Business

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Minimum wage in Washington will hit $8.07 Business briefly Washington's minimum wage will increase 14 cents to $8.07 an hour starting Jan. 1, the state Department of Labor and Industries announced Monday. Through an initiative passed in 1998, the agency is required to recalculate the minimum pay each September based on the consumer price index. The existing minimum is $7.93 an hour. Canada Olympics offers opportunity Ways to benefit from the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., are the topic of "Get in the Game," a community forum for businesses, groups and individuals set for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17, It's at Everett Station's Weyerhaeuser Room at 3201 Smith Ave. The free program is sponsored by SnoGold 2010, the group formed to encourage local economic opportunities from the event. Gov. Gregoire forms partnership zones Gov. Chris Gregoire has designated 11 Innovation Partnership Zones across the state, including the Aerospace Convergence Zone in central Snohomish County and the Bothell Biomedical Manufacturing Corridor in south Snohomish County. The designation gives the zones special access to state funding and other resources that otherwise might not have been available. The aerospace zone hopes to encourage research into new materials and processes for the manufacturing of aircraft. The Bothell zone is hoping to establish a University of Washington research institute to support the area's medical device manufacturing companies. Sonosite unveils portable ultrasound Bothell-based SonoSite Inc. announced Monday the introduction of its next generation of hand-carried ultrasound machines. The M-Turbo ultrasound system is the fourth product platform SonoSite has developed in the company's decade-long history. The company claims the system offers a 16-fold increase in processing power over its best-selling MicroMaxx system but still weights less than 8 pounds. SonoSite's shares closed Monday at $31.90, up $1.38. Obesity nasal spray continues trials Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. of Bothell has started a second phase of human testing for its experimental anti-obesity nasal spray. The six-month study, which will involve about 500 obese patients, will test the drug's effectiveness compared with a placebo. Nastech's shares gained 43 cents, or about 3 percent, Monday to close at $13.74. T-bill rates mixed in Monday auction The Treasury Department auctioned $16 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 3.840 percent, up from 3.820 percent last week. Another $14 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 4.000 percent, unchanged from last week. The three-month rate was the highest since three-month bills averaged 4.050 two weeks ago. The six-month rate for the past two weeks of 4.000 percent was the lowest since these bills averaged 3.950 percent on Aug. 20. The discount rates reflect that the bills sell for less than face value. For a $10,000 bill, the three-month price was $9,902.93 while a six-month bill sold for $9,797.78. From Herald staff and news services

1. Lake Stevens neighbors protest loss of left turn off Highway 9 2. Police look into fire at Emory's restaurant in Everett 3. Man who died from fall identified 4. Mural memorializing fallen soldier lost in effort to fix Silvana building 5. Marysville-Pilchuck comes up short in battle of unbeatens 6. 'Twilight' tourism 7. Accident near Poulsbo kills Marysville man, injures five 8. In Forks, it's always Twilight 9. Expect wintry roads at passes, dusting of snow on Snohomish County hills 10. Icy conditions lead to numerous wrecks on county roads 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

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