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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to employees on coronavirus crisis: ‘There is no playbook for this’


Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent an email Saturday to his 140,000-plus employees, telling them he shares their personal anxieties over the coronavirus and asking each to make a "small difference" to help others. In a Seattle Times interview beforehand, he detailed his emotions the past week steering the company while caring for his family.




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Bill Gates, in rebuke of Trump, calls WHO funding cut during pandemic ‘as dangerous as it sounds’


Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend funding to the World Health Organization as “dangerous,” saying the payments should continue particularly during the global coronavirus pandemic. “Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds,” Gates tweeted early Wednesday. “Their work is […]




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Pentagon watchdog, in probe limited by White House, clears Microsoft’s $10 billion cloud-computing win over Amazon


The 317-page report by the inspector general also found that giving the contract to a single company — Microsoft — rather than dividing it among competitors was "consistent with applicable acquisition standards."




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Q&A: Microsoft’s technology chief Kevin Scott pivots to pandemic response


Microsoft's chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, spoke with The Associated Press about the pandemic's effects on his day-to-day responsibilities.




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Port Townsend wrestles with its increasingly complex identity and dizzying change


As a historically seafaring town that’s also way ahead of its time, picturesque Port Townsend hopes to grow respectfully, responsibly and authentically offbeat.




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Seattle-area temperatures could soon hit the 80s; here’s your forecast for the week


The early part of the week will seem like more of the same, but an approaching high-pressure ridge could really heat things up for the weekend.




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Fraudsters are faking Washington unemployment claims amid coronavirus joblessness surge


As Washington grapples with a tsunami of legitimate unemployment claims — more than 100,000 last week — the state also is seeing a rise in attempts by fraudsters to siphon off a portion of the benefits.




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Many businesses may follow Amazon in stretching out work-from-home policies, crimping downtown recovery


Business and government insiders say other companies and organizations are contemplating similarly extended time frames as they consider the new realities of the workplace in the COVID-19 era.




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Coronavirus Economy daily chart: Health sectors register most first-time unemployment claims


This series of charts provides weekly data on how the Seattle-area economy is doing during the coronavirus crisis.




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Lawmakers, machinists union urge Alcoa, Trump to find a way to avoid closing Ferndale aluminum plant


The Pittsburgh company plans to close its Ferndale aluminum smelter by July, throwing 700 people out of work.




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Washington adds just over 100,000 unemployment claims, but layoffs might be peaking


For the week ending May 2, the state received 109,167 initial claims for unemployment insurance, down almost 22% from the prior week, according to U.S. Labor Department figures released Thursday morning.




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TSA employees at Sea-Tac, other airports must now wear masks to slow spread of coronavirus


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




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Fraudsters are faking Washington unemployment claims amid coronavirus joblessness surge


As Washington grapples with a tsunami of legitimate unemployment claims — more than 100,000 last week — the state also is seeing a rise in attempts by fraudsters to siphon off a portion of the benefits.




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The Latest: Cycling’s European Road Championships postponed


The Latest on the effects of the new coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ Cycling’s European Road Championships have been postponed until next year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The championships were scheduled to take place Sept. 9-13 in Trentino, Italy, but the European Cycling Union says the “uncertainty of the current health crisis” […]




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Hamilton gets empty feeling thinking about F1 without fans


PARIS (AP) — Driving around Formula One tracks without fans cheering at Silverstone and Monza would literally feel “very empty” for world champion Lewis Hamilton. The first 10 races this season have been postponed or canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the iconic Monaco Grand Prix scrapped for the first time in 66 years. F1 […]




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It’s time to make it official and postpone the Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus concerns


It is beyond time for the International Olympic Committee to come to the same conclusion that virtually every governing body, and an increasing number of athletes, have wrapped their brains around. Namely, that the Olympics must be postponed.




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Seahawks’ emphasis on grit during NFL draft could come with a risk during coronavirus pandemic


At a time when the sporting world is throwing its faith into analytics, the Seahawks are an anachronism. While certainly mindful of the sabermetrics, to borrow a baseball term, they pay as much heed to the intangibles.




