COVID-19: Seattle Podcast

KIRO Radio's Dave Ross talks with Gene Balk, data columnist for the Seattle Times, about how drastically the latest coronavirus case numbers vary throughout King County ... and why.

KIRO Radio's Dave Ross is back with all the coronavirus news you might have missed this week. 

First: what's the hold up with the next federal stimulus package? Dave walks us through a few of the major arguments, and where lawmakers have been able to compromise.

The national debate over vote-by-mail continues.

And in the last weeks of summer, what's still open, and who is facing pandemic-related closures? An update on Washington State Ferries, Argosy Cruises, and the Space Needle.

Dr. Teresa Everson, the health officer for Yakima County Health District, joins KIRO Radio's Mike Lewis and reporter Aaron Granillo to discuss the current state of the coronavirus outbreak in Yakima. What have they done to slow the virus, especially in a largely agricultural community where many people have been unable to join a lockdown?

Transportation reporter Chris Sullivan joins the show to explain what's going on inside Boeing with newly announced job and production cuts. Is the coronavirus entirely to blame?

KIRO Radio's Mike Lewis and reporter Aaron Granillo compare Seattle's case count to other countries. And Alaska has a new restriction for visitors entering the state.

Plus, Mike recommends WindowSwap, which lets you gaze out different windows around the world (virtually, of course). Check it out right here.

The second-largest teacher's union in the country supports strikes if schools try to reopen where there are high infection rates. KIRO Radio's Mike Lewis and reporter Aaron Granillo discuss how much kids stand to lose from another six-month closure.

And unions representing transportation workers want a federal mask mandate on planes, trains and buses. 

Local government employees in Western Washington will continue working from home until at least January of 2021. Is this extension really just our new normal?

Plus, is all the deep-cleaning and disinfectant spray at restaurants, in the subway and even at Disneyland simply "hygiene theater?" A new article in The Atlantic suggests as much, but Mike Lewis will keep wiping down the tables at his bar.

KIRO Radio's Mike Lewis and reporter Aaron Granillo bring Paul Gallant from 710 ESPN's Danny and Gallant on the show to talk about the coronavirus outbreak on the Miami Marlins team. How are incidents like this going to affect players, not just in baseball but in every sport?

But first: an expanded mask mandate went into effect on Saturday, and a new nationwide poll shows that American support for wearing masks in public is more popular than ever. Lucky, because coronavirus cases in Washington are still on the rise. We seem to be at a turning point, a local study concluded. Mike Lewis and Aaron Granillo discuss.

KIRO Radio's Mike Lewis and reporter Aaron Granillo preview the new coronavirus relief package coming from Senate Republicans. Just how much can it boost economic recovery?

The next phase of a promising vaccine trial kicks off today, with 30,000 participants.

And, does a coronavirus outbreak on the Miami Marlins spell doom for the rest of the MLB season?

Governor Inslee has issued new restrictions in Washington state on bars, restaurants, weddings, funerals and gyms.

Co-host of KIRO Nights Mike Lewis joins reporter Aaron Granillo to talk about the impact in a very real way, since he owns a bar himself.

Plus, extra federal unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of July, but Republicans and Democrats can't get on the same page about what to extend and how. Mike and Aaron discuss the standoff over an extra $600 a week.

KIRO Radio's Dave Ross and reporter Aaron Granillo discuss online-only school, and the return of a familiar foe: flu season. And, they debate the merits of the "pandemic pods" that some parents are organizing to avoid the burden of homeschooling solo.

We also check in on the latest soundbite from Dr. Anthony Fauci, who says COVID-19 will never - that's right, never - be entirely gone. But Dave Ross is confident that we can learn to live with it.

Many high school sports have officially been called off for the fall. Chris Sullivan joins Dave Ross to talk about what's happening over in Idaho, and the fallout this will have for student athletes.

What's driving the rising coronavirus case average in Washington state? We're  now facing new travel restrictions, and slower testing turnarounds.

A new study from the University of Washington and the state health department will test people at random for coronavirus antibodies, trying to figure out how common the virus really is. Reporter Aaron Granillo talks about getting his own antibody test results back.

And, Dave Ross and Aaron Granillo recap President Trump's first public coronavirus briefing in months.