As unemployment rates have dropped in recent years, the underutilized workforce appears to have declined with it, Spokane-area labor experts say. At the county level, however, it's hard to say conclusively.

Whitworth University has started construction on a new three-story, 27,520-square-foot, $13 million Athletic Leadership Center. Located next to the Fieldhouse on the northwest side of campus, the new center will house the university's athletic coaches

Access2Experience LLC, a platform for connecting business professionals with students and teachers, has been updated and streamlined to make it easier to build connections.

Faculty at Community Colleges of Spokane say that in recent years, they've been working harder to establish relationships with employers that will enable them to train students for high-wage jobs in skilled trades.

Despite being a strong sellers' market, Spokane-area sales of single-family homes experienced a double-digit decrease percentagewise in March, according to the market snapshot released by the Spokane Association of Realtors.

Spokane couple Rich and Mary Clemson say working with grain has always been their forte, starting with their pasta-making company Pasta USA and leading to their newest venture, Liquid Brands Distillery, which does business as Warrior Liquor.

Stephen Heath needs more watchers on the wall. And Heath, a part-owner at Spokane Valley-based information technology company Intrinium Inc., doesn't appear to be alone.

A young California company that plans to produce an electric sports car wants to plug its future into Spokane and aims to base hundreds-and perhaps eventually thousands-of jobs here.