High-tech manufacturers here are casting a cautious eye on 2009, and indicate that they plan to stay as lean as possible to be ready if sales growth, which already is beginning to soften, turns to a decline.For one such company, the economic its

Spokane-area bankers, whose prospects rise and fall with the regional economy, say they're peering into a clouded crystal ball as they make projections for 2009."It's probably the first time in my career that I would have to say I have no idea

The Spokane area's health-care sector is expected to be fairly strong in 2009, with added hiring and sizable capital expenditures, although huge government budget woes have hospital executives concerned about reimbursement levels. "The issue us

Real estate industry insiders are optimistic that the relatively resilient economy here can carry the residential and commercial real estate sectors through the national recession. The residential sector is expected to bottom out here and perhaps a

Employment in Spokane County is expected to remain flat or contract slightly next year, after falling by about 320 jobs—or just 0.1 percent—in the latest available figures for this year.Doug Tweedy, a regional labor economist here for

As one might expect given the national recession, nearly every sector of the Inland Northwest economy is expecting a challenging year in 2009. Some perspective, however, is in order. The contraction seen in most industries here hasn't been anywhere