Our Northwest Economy

Washington in Race for Educational Incentives

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Enough school districts have signed on, so Washington will submit an application for federal Race to the Top dollars. The governor made that announcement [today] Wednesday. All but 44 of Washington's 295 districts are on board. Race to the Top is President Obama's incentive program to spur education reform. The next question is whether Washington has a shot at winning the nationwide competition. Lisa Macfarlane [mick-FAR-lyn] is with the non-profit League of Education Voters. She says Washington started out a dark horse in the race.

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Idaho Jobless Rate Falls For Third Consecutive Month

Idaho's unemployment rate has fallen for the third consecutive month. The May jobless rate was down slightly to an even 9 percent.

Labor Department spokesman Bob Fick says the Gem State is in the midst of a slow, steady economic recovery. He says most industries are starting to see job growth, with rural areas leading the way.

Bob Fick: “Boise is recovering much more slowly and the other metro areas, to a certain extent, are in the same boat. Consequently, its sluggishness is dragging down the overall recovery of the state.”

The unemployment rates in Boise and Coeur d'Alene are hovering around 10 percent, the highest of Idaho's urban areas.

Fick says Labor Department analysts expect the state's slow growth to continue through the summer.


Copyright 2010 Northwest News Network

"Ductless Heat Pumps" Could Replace Baseboard Heaters

LYNNWOOD, Wash. – If you use electric heat, your utility may be willing to pay you to upgrade to a more efficient system. They're targeting the roughly one million Northwest households that use electric baseboard heaters to stay cozy and warm. The hot new thing in home heating is called the “ductless heat pump.” Never heard of that before? Neither had we. So we sent correspondent Tom Banse to find out what a ductless heat pump is.

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Idaho To Phase Out Paper Unemployment Checks

This week, jobless people in Idaho will start to see a major transition in its unemployment system. Idaho is phasing out paper unemployment checks and phasing in a system that puts benefits on debit cards. It becomes the second Northwest state to do so.

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Oregon State Treasurer's primary

Incumbent state treasurer, Ted Wheeler, won the Democratic primary for the seat last night with 65 percent of the vote.  He'll now run against Republican State Senator, Chris Telfer, in November.
Kristian Foden-Vencil attended Wheeler's celebration party on Portland's eastside last night, and files this report.

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It’s Kitzhaber Versus Dudley For Oregon’s Top Political Job

PORTLAND – Former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber will take on former NBA basketball player Chris Dudley in the race for governor this fall. Kitzhaber and Dudley won their primary races [last night] Tuesday night.

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Washington's Jobess Rate Falls For First Time In Three Years

Washington jobless falls first time in three-plus years. Washington employers added 5,800 new jobs in April, lowering the state's unemployment rate for the first time in more than three years. Unemployment statewide fell to 9.2 percent from 9.5 percent reported in March.

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Washington, Oregon jobless pictures improve

Washington employers added 58-hundred new jobs in April, lowering the state's unemployment rate for the first time in more than three years. The Oregon jobless rate held steady at 10-point-six percent, the same as in March, making it six straight months without any significant change. But that was still nearly a point less than April 2009, when the rate was 11.5 percent.

Oregon Unemployment Rate Stuck at 10.6 Percent

The Oregon employment department released job data for April today/ yesterday [Tuesday]. As Amelia Templeton of OPB reports, unemployment in the state is still stuck at 10 and a half percent.

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WA And OR National Guard Soldiers Headed To Afghanistan

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – They're leaving their jobs and their families to spend a year in Afghanistan. Nearly one hundred and fifty Washington and Oregon National Guard members will deploy this summer. [Today] Monday Governor Chris Gregoire led a formal farewell ceremony for the Washington citizen-soldiers. Cindy Rue's [ROO's] son is a helicopter mechanic and back-up gunner. He's been to Afghanistan before.

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NW States Decide Whether To Compete In Race To The Top

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Idaho and Oregon are out. Washington is likely in. We're talking about the competition for the next round of federal Race to the Top education grants. [Today] Monday is the deadline for school districts in Washington to say whether they're on board. [More than two-thirds have as Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.]

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