PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Augusta National on Friday postponed the Masters, another massive hit to the spring sports calendar from the new coronavirus that already is responsible for the loss of March Madness and the delay of opening day baseball. So much for that annual rite of spring and the first week in […]

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — The house of Hall of Fame golfer Davis Love III was destroyed by fire early Friday morning in a blaze that could not be controlled, even with 16 firefighters arriving within minutes, the fire chief said. No one from Love’s family was injured. “While everyone in our family is […]

Under normal circumstances, this would be a perfect time to sneak in a round or two (or four), but of course, that’s impossible. All courses in the state have been shut down by virtue of Gov. Inslee’s shelter-at-home order March 23.

Any course planning to reopen must comply to guidelines developed by the governor's office. The most notable will be the limit of two people per group instead of threesomes or foursomes in groups. The only exception: If all the people are from the same household, a foursome is acceptable.

Folks were teeming with joy Tuesday at Bellevue Golf Course, which booked out within minutes of Gov. Jay Inslee's announcement last week that it was OK to play golf after a two-month shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Scott and Craig found a good course for a couple of duffers who hadn’t swung a club in weeks.

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.

Throughout Friday, on this page, we’ll be posting updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world.

Gov. Kate Brown announced earlier this week that some outdoor recreation activities can resume as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The suit argues that emergency powers only last for 30 days and after that Brown would have needed legislative approval.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Lottery officials will slash 60 jobs and furlough most other workers in response to a budget gap that comes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and state stay-home order. The cuts come six weeks after Oregonians last gambled on video lottery machines, which bring in the majority of the […]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Byron Mallott, who served as Alaska’s lieutenant governor as part of a “unity ticket” with former Gov. Bill Walker, died Friday. He was 77. Walker called Mallott’s death a “huge shock.” He said they maintained a relationship after leaving office in 2018 and that his last communication with Mallott was about […]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court rules an effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy can move forward.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that an effort aimed at recalling Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy from office can proceed, a movement initially fueled by public outrage over spending cuts he’d proposed. The court had previously allowed the Recall Dunleavy campaign to proceed with a second signature-gathering phase while it heard […]

Five TSA employees nationwide have died of COVID-19, and 516 employees have tested positive, including seven at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the death total to at least 124 in Oregon, state officials said. The Oregon Health Authority said Friday that another 75 cases were confirmed, and that 3,032 Oregonians have tested positive for the coronavirus. The three newly-reported deaths include an 80-year-old woman and […]

A 70-year-old mother in Portland, Ore., thought she was most at risk in her family for the coronavirus. Her fears became real for her adult son in Utah — and all she could do was stand by for word.

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.

Inslee's stay-home order, initially issued in March, bans church and religious services, but permits one-on-one "religious counseling," state lawyers argued.

Prosecutor Adam Cornell likened the decision by Sheriff Adam Fortney to publicly question and refuse to enforce the stay-home order "to yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater."

One of the hottest debates in the coronavirus pandemic is whether the malaria drugs promoted as possible treatments by President Donald Trump really work. But Americans don’t seem overly eager to help answer the question. Enrollment in several clinical trials of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — including two by the University of Washington — has been […]

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.

While this year’s Mother’s Day weekend promises warm weather, Seattle officials are restricting hours in city parks out of fears that large crowds hoping to enjoy the sun could further spread the novel coronavirus. A recent report shows the COVID-19 transmission rate in Western Washington may be steadily increasing, suggesting that the number of virus cases […]

The defending champions are going back to the Women's World Cup title game. Two early goals from Christen Press and birthday girl Alex Morgan lifted the U.S. past England and into the championship match, where the Americans will face either the Netherlands or Sweden.

In an article for The Players' Tribune, Seattle Storm star Sue Bird weighed in on what it's like to witness her girlfriend get criticized on Twitter by President Donald Trump, on pay equity in women's athletics and more.

Alex Morgan celebrated her go-ahead goal with a cheeky tea-sipping celebration and Alyssa Naeher stopped a late penalty kick to send the United States into the final at the Women's World Cup with a 2-1 victory over England on Tuesday.

A hamstring injury kept Megan Rapinoe on the sidelines of the United States' semifinal win over England. But it didn't stop her from pouring off the bench with the other substitutes to congratulate their teammates.

