The number of bankruptcy filings in Eastern Washington hit record levels in 2005 after an unprecedented surge last fall, when debtors rushed to submit their petitions before new bankruptcy laws went into effect on Oct. 17.Businesses and filed a

Spokane Teachers Credit Union plans to enter North Idaho with its first branch there, to be located in Post Falls.Steve Dahlstrom, STCUs president and CEO, says the organization has bought 1.25 acres of land in Post Falls, near the southwest

ElkRidge Development Group, of Spokane, has agreed to buy 98 acres in the Spokane Valley from Spokane entrepreneur Bernard Daines and wants to develop an upscale, 240-home subdivision there. Jim Maki, a Spokane-based partner in the development

Backers of a proposed new bank here, called RiverBank, have applied to the Washington state Department of Financial Institutions for a commercial bank charter.Longtime Spokane banking executive Duane Brandenburg, who is heading the effort to up

Spokane Public Schools has selected Garco Construction Inc. as general contractor and construction manager for the planned $59 million modernization of Shadle Park High School, on Spokanes North Side. Mark Anderson, the districts associate

Health-plan costs for Spokane-area businesses are rising this year mostly in the single-digit to low double-digit percentage range, which is slightly lower than the rate hikes businesses experienced in 2005.Representatives of several of the say

Making the vocational leap from being an electrical engineer on nuclear power plants to pushing sub sandwiches was a dramatic change, but Spokanes Gary Turnidge says its one he doesnt regret.Recognizing in 1987 that the construction of on

Garco Building Systems, Washingtons largest metal-building manufacturer, is expecting to grow even more rapidly after racking up record revenue of nearly $35 million in 2005, says Bill Savitz, its president and CEO.The West Plains company is

If SIRTI were the petri-dish subject of a microscopic examination, it would be quite a sightmolecules darting about, gathering in new clusters, and transforming before your eyes. Perhaps the only constant these days at the Spokane Intercollegiate

Sams Club, the members-only warehouse-store chain operated by retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is coming to Spokane.Eric Berger, a Seattle-based Wal-Mart spokesman, says that plans submitted to the city of Spokane for an $11.7 million, on a