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Thurston County prosecutor refuses to charge Forest Machala

Thurston County prosecutor has elected not to charge Forest Machala with assault in the first degree or any other felony. On December 5, 2020, Machala was arrested for shooting a Black 20-year old counterprotester while attending a “stop the steal” anti-mask protest in Olympia. Washington State Police decided there was sufficient evidence to support the assault in the first degree charge, the equivalent of attempted murder in Washington state, based on eyewitness accounts, testimony of the victim, and video in the area.

The prosecutor’s actions send the charges back to the Washington State Patrol to request more evidence to support the charge. Machala was released on $50,000 bail shortly after being arrested. He has been staying in Bellingham as part of the conditions of his release. Prosecutors also dropped the restraining order between Machala and the shooting victim, and Machala can begin the process to have his guns returned to him.

The city prosecutor’s office in Olympia is closed for Christmas, so no comment is available on whether the city will pursue misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges against Machala. Stephen Kurtz was also arrested on December 5 for gross misdemeanor assault and failure to disperse. He was charged by the city of Olympia and is out on $1000 bail. In the Kurtz case, multiple journalists caught him brandishing a handgun, which police also witnessed.

Health and Lifestyle, National

Millions take to the skies for the holidays

United States air travel reached levels not seen since Thanksgiving, with over three-million air passengers passing through TSA checkpoints in the last three days. Analysts are estimating ten-million air passengers will travel over the next week. The holiday air travel is happening despite pleas from local, state, and federal officials to stay home, as hospitals across the nation become overwhelmed with COVID patients.

Earlier today, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington announced travel restrictions for people from the U.K. and South Africa. In the U.K., officials have identified a new strain of COVID that is more contagious but not more lethal. The variant in South Africa is also a new strain and targets younger victims with worse symptoms. Over 40 nations had issued travel bans to and from the U.K. and South Africa by Monday evening. The CDC has the two countries at a level 4 alert: “do not travel,” while the U.S. State Department has issued a level 3 alert, “travel not recommended.”

The Washington travel restriction is not a ban. Still, people traveling from the U.K. or South Africa must self-quarantine for 14 days after their arrival. According to the website, FlightsFrom, there are 13 scheduled direct flights between Seattle and London this coming week.

On Friday, a United Airlines flight from Orlando to Los Angeles diverted to New Orleans due to an onboard health emergency. The male passenger died, and the CDC may start advising others on the flight to seek a COVID test. According to eye witness accounts, the man was in poor health with breathing difficulty when he boarded the plane. His wife told officials he had COVID-like symptoms but elected to board the aircraft anyway. 

The United States is leading the world in daily COVID infections, total infected, daily deaths, and total deaths. 

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Governor Inslee extends COVID restrictions to January 4, 2021

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Governor Inslee held a press conference today where he announced additional grants for small businesses, a potential unemployment extension for up to 100,000 citizens, and a continuation of statewide COVID restrictions. The governor cited 80% ICU utilization, 1,094 people hospitalized for COVID statewide, and over 10,500 new cases reported in the last 48-hours as the reasons for the extension. The state projects that 2,000 Washingtonians will be hospitalized with COVID under a “moderate” scenario by the end of December.

Part of today’s press conference announced an additional $50 million in grants to assist small businesses most impact by COVID-related closures. The Department of Commerce is prioritizing businesses such as yoga studios, fitness centers, entertainment venues, and bars to receive the new grants. The maximum amount a company can receive is $20,000. The number of approved applicants will determine that final sum.

Officials in Washington D.C. remain deadlocked on a second stimulus package for Main Street and citizens. Benefits from the CARES Act in the form of unemployment extensions and unemployment for 1099 employees, also called gig workers, is set to expire on December 31. For most people, the actual expiration date is December 26. Governor Inslee announced that for a subset of people collecting unemployment, extensions would continue into January.

People collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) will continue to received benefits if the federal government does not come up with a stimulus package. This extension benefits approximately 60% on unemployment and would represent a flat payment versus the current sliding scale. The governor did not state how much each qualified individual would get, only saying that for “a few,” it would be less. The governor indicated that funds were available for him to extend the program through executive order and that Employment Security was already working on implementing the plan. Officials stated there were insufficient funds to expand PEUC, impacting as many as 172,000 people if benefits expire.

Governor Inslee did not take further business restrictions off the table and announced businesses not complying could receive fines up to $10,000 a day. Multiple state officials stated that we would better understand the number of new COVID cases created by Thanksgiving travel and celebrations in the next one to two weeks. The change in those numbers will dictate if the state needs to issue another extension after January 4 or take more robust measures.

State officials indicated that 62,000 doses of the Coronavirus vaccine would arrive in the state of Washington on December 15. Frontline healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes would get top priority. An additional 182,000 doses would come by the end of December, with more “likely” in January. Immunization requires two doses, 28 days apart, and takes a total of 60 days to become effective. The amount of vaccine arriving in December will not be enough to immunize everyone at the head of the line. Washington will receive vaccines from AstraZeneca and Moderna.

