The number of foreclosure actions in Spokane County fell last year, ending a decade-long run-up in mortgage defaults.Some Inland Northwest observers say the turnabout might signal the start of a downward trend in foreclosures that could last a

Its amazing what a box of apples, a couple of golf shirts, and a few bottles of wine can do for a city.A hodgepodge of items like these added just enough pizzazz to give Spokane the edge it needed to win its bid for the 2007 U.S. Figure says

Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk is proposing the development here of a law-enforcement training complex that could cost as much as $75 million to $100 million.As envisioned, the training center would occupy a site of 100 to 150 acres on the a

A Canadian developer has requested a zone change from Kootenai County to make way for an envisioned subdivision and golf course on 227 acres overlooking Arrow Point, on Lake Coeur dAlene.Little information about the company, Fortress LLC, is

Home builder trade organizations in Spokane and North Idaho have set the dates and begun preparing for their annual new-home shows. The Spokane Home Builders Associations 55th annual Showcase of Homes has been set for Sept. 24-Oct. 3 at River

Theres a boom in new-home construction on the west side, Spokane-area construction and real estate professionals say, and they arent talking about Seattle.The West Plains, known mostly for its Air Force base, prisons, and scattered is a

A subsidiary of John Stone Development LLC, of Spokane, has begun grading the 25.5-acre residential portion of the big Riverstone development, in Coeur dAlene, and will put in roads and utilities there shortly, spokesman Mike Craven says.The

Elmers Restaurants Inc., a Portland, Ore.-based chain with about 50 locations in five Western states, says it would like to open three of its family-style restaurants in the Spokane area and perhaps a second outlet in Kootenai County.A of the

The number of bankruptcy petitions filed in Eastern Washington soared to a record high for the fourth straight year in 2003, and experts here say they might continue to increase this year.Businesses and consumers last year filed 10,429 seeking

Taxable retail sales rose sharply in Kootenai County in the third and fourth quarters of 2003, showing that the economy is gaining strength there.Farther east, Shoshone County, long an underperformer, also basked in the glow of strong increases