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Photo courtesy of SilverWing of Sandpoint LLC

Sandpoint fly-in community throttles up

After years of contention, FAA directed to allow runway access easements

July 5, 2012

The long-planned, $26 million-plus SilverWing at Sandpoint fly-in community once again is revving up its marketing now that access to the runway at Sandpoint, Idaho, is free of federal red tape, clearing the development for takeoff, says Michael in

Consumer spending index posts three-month increase

Sustained trend is first since September 2010 as energy prices drop

July 5, 2012

News Wise

In May, the Deloitte Consumer Spending Index posted its first three-month increase since September 2010.The index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending. "The index's increase is due to an ongoing slowdown in a

Trucking volume dropped in May, industry group says

Activity dips for second straight month, but it's up from a year earlier

July 5, 2012

News Wise

The American Trucking Association's advanced seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index fell 0.7 percent in May. This slight decrease follows a 1.1 percent decline in April, which was reported on May 22. The latest drop lowered the to a

IT capital spending rises some this year, study says

Improvement is coupled with confidence decline in chief information officers

July 5, 2012

Information technology operational budgets across the U.S. and Canada are rising 2.2 percent at the median this year, a rate that is a slight improvement compared with the 2 percent growth in 2011, says the recently released IT benchmarking study a

Fewer grads finding jobs, study reports

Employment rates decline as underemployment rate increases, researchers say

July 5, 2012

News Wise

Even as the job market has rebounded during the last two years, the employment prospects for young college graduates have continued to deteriorate, says a new report by Paul E. Harrington and Neeta P. Fogg, labor economists in Philadelphia-based of

Slow job growth expected to continue into 2013 in Spokane area

Demand in technical, professional, manufacturing on the rise

July 5, 2012

Treva Lind

Overall job growth in Spokane County is expected to remain slow into early next year, regional economists say.A few sectors, however, show promise, they say, with a rising number of newly employed in some higher-paying technical, professional, a

New-home starts in Spokane area rise in value

Move-up buyers pulling trigger after hesitating due to economic uncertainty

July 5, 2012

Mike McLean

Permit values for new homes under construction in the Spokane area have been on the rise this year, a good indication that the upscale residential market has started to rebound, some industry observers say.The average construction value for home

West Side influence acknowledged

July 5, 2012

Editor's Notebook

Last month, as we reviewed questions for a Washington Business Survey that the Journal helped conduct, one question caught my eye and made me crack a grin.The question asked people whether they agree or disagree with the following statement: has

Small Business Watch

July 5, 2012

Popcorn maker starts to sell products via webMovie Style Popcorn Inc., a Spokane-based popcorn manufacturer, has begun offering direct retail sales through a website it launched last month, www.moviestylepopcorn.com. The company, owned by Frank

Beauty chain to open store in North Idaho

July 5, 2012

Chey Scott

ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc., a Bolingbrook, Ill.-based retailer of beauty products and salon services that does business as ULTA Beauty, plans to open an outlet in Coeur d'Alene later this month.Carolyn Sutphen, a spokeswoman with the