Latest News

Water quality plan for river moves to EPA for approval

Ecology says it's eager to begin implementing long-discussed strategy

February 25, 2010

The Washington state Department of Ecology says it has submitted a water quality plan for the Spokane River and Lake Spokane to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for final approval.The plan has been 12 years in the making, and the of it a

Educating consumers who want to generate their own juice

Inland Power headquarters devotes space to wind, solar, battery displays

February 25, 2010

Kim Crompton

Inland Power & Light Co, the Spokane-based electric cooperative, is seeking Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) gold certification for its new headquarters building on the West Plains, but that's not the only energy-conservation at

Green-minded hotel guests don't show it

Many admit being less diligent about recycling paper, conserving energy

February 25, 2010

News Wise

A significant gap lies between consumers' attitudes towards "green" initiatives in the hospitality industry and their actual behavior, says a study by two hospitality and tourism management graduate students at Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of in

Avista helps customers get ready for required reports

Building owners face deadlines to provide energy data by facility

February 25, 2010

Richard Ripley

Businesses and state agencies face stringent new requirements to report their energy use, but Avista Utilities says it has set up a data-integration link on its Web page to help customers prepare to meet the requirements with a minimal amount of by

Plumbing goes green

Companies, educators, local governments here emphasize conservation

February 25, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

Water conservation has made its way onto the green stage, as it has become the focus of some Spokane city and county initiatives and efforts by some plumbing contractors here to broaden the scope of their work.Richard Dixon, the president of the

Numerica's net income falls, but loans and deposits rise

Spokane credit union says deposit insurance payment contributed to large dip

February 25, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

Numerica Credit Union, of Spokane, hurt by investment losses and a special deposit insurance assessment, reported sharply lower earnings for 2009, but its deposits jumped, and its loans, membership, and assets all grew during the net income fell

Horizon's 2009 net falls; loans, deposits, assets rise

Valley-based credit union tripled its loss provision, paid big insurance fund fee

February 25, 2010

Mike McLean

Spokane Valley-based Horizon Credit Union reported a 64 percent drop in net income for 2009, but posted gains in deposits, loans, and total assets during the year.Horizon reported 2009 net income of just over $1.3 million, down from $3.6 million

Global posts loss for 2009, boosts loan-loss provision

$2.4 million assessment for insurance program capped 'challenging year'

February 25, 2010

Mike McLean

Spokane-based Global Credit Union posted a net loss of $1.1 million for 2009, compared with a loss of $3.5 million in 2008. Though it pared its losses substantially, the credit union's loans, deposits, and assets all declined.The credit union's

West Side startup sees big value in buying troubled loans

Financial group seeks to garner part of national market put at $36 billion

February 25, 2010

Kirsten Grind

When a bank fails somewhere across the country, its closure is good news for one new Seattle company.Roanoke Financial Group plans to capture part of the $36 billion nationwide market for failed bank assets left behind by banks when they are and

State Bank Northwest posts $1.2 million loss; loans fall

Deposits, assets inch up, but charge-offs, loss provisions also climb

February 25, 2010

Kim Crompton

Spokane Valley-based State Bank Northwest posted a net loss of $1.2 million for last year, down from net income of $652,000 in 2008, according to year-end financial documents it has filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.Though the bank's