Thinning, brush clearing, removing dead, down, diseased and dying trees makes sense and provides the necessary revenue to restore forest health. It makes sense to recover economic value as a preventive measure to reduce wildfire risks.

As lawmakers head into the final half of the legislative session, they have some big decisions to make. Do they take a middle road and keep costs under control, or do they increase taxes and add new burdens on employers and families?

An impending talent gap threatens Washington state's workforce pipeline, which faces a projected deficit of degreed and credentialed workers over the next decade.

It would help if, to run for office, politicians had to first sweat making a payroll, struggle to deal with complex and costly maze of government regulations, and deal with the uncertainty of business cycles and global competition, writes Don Burnell.