Port’s new Terminal 5 receives first cargo
It has been less than a month since the Port of Vancouver took ownership of the properties formerly known as the Alcoa/Evergreen Aluminum properties, and port’s new Terminal 5 is now accepting cargo.
On the morning of April 13, crews from International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 4 began moving wind energy cargo to the new terminal, where it will be stored until it is delivered to a wind farm development.
Through April 16, a total of 72 Vestas tower sections will be moved to Terminal 5.
Washington workers see decreasing benefits
Economic troubles have taken their toll on employee benefits in Washington state, with medical, dental, vacation and retirement benefits being offered to less employees.
A recent Employment Security Department report shows that employers offering medical insurance to full-time employees fell to 56.5 percent in 2008, nearly a 14.8 percent decrease from 2007.
Dental coverage fell 19.6 percent from 2007 to 2008, and paid vacation leave dropped by 13.7 percent. Employers offering retirement plans decreased by 14.3 percent, according to the report.
Clark earns marketing projects honors
Clark College earned national gold and silver awards for its 2007-2008 athletics media guides and the commemorative book for the college’s 75th anniversary.
The honors came from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Proceeds from the anniversary book, sold at the college’s bookstore, benefit the Clark College Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.
Clark County and Cowlitz Tribe cancel 2004 development agreement
The Board of Clark County Commissioners and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe rescinded a 2004 agreement regarding how the tribe would pay for local services and follow county standards related to the proposed 152-acre casino development near La Center.
Opponents of the project have argued that the county did not comply with the Growth Management Act. Clark County plans to petition the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board to find the county in compliance with the Growth Management Act and move forward with requests for state funding to benefit local residents and the economy.
Retailers push for imported shoe tax repeal
The National Retail Federation has asked Congress to pass legislation eliminating tariffs on low-cost imported shoes, saying the measure would save consumers an estimated $800 million annually.
The group argues that the 70-year-old law drives prices highest on low-cost shoes, affecting about 60 percent of the 1.5 billion shoes imported into the United States each year.
Tariffs would remain in effect for high-end luxury footwear and nearly 20 categories of special-purpose footwear still made in the U.S. Senate Bill 730, the Affordable Footwear Act, was introduced March 26 by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is the bill’s lead co-sponsor.
