The ongoing construction of a $124 million geothermal plant near Neal Hot Springs was made possible by a $102 million Department of Energy loan this summer, the largest of its kind given to a geothermal project in the country. The DOE investment and other proposed government incentives are making geothermal development in the state more feasible after years of complications from large overhead costs and environmental concerns.
SAM Medical Products in Wilsonville created a better way to treat battle injuries after its co-founder, Sam Scheinberg, served in Vietnam as a medic and saw how poorly splints worked on burned skin.
Private land in Lincoln, Benton and Polk counties has been exchanged for state land to allow for better road placement and easier management.
Two new grant programs backed by Beaverton-headquartered Nike, one local and the other global, are pouring seed money into projects from Clatskanie to Kenya.
When developer Richard Singer was 3 years old, he and his two siblings received a building on NW 23rd Avenue as a gift from their grandfather, Harry Zell, one of the two brothers for whom the now-closed Zell Bros. Jewelers was named.
The cost of workers’ compensation insurance for most Oregon employers will remain flat in 2011, according to the Department of Consumer and Business Services, which sets those rates for every industry in the state.
Tech startup Element One this month launched a product that transforms methanol and water into hydrogen, paving its way to enter markets in the developing world. Its “Pegasus hydrogen generator” could provide fuel for hydrogen cells that power rapidly expanding telecommunication networks.
During the last four years, permits for new housing in Oregon, both single-family and multi-unit, have been going over a cliff.
All “latest” numbers are for August 2010 unless otherwise noted. Latest Month Previous Month Previous Year Annual Change EMPLOYMENT/BUSINESS LISTINGS Total employment State of Oregon, thousands 1,787.4 1,774.9 1,757.8 1.7% Total unemployment State of Oregon, thousands 205.1 207.9 216.3 -5.2% Unemployment rate Ore. civilian labor force, seasonally adjusted 10.6% 10.6% 11.2% -0.6 Portland/Vancouver MSA; … Read more
When the big one inevitably hits, it will collapse bridges, destroy energy sources, ruin many commercial buildings and leave Portland’s economy in ruins.