Seattle Times Opinion, for the fourth year, is honoring community members and organizations that have made important contributions to our community in the last year. This year the full-page cartoon is by editorial cartoonist David Horsey. Always running on Dec. 25, the feature is a nice way to reflect on the unsung — and sung […]

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.

KELLOGG, Idaho (AP) — An avalanche at an Idaho ski resort that killed three people last week was triggered by skiers, despite the efforts of the ski patrol to mitigate the danger, according to a preliminary investigation. The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center said the ski patrol had taken steps on Jan. 7 to prevent avalanches […]

UW coaches understand the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and are fully in support of prioritizing health concerns. It’s just that no one could be quite prepared for the abrupt nature of this decision.

UW Huskies backup point guard Elijah Hardy who averaged 1.9 points, 1.1 assists and 1.1 rebounds gets a chance for a prominent role at Portland State.

The University of Washington and University of California say they are gathering additional information on a 2018 police investigation into alleged sexual assault by football players at Eastside Catholic School that did not result in criminal charges. The Seattle Times reported Saturday that two players were offered scholarships to play for UW and Cal, respectively, starting this fall.

With no games being played, recent sports headlines have centered around hopes and dreams — namely, the uncharted path leagues and teams must navigate to return to competition in the wake of the pandemic. Virtually all leagues talk publicly about their desire to return before summer. But behind closed doors, they are hatching different potential […]

MIAMI (AP) — Politicians, players and owners are trying to figure out a way to get baseball, basketball and hockey going again, not only for economic reasons but as a welcome diversion for a social distancing nation facing uncertain times. But to do so would require commandeering thousands of test kits each week for millionaire […]

A few nights after one of their players was injured by a dirty hit, the Johnstown Jets plotted to exact some revenge on Buffalo’s Greg Neeld. An all-out brawl broke out during warmups and the North American Hockey League game was postponed, much to the dismay of ownership and presumably the fans at a sold-out […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With the end of this virus-disrupted school year drawing nearer, a predictably bleak financial outlook for major college sports has emerged from the budgeting process. The West Virginia athletic department announced Friday a projected $5 million shortfall, with pay cuts for coaches and staffers queued up in response. There’s a $4 million […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Like a principal walking through a hushed hallway on the first day of school, Cheryl Nygaard felt the emotional surge of relief and pride last week as the Minnesota Vikings director of information technology peeked in on the video conference sessions set up for this most unusual NFL offseason. “We had all […]

Major League Baseball is reportedly considering a plan of restarting spring training in early June with the season starting in early July.

Getting a college scholarship can be tough in a world with no sports and social distancing.

The University of Washington and University of California say they are gathering additional information on a 2018 police investigation into alleged sexual assault by football players at Eastside Catholic School that did not result in criminal charges. The Seattle Times reported Saturday that two players were offered scholarships to play for UW and Cal, respectively, starting this fall.

The longtime boys and girls basketball coach was named the athletic director.

Earl Thomas was not arrested in the incident, TMZ reported. Nina Thomas, according to the report, was arrested for burglary of a residence with intent to commit aggravated assault. She was released on bond.

The presidents of the 11 members of the Big East Conference are leaning toward not allowing sports to be played at schools this season unless their campuses are open. Commissioner Val Ackerman disclosed the thinking of the presidents on Friday in a wide-ranging virtual interview with members of the media about the fallout on the […]

DENVER (AP) — At least 70 percent of U.S. Olympic sports organizations have applied for government funds during the coronavirus pandemic, a stark financial reality that underscores the frailties within the world’s most dominant Olympic sports system. The Associated Press surveyed 44 of the country’s national governing bodies (NGBs) — the organizations charged with operating […]

The presidents of the 11 members of the Big East Conference are leaning toward not allowing sports to be played at schools this season unless their campuses are open. Commissioner Val Ackerman disclosed the thinking of the presidents on Friday in a wide-ranging virtual interview with members of the media about the fallout on the […]

Het gaat na de eerste, zware klap van de coronacrisis beter dan verwacht met de sierteelt in Nederland. Maar uit de problemen is de branche allerminst. En dat heeft ook te maken met de impact op de bloemenhandel in maart, toen de veiligheidsmaatregelen wereldwijd van kracht werden.

Michel van Schie, woordvoerder van branchevereniging Royal FloraHolland herinnert het zich nog goed. "Het ging 13 maart in een klap heel erg fout, toen bleef 25 procent onverkocht. De maandag erop zelfs 50 procent."

Met name de export stortte in. Er werden rond een kwart minder bloemen geëxporteerd. Vooral de vraag uit Italië, maar ook de VS en Zwitserland viel enorm terug. Dat blijkt uit cijfers die het CBS vandaag publiceert.

Nederlandse siertelers moeten het juist van de export hebben. "De verhouding voor de verkoop is 15 procent binnenland, 85 export", zegt Van Schie. De exportwaarde bedroeg vorig jaar 9,5 miljard euro: sierteelt is daarmee het meest uitgevoerde landbouwproduct van Nederland.

Inmiddels lijkt de schade enigszins mee te vallen." "De handel is behoorlijk aangetrokken", ziet Marco van Zijverden, directeur van de Dutch Flower Group. Dat is een samenwerking van 33 bedrijven die samen de sierteeltketen bedienen. "Waar we in maart op indexen zaten van min 40 tot 80 procent, is het nu tussen de min 10 en min 20 procent."

"De luchtvracht is wel een probleem", zegt Van Zijverden. "Die is erg duur. Zowel voor de aanvoer van Afrika naar hier, als de export van hier naar bijvoorbeeld de VS."

