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A worker, who declined to be named, looks at a photo of Sebastian Francisco Perez who died last weekend while working in an extreme heat wave, Thursday, July 1, 2021, near St. Paul, Ore. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

Local News

8 deaths in county now suspected due to recent heat wave

The state tally of heat-related fatalities is now 78, officials said.

Kais Bothe relaxes in the cool in the city hall pool, as temperatures hit 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) in Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Northwest

Study: Northwest heat wave impossible without climate change

In Oregon alone, the state medical examiner reported 116 deaths related to the extreme hot weather.

FILE - In this April 21, 2017, file photo, Philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, right, and his wife Melinda react, prior to being awarded the Legion of Honour at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates will continue to work together as co-chairs of their foundation even after their planned divorce. However, if after two years they cannot continue in their roles, French Gates will resign her positions as co-chair and trustee, The Bill and Gates Melinda Foundation announced Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, Pool)

Northwest

Bill, Melinda Gates to run foundation jointly after divorce

If after two years they decide they cannot continue in their roles, Melinda will resign her positions.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019, file photo, a sign at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is posted near Richland, Wash. Officials say an underground nuclear waste storage tank that dates to World War II appears to be leaking contaminated liquid into the ground. The U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday, April 29, 2021, that Tank B-109 holds 123,000 gallons of radioactive waste left from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Northwest

Report: Over 57% of Hanford workers exposed to hazards

The Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board has recommendations for employees’ unmet health care needs.

(Wenatchee Valley Firefighters Local 453)

Northwest

Gov. Inslee declares wildfire state of emergency and burn ban

The proclamation activates the Washington National Guard to help in wildland fire suppression efforts.

Brush 1 and crew were mobilized, along with others, to assist with the #BattermanFire. The fire size is estimated at 7,900 acres with 10% containment. (Everett Fire Department)

Northwest

Wildfires burning in North Central and Eastern Washington

The “Batterman fire” near East Wenatchee started Sunday afternoon and has burned 7,900 acres.

Carlos Ramos hands out bottles of water and sack lunches, Monday, June 28, 2021, as he works at a hydration station in front of the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle. Seattle and other cities broke all-time heat records over the weekend, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius). (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Northwest

Washington deaths from heat wave rise to 30, more expected

The state reported 1,792 emergency room visits for suspected heat-related illness since June 25.

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter patrols the area of debris from a 737 cargo plane that crashed off Oahu, Friday, July 2, 2021, near Honolulu. The plane made an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii early Friday and both people on board were rescued. The pilots of the Transair Flight 810 reported engine trouble and were attempting to return to Honolulu when they were forced to land the Boeing 737 in the water, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. (Craig T. Kojima/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)

Business

Two rescued after cargo plane crashes in ocean off Hawaii

The pilots reported engine trouble and were forced to land the Boeing 737 in the water.

With the temperature well over 100 degrees, Spokane, Wash., firefighter Sean Condon, left and Lt. Gabe Mills, assigned to the Alternative Response Unit of of Station 1, check on the welfare of a man in Mission Park in Spokane, Wash., Tuesday, June 29, 2021. The special fire unit, which responds to low priority calls, has been kept busy during this week's heatwave. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP)

Northwest

Historic Northwest heat wave may have killed hundreds

Washington state officials had linked more than 20 deaths to the heat — a number that’s likely to…

Kwabi Amoah-Foreson of Tacoma thanks Washington Governor Jay Inslee during the "Welcome Back, Washington" celebration at Wright Park in Tacoma, Wash., on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. (Tony Overman/The News Tribune via AP)

Local News

Governor and others celebrate end of pandemic restrictions

Going forward, the biggest concern is improving vaccination rates in areas that lag.

President Joe Biden, right, listens during an event in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Wednesday, June 30, 2021, with cabinet officials and governors from Western states to discuss drought and wildfires. Others a the table are, from left, White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Northwest

As wildfires rage, Biden is raising federal firefighter pay

The president is holding a virtual meeting Wednesday with governors from Western states.

FILE-In this Feb. 1, 2019, file photo Bill and Melinda Gates are interviewed in Kirkland, Wash. Bill and Melinda Gates’ namesake foundation announced Wednesday, June 30, 2021, it will spend $2.1 billion to advance global gender equality. It comes as private donors, government officials and civil society leaders gather at a forum in Paris to make financial and political commitments aimed at aiding women and girls. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Northwest

Gates Foundation commits $2.1B to advance gender equality

The money will be spent on health and family planning programs and economic empowerment projects.

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2013, file photo, a protester rides in a mock coal train as other protesters demonstrate against trains carrying coal for export moving through Washington state in Tacoma, Wash. The U.S. Supreme Court won't allow Wyoming and Montana to sue Washington for denying a key permit to build a coal export dock. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were in the minority in the ruling Monday, June 28, 2012, against letting the two states sue the third in a case that would have gone directly before the high court. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Northwest

Justices deny Wyoming, Montana coal suit against Washington

The two major coal mining states have sought to boost exports to prop up an industry in decline…

Northwest

Nigerian man charged in unemployment scam to remain in jail

A judge agreed with federal prosecutors in a ruling that the man represented a flight risk.

Adrian, 7, jumps into his pool in the yard of his home while enjoying the warm weather on Thursday, June 24, 2021. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Heat wave: ‘Off the charts of what we’ve experienced before’

High temperatures bring safety concerns. Here’s how to stay safe as we near triple digits.

Gov. Jay Inslee waves during his Thursday morning press conference on extending protections for renters. (TVW)

Local News

Governor extends some protections for Washington renters

Under a new order, landlords can only evict tenants who refuse to seek help through a relief program.

People listen during a ceremony and vigil for the 215 children whose remains were found buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, in Vancouver, British Columbia, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, Monday, June 21, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Northwest

Report: over 600 bodies found at Indigenous school in Canada

The discovery that follows last month’s report of 215 bodies found at another school.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan speaks at a news conference as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee looks on, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at the Lumen Field Events Center in Seattle. Durkan and other officials announced Wednesday that a mass COVID-19 vaccination site would begin operation at the facility Saturday, and said it would be the largest civilian-led vaccination site in the country. Lumen Field is the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team and the Seattle Sounders MLS soccer team. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Northwest

Seattle’s rental rules to become law without mayor signature

The bills may help tenants stay in their homes, but may cause small landlords to quit the rental…

Point Roberts dangles below the 49th parallel — the line of latitude that was established in 1846 as the political boundary between the northwestern United States and Canada. (NASA)

Northwest

Point Roberts residents want border restrictions lifted

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene is pushing both U.S. and Canadian officials to safely reopen the border.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, grasshoppers are seen eating a plant in this undated handout photo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Federal agriculture officials are launching what could be the largest grasshopper-killing campaign since the 1980s amid an outbreak of the drought-loving insects that cattle ranchers fear will strip bare public and private rangelands. (U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service via AP)

Northwest

Western drought brings another woe: voracious grasshoppers

Cattle ranchers fear the drought-loving insects will strip bare public and private rangelands.