Coming Sunday

Ferry County in northeast Washington has one of the smallest populations among the state’s 39 counties. Last month it had the state’s highest unemployment rate.

Those kinds of statistics haven’t deterred Betty Buckley, co-founder and executive director of Stone Soup, a nonprofit organization that’s trying to boost Ferry County’s economy.

Stone Soup offers classes to help steer budding entrepreneurs through business basics, and micro-loans for help buying equipment or supplies. The organization also landed a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish high-tech tools for rural businesses.

Read more about the work of Stone Soup and rural economic development in a story by Tom Sowa on Sunday.