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.

The stakes are high for Oregon tribes, private business investors and the state in the race to get a casino close to the lucrative Portland market.

Oregon’s health plan providers are facing new challenges as national health care reform rolls out.

Police gather vehicle and driver information in two problematic ways. They can either enter license plate numbers into a computer, which requires them to be inside their cruisers and distracts them while driving, or they can call a human dispatcher and wait for clear radio bands. Warren Harrison, head of Portland State University’s computer science department, decided to do something about it.