Residents of coronavirus-ravaged Yakima County must do more to prevent the spread of the pandemic, Gov. Jay Inslee said during a press briefing on Tuesday. "Right now the valley is, unfortunately, the epicenter of this earthquake of this virus,” said Gov. Inslee. Yakima County has 250,000 residents but has recorded more than 5,700 cases of COVID-19, the second-highest total in the state after the much larger King County.
- PUB DATE: 6/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

Big changes are happening at the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, or CHOP (formerly known as CHAZ – Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone). All morning starting around 7 a.m. Tuesday, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Fire Department have been trucking out orange barricades, and moving concrete barricades.
- PUB DATE: 6/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Alate-night fire in a vacant Longview house seriously damaged the house Monday, but there were no reported injuries, according to fire officials. Just after 11 p.m., firefighters received a call about smoke coming from the attic of the boarded-up house, located in the 300 block of 21st Street in Longview.
- PUB DATE: 6/16/2020 9:48:40 AM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News

A new ambulance is on the frontlines of Orcas Island Fire and Rescue’s emergency response fleet. Originally slated to roll out early this year, getting the ambulance outfitted and ready for service was delayed due to COVID-19. After battling issues with aging vehicles, repeated mechanical failures and increasingly costly repairs, the agency was in desperate need of a new and reliable ambulance.
- PUB DATE: 6/16/2020 9:44:50 AM - SOURCE: Orcas Issues News & Views

The Newton Firefighters Association said on Monday it is taking legal action against the city for taking down a remembrance flag last week that had been hanging inside Station 4 for the last 2½ years. Marc Rizza, Local 863 president, said in a statement that hanging the Thin Red Line flag “is a protected activity under the collective bargaining laws of the Commonwealth.
- PUB DATE: 6/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wicked Local Newton