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As Boeing goes back to work, employees who got sick earlier are confirmed coronavirus cases


Confirmed positive coronavirus tests were reported for two Boeing Everett employees on Tuesday — the day employees returned to work at the factory. This raised fears and rumors among the workforce. However, the two had become ill in mid-March.




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Trump says he won’t extend social distancing guidelines


WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday the federal government will not be extending its coronavirus social distancing guidelines once they expire Thursday, and his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, predicted that by July the country will be “really rocking again.” To underscore his confidence, Trump said he plans to resume out-of-state travel after […]




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Boeing’s company debt now larger than New Zealand’s after huge bond sale


Boeing has raised $25 billion in a massive debt sale, allowing it to avoid tapping a $17 billion coronavirus bailout fund meant to shore up businesses critical to national security.




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FAA nixes proposal to temporarily close Paine Field passenger terminal


The company sent an email inquiry to the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday about shutting the terminal down, given the minimal passenger traffic amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.




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Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dies from coronavirus at 75

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, the duo whose extraordinary magic tricks astonished millions until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act’s famed white tigers, has died. He was 75. Horn died of complications from the coronavirus on Friday in a Las Vegas hospital, according to a […]




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Polar vortex brings rare May snow, low temps to US East


PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Mother’s Day weekend got off to an unseasonably snowy start in the Northeast on Saturday thanks to the polar vortex bringing cold air down from the north. Some higher elevation areas in northern New York and New England reported snowfall accumulations of up to 10 inches, while traces of snow were […]





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Trump ban on fetal tissue research blocks coronavirus treatment effort


A senior scientist at a government biomedical research laboratory has been thwarted in his efforts to conduct experiments on possible treatments for the new coronavirus because of the Trump administration’s restrictions on research with human fetal tissue. The scientist, Kim Hasenkrug, an immunologist at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, has […]




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Trump says ‘no rush’ on more aid as jobless crisis grows


WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s in “no rush” to negotiate another financial rescue bill, even as the government reported that more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs last month due to economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus. The president’s low-key approach came Friday as the Labor Department reported the highest unemployment […]




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House Democrats ask 5 companies to return coronavirus aid


WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic-led subcommittee overseeing federal coronavirus aid is demanding that five companies return loans the panel says should have gone to smaller businesses. The subcommittee led by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., sent letters Friday to the companies as its first official action. The House voted last month to create the panel over […]




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TSA employees at Sea-Tac, other airports must now wear masks to slow spread of coronavirus


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




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Fraudsters are faking Washington unemployment claims amid coronavirus joblessness surge


As Washington grapples with a tsunami of legitimate unemployment claims — more than 100,000 last week — the state also is seeing a rise in attempts by fraudsters to siphon off a portion of the benefits.




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Historic unemployment rate upends Trump’s reelection bid


NEW YORK (AP) — The record unemployment rate reported on Friday captured the pain of a nation where tens of millions of jobs suddenly vanished, devastating the economy and forcing President Donald Trump to overcome historic headwinds to win a second term. Just a few short months ago, Trump planned to campaign for reelection on […]




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Amazon will let thousands of Seattle and Bellevue employees work from home until at least October


The extension raises the prospect that one of Seattle’s busiest neighborhoods could be largely deserted for another five months.




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Many businesses may follow Amazon in stretching out work-from-home policies, crimping downtown recovery


Business and government insiders say other companies and organizations are contemplating similarly extended time frames as they consider the new realities of the workplace in the COVID-19 era.




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Amazon vice president, a distinguished engineer, resigns to protest firing of employee activists


Tim Bray described the firings as “evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison.”




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Amazon engineering elites engage in rare public debate over company’s coronavirus safety response, worker treatment


The public back-and-forth about a controversial, high-profile topic is unusual for a company that has lately enforced policies limiting what employees can say publicly without authorization, and for the seniority of those involved.




