The Oregon Brewers Guild has been spreading the alert on  House Bill 2461 which increases the barrel tax on beer by more than 1,800% (from $2.60to $49.61).  This could add to the cost of a six-pack as much as $2.   The Guild has been highlighting these three viewer polls […]

By Ken Neizgoda, Biz Reporter Health care jobs in Oregon are on the rise as other industries experience growing unemployment, according to a news report issued in January from the state of Oregon.  Health services, which is grouped together with educational services in the report, added jobs in Oregon in […]

By John Ledger Associated Oregon Industries, In a four-hour joint hearing of the House and Senate Environment & Natural Resources Committee, five AOI manufacturers, various member associations, other AOI Member companies, the Co-Chair of the AOI Air & Energy Committee, and AOI staff, all provided testimony on SB 80, the […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting A good question asked yesterday: Is this recession different from others in degree or in kind?  No recession hits the historic averages smack in the middle, so this one would have to be at least a little different in degree of severity or duration.  […]

Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins and Tongue Attorneys at Law, Portland, eAlerts This year, employers have already had three major changes to deal with – significant FMLA changes, the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and a new U.S. Supreme Court decision that again expands the conduct protected by […]

Intel -– Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini today announced the company would spend $7 billion over the next two years to build advanced manufacturing facilities in the United States. The investment funds deployment of Intel’s industry-leading 32 nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology that will be used to build faster, smaller […]

By Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, A recently completed financial analysis has determined that Oregon hospitals will face almost $400 million in losses over the next two years under the 2009-2011 budget proposal presented to Oregon lawmakers by Governor Ted Kulongoski.  The 2009-2011 “Governor’s Recommended Budget” (GRB) proposes […]

By Alyssa Williams, BIZ Reporter Well, we sure know what Americans are doing to ease their troubled minds from the worsening economy – eating. And eating cheaply at that.  Lower-priced chocolate and fast food profits are on the rise, much to the dismay of nutritionists around the country. Hershey Co.’s […]

By Ken Niezgoda, Biz Reporter With a growing number of his patients losing their jobs, and consequently their insurance coverage, Beaverton chiropractor Dr. Ted Forcum is discounting his service to help those struggling financially. Forcum increased to 20 percent the discount he offers to patients who pay at the time […]

By Associated Oregon Industries, Legislative Update, AOI tells legislators that “bonus depreciation” is critical for business investment and recovery. Oregon businesses watched capitol proceedings closely last week as legislators figured out how to deal with the federal economic stimulus legislation being considered in Congress.  Legislative leaders were worried that such […]