Megan Rapinoe considers Sunday to be the final insult. The Women's World Cup final will have to compete with two others men's finals, the Copa America and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. "It's ridiculous, and disappointing, to be honest," Rapinoe said.

As the U.S. women's national soccer team played Japan for the World Cup trophy in Vancouver, Rose Lavelle was 140 miles south eating pizza in Seattle. Four years on, Lavelle is in position to help the United States win another championship.

It has been 20 years since that final, and Sunday the United States will seek its fourth World Cup title. The meaning of Brandi Chastain’s viral celebration has continued to evolve, though, even for Chastain.

The USWNT is on the verge of winning another Women's World Cup, and they've gotten to the final with a brash confidence that they shouldn't need to apologize for. If you're offended, the operative phrase is: "Wah, wah, wah."

The U.S. and Netherlands entered halftime scoreless, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Megan Rapinoe struck first on a penalty kick to open the first lead of the game and 24-year-old Rose Lavelle added a second goal to clinch the Americans' second straight World Cup title.

The United States won its record fourth Women's World Cup title and second in a row, beating the Netherlands 2-0 Sunday when Megan Rapinoe converted a penalty kick in the second half and Rose Lavelle added a goal.

By the 8 a.m. kickoff, Rhein Haus in Capitol Hill was brought to standing-room only with an estimated 850-person crowd, the largest the restaurant has ever seen for a soccer game, general manager Jeremy Walcott said.

Megan Rapinoe charmed fans with her waggish personality and utter lack of a rhetorical filter; drew the ire of the President on social media; antagonized officials in FIFA and her own federation, both of whom she has deemed not sufficiently interested in helping the women’s game grow.

Women's soccer engages the U.S. every four years, then disappears for most fans. In the wake of the Americans' record-setting fourth World Cup title Sunday, the hard part remains: the weekly work of boosting the National Women's Soccer League, where average attendance remains at a minor league level.

Two days after winning the United States’ second consecutive World Cup title and record fourth overall, co-captain Megan Rapinoe was ready to declare this year’s squad the best women’s soccer team ever. “With all respect to every team that’s come before, I just think the game has gone so much further than it ever has.”

Co-captain Megan Rapinoe and her teammates shared a float with Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro. Rapinoe struck her now-famous victory pose, took a swig of Champagne and handed the bottle to a fan.

“This is my charge to everyone: We have to be better, we have to love more and hate less. Listen more and talk less. It is our responsibility to make this world a better place,” soccer star Megan Rapinoe told the crowd gathered for the parade in New York.

Going forward, the big question is whether the NWSL, and professional women's sports in general, can capitalize on the momentum created by the U.S. women's national team's success. Doing so would require an investment from more than just the athletes. “I think it’s time that everyone else steps up,” Rapinoe said.

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A substitute teacher at a Massachusetts high school has been fired for smoking marijuana in class and leading a discussion about the drug, the school’s principal said. The teacher was fired Monday from North Attleborough High School after students reported the incident to officials, according to a statement from Principal […]

In 2018, Lesotho became the first African nation to issue licenses for the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Foreign investors including Canadian companies Supreme Cannabis Co., Canopy Growth Corp. and Aphria Inc. have since poured tens of millions of dollars into a handful of facilities, drawn by the low cost of production.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is renowned for its craft beer and increasingly for its high-grade marijuana, but the state is keeping the two apart — for now. In a new ruling, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates both alcoholic products and recreational marijuana, says beer and other alcoholic drinks as of Jan. 1 […]

The new rules prohibit marijuana products featuring “a name, design or brand” that is similar to something you’d see in a candy or toy shop. But they aren’t as sweeping as the emergency ban swiftly approved in late 2018 that resulted in a backlash from businesses.

The U.S. marijuana business has the potential to grow into a global industry, challenging Canadian cannabis growers.

Americans previously could buy stock in Canadian growers, such as Tilray and Aphria, as well as American marijuana retailers like MedMen. This marks the first time that the American public can buy stock in an American cannabis grower.

Growers are concerned the government wants to use a heavy hand that could result in many crops failing required tests and being destroyed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency writing the rules, estimates 20% of hemp lots would fail under the proposed regulations.