Last year alone, Portland-based Columbia Sportswear Co. donated about 6,400 pounds of shoes—some of which otherwise might have been scrapped—to nonprofits including Seattle-based World Vision and Portland-based Mercy Corps.Shoes, gear,

After months of planning by state and local agencies, about $150 million in federal stimulus money for energy efficiency is starting to flow into Washington state.The money should help weatherize thousands of homes, upgrade public buildings, of