Since home sales started to surge in Spokane and Kootenai counties a few years ago, real estate professionals have pointed to historically low mortgage rates as one of the key reasons for the increased activity. With mortgage rates rising over

Boise businessman Chadd Harbaugh, founder and president of a law-enforcement and military training company there, has bought a 550-acre dude ranch near Harrison, Idaho, and plans to move the companys training facility there. The ranch, which

As Media Joe founder and CEO Joe Melton tells it, there was a time when information-technology professionals simply had to know computers and computer networks.Then came voice-over-Internet-protocol phone networks, and IT guys had to become has

Restaurant and bar owners here say theyre scrambling to comply with Initiative 901 before it goes into effect Dec. 8and also complain that the smoking bans ambiguous guidelines make their options hazy.Operators of local smoking say an or

Spokane International Airport says its on pace to reach record-breaking passenger levels this year, and is trying to keep that momentum going by pushing airlines to provide more nonstop flights to several key cities.SIA currently has 70 daily

Two condominium projects, each with a value of about $25 million and together totaling about 180 living units, have been proposed for Hayden, Idaho, just north of Coeur dAlene.One project, a 58-unit complex to be called Prairie Village, has a

High fuel and utility costs, coupled with a shift in donations to other parts of the nation and world to meet needs caused by natural disasters, have charities here worried about whether theyll have the resources to serve Spokanes people in out

Charitably-inclined taxpayers stand to benefit from a hurricane-relief bill passed late this summer, but the federal government is in less of a giving mood these days when it comes to other types of tax relief than it has been the past few years. &

After 115 years as Whitworth College, the private school on Spokanes North Side has decided to change its name to Whitworth University. On Oct. 14, the small Presbyterian schools board of trustees voted 18-14 to change Whitworths name and

Enrollment at the Spokane Area Professional-Technical Skills Center, an extended-learning program supported by nine local school districts, grew sharply this year, and the center is considering adding yet more programs.The center, located at N.