Business

With Washington’s unemployment hovering at 9.2 percent and the economy sputtering along, new figures released yesterday in British Columbia makes one wonder if going north might not be the next big emigration story.

A new provincial government report predicts the number of skilled workers needed will exceed the supply of workers available by 2016. One million job openings are expected in B.C. by 2020.

Starting tomorrow, struggling homeowners in Washington have new rights. 

The Foreclosure Fairness Act signed into law in April is designed to prevent unnecessary foreclosures primarily by requiring banks to take part in mediation if borrowers ask for it and doubling the number of housing counselors.

American Airlines placed the largest aircraft order in history – 460 new planes. It split those orders between the European aircraft maker Airbus and Washington’s own Boeing. But whether or not it’s a good thing for the local aerospace company is all in how you look at it.

KOMO-TV reports that the old Rick’s strip club on Lake City Way sold in June for $2.35 million has a new sign – “DreamGirls at Rick’s.”

DreamGirls is part of the Déjà Vu company and it appears that company will be running the property, which was seized last fall by investigators as part of a wide-ranging racketeering investigation of Frank Colacurcio, Seattle's most famous organized-crime figure.

Washington's employment data is showing mixed signals about the direction of the state's economy.

New figures released Wednesday morning by the Employment Security Department show Washington's unemployment rate grew to 9.2 percent in June, even though a separate indicator showed that the state added 3,600 jobs.

Vendors who sell so-called "street food" in Seattle can finally sell it ... on the street. Since the 1980s, food trucks have been restricted to private property.

The city council passed a measure that now gives them the go ahead to hawk goodies from public curbs.

With the loss of revenue, the impact of inflation and rising population, Washington’s government is providing one-fifth (18 percent) fewer services.

That’s instruction in K-12, colleges and universities, road maintenance, health and welfare agents, building inspectors – you name it.

By the time this economic decline in government services gets ironed out, Washington could shed up to 20,000 government jobs statewide, says Seattle economist Dick Conway, who is also co-publisher of the Puget Sound Economic Forecaster.