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Washington state lifts COVID-19 restrictions for a full reopening: Here's what you need to know
CDC director: Vaccinated people 'safe' from delta variant, do not need to wear masks | TheHill
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that fully vaccinated people are "safe" from the current variants and do not need to wear masks, doubling down on CDC guidance as some others call for a return to mask wearing.
But Walensky said that the CDC's guidance has not changed and that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, echoing other health experts who note that the vaccines are highly effective even against the delta variant.
Extreme heat's impact on Northwest infrastructure gives a taste of climate change | king5.com
Here Comes The Sun: How To Prepare And Stay Safe As Temps Rise And Fire Danger Heats Up | Northwest Public Broadcasting
Washington state is reopening this week. Here's what you need to know | Crosscut
From mask rules to where you can go around town, Crosscut answers your questions about what life without COVID restrictions may look like.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces Randy Moore as New Forest Service Chief | USDA
As drought deepens, no declaration planned in Washington | Grains and row crops | capitalpress.com
The Washington Department of Ecology has no plans to move forward with declaring a drought, as Eastern Washington bakes and wheat farmers harvest smaller crops.
Ecology drought coordinator Jeff Marti acknowledged Friday that dry-land wheat farmers are being "hammered" by the second-driest spring in state history followed by heat waves.
A drought declaration, however, won't bring water to non-irrigated farmland, he said. "I want to make sure that if we do declare drought, it is to accomplish something and be an actual benefit."
How to Breathe Hope Into Our “New Normal” | Psychology Today
The science of hope and wonder can help us reinvent our post-pandemic future.
The Hazards of a “Nice” Company Culture
Have you ever attended a meeting that wasn’t the meeting? Everyone was pleasant and agreeable in the room, but then filed off to engage in back-channel conversations and hold kangaroo courts. This kind of charade is one of the many symptoms of a “nice” culture. But what’s touted as niceness is often nothing more than the veneer of civility, a cute nod to psychological safety, a hologram that falsely signals inclusion, collaboration, and high performance.
Cliff Mass Weather Blog: The Reason for the Extreme Warmth on Monday--And My Podcast on the Heat Wave is Out
Wash. state revenue projection for 2021-23 increases by $1.8 billion | KOMO
OLYMPIA, Wash. - State revenue projections for the 2021-23 general fund have increased by nearly $1.8 billion as the economy reopens from the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
The estimate was released Wednesday by the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.
Spokane agencies on edge as organization sets national fire-risk level at 4 out of 5 following drought, heat waves | The Spokesman-Review
A national organization has set its fire-risk level for the country at 4 out of 5, prompting fire officials in Eastern Washington to warn the community about the risks of a hot, dry and fiery summer.
Candice Stevenson, public information officer at the National Interagency Fire Center, said the fire preparedness levels guide where the national organization sends its resources, and how much will go to each region.
Commissioner: Potential Protections for the Ptarmigan ‘Something We Need to Stay on Top of’ | The Daily Chronicle
New proposed protections for the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan — an alpine bird subspecies whose snowy habitat is shrinking — have drawn the attention of the Board of Lewis County Commissioners.
On Monday, Commissioner Gary Stamper, whose rural and expansive district includes most of East Lewis County, said the recent announcement is “something we need to stay on top of.”
'Mini hot spell': High temperatures in Western Washington expected to break records
Turn on those fans and get ready for a summer scorcher: Seattle and areas of Western Washington are poised to see toasty, record-breaking temperatures today.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle is currently predicting high temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s on Monday due to an area of high pressure over the region before a cooling trend on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Record Temperatures Enveloping The West Are Not Your Average Heat Wave | Northwest Public Broadcasting
But this record-setting heat wave’s remarkable power, size and unusually early appearance is giving meteorologists and climate experts yet more cause for concern about the routinization of extreme weather in an era of climate change.
These sprawling, persistent high-pressure zones popularly called “heat domes” are relatively common in later summer months. This current system is different.
Delta variant: Here are the US states at risk - CNN
Some states are making great strides in vaccinating their residents against Covid-19, but the ones that are not may soon be contending with a more transmissible variant, experts say.
About 45.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, CDC data showed, and in 16 states and Washington, DC, that proportion is up to half. But some states -- such as Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming -- have fully vaccinated less than 35% of residents.
Scientists Are Trying to Make California Forests More Fire Resilient - Bloomberg
Wheat leaders send letter asking governor to make a drought declaration | WAWG
Grower leaders from the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) and the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) have sent a letter to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee asking him to announce a drought declaration in wheat counties so growers will have access to federal natural disaster aid.
