Business

Amazon shareholders tell Bezos: Enough with the violent products

Ashley Gross — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:39:29 +0000

Once a year, Amazon shareholders have a chance to ask billionaire CEO Jeff Bezos anything they wish. At this year’s annual meeting, a number of them urged Bezos to stop selling brutal video games and other products that glorify violence.

Cash only for marijuana businesses after credit union backs away

Keith Seinfeld — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:41:19 +0000

Verity Credit Union has backed away from helping marijuana businesses open checking accounts. The move is a major setback for pot businesses as the Seattle credit union had been the only financial institution in the state openly providing banking to those shops.

Sea-Tac workers aim for pay raise with ballot initiative

Ashley Gross — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:01:00 +0000

Workers at Sea-Tac Airport are trying to get a big pay raise by way of a ballot initiative. If approved, the increase would put them 60 percent over the state’s minimum wage of $9.19 per hour.

Why I ditched my smartphone

Ashley Gross — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:01:00 +0000

By the end of this year, about one and a half billion people will have a smartphone. That’s one for every five people on the planet—and remember, that number includes babies.

But I'm one of the ones who longs for the good old days—you know, when phones were just used to call people. It's not that I'm a complete Luddite; I just have a hard time restraining myself with such a cool gadget and not letting it take over my life. That's why I decided to ditch my smartphone.

Small businesses in Washington lose out on subsidized health plans

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:51:14 +0000

Small businesses in Washington state will not be able to participate in the new health care law, because not enough insurance companies were willing to sell them coverage.

The biggest part of Pres. Barack Obama’s new health care law is aimed at people with no health insurance. Starting this fall, they’ll be able to buy individual health policies from an online system where they can compare prices. It's also where you can get subsidies for insurance. In Washington state, it's called Washington HealthPlan Finde r.

If you work for a business with fewer than 50 employees, the law says your employer has the option of getting insurance for low and middle-income workers—with subsidies. That won’t happen in Washington, at least not on time.

Inslee begins effort to secure Boeing's next jet

The Associated Press and Ashley Gross — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:50:16 +0000

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wants to streamline government permitting and review aerospace incentives in order to help convince Boeing Co. to build its 777X jetliner in the state.

Inslee said Thursday that other strategies that lawmakers need to implement include improving the state's transportation corridors and investing in education and workforce training programs. He added those efforts can help preserve thousands of jobs.

"Today what we are doing is starting for the competition not just for the 777x but for the replacement of the 737. We’re getting ready for that today. We’re thinking long-term," the governor said.

Why won't this McDonald's move 20 feet into lower-wage Idaho?

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:20 +0000

The border between the states of Washington and Idaho is like a Petri dish for what the minimum wage does to the economy. That’s where two extremes meet.

Idaho has the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. While Washington’s is nearly $2 more, the highest in the nation. You might expect that wage gap to send Washington border businesses fleeing over to Idaho. But that's not what's happening.

Number of on-the-job deaths falls, Wash. ranks third lowest

Ashley Gross — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:26:25 +0000

Washington state seems to be a safer place for workers than most other places in the country. A new report says the state has the third lowest workplace fatality rate in the nation.

New Hampshire had the lowest workplace death rate, followed by Rhode Island, then Washington. The three states with the highest on-the-job death rates were North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

In wake of May Day mayhem, businesses assess damage

Ashley Gross — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:05:48 +0000

Business owners are assessing the damage after some anti-capitalist protesters broke windows in Seattle last night. Only a handful sustained property damage, but many more businesses were affected financially.

Amazon makes Kindle app to make e-books accessible to the blind

Ashley Gross — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:07:09 +0000

Amazon has released an app that makes it easier for the blind to read Kindle electronic books on iPhones. Advocates for blind people say it’s a significant step for a company that’s lagged other technology companies in making accessible products.

T-Mobile USA completes MetroPCS acquisition

The Associated Press — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:06:10 +0000

T-Mobile USA, the country's fourth-largest cellphone carrier, says it has completed its acquisition of MetroPCS.

T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG, will gain its own U.S. stock listing by merging with Dallas-based MetroPCS Communications Inc.

King Co. Metro urges lawmakers to pass transpo funding package

Ashley Gross — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:37:29 +0000

Even if you don’t ride the bus, you may feel the brunt of possible service cuts by King County Metro as roads get more crowded with cars. That’s one of the messages leaders of King County Metro told the Seattle City Council.

They’re urging the state Legislature to pass a transportation revenue package in the special session that starts in several weeks.

Marijuana Gold Rush begins as investors hunt for opportunities

Ashley Gross — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:56:33 +0000

The first state-licensed marijuana stores are still almost a year away, but business-minded people are already chasing profits. Today, entrepreneurs are pitching their pot-related ideas to dozens of wealthy investors in Seattle.

San Francisco-based ArcView Investor Network arranged the private forum akin to the TV show “Shark Tank.” Entrepreneurs will have a few minutes to pitch their idea—which includes everything from better grow lights to handheld vaporizers, to mobile apps for marijuana retailers—and explain why their idea is a worthy investment.

Starbucks sales and profit climb, company adds 590 new stores

Ashley Gross — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:52:28 +0000

If you have a daily Starbucks fix, you’re not alone. The company took in $3.6 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter.

Starbucks added 590 stores around the world— including Ho Chi Minh City—in the first three months of this year. And they weren’t just coffee shops; more than 300 were tea shops that Starbucks acquired through its purchase of Teavana.

Amazon profit falls, but analyst says not to worry

Ashley Gross — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:47:48 +0000

Amazon’s first-quarter profit dropped 37 percent, but at least one analyst says that’s nothing to worry about; it's all part of Amazon's master plan to keep edging out competitors by investing deeply.