On December 31, 2019, First and Pike News, the iconic newsstand located in the entryway of Pike Place Market, closes after 40 years, its demise mirroring the decline of the newspaper industry and the ...
On January 20, 2020, the first confirmed case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the United States is diagnosed in Snohomish County, north of Seattle. The patient is a 35-year-old man who has recently ret...
Washingtn Governor Jay Inslee declares a State of Emergency following the first two reported U.S. deaths from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), in Kirkland, on February 29, 2020. The deaths actuall...
On March 9, 2020, with two weeks left in the winter quarter, the University of Washington moves to hold all classes online to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. More than 52,000 students, along with fac...
Washington Governor Jay Inslee (b. 1951) orders a statewide school closure to slow the spread of COVID-19, on March 13, 2020. Several schools in the Puget Sound region have already been shuttered for ...
Washington residents begin a period of COVID-19 isolation when Governor Jay Inslee (b. 1951) issues a statewide "Stay Home-Stay Healthy" order on March 23, 2020. The order changes life fundamentally f...
On March 23, 2020, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) unexpectedly closes the West Seattle Bridge after rapidly expanding cracks are found in its support structure. Further investigation ...
On April 8, 2020, a severe COVID-19 outbreak at the Spokane Veterans Home results in the first of many deaths. The deceased was a resident who had been on end-of-life care before contracting the coron...
The Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Wallula shuts down on April 23, 2020 because of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak among its workers. The company takes this step when more than 100 cases of the virus and one d...
On April 29, 2020, volunteers hand out free potatoes in a drive-through giveaway that causes a rare traffic jam in the small Eastern Washington city of Ritzville in Adams County. The distribution of n...
On June 12, 2020, Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County calls for a statewide day of action that includes a March of Silence and a general strike. The protest is one of scores held across the nation ...
On October 6, 2020, the Seattle Storm completes a three-game sweep of the Las Vegas Aces to win its fourth WNBA championship. The victory caps a season like no other in league history. Because of the ...
On October 7, 2020, Bartell Drugs announces that it has been purchased by Rite Aid. The sale of the 130-year old company brings an end to the oldest family owned drugstore chain in the country.
On November 26, 2020, about a dozen family members and friends of Black theater pioneer Douglas Q. Barnett gather to celebrate the naming of Douglas Q. Barnett Street, a one-block honorary designation...
On December 29, 2020, at 5:50 p.m., the Washington State Ferry Suquamish arrives at Mukilteo from Clinton, marking the official opening of Mukilteo's new, $187 million ferry terminal. The pr...