Business

Metro area business promoter hires new VP

Greater Portland Inc., the private sector-led business promoter of the Portland-Vancouver area, said Tuesday it has hired Derrick Olsen as vice president of regional strategy and coordination.

Phased state liquor store closures planned in Clark County

The Washington State Liquor Control Board on Tuesday announced that the remaining state liquor stores will be closed in phases beginning Monday, in advance of the June 1 transition to private liquor sales.

Gas prices drop — but not for us

Tight supplies keep West Coast from following national trend

Retail gas prices in Southwest Washington and much of the West are pushing toward record levels, but long-awaited relief from budget-killing stops at the gas pumps could finally be on the way, the automobile club AAA Oregon/Idaho speculated Tuesday.

UPDATE: Clark County's labor market strengthens

Payrolls, while still far from booming, show solid growth

Clark County's economy revs up, adds 1,800 jobs in year

Home sales up across the nation

Increase is latest indication that housing market may be on the mend

WASHINGTON — Americans are buying more homes in every region of the country, the latest indication that the housing market could be on the mend.An increasing portion of those sales are from first-time buyers, who are critical to a housing recovery.

Washington View: Data needed before making decisions about our water

When the Environmental Protection Agency was formed in 1970, our environmental problems were easy to see: factories belched black smoke, leaded gasoline fouled our air, and water and rivers were so polluted that they actually caught fire.

N.Y. investor, wife increase Nautilus stake to 7 percent

An activist New York investor and his wife have increased their stake in Vancouver-based Nautilus Inc. and now own about 7 percent of the manufacturer of fitness equipment.

Portland-Vancouver metro-area unemployment rate dips slightly in April

The Portland-Vancouver metro area's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in April. The March rate was 8.0 percent, and the year-ago rate was 9.2 percent. An estimated 92,900 area residents were unemployed and looking for work, said Amy VanderVliet, regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department. The metro area added 4,100 jobs (seasonally adjusted) in April, offsetting March's loss of 3,600 jobs. Over the year, employment is up 10,800 jobs, or 1.1 percent.