After initially telling businesses that individual disaster loans could be as high as $2 million, the Small Business Administration has now imposed a $150,000 limit without publicly announcing the change, people familiar with the situation said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Since its record-setting peak five weeks ago, the number of laid-off U.S. workers applying for jobless benefits, while still extraordinarily high, has steadily slowed. The trend suggests that the grimmest period of layoffs that began after businesses suddenly shut down in March has passed. Yet the economy — and tens of millions […]

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.

In many cases, the response from insurers has been: We don't cover viruses.

On the TV, a bearded man sits alone in an empty white room. He’s dressed like a military officer in a campy musical and is holding a giant bowl of popcorn that he touches only after using hand sanitizer. It’s a 15-second advertisement starring Captain Obvious, the spokesman for Hotels.com, urging everyone to keep their […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Anderson Cooper is a father, a milestone the CNN anchor says for a while he didn’t believe would ever happen. Cooper announced the birth of his son, Wyatt, Thursday evening on his show and in a lengthy Instagram post. His son was born on Monday via a surrogate, the newsman said, […]

Here's what's coming and going on Netflix in May.

The musical retelling of the life of Elton John leads the blast of releases coming to Amazon Prime Video.

These costumes, from “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes’ new EPIX miniseries “Belgravia,” are made by their details — and are the perfect relief, in photo form, for the day/week/month/year’s stresses.

Here's a complete list of what's coming and going on Hulu in May.

When Maple Valley's Zan Fiskum appears on “The Voice” Monday night, she'll be continuing a growing tradition started by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, and continued by wunderkind musician Benicio Bryant.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Tom Hanks says graduates of an Ohio university that named a film center after him are “the chosen ones.” The Oscar-winning actor delivered a surprise virtual speech Saturday to the graduates of Wright State University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures. The video was posted shortly before the ceremony began. […]

Looking for something to stream? Here are this week's highlights.

Fiskum destroyed an updated, slow-fast version of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” on the NBC singing competition show on Monday night.

Between Mother's Day and the expected sunny weather, there's lots to celebrate this weekend! Whether you'll be enjoying nature or continuing to stay inside, here are some things you can do while maintaining social distancing.

Twitch, the online video site popular among gamers, is looking for its version of “The Bachelor.” The company plans to fund a slate of original, unscripted series that would be live and interactive, airing two to three times a week, according to an internal document seen by Bloomberg. Its preferred genres are game shows, dating […]

Every Mother's Day, climbers flock to Mount St. Helens in festive dresses in the continuation of a tradition started by 'the woman in the red dress.' This Mother's Day, a new mini-documentary from OPB tells the story of Kathy Phibbs, a gifted alpinist who paved the way for a more inclusive outdoors community — and pink flamingos on mountain summits.

The Asian giant hornet, the world’s largest hornet and an invasive species first documented in the state late last year, can attack and kill a honey bee colony in a few hours. The Washington Department of Agriculture confirmed the first two sightings of the predator in December, and also reported two unconfirmed but probable sightings. […]

The suit, filed Thursday in Skagit County Superior Court, seeks an injunction requiring state agencies to expedite and toughen their oversight through emergency rulemaking.

(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump announced a $19 billion bailout package for farmers hurt financially by the coronavirus crisis. The aid plan includes $16 billion in direct payments to farmers to boost their incomes, along with $3 billion in government purchases of meat, dairy products and other foods, the president said Friday at a White […]

Yakima County health officials said they have identified 70 COVID-19 cases among farm and fruit-packing workers. Growers consider new state safety guidelines reasonable but unions say they give employers an easy out.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods suspended operations Wednesday at an Iowa plant that is critical to the nation’s pork supply but was blamed for fueling a massive coronavirus outbreak in the region. The Arkansas-based company said the closure of the plant in Waterloo would deny a vital market to hog farmers and further […]

The toll on the meat processing industry has stunned some of industry's biggest players, and prompted an urgent push to redefine workplace protections needed to keep products flowing into grocery stores amid the global pandemic.

Zenith Holland Nursery has seen times like this before — and survived. The Des Moines nursery opened in 1907, survived two world wars and remains open during the coronavirus shutdown.

Like many farmers and ranchers in Idaho, Ryan Cranney began feeling the effects of COVID-19’s disruption in the restaurant supply chain in mid-March. What was supposed to be a good year for Cranney Farms’ crops quickly turned into a surplus he couldn’t sell. That is when he took to Facebook and put out a call […]

While companies have been drawing on stockpiles of meat in cold storage, they have warned that supplies to supermarkets could soon dwindle as plants remain closed amid illnesses. Pressure has been mounting on the Trump administration to take action.

The plant, located in Walla Walla County, largely shut down last week amid a major outbreak that already had resulted in more than 125 workers sickened, including one who died. Since then, 56 more have tested positive, with more test results to come.

As global demand for french fries has slumped, potato farmers in Washington state are trying to figure out what to do with millions of pounds of tubers and avoid financial disaster.

Twenty of the farmers who sell at Pike Place Market are participating in Saturday's event, with pickup sites in Seattle and Renton.

In the mountains of rural Japan, “murder hornets” are known for more than their aggression and excruciating sting. They are seen as a pleasant snack and an invigorating ingredient in drinks.

“My parents have been through worse,” one farmer said. “We'll get through this.”

Sitting at his home in Florida, new Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth can only wait, like everyone else, for a return to normalcy while monitoring pitchers that are spread out across the country.

Acta spoke candidly is issues in Dominican Republic and MLB players complaining about the proposed restart plan.

It wasn't going to be easy for the Seahawks. The NFC West was already considered the toughest in the NFL in terms of balance and strength. And Thursday's NFL first round made winning a division title just a little more difficult for Seattle.

Here's a look at how Day 2 of the NFL draft shook out for the rest of the NFC West.

The Seahawks taking lanky tight end Colby Parkinson out of Stanford with their first fourth-round pick addresses a future and possibly current need

Single-game ticket buyers will get a refund while season-ticket holders will get credit.

As one of the Northwest's top high-school players, he’s accepted a scholarship to play for Washington State. But under a normal circumstances, Russell and his family would be weighing another option more closely — the 2020 Major League Baseball amateur draft.

Sixteen players will face 16 fans in the first round of the video game tournament, which starts on Tuesday morning.

The quality of the games, which include a handful of former big-league players, isn’t great. But it’s real, live baseball being broadcast by ESPN. Beyond the joy of watching baseball, these games provide a glimpse of what Mariners games and other MLB matchups might look like if/when they return.

Garfield sweeps the Class 3A state players of the year with Tari Eason and Meghan Fiso.

The 6-foot-9, five-star prospect was also the Star Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Coaching in the time of social distancing means plenty of emails and social media.

A satirical look back at some of the quirkiest, most eyebrow-raising things that happened in the sports world this week.

The WIAA said it is still waiting for clarification before proceeding.

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

The withdrawal came after the school sought details about his involvement in a months-long police investigation two years ago.

Police spent months investigating allegations by a 16-year-old girl who said she was sexually assaulted in 2018 by four Eastside Catholic High School football players, but prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence to prosecute. Lawyers for the players' say they are innocent.

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

Siebers hasn't played competitive golf since the Junior Presidents Cup in December in Melbourne.