Jon Talton has a great (i.e., it supports our position) piece in the Seattle Times about Boeing "overplaying its hand" with a new South Carolina love-nest. (That Vought plant is a union shop, and SC during a recession isn't in a position to write a lot of incentive checks.) Says Talton: "It's healthy to run a little scared in today's economy as long as you don't run over the edge of a cliff or throw others off. That's the risk with the most strident comments about the bad-business climate here. It's mostly a myth. And, in addition to being divisive because much of it translates into blaming workers or programs that benefit them, it obscures the real competitive issues that face us." Boom! He also presents facts and figures, if you're into that sort of thing. more ›

So Boeing is "in talks" to buy the a South Carolina factory that currently makes sections of the 787 (huh, that's funny, the autotext is "long-delayed 787") fuselage, which has sparked rumors that the plane-maker is thinking about, in the words of Billy Joel, "movin' out." Anti-union business interests blame...the devil union. Jon Talton focuses on a huge Southern sucking sound. And Rick Anderson points out that the state gets advice from Deloitte Consulting on how to keep Boeing, while Deloitte & Touche does Boeing's books--this is okay because they are "separate but affiliated" entities. We are not Boeing experts by any means, but this is what we see: a) low labor costs alone don't build a plane that flies, b) Boeing's future requires a more highly trained and skilled work force than ever before, and c) we haven't noticed Boeing crowing lately about any profits generated by moving its corporate HQ to Chicago. more ›

Kristy Lee Cook may be the closest we get to a local hand in the pot this year. Which basically means Blake Lewis might get to keep his crown. (Did he get a crown for coming in second?) more ›

Presidential primaries in December now a possibility: more ›

The presidential election is still over a year and a half away, and we already have our favorite bit of analysis: more ›

-The nation's fifth Latino-owned bank is coming to a Kent near you. more ›

The Sonics lost their first preseason game last night, 82-75 to Nate McMillan's Portland Trail Blazers. McMillan, you will recall, played 12 years for the Sonics and coached the team for 5. But, after his contract expired last season, he made the admirable decision to test new waters as the coach of the notoriously uncoachable Blazers. more ›