Spokane natives John Keegan and Lynette Byrne say they have entered into a franchise agreement with Batteries Plus, a Wisconsin-based retail chain, and plan to open three Batteries Plus stores here over the next two years.The franchisees say of

Kootenai County may be most commonly known as a tourist destination, but its economy increasingly is bolstered by the health-care industry.Health-care jobs account for one of the biggest chunks of the countys total payroll, far exceeding the

The city of Spokane quietly has begun building a case for a dramatically different way to fund street repairs here.Spurned last spring by voters, who overwhelmingly rejected a property-tax-supported bond issue to fix the streets, and dubious to

Representatives from a German energy company and a Quincy, Wash., dairy farm met last month at the downtown Spokane offices of the Inland Northwest Technology Education Center, or Intec, to hash out a plan to turn cow manure into electrical power a

Washington State University at Spokane says it will ask legislators to approve pre-design funds for a new facility for its College of Nursing, the second of three academic buildings the school hopes to construct at Riverpoint Higher Education Park

The Kalispel Tribe of Indians has launched a $6.9 million expansion of its Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, and has bought 140 acres of land a block west of the casino for future development.Separately, the 340-member tribe is building

HAYDEN LAKEIn the mood for an acupuncture facial? An herbal wrap? A massage, followed by a gourmet vegetarian meal, in stately surroundings?All of those services are available at Fusion Medi-Spa, a 9-month-old Hayden Lake venture.Fusion a

A large retail, office, and apartment development called Pine Water Plaza is being proposed on a 40-acre site along U.S. 2 just north of Spokane.The Spokane office of CLC Associates Inc. has requested from Spokane County a zone reclassification

With its four-year timetable, the much-anticipated Spokane Convention Center expansion and remodel project is more like a marathon than a 100-yard dash.Still, the Spokane Regional Public Facilities District will be sprinting during the next to

Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC, of Spokane, is seeing so much demand for its services that the pharmaceutical manufacturer is contemplating adding a second high-speed production line at its northeast Spokane plant, a project that would cost $15