Avista Advantage, the Avista Corp. unit that manages utility bills for businesses with multiple sites, cut its losses sharply last year, and also built up its customer base substantially.The Spokane-based operation slashed its annual net loss 3

John and Shirley Glodt joke that theyd tell you the secret to their light, flaky pie crust, but then theyd have to kill you.Some appreciative customers, though, might fantasize that there would be worse things than being smothered to death

AmericanWest Bancorp., the Spokane-based parent of AmericanWest Bank, posted solid gains in deposits and loans last year and saw its assets crest the $1 billion mark.Separately, AmericanWest plans this year to open a branch office in Post to a

When Jerry Layman first became affiliated with Farmers & Merchants Bank, he had no idea that the Spokane institution one day would have $305 million in assetsor about $297 million more than when he began doing legal work for the bank.Layman,

A relatively new alternative to paper paychecks is being touted as a way to cut payroll-processing costs and to free employees who dont have checking accounts from high check-cashing fees.Called payroll cards, the devices appear to be gaining

When a woman notices her jeans fit a little too snug around the waist, she knows its probably time to hit the gym. For a menopausal or post-menopausal woman, acting on this realization could save her life.A study last year by the Fred fat

In hopes of improving patient care and possibly lowering malpractice insurance costs over time, Spokanes two largest hospitals now are staffed better to handle child-birth emergencies in which every minute is critical.Sacred Heart and medical

Denny McDaniel, who operates Dennys Foods stores in Medical Lake and Odessa, Wash., plans to develop a larger grocery store in Medical Lake on a site with room for two other possible retail tenants, documents show.McDaniel couldnt be for to

Phranil Foods Co., a longtime Spokane pie maker formerly known as Verns Pie Co., has ceased operating, and a trustees sale of its East Spokane property has been scheduled.A recently published legal notice says Phranil has defaulted on a by

Farmers & Merchants Bank, of Spokane Valley, posted record net income in 2003 for the seventh year in a row.The banks net income climbed to $4.4 million last year, up 16 percent from 2002. Its total deposits rose 9.7 percent, to $269 million