Business & Economy
Business & Economy
![Boeing 737 Max jets are now being flown to the spacious airport in Moses Lake, Washington, for storage. PAUL WEATHERMAN / BOEING](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Boeing-737-Max-CREDIT-Paul-Weatherman-Boeing-500x500.jpg)
Boeing May Temporarily Halt 737 Max Production In Wake Of Fleet’s Grounding
Boeing’s CEO says the company will consider temporarily shutting down production of the 737 Max if the plane’s return is significantly delayed beyond the company’s October forecast.
![Equifax will pay up to $700 million in a proposed settlement over its 2017 data breach. CREDIT:: Mike Stewart/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ap_19203407929592_wide-cbf58d01f2c3efff2cea86dcfab5d08005bff13e-500x500.jpg)
Equifax To Pay Up To $700 Million In Data Breach Settlement
The credit reporting agency will pay up to $700 million in fines and monetary relief to consumers over a 2017 data breach that affected nearly 150 million people.
![Dan’s Tractor Inc. owner Skip Ogden stands at the counter of his southwestern Washington store. CREDIT: Kate Davidson/OPB](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Dans-Tactor-Inc-owner-Skip-Ogden-CREDIT-Kate-Davidson-OPB-500x500.jpg)
What Washington Can’t Tax, Oregon Might
On July 1, Washington stopped letting Oregon shoppers skip paying sales tax at the register, with a few exceptions. Some businesses in southwestern Washington fear the change will drive away Oregon customers who won’t want to cross the river to shop when there is no sales tax at home.
![Homeless residents often live outdoors in tents in rural Kentucky. Rarely pitched out in the open, like this one in Lexington, most are hidden in thick bushes of wooded areas. CREDIT: Mary Meehan/WEKU](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/rural-homelessness-3_enl-3aed7e57908d4053c79f3fe187f75f533e5cb04f-500x500.jpg)
Rural Homelessness Is Very Real — But Harder To See And Help
Homelessness is often considered an urban phenomenon. But those who work on homeless issues say rural homelessness is a growing problem, too. That’s true across the state and across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NPR, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported in May that one in three rural Americans say homelessness is a problem in their communities.
![Food delivery driver Crystal Begallia delivers McDonald’s fries and cheeseburgers to Anna King’s door for a public radio experiment.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/KING-FRIES-RIDE-__-Photo-8-500x500.jpg)
Hot Potato! The Science Of Getting Delivery French Fries Right Is Being Honed In Washington
Home-delivered fast food is a booming global business, but when it comes to French fries, there’s a hitch. They often get soggy on the ride. So now, top fry-makers are racing to perfect a crispy fry that can survive a 15-minute ride with a food delivery service. Companies right here in the Northwest are frying up a crisp solution to this soggy situation.
![The floor of the New York Stock Exchange. An economic indicator known as the "yield curve inversion" hit the three-month mark, which has preceded the past 7 U.S. recessions. Richard Drew/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ap_19150495129731-80f14ac332cca42ef54769935ee4163ca9e0d30b-500x500.jpg)
A Yield Curve Inversion Just Happened. It’s Done So Before The Last 7 U.S. Recessions
An inauspicious milestone was achieved on Sunday: the yield curve remained inverted for three months, which has for almost half a century preceded economic recessions.
![As investors play a growing role in the housing market, many first-time buyers are having a hard time finding a home. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/File-photo.-housing-market-house-for-sale-real-estate-CREDIT-Marcio-Jose-Sanchez-AP-500x500.jpg)
1st-Time Homebuyers Are Getting Squeezed Out By Investors
Last year, investors accounted for 1 in 5 starter-priced homes, according to data released by CoreLogic on Thursday. The rate of investor purchases of starter homes has been rising and has nearly doubled since 1999.
![In this photo, women fill out job applications at a JobNewsUSA job fair in Miami Lakes, Fla. Lynne Sladky/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ap_18030779833862-5acbc869b34dc02f2e9610fb04d494f3cf13bf13-500x500.jpg)
New Report Says College-Educated Women Will Soon Make Up Majority Of U.S. Labor Force
This year U.S. women who graduated from college will likely make up a majority of adults with degrees in the labor force. The increase could signal greater earning potential for women in the future.
![](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gettyimages-457345361_wide-61d7228cfabfcac9b6ec0442ade8e9ee90bd4954-500x500.jpg)
Why The American-Made Shoe Disappeared, And Why It’s So Hard To Bring Back
Footwear companies face big costs in potential new tariffs on more Chinese imports. Almost all shoes sold in the U.S. are made overseas. Only about 200 factories remain. One man tried to change that.
![Pallets of 14 Hands canned wines are ready to ship at Columbia Crest winery near Paterson, Wash.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CANNED_WINE_-_PHOTO_2-500x500.jpeg)
Cracking The Tab On Summer: Northwest Wine Brands Increasingly Pour Into Cans
Just in the last year, the wine-in-can category has grown by more than 100 percent across the nation, measured by volume of units sold.
The third largest winery in the nation is Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, based in Woodinville, Wash. Now, it’s pouring huge amounts of juice into aluminum cans under its 14 Hands brand.
![Lab-created diamonds produced by Diamond Foundry](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Synthetic-diamonds-from-Diamon-Foundry-500x432.jpg)
Apple Capital And Jewel Of Columbia? Hydropower Deal Clears Way For Wenatchee Diamond Making
When you think of made-in-the-Northwest products, diamonds are probably not on your list. But soon, they could be. A contract signed Thursday for Columbia River hydropower clears the way for a foundry to make lab-created diamonds in Wenatchee.
![Isaiah McDaniel bags groceries into a customer's cloth bags at PCC Natural Market Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, in Seattle. CREDIT: ELAINE THOMPSON/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Groceries-overtime-work-CREDIT-Elaine-Thompson-AP-500x500.jpg)
Washington May Extends Overtime Rules To Thousands Of Previously Exempt Workers
A sweeping proposal by the state Department of Labor and Industries could grant overtime pay to thousands more workers in Washington. Currently, workers are guaranteed overtime pay if their salary is under $24,000 a year. The proposal would gradually raise that threshold to about $80,000 by 2026.