Tag Archives: washington

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Starbucks, Costco, and Walmart join Trader Joe’s with updated in-store mask policy

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) A growing list of major retailers are making masks optional for individuals who have been fully vaccinated in a flurry of website updates and press releases. Starbucks has announced that starting Monday, vaccinated individuals don’t have to wear masks in their United States locations unless local rules require them. On Friday, Costco, Walmart, and Sam’s Club adopted the same policy. Sam’s Club is a membership-based warehouse store owned by Walmart and is similar to Costco. The retailer closed its western Washington locations several years ago.

Apple, Target, CVS, and Walgreens indicated they were maintaining requirements to wear a mask for now, but are evaluating CDC guidelines and might update their policies. Kroger, which owns QFC and Fred Meyer’s announced they would continue to mandate masks at its locations as did Home Depot.

Locally, Metropolitan Market issued a statement that masks are optional for fully vaccinated customers. PCC, a co-op-based grocery chain with 15 locations has also made masks optional for fully vaccinated customers.

Retailers, restaurants, bars, gyms, and other public businesses in King County are still in Phase 3 under the Safe Washington reopening program and can operate at 50% capacity. The Safe Washington reopening plan announced in March was essentially scraped by Gov. Inslee yesterday, with a new plan moving all counties to Phase 3 on May 18, and Washington state to full reopening on June 30.

The United States has administered over 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines nationwide. As of April 17, Washington state has administered more than 6 million doses, and over 43% of residents over 16-years old are fully vaccinated.

In King County, you can visit the Department of Health website to find a vaccination clinic, and many locations now support walk-up appointments. You can also visit the Facebook Group, Find a COVID Shot WA if you need language or technology assistance in making an appointment.

BIPOC, Editorial, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: May 13, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from May 13, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith. Patrons at the $5 and above level get access to our show notes and research documents.

  • Georgia Man busted after drilling holes in a U-Haul truck gas tank
  • Does Seattle have the 7th best BBQ in the United States?!?!
  • Acting Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz dismisses OPA use of force findings on June 1
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Kentucky Derby Scandal deepens
    • Two Texas police officers shot and killed, one city worker wounded
    • Police hold press conference on the body of missing Indigenous found on Turtle Mountain
    • Black man beaten and robbed in Pennsylvania bar in racist incident
    • Government issues warning not to put gasoline in plastic bags
    • Florida woman arrested for pretending to be a high school student chasing Instagram clout
    • Levi’s is championing pronoun use
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church elects first openly transgender bishop
    • A mare and foal find comfort in shared grief
    • Two new mothers, one a gorilla, one human, bond at a Boston Zoo
  • Juneteenth law signed by Jay Inslee
  • COVID Update

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

Breaking: New information leads Federal Way Police to seek a person of interest in the death of Royal’lee Wallace

[FEDERAL WAY] – (MTN) Federal Way Police are seeking a person of interest in the shooting death of 8-year-old Royal’lee Wallace after her father, Cherith Wallace, was released from King County Jail and all charges against him were dropped.

On Sunday, Royal’lee Wallace was shot after a bullet traveled through three walls in the apartment that she lived in. Federal Way Police responded to a call at St. Francis Hospital where 8-year-old Royal’lee had been taken to the emergency department in a private vehicle. She was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition and placed on life support, before succumbing to her injuries.

Cherith Wallace, the father of Royal’lee was with her at the hospital and was arrested after investigators concluded the gunshot came from inside the apartment. Wallace attended a vigil for his daughter yesterday in West Seattle and stated he doesn’t own a gun, and no gun was in the apartment during the investigation.

Kurt Schwan, Commander in the Federal Way Police Department said in a statement, “Working closely with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, probable cause was developed to arrest the father on the afternoon of the shooting based on the initial statement he provided about being alone in his apartment with his child when she was shot.”

“Evidence revealed that a firearm was discharged from inside the apartment unit and the bullet struck the child after passing through three walls.”

According to Schwan, Wallace initially told investigators he was alone, but after his arrest and further questioning, Wallace revealed two other individuals were in the apartment at the time of the shooting.

In his statement, Schwan continued, “Detectives have discovered additional information that indicates two other individuals were in the apartment with the father when the shooting occurred.”

“After further interviews with the father and one of the other two subjects allegedly in the apartment when the shooting occurred, the father was released and the investigation shifted to locating the person who is now believed to have fired the fatal shot.”

Schwan says that it was Cherith Wallace’s initial statement that resulted in his arrest. Due to the ongoing investigation, no further information was provided on whether the elder Wallace was threatened by one of the two people in the apartment. We asked Schwan if a firearm was secured at the scene and if a firearm residue test was made on the elder Wallace during the initial investigation. Schwan declined to discuss specifics stating the ongoing activity in the case.

