Business – The Columbian

Clark County Council mulls long-term investment, funding to add two positions at veterans assistance center

Mia Ryder-Marks — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:31:39 +0000

The Clark County Council is considering increased funding to provide mental health services to veterans.

Oil prices climb back toward $100, and US stocks halt their record-breaking rally

Associated Press — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:44:06 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose Wednesday following the latest flare-up in fighting to threaten the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, and U.S. stocks retreated from their records.

Ford recall for seat belt issue and a do-not-drive order for some Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles

MICHELLE CHAPMAN, Associated Press — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:25:38 +0000

Ford is recalling almost 420,000 vehicles because of a seat belt issue that may result in an injury if a crash occurs.

City expands arts access with Inspire Vancouver grants program

Kelly Moyer — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:21:34 +0000

Vancouver’s new cultural access sales tax raised $7 million in its first year and is on track to fund grants that will expand access to the arts in the coming years.

U.S. says it plans extra tariffs of 10% or more for most trading partners after forced labor probe

Associated Press — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:09:05 +0000

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is proposing double-digit tariffs on products from dozens of major U.S. trading partners after an investigation into imports of goods allegedly made with forced labor.

Wall Street inches to more records thanks to booming AI stocks

Associated Press — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:21:55 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market inched to more records Tuesday as winners of the artificial-intelligence boom kept driving higher.

Vancouver City Council OKs additional $200,000 for two shelter programs

Mia Ryder-Marks — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:01:00 +0000

The Vancouver City Council on Monday approved an additional $200,000 for two shelter programs that support homeless women and those fleeing domestic violence.

The Columbian wins Society of Professional Journalists’ General Excellence in Writing award for 2nd year in row

Jessica Prokop — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:51:13 +0000

The Columbian won the Society of Professional Journalists’ General Excellence in Writing award for a second year in a row.

More cities are pressing pause on data centers as local backlash grows

Robbie Sequeira, Stateline.org — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:04:37 +0000

Hearing backlash from residents, cities and counties across the country in recent weeks have blocked planned data centers amid concerns over rising electricity prices and environmental harms.

McDonald’s bets on fancier chicken, airier restaurants to keep luring diners

Daniela Sirtori, Bloomberg News — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:18:18 +0000

McDonald’s Corp. is betting on everything from fancier chicken to new playgrounds as part of a campaign to make fast food feel less like fast food.

Trump taps housing finance director Pulte as acting director of national intelligence after Gabbard

Associated Press — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:06:53 +0000

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the acting director of national intelligence — putting a real estate scion and fierce Trump loyalist in a key national security post as the U.S. remains at war with Iran.

YWCA Clark County loses state funding for domestic violence program

Kimberly Cortez — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:09:40 +0000

YWCA Clark County will lose state funding for its Domestic Violence High Risk Team by the end of the month.

Clark County’s reputation for growth attracts more financial institutions

Sarah Wolf — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:07:49 +0000

Experts have long considered Clark County a growth area and new regional financial institutions are taking notice.

‘Our lives are torn now’: Fiancee mourns Vancouver man killed in Longview mill disaster

Tyler Brown — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:06:12 +0000

A Vancouver man was among those killed in last week’s disaster at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview.

Oil prices rise, but not by enough to keep Wall Street from more records

Associated Press — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:24:03 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose Monday following the latest fighting to threaten the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but Wall Street isn’t very worried, and U.S. stocks ticked to more records.

Clark County Public Health’s new racial equity director ‘willing to fight for racial equity, for justice’

Kimberly Cortez — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:53:13 +0000

Shanell Brown, a public health nurse and Tacoma native, joined Clark County Public Health as its first racial equity director in May.

Trump is facing a new inflation warning from the bond market, adding to his midterm challenges

Associated Press — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:18:55 +0000

WASHINGTON — The world is getting more uptight about lending money to President Donald Trump’s government — causing interest rates to climb in ways that are worsening affordability pressures, hampering economic growth and creating a new risk for Republicans in November’s midterm elections.

Young and unemployed? Remote work, not AI, may be the problem, study finds

Associated Press — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:18:16 +0000

WASHINGTON — The rise of remote work since the pandemic has made businesses more reluctant to hire young, inexperienced workers and is the key driver of higher unemployment rates for recent college graduates, a study released Monday has found.

Humanoids dance and thread needles during summit in Japan

Associated Press — Sun, 31 May 2026 20:29:19 +0000

TOKYO — Mechanical hands dexterous enough to thread a needle, childlike dancing robots and adult-sized ones to help with deliveries were on display Thursday as the Humanoids Summit Tokyo opened.

Trump to appeal order allowing importers to seek tariff refunds

Associated Press — Sun, 31 May 2026 19:15:39 +0000

NEW YORK — Businesses big and small have started receiving tariff refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose higher import taxes on goods from nearly every other country.

Experimental pill promises new hope against pancreatic cancer

Associated Press — Sun, 31 May 2026 18:56:56 +0000

WASHINGTON — A novel pill helped people with advanced pancreatic cancer live longer, researchers reported May 24, raising hopes of long-needed better treatments for one of the deadliest types of cancer.

Vancouver couple plans townhomes in Bagley Downs neighborhood

Sarah Wolf — Sat, 30 May 2026 21:00:57 +0000

A Vancouver couple has proposed a 17-unit townhome development in Vancouver’s Bagley Downs neighborhood.

After 250 years, we still can’t get enough of French luxury

Associated Press — Sat, 30 May 2026 18:07:21 +0000

NEW YORK — At the pinnacle of the American cultural pyramid, one particular inspiration has echoed across the centuries through friendship and tension alike: France.

Gamification and memes lure young people to wagering apps

Associated Press — Sat, 30 May 2026 18:05:03 +0000

When Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second year in a row, Kalshi shared a photo of him on Instagram with the words, “Wait he’s goated.” When a video of NBA player Damian Lillard recovering from an injury circulated online, Kalshi’s main competitor Polymarket posted, “The league is cooked.”

‘Good night and good luck’: CBS News Radio signs off after nearly 100 years

Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 30 May 2026 12:59:08 +0000

NEW YORK — As a radio professional who grew up aspiring to work at CBS News Radio, anchor Steve Kathan understood the weight of the words he wrote and recorded Friday on the final broadcast of “World News Roundup.”