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Funky, foreign Bohemian finds

March 10, 2011

An eclectic mix of colors, fabrics, textures, and scents greet shoppers when they enter the Lucky Monkey Trading Co., located at 412 E. Sherman in downtown Coeur d'Alene's quaint shopping district. The shop is owned by Derek and Christina Lucky,

Carpet One leases space near Valley Mall

Retailer expects to open showroom in mid-April in old Circuit City spot

March 10, 2011

Kim Frlan

A Spokane-based company that operates Carpet One stores here plans to open a "high-end design showroom" in a portion of the former Circuit City consumer-electronics store space near the Spokane Valley Mall. The company, The Showroom II LLC, has

Inland Power & Light's net margins fall

Co-op satisfied with its performance last year, but foresees little growth

March 10, 2011

Kim Crompton

Inland Power & Light Co., the Spokane-based electric cooperative, posted net margins of about $3.5 million for last year, down 27 percent from 2009, but CEO Kris Mikkelsen says she was generally pleased with its performance, given the weak I think

Inlander takes floor in Hutton

Regional weekly paper vacates Civic Building to accommodate growth

March 10, 2011

Mike McLean

Spokane-based weekly newspaper Pacific Northwest Inlander says it's moving this week to the 10,000-square-foot fourth floor of the Hutton Building, at 9 S. Washington, downtown, from smaller quarters it had leased in the old Spokane Area Chamber of

- Image provided by Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park

Mt. Spokane ski expansion plan advances

Parks commission vote on long-proposed project is anticipated this spring

March 10, 2011

Chey Scott

Mount Spokane 2000, the nonprofit group that manages the Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, is one step closer in its long-planned efforts to expand the mountain's recreational skiing area to its northwest slope.The nonprofit, also known as MS is

Assets of Factory Co. acquired

TFC International hopes to expand the venerable heavy-equipment maker

March 10, 2011

Linn Parish

A company led by Spokane businessmen Bill Hockett and Chris Wood has bought the assets of The Factory Co., a heavy-equipment manufacturer on Spokane's North Side with roots in RAHCO International Inc. and the venerable R.A. Hanson Co. The TFC of

Shell dumps INW pumps

About 45 stations shift to Exxon, ConocoPhillips after company pulls out

March 10, 2011

Treva Lind

Shell Gas left the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market in January, and dozens of gas stations are transitioning mainly to the Exxon or ConocoPhillips brands, say Inland Northwest gas station owners and suppliers.Some of them have new signage already.

Photo courtesy of Ground Force Manufacturing LLC

Truck outfitter grows UnderGround

Post Falls startup aims to hire 100 employees

March 10, 2011

Mike McLean

Ron Nilson, founder of Ground Force Manufacturing LLC, a Post Falls-based maker of huge support vehicles for open-pit mining operations, says he's forming a separate company that will serve the underground sector of the mining industry and create a

Healing gardens are an emerging strategy in health care

Old idea has new interest due to studies that show key benefits for patients

February 24, 2011

Anne Hanenburg

"Healing gardens" within a health-care environment are an emerging trend in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. These specialized gardens are designed to support a patient's physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. The Center

Stand-alone community hospitals said vanishing breed

Medical centers develop more partnerships in light of health care reforms

February 24, 2011

Peter Neurath

A likely alliance between Renton's Valley Medical Center and Seattle-based UW Medicine is yet another sign that stand-alone community hospitals probably are a vanishing breed.Valley Medical and UW Medicine say they began "exploring the of a in &