WASHINGTON STATE

By early next year, drawn by the cheap and renewable hydroelectricity of Eastern Washington, this state will have "the largest carbon fiber plant on Earth," according to a German executive leading the project.

"It’s clear we need more primary care physicians," WSU president Elson Floyd said. The University of Washington has done a great job of putting doctors in the region, he said, but increasing demand in rural Washington state "is so great it may require two medical schools."

A New York company has paid $4 million to purchase the assets of ReliOn Inc., the Spokane-based company that produces fuel cell systems.

Kyle Kesterson, 29, can pinpoint the start of his transformation – from formerly homeless high school dropout to CEO of a rising tech company – down to a single moment.

State officials identified more than $4 billion potentially new transportation projects that they deemed "key to Boeing’s success in Washington State."

Where the company will assemble its next generation of commercial airplane, the 777X — which only a few months ago looked locked-down certain to be right here — is now up for grabs, with a national scramble of states and cities bidding for Boeing’s hand with tax breaks, incentives and promises of labor congeniality.

The City of Seattle has a critical role to play in promoting the economic health of the region.

Silicon Valley has been well recognized as the nation’s hub of technology, having easily surpassed both Southern California and Massachusetts, but it’s now Seattle that may emerge as its greatest rival.

Microsoft Corp. has expanded its online technology training program so that people can take courses for free through more than 380 public libraries.

2nd Watch helps businesses use cloud-based technology to manage the costs of computing, networking and data storage.