Daisy Zavala

“Now it’s like the weight of the world had been lifted off of our shoulders,” James Hook said. “We no longer are worrying about what will happen now. We have our cushion back.”

Traditionally a space where people can share laughs and each other company over great food, closures and restrictions have limited the dine-in experience at Queen of Sheba but they continue to receive a high volume of takeout orders.

People won’t take to the streets this month to shower the city with acceptance and visibility for the LGBTQ community as they normally do each June, which is Pride month. But local organizers are hosting virtual celebrations to fill the gap until, they hope, the normal festivities can take place this fall.

The state still faces significant backlogs in processing requests for the payments, which can be a combination of state and federal benefit programs that were expanded because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As Barlow celebrated his 93rd birthday in Spokane yesterday, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock declared June 2 “Earl J. Barlow Day” to honor Barlow’s numerous accomplishments.

Peaceful protesters spent part of their day using chalk to fill the sidewalk with colorful emblems representing peace and support for the Black Lives Matter movement, following a protest that ended in the deployment of tear gas and rubber bullets.

Since Gopher’s South Hill Outdoor Power was allowed to reopen, Dale LaBounty has been waking up early to work on backed-up orders so customers can gear up for yardwork this spring.

As investigations continue into fraudulent unemployment activity, Employment Security Department officials in Washington reported they were able to recover $300 million dollars from the unspecified “hundreds of millions” lost to fraudulent claims.

Astronaut Anne McClain, who grew up in Spokane, participated in CBS’s broadcast of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 launch, which was canceled 17 minutes before blastoff because of concerns about lightning.

In response to workers’ increasing concerns over the lack of proper safety measures in agricultural settings and food-processing plants, the state Department of Health will release new guidelines to protect the health and safety of essential workers in the agriculture sector during the pandemic. The decision to issue new protocols comes after fruit-packing warehouse workers began to strike for better safety precautions on May 7 and after officials from the Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traveled to Yakima on May 11 at the request of the Yakima Health District.

Workers in Central Washington’s fruit-packing industry have staged strikes and walkouts over the past few weeks in an effort to enhance safety protections against COVID-19 and to receive hazard pay.

A Nigerian crime ring is blamed for filing bogus unemployment claims that have cost Washington state hundreds of millions of dollars. The problem has led to delayed payments for state residents who have lost their jobs.

After almost two months, the owner of the Garnet Café in Coeur d’Alene opened the doors of her business to customers on Saturday and found it was an unexpectedly emotional feat.

Both Republicans vying to replace Idaho state Rep. Tim Remington next year promise to uphold traditionally conservative values. Idaho’s first all-mail election is Tuesday, and several primaries for Legislative and other offices are on the ballot.

Washington will spend $50,000 to study possible biases in the Washington State Patrol after an investigation found troopers search people of color, particularly Native Americans, at much higher rates than white drivers.

As COVID-19 stimulus checks flow in to help bolster the finances of families across the U.S., many immigrant families that include members without legal status and without Social Security numbers won’t be getting them, even if they work essential jobs.

Testing at a central Washington orchard found dozens of farm workers who tested positive for COVID-19 though they weren’t experiencing symptoms.

Markets will follow guidelines to ensure people follow social distancing rules and have designated entrances and exits. Booths will be spread out, and the number of customers per booth and at the market will be limited.

Access to electronics and the internet is proving vital to minimize the barriers students in bilingual courses face and improve communication with teachers.

Immigration activists staged a mobile demonstration outside the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma this week in support of a hunger strike inside the facility organized by detainees concerned about the lack of protection from COVID-19.