The Federal Way Police Department is asking anyone who has information into the murder of Royal’lee Wallace to contact the department at 253-835-2121.

BIPOC, Editorial, Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: April 28, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

Content Warning

Editor’s Note: This show contains multiple videos of events that some viewers may find disturbing including graphic violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

The show from April 28, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Exodus from the Seattle Police Department continues
  • All Fireworks Banned in King County Beginning in 2022
  • Auburn Police Treat Road Rage Victim Like a Criminal Suspect
  • King County Health Tells Business Leaders to Prepare for Phase 2 COVID Restrictions
  • Was the Stabbing In Bothell and the Shooting in Rainier Beach Asian-bias Crimes?
  • Malcontented Minuted – Police Edition
    • Video shows Police seconds before the raid of Andrew Brown, Junior’s Home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
    • Video shows police officers fist-bumping and celebrating the injuries they caused to a 73-year old Alzheimer’s Patient
    • Stephanie Bottom, 66, in brutalized by North Carolina police on body cam and is starting a federal lawsuit
    • Virginia police officer misidentifies a cellphone as a gun and shoots Isaiah Brown 10 times
    • Bodycam video of Anthony Alvarez being shot by Chicago Police shows him running away
    • Two Hialeah, Florida Police officers have been arrested for writing fake traffic tickets
    • Bodycam video released on April 28 shows Lymond Moses being shot by police after a pretext welfare check because he was sleeping in his car
    • Tennessee police officer fired for high-fiving a suspect who used a racial slur during the arrest
    • Bodycam video of Mario Gonzalez being arrested in Almeda, California shows officers restaining him for over 5 minutes before he dies in custody
    • Prince Georges police officer arrested on multiple charges, including first-degree assault, after fellow officers turn him in for treatment of a Black teen suspect
  • Colleen Echohawk on Native-American Women Leaders

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

BREAKING: King County COVID metrics exceed requirements to stay in Phase 3

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) The April 26 COVID update from King County Health Department is out and indicates the region no longer qualifies to stay in Phase 3 reopening. In the latest updated King County is reporting 226.0 cases per 100,000, and 5.2 hospitalizations per 100,000. To remain in Phase 3, the county cannot exceed 200 cases per 100,000 and 4.9 hospitalizations.

The numbers back an alarming trend as regional hospitals report a significant increase in COVID patients. Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, once ground zero for coronavirus in the United States, is reporting 13 patients. Overlake in Bellevue has seen a sharp increase in hospitalizations.

The Washington State Department of Health is reporting 484 hospitalized statewide, the highest level since January. Health officials stated that 40% of hospitalized patients are under 40 years old, and many are sickened by COVID variants. The U.K. variant is replacing the dominant strain. The B.1.1.7 strain is more contagious, virulent, and targets younger adults.

Moving back to Phase 2 will drop restaurant occupancy to 25%, and could result in the closure of movie theaters and sports arenas such as T-Mobile Park.

Snohomish County is also at risk of moving back to Phase 2, and Pierce County, which dropped to Phase 2 on April 16, has seen its metrics get worse.

Experts state that a number of factors are converging to push Washington into the fourth surge of COVD infections. COVID fatigue with social distancing and masks, the reintroduction of in-class teaching, better weather, vaccination hesitancy, and more contagious variants have combined to increase cases across the state.

The next evaluation by the state for if King and Snohomish County will move back to Phase 2 is on May, 2.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

King County on the brink of stepping back to Phase 2

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) The latest data indicates that King County is on the bring of falling backward to Phase 2 when the state Department of Health does their next evaluation on May 2. New cases per 100,000 are up to 217.5 and hospitalizations are 4.8. To remain in Phase 3, new cases must be below 200 per 100,000 people and hospitalizations below 5.0. According to the Department of Health, 85.4% of all ICU beds are utilized in King County, 12.2% with COVID-19 patients.

Pierce County, which moved back to Phase 2 on April 16, has not made enough progress on reversing the trend in the county. Cases are at 217.3 per 100,000 and hospitalizations are 7.2. Snohomish County is also at risk of dropping to Phase 2 next week. Hospitalizations have more than doubled since last month and new cases are 205.0 per 100,000.

Moving to Phase 2 would drop occupancy of restaurants and other facilities to 25% and could potentially end spectators at sporting events at high school, college, and professional levels.

On Friday, Dr. Jeff Durchin of King County Health explained, “King County entered Phase 3 with the rest of Washington state on March 22, at a time when cases and hospitalizations were already on the rise. Since that time, our 7-day average case numbers have risen by 70 percent, and hospitalization rates have increased by 75 percent.”

