Northwest News

Washington’s idled construction industry continued to show signs of life in August. Nonetheless, the state’s jobless rate still rose slightly. Overall Washington lost 1,100 jobs last month. The new unemployment rate announced Wednesday is 8.6 percent -– up a tenth of a percent from July.

The Idaho Land Board signed off Tuesday on a lease that would allow a gold miner along the Salmon River to exclusively mine for gold.

EPA auditors are recommending that federal stimulus funds granted to a Eugene non-profit be taken back. They say Cascade Sierra Solutions, which works to clean up the US trucking industry, has problems with its books.

Washington Fish and Wildlife police have raided more than a dozen locations around the state. The one day blitz on suspected poachers and traffickers follows a two year undercover investigation.