The C-Class is the least expensive Mercedes-Benz in the showroom — but offers nothing less than you’d expect from Mercedes. The 2012 C-Class includes a new coupe, while the sedans underwent a major mid-cycle update. Our test vehicle was the C350 coupe, so this review will be confined primarily to that vehicle. read more »

I read where the largest employer in Waukesha, Wisconsin — General Electric (GE) — is planning to move its 115-year-old X-Ray Division from Waukesha, to Beijing.

In addition to moving the headquarters, GE will invest $2 billion in China. It will train more than 65 engineers, and create six research centers among other things.

This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes — and employs more people overseas than it does in America. read more »

No other car’s boldly aggressive styling says, “Don’t mess with me” with such eloquent menace as the Dodge Charger. From the belligerent, forward-leaning crosshair grille, and scowling headlights, to the shoebox-sized side windows, the Charger is the perfect police cruiser. Cops love it because its simple presence has drivers pulling over read more »

Here at the world headquarters of the Business Journal, we have a somewhat obscure, extremely part-time, but always on the lookout for bizarre stuff, working group we refer to as the “Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, Because Fiction Has to Make Sense” (TSTFBFHMS) department. From the bowels of their dusty, dimly lit, barely functional cubicle, comes this…

In 2012, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address will occur on the same day. Think about what an ironic juxtaposition of events this is. One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little intelligence for prognostication.

The other involves a groundhog. read more »

The high-performance Lexus IS lineup of sport sedans, coupes and convertibles was expanded in 2011 with more all-wheel drive and performance choices. The Lexus IS offers style and performance in three body styles that’s comparable to the BMW 3 Series — for less money.

The Lexus IS 350 now offers all-wheel drive read more »

As we go to press, the long-awaited Accenture report on Washington’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to securing the proposed assembly line for the Boeing 737 MAX, was recently released. The report was commissioned by the Washington Aerospace Partnership (WAP), which is composed of a myriad of local governments, civic, business, and labor leaders, as well as non-profit and economic development organizations from around the state. It’s interesting reading for certain.

The report enumerates Washington’s strengths, and weaknesses, in competing for what has to be the single largest economic opportunity since Boeing’s decision to site the second 787 assembly line in South Carolina. read more »

The Jeep Liberty, true to Jeep’s legendary off-road heritage, is a practical SUV that doesn’t hesitate when leaving the blacktop. It comes with a choice of two Jeep Trail Rated four-wheel-drive systems that offer strong off-road prowess. Reminiscent of the rugged ’90s-era Jeep Cherokee, it’s tall and angular, maintaining its bold, upright styling. read more »

Nowhere does the law of unintended consequences rear its head higher than the current debate over medical marijuana. On one side is the federal government, which says Pot is illegal — period. There is absolutely no room for debate of any kind, nor any accommodation for its proven medical uses.

In Eastern Washington, the U.S. Attorney has been active in the prosecution of users and distributors, and made it abundantly clear that local governments allowing state law governing dispensaries and collective community gardens to prevail over federal law, puts government employees and elected officials alike at risk for feeling the heavy wrath of Uncle Sam for doing so. read more »

I was certainly surprised the Association of Washington Business (AWB) has come out against Tim Eyman’s Initiative 1125, saying it “…would jeopardize construction and funding for multiple major transportation projects, including the Columbia River crossing in Vancouver and the 520 bridge in Seattle, and that just means more delays and traffic headaches for Washington drivers.”

In my view, that’s a load of crap.

According to AWB’s Web site, its decision makers also believe variable tolling is a necessary part of today’s transportation infrastructure projects, and that it would be better to have the Legislature set up a commission to set the tolls and tolling criteria than keeping those decisions with lawmakers in Olympia. read more »