Capturing carbon before it reaches the atmosphere | Expedia layoffs

Spokane, Wash.-based startup CarbonQuest is addressing carbon emissions in a unique way — by capturing greenhouse gasses before they escape into the environment. It's among a growing number of startups helping companies adhere to climate goals and emissions regulations. But the company faces various market challenges — and has to figure out what to do with the carbon it collects. Read more. (Above, the assembly and production line at CarbonQuest’s Spokane facility.)

Expedia layoffs: The Seattle travel giant is laying off 36 workers, according to a new state filing. The cuts are part of previously announced workforce reductions. Read more.

Amazon’s drone delivery ambitions got a boost after the Federal Aviation Administration granted the company permission to operate beyond the visual line of sight of drone operators. Amazon says it can now expand the range and footprint of its U.S. drone network. Read more.

More Amazon news:

• Prime members can access a free Grubhub+ membership on an ongoing basis now in a new deal that extends the food-delivery perk. Read more.

• Fire TV users can soon search for shows and movies using spoken phrases in a new experience that relies on natural language processing. Read more.

What’s it like in a Seattle Public Library branch without technology? Quieter. That’s the read GeekWire got when we visited a neighborhood branch to check out a book without computers, barcodes, Wi-Fi and more after a cyberattack disabled many of the library’s modern systems.

• “An attack on the very essence of civil society.” That’s how a spokesperson from Toronto Public Library — which also dealt with a recent ransomware incident — characterized what happened there and in Seattle. Read what cybersecurity experts say about the libraries as targets.

Hot Links:

• U.S. senators are concerned with the Pentagon’s plan to increase dependency on Microsoft products, citing recent cybersecurity “lapses.” (Axios)

• How AI tools affect kids’ creativity: A University of Washington researcher says her most important finding from recent research is “how clearly these systems are not built for children.” (UW News)

• Seattle health tech investor Jeffrey Roh is among the new owners of Northwest Asian Weekly, a longtime Seattle-based community media publication. (Northwest Asian Weekly)

• Transparency Coalition, a Seattle nonprofit pushing for more transparency in AI training data, released a new report outlining steps to update federal privacy laws to keep up with AI development. (Transparency Coalition)