BIPOC, Editorial, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: December 3, 2020

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Happy Hour of December 3, 2020

malcontentment happy hour: December 3, 2020
  • Aidan Ellison murder being investigated as a hate crime by the FBI
  • COVID cases soar to record levels across the United States
  • The Ally Group supports Black-businesses by selling Black Box
  • Belle Pastry of Bellevue, Washington thrives during COVID will supporting the BIPOC community
  • Behind the Pole: November 30, 2020 protest recap
  • Special appearance by Yoda the Wonder Pug
Health and Lifestyle, National

Almost 1.2 million fly home on Sunday despite pleas not to travel

Sunday saw another air travel record in the United States, with 1.18 million passengers going through TSA checkpoints on Sunday. It was the highest number to go through security since March 16, 2020, and only 8,100 short of the mid-March milestone. Over 13 times more passengers flew on Sunday versus April 14, 2020, basement, when COVID infections numbers were near their spring peak.

In stark contrast, 90,000 Americans are in the hospital with COVID and 6,000 on ventilators, both records since the first infection in January 2020. In some parts of the country, infection rates are the worst recorded. In Denver, a group of 10 or more had a 53% chance of at least one person being infected. In Bismark, North Dakota, it was a 92% chance, while Miami and Seattle had a 26% chance.

Regionally on the roads, traffic was relatively light across the passes and not choked with holiday travelers. Stevens Pass had an advisory for traction tires, but there were no significant issues. Blewitt and Snoqualmie Passes were clear and dry with free-flowing traffic.

In Chelan and Grant County, where the worst infection rates are in the state, mask compliance was low, particularly in Chelan. Further to the north in Okanagon County, mask compliance was high, particularly in Twisp despite the numerous Culp signs.

The CDC is advising anyone who traveled over the extended holiday weekend to get a COVID test. However, many states are still struggling with adequate test kits, lab facilities, and staff. In Washington state, people have been advised not to get a test unless they are symptomatic, with wait times stretching into the hours.

Officials and data scientists have warned that a drop in overall test numbers from Thursday to Sunday will create a false dip in positive test numbers. Many test facilities were closed during part of the long weekend, and labs are dealing with a backlog.

BIPOC, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Washington medical resources stretching thin as COVID cases explode

Washington state continues to add to grim milestones in the battle against COVID, with 762 patients now in hospital, a state record. Despite only 1,440 new cases logged on November 21, 2020, the weekend typically produces lower numbers with delays in reporting and testing. The number is an improvement from the record-breaking 3,327 new cases identified on November 16.

Late last week, at Swedish First Hill, they admitted ten new COVID patients in five hours. In Kirkland, Evergreen Hospital, once ground zero in the United States for COVID, has held steady with 25 patients hospitalized through the week. UW Medicine has seen an expanding number of patients, including several on ECMO, a last line of defense where an infected person’s lungs have essentially failed.

In Auburn, MultiCare Auburn Medical Center is suffering a COVID outbreak on the fourth-floor unit that has sickened over two-dozen. A patient died on November 10, and another died on November 16. In October, Harborview Medical Center experienced an outbreak resulting in one patient death. Providence Hospital in Everett also reported an outbreak on November 11 but did not provide specific information on the number of infections.

In eastern Washington, the situation isn’t much better. Deaconess and Valley Hospitals, Sacred Heart and Holy Family Hospitals, and Pullman Regional Hospital did not comment on how many patients were under their care. All spokespersons made similar statements around expanding patient load but available capacity. In the Idaho panhandle, Kootenai Health reported 54 patients in their care on Thursday, up from 46, with 10 requiring critical care.

In southwest Washington, Clark County reports 75% ICU utilization as of mid-week, while overall COVID patient numbers are low. Legacy Salmon Creek and PeaceHealth Southwest have a combined 56 patients in the hospital.

As wait times for COVID tests in the Puget Sound region expanded to hours, doctors started advising people not to test unless they are displaying symptoms. A lack of available tests and lab capacity continues to plague the nation, and UW Medicine reports their testing systems are overwhelmed. Last week, the University of Washington started canceling booked tests due to a lack of capacity and resources.

In western Washington, UW Medicine and Swedish are reporting they are deferring surgeries to provide capacity for a growing caseload of COVID patients. In eastern Washington, Deaconess and Valley Hospitals are under similar conditions, and Pullman Regional Hospital implemented their surge plan.

The regional healthcare system is also straining due to a shortage of PPE, therapeutic drugs, and staffing shortages. Officials report the question isn’t hospital beds, but the staff to support critically ill patients, who can require three to four full-time caregivers to keep them stabilized. Additionally, states such as Idaho send their sickest patients to Seattle and Portland, Oregon, for advanced treatment.

