COVID-19 has significantly changed how we live our lives. Parents are burdened with worry about becoming ill, caring for children at home and paying the bills. For families already living paycheck to paycheck, the toll of COVID-19 will have ripple effects for months to come. The impact of this stress will continue to weigh on our children – from a toddler who doesn’t understand why he can’t hug grandma to a high schooler missing her graduation ceremony. Recovery won’t be quick, even as the state’s stay-home order lifts. As a pediatrician, I am particularly concerned for the health of families this summer and their ability to access quality health care. There are two key actions Idaho leaders can take to better support the health and financial recovery of families struggling: protect Medicaid budgets from cuts and open enrollment on the health insurance exchange.

The path forward (into the unknown, the uncertain) should always begin with a few cautious steps in the direction you believe intended, while checking your bearings along the way to ensure you are truly on the correct path. Such is our path as we move into Phase II of Gov. Inslee’s Safe Start Washington.

Waiting for a legislative special session is kind of like expecting rain in Washington state. The outcome is inevitable, but we can’t be certain of when.

For one brief, shining moment – well, it wasn’t Camelot, but in Washington state in 2014 – there was a break in the decadelong control of the state Senate by the Democrats.

For many of the citizens of Washington’s 4th Legislative District, the hour before this year’s candidate filing deadline may have felt like any other Friday afternoon. For the candidates who are hoping to represent these citizens, however, a shell game of strategic filings was playing out.