Will several delayed Tri-City construction projects finally start up? Will the Washington Legislature reach a compromise on permits for digging wells in rural areas?The issues are among several of interest to Mid-Columbia residents.The 60-day state legislative session began Jan. 8.The ongoing impasse between Democrats and Republicans on the so-called Hirst ruling in...
State’s rural jobless rates historically lag behind urban countiesWashington’s unemployment is hitting a major low, but the state’s rural counties — including Benton and Franklin — are not doing as well as their urban counterparts.That’s because rural counties, which have huge agricultural presences, have less diversified industrial economies than cities, said...
Mid-Columbians in lower-paying jobs tend to earn less than their counterparts across Washington.That’s what a breakdown of figures show in a state Employment Security Department report on employment and wages released in September.The report’s statistics came from statewide surveys with a 66 percent return rate, said Asja Suljic, a Kennewick-based regional...
The Washington Attorney General’s office should help plaintiffs fighting a new Seattle income tax, according to a letter from 36 GOP state representatives.Five of the six Mid-Columbia state representatives signed the letter, voicing concern that a successful legal defense of a new Seattle income tax could lead to local income taxes...
While a proposed Richland solar power project would be the biggest in the state, the economic future of this source of electricity in Washington is not yet written in stone.This will be the first American venture for the French solar power company Neoen. As Neoen studies the potential installation of...
Plans to speed up construction of a new Washington National Guard center in the Horn Rapids area have stalled because state lawmakers can’t resolve an unrelated water rights dispute.That water rights impasse also has slowed work on upgrading a Highway 395 interchange in south Kennewick, building a science center at...
Employers, employees contribute to program through payroll taxWashington has become the fifth state to require paid family leave for employees.“It’s going to be the best paid family leave program the country. It has better weeks, better benefits, and we’ll be the model for the other states,” said Sen. Karen Keiser,...
Plans to install statewide software system at 34 community colleges delayedEach year, full-time Washington community college students pay an extra $115.56 to upgrade their school’s computer software.That includes students at Columbia Basin College.The fee was supposed to lapse this December, but delays and cost overruns will keep the extra charge...
Ruling affects rural development related to digging new wellsThe Washington Legislature had no solution as of press time on how to loosen up a strict state Supreme Court ruling on digging wells in rural areas.If no compromise bill is passed by July 20, the Supreme Court’s 2016 Hirst ruling will...
The Washington Legislature stayed in a holding pattern in early June on two bills that will affect Mid-Columbia businesses.Behind-the-scenes negotiations continued on legislation to simplify digging for new wells and to install a paid family leave law. The talks are dragging along with the sluggish talks on resolving the state budget...