Michel van Schie van Royal FloraHolland legt uit hoe dat komt. "Normaal gaan veel bloemen mee in het vrachtruim van passagiersvliegtuigen. Maar veel van die vluchten zijn gecanceld. Transport is daardoor relatief duur: soms wel drie of vier keer de normale prijs."

Toch is directeur Van Zijverden over de hele linie optimistisch. "De consument blijft kopen. Ook in Duitsland, Engeland en heel Scandinavië. De pijn is minder dan vooraf gevreesd."

Dat merkt ook rozenkweker Arie van den Berg uit Delfgauw. "Bloemetjes werden bezorgd bij ziekenhuizen en opa en oma. De afzet hier is nog relatief hoog geweest."

En helpt het dat het morgen Moederdag is? "Moederdag is altijd de belangrijkste week van het jaar", zegt Van Schie., "We zitten niet op het niveau van vorig jaar, maar het is wel aangetrokken."

Luxe artikel

"In landen waarvan de grenzen open zijn is de consumptie van bloemen hoger. Ook omdat mensen de tijd hebben om bij hun moeder langs te gaan", constateert rozenkweker Van den Berg. "Overigens zien we hier in Nederland dat de online verkoop is geëxplodeerd. De online winkels hebben nog een uitdaging om alle boeketjes klaar te maken en te bezorgen.

Maar het einde van de zware tijden is nog niet in zicht. "Het viel minder tegen dan we acht weken geleden hadden ingeschat, maar ik ben pessimistisch", zegt de rozenkweker. "Mensen onderschatten hoe belangrijk een goede economie is voor een rozenteler. Wij zijn een luxe artikel, dus we vallen als eerste van het boodschappenlijstje."

Van den Berg heeft nog niet gehoord van collega's die failliet zijn gegaan. "Misschien ook omdat de banken goed meewerken met leningen en aflossingen. Maar er gaan collega's en afnemers sneuvelen als dit langer aanhoudt."

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made it mandatory for its employees to wear facial protection equipment at airport screening areas as a coronavirus preventive measure. The decision will be implemented over the coming days. In its announcement Thursday, TSA also urged passengers to wear mask at security screening checkpoints. TSA has made it clear that passengers may be aske

Facebook Inc. will allow most of its employees to continue to work from home through the end of this year, according to a report by CNBC. The social media giant will reportedly begin to open most of its offices on Monday, July 6, and is in the process of identifying which employees can report to the office. Employees who can do their work remotely will be allowed to continue to do so.

Shares of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN) are down more than 5 percent or $5.37 in Tuesday's morning trade at $98.47. The stock has traded in a range of $72.67 to $136.51 in the past 52 weeks.

Japanese consumer electronics major Sony Corp. has developed a blockchain-powered platform that integrates transportation data from across different forms of transportation such as trains, buses, taxis, car sharing, on demand mobility services and rental bicycles. The common database platform or Blockchain Common Database (BCDB) utilizes blockchain technology for Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

Trade groups expect the British government to roll out new coronavirus travel restrictions on Sunday, including a quarantine for out-of-country arrivals. And they're already pushing back publicly.

China's exports expanded in April despite the global outbreak of coronavirus, or covid-19, pandemic hurting global demand, data from the General Administration of Customs revealed Thursday. In dollar terms, exports grew 3.5 percent on a yearly basis in April, confounding expectations for a decline of 12.1 percent. Shipments had declined 6.6 percent in March.

The United States recorded only 1,015 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest one-day tally in a month. While new COVID-19 infections and deaths are falling since the beginning of this month in the country, a coronavirus model cited by the White House is forecasting the daily death toll to reach new height of 3,000 by June 1. The daily infection rate is slated to increase mul

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned of a second wave of the novel coronavirus in the next winter, which, according to him, is likely to be even more devastating than the one that is raging across the globe. "We're going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time," CDC Director Robert Redfield said in an interview with The Washington Po

German stocks advanced on Thursday after China's exports saw a surprise 3.5 percent rise in April despite the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic, reflecting a faster-than-anticipated recovery in production.

European stocks rose on Thursday as China exports data for April exceeded expectations and bleak U.S. data released overnight prompted calls for more government spending.

Trade groups expect the British government to roll out new coronavirus travel restrictions on Sunday, including a quarantine for out-of-country arrivals. And they're already pushing back publicly.

Cornhole is making a comeback on ESPN. And NASCAR is slated to return to TV, but questions still remain about football, baseball, basketball and football.

The Taiwan stock market has climbed higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 120 points or 1.1 percent along the way. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just above the 10,840-point plateau and it's looking at another green light for Friday's trade.

The China stock market on Thursday snapped the three-day winning streak in which it had advanced almost 70 points or 2.5 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index now rests just above the 2,870-point plateau although it figures to rebound on Friday.

German exports declined the most on record in March as foreign demand was dampened by coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic, official data showed Friday.

German exports declined at a record pace in March as widespread lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, or Covid-19, across major economies hurt the demand, official data showed Friday. Exports fell by seasonally adjusted 11.8 percent month-on-month, in contrast to February's 1.2 percent rise, Destatis reported. This was the strongest decline since the beginning of the time series in August

Portugal's foreign trade narrowed in March from a year ago amid declines in both exports and imports, figures from Statistics Portugal showed on Friday.

European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos and Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf said separately on Thursday that the central bank was more determined to support the euro area economy during crisis periods and the bank stands ready to adjust all tools at its disposal, just days after the top German court ruled that the bank's government debt purchases were in violation of its mandate.