Our Northwest Economy

WA School Districts Face Monday Race To The Top Deadline

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A last minute rallying by school districts makes it more likely Washington will submit an application for the next round of federal Race to the Top dollars. Midnight [tonight] Monday night is the deadline for superintendents to let Governor Chris Gregoire know if they're in or out. [Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.]

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State auditor pans Puget Sound agency

Washington state auditors say the agency charged with cleaning up Puget Sound should clean up its own act too. A report out Wednesday says the Puget Sound Partnership has misspent public funds and circumvented various state laws. [KUOW's] John Ryan has the story [from Seattle].

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Idaho Jobless Rate Drops For Second Consecutive Month

Idaho's unemployment rate made its largest one month fall in more than a quarter century. The three-tenths of one percent decline in April puts the jobless rate at 9.1 [nine-point-one] percent. That's the lowest in the Northwest…and it's Idaho's second monthly decrease in a row.
Bob Fick from the state Labor Department says employers aren't hiring in large numbers. But he says temporary agencies are getting busier.
He says employment growth this spring almost looks normal.

Bob Fick: “The fact that we're back to the norm is probably a really good sign. I mean, people need to understand, though, that it is going to take awhile to go from 69,000 unemployed back to 16 or 17,000, or 20,000.”

Fick says the unemployment rates in Boise and Coeur d'Alene have fallen back into single digits. He says some rural counties with the highest unemployment rates are also seeing economic growth.


Copyright 2010 Northwest News Network

Washington Supreme Court Says Libraries Can Filter Internet Computers

The Washington Supreme Court ruled [today] Thursday that public libraries may put Internet filters on their computers. Some librarians are cheering the ruling and say it could lead more libraries around the state to limit access to porn and other controversial material.

Feds Approve Drought Funding For Klamath Basin

The federal government has designated southern Oregon's Klamath Basin as a disaster area due to drought conditions. The declaration makes farmers there eligible for low-interest loans.

Lower than average snowpack this winter means less water is available for farmers in the Klamath Basin. The disaster declaration applies to six counties in southern Oregon and two in northern California. Democratic US Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon says the new loans will help alleviate conditions that are some of the worst on record.

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Wash. Democrats Admit Goof On Soda Pop Tax; Industry Considers Ballot Repeal

OLYMPIA, Wash. – If you buy soda pop in Washington, soon you'll be making a contribution to help rebalance the state budget. In the final hours of the legislature's special session [earlier this month], majority Democrats imposed a two-cents-per-can excise tax on soda. But now the carbonated beverage industry is considering an effort to repeal the pop tax this November. One of its arguments: the tax law contains a technical goof.

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Wash. Democrats Admit Goof On Soda Pop Tax; Industry Considers Ballot Repeal

OLYMPIA, Wash. – If you buy soda pop in Washington, soon you'll be making a contribution to help rebalance the state budget. In the final hours of the legislature's special session [earlier this month], majority Democrats imposed a two-cents-per-can excise tax on soda. But now the carbonated beverage industry is considering an effort to repeal the pop tax this November. One of its arguments: the tax law contains a technical goof.

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Wash. Governor Signs Law Ordering State Furloughs

OLYMPIA, Wash. – It will be lights out at the Washington governor's office, drivers' license offices and other state agencies on Monday, July 12th. That's because of legislation signed [today] Tuesday by Governor Chris Gregoire. But under the new furlough law, many other Washington state services will remain open that day. The legislation requires a series of furloughs, but also includes many exceptions. At the least, Gregoire hopes state employees and their unions agree to take the same day off each month.

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New Idaho Nuke Plant Clears First Hurdle

A new nuclear power plant proposed near the Idaho-Oregon border cleared its first hurdle [today] Monday. But, groundbreaking is still years away because many more local and federal approvals are needed. [Correspondent Tom Banse reports.]

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Scouts Must Pay Man $18.5M In Punitive Damages

A Portland jury has ordered the Boy Scouts of America to pay $18.5 million in punitive damages in a sex abuse lawsuit. It is believed to be the largest award ever granted by a jury in a sex-abuse lawsuit against the organization.
Kerry Lewis was the plaintiff in the case. The jury heard his account of being molested by an assistant scoutmaster in the 1980s. Lewis spoke to reporters for the first time yesterday (Fri), after the punitive damage award was announced. He urged other victims of abuse in scouting to come forward.

"Take that first step. Reach out, ask for help. Whether it's a counselor or lawyer or therapist, anybody. Just ask for help, and you'll get it. Don't be scared. Even though it is scary."

The punitive damages are in addition to $1.4 million the jury awarded to Lewis in compensatory damages. That came after jurors found the Scouts were negligent for failing to prevent Lewis' abuse.