Governor vows push of big stimulus plan: Gov. Chris Gregoire met for two hours with business and education leaders Monday to discuss the best way to jump-start the state’s economy and said the group of 18 had two findings: Large-scale state and federal stimulus packages must be quickly implemented, and Washingtonians will have to make personal sacrifices.

State recovery has ‘no time to waste’: Washington state’s economic downturn will continue unless federal and state stimulus packages are passed, Gov. Chris Gregoire said Monday.

If GM shuts down, Washington would lose 14K jobs: Report: Washington state would lose 14,700 jobs if General Motors were to shut down, and 53,300 jobs if the entire U.S. auto industry were to fail, a report from the Economic Policy Institute concludes.

‘Moderate’ hiring seen for region: Employers in the greater Seattle area expect to hire at a moderate pace in the first quarter of 2009, slightly below the national average, a survey finds.

New census numbers explain why the housing bubble burst: New census data show that throughout the first half of the decade, the slumping economy touched nearly every U.S. community. Incomes dropped while poverty and unemployment rose in the vast majority of the nation’s cities and towns.

Gregoire hears economic recovery ideas: Gov. Christine Gregoire met with some of the area’s top business, labor and higher-education leaders Monday to brainstorm ways to stimulate the state’s economy.