data to determine which counties will move back to Phase 2 on May 6. On Friday new COVID cases in King County were 245.5 per 100,000 and hospitalizations had grown to 6.1 per 100,000. Both numbers are significantly above the requirements to stay in Phase 2.

In Ferry County, officials announced they voluntarily moved back to Phase 2 on Friday in an attempt to contain a major outbreak caused by an indoor super spreader event on April 9-11. Ten percent of the town of Republic has tested positive since the Fraternal Order of Eagles held a self-described “recruiting event” featuring live entertainment. A person infected with COVID connected to the event died on Friday, according to a report in The Spokesman-Review.

Ferry County Hospital, a 25-bed facility, has been overwhelmed with patients, transferring the sickest individuals to hospitals in Spokane and Wenatchee. COVID positivity in the county exceeds 25% indicating significant under-testing and widespread community transmission.

A review of data available from the Washington Department of Health indicated that 31% of all COVID cases detected in the county have happened in the last 19 days. Ferry County has the second-lowest single-dose vaccination rate in Washington and the third-lowest fully vaccinated rate, according to the latest data from the Springfield News-Leader.

Technically, Ferry County remained qualified to stay in Phase 3 but with city offices in Republic working on reduced hours due to so many sickened and other community impact, officials felt there was a critical need to introduce stronger measures.

In King County, hospitalization rates for COVID increased 15% in a week and were not showing signs of abating. Thirteen counties are at risk of going back to Phase 2. Currently, 4 counties, including Ferry, have moved backward in the last 2 weeks.

State officials will announce on Monday which counties will move back to Phase 2 and any other measures that will be taken to help slow the spread. The biggest impact is reducing indoor occupancy rates at public venues such as restaurants, gyms, and stores to 25%.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Thirteen Washington counties at risk of falling back to Phase 2

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) The Washington Department of Health will announce on Tuesday which counties will fall back to Phase 2 with 13 counties at risk of reinstated restrictions. Three counties moved backward to Phase 2 on April 16 – Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman. None of those counties are at risk of going to Phase 1, but none meet the requirements to move back to Phase 3.

For counties to remain in Phase 3, each must have less than 200 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents and less than 5.0 hospitalizations due to COVID per 100,000 residents. Currently, 13 counties exceed these requirements.

  • Douglas
  • Franklin
  • Grant
  • King
  • Kitsap
  • Lewis
  • Lincoln
  • Pacific
  • Pend-Oreille
  • Skagit
  • Snohomish
  • Spokane
  • Stevens
  • Yakima

New infection numbers are a leading indicator for hospitalizations, which increase 2 to 3 weeks after a surge in cases. Fatalities start to increase 4 to 6 weeks after.

Falling back to Phase 2 will reduce indoor occupancy in public spaces such as restaurants, gyms, and stores from 50% to 25%. Professional sporting events such as the Seattle Mariners games at T-Mobile Park will not move to lower occupancy. In Pierce County, where Phase 2 restrictions went into place on April 16, restaurants reported a 25% drop in business.

Nationally there are 37,000 COVID patients in the hospital, a sharp drop from the third wave, which saw numbers exceeding 110,000. According to the CDC, patients between 18 and 64 now represent the largest group hospitalized with the virus.

Washington state has seen declining infections and hospitalizations for people over 75 while rates are rapidly climbing for those under 50. “There is a very sharp increase, it appears, in younger adults…these are largely people who think that their age is protecting them from getting very sick from COVID-19,” Cassie Sauer, CEO and president of the Washington State Hospital Association, said during a press conference on Monday.

During the same press conference, Dr. Chris Baliga of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health stated, “40% of our cases were under the age of 40, which is mind-boggling to me. We never saw that earlier in the pandemic.”

The rise in infections is coming at the same time vaccine hesitancy is taking hold in certain Washington counties. Currently, some areas have thousands of excess doses available while other regions can’t meet demand. Governor Jay Inslee announced today that vaccine distribution would move to a needs-based model. Areas with higher demand will get more doses in an attempt to get ahead of the surge. Anyone 16 and older can get a COVID vaccination in Washington state, and vaccination is free.

