Microsoft, redistricting, and ferries, this week.

Bill Radke reviews the week's news with Kitsap Sun reporter Josh Farley, Crosscut Eastern Washington reporter Mai Hoang, and Geekwire contributing editor Mike Lewis.

King County saw a 21 percent decrease in COVID cases over the last seven days, but an increase in hospitalizations. Hospital beds remain at a premium, with the hospitalization rate for COVID patents being 11 times higher for unvaccinated patients than those who are vaccinated, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Also, Washington state is preparing to launch its own website for people to order free at-home Covid-19 tests. This is a separate effort than that of the federal government. It’s also worth noting that just because omicron cases may have “peaked” in King County, that doesn’t mean other areas around the state have. Why are we seeing different omicron numbers in different regions of the state?

Microsoft purchased Activision for $62B, making it one of the largest business purchases in the world. There had been plenty of talk about streaming services being the big winners in the pandemic. But the bigger winners were likely the video game companies. Microsoft is already a video game company with the Xbox, and is doubling down on an industry that already dwarfs the movie industry. But Microsoft's purchase, some say, represents the Redmond company trying to stake a claim in something larger and more nebulous: the so-called metaverse. What does this acquisition say about what Microsoft thinks the future of the metaverse looks like?

PCC Community Markets opened a new location in Downtown Seattle Wednesday, with an opening ceremony that drew business leaders, elected officials, a heavy media presence and many others, touted as a big step in the right direction for downtown revitalization. How does this reflect the vision of a “downtown comeback” by city leaders?

The Legislature convenes to contemplate ways of resuscitating Washington State Ferries, the system breaks further. Last Friday, the late-night Seattle-Bremerton runs were canceled, stranding passengers in Seattle overnight. What are the root causes for this ongoing problem? What does the legislature need to address, and what are possible solutions?

This week, a coalition of Latino voters in Yakima County filed suit against the Washington State Redistricting Commission claiming their maps create a “façade” of a Latino voter majority district. As in, it technically checks the box percentage wise but the way the 15th Legislative District is drawn, the suit claims, it dilutes the voting power of Latino voters. Yakima County has been a hotbed of voting rights suits leading to some substantial changes in recent years. What are the details of the argument being made that the maps create a “façade” and dilute the voting power of Latino voters?