Civic – Page 24 of 59

Senate Democrats grill Amazon on warehouse worker firing, COVID-19 procedures

A group of Democrats in the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Amazon on Wednesday questioning the company’s rationale for… Read More

Startup stimulus? How logjams and ethics are impacting federal loans for tech companies

A small business owner in Seattle waited nearly 12 hours to speak with a representative at her credit union, seeking… Read More

Washington state launches $5M grant program to help small businesses struggling under shutdown

Washington rolled out a $5 million emergency grant program Tuesday to help small businesses in the state that have been… Read More

Internet should be an ‘essential utility,’ WA schools chief says as state pulls plug on rest of term

The longtime problem of digital inequity has been thrown into sharp relief by the coronavirus pandemic as schools turn to… Read More

Google location data for Seattle shows decline in work, transit and retail trips — but not park visits

Seattle-area residents are taking Washington state’s social distancing mandate seriously. They have dramatically reduced trips to work, retail and restaurants,… Read More

Washington governor extends ‘stay home’ order until May 4, says it’s ‘absolutely the soonest’ state could re-open

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee extended the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order for an additional month Thursday. The rules, which… Read More

Microsoft president calls Washington state’s new facial recognition law ‘a significant breakthrough’

Microsoft President Brad Smith took a break from responding to the COVID-19 outbreak Tuesday to praise Washington state’s landmark facial… Read More

Businesses in Washington state that don’t comply with ‘stay home’ order could have licenses revoked

Companies in Washington state that fail to comply with Gov. Jay Inslee’s “stay home” order could lose their business licenses.… Read More

Privacy advocates alarmed after Seattle-area police launch online tool to report illegal gatherings

Police in Bellevue, Wash., are asking residents to report violations of the state’s “stay home” order online in an effort… Read More

How the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package impacts startups

The U.S. Senate passed the largest stimulus package in American history on Wednesday to cushion the economy from impacts of… Read More

Unemployment applications surge 843% in Washington state amid coronavirus isolation order

Washington state has seen an unprecedented spike in unemployment applications amid an order for all non-essential workers to remain in… Read More

Amazon calls DoD review of Microsoft JEDI win too narrow, urges sweeping reevaluation of bids

For months Amazon has been pleading with a federal court to order the Department of Defense to review its decision… Read More

Washington governor avoids ‘shelter in place’ rule, but warns citizens they’re not doing enough

Editor’s note: On Monday, March 23, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered all residents except essential workers to stay at home… Read More

Washington state authorizes mobile fueling; legislator calls it ‘timely’ as residents practice social distancing

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law this week that makes it easier for companies to provide mobile… Read More

Microsoft and Adaptive Biotechnologies partner to study immune response to COVID-19

Microsoft and Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies announced Friday they will work together to map the immune response to COVID-19. The goal… Read More

‘Tax Amazon’ activists petition for ballot initiative to raise $300M/year for affordable housing

Seattle activists introduced a petition Thursday for a ballot initiative that would tax hometown tech giant Amazon to raise millions… Read More

Pandemic exposes cracks in US labor market, leaving gig workers feeling desperate and exposed

When Uber announced this week it will provide cash assistance to drivers diagnosed with COVID-19, Vasil Denev considered whether getting… Read More

Lime temporarily shuts down in CA, WA and some European countries to slow coronavirus

Lime is pausing its e-scooter and e-bike services in California, Washington, Italy, France, and Spain, starting Tuesday. The company said… Read More

Washington state will temporarily close restaurants, bars, and entertainment/recreational facilities

Washington state will temporarily close restaurants, bars, and entertainment/recreational facilities statewide starting Monday, March 16 in the latest move to… Read More

Data privacy regulations fail in Washington state legislature

A bill that would have enacted data privacy regulations in Washington state failed to pass the state legislature before the… Read More

Washington state passes landmark facial recognition bill, reining in government use of AI

The Washington state legislature passed a bill establishing new guardrails on government use of facial recognition software. The bill cleared both chambers… Read More

Washington state bans large events in three counties to slow spread of COVID-19, governor calls pandemic ‘extremely dangerous’

Washington state is canceling events with more than 250 attendees in three counties through the end of March, Gov. Jay… Read More