A break-in apparently led to a fire at a Port Orchard middle school early Wednesday morning. A burglary alarm went off at Marcus Whitman Middle School just before 5 a.m., according to officials with South Kitsap Fire. When police arrived, they found signs of a forced entry into the building and a fire burning inside.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 10:42:18 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Personally-crafted cards and notes were received with smiles this week by some of those working on the local front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “What a lovely gift, all those handwritten notes,” Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation Executive Director Linda Frizzell said Tuesday morning, following the delivery of a box full of the items — many with gift cards tucked inside.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 6:39:45 AM - SOURCE: Skagit Valley Herald (GoSkagit.com)

A Sunday afternoon blaze tore through a two-story house in the 17100 block of Brasher Lane, SE near Rainier, leaving a family of three without a home. No injuries or deaths were reported. Southeast Thurston Fire Authority was dispatched to the structure fire at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. First responders arrived at a fully-engulfed house fire.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 2:28:35 AM - SOURCE: Nisqually Valley News

Some fire departments around the country are growing desperate for more personal protective equipment and funding to fully operate during this pandemic. While most departments in the D.C. area say they have what they need, some recognize the possibility of running out. Some fire departments around the U.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDVM-TV CBS 25 Hagerstown

The global curve is flattening, but COVID-19 (coronavirus) infections are still rising and new hotspots, like Brazil, may be emerging. That's a big improvement from weeks of dire, exponential growth across the world. But global or even U.S.-wide stats are difficult to parse when you're trying to figure out if the local situation in your town and state is getting better or worse.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Popular Mechanics