Business & Economy
Business & Economy
![Even after 20 years of development, there’s still more research to be done on Cosmic Crisp, particularly around ‘green spot,’ pictured above, a cosmetic defect whose causes are not entirely understood by horticulturalist but are likely caused by a calcium deficiency, according to WSU researchers. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_0264-500x500.jpg)
What Does It Take To Get A New Apple Variety To Market? A Lot. And Cosmic Crisp Shows It
After more than 20 years of development by the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research Commission, the Cosmic Crisp is ready to come to hit store shelves. The goal of new variety is to be attractive to consumers, easy to grow and easy to store over a long period of time.
![File photo. The Idaho statehouse in Boise. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Idaho-statehouse-Boise-Idaho-capitol-CREDIT-Keith-Ridler-AP-500x500.jpeg)
Idaho Lawmakers Consider Changes To Property Tax And Allocation Ahead Of 2020 Legislative Session
A panel of lawmakers is examining property tax options amid complaints that taxes are going up with rising property values, while also hearing on Monday concerns from cities and counties that they’re operating on tight budgets.
![Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital facilities director Chris Lemar shows flexible piping designed to withstand earthquake shaking in the new hospital. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Samaritan-North-Lincoln-Hospital-facilities-director-Chris-Lemar-CREDIT-Tom-Banse-N3-500x500.jpg)
Prepping For ‘The Big One’: Coastal Hospitals Get Creative With Disaster Planning
The state of Oregon is pushing the community hospitals along the Oregon Coast to improve their earthquake resilience. This comes after a state report predicted none of them would be able to sustain operations after the feared Big One — a magnitude 9 offshore Cascadia earthquake and tsunami.
![Social security card stock photo](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Social-security-card-file-photo-CREDIT-Getty-Images-500x500.jpg)
Those On Social Security Will Get Less Than 2 Percent Cost-Of-Living Increase In 2020
The increase amounts to $24 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Thursday by the Social Security Administration. Following a significant boost this year, the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2020 reverts to its pattern of moderate gains.
![U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in the Oval Office at the White House October 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump announced a 'phase one' partial trade deal with China. Win McNamee/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/gettyimages-1180481137_custom-84fd155e99bfb9921ddc8a2da68053e3465515bf-500x500.jpg)
President Trump Announces Phase One Of Trade Deal With China
As part of the deal, the next round of 30% tariffs will not be imposed. More agriculture trade between the two countries is expected.
![A worker assembles an industrial valve at Emerson Electric Co.'s factory in Marshalltown, Iowa. The manufacturing sector has seen a slowdown amid the ongoing trade war. CREDIT: Tim Aeppel/Reuters](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Manufacturing-factory-trade-war-CREDIT-Tim-Aeppel-Reuters-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Employers Add 136,000 Jobs; Unemployment Dips To 3.5 Percent
An index of manufacturing activity released on Tuesday showed the factory sector contracting for the second consecutive month. Factories shed 2,000 jobs in September.
![This Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows a boat lock on the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River that connects Oregon and Washington at Cascade Locks., Ore. A critical lock has shut down for repairs, meaning barges that shuttle millions of tons of wheat, wood and other inland goods to the Pacific Ocean for transport to Asia can't move. CREDIT: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Twitter](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Bonneville-Dam-lock-Twitter-090919-500x500.jpg)
Critical Columbia River Lock To Reopen For Barge Traffic As Northwest Wheat Harvest Finishes Up
A critical navigation lock on the lower Columbia River is expected to reopen this weekend, between 10 PM Friday and 10 AM Saturday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
![A long-awaited update to federal overtime rules means about 1.3 million workers will be entitled to extra pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gettyimages-668614838-d9eb1275b5c279a904c6c87cd12884231e5454ff-500x500.jpg)
1.3 Million More Workers May Be Eligible For Overtime Pay. But There’s A Catch
A long-awaited update to federal overtime rules means about 1.3 million workers will be entitled to extra pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. But critics say it doesn’t go far enough.
![Products that have changed in price from August 2018 to August 2019.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/basket-of-goods-lines-20190831-promo3_wide-20ba3d908a5fcc9bd8bc8bd3837160044a94fbf2-500x500.png)
Shopping Cart Economics: How Prices Changed At A Walmart In 1 Year
Since August 2018, NPR has been tracking about 80 items sold at a Georgia Walmart with an eye toward products caught in the trade war. On average, prices rose 3%. Tariffs are one of many factors.
![This image provided on Sunday by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a prestrike overview at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqayq, Saudi Arabia. U.S. government/Digital Globe via AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ap_19258692884235-ce1113e8630eefd6a0017e11bc6cf178cff2b667-500x500.jpg)
Oil Prices Jump Following Drone Attack On Saudi Oil Facilities
It’s the largest one-day surge in crude prices in years. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strikes, but the U.S. says Iran played a key role. Iran denies involvement.
![This Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows a boat lock on the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River that connects Oregon and Washington at Cascade Locks., Ore. A critical lock has shut down for repairs, meaning barges that shuttle millions of tons of wheat, wood and other inland goods to the Pacific Ocean for transport to Asia can't move. CREDIT: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Twitter](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Bonneville-Dam-lock-Twitter-090919-500x500.jpg)
Bonneville Dam Lock Closure Stops Inland Grain Exports To Global Markets
The Northwest’s soft white wheat harvest is in full swing, but that grain is going nowhere fast. That’s because of an emergency repair to a lock at Bonneville Dam on the Lower Columbia River.
![Ford Motor Co., BMW, Honda and Volkswagen received letters from the Justice Department about a deal they entered with California earlier this year for reducing vehicle emissions. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/car-emissions-c5d012790fadb8e5e978f448c9bc43fe5cf068b8-500x500.jpg)
Trump Administration Challenges California And Automakers On Fuel Economy
The Trump administration says only the federal government can set tailpipe emissions standards. It’s the latest move in a months long standoff over efforts to weaken a key Obama-era climate rule.