As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy, tech giants Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft are benefiting enormously from a potentially permanent shift in consumer habits, leveraging their political clout by arguing that they are essential services, and gutting their competition.

The tax on companies with annual payrolls over $7 million would apply to gig-economy companies, such as Uber. But franchises, such as McDonald's, could avoid the 1.3% payroll tax.

ROYALTY FUELED THE roar of the 1920s in Seattle on Nov. 4, 1926. That day, the city welcomed a woman whom The Seattle Times called the “most beautiful and gracious of all Europe’s feminine monarchs,” Queen Marie. For the 51-year-old regal representative of Romania (then spelled Rumania), Seattle was but one destination on a cross-country […]

IN 2017, ABOUT three-quarters of the stuff Seattleites dumped in their blue recycling bins — from grocery store ads and crumpled cracker boxes to shampoo bottles and yogurt tubs — was shipped to China. These days, virtually none of it is. The majority of the material is being recycled much closer to home — at […]

IN OUR CORONAVIRAL days of school closures and social distancing, and with May Day here, this week’s “Then” image might be poignant. It depicts 130 people posing for a group photo at West Seattle’s Jefferson Elementary School on Saturday, June 1, 1985, just 17 days before it fell victim to the wrecking ball. As editor […]

THE DEEPER WE got into our isolation, the more I missed the old routines and simplicities of daily life. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed making the kids’ lunches in the morning, or quiet time in a coffee shop to work alone, or watching baseball, or hands that didn’t crack and bleed from frequent […]

May is here! As we welcome a new month under the stay-home order, here are even more suggestions for things you can do at home.

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.

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.

With social distancing efforts (or just distance) keeping many families apart for Mother's Day, our features staffers share how they'll be celebrating their moms this weekend. Happy Mother's Day!

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.

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.

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

Coronavirus canceled their mountain climbing trips and adventure runs, so these Seattleites found creative ways to stay fit, stay sane and conquer their lofty goals — all while maintaining social distancing.

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.

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.

May is here! As we welcome a new month under the stay-home order, here are even more suggestions for things you can do at home.

With a narrative that follows a 14-year-old seeking liberation from a cult church, Chelsea Bieker gets under readers’ skin with heart-filled prose in her sparkling debut “Godshot,” out now via Catapult.

As we move beyond two months of stay-home orders and life under the cloud of pandemic, everyone deserves a carefree laugh. These audiobooks offer guffaws and elicit smiles by the dozen.

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.

With social distancing efforts (or just distance) keeping many families apart for Mother's Day, our features staffers share how they'll be celebrating their moms this weekend. Happy Mother's Day!

After covering the 2016 presidential election, comedian and journalist Sopan Deb explored his immigrant past by traveling to India ...

Mark Few called Corey Kispert Gonzaga’s ‘player of the game’ in their win against Baylor. Here's why the former King's High star is winning over his coach and teammates, and how he's fueling another tournament run for the Bulldogs.

The third-ranked Zags roll past San Diego 94-59 to clinch their eighth straight regular-season title on a night Adam Morrison's No. 3 is raised to the rafters.

Ten years ago Wednesday, the 11th-seeded Huskies played in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16, a stage they have not returned to since. The run was fueled by Quincy Pondexter, who looks back on the season as the greatest year of his life.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s capital has shut down more than 2,100 nightclubs, hostess bars and discos after dozens of coronavirus infections were linked to club goers who went out last weekend as the country relaxed social distancing guidelines. The measures imposed Saturday by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon came after the national government […]

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 […]

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has won bipartisan praise for rallying supplies for his ravaged hospitals and helping slow the coronavirus, is coming under increasing criticism for not bringing that same level of commitment to a problem that has so far stymied him: nursing homes. In part-lecture, part-cheerleading briefings that […]

What do I want for Mother’s Day? I want schools to be back fully operational this fall.

