Columbia Banking System, Inc. announced that it has redeemed all 76,898 shares of Series A preferred stock originally issued to the U.S. Department of Treasury on November 21, 2008 for approximately $76.9 million in capital under its Capital Purchase Program (“CPP”). On August 11, Columbia paid a total of $77.8 million to the Treasury, consisting of $76.9 million in principal and $918,504 in accrued and unpaid dividends.

Melanie Dressel, president and CEO, said, “Our financial strength was originally affirmed when we were selected as one of the first regional banks to participate in the Treasury’s voluntary CPP program, which was designed to stimulate the economy by providing capital to healthy banks. read more »

Coinstar, Inc. announced its investment in ecoATM(TM), an automated eCycling station that captures, tracks and recycles mobile devices. Investment details were not disclosed.

“As a leader in automated retail, Coinstar is continually looking for kiosk concepts that are innovative and compelling,” said Gregg Kaplan, president and COO of Coinstar, Inc. “We believe ecoATM could be a viable business as it provides an easy way for consumers to properly resell and/or recycle the more than $7 billion in used mobile phones that are annually retired in the U.S. while creating a sustainable secondary market for these devices.” read more »

Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee announced that she will leave her post at the end of September to take a new job.

Lee, who has been with Gov. Chris Gregoire’s administration since March 2005, has accepted a position as the CEO of Pioneer Human Services in Seattle. The non-profit organization has more than 1,000 employees across Washington at more than 50 locations, who deliver an integrated mix of social, health, economic and employment services to people on the margins of society. read more »

Liberals and conservatives agreed on one thing during the health care debate: the cost of health care in the United States is not sustainable. Last year we spent $2.2 trillion, or 17 percent of the United States’ gross domestic product (GDP), on health care. Without some type of reform that number will rise to an unrealistic 30 percent of GDP by 2030. From an economic standpoint, this could never happen.

We were assured by the Obama Administration over the past two years that federal health reform would bend the cost curve down and actually decrease the federal deficit. read more »

South Kitsap Helpline announced that it will be holding its official grand re-opening of the Port Orchard Nursery and its 30th anniversary on Sat. August 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Port Orchard Nursery located at 1012 Mitchell Ave.

There will be free garden and greenhouse tours, fun art classes and workshops for children and plant sales. See firsthand how Helpline is growing fresh produce for the food bank and learn about the plans for future food bank operations to provide clients with healthy food and educational opportunities. read more »

The second half of the year is off to a slow start for retailers, who reported that sales at stores open at least a year were weaker than expected in July, increasing 2.9 percent from July of last year, according to a tally by Thomson Reuters.

Discount stores and department stores posted some of the best results, with discounters’ sales increasing 3.9 percent, and those for department stores up 3.6 percent. But almost two-thirds of all stores reporting sales data missed analysts’ estimates, with retailers catering to teenagers faring particularly badly, increasing 1.5 percent. read more »

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, the next version of the leading productivity suite for the Mac, will be available in more than 100 countries around the world at the end of October. The suite will come in two editions to purchase at retail — Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011. For better alignment across platforms, the Office 2011 pricing and edition options map closer with Office for the Windows operating system. In addition, starting today, if customers purchase Office 2008 for Mac, they will be able to upgrade to Office 2011 when it is available at no additional cost through the Microsoft Office for Mac Technology Guarantee Program. read more »

Preliminary results from Milliman’s Group Health Insurance Survey indicate premium rate increases continue to exceed the government’s official rate of inflation and are higher than premium increases in recent years. The estimated January 2011 renewal increases are about 9.0 percent for health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and 11.0 percent for preferred provider organizations (PPOs). This marks the seventeenth time that Milliman has conducted the survey, the complete version of which will be available in late October. read more »

For its fifth consecutive year Maritime Music Festival will be coming to Port Gamble on Aug. 14, from noon to 5 p.m.

The annual music festival is put on by Puget Sound Productions, a not for profit that is “dedicated to helping gifted musicians and enthusiastic audiences find one another.” The festival features the talents of The Whateverly Brothers, Broadside, Tugboat Bromberg, Wendy Joseph and Spanaway Bay. Set just off Rainier Ave NE, between The Port Gamble General Store and the old Walker-Ames house, the natural amphitheatre setting highlights the picturesque Gamble Bay as its backdrop.