By the numbers, COVID in Washington state continues to be brutal on the BIPOC community. Hispanic communities have seen the worst numbers, representing 36% of cases and 27% of hospitalizations while representing 13% of the total state population. In south King County, the Black and persons of color communities report over a 300% increase in detected infections over the more white communities north of Seattle.

There are some silver linings. The mortality rate in Washington is drifting downward, now at 1.9%. By age group, 83% of cases discovered are now people 59 and younger. The younger age groups tend to have lower mortality.

Detected cases are a leading indicator of hospitalizations and deaths. Peak hospitalization will likely come in the next two weeks if the number of new cases can stabilize and start to drop. Peak deaths would follow two to four weeks after peak hospitalizations.

BIPOC, Local, National

Thousands face end of unemployment benefits on December 26

Update: An edit was made to reflect that the SBA estimates one-third of all small businesses will fail by June of 2021.

With growing signs that the economic recovering is stalling out and a fresh set of COVID-based lockdowns across the United States, federal benefits will end on December 26 with no extension in sight. The Federal CARES Act provided additional unemployment benefits in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). For thousands of Washingtonians depending on these lifelines, the looming deadline is a body blow.

PUA provides for an additional 13 weeks of unemployment compensation above and beyond state benefits. PEUC provides unemployment compensation for gig workers, the self-employed, and others who rely upon 1099 pay. Recipients of PEUC typically would not be eligible for traditional unemployment compensation, with millions of Americans dependent on the “gig economy” for work.

Congressional leaders, the White House, and the Federal Reserve have been bickering over a new COVID stimulus package since the summer with no progress. The White House has favored a $2.4 trillion package, including small business and individual relief, which the House has supported. The Senate prefers a far smaller package of $500 billion, which provides almost no individual relief and corporate protections that are a non-starter for the House.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell issued a very rare rebuke to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, who ordered the Fed to wind down CARES Act programs and return all unspent funds to Treasury. Chairman Powell indicated that the economy is still fragile, and ending these programs prematurely as COVID surges could extend the ongoing recession. Despite the public dust-up, the Fed agreed to wind down these programs over the weekend in a letter to Mnuchin.

The unemployment rate has dropped to 6.9% in October. However, the U3 unemployment figure doesn’t include people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. The broader U6 unemployment figure consists of those who have used up unemployment compensation, given up looking for work, or, most critically, are underemployed. The U6 for October was 12.1%, down from a high of 18% earlier in the year.

White House and GOP leaders are distracted, attacking the national election results with baseless fraud claims, indicating they have no interest in focusing on economic security. The Small Business Association estimates one-third of all small businesses will fail by June of 2021. So far, in 2020, 40% of all black-owned small businesses have collapsed.

Also looming in early 2021 is the end of eviction, foreclosure, and energy bill deferments. Over 12 million American households are $5,000 or more behind on rent or mortgage payments.

Local, Safety

Washingtonians panic buy in stores as COVID restrictions loom

It was deja vu for Washingtonians who flocked to grocery and department stores to buy – everything – with looming COVID restrictions announced on Sunday. Even before Jay Inslee made his 11 AM announcement, lines stretched for more than a block outside Costcos throughout the state. Untrue rumors that grocery stores would be ordered to shut down drove dazed residents into a buying frenzy. Once again, toilet paper and paper towels appeared to be the critical supplies needed to survive a pandemic.

On Sunday, restrictions announced would require all retail stores to limit their capacity to 25%, including grocery stores. Even in the hardest-hit regions of the world, a government shutdown of grocery stores has not happened. Government officials and industry experts appealed to people not to panic-buy, stating the supply chain was strong. Shoppers found empty isles across the state, with some shouting and pushing matches over paper products reported at some stores.

Washington is earthquake country, and residents should have a 7 to 14 day supply of required goods on hand at all times. Emergency preparedness experts chimed in, stating that properly prepared homes would not have to buy any goods to prepare for potential disruptions if they have a good earthquake plan already in place.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Governor Inslee to address Washington state 5:30 PM today

Governor Jay Inslee will address Washingtonians at 5:30 PM as the numbers for COVID-19 infections in the state of Washington accelerate. According to the Washington Department of Health, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 22% from November 3 to November 9, the most recent data available. Additionally, the rate of newly diagnosed cases, a gauge on how quickly COVID-19 is spreading, is near the highest levels recorded for the state, 145.2 per 100K.

Hospital capacity statewide remains positive, but the number of COVID patients is increasing, as well as those critically ill. ICU availability also remains. Idaho has been sending their sickest patients to Western Washington, with the state outstripping their hospital capacity. Idaho does not have a mandatory mask requirement and officials in the panhandle, where the infections are the worst, recently lifted pubic health restrictions.

Rural counties and counties where mask compliance is lower, or outright resisted is seeing some of the worst numbers. Positive test rates in Whitman County are 37.3%, Adams County 22.1%, Spokane County12.4%.and Clark County along the Oregon border is 10.4%.

This is a breaking news story and we will provide more information as it becomes available.