The federal government has denied the city of Spokanes application for designation as an empowerment zone.Started in 1993, the empowerment zone program offers qualifying communities $100 million in federal grants over 10 years, and tax breaks

Lincoln Partners LLC, a development company launched by Spokane developer Joe Stanek and his brothers, Steve, Frank, and Tim Stanek, has doubled the size of a proposed Mead-area shopping center, named Mount Spokane Plaza, because of interest from 2

Cavanaughs Hospitality Corp. is adding 40 stations to its call center here, increasing the number of stations to 75, says Jack Lucas, the Spokane companys vice president of entertainment services.Meanwhile, the call center has increased its of

Garco Construction, of Spokane, has begun offering development services through a new affiliate company, called Garco Development Services, and has bought two projects, at Liberty Lake and in Pasco, Wash.Those projects include the planned of a &

Mead School District plans to begin work in mid-May on a big, $21.5 million renovation and expansion of Mead High School, at 302 W. Hastings north of Spokane.A general contractor hasnt been selected for the project yet, but construction bids a

Ford Leasing Development Corp., an affiliate of Ford Motor Co., has bought three parcels of land in Airway Heights from Western United Life Assurance Co., an insurance subsidiary of Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co., of Spokane, according to a

Cost Plus Inc., an Oakland, Calif.-based retail chain that sells imported home dcor and specialty items, appears to have firmed up earlier reported plans to enter the Spokane market.A city of Spokane building-plan reviewer says the city is to a

The nations financial institutions are in an unenviable positiontheyre a favorite target of Y2K doomsday activists.Yet, they say theyre probably better prepared than any other U.S. industry for the advent of the millennium.Banks of

Spokane-area businesses will be hit with health-plan rate hikes again this year to no ones surprise, but the storm clouds meager silver lining is that the increases will be smaller in some cases than in 1998.Representatives of some of the 4

Payday loan centers are opening in the Spokane area faster than you can say, Show me the money.At least 12 payday loan stores have set up shop here within the last yearnine of which have opened since Novemberand another eight such are to