Washington County leaders are still coming to grips with the announcement Friday that its biggest corporate employer, Intel, will lay off nearly 2,400 workers as the faltering chipmaker responds to diminishing sales.
The loss of so many jobs at once is sure to have ripple effects on everything from the county’s housing market to its school enrollment numbers and the success of other local businesses that contract with Intel or serve their formerly well paid workers.
“I can only hope that those employees can continue to find gainful employment here in our state and will remain residents in our communities,” said Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington, a former software products manager at the company…