April 6 / City launches certified-sites program

The city of Spokane launched a new program called "Certified Sites" that it said will provide business owners an easy way to obtain information about commercial and industrial sites that are ready for development, or "shovel-ready." Once a property has been approved through the program, the certification is the city's promise to owners of such land that their sites have appropriate infrastructure and the necessary zoning to proceed.

April 5 / Airport boardings increase

Spokane International Airport reported that about 108,100 passengers boarded planes there during February, a 3.5 percent increase compared with February 2011. Through the first two months of 2012, the airport handled about 429,300 passengers, a 2.5 percent decrease from the year-earlier period. CEO Larry Krauter noted that overall seat capacity by airlines serving the airport was down 5 percent in February, compared with February 2011, which had an impact on the number of boardings recorded. During February, more than 4,700 tons of freight went through the airport, up 28 percent from February 2011.

April 2 / Avista seeks rate increases

Avista Corp., of Spokane, announced that it has filed with the Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission rate-increase requests for both electricity and natural gas rate-increase. If the increases are approved as requested, a typical residential electric customer would see a 6.3 percent increase, or $4.94 a month. An average natural-gas customer would see a 6.9 percent increase, or $4.23 a month. The utility said it's seeking the rate increases to recover costs associated with capital and operations-and-maintenance expenses.

April 2 / City to enforce Ridpath closure

The city of Spokane said it would begin enforcing the city building official's "do not occupy" order at the former Ridpath Hotel building, at 518 W. First, in downtown Spokane. Building owners were required to vacate the building by March 31, and the city said it would install barriers shortly to prevent entrance to the building's parking garage. The order was issued, the city said, because the structure has been determined substandard and unsafe to occupy.

March 29 / Another investor group prods Ambassadors

Bandera Partners, of New York, the largest owner of stock in Spokane-based Ambassadors Group Inc., said in a letter to Ambassadors Chairman John Ueberroth that it supports a change in directors proposed by another big investor group, Lane Five Partners LP, of Towson, Md. Bandera said it believes a costly proxy battle over the board shakeup is not in the best interests of Ambassadors and its stockholders and that it hoped Ambassadors would work with Lane Five to reach a mutually agreeable settlement. As reported in the Journal earlier, Lane Five proposed its own three candidates for appointment to Ambassadors' board, saying it has lost confidence in the company's leadership and citing its declining performance.

March 28 / Red Lion considers sale, other options

Red Lion Hotels Corp., of Spokane, announced that its board of directors has authorized Bank of America Merrill Lynch to explore ways to maximize shareholder value, including through a potential sale of the company or a strategic combination with a third party. The board has formed a strategic alternatives committee to work with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in its review. The board also disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that director Peter F. Stanton, who is chairman and CEO of Washington Trust Bank, won't stand for re-election to the board due to an increase in professional and personal obligations. Stanton noted, though, that he agrees with the board's decision to explore strategic alternatives.

Corrections & Amplifications

Prospective business borrowers who use New York City-based Boefly LLC's online borrower-and-lender matching services pay a one-time fee that ranges between $99 and $499. The fee was reported incorrectly in the Journal's March 29 edition.