Business & Economy
Business & Economy
![In this Sept. 14, 2020 photo, a U.S. flag flies near Smith Tower in downtown Seattle as air thick with smoke from wildfires as seen over CenturyLink Field. The damage caused by wildfires can be devastating, yet researchers say the smoke from the annually recurring blazes also delivers economic damage to areas that were never touched by the flames. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Wildfire-Smoke-Seattle-CenturyLink-Field-September-2020-CREDIT-Ted-S-Warren-AP-500x500.jpeg)
Study: Economic Effects Of Wildfire Smoke Linger Long After Flames Subside
The damage caused by wildfires can be devastating, gutting structures and driving out people who live and work nearby. And researchers say the smoke from the annually recurring blazes also delivers economic damage to areas that were never touched by the flames.
![President Joe Biden at podium](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gettyimages-1300543199-623ab298543ec312a3a2cc6e012337c072e4a725-500x500.jpg)
President Biden Doesn’t Think $15 Federal Minimum Wage Hike Will Survive COVID-19 Relief Bill
President Biden said on Friday that his plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour is unlikely to happen as part of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package.
![Vice President Kamala Harris in Senate](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/kamal-ap21036466547821-aaf8490b7ba76ff57ead362ea10a1fe787abb4e4-500x500.jpg)
Congress Approves Budget, Paving The Way For President Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Package
The House quickly approved a budget resolution intended to speed the drafting of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The Senate approved the same budget resolution early Friday morning. With the Senate evenly divided, Vice President Harris cast the tiebreaking vote.
![President Biden and Vice President Harris meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic senators on Wednesday to talk about Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal. CREDIT: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gettyimages-1300170547_custom-9615e441c0043dc036dac54acdfc90e5bb0e4b2f-500x500.jpg)
President Biden Moves Ahead On Relief Bill Without GOP, But Signals Checks Could Be Targeted
President Biden and congressional Democrats are pressing ahead on a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, taking the steps in the House and Senate to approve the measure without Republican support.
![Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced a statewide pullback to a modified Phase 2 of reopening on Nov. 13, 2020. But he declined to issue a mask mandate, as most other states in the region have done in some form. CREDIT: Idaho Public Television/Governor's Office](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Governor-Brad-Little-Press-Conference-111320-Idaho-Public-Television-CROP.png)
Governor Advances Idaho Into Next Phase Of Reopening, Citing Declining COVID Case Rates
Idaho Gov. Brad Little says his state will move from Stage 2 to Stage 3 in its coronavirus reopening protocol. Little announced Tuesday that groups of up to 50 may now gather, as long as they take precautions with masks and physical distancing.
![Forbes tracks the world's billionaires in almost real time. Now, a group of Washington House Democrats want to impose a wealth tax on Washington's billionaires.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Forbes-billionaires-list-Washington-state-tax-proposal-Jeff-Bezos-CREDIT-Forbes-Real-Time-Billioaires-page-500x389.png)
Tax A Billionaire, Raise Some Cash? It’s An Idea Washington State Democrats Are Floating
Washington billionaires would pay a “wealth tax” under a proposal in the state House that will get a public hearing on Tuesday. The bill is sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Noel Frame, who chairs the House Finance Committee, and would impose a one percent tax on intangible financial property, such as stocks and bonds, futures contracts and publicly traded options. A billionaire’s first $1 billion in “taxable worldwide wealth” would be exempt.
![Commissioner Suzi LeVine addressed unemployment claim processing delays during a media teleconference Thursday. CREDIT: WA ESD via Zoom](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Washington-Employment-Security-Department-Commissioner-Suzi-LeVine-Zoom-Screenshot-060420-500x500.jpg)
State Auditor: Data Breach Compromised Info Of 1.6 Million Washingtonians Seeking Unemployment
A data breach may have exposed the personal information of 1.6 million residents who filed for unemployment last year, as well as other information from state agencies and local governments, Washington state Auditor Pat McCarthy said Monday.
![Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gettyimages-1299158723_custom-eb44e54b7423f79f53dee3242c9294f147d101d0-500x500.jpg)
10 Senate Republicans Outline $600B Counteroffer To President Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Bill
Ten Republican senators on Sunday requested a meeting with President Biden to detail a smaller counterproposal to his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, an alternative they believe could be approved “quickly by Congress with bipartisan support.”
![Boeing 777-X jet takes off in Seattle with Olympia Mountains in the background](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ap21027477714737_wide-a4c4f0e115c4e1e5c225db5578059d4cee3f19ea-500x500.jpg)
Pandemic Piles On Already Reeling Boeing, Leading To Nearly $12 Billion Loss In 2020
Boeing is trying to close the books on a dismal year. The aircraft manufacturer Wednesday reported that the company lost close to $12 billion in 2020, a record loss, as the pandemic depressed demand for new airplanes and the company continued to reel from its 737 Max debacle.
![Sign on restaurant door in Spokane saying when it will reopen from covid closure with multiple dates crossed out and finally saying "who knows"](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Reopening-Spokane-restaurant-sign-COVID-closure-Satellite-Diner-CREDIT-Scott-Leadingham-NWPB-500x500.jpg)
Washington Legislators Unveil $2.2 Billion COVID-19 Financial Relief Package
The plan includes $618 million to boost vaccination efforts and contact tracing. It also includes $668 million for school assistance, $365 million to aid renters and landlords and $240 million for grants to businesses.
![Shoppers walk past a "Sale" sign outside a store at the Easton Town Center Mall in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 7. CREDIT: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gettyimages-1230479835_custom-5207087f0f2bb951e1a4fd0af0fd262f8926988b-500x500.jpg)
Retail Spending Dips For 3rd Straight Month As Infections Surge
Even as people continue to splurge on shopping, they cut back on going out to eat and shop. Plus, the earlier-than-usual holiday shopping season meant online shopping as well sales of electronics and appliances dipped in December. Gas stations saw the biggest jump in spending last month, up 6.6%, as people traveled for holiday visits despite health warnings.
![Then presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at a "Build Back Better" Clean Energy event on July 14, 2020. On Thursday, Biden unveiled an ambitious economic plan just days before he's set to be inaugurated as president. CREDIT: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gettyimages-1227112855-c7d4ce89d89c05ce7e54696e678411c043d7d24c-500x500.jpg)
$1,400 Checks And Help For The Jobless: What’s In Joe Biden’s Plan To Rescue The Economy
President-elect Joe Biden has long pledged he would deliver an aggressive plan to address the raging coronavirus pandemic and the painful recession it spawned.