Last month’s emergency shutdown of the West Seattle Bridge has prompted Seattle City Council member Alex Pedersen to request an audit of the city’s 124 bridges, he said Thursday. Pedersen, who chairs the council’s Transportation and Utilities Committee, said City Auditor David G. Jones will compile data about maintenance spending and comparisons to peer cities. […]

The closures include streets in Lake City beginning Friday and in Aurora-Licton Springs, Ballard and Delridge/Highland Park.

Macy’s made its announcement the same week documents from Simon Property Group, the country’s biggest mall operator, outlined plans to reopen 49 shopping centers across 10 states between Friday and Monday.

Starbucks this week started reopening stores in Seattle that had been closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Tribes operate their facilities on their lands, where they retain decision-making authority -- despite Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-home order, in place until the end of May.

Brown said that on May 15 she will loosen restrictions statewide on day cares and on retail shops that were previously closed, including furniture stores, boutiques, jewelry stores and art galleries.

Gov. Jay Inslee this week continued lifting restrictions included in his stay-home order meant to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, part of phase one in his four-phase plan to reopen the state. Some outdoor recreation opened earlier this week.

Phase two is expected to begin for most areas on June 1, provided public-health data still looks favorable.

Just the second ever meeting between Washington and Mount St. Mary's. Four years ago, the Huskies dominated the first matchup 100-67.

Washington played its best game of the season to capture a 72-40 win over USC, but can the Huskies repeat this performance when they travel to the Bay Area this week for their Pac-12 road opener?

Coach Mike Hopkins faces his first serious adversity during his three-year tenure and his handling of the point-guard situation will likely determine the course of the season.

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.

Starbucks is planning to “gradually expand” operations at some stores in the U.S., citing progress in the fight to contain the coronavirus.

Starbucks this week started reopening stores in Seattle that had been closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The British Open is returning to Royal Troon in 2023 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Open on the western Scottish links and to stoke memories of Henrik Stenson’s magnificent duel he won against Phil Mickelson. Some 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the south, President Donald Trump’s course at Turnberry will have to […]

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.

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

State lawmakers in both parties are pushing to open the cannabis industry to out-of-state investors, a move that would align Washington state with the rest of the West Coast.

Pot shops and many, if not most, liquor stores in this state are considered “essential businesses” and can stay open under Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order.

The league softened the blow to its fans by announcing earlier this week it’s “extremely unlikely” games would resume May 10 due to safety concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Inslee's 30-point plan calls for keeping workers 6 feet apart at all times and making sure contractors provide protective equipment like masks, gloves and goggles, if needed.

As May rent deadlines approach, Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant and some other activists have added their voices to nationwide calls urging tenants to use tactics like rent strikes to push landlords and the government to cancel rent payments and provide other help.

BALTIMORE (AP) — U.S. home sales showed signs of collapsing in March, as the number of contract signs plunged sharply because of the coronavirus outbreak. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that its pending home sales index, which measures signed buyer contracts, plummeted a seasonally adjusted 20.8% in March from the prior month to […]

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.

ROME (AP) — South Korea’s capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities worried that people were getting too friendly at cocktail hour during the country’s first weekend of eased restrictions. The new […]

Some King County parks and public lands will reopen on Friday as the first phase of Gov. Jay Inslee's plan to reopen Washington's economy continues. Here's what's open and what's not as we head into a sunny spring weekend.

The theme park, closed since Jan. 25, will reopen May 11 at one-third capacity and with safety measures in place. The ticket sales are a sign that consumers in China are prepared to get out, and to spend money, as the nation recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

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

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — SeaWorld guests could be sitting in every other row of the stadium to watch orca shows when the parks eventually reopen, the company’s CEO said Friday. Interim CEO Marc Swanson gave an update Friday on a coronavirus safety plan under development, but no official reopening dates have been announced, the Orlando […]

The Pentagon has asked a federal court to give it 120 days to “reconsider certain aspects” of a controversial decision to award an important cloud computing contract known as JEDI to Microsoft, according to a court document made public Thursday. Amazon is suing the Defense Department over the decision, which it claims fell in Microsoft’s […]

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."

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s process for awarding a highly lucrative cloud computing contract to Microsoft instead of Amazon was in line with legal and government purchasing standards, a government watchdog agency said Wednesday. The Defense Department inspector general found no evidence of White House interference in the contract award process. But the report said investigators […]

Ron Judd re-creates a ‘typical’ exchange, where the case of a missing monkey quickly devolves into less-than-neighborly snark.

In the first phase of the state's reopening, hunting and fishing were reintroduced statewide, municipal golf courses began operating again, and more than 100 state parks reopened for day-use recreation only.

Many disputed the distinction between essential and nonessential businesses.

Brown said that on May 15 she will loosen restrictions statewide on day cares and on retail shops that were previously closed, including furniture stores, boutiques, jewelry stores and art galleries.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — IndyCar has gotten the green flag to finally start its season, which it will do in Texas with a nighttime race June 6 without spectators. The race at Texas Motor Speedway was the next one on the schedule that hadn’t been postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. IndyCar […]

The sports world has been shut down by the coronavirus outbreak. But that doesn’t mean we can’t lament the fact that, in normal times, Thursday would have kicked off the 2020 Major League Baseball season.

You could dream about Lynch coming back to the Seahawks, as he revealed Monday that the two sides are discussing, and this time leading them back to the Super Bowl. Or, you could make the case I’m going to make: Leave well enough alone.

THE new year is a little over a month away. Much happened in 2016 that is worth reflection as we look forward and think about what could happen next year. What do you hope to see happen in 2017? Will the state fully fund basic education? Which campaign promises will President-elect Donald Trump keep or […]

At 6:13 a.m., the Destination’s emergency beacon sent out a distress signal. At 6:14, the transponder quit transmitting. The boat was sinking to the bottom of the Bering Sea. Read Chapter 7 of No Return: The final voyage of the Destination.

Phase two is expected to begin for most areas on June 1, provided public-health data still looks favorable.

ROME (AP) — South Korea’s capital closed down more than 2,100 bars and other nightspots Saturday because of a new cluster of coronavirus infections, Germany scrambled to contain fresh outbreaks at slaughterhouses, and Italian authorities worried that people were getting too friendly at cocktail hour during the country’s first weekend of eased restrictions. The new […]

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 […]

Gov. Jay Inslee has released a four-phase plan to guide the reopening of Washington's economy and amenities. Here's an estimate of when things will start to open back up.

Seattle banned the use of playgrounds, athletic fields and sports courts weeks ago, taping off playground structures and swings.

Gov. Inslee announced Monday that golf and recreational fishing could resume on May 5 and many state parks and public lands will reopen as well.

Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday announced the easing of restrictions on outdoor recreation in Washington state, starting May 5 with the opening of golf courses, state parks, fishing and hunting. Here’s some of what will be different as our state reopens the outdoors.

Good news amid the coronavirus gloom: More than 100 Washington state parks will reopen for day use on Tuesday.

More than 100 Washington state parks will reopen for day use on Tuesday. But this doesn't mean you should abandon social distancing practices. Here's what you need to know before you go.