Additionally, the CDC and FDA paused using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports of a rare clotting disorder sickening 15 women and caused 3 deaths. The pause slowed down the vaccination rate and added to hesitancy. Both organizations concluded that the risk was extremely rare, with over 8 million doses previously administered. Use of the J&J vaccine restarted last week with an added warning about the potential of clots and additional treatment guidelines sent to physicians. 

The increase in COVID cases striking Washington, Oregon, and the Idaho panhandle is coming during a transitional time. The CDC changed guidelines on wearing masks, stating that individuals no longer need to wear masks outdoors and in small group settings, but recommends continuing to wear masks at large outdoor events such as concerts. Gov. Inslee announced earlier this week that Washington state had adopted those guidelines.

There is additional confusion on mask guidance, with some people believing that wearing a mask is no longer required after getting vaccinated. No vaccine is 100% effective, and herd immunity has not been achieved in the Americas. Vaccination significantly prevents infection and dramatically lessens the impact of becoming sickened by a break-through case. Because a vaccinated person could become infected in rare cases with a new variant and is more likely to be an asymptomatic carrier, masks are still advised when in an indoor public setting per CDC guidelines.

In many locations in the United States, the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom is becoming the dominant strain. The U.K. variant is up to 2 times more contagious than the earlier strains and targets younger patients with worse symptoms.

Another trend concerning the medical community is that younger patients are coming into the hospital in a sicker state. This delay narrows treatment options, including the use of therapies used on patients such as former President Donald Trump, that can lessen the impact of infection if delivered before symptoms become severe.

Only 9 Washington counties meet both requirements for new cases and hospitalizations to stay in Phase 3 – Asotin, Clallam, Columbia, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Mason, Walla Walla, and Whatcom.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

Breaking: Governor Inslee orders criminal investigation into Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Friday ordered the state attorney general office to investigate Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer, and his actions on January 27, 2021, involving a Black newspaper carrier.

“The initial reports of these events were very concerning to me, and I had hoped to see some action taken to initiate a criminal investigation at the local level,” Inslee said in a written statement released Friday. “But, to my knowledge, that has not happened almost three months after the incident. So now the state is stepping in. I have spoken to Attorney General Ferguson and his office will conduct this investigation and make the decision whether to initiate prosecution.”

Due to the inaction of Tacoma Police and Pierce County, Gov. Inslee sent a letter to the Criminal Justice Division of Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.

On January 27, 2021, Ed Troyer called 911 to report that a man had threatened to kill him and was acting suspiciously driving slowly from house to house. That man was Sedrick Altheimer, who is a newspaper carrier and was delivering papers on his route. Troyer followed Altheimer in his personal vehicle, never identified himself as a law enforcement officer, and reported he had blocked Altheimer’s vehicle.

Troyer repeated multiple times in the 911 call that he was threatened by Altheimer, and reported that he might be attempting to break into garages. Forty-two units from across Pierce County initially responded to the call, with six units arriving.

Troyer walked back his accusations when Tacoma police arrived. Tacoma police did not turn on their recently issued bodycams while talking to Troyer but did activate them when talking to Altheimer. Altheimer was never charged with a crime. When the story broke Troyer expressed surprise that a police report was even created.

The Pierce County Council voted on April 6 to pay former U.S. attorney Brian Moran $50,000 to look into Troyer’s behavior from January 2020 to January 2021 and investigate the incident with Altheimer. However, the investigator has no subpoena power and cannot put people under oath.