King County dashboard for April 24, 2021, at 10:00 AM

State, county, and hospital officials all echoed the same observations. New cases are mostly COVID variants such as B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom. A majority of hospitalized patients are in their 30s and 40s and are presenting with extreme illness. One area hospital is canceling elective surgeries due to its patient load.

Currently, 36% of all King County residents are fully immunized and 57% have received at least one dose. The National Institute of Health, CDC, and other federal officials have stopped talking about achieving herd immunity, taking a more muted position due to vaccination hesitancy. The number of people being vaccinated is slowing down, with hundreds of available appointments in South King County going unused late this week.

Among the Black population of Washington, only 47% have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Distrust in vaccination programs born out of historical medical experiments conducted by the government on Black populations has created distrust and fear.

King County can move the numbers in the right direction before the May 2 evaluation. Wearing masks even if vaccinated, limiting exposure to people, and sticking with to-go options for restaurants and alcoholic beverages can help lower the positivity rate.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Washington state suspends use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine after CDC and FDA advisory

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) The Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recommended pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of rare, but serious complications after vaccination. In response to this recommended pause, the Washington state Department of Health is temporarily suspending the distribution of the J&J vaccine.

The Department of Health released a prepared statement. “Use of that vaccine will be put on hold until we receive further recommendations from our federal partners about how best to move forward. Safety is the highest priority when it comes to all COVID-19 vaccines.”

In the United States, approximately seven million adults have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. There were six reports of serious blood clots among women from 18 to 48 years of age, six to 13 days after receiving their injection. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose. One patient died, and one other was hospitalized in critical condition.

“The probable cause that we believe may be involved here, that we can speculate, is a similar mechanism that may be going on with other adno viral vector vaccines. This is an immune response that occurs very, very rarely after some people receive the vaccine. That immune response leads to activation of the platelets and these extremely rare blood clots,” said Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

One of the primary reasons for the pause is to advise the medical community on how to treat this rare side effect. Heparin is frequently used as a treatment for blood clots, but “In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given,” both the CDC and FDA advised.

In Washington, almost 150,000 people have received the J&J vaccine, of the four million doses administered to date.

Health officials are recommending that you keep your appointment if you’re scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine unless the provider reschedules. A number of locations are switching to the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to keep appointments. Officials in Snohomish County indicated the vaccine appointments at the Angels of the Wind Casino were being canceled.

Anyone who received the J&J vaccine more than a month ago should have little concern for clotting. The CDC advised that if you experience severe headaches, chest pain, leg pain, or difficulty breathing within 30 days of receiving the J&J vaccine, you should see a medical professional promptly, particularly if you were born a biological female and are under 50 years old.

Full disclosure: the author received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday, April 10, 2021, and experienced typical side effects of fatigue, sore injection site, chills, and fever.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties rolled back to Phase 2 due to growing COVID cases

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) As expected, Governor Jay Inslee announced the rollback of three counties that were not meeting adjusted Phase 3 Healthy Washington COVID reopening requirements.

“These metric trends are driven by the virus and we must continue to do everything we can to sharpen our focus and keep COVID-19 activity down. We are so close to the end of the tunnel here — we have made tremendous progress and we must keep our focus,” Inslee said.

The biggest change to commerce when rolling back to Phase 2 is public businesses such as gyms and restaurants have to operate at 25% capacity. Gathers should be limited to 5 people indoors, and 15 people outdoors.

All counties will be re-evaluated in two weeks. King and Skagit counties were close to crossing the line for rolling back but didn’t cross the thresholds. To date, 40% of Washington residents have at least their first COVID vaccination shot.

BIPOC, Local

House Bill HB 1016 making Juneteenth a state holiday heads to Governor Inslee’s desk

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) The Washington state legislature overwhelmingly passed HB 1016, which would make June 19, Juneteenth, a legal state holiday. The bill had 39 sponsors and passed in the Democratic-led Senate 47-1. The measure passed in the House with similar bipartisan support in February, 89-9.

According to Juneteenth.com, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863.

The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

General Granger read several general order’s upon his arrival, the most significant being general order three. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday in 1980. The traditional celebrations included barbecue meat, dressing in fine clothes, and exchanging books. During slavery, food was not plentiful and meat was a luxury. In some slave states, enslaved peoples were not permitted to wear nice clothes. Learning to read and write was illegal, and slaves who learned to read or write outside of their duties could be blinded, have fingers or hand cut off, or even executed.

The movement to make Juneteenth a state holiday in Washington gained momentum during social justice protests in the summer of 2020 over the death of George Floyd.

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.