Data Center Expansion: Amazon is preparing its first Washington data centers, including a West Richland campus that could grow to 21 buildings. Residents are pressing for stronger environmental oversight amid concerns about power and water use. Aerospace Manufacturing: Shield AI’s new X-BAT prototype keeps its Seattle-area factory plan on track. The 420,000-square-foot Des Moines facility is slated to open in 2027, with the company projecting up to 4,000 regional jobs by the early 2030s. Airline Jobs: Alaska Air Group plans to cut 125 Washington positions as fuel costs surge, part of roughly 200 non-contract job reductions companywide. Small-Business Protections: A Washington-backed FTC settlement requires payment processor Riverside Payments and an affiliate to pay $600,000 over alleged deceptive fees; affected businesses can exit contracts without early termination penalties. Ferry Electrification: ABB will supply propulsion for a third Washington State Ferries hybrid-electric vessel, as operators weigh charging infrastructure and route needs. Clean Energy: Issaquah is advancing a solar-and-battery microgrid at Pickering Barn, using a planned sodium-ion system to keep the community resilience hub operating during outages.