Dec. 8 / Inland Power signs biomass power pact
Inland Power & Light Co., of Spokane, signed a power purchase agreement with Barr-Tech LLC, of Spokane, that gives Inland rights to all renewable energy to be generated from a biomass-fueled generation system located at the Barr Regional Bio-Industrial Park, near Sprague, Wash. An anaerobic digester at the park, which is being developed by Barr-Tech and the Odessa Public Development Authority, will be capable of producing a minimum of two megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1,000 homes, and is expected to begin producing energy by September 2010.

Dec. 4 / SIA passenger numbers down; air cargo up
Spokane International Airport reported that 251,000 passengers arrived and departed here in October, down 5.9 percent from its passenger count in the year-earlier month. SIA also said that 4,400 tons of air cargo either were shipped out or sent here during the month, up 5.2 percent from October 2008.

Dec. 3/ Sterling to miss deadline, reports progress
Sterling Financial Corp., the Spokane-based parent of Sterling Savings Bank, said it will miss a Dec. 15 deadline for raising $300 million, but expects to raise sufficient capital sometime in the first quarter of 2010 to satisfy requirements of a consent agreement it entered into with federal regulators in October. CEO Greg Seibly said, "Sterling is working closely with its regulators, who have demonstrated flexibility with other banks that were showing meaningful progress in their capital-raising efforts."

Dec. 1 / Group may sue Spokane over PCBs
Gonzaga Law School's Environmental Law Clinic filed a 60-day "notice of violation" with the city of Spokane as a preliminary step to bringing a federal citizen enforcement lawsuit under the federal Clean Water Act. It took the action on behalf of Center for Justice attorney Rick Eichstaedt, who contends the city has failed to reduce the amount of toxic organic compounds, called PCBs, that are discharged into the Spokane River via the city's storm-water system during high flow. Eichstaedt said he hoped the notice would spur the city to address the discharges so he wouldn't have to file suit.

Nov. 30 / Cd'A chamber selects new head
The Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce announced it had selected Todd Christensen as its new president and CEO, concluding a nationwide search that attracted dozens of applicants. Christensen held the position of vice president and marketing director for the Bank of the Pacific, and before that served as president and CEO of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, in Western Washington, where membership doubled during his tenure.

Nov. 24 / Coldwater Creek posts $34 million loss
Coldwater Creek Inc., the Sandpoint-based specialty women's fashion retailer, reported a third-quarter net loss of $34 million, or 37 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $1.3 million, or 1 cent a share, in 2008's third quarter. The company said the largest share of the latest quarterly loss, $26.3 million, was a noncash income tax charge, but that it also recorded $3.8 million in severance and related charges for its former CEO. Its quarterly sales were $266.7 million, up from $228.5 million in the year-earlier quarter.

Nov. 24 / Avista announces smart-grid grant award
Avista Corp. announced that the U.S. Department of Energy approved a grant to help pay for a $38 million "smart community" in Pullman, Wash., that the Spokane company will develop along with several partners as part of a larger, $178 million regional project. "The project involves automation of many parts of the electric distribution system using advanced metering, enhanced utility communication, and other elements of smart-grid technologies," Avista said. Separately, Avista said it has joined with other businesses to form a lobbying group called American Businesses for Clean Energy to support federal cap-and-trade legislation.