Sea-Tac Airport, airlines consider rapid COVID-19 testing to help get travelers back in the air, study ranks Seattle as Nation’s No.1 city of coffee lovers, and more from this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

Sea-Tac Airport, Airlines Consider Rapid COVID-19 Testing to Help Get Travelers Back in the Air

KING 5 | KING 5 Staff, Glen Farley | September 24

https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/governor-jay-inslee-covid-19-air-travel-washington-state/281-7b061a81-5d98-492b-8efe-e60e3fe7e88c

“As the holiday travel season approaches, Gov. Jay Inslee and representatives from major airlines are reassuring travelers that their health and safety are top of mind amid the coronavirus pandemic. While domestic air travel at airports including Sea-Tac is up from the lows when COVID-19 first struck, it’s still about 70% below where it was last year. But could rapid COVID-19 testing, telling airlines and their passengers that everybody on the plane is negative, help get people back in the air? The question was posed to leaders from Alaska and Delta Airlines and the Port of Seattle Thursday during a press conference with Inslee.”

Study Ranks Seattle as Nation’s No. 1 City for Coffee Lovers

KOMO  | KOMO News Staff | September 23

https://komonews.com/news/local/study-ranks-seattle-as-nations-no-1-coffee-city

“A new study has found that Seattle ranks as the No.1 overall best city in the nation for coffee and coffee lovers. It isn’t exactly a surprise that Seattle – home of Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee and a host of excellent local coffee shops that roast their own beans – would take the top ranking. But it turns out that Seattle has plenty of competition – many other cities love their coffee, too, and take pride in their local java joints. The study, by personal finance website WalletHub to honor National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, ranked the 100 largest U.S cities across 12 key indicators of a strong coffee culture.”

Microsoft and Cascadia Group Unveil Proposal to Build Economic Hubs Between Big Pacific NW Cities

GeekWire | Monica Nickelsburg | September 21

https://www.geekwire.com/2020/microsoft-cascadia-group-unveil-proposal-build-economic-hubs-big-pacific-nw-cities/

“The Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference has made headlines over the past few years for its ambitious goal to connect Portland to Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., with a proposed high-speed rail line. The group, which is sponsored by Microsoft, is changing course this year, unveiling a bold new proposal for the “mega-region.” High-speed rail is still part of the organization’s aspirations for Cascadia — as the larger region is dubbed — but this year’s focus is on a different goal: building mid-sized cities between the big urban centers that define the region. A report by the Boston Consulting Group, released by the Cascadia organization Monday morning, proposes building hubs for 300,000-400,000 people on underdeveloped land throughout Oregon, Washington, and parts of British Columbia to promote sustainable growth.”