Ballots for Washington's primary election are due by 8 p.m.
Matthews Beach in Seattle is closed due to high amounts of bacteria in the lake, making it unsafe to swim. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)
Matthews Beach in Seattle is closed due to high amounts of bacteria in the lake, making it unsafe to swim. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)
Local News

King County beaches closed for fecal bacteria — can we cry fowl and blame Canada geese?

It can't be said for sure which animal is to blame for the fecal matter that closed six Lake Washington beaches in Seattle, Renton and Bellevue due to high E. coli levels. But parks officials and longtime residents have strong suspicions. Updated

Matthews Beach in Seattle is closed due to high amounts of bacteria in the lake, making it unsafe to swim. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)
Matthews Beach in Seattle is closed due to high amounts of bacteria in the lake, making it unsafe to swim. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)
Local News

King County beaches closed for fecal bacteria — can we cry fowl and blame Canada geese?

It can't be said for sure which animal is to blame for the fecal matter that closed six Lake Washington beaches in Seattle, Renton and Bellevue due to high E. coli levels. But parks officials and longtime residents have strong suspicions. Updated

Data

COVID-19 positivity rates drop in King County, but hot spots to south still burn brightly

Brenda Medero, a medical assistant supervisor, reaches inside a car to give a COVID-19 test to the driver at Sea Mar Community Health Center located at 31405 18th Ave. S. in Federal Way Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The testing site, where both walk-in and drive-though testing happens, is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 4:00 p.m. For an appointment, call 253-681-6600. COVID has hit south King County harder than the rest of the region. Approximately 15% of the people test positive. 214626
Police Chief Carmen Best listens, Monday, July 13, 2020, during a news conference at City Hall in Seattle. Best and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan were critical of a plan backed by several city council members that seeks to cut the police department’s budget by 50 percent. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

After protests near her home, Seattle police chief asks City Council for intervention Updated

A passenger has plenty of kiosks to choose from when he gets a boarding pass for his Alaska Airlines flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport around noontime Wednesday, July 15, 2020. 214508

Alaska Airlines warns nearly 1,600 Washington state employees of COVID-19-driven fall layoffs

Flower World fined $4K for banning masks on its workers Updated

Agency: Nearly 87,000 bogus unemployment claims filed in Washington state

Registered voter Keegan McElligott drops his ballot at the mobile voting center set up by King County Elections at the CenturyLink Field Events Center Monday. King County Elections opened a mobile voting center at the CenturyLink Field Events Center where residents could register, vote, or do both. Photographed Monday, August 3, 2020 214662
Local News

It’s primary election day in Washington; here’s what you need to know

Washington's Aug. 4 primary is upon us, with marquee contests including the gubernatorial race in which 35 candidates are challenging Gov. Jay Inslee.  VIEW

Set a calendar reminder for Mondays at 11:55 a.m. to make sure you can grab these bagels, baked by Roan Hartzog at Mt. Bagel and available for pick-up or delivery.
Food & Drink

How to nab an impossibly popular bagel from Mt. Bagel — and two other intriguing Seattle pop-ups to try

The Space Needle, Thursday, July 23, 2020 in Seattle.
Life

Space Needle reopens to visitors after host of coronavirus-related upgrades Updated

Don't Miss

Boeing 737 MAX planes are grounded on the west side of Marginal Way, across from Boeing Field, in Seattle, shot Friday, June 19, 2020. The tower from Boeing Field can be seen in background. 214304
Boeing & Aerospace

FAA finalizes its plan for the return of Boeing’s 737 MAX

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll watches over Seattle Seahawks Training Camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton Thursday August 1, 2019. 210908
Matt Calkins

Pete Carroll: Conscience of players, coaches serves as bubble for Seahawks’ COVID-19 prevention

Sisters Camille Myers, 7, (l) and Lainey Myers, 10, from North Bend pick blueberries at Bybee Farms in North Bend Wednesday, July 22, 2020. They were there with their mother Jess (at center) and pick the berries for smoothies, pies, crisps, to be served over ice cream and just eaten fresh. They come back to the farm several times over the season and then freeze them so they can live off of them all year long. The girls said they prefer picking blueberries over strawberries because you don’t have to bend over the whole time. The farm is one of the many places close to Seattle where you can drive less than an hour and go pick berries this summer. The picturesque farm is at the foot of Mt Si and is open for blueberry picking seven days a week from 9am-8pm. Hours may vary later in the season. Please check their website at bybee-farms.com/index2.html. 214555
Food & Drink

Need socially distant summer activity ideas? Wander flower fields or pick berries at these Seattle-area ‘U-Pick’ farms

Editorial

Seattle Times editorial board endorsements: 2020 primary election on Aug. 4

The Seattle Times daily audio briefing
Stay connected to the Pacific Northwest without missing a beat. The Seattle Times delivers top stories from around the region every weekday morning in just a few minutes.
Listen on smart speaker

Local News & Politics

Giovanni Johnson stands outside of the Seattle building where she lives with her two daughters Friday, July 24, 2020. Johnson spent six months living in a homeless shelter before she was housed. The vulnerability test that prioritizes people for housing gave her a low score — even though she was a single mother of two, former sex worker and fleeing from domestic violence. Data shows that Black people experiencing homelessness like Johnson are more likely to get housed when they aren’t required to have the highest scores on the vulnerability evaluation, which has been criticized in the past for favoring white applicants. 214569

COVID-19 forced King County to change its homelessness system. And almost by accident, housing referrals for Black people are going up.

