Business & Economy
Business & Economy
![In this Feb. 7, 2019, file photo, a bud tender shows a top cannabis strain at Serra, a dispensary in Portland, Ore. In an attempt to reduce the marijuana inventory in Oregon, the state is moving toward allowing the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to refuse to issue initial marijuana production licenses, based on supply and demand. CREDIT: RICHARD VOGEL/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Legal-marijuana-Serra-dispensary-Portland-Ore-CREDIT-Richard-Vogel-AP-500x500.jpeg)
Oregon Has A Big Oversupply Of Legal Marijuana. Now It’s Curbing Production
Oregon is awash in pot, glutted with so much legal weed that if growing were to stop today, it could take more than six years by one estimate to smoke or eat it all. Now, the state is looking to curb production.
![The new U.S. tariffs list includes staples such as rice, along with clocks, watches and other items that weren't previously under threat of new duties. Here, farmers plant rice seeds at a seedlings pool in China's Jiangsu province. Xu Jingbai/VCG via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/gettyimages-1149015460_wide-3b14c3afcf197ad735348c6dd65059ea65c43776-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Prepares Tariffs On Additional $300B Of Imported Chinese Goods
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published a list of Chinese goods that would be hit with new duties, from artists’ brushes to watches.
![A new round of tariff possibilities between the U.S. and China could have trickle down consequences to consumers and businesses. CREDIT: Petar Kujundzic/Reuters](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Chines-Yen-US-Dollar-graphic-Petar-Kujundzic-Reuters-500x500.jpg)
Who Would Pay For President Trump’s New Tariff Hike?
If the Trump administration follows through with its plan to hike tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports at midnight Friday, it would likely hurt not only China’s economy but American consumers and businesses, too.
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Teachers Begin To See Unfair Student Loans Disappear
The Department of Education is expanding a fix to its troubled TEACH Grant program, giving millions of dollars of grant money back to public school teachers working in the country’s neediest schools.
![Washington legislators revived a lapsed tax incentives for electric car purchases, effective August 1, 2019. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NW NEWS NETWORK](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/042919TB_EVtaxbreak-500x500.jpg)
Washington Lawmakers Revive Tax Break For Electric Vehicle Buyers
In their last minute dash to adjournment Sunday, Washington state legislators revived a lapsed sales tax break for buyers of electric cars. The resurrected incentive will be similar in value to a publicly-funded rebate for battery-powered cars that Oregon now offers.
A valuable tax break for buyers of fully-electric and plug-in hybrid cars in Washington expired last May.
![The Wing company, a Google spinoff, has won federal approval to operate its drone delivery system as an airline in the U.S. Wing](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/wing-drone-flying_wide-336ef725c907b1ef72bce8f95900adc859d30c60-500x500.jpg)
FAA Certifies Google’s Wing Drone Delivery Company To Operate As An Airline
Wing’s drones are made to deliver a wide range of items — including coffee, chocolate and burritos — from local merchants to their customers.
![Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, delivers remarks on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention in 2016. He is now launching his own campaign for president in 2020. CREDIT: Alex Wong/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gettyimages-584269878_wide-a48d39c2444937fef98b62478e66c7d52f2504ad-500x500.jpg)
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan Joins 2020 Race With A Populist Pitch To Blue-Collar Voters
The Democrat announced his decision on ABC’s The View, saying he is running to be a champion for manufacturing in a country that has been fractured by trade and outsourcing.
![The House Budget Committee displays copies of President Trump's new budget proposal on Capitol Hill on Monday morning. Presidential budget proposals are typically political documents, with Congress taking the lead to set federal spending levels. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/gettyimages-1129867019_wide-148693e1dd28ebfd05023c3d3b2186200dab452f-500x500.jpg)
President Trump Seeks More Border Wall Funding In 2020 Budget Proposal
President Trump’s 2020 budget proposal, released on Monday, calls for $8.6 billion in new border wall funding, along with increased military spending and deep cuts to domestic programs.
![Electric cars parked at the Washington State Capitol. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / N3](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Electric-vehicles-charging-at-WA-capitol-Tom-Banse-N3-500x500.jpg)
Incentives For Electric Car Buyers? Yes In Oregon, Maybe In Washington
Democrats in the Washington Legislature want to revive a tax break for buyers of electric cars, which critics view as wasteful and unnecessary. Meanwhile, a publicly-financed rebate for battery-powered cars in Oregon is finding thousands of takers.
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Journalists Raise Money, Post Jobs And Buy Beers For Peers After A Week Of Layoffs
After Buzzfeed, Gannett and Verizon’s media group announced job losses this week, journalists across the country banded together to offer support.
![Democratic Representative Debra Entenman of Kent speaks in the House of Representatives to honor Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 21, 2019. CREDIT: WASHINGTON STATE HOUSE DEMOCRATS »](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/b97c583c2bd2b92fd9272a34f2cd1d42-500x500.jpg)
If This Bill Passes, Low-Income Washington Families Could Get A Sales Tax Refund
A new bill in the state legislature would ease the tax burden on working families by giving a chunk of sales tax money back to them.
![Motorists drive past a sign advertising regular gasoline at $1.88 per gallon at a station in Longmont, Colo., on Dec. 22, 2018. Falling gasoline prices have given drivers a little extra cheer this winter. CREDIT: David Zalubowski/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ap_18356863468073-f72b882fc10e5a1c15ef3285074434a4b57591ae-500x500.jpg)
Like Those (Relatively) Low Gas Prices? Thank The Global Oil Glut
Gasoline prices have been dropping steadily for months; they’re averaging right around $2.25 per gallon nationally. Enjoy, but don’t get used to them, analysts say.