*** REGIONAL NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

+ NVN: Yelm Council Studies Possible Installation of Vinyl Murals Around Town

+ Tacoma sister cities | an overview: Brovary, a suburb of Kyiv, officially became a sister city of Tacoma in 2017

+ The JOLT News: Many places will be mask-optional starting this Saturday

+ Legacy.com: Obituary of Jerry W. Brown – Doctor Jerry William Brown, 73, a beloved veterinarian, father, brother, grandfather, uncle and amazing friend to all, passed away on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. [Ed. note: Blessings to Dr. Brown and his family. I will always be grateful for hi care of my pets.]

+ The Olympian: Olympia Starbucks joins nationwide union push, citing ‘abysmal working conditions’ – Truthout: Starbucks’s Multimillion-Dollar Anti-Union Effort May Have Backfired

+ The Olympian: Thurston County replaces rent and utility assistance provider after auditor’s report

+ McClatchy Newspapers: Washington state Democrats agree on $17 billion in transportation funding

+ The Defender: [Seattle based] Amazon Lied to Congress, House Judiciary Panel Alleges in Letter to DOJ. “Amazon repeatedly endeavored to thwart the committee’s efforts to uncover the truth about Amazon’s business practices,” the House Judiciary Committee wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

+ McClatchy Newspapers: Are electric vehicles cheaper than gas-fueled cars in Washington state? A 2020 Consumer Reports Study found that using an electric vehicle also means using 60% less gasoline compared to gasoline-powered vehicles.

*** NATIONAL NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

The Washington Post: Mask mandate extended for airline flights and on public transportation until April 18 – The decision comes amid a broader rollback in restrictions elsewhere in the country as coronavirus cases have fallen

NBC News: Americas are experiencing unprecedented stress levels, poll shows

CNBC: Calls to suspend gas taxes across the US grow as prices surge

Truthout: After Pulling COVID Relief, House Passes Package With $782 Billion for Military

CNBC: Rising airfares are giving people spring break sticker shock

*** UKRAINE NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

MSNBC’s The Beat With Ari Melber: Kremlin vet: They’ll overthrow Putin before giving him ‘bad news’ about Russian setbacks in Ukraine. Russian insider and Putin critic Andrei Kozyrev, who served as the Russian Foreign Minister from 1991 to 1996, discusses Putin’s state of mind and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

AP Technology: Twitter unveils version of site that can bypass Russia block

Truthout: Republicans Who Attacked Refugees Under Trump Are Pivoting for Ukrainians

Daily Kos: Russia suffers another economic setback—a brain drain among its youth

Newsweek: Russian Commander Killed as Tank Convoy Ambushed, Drone Footage Shows

CNN: Russia owes Western banks $120 billion. They won’t get it back

Business Insider: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived ‘more than a dozen’ assassination attempts by Russian agents, says presidential aide

Insider: Biden once told Putin, ‘I don’t think you have a soul.’ He responded, ‘We understand one another.’

NBC News: How Goldman Sachs profits from war in Ukraine, loophole in sanctions – The Wall Street firm has told the public it is “winding down” its business in Russia, portraying its actions as supportive of U.S. efforts to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin.

*** TRUMP NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

Newsweek: ‘Trump Will Be Charged,’ Kirschner Concludes After AG Garland’s Remarks

The Washington Post Opinion: Attorney General Merrick Garland should appoint a special counsel to investigate Trump

NBC News: Could January 6 be the infamous Roger Stone’s political swan song? As part of his Capitol riot plea deal, Oath Keeper Joshua James must cooperate with prosecutors. That could be bad news for longtime Trump associate Stone.

CNBC: Jan. 6 Capitol riot: FBI asks public to help ID more than 350 violent members of Trump Capitol riot mob still at large

The New York Daily News: Trump asks supporters to pay for new plane after emergency landing