Business in brief: Unemployment rate up slightly
Fewer people were working in Spokane in December, bringing the city’s total unemployment rate to 5.1 percent. That’s slightly higher than November’s 4.6 percent, according to figures released Tuesday by the Washington State Employment Security Department.
Meanwhile, the nation turned in 4.5 percent, and the state 5 percent, in unemployment figures.
In Spokane, most of the jobs losses were in construction, down 500, and education, down 400, said Jeff Zahir, a regional labor economist for the state. “These are normal seasonal fluctuations and don’t reflect anything particularly bad in the economy,” he said.
“The amazing news is that retail trade picked up 300 jobs since November and has held on to 1,000 more employees over the year than it had in 2005,” he said. “December hiring in retail trade can be a bellwether for future prosperity in the economy. If we were looking for a promising sign for a great 2007, we just got it.”
Atlanta
Coca-Cola jury selection begins
One hundred potential jurors filed into a federal courtroom Tuesday for the start of the conspiracy trial of former Coca-Cola secretary Joya Williams accused of stealing trade secrets from the world’s largest beverage maker in an effort to sell them to rival Pepsi.
Individual questioning of potential jurors by the defense lawyers and prosecutors will begin today, and opening statements are scheduled for Monday. The trial is expected to last up to two weeks.
Denver
Ski resorts seeing record visits
Despite getting less snow, Colorado resorts are on a pace to break last season’s record of 12.53 million skier visits, with 6.74 percent more in the first part of the season than during the same period last year, the industry reported Tuesday.
The resorts had nearly 3.3 million skier visits from October through December 2006, up 207,533 from the same period in 2005.
A skier visit is one skier or snowboarder purchasing and using a lift ticket.
Colorado resorts have benefited from a lack of snow in the East, but their Western competitors have had plenty.
The state’s smaller resorts were up 10.74 percent.