The state Employment Security Department has temporarily taken offline a Web site that publicizes layoff notices after staff members mistakenly reposted old notices for two local companies. Last Friday, the Web site incorrectly indicated Cingular was laying off 39 people in Bothell and Redmond and that Philips was laying off another 33 people. Neither is happening; both companies completed those layoffs a year ago.
Bothell biotech loses $3.2 million
Lumera Corp. of Bothell lost nearly $3.2 million, or 19 cents a share, during the second quarter, compared to a $5.8 million loss in the same period last year. Revenue was up sharply, from $348,999 to $665,000, thanks to sales of bioscience lab instruments and government contracts.
Schools buy local defibrillators
Cardiac Science Corp. will ship 442 automatic external heart defibrillators to more than 130 school districts in Michigan, the Bothell company announced Tuesday. The schools will buy the potentially life-saving devices with money from a Department of Homeland Security grant. Defibrillators are being installed in public buildings to help save people suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.
Whidbey bank continues dividend
The parent company of Whidbey Island Bank announced it will pay a quarterly dividend. Washington Banking Co. plans to pay a 6.25-cent dividend on Aug. 25, to shareholders of record as of Aug. 10. The size of the payment is unchanged from the previous quarter.
Toyota outsells Ford for first time in U.S.
Amid steep gas prices, Toyota Motor Corp. rode its reputation for fuel-efficient cars to a double-digit sales increase in July and outsold Ford in the U.S. for the first month ever. Honda Motor Co. also reported robust sales. U.S. automakers experienced a moribund July as sales plummeted from a year ago, when heavy discounts spurred a near-record month for the auto industry. For General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group, the steepest declines were in trucks and sport utility vehicles, the high-margin items on which the three companies are heavily dependent.
Factory output increases in July
The nation’s manufacturing sector expanded in July at a faster clip than in June, while companies paid significantly more for raw materials, a trade group said Tuesday. The Institute for Supply Management, based in Tempe, Ariz., said its manufacturing index registered 54.7 in July, above the 53.8 June reading and stronger than analysts’ estimates of 53.5 to 53.8. A reading of 50 or more indicates expansion, while below 50 indicates contraction. The July figure represented the 38th consecutive month of growth.
From Herald staff and news services
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