Civic – Page 29 of 65

Apr 24, 2020, 5:19 PM

Seattle caps fees that delivery companies charge restaurants at 15% to ease financial duress

Seattle is capping the fees that services like UberEats charge restaurants at 15% in an effort to mitigate the financial… Read More

Apr 23, 2020, 9:52 AM

Big Tech’s reputation is rising as governments tap the industry in coronavirus response

The coronavirus crisis quickly became an unexpected life raft for the technology industry’s image as even its biggest critics enlist… Read More

Apr 22, 2020, 2:35 PM

Seattle tech industry fights proposed ‘Amazon Tax,’ claiming it will delay recovery and cost jobs

Hundreds of business and community leaders are asking Seattle officials to reject a new payroll tax on the city’s highest-paying… Read More

Apr 22, 2020, 10:37 AM

How President Trump’s new immigration restrictions would impact the tech industry

President Donald Trump’s moratorium on a key immigration pathway is sowing fear in the U.S. technology industry, which relies on… Read More

Apr 21, 2020, 5:30 PM

Washington plans 1,500-person contact tracing team as governor outlines re-opening strategy

Washington state plans to have 1,500 people conducting contact tracing by mid-May in an effort to map and control the… Read More

Apr 21, 2020, 12:59 PM

Good news for startups? Congress strikes deal to replenish small business relief fund with $310B

Congressional lawmakers agreed Tuesday to provide $484 billion to refill the coffers of a small business relief fund, expand testing… Read More

Apr 21, 2020, 5:00 AM

Microsoft launches Open Data Campaign to narrow ‘data divide’ as information is consolidated

The U.S., China, and about 100 companies are poised to capture the majority of the world’s data, according to Microsoft.… Read More

Apr 20, 2020, 10:10 AM

Washington state unemployment site buckles under demand as thousands attempt to file jobless claims

Out of work Washingtonians reported frustrating delays over the weekend as they sought to file jobless claims. Washington state opened… Read More

Apr 17, 2020, 1:46 PM

Dispute between Microsoft and Amazon over JEDI cloud contract is delayed

The protracted saga over a $10 billion Defense Department contract that pits Microsoft and Amazon against each other will be… Read More

Apr 16, 2020, 1:35 PM

Amazon CEO claims grocery delivery cuts carbon emissions by 43% compared to traditional shopping

Amid an annual letter dominated by the coronavirus crisis, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made a bold claim about sustainable shopping… Read More

Apr 16, 2020, 9:48 AM

Federal government’s $350B small business relief fund runs out of money in less than 2 weeks

The $349 billion earmarked to help small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis ran out of money Thursday, less… Read More

Apr 16, 2020, 8:35 AM

Wash. state gets 150k new unemployment claims; 76% of businesses warn layoffs could be imminent

More than 150,000 people in Washington state filed jobless claims for the first time last week as many businesses buckle… Read More

Apr 15, 2020, 3:50 PM

Amazon ‘bid high and lost’ on JEDI, Microsoft says after release of DoD watchdog report

Microsoft took aim at Amazon in a blog post Wednesday, accusing its rival of seeking an unfair advantage as the… Read More

Apr 15, 2020, 9:37 AM

DoD watchdog affirms JEDI award to Microsoft over Amazon, calls bias claims unfounded

A new report by the Defense Department’s inspector general found no evidence that President Donald Trump improperly influenced the award… Read More

Apr 14, 2020, 12:10 PM

Washington AG sues Facebook for violating state political ad law

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a new lawsuit against Facebook claiming the social network continues to violate state laws… Read More

Apr 14, 2020, 8:54 AM

Amazon fires two employees who called for climate change reform and better warehouse conditions

Amazon fired two highly visible employee activists who regularly criticize the company’s position on climate change and conditions inside its… Read More

Apr 13, 2020, 3:00 PM

Uber, Seattle and U.S. Chamber end dispute over union law as city plans minimum wage for drivers

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Uber, and the City of Seattle have agreed to walk away from a lengthy and… Read More

Apr 13, 2020, 12:53 PM

Washington, Oregon and California to coordinate on plan to re-open economies and fight COVID-19

West Coast states unveiled a unified approach to lifting lockdown orders and combating COVID-19 on Monday. The governors of Washington,… Read More

Apr 8, 2020, 1:57 PM

Senate Democrats grill Amazon on warehouse worker firing, COVID-19 procedures

A group of Democrats in the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Amazon on Wednesday questioning the company’s rationale for… Read More

Apr 8, 2020, 10:48 AM

Startup stimulus? How logjams and ethics are impacting federal loans for tech companies

A small business owner in Seattle waited nearly 12 hours to speak with a representative at her credit union, seeking… Read More

Apr 7, 2020, 1:27 PM

Washington state launches $5M grant program to help small businesses struggling under shutdown

Washington rolled out a $5 million emergency grant program Tuesday to help small businesses in the state that have been… Read More

Apr 6, 2020, 3:53 PM

Internet should be an ‘essential utility,’ WA schools chief says as state pulls plug on rest of term

The longtime problem of digital inequity has been thrown into sharp relief by the coronavirus pandemic as schools turn to… Read More

Apr 6, 2020, 10:30 AM

Google location data for Seattle shows decline in work, transit and retail trips — but not park visits

Seattle-area residents are taking Washington state’s social distancing mandate seriously. They have dramatically reduced trips to work, retail and restaurants,… Read More

Apr 2, 2020, 5:08 PM

Washington governor extends ‘stay home’ order until May 4, says it’s ‘absolutely the soonest’ state could re-open

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee extended the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order for an additional month Thursday. The rules, which… Read More

Mar 31, 2020, 3:42 PM

Microsoft president calls Washington state’s new facial recognition law ‘a significant breakthrough’

Microsoft President Brad Smith took a break from responding to the COVID-19 outbreak Tuesday to praise Washington state’s landmark facial… Read More

Mar 30, 2020, 3:29 PM

Businesses in Washington state that don’t comply with ‘stay home’ order could have licenses revoked

Companies in Washington state that fail to comply with Gov. Jay Inslee’s “stay home” order could lose their business licenses.… Read More

Mar 30, 2020, 10:21 AM

Privacy advocates alarmed after Seattle-area police launch online tool to report illegal gatherings

Police in Bellevue, Wash., are asking residents to report violations of the state’s “stay home” order online in an effort… Read More

Mar 26, 2020, 4:39 PM

How the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package impacts startups

The U.S. Senate passed the largest stimulus package in American history on Wednesday to cushion the economy from impacts of… Read More

Mar 26, 2020, 12:49 PM

Unemployment applications surge 843% in Washington state amid coronavirus isolation order

Washington state has seen an unprecedented spike in unemployment applications amid an order for all non-essential workers to remain in… Read More

Mar 24, 2020, 10:45 AM

Amazon calls DoD review of Microsoft JEDI win too narrow, urges sweeping reevaluation of bids

For months Amazon has been pleading with a federal court to order the Department of Defense to review its decision… Read More