PORTLAND - KTRO-FM 93.1 in Portland launched Spanish programming today, according to an announcement by Dennis Hayes, general manager of the Portland station. "El Rayo" will play Regional Mexican music and is the first FM Spanish format in the market. ”The growing Hispanic population that resides in Portland currently has no FM station dedicated to Spanish-language programming,” commented Hayes. “Regional Mexican music is proving to be a winning format across the country, and we anticipate ... [full story]

First there was the gold, which drew miners by the hundreds to Colorado's San Miguel River Valley in the summer of 1875. Then came the railroad, silver lode discoveries, mining companies, merchants and hotels. Another century passed, though, before the next boom hit - and that was only after the little mountain town of Telluride reinvented itself in 1972 as an exclusive ski resort. Mix the stunning, alpine scenery with the historic, Victorian-era mining town, ... [full story]

HealthSync System to Connect Region’s Healthcare Providers, Benefit Patients Cascade Healthcare Community, parent company to St. Charles Medical Center, announced this week its intention to move forward with the next major phase in its transition to fully deploy electronic records for patients throughout the region. The new initiative, called HealthSync, is unprecedented in scope for the region, and will set the bar for similar technology and healthcare initiatives on a national level. Hospitals across the ... [full story]

Store Opening scheduled for Summer 2007 in Portland, Oregon IKEA, a leading home furnishings retailer, this week announced the recruitment program for its future store, opening Summer 2007 in Portland, Oregon. The store will be the Swedish company’s second store in the Pacific Northwest and 31st in the United States. Candidates interested in working at the much-heralded employer of choice should look online for all available positions at the future IKEA Portland store. Candidates with ... [full story]

Microsoft Corporation announced Thursday that the company is joining forces with a newly formed Fox/Newscorp and NBC/Universal joint venture to distribute a vast library of online video content to MSN consumers.  "This announcement is a great win for MSN's more than 460 million consumers and for online video more broadly. When launched, this new venture will provide free access to an unprecedented library of high-quality video content,” said Microsoft’s Kevin Johnson, President of Platform and ... [full story]

Leopold Ketel & Partners has added Springbrook, a major new hospitality, residential and retail development, to its growing list of Oregon-based clients. Springbrook will encompass 450 acres in northeast Newberg, Oregon. Key features will be a luxury inn, restaurant, spa, retail village, 1,200 homes and town homes.  Construction on the inn will begin in 2008, while the entire project will be built over a decade.  It is the first development of this scale planned for ... [full story]

Well over a thousand bars have their welcome mat out in post-Katrina New Orleans so you don't have to look hard to find a friendly place with a smiling face. There are the ancient saloons in the French Quarter, once owned or frequented by the 'gentleman pirate' Jean Laffite and his brother. Laffite's Blacksmith Shop, tucked inside a 1772 mud and stone building (941 Bourbon St.), is a dark, candle-lit cave with a piano man ... [full story]

Oregon-based Banfield, The Pet Hospital develops treatment plans To help treat pets who have been affected by the Menu Foods recall, Portland, Oregon-based Banfield, The Pet Hospital is providing a 25 percent discount off the recommended medical treatment plans received at participating Banfield hospitals across the nation. Specialists and other experts have developed these specific treatment plans to screen for and treat kidney problems seen in patients who have eaten the tainted foods.  In addition, ... [full story]

“Leading For Growth” Reveals Secrets Behind Umpqua’s Growth,  Innovation Umpqua Bank CEO Ray Davis’ new book, Leading for Growth: How Umpqua Bank Got Cool and Created a Culture of Greatness, has been praised by business publications and leaders alike for its clear-cut take on innovative leadership. The book outlines the strategy Davis has relied on to take Umpqua Bank from a small, regional bank with $140 million in assets in 1994 to the internationally known ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today that approximately 14,000 employers have been notified that injury and illness rates at their worksites are higher than average and assistance is available to help them better protect their employees. In a letter sent this month to those employers, OSHA explained the notification was a proactive step to motivate employers to take steps now to reduce those rates and improve the ... [full story]

NEW YORK - Google Inc. comes in at No. 1 on the 11th annual BusinessWeek ranking of the best performing U.S. companies. Using the same mastery of algorithms that enabled it to dominate Internet search, Google launched innovative new services including one brokering advertising for traditional media.  What BusinessWeek 50 companies share is an unshakable passion for excellence. The Class of 2007 is chock full of companies that are rewriting the rules of engagement in ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Oregon -- Portland General Electric Company announced this week that it has reached a settlement with certain parties in California relating to wholesale energy transactions in the western energy markets, under which it will receive a payment of approximately $27 million for power sales the company made to California during the west coast energy crisis of 2000 and 2001. The settlement involves proceedings and investigations by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the ... [full story]

Flight attendants at US Airways and America West Airlines, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), are frustrated with merger-related operational failures that have alienated loyal US Airways customers. Flight attendants at both carriers are also furious with management over slow-paced contract negotiations and with rampant violations of both existing contracts.  "Flight attendants and passengers are experiencing a shared frustration over the endless problems related to management's oversight of this merger," said Gary Richardson, America ... [full story]