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Micron upping US investment to $250B, Santiam Hospital at risk of insolvency, nLight wins $627m Military contract, Oregon venture capital activity drops in H1 2026, Alaska Airlines to add Portland to Tampa flights, Nampa gets $20M + in transportation grants.

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PNW Market Look

As of market close 7.9.26

SK Hynix Raises $26.5 Billion in Top US Debut by a Foreign Firm (BBG)

Headline Roundup

Oregon hospital says it is close to insolvency if merger fails (KGW)
Jim Cramer on Starbucks: “CEO Brian Niccol Has Been Working Hard on the Turnaround” (YF)
Micron boosts US investment plan again, commits $250 billion through 2035 (Reuters)
Shopping center in Bellevue sells for over $61M (DJC)
Oregon Zoo seeks a custom carousel for its updated campus (DJC)
Microsoft's climate-warming emissions surge 25%, driven by AI (KUOW)
Light rail 1, 2 line service reduced between Northgate, Stadium, and Judkins Park stations (KOMO)
Nampa gets nearly $23 million from federal transportation grant (IDP)
Camas-based nLight soars after winning $627 million defense contract (ORL)
VC investment in Oregon drops in first half 2026 (PBJ)
Alaska Airlines adds daily service to Florida destination (PBJ)
Russell Investments to be acquired by investor consortium (PBJ)
Briefs: Alpha Technologies closing in Bellingham, Whatcom median home price flat in Q2 (CD)

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Community Highlight

DOJ threatens WA election officials with prosecution if noncitizens vote (KUOW)

In a seven-page letter, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon warned the election officers that they could be held criminally liable if they knowingly retain noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls or facilitate noncitizens in receiving and casting ballots.

Hobbs said his office is reviewing Dhillon’s request to determine its legality but added that the Department of Justice is “accelerating down a slippery slope of threatening personal legal action against election administrators.”

“Attempts to revive disproven claims of rigged elections will not deter election professionals from doing their job of overseeing accessible, accurate, auditable elections,” the Democratic secretary of state said in a statement late Tuesday.

Washington is the subject of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit for access to the state’s voter list, including sensitive personal information. Similar suits in other states have been tossed. A hearing on Washington’s request to dismiss the case here is set for August.

Rip’s Spotlight

Under a new federal rule, colleges must leave grads better off or lose financial aid (OPB)

The test itself is simple: If an undergraduate program’s graduates don’t earn more than workers who never went to college, that program could be cut off from federal student loans. The same goes for any graduate program whose graduates earn less than someone with only a bachelor’s degree.

Higher education experts across the political spectrum told NPR the test sets a pretty reasonable expectation: In many states, federal data shows, graduates of bachelor programs will have to earn a minimum of about $30,000 and $41,000 a year for their program to pass.

“We know we need nurses. We know we need journalists. We know we need early childhood educators,” he said. “We don’t know how many artists we need, but I can guarantee that if you eliminate access, we will impoverish our cultural life nationally.”

According to Education Department estimates, the vast majority of undergraduate and graduate programs should easily pass the new earnings test.