National Geographic Includes Seattle on List of Best Fall Escapes

Seattle Times | Brian Cantwell | September 1

http://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/national-geographic-includes-seattle-on-list-of-best-fall-escapes/

“Seattle is one of the best fall-season escapes in the United States, according to a new list published Thursday by National Geographic Travel. The annual listing, which includes nine locations across the nation, singles out Seattle for its active lifestyle. “Known as the Emerald City, Seattle is a bustling urban environment with opportunities to hike and bike in the great outdoors nearby, like Evans Creek Preserve,” notes the article, referring to a 179-acre farmstead-turned-nature preserve edging suburban Sammamish and Redmond. “Or set sail right from the downtown waterfront with Emerald City Charters.”

 

South Sounder Line to Start Mid-Day Service in September

Seattle Times | Mike Lindblom | August 30

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/mid-day-service-to-begin-in-september-on-south-sounder-line/

“Sound Transit will launch its first mid-day commuter-train service Monday, Sept. 12, on the south Sounder line between Pierce County and Seattle. A two-car train will leave Lakewood Station at 10:18 a.m., reaching King Street Station at 11:31 a.m., then depart King Street Station at 2:32 p.m., returning to Lakewood at 3:45 p.m. It will serve all stops, and with the number of railcars increasing the next year. This is the second of four new round-trip trains funded by the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure of 2008.”

 

Code Fellows Wins Approval to Accept GI Bill to Teach Veterans How to Code

GeekWIre | Monica Nickelsburg | August 29

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/code-fellows-first-coding-bootcamp-washington-state-accept-gi-bill/

“Veterans in Washington state now have a chance to attend a very different kind of bootcamp using the GI Bill. The Veteran’s Administration and state government have approved the Seattle-based coding bootcamp, Code Fellows, to receive Chapter 31 and Chapter 33 funding for veterans. Code Fellows is the first coding school in Washington state to receive GI Bill approval. GI Bill approval is a win for Code Fellows, which has been trying to recruit more veterans, women, and minorities into its program. Last summer, the school launched a $250,000 scholarship fund for students in those groups, which are traditionally underrepresented in tech.”

 

Seattle and Portland Home Prices Rise at Twice the National Rate

Seattle Times | Christopher Rugaber (AP) | August 30

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/portland-and-seattle-home-prices-rise-at-twice-the-national-rate/

“WASHINGTON — Home prices in the Northwest continued to climb at a double-digit pace in June compared to a year ago, easily twice the rate for the nation’s 20 largest metro areas. Seattle home prices rose 11 percent, second only to Portland, where prices rose 12.6 percent, according to the Standard & Poor’s CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, released Tuesday. For the top 20 markets, prices increased 5.1 percent in June compared with a year ago. That’s down from a 5.3 percent annual gain in May and is the slowest year-over-year pace since last August.”

 

New Report: Two of the World’s Most Valuable Brands Call Seattle Area Home

Puget Sound Business Journal | Marc Stiles | August 26

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2016/08/new-report-two-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-brands.html

“A new report out Friday ranks Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) as having the fifth and sixth most valuable “brand portfolios,” respectively. One company that is reportedly expanding here and another that definitely is expanding here topped the list. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) was No. 1 on the list by Brand Finance, and Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG), the parent company of Google, was second.”