In The News

The marijuana industry could be described as the fastest growing industry within the United States. Though there are numerous industries that have 20%-30% compound annual growth potential throughout the remainder of the decade, few can claim to have what's expected to be nearly 24% annual compounded growth potential over the next 10 years, according to investment firm Cowen & Co.

A fierce battle over the remains of a Neolithic hunter is a step closer to resolution after Congress passed a water infrastructure measure last week. The skeleton, known as Kennewick Man, was uncovered on federal land that once belonged to the Umatilla tribe near the Columbia River in 1996. Native tribes in the Columbia Basin wanted the remains, which are nearly 9,000 years old, according to carbon dating tests, to be given a proper burial.

Legislation that would return the 8,400-year-old bones of Kennewick Man to Columbia Basin tribes could become law in the coming weeks. The legislation proposed by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in August 2015 made it over an important hurdle on Monday. The legislation was added to the Water Resources Development Act in April, improving its chances of passing. But the act needed to make it out of a conference committee — in which House and Senate officials reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill and agree on what would remain in the bill — by the end of the session.

There was a distinct buzz around the new Joint Base Lewis-McChord Wastewater Treatment Plant as high ranking military and elected officials celebrated the completion of the $91 million center at a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday. The ceremony served as a chance to thank and praise the work of everyone involved in getting the plant built. It was a group effort by various organizations, including JBLM leadership, state and local governments and CDM Smith, the construction company that built the center.