Dave Meyer

Air quality is improving. The Stage One burn ban in Pierce County ends at 4 p.m. today.

During a Stage One ban, burning is prohibited in uncertified wood stoves and fire places. Outdoor fires are also not allowed.

You can learn more about burn bans and air quality at pscleanair.org.

It's great to see the sun again during this dark time of the year, but it carries a price.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has issued a Stage One Burn Ban for Pierce County, effective at 4:00 this afternoon. Outdoor fires are banned, and no burning is allowed in uncertified wood stoves and fireplaces.

The high pressure system that's bringing us sunshine through the weekend is also trapping more air pollution near the ground.

Several news outlets, including the Seattle Times and ZDNet, are reporting layoff notices are going out at Microsoft today.

Ad Age is reporting 200 layoffs in marketing, including Chief Creative Officer Gayle Troberman.

Do you love your smartphone but hate your service provider? LTE may change that.

This week on The Digital Future, Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson says new LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology will make a huge difference in our lives.

LTE should allow you to download data 30 times faster than current 3G technology. That's similar to the performance of wired Internet connections offered by cable or DSL.

King County Animal Control authorities have seized 74 cats and 1 dog from a camper parked next to the Auburn Regional Medical Center.

If you or your business suffered uninsured property damage due to our recent snow and ice storm, county officials want to hear from you. Public assistance may be available, and the first step is to submit a damage report.

The snow has melted and the power is (mostly) back on. Now it's time to fix the new potholes that have popped up after our winter storm. 

The Seattle Department of Transportation has four crews of Pothole Rangers repairing the damage.

You can report a pesky pothole at seattle.gov or by calling 206-684-7623 (ROAD). And you can check Seattle's pothole map to see if your trouble spot is already on the to-do list.

2011 was a terrific year for the Seattle-based Starbucks coffee chain. The stock shot up 43% last year and recently hit record highs.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at the successful company on this week's Money Matters.

Local economist Dick Conway unveiled his economic forecast for the region recently, and he painted an optimistic picture, describing it as "a sunny day, with some clouds".

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that he thinks there's a good case for optimism this year.

A high pressure system continues to trap air pollution near the ground, prompting the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to elevate the burn bans in Pierce and Snohomish counties from Stage 1 to Stage 2.

Stage 1 bans remain in effect for King, Kitsap, Mason and Thurston counties.

Seattle area gas prices are currently in the neighborhood of $3.50/gallon, but that may not last long. Fuel price monitoring website GasBuddy.com is predicting the price of regular unleaded will reach a record high of $4.40 to $4.65 a gallon here by Memorial Day weekend.

GasBuddy's annual price forecast sees extreme volatility in 2012, with rising tensions between Iran and the West playing a big role. Other factors include concerns about refinery maintenance and the hurricane season.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has declared a Stage One burn ban for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Burning is prohibited in fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves, unless the stove is the home's only adequate source of heat.

A high pressure system is bringing cold temperatures and mild winds to the region. The system keeps air pollution from dissipating, and air quality is expected to deteriorate through Friday.

It pays to be a bit paranoid these days. The digital age makes it easy for scammers to reach out and touch your wallet.

The Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington has released its list of the top scams seen in 2011. It includes "phishing", bogus lotteries and secret shopper schemes.

It's been hard to make money in stocks and bonds lately. 2011 was a great year to sell gold, but prices are too high to buy it now. Where does that leave us?

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that 2012 might be a great year for investing in real estate.

2012 will be a big year for TV, voice recognition and Amazon.com.

Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson has issued his list of top 10 technology predictions for 2012.  He shares some of the highlights on The Digital Future with KPLU's Dave Meyer.