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Seattle

We are at ‘half time’ in the pandemic | Attorney General, tribes join federal lawsuit over National Archives sale

by Chetanya Robinson | January 6th, 2021

We are at ‘half time’ in the pandemic

State health officials urged caution around COVID-19 in a press conference at the end of December. While there has been a slight decrease in positive tests, the state is still seeing the highest rate of cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Dr. Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases.

Umair Shah, state secretary of health, compared the pandemic to a football game in which Washington is at “half time” and urged people to continue following safety precautions.

Read more in the Jan. 6-12, 2021 issue.

What we know about how unhoused people can receive COVID-19 vaccines

by Chetanya Robinson | January 6th, 2021

Medical workers, staff and residents at long-term care facilities are starting to receive their doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as King County and the state roll out the first phase of their vaccination plan. Next in line is a group that includes residents and staff at shelters, as well as school staff, essential workers, people in jail, emergency responders and more.

Read more in the Jan. 6-12, 2021 issue.

Culture

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is the ideal film to usher out the Trump era

by Cliff Cawthon | January 6th, 2021

Before 2021 sets in and gives us a presidential administration that believes in … well, science, it makes sense to look back at 2020 and, if you’re a masochist, all the Trump years. One bit of vocab that can help us reflect on the captivating urge to follow or support Trump is “toxic positivity,” which is well shown in one of 2020’s last big movies.

Read more in the Jan. 6-12, 2021 issue.

Features

‘I hope the whole community will rise again’

by Tony Inglis | January 6th, 2021

Street paper vendors look beyond the pandemic

For society’s vulnerable and marginalized, 2020 — and the pandemic that defined it — exacerbated problems already familiar to them. Street papers, which exist to alleviate that strain, have been impacted too. With the new year, INSP checks in with street paper vendors of differing circumstances across the world to reflect and look forward.

Read more in the Jan. 6-12, 2021 issue.

Book review

Grand redesign

by Dave Gamrath | January 6th, 2021

Book review: ‘Why We’re Polarized’ By Ezra Klein

We are a polarized nation, and have fallen into two warring camps: urban vs. rural. In “Why We’re Polarized,” author Ezra Klein provides his view on how America got so polarized and what the future will likely bring. Klein’s core argument is that everyone engaged in American politics is engaged in identity politics; identity politics have taken over. We are locked into our identities, and there is virtually nothing that can happen to change our minds. Identity shapes how we understand the world.

Read more in the Jan. 6-12, 2021 issue.

Opinion

The pursuit of dryness

by Hanna Brooks Olsen | January 6th, 2021

Soldiers during World War I were frequently afflicted by an ailment of the skin called “trench foot.” As they crouched in knee-deep mud and fetid sewage, the skin of their feet was never able to fully dry, leading to damage that could reach the bone. In an attempt to help soldiers keep all 10 toes intact, they were inspected often and encouraged to change their socks and clean their feet regularly.

Read more in the Jan. 6-12, 2021 issue.