Out of all the benefits besides cash with which companies can attract and keep employees, none is more appreciated than health coverage. But at a time when health care costs are rising faster than inflation, offering a high-quality plan is easier said than done.

Real estate closings in Harney County grew by nearly one-third in the first six months of 2006, according to statistics released by the county.

A California company wants to build the largest wind farm in the Columbia River Gorge. The project, Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, calls for up to 300 turbines on 32,100 acres in Gilliam and Morrow counties.

The City of Irrigon has been awarded a $1.04 million grant and a $1.7 million loan for water system improvements by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development.

Oregon Building Congress (OBC) wants to create a four-year charter high school that will focus on architecture, construction and engineering as a way to help address a workforce shortage in the construction industry.

The shuttered Physician’s Hospital (formerly the Woodland Park Hospital) will be turned into Oregon’s first long-term care hospital. Vibra Healthcare, which is based in Pennsylvania, plans to offer approximately 80 beds for patients in need of weeks or months of high-level care.

Prominent Oregon business family Ken and Joan Austin have unveiled plans to build a 1,291-home community, Springbrook, on 450 acres on the north side of Newberg.

The wireless cloud is moving closer to Lebanon. The City of Lebanon has reached an agreement with Consumer Power to install the remaining 12 to 15 wireless access points necessary for citywide wireless coverage.

A high-mileage roadster powered by a compressed natural gas engine and selling for $19,900 was unveiled in Eugene in July by Eco-Fueler Corporation.

A collection of local governments, private groups and individuals has filed  for the right to appeal in the application process in NorthernStar Energy’s plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Bradwood Landing, about 30 miles upriver from Astoria.