Feb. 10 / Hecla completes stock offering
Hecla Mining Co., of Coeur d'Alene, announced it had netted $71.3 million in an underwriting of 36.8 million shares of its stock and warrants to buy an additional 18.4 million shares. Hecla said it will use the proceeds from the offering to repay a $40 million loan and for other purposes. Separately, the company said it expects to report a net loss applicable to common shareholders of about $40 million to $42 million, or 24 cents to 25 cents a share, for its 2008 fourth quarter.

Feb. 7 / Avista customers stage protest
About 115 people gathered outside Avista Corp.'s headquarters at 1411 E. Mission to protest recent utility bills and a rate hike that's under appeal by the public counsel section of the state attorney general's office, the Spokane-based energy company said. The peaceful protest, organized by college student Jenna Cassidy, provided a forum for the company to hear from its customers and talk about their concerns, Avista said.

Feb. 6 / Nonstop Spokane-San Francisco flights to resume
Spokane International Airport said that United Airlines will begin nonstop service to San Francisco International Airport on June 4. The twice-daily United Express flights, long a priority of the business community here, will be on 66-seat Canadair 700 and 50-seat Canadair 200 regional jets. Spokane hasn't had nonstop air service to San Francisco since 2001.

Feb. 3 / Washington Trust parent receives TARP funds
WTB Financial Corp., the Spokane-based bank-holding company that owns Washington Trust Bank, said the U.S. Department of the Treasury had invested $110 million in the bank's preferred stock through the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program. The funds will ensure the bank's loan growth, help enable it to seek new customers, and possibly help it obtain a charter for full branch powers in Oregon to expand the bank's presence there, said Jack Heath, the bank's president.

Jan. 29 / Key Tronic posts small profit
Key Tronic Corp., the Spokane Valley-based contract manufacturer, reported net income of $106,000, or 1 cent a diluted share, for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended Dec. 27, down from $1.6 million, or 16 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. Revenues were $47 million, down from $50.8 million. Results for the latest quarter included an $800,000 charge for goodwill impairment, while results for the 2008 second quarter included a gain of about $1 million from the sale of a facility.

Jan. 28 / Passenger, cargo numbers drop at SIA
A total of 250,000 airline passengers arrived and departed at Spokane International Airport in December, 16.2 percent fewer than in the year-earlier month. For all of 2008, total passenger numbers at the airport decreased to 3.42 million, down 1.4 percent from 3.47 million in 2007. Inbound and outbound air-cargo tonnage fell to a total of 4,640 tons in December, down 7.3 percent from December of 2007, while shipments for 2008 totaled 54,800 tons, down just under 5 percent.

Jan. 27 / Public counsel appeals Avista rate hikes
The public counsel section of the Washington state attorney general's office appealed the Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission's approval of a $37.3 million annual general electric and natural gas rate increase for Avista Corp., of Spokane, which was effective Jan. 1. In its appeal in Thurston County Superior Court, the public counsel said the WUTC improperly allowed Avista to include the costs of advertising, charitable donations, and certain other expenses in its rate-increase request; improperly saddled current ratepayers with payments to the Coeur d'Alene Tribe for Avista's past use of Coeur d'Alene Lake; and allowed Avista to add to its rate-increase request during the case.