Only a smattering of larger health-care-related construction projects are under way or planned to start this year in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market, but a major capital plan that's expected to begin at Spokane's largest hospital portends much at

Some observers of the struggling construction industry are seeing glimmers of hope in an unsettled economy as highly anticipated projects, such as two new retail megastores in Kootenai County are nearly ready to get rolling.Also work on a big in

Education-related construction activity is slowing, due partly to economy-related concerns and funding constraints, but remains relatively strong, with projects collectively valued at upwards of $200 million currently under way or expected to begin

The Spokane area can expect a hefty dose of transportation spending this year, with more than $266 million in projects either under way or planned to start, including about $43 million of work on the north-south freeway thanks to more than $30 in a

Although the pipeline for new construction projects appears to be slowing, major projects valued at more than $660 million, most of which started last year or the year before that, are under way in Spokane County, and big projects worth more than a

Tim Van Lohuizen and Joe Angelo, the principals at Financial Strategies, a small Post Falls financial-planning and risk-management firm, left larger companies so they could be closer to clients.Van Lohuizen says he worked at an investment in