Two recent announcements prove that retailers are very much in the mobile payments game. First, The Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart and Target were among two dozen retailers collaborating on a mobile commerce project. Then, Starbucks shared the impressive numbers from its Starbucks Mobile app, which launched in the United States in January 2011, and the United Kingdom and Canada a year later. 42 million: that’s how many transactions the company has processed in the 15 months since it launched, and 16 million of those happened between December and April.

Retailers aren’t waiting for NFC, or for banks or Google Wallet-or permission. They’re getting ahead and launching their own systems. And why not? They’re seizing the opportunity to take control of the customer relationship, which they already own, in a new channel. read more »

WASHINGTON — U.S. builders started work on more homes and apartments last month and requested more permits to build single-family homes. The increases suggest the battered housing market is healing.

The Commerce Department said that builders broke ground in April at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 717,000 homes. That’s a 2.6 percent increase from an upwardly revised March figure and near January’s three-year high of 720,000. Construction rose for both single-family homes and apartments.

Building permits, a gauge of future construction, fell last month from a 3-1/2 year high to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 715,000. But that was because of a 23 percent drop in the volatile apartment category. Permits for single-family homes rose almost 2 percent. read more »

For more than a year, Jennifer Greiner Clark sold cakes under the table.

Specifically, she baked them in her Ballard kitchen and not in a commercial kitchen, as the law required.

When it looked like her sales would expand beyond friends (who reimbursed her for ingredients rather than paying $150 for fancy 8-inch layer cakes), Clark looked into renting commercial kitchen space.

She found it prohibitively expensive, particularly because she also would need to pay for child care. At home, she bakes and decorates after her children are in bed. read more »

Kingston — Craft roaster CB’s Nuts has partnered with Friehe Farms to plant Washington’s first commercial Valencia peanut crop. The yield from the planting at Friehe Farms in Moses Lake, Wash., will be processed into CB’s PB natural peanut butter and sold at Whole Foods, PCC and other stores throughout the Pacific Northwest this winter.

“Drought conditions in the Southwest, the traditional growing region for the Valencia peanut, have had a significant impact on availability of this crop for commercial food producers like us,” said Clark Bowen, CB’s Nuts founder and chief roaster. “We have been working on peanut crop trials with WSU Extension Franklin County for the last seven years and are thrilled to finally put the first seeds of a commercial Valencia peanut crop into Washington State soil.” read more »

When the Environmental Protection Agency was formed in 1970, our environmental problems were easy to see: factories belched black smoke, leaded gasoline fouled our air and water, and rivers were so polluted they actually caught fire.

Today, 42 years later, much has been accomplished. Our air is clearer, our rivers are cleaner and aquatic life is thriving in our streams and estuaries.

We have made so much progress that the remaining issues are literally microscopic, measured in parts per trillion. Today, science is the key to establishing if a problem exists and how to respond.

However, the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) seems to want to move forward without it. read more »

An article from the Business Examiner:

Job satisfaction is low among employed North Americans, according to a survey by Right Management.

“Job satisfaction is an easily understood workplace indicator,” said Jeff Gerkin, general manager for Right Management in the Western region. “We’re not asking about fulfillment or enthusiasm, but just job satisfaction. Nevertheless data unmistakably tilt in the wrong direction. Half as many respondents say they’re satisfied with their job compare to those that are unsatisfied. Sorry to say, this comes as no surprise when it comes from workers in the U.S. and Canada, who’ve been giving their grumpy and frank feedback for the past two difficult years.” read more »

WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates for 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages fell to record lows for the third straight week. The steady decline has made homebuying and refinancing more affordable than ever for those who can qualify.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the rate on the 30-year loan dipped to 3.79 percent. That’s down from 3.83 percent last week and the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The 15-year mortgage, a popular option for refinancing, declined to 3.04 percent. That’s down from last week’s previous record of 3.05 percent. read more »

He will run against incumbent Commissioner Charlotte Garrido in the Aug. 7 Democratic primary for the District 2 seat, which represents South Kitsap.

Coppola, 61, was elected mayor of Port Orchard in 2007 and was widely credited with improving the business climate as well as making city government more efficient and customer service oriented. During his four years in office, the city annexed McCormick Woods and the Bethel Corridor area that includes the Fred Meyer store and other significant commercial property that brought considerably more sales tax revenue to Port Orchard.

Coppola’s leadership in managing the city’s budget helped Port Orchard avoid staff and service cuts that many other cities had to make during the recession of the past few years. read more »

OLYMPIA — KPS Health Plans, a Bremerton-based health insurer, has agreed to refund thousands of dollars to customers who were overcharged due to a billing system error.

Approximately 235 customers are believed to have been billed at incorrect rates. Of those, 61 had the incorrect amount deducted from their bank accounts. Others received incorrect billing statements.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has requested the company issue refunds and notify customers about the problem. KPS has said it will issue refunds right away with letters of apology to customers. read more »