The January 2021 incident brought attention to a November 11, 2020, 911 call that Troyer made claiming to have confronted two Black men trying to break into his car and steal his wallet. In that incident when Tacoma police arrive Troyer brushed off the incident, and officers ultimately did not take a report. In March 2021, after the second incident occurred, the officer-involved with the November 11 911 call took an official report into that incident.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Seven Washington counties at risk of going back to Phase 2 as COVID cases grow

Video

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Washington state has managed the COVID crisis better than most states. Cases, deaths, and economic impact have been lower than in many places across the nation. The state moved to Phase 3 opening last month, which was a giant step toward normalcy. Seven counties across Washington, including Pierce, are at risk of falling back to Phase 2.

Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Douglas, Pierce, Pend-Oreille, and Yakima counties currently exceed hospitalization and new case numbers to remain in Phase 3. In addition, Skagit County and King County are on the brink of crossing the line.

On April 12 the state will evaluate the data on hospitalizations, cases, and deaths county by county, and determine which, if any counties, will move back to Phase 2. State leaders have not indicated if this will impact in-class learning in counties that roll backward. Impacted counties would move to Phase on April 16.

ELISE BARRETT PROVIDES A COVID-19 UPDATE

Earlier this month, T-Mobile Park had fans in the stands for the first time in 555 days for the Mariners home opener. Restaurants could start seating indoor dining at up to 50% capacity and bowling alleys crashed with the sound of falling pins. With in-class learning set to start statewide on April 19, the data, while not bleak, doesn’t paint an even picture across the state. The opening hasn’t been smooth with community groups complaining about some retail and restaurant locations exceeding capacity and ignoring mask requirements.

A combination of factors is being attributed to the problems in different counties. Slow vaccine rollout, multigenerational households and exposed labor in Yakima County, and the spread of the more contagious B.1.1.7 among younger populations are pushing numbers upward.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

COVID vaccinations open to all eligible Washington residents on April 15

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee announced today that COVID-19 vaccinations will be open to all Washington residents 16-years old and over on April 15, 2021. Citing the concerning increase in new cases, promises of a continued increase in supply by the federal government, and multiple counties exceeding Phase 3 guidelines, the state is accelerating vaccine availability. The three vaccines currently available in the United States, Pfizer, Modera, and Johnson and Johnson, are FDA approved for people over 15 years of age.

On Wednesday, vaccines became available to everyone age 60 or older, or with two co-morbidities, people who live in congregate settings and workers in restaurants, construction, and manufacturing. Additionally, to schedule an appointment a person did not have to verify their eligibility through the state portal.

Washington state has been lagging behind other states in vaccinating its citizens and has the lowest general vaccination rate in the nation before COVID-19 struck. States have wrestled with equitable distribution to vulnerable populations versus those eager and willing to get the shot.

The Biden Administration set a goal of 100 million vaccinated within 100 days, and recently changed the goal to 200 million vaccinated in the first 100 days.

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, Editorial, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: January 7, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from January 7, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Seattle Police admits there was no extortion in CHOP, seven months after the fact
  • Latest news from the attempted coup in the United States on January 6, 2021
  • Review of the events of January 6, 2021
  • Washington State Patrols failed response to protect Governor Jay Inslee – and how Black Lives Matter was treated in August 2020
  • Debunking the conspiracy theories around the attempted coup
  • Editorial – Seattle, stop being so – Seattle

WARNING – tonight’s show contains graphic content that some people may find disturbing

BIPOC, Editorial, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Malcontentment Happy Hour: December 31, 2020

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from December 31, 2020, featured guest host, Jennifer Smith. This special edition of Malcontentment Happy Hour was a countdown of the top five stories we covered in 2020.

  • COVID-19 predictions from March 2020
  • May 30, 2020, George Floyd protests in Seattle
  • Seattle CHOP – May 30 to July 4
  • Seattle Labor Day March and our CCO gets doxxed
  • Political fallout in Seattle from 2020

We also had four runner-ups.

  • Life is stranger than fiction – Yakkity Yak and the Portland Police Department
  • Matthew, the religious protester who was everywhere in 2020
  • Tabitha Poppins has got the moves in Portland
  • Peter Diaz and American Wolf interview