May 22 / Employment here climbs

About 204,800 people held nonagricultural wage and salary jobs in the Spokane area in April, up about 400 from the prior month but down about 700 from the April 2011 level, preliminary state figures said. Preliminary results from another state survey put the unemployment rate at 8.9 percent during April, down from 9.2 percent in the year-earlier month.

May 22 / Data center operator here sold

Cequel Data Centers LLC, of St. Louis, bought TierPoint LLC, a Liberty Lake-based operator of data centers here, for an undisclosed sum. TierPoint's 24 employees weren't expected to be affected by the transaction. TierPoint operates three data centers here, representing a total of nearly 30,000 square feet of raised-floor, data-center space and almost 4.4 megawatts of total facility power. With its prior acquisitions, including facilities in Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, Okla., Cequel said it now operates more than 100,000 square feet of such space.

May 22 / Mines Management posts loss

Spokane-based Mines Management Inc., which is involved in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious- and base-mineral properties, reported a first-quarter net loss of $1.3 million, down from net income of $1.2 million in the 2011 first quarter. The company cited a number of reasons for the decline, but said its cash and investment position remains strong at $17.6 million as of the end of the quarter.

May 22 / Council approves Zehm settlement

The Spokane City Council unanimously approved a $1.7 million settlement in the civil case between the city of Spokane and the family of Otto Zehm, who died after a much-publicized encounter with police at a convenience store in March 2006 in which he was erroneously accused of theft. In addition to compensation for Otto Zehm's estate and survivors, the settlement provides for a letter of apology to the family and commitments by the city relating to crisis intervention training.

May 21 / Farm Credit unit, Minnesota vendor merge

Northwest Farm Credit Services, the big Spokane-based agricultural lender, said it merged a dealer financing unit it operates with ProPartners Financial, a Minnesota-based ag trade credit vendor owned by nine Farm Credit System associations. The merger, it said, will create one of the largest agricultural supply trade credit vendors in the nation. The combined business group will operate under the ProPartners Financial brand and will be based in Elmo, Minn., with offices in Spokane; Bloomington, Ill.; and Fargo, N.D. However, Northwest Farm Credit will own the largest interest in ProPartners.

May 17 / State delegation campaigns for tankers

The full Washington state congressional delegation, including Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Sens. Patty Murray, and Maria Cantwell, urged U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley to select Fairchild Air Force Base here as a home for the KC-46A aerial refueling program. Following the Air Force's release of its basing criteria on Monday, which indicated Fairchild is among about 60 bases being considered, the letter was the latest effort by the delegation to highlight the assets the base here has to offer the new fleet. The KC-46A is intended to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers.

May 16 / Airport boardings decline

Spokane International Airport reported that 130,100 passengers boarded planes there during March, a 2.2 percent decrease compared with March 2011. Through the first three months of this year, the airport handled about 685,200 passengers, a 2.3 percent decrease from the year-earlier period. During the month of March, nearly 5,300 tons of freight went through the airport, up 23 percent from March 2011.