Election news:

Check out the comparison of 3rd Congressional District Democratic candidate Denny Heck and Republican Jaime Herrera on issues that matter to Southwest Washington's working families. It's the latest flier available for union leaders and members that explains why candidates like Denny Heck have earned labor's endorsement.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Foes of liquor privatization initiatives get help from beer, wine distributors -- "We think they're terrible public policy," said John Guadnola, executive director of the Washington Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association. "Whether or not you believe in privatization, this is a horrendous way to do it." He said initiatives 1100 and 1105 would deplete state coffers of much needed revenues while increasing the risk to the public's safety by making hard liquor available in thousands of supermarkets, convenience stores and mini-markets.

►  From AP -- Initiatives would change way liquor is sold, cut state revenue -- The governor’s budget office has estimated that the state would lose up to $85 million a year under I-1100, and due to the loss of tax income, would lose up to $520 million in revenue under I-1105. Local governments are also dependent on liquor sales and the state estimates they will lose revenue as well.

►  At Huffington Post -- 2010 political ad spending crushing 2006 levels -- Candidates have spent $395 million on ads for the November elections, compared with $286 million at this point in the 2006 midterms. More than half the ads have been negative. Political parties and outside groups have been more negative, going on the attack in nearly 80% of their ads while spending $150 million, $41 million ahead of the 2006 pace. (Thanks, Supreme Court!)

Boeing news:

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Boeing says 787 delivery pushed back to February -- The new delay is due largely to the failure of a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 test engine, which broke apart internally while being run on a ground-test stand at the engine maker's plant in Derby, England, earlier this month. In July, Boeing said poor workmanship on 787 horizontal tails built by Italian partner Alenia might cause first delivery to slip into the first weeks of 2011. The first Dreamliner originally was to be delivered in May 2008. Kenya Airways CEO Titus Naikuni told trade magazine Air Transport World late Thursday that the carrier may cancel its order for nine 787s and buy Airbus A330s instead. "If (Boeing) can't deliver, we will cancel." Naikuni said.

►  More 787 delay coverage from the Associated Press, (Everett) Herald and the N.Y. Times.

Local news:

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Nurses at Sacred Heart win court battle over breaks -- A disagreement between the nurses and the hospital over what constitutes a break boiled over when the hospitals began counting trips to the bathroom, stops at drinking fountains and quick chats with co-workers against nurses’ rest breaks. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor ruled that Sacred Heart violated the state’s Minimum Wage Act and this week ordered the hospital to pay $104,700 in damages to its 1,600 registered nurses. The judge also ordered the hospital to pay $222,500 in legal fees owed the nurses’ attorneys. In a statement issued by the Washington State Nurses Association, the ruling was called a victory that should encourage adequate staffing, patient safety, fatigue prevention and better care for patients.

►  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Jobless veterans share struggles with Sen. Patty Murray -- The 3-term senator met with five veterans who have found it difficult to find work after military service, and with others trying to help them make the jump. The meeting was part of Sen. Murray’s effort to drum up support for a bill designed to make it easier for vets to get jobs.

►  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Bainbridge Council approves employee buyout program -- City workers will be offered lump-sum payments of up to $30,000 if they agree to quit their jobs.

►  From AP -- Economic growth slows to 1.6% as trade gap widens -- The economy grew at a much slower pace this spring than previously estimated, mostly due to the largest surge in imports in 26 years and a slowdown in companies' restocking of goods.

►  In today's NY Times -- This is not a recovery (Paul Krugman column) -- The important question is whether growth is fast enough to bring down sky-high unemployment. We need about 2.5% growth just to keep unemployment from rising, and much faster growth to bring it significantly down. Yet growth is currently running somewhere between 1% and 2%, with a good chance that it will slow even further in the months ahead. Will the economy actually enter a double dip, with G.D.P. shrinking? Who cares? If unemployment rises for the rest of this year, which seems likely, it won’t matter whether the G.D.P. numbers are slightly positive or slightly negative. All of this is obvious. Yet policy makers are in denial.

►  In today's NY Times -- Struggling cities shut firehouses in budget crisis -- Fire departments around the nation are cutting jobs, closing firehouses and increasingly resorting to “rolling brownouts” in which they shut different fire companies on different days as the economic downturn forces deep cuts that are slowing their responses to fires and other emergencies.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Public backs ending tax cuts for the rich, and more -- A new CBS News poll finds that a majority of Americans, 56%, say the tax cuts for the wealthy should expire for households earning more than $250,000 per year, as Democrats have proposed. Thirty-six percent of Americans say they should not be allowed to expire.

►  At CNN.com -- Flight attendants union sues Delta -- The AFA is suing Delta for allegedly breaching the terms of a bargaining agreement with over 7,000 former Northwest Airlines flight attendants. The lawsuit stems from the $3.1 billion merger of Northwest and Delta in 2008. 

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Trumka takes it to Palin in her backyard -- AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says Sarah Palin’s rhetoric is poisonous, dangerous and strikes of McCarthyism.

►  At Huffington Post -- CEOs' anti-Obama slams: President compared to Hitler, Mussolini, more