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Big businesses like Amazon support tax for King County, but questions about Seattle, suburbs remain


Amazon and several other large Seattle-area corporations, including Alaska Airlines, Costco, Expedia, Microsoft and Starbucks, expressed support Tuesday for the concept behind a Washington House bill that would allow King County to enact a big-business tax.




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Starbucks worker at First and University store diagnosed with coronavirus


The Starbucks Reserve near the Seattle Art Museum was subjected to a deep cleaning and is scheduled to reopen with staff from other locations who have no known impact from COVID-19.




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Seattle businesses, government leaders set aside differences to team up on coronavirus response


The communication and collaboration among businesses and local government leaders who don’t always see eye-to-eye has helped smooth the response to the region’s coronavirus crisis.




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‘Tax Amazon’ group, Sawant announce ballot initiative for tax on big businesses


Boosters of a new Seattle tax on large corporations such as Amazon, including City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, have filed a petition to put an initiative on the ballot this year, they said Thursday. They’re aiming for the November ballot and say the tax could raise $300 million a year, though those calculations were made before coronavirus […]




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Starbucks is closing cafes in response to coronavirus crisis; drive-thrus remain open


Some cafes close to hospitals or health care sites will remain open, according to the statement, as part of the company’s “efforts to serve first responders and health care workers.” And Starbucks will continue to pay all employees for 30 days, whether they come to work or stay home.




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Referendum-proof Seattle tax for coronavirus relief, housing, would impact multiple business sectors


The Seattle City Charter says legislation approved under a state of emergency can't be repealed by referendum. Council members can't name every business the new tax would cover, because the state discloses only aggregate payroll data.





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Ex-Mariners relive night they were on wrong side of history, 34 years after Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout game


It was exactly 34 years ago Wednesday that Clemens, at the time a highly promising but still unproven Red Sox pitcher, put himself on the baseball map. On one cool, magical night at Boston's Fenway Park against the Mariners, he mowed down a Mariners lineup that had been struggling all season to make contact.




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Mariners mailbag: Not a fastball, but guessing baseball returns on July 1


Money will be the motivation to return but if anyone tells you they know what's going to happen or when the season will start, they are just guessing. Flexibility remains the best option for Major League Baseball right now.




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Sideline Chatter: Hunters are realizing shotguns fit just right in golf bags


A satirical look back at some of the quirkiest, most eyebrow-raising things that happened in the sports world this week.




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Woods unsure whether to repeat as Presidents Cup captain


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ernie Els has made it clear he will not be returning as International captain for the Presidents Cup next year. Tiger Woods was a little more vague. Woods, captain of the U.S. team that won at Royal Melbourne for the eighth straight time, says he spoke with Els while boarding the […]




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Woman, 84, sinks putt across basketball court to win new car


OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — All that 84-year-old Mary Ann Wakfield needed to do to win a new car was sink a putt across the entire length of the court at the University of Mississippi’s basketball stadium. Wakfield did just that during a promotional segment at Saturday’s game between Ole Miss men’s basketball team and Alabama. […]




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Seattle University’s Nathan Cogswell holds share of lead in Bandon Dunes Invitational


Nathan Cogswell, a junior out of Kentwood High, opened with a 6-under 65 in the first round Sunday on the 6,577-yard Pacific Dunes course. He slipped to a 72 in the second round Monday for a 5-under 137 total.




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Sideline Chatter: ESPN2 immediately reached out to see if he’d be interested in developing new show


A satirical look back at some of the quirkiest, most eyebrow-raising things that happened in the sports world this week.




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Coronavirus unemployment: Bartenders, dental assistants top list of Washington’s hardest-hit jobs


About 14,800 initial unemployment claims by bartenders were filed from March 8 through April 25, which closely matches the number of people estimated to work as bartenders in Washington in the second quarter of 2020.




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Detainees sue; Tacoma’s Northwest immigration jail has positive coronavirus test


More than 750 immigration detainees at more than 40 detention facilities around the country have tested positive for the disease, a number that activists say may be an undercount given a paucity of testing at some facilities.




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Alan Lund, who taught and directed music throughout the Seattle area, dies at 81 from coronavirus complications


Alan Lund taught music in the Bellevue and Highline School Districts, and directed music for the Seattle Opera Chorus, the Eastside’s Cascadian Chorale, the Boeing Chorale and, most notably, the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society.




