Nicholas K. Geranios; The Associated Press

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee talks from a podium at a news conference. Secretary of Health Umair Shah is in the background.

COVID-19

Inslee: 94% of state employees comply with vaccine mandate

Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday applauded numbers showing that some 94% of Washington state employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have received exemptions from his mandate, and 3.1% are waiting to get a vaccine or exemption.

Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich looks on during the Oct. 16 football game against Stanford.

Sports

Nick Rolovich out as WSU football coach after refusing to get COVID vaccine

Nicholas K. Geranios; The Associated Press

Washington State University fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants on Monday for refusing a state mandate that all employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, making him the first major college coach to lose his job over vaccination status.

In this Oct. 24, 2020, photo, Sven Spichiger, Washington state Department of Agriculture managing entomologist, displays a canister of Asian giant hornets vacuumed from a nest in a tree behind him in Blaine. Washington state officials said Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, they had destroyed the first Asian giant hornet nest of the season, which was also located near Blaine.

Giant hornet nest destroyed in Washington state

Nicholas K. Geranios; The Associated Press

Officials in Washington state said Thursday they had destroyed the first giant hornet nest of the season, which was found near the town of Blaine along the Canadian border.