“Coronavirus pushed Seattle to treat homelessness differently. Will those changes last?” [May 3, Project Homeless]: Greater than the fear engendered by exposure to the coronavirus, we are facing our society’s unwillingness to address growing economic inequality. It has taken an extreme crisis for local government to take action that has long been in its grasp. […]

Gov. Jay Inslee’s continued lockdown is not giving us transparency on metrics for reopening the state. Even with the so-called “phased approach,” there’s nothing that the public can look for to know whether the next phase is in sight. The governor keeps talking about “data.” The Seattle Times publishes graphs of the daily number of […]

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

The streets had been closed temporarily to through traffic to provide more space for people to walk and bike at a safe distance apart during the coronavirus pandemic.

Meet your new but shy galactic neighbor: A black hole left over from the death of a fleeting young star. European astronomers have found the closest black hole to Earth yet, so near that the two stars dancing with it can be seen by the naked eye. Of course, close is relative on the galactic […]

Meet your new but shy galactic neighbor: A black hole left over from the death of a fleeting young star. European astronomers have found the closest black hole to Earth yet, so near that the two stars dancing with it can be seen by the naked eye. Of course, close is relative on the galactic […]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top nuclear security official says the U.S. must move ahead with plans to ramp up production of key components for the nation’s nuclear arsenal despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus. Federal officials have set a deadline of 2030 for increased production of the plutonium cores used in nuclear weapons. […]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top nuclear security official says the U.S. must move ahead with plans to ramp up production of key components for the nation’s nuclear arsenal despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus. Federal officials have set a deadline of 2030 for increased production of the plutonium cores used in nuclear weapons. […]

Social media companies including YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook are removing a viral conspiracy theory video because of its false, discredited and dangerous claims regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Using materials available on site for a moon base or other construction would reduce the need to launch supplies from Earth.

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 […]

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — For patrons at a Montana tiki bar that has a back wall of a window into a motel swimming pool, it’s typical to see mermaids in the water five nights a week. So as the owner of the O’Haire Motor Inn and the Sip ‘n Dip Lounge in Great Falls began […]

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — For patrons at a Montana tiki bar that has a back wall of a window into a motel swimming pool, it’s typical to see mermaids in the water five nights a week. So as the owner of the O’Haire Motor Inn and the Sip ‘n Dip Lounge in Great Falls […]

Using materials available on site for a moon base or other construction would reduce the need to launch supplies from Earth.

Re: “Seattle will close 6 more miles of street” [April 24, Northwest]: The city’s Stay Healthy Streets initiative provides a safe way to get out and maintain a six-foot perimeter. We need many more of these streets. Seattle is lucky to have a long stretch of public right-of-way that’s ready to become part of the […]

“Coronavirus pushed Seattle to treat homelessness differently. Will those changes last?” [May 3, Project Homeless]: Greater than the fear engendered by exposure to the coronavirus, we are facing our society’s unwillingness to address growing economic inequality. It has taken an extreme crisis for local government to take action that has long been in its grasp. […]

Gov. Jay Inslee’s continued lockdown is not giving us transparency on metrics for reopening the state. Even with the so-called “phased approach,” there’s nothing that the public can look for to know whether the next phase is in sight. The governor keeps talking about “data.” The Seattle Times publishes graphs of the daily number of […]

Bernie Sanders was widely expected in recent months to win our Democratic primary, just as he had steamrolled the Democratic caucuses here against mainstream favorite Hillary Clinton four years ago. But in early returns in Washington's presidential nominating contest Tuesday, he was in a dead heat with the more moderate Joe Biden.

Suddenly everybody's a fan of big government, now that a crisis has hit. But we're not ready for this one -- precisely because of the decades-long movement arguing that government needs to be slashed and burned.

School leaders in Seattle have said our district is too big and diverse to transition to online learning in the face of coronavirus, writes columnist Danny Westneat. Yet they're trying exactly that in … Los Angeles?