Oct. 18 / West Corp. to hire 250-plus people

West Corp., the Omaha, Neb.-based call center operator, announced plans to hire more than 250 new, full-time customer service representatives for its downtown Spokane operation, at 157 S. Howard. The new positions will represent three West clients: a large grocery chain, a wireless service provider, and a financial institution.



Oct. 11 / BNSF railyard cleanup proposed

The Washington state Department of Ecology said the public has until Oct. 31 to review and comment on contamination cleanup plans at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Parkwater Railyard site, at 5302 E. Trent. It covers about 130 acres that have been used as a rail yard for a century. BNSF is responsible for the cleanup, which is expected to cost around $1.7 million. "Cleaning up this site will help protect the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer," DOE site manager Sandra Treccani said.



Oct. 11 / Hecla boosts credit line

Hecla Mining Co., of Coeur d'Alene, reached an agreement with its lenders to increase its secured revolving credit facility to $100 million from $60 million. The amendment is effective immediately and represents a new three-year term on the facility. Hecla President and CEO Phillips S. Baker Jr. said the credit facility, along with the company's $413 million in cash and cash equivalents, gives the company more flexibility for growth and allows it to meet its financial obligations.



Oct. 11 / Cd'A Tribe, manufacturer strike deal

Post Falls-based mining truck manufacturer Ground Force Manufacturing LLC agreed to lease the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's 55,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Plummer, Idaho, and plans to hire 50-plus people to work in that new operation during the next year. Echelon LLC, a tribal corporation that made large fuel bladders for the U.S. Army, previously had occupied the space, and will continue to use its metals manufacturing facility in Worley, Idaho, and other existing facilities.



Oct. 10 / Sacred Heart to start big project

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital announced that it will begin construction of a new emergency department this month. It said the $18.6 million project will include the construction of 14,000 square feet of new space and the remodeling of about 4,000 square feet of existing space. The project is expected to take 17 months to complete. Bouten Construction Co., of Spokane, will be the general contractor for the project.



Oct. 7 / Health district proposes cuts

The Spokane Regional Health District proposed program cuts and staff reductions to make up for an expected $2 million budget shortfall in 2012. If the Health District's board approves the cuts as proposed, staff would be reduced by 7.6 percent, and components of the Children with Special Needs program would be eliminated, as would the Health District's water laboratory. The organization's overall budget for next year is $21.4 million, down from $23.5 million this year.



Oct. 7 / Providence, Swedish health systems combine

Providence Health & Services, which operates an extensive Eastern Washington health-care network through a Spokane-based division, and Seattle-based Swedish Health Services announced they will form a new not-for-profit health care system. The system, they said, will include all of all of Providence's operations in King, Snohomish, Thurston, and Lewis counties, and Swedish's operations in King, Snohomish, and Kittitas counties, and. Both companies will keep their names, and Providence will remain a Catholic organization, while Swedish will remain a nonreligious organization.