WASHINGTON STATE

As part of the latest push to get more state money for public schools, thousands of sign-waving parents, students and school employees jammed the steps of the Capitol Monday morning then streamed into legislative office buildings to lobby their lawmakers.

Companies raised $290 million in 38 deals during the fourth quarter of the year, according to the quarterly Dow Jones VentureSource report being released Thursday. That’s a 25 percent jump from the same period last year.

Now, a new measure would allow refills at grocery stores, wine boutiques and other places licensed to sell wine in the state.

In a state that has repeatedly rejected an tax income, it’s a ground-breaking attempt to raise tax revenue that is based on wealth and one type of earnings.

Inslee unveiled his education budget Monday, proposing significant raises for teachers and other school staff as well as more training and assistance to educators and students.

Yet even then, in a testament to the excruciating frustration of the WTO process, legal experts on both sides of the case say the outcome will almost certainly leave Boeing’s bottom line untouched — and Washington state’s tax coffers none the richer.

The task force recommended building information access into the new system as it was designed and acquired, focusing on multiple agency systems that could be used by more than one department, and finding out and focusing on the data people want most.

The following are projects, initiatives and economic developments making news in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. This email is distributed by the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA) on behalf of its regional partners. LEWISTON, Idaho…

Travel site Visit Seattle partnered with the Little Free Library book exchange program to promote the city through nine Seattle-themed little libraries.