Featured Columnist

30 years after the ADA, disability justice activists are rethinking what true equity looks like

Traffic Lab

Seattle sales tax for bus service headed to November ballot

SDOT seeks cheap ways to protect neighborhoods from traffic detoured by West Seattle Bridge closure

Former Olympia official to pay $5,000 fine over city-funded mailer opposing car-tab Initiative 976

King County Council approves transit worker raises, despite pandemic budget woes

Seattle can’t uproot Ballard railroad tracks to complete Burke-Gilman Trail, judge rules

Business & Tech

Boeing 737 MAX planes are grounded on the west side of Marginal Way, across from Boeing Field, in Seattle, shot Friday, June 19, 2020. The tower from Boeing Field can be seen in background. 214304

FAA finalizes its plan for the return of Boeing’s 737 MAX

PRODUCED BY THE SEATTLE TIMES CONTENT STUDIO

Sponsored

Nation & World

Shoppers walk past signs requiring face masks at the Jimmy John’s restaurant in downtown St. Joseph, Mich., Thursday, July 30, 2020. Area businesses are requiring visitors to wear face masks when entering stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic.(Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) MIBEN102 MIBEN102

‘Too many are selfish’: US nears 5 million virus cases  VIEW

Most Read Stories

Times Watchdog

Radiological Control Technicians are checking the dose rate in the room after separation of the glovebox which is set aside awaiting the separation of additional gloveboxes in the room before being removed. After months of planning and preparation, CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) workers finished safely separating three gloveboxes for removal from Hanfordís Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). As of April, 183 of 238 glove boxes had been removed from the facility at the Hanford Site. These 7,500-pound gloveboxes were challenging to manage due to a combination of their large size and unusual configuration. The highly-contaminated gloveboxes were once used to handle materials from the plutonium recovery process. Photo date: 05.01.2013

Sen. Murray, Rep. Smith seek expanded benefits for Hanford workers provided faulty respirators

Food & Drink

Set a calendar reminder for Mondays at 11:55 a.m. to make sure you can grab these bagels, baked by Roan Hartzog at Mt. Bagel and available for pick-up or delivery.

How to nab an impossibly popular bagel from Mt. Bagel — and two other intriguing Seattle pop-ups to try

Pacific NW Magazine

One of several peonies growing in Joanne White’s Redmond area garden. Photographed on June 6, 2020. 213208

A Redmond gardener finds peace, hope and focus in the life-affirming evolution of her landscape

Editorials & Opinion

Preserve dental benefits for our most vulnerable citizens | Op-Ed

Featured Columnist

Will the Tea Party live again?

Horsey Cartoon

Hide the Sharpie

Sports

Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marquise Blair in action against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) NYOTK

How will the Seahawks use Marquise Blair and Jordyn Brooks this season? Pete Carroll has ideas

Featured Columnist

How will the Seahawks use Marquise Blair and Jordyn Brooks this season? Pete Carroll has ideas

Arts & Life

Sisters Camille Myers, 7, (l) and Lainey Myers, 10, from North Bend pick blueberries at Bybee Farms in North Bend Wednesday, July 22, 2020. They were there with their mother Jess (at center) and pick the berries for smoothies, pies, crisps, to be served over ice cream and just eaten fresh. They come back to the farm several times over the season and then freeze them so they can live off of them all year long. The girls said they prefer picking blueberries over strawberries because you don’t have to bend over the whole time. The farm is one of the many places close to Seattle where you can drive less than an hour and go pick berries this summer. The picturesque farm is at the foot of Mt Si and is open for blueberry picking seven days a week from 9am-8pm. Hours may vary later in the season. Please check their website at bybee-farms.com/index2.html. 214555

Need socially distant summer activity ideas? Wander flower fields or pick berries at these Seattle-area ‘U-Pick’ farms

Here’s the Booker Prize-winning novel Moira’s Book Club will read next

A new subscriber benefit

Explore The Seattle Times newspaper archive.

Photography

Ahjeawnna Sterling (CQ), captain of the Washington Diamonds Drill Team & Drumline, gets help with her ostrich feather headdress before the Ujoma Fest parade leaves 23rd and Union for Jimi Hendrix Park. REF to more photos online 2020 Parade March & Day of Unity for Black Lives – LO Linesonly Saturday Aug 1, 2020 214652
Local News

Umoja Fest parade dances and trots through Seattle’s Central District  VIEW

Three girls jump off the dock at Green Lake Friday, July 31, 2020. The diving boards are gone but people are still jumping into the lake from the dock. Temperatures are predicted to be in the high 70’s or low 80’s for the next several days. 214656 214656
Local News

Photo: Making a splash at Green Lake

Along the first base side, Mariners employee Emily Wright, puts out some of the thousands of cardboard fan cutouts for what the Mariners are calling “Seat Fleet” at T-Mobile Park, Monday, July 27, 2020 ahead of Friday’s Mariners home opener. Fans can take their own photo and send in any time during the season for $30, and according to the Mariners website: “…the Mariners will donate a portion of every purchase to non-profit organizations supporting COVID-related relief efforts in our communities. What’s more? If your cutout “catches” a foul ball during a game, we’ll mail you the baseball!” According to Rebecca Hale of the Mariners, 5000 fans have already participated in the program. 214588
Mariners

Take my cardboard image out to the ballpark  VIEW

South Jackson Street, looking east from Pioneer Square, is bustling with cars, buses, a streetcar and pedestrians on Wednesday July 15, 2020. Wednesday, July 15 ,2020 214520 214520
Local News

Much has changed over 6 months into pandemic  VIEW