From May 7-9, starting at 7 p.m. each night and continuing until 6 a.m. the next day, crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close two westbound State Route 16 lanes across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The two remaining westbound lanes will stay open through each night.
During the lane closures, crews will continue work to remove original steel rivets from the bridge’s westernmost expansion joint in preparation for replacing it.
Replacement of the expansion joint will occur over an extended weekend, the date for which will be announced when plans are finalized. Doing preparatory work before the extended weekend will allow the contractor to work more efficiently within that limited timeframe. read more »
The Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance (formerly the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association) has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four Point Approach methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings. read more »
Even some of its strongest supporters now say that the federal Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, is going to be a train wreck. The question is, what are we going to do about it?
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, cost estimates for Obamacare’s new entitlements — the Medicaid expansion and exchange subsidies — have doubled since it was signed into law in 2010.
The CBO originally estimated the cost at $898 billion from 2010 to 2019, but this estimate included only six years of spending, since most of the provisions didn’t take effect until 2014. read more »
OLYMPIA — A bill signed into law May 2 by Gov. Jay Inslee will make employee training more affordable for Washington small businesses.
SHB 1247, sponsored by state Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island, makes it easier for small businesses to train employees in partnership with community and technical colleges by removing a dollar-for-dollar match formerly required under state law. Small businesses with less than $500,000 in annual gross business income are now only required to pay the usual salary and benefits during training.
“We need to help people upgrade their skills so they can stay current in a fast-changing economy,” Hansen said. “This bill helps small businesses work with community colleges to make sure their employees are well-trained so they can stay and grow in their jobs.” read more »
PR Newswire
SEATTLE — The ArcView Investor Network this week announced some of the first outside angel investments in the new legal marijuana industry. At a conference in Seattle on April 29, more than 50 high net-worth private investors heard pitches from more than a dozen companies. By the end of the day, five companies received at least $1 million in commitments-and the movement to pass more marijuana legalization laws got a $100,000 boost through educational and political donations. It is likely that over the next week or so that the total amount of investments will grow to over $2 million as investors and companies finalize various negotiations. read more »
Cease-and-desist letters were sent to 11 Seattle-area pot dispensaries because they are within 1,000 feet of schools or other prohibited areas, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA would not identify the businesses or their precise locations.
Despite Washington state’s new legal recreational pot law, enacted by voter-approved Initiative 502, all forms of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A policy statement from the Obama administration is supposedly coming on the new legal-pot laws in Colorado and Washington.
DEA spokeswoman Jodie Underwood said the 11 dispensaries received the same letters that went to 23 local dispensaries last August. She said the letters, dated April 29, did not have implications for Washington’s and Colorado’s new laws. read more »
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cautioned America’s political leaders that their policies are hurting the economy.
The Fed stood by its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment. But it sent its clearest signal to date that tax increases and spending cuts that kicked in this year are slowing the economy.
“Fiscal policy is restraining economic growth,” the Fed said in a statement May 1 after a two-day policy meeting.
The Fed maintained its plan to keep short-term interest rates at record lows at least until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent from its current 7.6 percent. And it said it will continue to buy $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds. The bond purchases are intended to keep long-term borrowing costs down and encourage borrowing and spending. read more »
A friend asked me the other day, “How is it that Hooters can discriminate based on looks?” This question started an entire conversation about businesses, such as bikini barista stands, and professions, such as NFL cheerleaders, that obviously discriminate based on looks, and why and when that is permitted under the law. Do good-looking people have an advantage in the job market? Do they ever have a disadvantage? Does it violate Title VII protections to discriminate against someone based on their looks? read more »
Kitsap County’s low-income seniors who need skill training or assistance finding work may be able to get a hand from the county’s Division of Aging and Long Term Care. For nearly two years, the agency has been administering the Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program, which is funded by the federal government through the Older Americans Act.
The goal of the program is to help low-income individuals who are 55 or older become self-sufficient through training and job placement. The number of participants depends on funding every year, but earlier this spring Kitsap had about 13 slots. read more »
