Latest News

Ridpath project advances

Wells & Co. aims to start apartment work this winter

November 6, 2014

Ron Wells, who heads the Spokane company that plans to redevelop the historic, but downtrodden Ridpath Hotel into the Ridpath Club Apartments, says the Washington State Housing Finance Commission is looking favorably on the funding package lined up for th

Third-quarter 2014 earnings roundup: Avista, Hecla Mining, Red Lion Hotels, Ambassadors Group

Three of four companies post improved performance

November 5, 2014

Staff Report

Three of four publicly-traded Inland Northwest companies releasing third-quarter earnings reports posted improved results. Two, Coeur d'Alene-based Hecla Mining Co. and Spokane-based Ambassadors Group Inc., reported net income in the third quarter aft

Banner Bank, AmericanWest Bank to merge

Transaction valued at $702 million

November 5, 2014

Staff Report

Banner Corp., the publicly-traded, Walla Walla-based holding company for Banner Bank and Islanders Bank, announced this afternoon that it has agreed to merge into its operations privately-held, Spokane-based AmericanWest Bank in a $702 million transaction

UW study: Spokane can't support two medical schools

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October 31, 2014

Staff Report

Eastern Washington can't support two medical schools because of a lack of capacity in clinics and residency programs, says a study released this morning by the University of Washington. The study, which UW commissioned Pittsburgh-based Tripp Umbach t

Providence surgery center in Valley gets green light

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October 23, 2014

Staff Report

Providence Health Services-Washington announced this afternoon that it is moving forward with plans for an outpatient surgery center in the Providence Medical Park, in Spokane Valley, after receiving approval of its certificate-of-need application from th

Business developers team up to buy Plechner Building

Trio to operate Spokane Entrepreneurial Center

October 23, 2014

Mike McLean

Three Spokane business developers and investors have joined to buy the Plechner Building, which they plan to continue to operate as the Spokane Entrepreneurial Center. Tom Simpson, a member of the ownership group, says he and fellow entrepreneurs, Rob Ma

Catholic Charities plans 51-unit housing project east of downtown Spokane

Work on $5 million building slated to begin next spring

October 23, 2014

Judith Spitzer

Catholic Charities of Spokane, one of the area's largest social-service nonprofits, is in the initial design stages on a $5 million, 51-unit low-income housing project downtown, says John Fisher, housing development manager for Catholic Charities. The

Crops give reasons to be thankful

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October 23, 2014

Don Brunell

Since 1957, our Canadian friends and neighbors have celebrated Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. Perhaps, this year we should have joined them. Given the good news of our state's bountiful apple and cherry harvests this year, we could have

Using philanthropy to counter inequality

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October 23, 2014

Staff Report

Spokane-area businesses tend not to get a lot of public credit for it, and perhaps appropriately so in the spirit of anonymous charitable giving, but we at the Journal see examples daily of the different ways in which many of them are striving through phi