University of Idaho researchers are working to develop more effective defenses against staphylococcus aureus bacteria and other deadly pathogens. One of the goals of that effort, the university says, is to create faster and more accurate of to

The forecast for Spokanes health-care sector looks sunny next year, with hospitals expecting steady growth and developing plans for major expansion projects. A few threatening clouds loom on the horizon, though, because of a tight labor market &

Revett Minerals Inc. wants to be known as more than just a company that hopes to extract copper and silver from beneath a wilderness area in western Montana.Unlike many small mining ventures, the young Spokane Valley-based company already has a

Washingtons Columbia Basin, where the first drilling projects in decades raised hopes last year for a natural-gas strike, has yet to become the site of a producing well, though some drillers still believe the basin has potential to yield large of

Advanced Construction Systems Inc., a Hayden Lake, Idaho-based designer of energy-efficient building materials, says it plans to open a production facility in Post Falls that it expects will boost its employment levels and revenues company, which a

Ken Mullinax, owner of Spokane-based Mattress Outlet Inc., has bought the assets of the Comfort World Inc. chain, which has three stores here, and says he plans to begin selling an expanded line of bedding at the eight-store chain. Mullinax he

Furniture Superstore Inc., of Kent, Wash., plans to close the two retail furniture outlets it operates here and to cease operations altogether, says owner Kai Chang.The company operates a 38,000-square-foot store at 5605 E. Sprague that it in a

A longtime co-owner of White Elephant Surplus Stores has left the well-known family toy and sporting-goods retail business to launch a new store that will sell boats and boating accessories.Ed Conley, who managed White Elephants store in and

Erin Nelson is one-part orchid placement consultant, one-part orchid plant doctor, and all-parts orchid lover. At her store, Small Hill Orchids, which she opened in February at 2207 N. Hamilton, a few blocks south of North Foothills Drive, is a

Kantor Diamond Co., of Cathedral City, Calif., plans to close a store that it has operated here for 17 years.The store occupies a roughly 1,200-square-foot space in the Logan Center, at 1601 N. Division, where it has been located for five It a