Research: What Inclusive Companies Have in Common
We found that one particular culture style differentiated the diverse and inclusive organizations from those that were not: a learning-oriented culture.
Developing the right culture can be a slow and difficult process. Although achieving a shift toward a learning culture will take longer than setting diversity targets and paying out bonuses, we believe organizations that are able to pull it off will be the ones to build equitable, diverse, and inclusive organizations for the long-run.
Looming battle: NW Washington farmers brace for water-right lawsuit that Ecology is preparing | Water | capitalpress.com
WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — At the request of two tribes, the Washington Department of Ecology plans to sue water users in Whatcom County, raising the possibility of severely curtailing irrigation in Western Washington’s top farm region.
Salmon need more water, the tribes say. Receptive to that, Ecology invokes equity, climate change and environmental justice to justify the adjudication, in which a local judge will sort out the region’s water rights.
Top 5 cybersecurity challenges in the hybrid office | 2021-06-16 | Security Magazine
The pandemic has caused a tectonic shift in how we live and work. Many companies are slowly returning to offices while an estimated 40% of the U.S. workforce continues to work remotely. A year into the pandemic and one thing is crystal clear, the future of work is hybrid. Regardless of whether employees are on-site or remote, this convenience is now a permanent cyber-risk for businesses.
Oysters to the Rescue — The Nature Conservancy in Washington
So, as a leader, how do you keep your team motivated and engaged during your company’s transition? Of course, some of that will be determined by factors outside of your control, like the degree of flexibility your organization is offering. But the more say employees have over their work structure, the less resistance they’ll feel to the transition. Setting aside the things that are out of your hands, here are a few things you can do to ease everyone’s transition to whatever your company’s version of “next” looks like.
How to Lead Your Team Through the Transition Back to the Office
So, as a leader, how do you keep your team motivated and engaged during your company’s transition? Of course, some of that will be determined by factors outside of your control, like the degree of flexibility your organization is offering. But the more say employees have over their work structure, the less resistance they’ll feel to the transition. Setting aside the things that are out of your hands, here are a few things you can do to ease everyone’s transition to whatever your company’s version of “next” looks like.
King County mask directive set to end, vaccinations surpass 70% – KIRO 7 News Seattle
KING COUNTY, Wash. — King County Public Health announced a major milestone in COVID-19 vaccination rates on Tuesday, bringing an end to the countywide mask directive by the end of the month.
Tuesday marked a big day for King County, as 70% of residents ages 16 and older received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Now that vaccination rates have gone up, the mask directive is set to come down — in two weeks, that is.
'It's time to bring them back': Tribes' canoe journey calls attention to loss of salmon, legacy of residential schools | The Spokesman-Review
“It’s important to reconnect to the water, the land, the elders, but also to call the salmon home,” said Peone, who organizes the Spokane tribe’s canoe and often serves as its skipper. “But we need a good, clean home for the salmon to come home to.”
The tribes have been making strides toward that goal.
Late last year, Colville tribal biologists observed the first spawning chinook salmon in the Upper Columbia river system in a generation. This spring, Spokane tribal biologists found a newly hatched salmon in Tshimakain Creek, also spelled Chamokane Creek, on the eastern edge of the Spokane Indian Reservation.
Heat wave bakes West, toppling all-time records - The Washington Post
Updated one-page summary of Washington’s geologic history – WASHINGTON STATE GEOLOGY NEWS
Think you can summarize Washington’s geologic history in one page? It’s not easy. Washington has a very rich and diverse geologic history spanning hundreds of millions of years. From the Methow ocean to the highlands of the Okanogan, to the Selkirk Mountains, to the Puget Lowland, every square inch of Washington’s land has a story to tell.
CDC now calls coronavirus Delta variant a 'variant of concern' - CNN
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now calls the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus, also known as B.1.617.2, a "variant of concern."
The variant of concern designation is given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Vaccines, treatments and tests that detect the virus may also be less effective against a variant of concern. Previously, the CDC had considered the Delta variant to be a variant of interest.
The CDC said the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, shows increased transmissibility, potential reduction in neutralization by some monoclonal antibody treatments under emergency authorization and potential reduction in neutralization from sera after vaccination in lab tests.
USDA announces additional pandemic aid for producers and businesses | Successful Farming
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. As part of the Pandemic Assistance initiative announced in March, USDA pledged to continue Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments and to provide aid to producers and businesses left behind. Implementation of the assistance announced today will continue within 60 days to include support to timber harvesters, biofuels, dairy farmers and processors, livestock farmers and contract growers of poultry, assistance for organic cost share, and grants for PPE.