Advocates for Washington state employers say theres little hope the Legislature will act this session on proposals to ease the growing cost and complexity of providing employee benefits. Instead, they say, theyll be mostly playing defense as to

Avista Corp., of Spokane, is joining with two other Northwest investor-owned utilities to challenge a federal appellate court finding that the Bonneville Power Administration erred in the method it used to make big payments to the utilities.The

What began here as a single meal-preparation store on the North Side in 2004 has quietly become a fast-growing franchisor with 23 outlets in 17 U.S. states and one Canadian province.Tami Badinger, who owns the company, called Cena Franchising a

One year after a group of civic leaders launched Greater Spokane Incorporatedamid a mix of high expectations and some skepticismorganizers now say the job of combining the regions top two business groups has been difficult and mistakes were

Apollo West LLC, of Tukwila, Wash., has bought Spokane-based Apollo Plastics Inc., thereby largely resolving a lawsuit and bankruptcy filing involving the latter company, says Kevin ORourke, Apollo Plastics bankruptcy attorney. ORourke to

The city of Spokanes taxable retail sales growth slowed dramatically in the third quarter of 2007, with sales rising just 2.7 percent over the year-earlier period, the latest available figures show. That compares with growth of 11.7 percent 5

Gonzaga University has received environmental approval from the city of Spokane for a planned two-building, 632-bed residence complex. Dale Goodwin, a Gonzaga spokesman, says the university wont build the structure anytime soon, but is for a

WinCo Foods Inc., a Boise-based discount grocery chain, has bought the former HomeBase Inc. property in Spokane Valley, says a listing agent involved in the transaction.The sale includes the 100,000-square-foot building that housed a HomeBase 8

Health-plan costs for businesses here will rise mostly from the upper single-digits to upper-teens percentage range, which is mostly up from the hikes seen last year, say representatives of health plans offered here. They say theyll continue to a

Servatron Inc., a Spokane Valley-based contract manufacturer, says its gross revenues shot up roughly 40 percent in 2007 and it expects to grow robustly this year, albeit at a slower pace.The companys gross revenues climbed to more than $32 a