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‘Cultivated’ makes a compelling case for the natural power of a beautifully arranged garden in a vase


CHRISTIN GEALL IS a Victoria-based gardener who arranges flowers, and a floral designer who grows much of what she uses in her designs. She also is the author of “Cultivated: The Elements of Floral Style,” a gorgeous new book from Princeton Architectural Press. “Flowers shape my years now,” she writes. “They are both calendar and […]



  • Pacific NW Magazine

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Help us solve the mystery of this Suess & Smith masterwork 


THIS WEEK, WE present a puzzle. It centers on a national innovator in aesthetic glass that brightened downtown Seattle more than a century ago. The glitter of the Gold Rush lured members of two German families, named Suess and Smith, to Seattle from Chicago in the late 1890s. But physical gold was not their destiny. […]



  • Pacific NW Magazine

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Washington Attorney General’s Office looking into complaints about Brown Paper Tickets owing artists money


Earlier this year, clients of the Seattle-based online ticket broker — many of them artists and small-business owners — said they haven't been paid for events, some dating back to last year. Some, still unpaid, have been turning to Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson for help.




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Gather ’round the (virtual) campfire: Mount Baker Council Boy Scouts is hosting an online campout


With campouts in the outdoors currently not allowed, the Mount Baker Council, which has troops in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties, is hosting a virtual campout this weekend for Boy Scouts and their families.




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Longacres Mile headlines ‘Championship Sunday’ at Emerald Downs


The Emerald Distaff, the signature race of season for fillies and mares, has been on the same day as the Mile for years. This year, the track added the Muckleshoot Derby and the Washington Oaks.




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Killarney Lass has big win on Championship Sunday at Emerald Downs


My Grandpa pulled away late to win the Muckleshoot Derby, and No Talking Back won the Emerald Distaff during Championship Sunday at Emerald Downs.




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Del Mar preemptively cancels racing for Nov. 21 because of weather


DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Del Mar is preemptively canceling racing for Nov. 21 because of projected rain from the season’s first storm in Southern California. Track officials said Friday the cancellation is due to “an abundance of caution” because rain forecast from Tuesday through Thursday likely will result in a muddy main track and […]





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Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dies from coronavirus at 75

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, the duo whose extraordinary magic tricks astonished millions until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act’s famed white tigers, has died. He was 75. Horn died of complications from the coronavirus on Friday in a Las Vegas hospital, according to a […]




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AP FACT CHECK: Trump is not credible on virus death tolls


WASHINGTON (AP) — Truth can be a casualty when President Donald Trump talks about deaths from the coronavirus in the United States. He’s claimed that the United States is on par with Germany in keeping down COVID-19 deaths, which is not the case in mortality reports. He’s brushed off projections that deaths in his country […]




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Clinical trial enrollment plummets as volunteers are scared off coronavirus drugs promoted by Trump


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 […]




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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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Congress may want to learn from Canada before it tries to prop up local news with a COVID-19 ad campaign


Supporters of local journalism in Congress say a nationwide campaign of public service announcements about COVID-19 would both inform citizens and throw local news outlets a lifeline. But Canada tried the same thing 40 days ago and little of the money has reached news publishers.




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Why journalists at The Inlander didn’t jump for joy when a federal loan saved their jobs


Journalists at The Inlander, Spokane's alt-weekly, surprised their boss when they learned a federal loan would put their newsroom back together. Here's why.




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State crisis demands prompt budget fix


Gov. Jay Inslee and lawmakers must quickly and transparently cut state spending to get through the virus-induced economic crisis. The urgency of their task is driven home by a new forecast estimating a $7 billion drop in state revenue through 2023. Washington’s chief economist, Steve Lerch, emphasized that’s a preliminary, unofficial prediction, but it should […]




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Seattle-area temperatures could soon hit the 80s; here’s your forecast for the week


The early part of the week will seem like more of the same, but an approaching high-pressure ridge could really heat things up for the weekend.