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UNINOCCULATED CASES

Report: 94% of COVID-19 deaths among not fully vaccinated

OLYMPIA, Washington (AP) – A new report from the Washington State Department of Health said that more than 94% of recent COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospital admissions in Washington have occurred in people who have not been fully vaccinated. The Seattle Times data released on Wednesday shows that between February and June, approximately 97% of COVID-19 cases, 96% of hospital admissions and 94% of deaths in the state came from residents 12 years of age and older who were not fully vaccinated. In a press release, health officials said the report “reiterates the need for people to get vaccinated now if they haven’t already”.

SEATTLE POLICE DEMOTION CLAIM

Protests: Seattle Police Commander files downgrade lawsuit

A recently demoted Seattle police commander has filed a $ 5.48 million lawsuit against the city for discrimination and retaliation alleging interim police chief Adrian Diaz attacked him in police clashes with racial justice protesters last year Scapegoat made. Captain Steve Hirjak says in the lawsuit filed Thursday that Diaz downgraded him and falsely blamed him for the inappropriate actions of another commanding officer who ordered officers dressed in riot gear to use tear gas and blast balls into a largely peaceful crowd on June Janurary, 2020. 51-year-old Hirjak, a 27-year-old veteran who became the division’s first Asian-American deputy chief in 2018, claims his May 26 demotion and other ill-treatment affected his career.

DEPUTY KILLED

Man accused of killing a detective detained without bail

VANCOUVER, Washington (AP) – A man accused of fatally shooting a Clark County sheriff’s detective in Vancouver, Washington, was held without bail. Oregonian / OregonLive reports that Guillermo Raya Leon first appeared in County Court Thursday on charges of murder in the death of detective Jeremy Brown and possession of a stolen weapon. A phone message for his attorney asking for comment was not returned immediately. Authorities arrested Raya Leon on Sunday in Salem, Oregon, after escaping the Friday shooting against Brown, who worked undercover and was monitoring Raya Leon at a Vancouver apartment complex.

VIRUS OUTBREAK OREGON SCHOOL MASKS

Oregon requires indoor masks for K-12 schools

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – The state of Oregon requires students and staff at K-12 schools to wear masks indoors starting this fall. Governor Kate Brown’s announcement on Thursday follows updated national mask guidelines in schools and a surge in COVID-19 cases in Oregon due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. In a statement from the Oregon Department of Education, officials say they are working to create a rule that will require face coverings in all indoor schools – both public and private – for everyone ages two and up. This includes students, employees, contractors, volunteers, and visitors. Officials say the rule will go into effect upon adoption, but the exact date is unclear.

SEATTLE HOMELESS INITIATIVE

Homeless Initiative in Seattle is eligible to vote

SEATTLE (AP) – A campaign known as the Compassion Seattle to change Seattle’s city charter and force them to adopt a different approach to homelessness officially qualified for the November election. The King County Electoral Department confirmed Wednesday morning that the measure – Charter Amendment 29 – had 34,714 valid signatures. It took 33,060 to qualify for a vote. Charter Amendment 29 would require the Mayor to provide 2,000 housing or housing within one year, budget 12% of the city’s general fund for homelessness and human services, and if there is enough housing or housing for those living outside of Seattle, to keep public spaces free from homeless camps.

WANDERER DIES

Washington hiker found dead in Death Valley, California

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, California (AP) – A Washington State hiker was found dead in Death Valley National Park, where temperatures are among the hottest in the world. Authorities say Tukwila-year-old Douglas Branham, 68, had planned a 12-mile round trip through the California park’s salt flats but missed a flight home on Tuesday. He was discovered by helicopter on Wednesday. Authorities say Branham may have started his hike earlier this week when temperatures in the park hit 118 degrees. Inyo County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of his death.

VIRUS OUTBREAK HOSPITAL ROD

COVID-19 surge weighs on hospitals in eastern Oregon

PENDLETON, Oregon (AP) – Officials say over half of all patients hospitalized at CHI St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, Oregon on Tuesday tested positive for COVID-19. The East Oregonian reports that hospital admissions come because Umatilla County reported about 8% of the state’s total cases in the past two weeks, despite making up only 2% of the population. The county’s fall rate over the same period was more than seven times higher than the densely populated Multnomah and Washington counties of Oregon. Umatilla County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Oregon, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with fewer than 40% of residents being fully vaccinated.

INVESTIGATIONS – POLICE SHOOTING

Investigations into fatal shootings by the police are resumed

SEATTLE (AP) – The police investigation into fatal shootings can reopen for the first time in three years in King County. The investigation will now include changes that have been rejected by law enforcement agencies. Executive Dow Constantine signed an order on Wednesday providing the investigations required into every law enforcement-related death. The new procedures come almost three years after Constantine signed similar executive orders that change the process to make it fairer. Following a legal challenge, the Washington Supreme Court upheld Constantine’s appeals and accepted recommendations from some families that broaden the process and require law enforcement involvement.

HEAT WAVE EXPECTED

Heat wave expected in northwest Oregon, southwest Washington

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Weather officials say a heat and forest fire hazard is expected across northwest Oregon, including Portland and southwest Washington, as of Thursday. The National Meteorological Service issued a heat warning for the region from 11 a.m. on Thursday to 11 p.m. on Saturday, at temperatures close to or above 100 degrees. National Weather Service meteorologist John Bumgardner told the Statesman Journal it will be hot, but temperatures are unlikely to reach levels seen during the deadly heatwave last month. Officials in Multnomah County, which includes Portland, are planning to open five refrigeration centers and 15 libraries with extended hours.

AP US MONSANTO COURT ORDER

Monsanto is set to pay teachers $ 185 million for chemical exposure

SEATTLE (AP) – Three Washington state teachers who sued chemical company Monsanto for exposure to materials in fluorescent tubes have received $ 185 million. The law firm representing the teachers said the jury rejected the verdict on Tuesday. Teachers say they sustained brain damage from exposure to PCBs in the fluorescent tube at the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington. PCBs are mixtures of compounds that were banned four decades ago because they feared they could cause cancer and other diseases. Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, said the company disagreed with the ruling and was ready to appeal.