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Washington Legislature passes bill aiming to diversify cannabis industry


The Marijuana Social Equity Program would allow the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to issue forfeited, canceled, and revoked retail licenses to applicants in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.




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Sounders confirm member of support staff tests positive for coronavirus


Member worked March 7 match against Columbus at CenturyLink Field. Team says no other cases within Sounders FC have been identified.




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How are Sounders staying fit during the coronavirus crisis? Creative workouts are required


MLS suspended its season until at least May 10 in an effort to help the U.S. slow the spread of novel coronavirus.




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Sounders turn to virtual world to connect with fans during coronavirus crisis


Amid quarantines mandated by governments in efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, athletes and entertainers have utilize social media to connect with fans and each other.






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Rocco Ursino, Italian immigrant who dedicated his life to his seven children, dies of coronavirus disease


Editor’s note: The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is generally expressed in numbers of cases and deaths. But each data point represents a human life whose loss is felt by countless other people. We are chronicling some of them in an obituary series called Lives Remembered. If you know someone who has died of COVID-19, […]




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David Beyl, Mercer Island resident who deployed to missions in Antarctica, dies of coronavirus


Retired Cmdr. David Beyl, a longtime Mercer Island resident and career Navy pilot who did several tours abroad, including in Antarctica, died March 23 at Overlake Hospital. He was 85.




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‘I lost two sisters and my mom in two weeks’: West Seattle man grieves deaths of 3 family members from coronavirus


In a span of 13 days, Raymond Lee and his brother, William, lost sister Regina Lim Lee, 58; mother, Susie Chin Lee, 82; and sister Willa, 60, to the novel coronavirus. Three beloved women gone in less than two weeks.




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Alan Lund, who taught and directed music throughout the Seattle area, dies at 81 from coronavirus complications


Alan Lund taught music in the Bellevue and Highline School Districts, and directed music for the Seattle Opera Chorus, the Eastside’s Cascadian Chorale, the Boeing Chorale and, most notably, the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society.




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Andretti, Ganassi commit to new Extreme E Series for 2021


Andretti Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing are the first two American teams to commit to a new electric SUV off-road racing series scheduled to begin in 2021. The Extreme E series has five events planned in what the league is calling “some of the most remarkable, remote and severely damaged locations on the planet.” The […]




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Facebook names oversight board, including former Denmark PM


A year and a half after announcing its creation, Facebook has named the initial 20 members of its oversight board, a quasi-independent panel that is to make decisions on thorny issues. The board’s members were named by Facebook and hail from a broad swath of regions around the world. They include Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel […]




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Facebook names oversight board, including former Denmark PM


A year and a half after announcing its creation, Facebook has named the initial 20 members of its oversight board, a quasi-independent panel that is to make decisions on thorny issues. The board’s members were named by Facebook and hail from a broad swath of regions around the world. They include Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel […]




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TV broadcaster Sinclair fined $48 million over Tribune deal


The federal government has fined Sinclair Broadcasting Corp. $48 million, largely because of actions the TV broadcaster took in its failed attempt to acquire smaller rival Tribune Media. Sinclair in 2017 proposed a $3.9 billion deal for Tribune’s TV stations, attempting to extend its reach into new markets. The deal fell apart that August, and […]




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TV broadcaster Sinclair fined $48 million over Tribune deal


The federal government has fined Sinclair Broadcasting Corp. $48 million, largely because of actions the TV broadcaster took in its failed attempt to acquire smaller rival Tribune Media. Sinclair in 2017 proposed a $3.9 billion deal for Tribune’s TV stations, attempting to extend its reach into new markets. The deal fell apart that August, and […]




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Uber loses $2.9 billion, offloads bike and scooter business


The ride-hailing giant said Thursday it is offloading Jump, its bike and scooter business, to Lime, a company in which it is investing $85 million. Jump had been losing about $60 million a quarter.




