Latest News

The Journal's Most Read Stories of 2022

Restaurant, retail news dominates list this year

December 28, 2022

Three of the top 10 Most Read Stories of 2022 involve news about new restaurants, and a fourth involves a new entertainment venue that's expected to open next year.

The Top 20 Spokane Business Stories of 2022

Major projects start; iconic firms change hands during year of economic shift

December 28, 2022

Linn Parish

In the Inland Northwest, business news involved more highlights than lowlights in 2022, despite challenges nationally and globally.

Cowles subsidiary agrees to acquire Tri-Cities Journal, Senior Times

Transaction to be completed by year-end

December 27, 2022

Linn Parish

Mid-Columbia Media Inc., a subsidiary of Cowles Co., has agreed to acquire the assets of Tri Comp Inc., which publishes the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and the Senior Times newspapers.

Guest Commentary: Economic uncertainty hasn't stopped retail spending this year

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December 15, 2022

Don Brunell

The good news is, despite higher prices, inflation, and safety concerns, more Christmas shoppers are browsing online and making in-store purchases. The National Retail Federation reported this year an estimated 166.3 million people visited stores from

The Journal's View: Lean into opportunity, even when times get tough

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December 15, 2022

Staff Report

If you read the Journal's Economic Outlook, it doesn't sound like 2023 is going to include much in the way of glad tidings of comfort and joy. Forecasts in the late 2000s and early 2010s certainly were worse, but pre-pandemic prognostications were a

Tourism forecast is mixed for 2023

With convention bookings subdued, sports events expected to draw crowds

December 15, 2022

Virginia Thomas

Spokane's tourism and hospitality industry has thrived in an explosion of post-pandemic demand, but the market is expected to be quieter in 2023. Meg Winchester, president and CEO of Visit Spokane, says tourism here has been strong in every category

Idaho mining execs optimistic about the future

Hecla anticipates higher output; Idaho Strategic expands rare earth sites

December 15, 2022

Mike McLean

Inland Northwest mining industry representatives are optimistic about mining in the coming year and beyond. Coeur d'Alene-based Hecla Mining Co., which is the largest silver producer in the U.S., recently agreed to acquire all outstanding stock in

Retail sales likely to decelerate after strong showing

Inflation, low average savings impact spending

December 15, 2022

Karina Elias

Retail sales in Spokane are expected to slow in 2023 after strong showings the last couple of years which were buoyed by pandemic relief funds, says Patrick Jones, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis at Eastern

Demand, prices for wood products expected to slow further

Market reacting to Fed raising interest rates

December 15, 2022

Virginia Thomas

The wood products industry is likely to see a cooling of market volatility in 2023 as demand slows due to inflation and interest rate increases, experts say. Tim Borg, general manager at the Spokane offices of Texas-based supplier and manufacturer of

Inland Northwest health care systems look to stabilize

Spokane providers are operating with financial losses, increased costs

December 15, 2022

Karina Elias

Moving into 2023, major health care systems in Spokane are projecting continued financial losses while working to stabilize margins after struggling through two years of COVID-19 surges, ongoing shortages of medical personnel, and rising costs.