Les Schwab pays $2 million to settle EEOC suitBend-based Les Schwab Tire Centers has paid $2 million to settle a hiring discrimination suit brought four years ago by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.Amazon.com cuts off affiliated sellers in Colorado over sales-tax disputeAmazon collects sales tax in a handful of states where it has offices and warehouses, pointing to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that states cannot tax businesses unless they have a physical presence. But increasingly, cash-strapped states are considering new laws requiring online retailers to begin collecting sales tax from their customers.FEMA's new flood maps go too far, some cities sayNew federal flood-plain maps to be released in coming months redraw areas across Western Washington most likely to be inundated by a 100-year flood. From Kent to Chehalis to Sultan, officials say a flood-plain designation will come with stringent development rules and will require property owners to purchase flood insurance that could cost thousands of dollars each year.Building a Better FactoryDOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - For a project located in a generally industrial area, the Factory Place Arts Complex has an unusual feel — it is almost suburban.World's 10 most admired companiesFortune magazine recently did a survey to find out the world's most admired companies.Beyond hockey: Does Canada need to fight off a US bookseller?The Canadian government will decide \"soon\" whether to allow giant American bookseller Amazon.com to set up a distribution center in Canada.Memorial rite set for retired Reynolds Metal executive Paul H. FoxNinety-four-year-old Paul Harris Fox liked to make things happen. “Give me the ball—I loved being a mentor, a leader, a builder, a player and I always wanted to be in the arena,“ he wrote to his daughter, Susan Fox of Boston. He was the quintessential leader and motivator, both at Reynolds Metals Co., from which he retired in 1983 as executive vice president of its international arm after a 42 ...Now's the Time to Buy AmericanA paradigm shift is under way, and it's happening here.

