Fate of Navy aviators in Cascades unknown
The wreckage of a U.S. Navy fighter jet was discovered on a mountain slope east of Mount Rainier Wednesday, but no trace of its two-man crew was found.
The jet, an EA-18G Growler, crashed Tuesday about 30 miles west of Yakima. The crew's names have not been released.
The pilots, based at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, were on a routine training flight when the crash occurred.
A Navy press release said it was preparing to send personnel to secure the site, which is not accessible by motor vehicles.
Earlier in the day, the Navy said it was working with Yakima County and tribal officials as the aerial search continued. The statement noted the rugged terrain of the eastern Cascades and a sudden shift to wet, cloudy weather were hampering the search.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Encampment clean-up effort says it's running out of funds
The Washington Department of Transportation's initiative to clean up encampments along state highways has had some success, but it needs more money, said Transportation.
According to the department, of the 1,208 unsheltered people from encampments who accepted housing by the end of August, n891 are still in housing — that’s nearly 74%.
The effort targeted 49 sites in Washington’s five largest counties — King, Pierce, Thurston, Snohomish and Spokane — and just two of those sites are still active.
Still, when Governor Jay Inslee asked the legislature for $10 million in the last budget to continue and expand the work, lawmakers only set aside $2 million.
According to Transportation, the initiative has about $5.5 million to work with through 2027.
The department said it will lose progress on the cleared encampments without more funding.
New option for flu immunization this autumn
Flu season is coming, and doctors are urging Northwesterners to take advantage of the new flu vaccine.
Last month, the FDA approved the use of a nasal spray people can self-administer.
Dr. Helen Chu is an infectious disease physician at U-W Medicine.
"So you can get a prescription from your doctor to pick up flu mist from the pharmacy and give it to yourself or to your children at home," Chu told KUOW public radio. "And it really will help, I think, especially when families are very busy."
Dr. Chu said she hoped the change will lead to more kids getting the flu vaccine.
Flu activity in Washington and Idaho is currently considered minimal. Public health officials expect the season to peak in December and January.
WA unemployment holds steady in September
Washington’s headline unemployment rate remained 4.8 percent last month, according to state employment officials.
There hasn’t been much fluctuation in that rate since March, according to Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist for the Employment Security Department. Economists had expected for some time that Washington’s job growth would slow after the pandemic as more jobs were filled. Economic data bear out those predictions.
“The unemployment rate has been holding around 4.8% for most of the year, and the strong job gains experienced over the past few years have slowed to relatively small monthly changes,” Vance-Sherman said in a statement.
Education and health services gained the most jobs in September (3,000), followed by construction (1,600) and wholesale trade (1,500). But other sectors shed jobs, including government, transportation, manufacturing, finance and leisure and hospitality (the latter category lost 5,300 jobs).
The total number of unemployed people in Washington fell from 194,304 in August to 190,342 in September.
October’s employment statistics will be released in mid-November.
Former NBC News journalist to headline women's philanthropy event
The Women Helping Women Fund said Wednesday that Mariana Atencio, a Peabody award-winning journalist and former NBC News correspondent, will be the keynote speaker for their 2025 “Give Like a Woman” event.
The fund is a nonprofit organization that promotes women’s philanthropy and raises money to support local community programs for women and children.
The group’s previous keynote speakers include pro soccer player Megan Rapinoe and Shiza Shahid, co-founder of the Malala Fund.
Heather Hamlin, executive director of the Women Helping Women fund, told SPR News the group hopes Atencio’s storytelling will help community members feel empowered to be their authentic selves.
Atencio’s talk is slated for May 21 at the Spokane Convention Center.
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Reporting was contributed by Brandon Hollingsworth, Ellis O’Neill and Monica Carrillo-Casas.