Feb. 13 / Avista seeks to lower gas rates

Avista Corp., of Spokane, asked utility commissions in Washington and Idaho for permission to reduce overall natural gas rates by 6.4 percent and 6.0 percent, respectively. If approved, the changes would take place March 1 and would result in a $3.90 reduction in a monthly bill for a typical Washington household. For an average customer in Idaho, the monthly bill would drop by $3.47. Avista Utilities President Dennis Vermillion said, "The increase in natural gas supply, along with continuing soft demand, is creating the current environment of falling natural gas prices."

Feb. 10 / Condon outlines action plan

Spokane Mayor David Condon, as part of his inaugural address, detailed a series of actions that he said the city will seek to complete during his first 100 days in office. The action plan focused on steps in five main areas: public safety, jobs and economic growth, budget, infrastructure, and quality of life. Fulfilling one of the action items in that plan, he launched a grant program to encourage innovation in economic development.

Feb. 10 / Raceway gets new operator

Spokane County announced that local racing veteran and businessman Craig Smith has bought out Charlie Allen's interest in Raceway Investments LLC, which operates the county-owned Raceway Park under a contract with the county, and will join partner Ron Hodgson in the enterprise. Smith will serve as general manager and operator of the facility, which announced its 2012 major event schedule for the Raceway Park's drag strip, super oval track, and road course.

Feb. 8 / Ambassadors posts $7.8 million loss

Ambassadors Group Inc., the Spokane-based student-travel program provider, reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $7.8 million, or 45 cents a diluted share, compared with a loss of $6.7 million, or 36 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. For all of 2011, the company posted net income of $3 million, or 17 cents a share, down from $8.1 million, or 42 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The number of traveling delegates dropped to about 23,990 in 2011 from about 26,700 a year earlier.


Feb. 6 / Council rejects demolition resolution

The Spokane City Council voted 4-3 against a resolution that would have urged Washington State University and Austin, Texas-based Campus Advantage to reconsider plans for demolishing the former Jensen-Byrd building in the University District for campus housing. Campus Advantage, which has agreed to buy the property from WSU, wants to tear down the 102-year-old building to construct new housing for as many as 425 students.

Feb. 6 / Sacred Heart bed expansion OK'd

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center announced it reached a settlement agreement with the Washington state Department of Health that allows it to add 75 critical-care beds by transferring from Providence Holy Family Hospital. Providence said in a news release that Holy Family will have adequate capacity for the foreseeable future despite the planned transfer. The settlement agreement called for Providence competitor Community Health Systems Inc. to be given the same flexibility to relocate 75 beds between its Deaconess and Valley hospitals if needed.

Feb. 4 / Railroad study fails to get funding

The Spokane Valley City Council voted in a split decision not to fund a railroad quiet zone study that was proposed among a list of 2012 special projects. The discussion stemmed from a petition that a group of residents submitted two years ago asking that trains not be allowed to blow their whistles at a couple of Union Pacific crossings north of Trent Avenue. The cost of the study was estimated at $83,000, and the cost of installing required signals and barriers was estimated at potentially into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for each intersection.