The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles that cause COVID-19. The state Department of Health announced Saturday that it has identified three cases of the omicron variant of the virus. (NIAID-RML via The Associated Press) — An electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. (NIAID-RML via AP)

Health

Omicron variant found in Washington state

The three cases were found in Thurston, Pierce and King counties. The patients — two men and one woman – range in age from 20 to 39, according to the state Department of Health. Details about their conditions are unknown.

Coronavirus daily news updates, Dec. 4: What to know today about COVID-19 VIEW
With Lynnwood on the verge of a metamorphosis, Sound Transit seeks input on development
Michigan parents found in building; bond set at $500K apiece VIEW Updated 2:15 am
Washington men’s soccer team is heading to College Cup for first time after beating Saint Louis VIEW
Stuck jet stream, La Niña causing weird weather
CNN fires Chris Cuomo for helping brother deal with scandal Updated 2:15 am
Gonzaga men’s recent struggles aren’t reason to panic, but they do show what needs fixing | Matt Calkins

Riders walked on a ledge back to University of Washington Station, leaning out to look for any oncoming train, after their own railcars stalled 1,000 feet north of the station. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Heppner)

Traffic Lab

Apple Cup light-rail stall shows Sound Transit’s communication strategy needs to grow up

At the southern rim of the Grand Canyon, the O’Connell family from Seattle – from left to right, Lisa, Daniel and Nicholas – celebrate the completion of their four-day trek from rim to rim.

Outdoors

Seattle family checks off life goal with 4-day, rim-to-rim trek of Grand Canyon

San Francisco Giants’ Kris Bryant stands in to bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Mariners

With the lockout, all things baseball — including any Mariners’ buying spree — come to a halt

Don't Miss

Huskies

Washington volleyball team makes easy work of Hawaii to advance to NCAA tournament Sweet 16 VIEW

Boeing workers protest against Boeing’s vaccine requirement on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 outside Boeing’s production plant in Everett.

Business

So far, Washington workers pushed out over vaccine mandates aren’t losing jobless benefits

Seahawks

Seahawks may not realistically be playing for the playoffs vs. 49ers, but there’s still some key questions to answer

Law enforcement is seen at right outside the Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan restaurant at left, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021 in Seattle’s International District. The owners said unending loitering and street crime outside has devestated business. 218805

Editorial

Seattle and King County have deserted Little Saigon

Fund for Those in Need

Demand for services ‘skyrockets’ as The Seattle Times kicks off Fund for Those in Need campaign VIEW

Carneisha Grace, top right, and her sons Josiah Grace, left, Samari Glover, top, and Shawn Glover II at Childhaven in Auburn on Wenesday, November 10, 2021. Carneisha Grace describes being homeless for a six month period prior to receiving services from Childhaven in 2016. 218753

Fund for Those in Need

How one Seattle-area mother and her boys are overcoming life’s challenges

Seven-year-old Jacob Knapp, born with a rare genetic disorder, smiles after putting on a big hat at the Kindering Center on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. Behind him is his occupational therapist, Aaron Wong-Weinrieb,

The family has relied on Kindering Center for therapy since Kuba was three months old, when Kuba was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that severely impacts his cognitive development.

Fund for Those in Need

Kindering helps children with special needs — and their parents — live better lives VIEW

Akberet Kahsay eats a bowl of soup at Northgate Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. In partnership with Sound Generations and other organizations, the East African Elders Program provides meals, exercise and socialization for members of the East African community. 218826

Fund for Those in Need

Around King County, community meals return with a lifeline of nutrition and good company VIEW

Politics

As the year comes to an end, four of Vice President Kamala Harris’s top aides have left her office or announced plans to depart. Rumors have circulated since July claiming that some staffers were frustrated with her leadership style and hinted at dysfunction in her office.

A Kamala Harris staff exodus reignites questions about her leadership style — and her future ambitions

Bare trees and lifting fog frame the view of the Legislative Building at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, the day Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled his supplemental budget proposal. Inslee proposed tapping the state’s reserves to meet a final timeline required for Washington state to comply with a state Supreme Court mandate on education funding, and he wants a new tax on carbon emissions from fossil fuels to ultimately backfill that withdrawal. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) WATW105

WA Cares tax for long-term care may not hit your paycheck in January after all

$Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Green, a Republican from Georgia, speaks during a protest outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Republican lawmakers in Washington are fracturing over President Trump’s futile effort to persuade Congress to overturn his re-election defeat, as his allies spar with conservatives who say the Constitution doesn’t give them the power to override voters. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg 775608673$

What ‘your’ vs. ‘you’re’ says about Congress right now

No shortage of sanction options if Russia invades Ukraine Updated 2:15 am

U.S. warns it has ‘tools’ to deal with Iran if nuclear talks fail

Trump media partner says it has lined up $1B in capital

It’s a critical moment for Roe and the Supreme Court’s legitimacy

Alleged Proud Boys associate charged in Capitol riot after FBI identified him in a photo with Sidney Powell