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Study: WeChat content outside China used for censorship


BOSTON (AP) — Documents and images shared by users outside China on WeChat, the country’s most popular social media platform, are being monitored and cataloged for use in political censorship in China, a new report says. Citizen Lab, the University of Toronto online watchdog, says in Thursday’s report that WeChat users outside of China are […]




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Uber loses $2.9 billion, offloads bike and scooter business


NEW YORK (AP) — Uber lost $2.9 billion in the first quarter as its overseas investments were hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, but the company is looking to its growing food delivery business and aggressive cost-cutting to ease the pain. The ride-hailing giant said Thursday it is offloading Jump, its bike and scooter business, to […]




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Study: WeChat content outside China used for censorship


BOSTON (AP) — Documents and images shared by users outside China on WeChat, the country’s most popular social media platform, are being monitored and cataloged for use in political censorship in China, a new report says. Citizen Lab, the University of Toronto online watchdog, says in Thursday’s report that WeChat users outside of China are […]




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If I have the money, is it a good idea to skip mortgage payments during this coronavirus crisis?


As my legal career has gotten longer, I have learned that while getting older does not necessarily make a person wiser, but it does make them more experienced. A decade ago, I tried to help hundreds of homeowners who could afford to make their monthly mortgage payment but thought that if they missed just a […]




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Mortgage borrowers face stricter qualifications as the coronavirus roils economy | Natalie Campisi


Stricter requirements, including larger down payments and higher credit scores, will make it difficult for some folks to qualify for a mortgage, particularly first-time homebuyers.




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Before coronavirus, rise in Seattle-area housing prices was outpaced by only one major U.S. city


In February, home prices in Seattle were increasing at 6%, year-over-year. But all bets are off as the coronavirus pandemic hit.




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Seattle-area mortgage delinquencies rose three times faster than U.S. average as coronavirus crisis grew


The rise in delinquencies, during a month when the opposite usually happens, is troubling to housing market watchers, but it doesn't yet spell a foreclosure boom like during the Great Recession.




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Coronavirus wallops Seattle-area housing market; see what’s happening in your neighborhood


Typically, housing market activity strengthens through the spring before peaking in May. But last month, nearly every metric of housing market activity fell by double digits.




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How ban on gatherings, to slow coronavirus spread, is affecting Seattle-area arts and music groups


Gov. Jay Inslee has banned event gatherings of more than 250 people in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. King and Snohomish counties went further, prohibiting events under 250 people, unless they meet certain public health guidelines. Here's how arts and culture groups are responding.




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How to help arts and culture workers in the middle of the coronavirus crisis


Whatever comes of the novel coronavirus tumult, the economic crisis is happening now. The needs for arts workers — gigging artists, teachers, staffers at arts institutions — are piling up by the hour. Here's how you can help or get help.




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City announces $1.1 million and rent relief to support arts organizations in the coronavirus economic crisis


On Tuesday, the City of Seattle announced a $1.1 million, arts-specific recovery package and rent suspension for cultural organizations, designed to help an arts sector heavily hit by the coronavirus shutdowns.




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Amid coronavirus shutdown, Seattle’s livestreaming surge brings live music to your living room


In the face of ever-tightening restrictions on gatherings, wave of Seattle musicians and artists are taking their shows online.




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Seattle Symphony furloughs three-quarters of its staff, including musicians


Like many other arts organization in the country, Seattle Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has instituted temporary layoffs, leaving a 58-person staff from its usual roster of 250 employees.




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Frantic fundraising, relief that can’t meet demand: Artists and arts groups scramble amid coronavirus crisis


The coronavirus-shutdown crisis has ripped through Seattle’s arts and culture scene, guillotining income for individual artists and organizations while they scramble to cut expenses.





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Alan Lund, who taught and directed music throughout the Seattle area, dies at 81 from coronavirus complications


Alan Lund taught music in the Bellevue and Highline School Districts, and directed music for the Seattle Opera Chorus, the Eastside’s Cascadian Chorale, the Boeing Chorale and, most notably, the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society.




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Three-star 2021 defensive lineman Kuao Peihopa verbally commits to UW Huskies


Ikaika Malloe is no stranger to Kamehameha High School. Before he played safety and outside linebacker at Washington from 1993 to 1996, Malloe — UW’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach — starred for the Kamehameha Warriors in Honolulu. Perhaps he saw part of himself in his newest pupil. Kuao Peihopa — a 6-foot-3, 306-pound […]