Oct. 9 / Mayor declares city conditions stable

Spokane Mayor David Condon, in an annual status report, described the city's financial condition as stable, and formally turned over his 2013 budget proposal to the City Council. The City Council now will hold budget hearings and must adopt a balanced budget by the end of the year. The mayor's budget proposal, largely unchanged from a preliminary budget he released in August, holds expenses flat and calls for the elimination of about 100 positions and other cost-cutting measures to overcome a nearly $10 million projected shortfall.

Oct. 9 / Council approves firefighters contract

The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 to accept a four-year contract with the city's firefighters union that's expected to add about $1.3 million in costs to the city next year. The agreement, which still must be approved by union members, includes no wage increase in 2012 or 2013 and modest increases the next two years. Overall, with proposed benefit adjustments, the agreement would result in a four-year average annual increase in total costs to the city of between 1.9 percent and 2.6 percent, the city said.

Oct. 5 / Clearwater Paper names new CEO

Clearwater Paper Corp., of Spokane, announced that Gordon L. Jones will retire as chairman and CEO on Dec. 31, and Linda K. Massman, who currently serves as the company's president and chief operating officer, will succeed him as CEO. Massman also will join the company's board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2013, and board vice chairman Boh A. Dickey will become chairman of the board. Jones will remain a board member.

Oct. 4 / Pyrotek acquires EWU building

Pyrotek Inc., the Spokane Valley-based manufacturer of high-temperature materials for industrial applications, said it has paid $1.2 million to Eastern Washington University for a 67,000-square-foot building at 705 W. First downtown and will move its headquarters there. EWU bought the four-story structure in 1983 and held classes there until the fall of 2007, then moved programs housed there to the Riverpoint campus. Over the years, the university has had several purchase offers for the building fail to materialize, a university spokesman said.

Oct. 3 / Fred Meyer to close store on Francis

Fred Meyer Stores, of Portland, said it plans to close its store at 525 E. Francis on Jan. 31. Company spokeswoman Melinda Merrill said in an email the company decided to shutter the 37-year-old store because it was unable to come to terms on a lease with its landlord. All 167 employees of that store will be offered positions in other Fred Meyer outlets in the Spokane area, Merrill said. The 138,500-square-foot store is one of five that the company currently operates in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area.

Sept. 26 / Columbia to acquire Oregon bank

Columbia Banking System Inc., the Tacoma, Wash.-based holding company for Columbia State Bank, which operates two branches in Spokane, said it has agreed to acquire Lake Oswego, Ore.-based West Coast Bancorp. in a transaction valued at $506 million. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013. Once completed, Columbia will have about $7.2 billion in assets with more than 150 branches in Washington and Oregon.

Corrections & Amplifications

Sandra Kernerman, director of development for the Spokane Public Library Foundation, has received a certified fundraising executive certificate from CFRE International. The name of the library foundation was stated incorrectly in the Journal's Sept. 27 edition.