Washington’s unemployment rate has dropped to 4.6 percent – a near-record low – and a happy Gov. Chris Gregoire said Tuesday she’s running out of ways to say the state economy is great.

The state’s latest jobless figure, covering August, compares with 4.9 percent a month earlier. The modern record for low unemployment, 4.4 percent, was set in April.

The national rate is also 4.6 percent. The state’s rate was 5.1 percent one year ago.

State officials said over 10,000 non-farm jobs were added last month, and that 87,900 net new jobs have been created over the past 12 months.

That annual growth rate, 3.1 percent, compares with the national growth of 1.2 percent.

In Spokane County, the rate was 4.5 percent.

Just a few days ago, state revenue forecasters said the state’s robust economy will swell state coffers by $282 million.

That boosted the state’s projected surplus to over $1.5 billion.

“I am running out of ways to say ‘the news is good,’ ” the governor said after getting the rosy new employment numbers.

“Washington’s unemployment rate has remained at historic lows since the beginning of the year. Our consistently strong economy is bolstered by this low unemployment rate and our strong revenue forecast.”

Spokane

Family Home will take MMC clients

Patients served by the Mobile Medical Clinic will now be cared for by Family Home Care & Hospice.

The MMC stopped offering care to about 1,000 patients on Sept. 1, leaving their home-based patients without a primary care provider, according to a news release from Family Home.

Patients may choose a different provider than Family Home, which bills itself the largest privately owned home care agency in the region.

Family Home makes house calls on patients for primary care services such as routine check-ups, blood draws, medication monitoring, diagnoses and drug prescriptions.

Several Mobile Medical staff, including Dr. Helen Schmidt, have joined Family Home’s services.