Business

Naturalist, illustrator and sculptor Tony Angell shares his home and his imagination with birds. He joins us to talk about the ecological role birds play in our lives and how the natural world inspires his creativity.

The Liquor Control Board is currently drafting the rules for how to apply for a license to grow marijuana in Washington state.  Several groups made up of lawyers, lobbyists and farmers have formed, and they’re looking to influence the board’s decisions.

One of these organizations is the Cannabis Business Group. Ross Reynolds talks with their board member, Hilary Bricken, a cannabis business lawyer.

Shopping malls have come to Russia. Investors as diverse as IKEA and Wall Street banks are funneling money into new Russian shopping centers. They are big, and very popular. Russian malls are anchored by grocery stores, where aisles full of fresh food dazzle older shoppers who still carry memories of shortages and food lines. We talk with The New York Times' Moscow correspondent Andrew Kramer about the malls of Russia.

Victoria Times-Colonist columnist Les Leyne brings us the latest news from Canada. Film critic Robert Horton shares some of the movie offerings at Seattle's newly reopened Museum of History and Industry. Then, Michael Parks looks at Amazon's big 2012, Microsoft's make-or-break 2013 and what Boeing's backlog means for the region's employment.

Vaughn Palmer joins us to take a look back at the big stories in Canada. From the pipeline proposals to the appointment of a Canadian to be head of the Bank of England to the hockey strike, we will look back on Canada's year.

Marijuana legalization in Washington is taking effect against a patchwork of conflicting city laws. Some cities don’t allow marijuana dispensaries. But Seattle began requiring business licenses for them last year. Some medical marijuana providers see benefits to playing by cities’ rules. Others are fighting their restrictions.    

Medical marijuana providers are challenging Seattle’s licensing rules in court. They say having to obtain business licenses forces them to incriminate themselves under federal law.

The Seattle City Council is debating a plan that would transform a huge swath of the city’s center, and that for the first time would allow developers to build residential high rises just a block from Lake Union.

Ross Reynolds interviews two prominent Seattle investors about business and politics.  Nick Hanauer was the first non-family investor in Amazon.  He’s currently a venture capitalist with Second Avenue Partners and a major Democratic donor and activist involved with a variety of causes.  Richard Barton is a former Microsoft executive and the founder of the travel website Expedia and the real estate site Zillow.  He also supports a number of philanthropic causes, in part through the Barton Family Foundation.