It used to be a big deal. Spokanes downtown skywalk system, once thought to be the second most extensive in the country, teemed with retailers, and shoppers walked it like a mall.Today, more than 40 percent of the spaces in the 15-block are a

If development activity is any indicator, Interstate 90 is becoming the new Sprague Avenue in the Spokane Valley.The I-90 corridor from about Pines Road east to Liberty Lake has seen a host of construction projects in the past year, and several

Group Health Cooperative says it will begin offering a preferred-provider health plan to employers in Spokane County this summer.The plan, called a PPO, or preferred-provider organization, will be a new option here from Group Health, which has

A Spokane-based company that turns what otherwise might be bad debt or charity care at hospitals into much-needed revenue moved here last year from Seattle partly because of its close relationship with Spokanes two largest hospitals.The Inc.,

Demand for temporary help in several segments of the health-care industry started to rebound recently following a slump, and remains high in other parts of the industry, such as home care and rehabilitation services, say temp-help agencies say the

Buying a former rental car is an increasingly popular option for consumers here who are leery of high-pressure sales tactics and vehicle prices at other used-car lots, say rental car agencies and credit unions.Whats more, the rental companies

Mid-sized sedans, the proverbial family car, havent lost their allure amid the consumer rush to SUVs and light trucks, and they still offer a broad range of selection from affordably basic to impressionably ritzy.Four of the 10 top-selling in

Spokane-based Sterling Savings Bank says it plans to open next week its first full-service bank branch in the Boise market and will consider opening additional branches there.The new branch, Sterlings 12th in Idaho, will be located in about a

Rolatape Corp., a longtime Spokane Valley maker of wheeled measuring devices, has been sold to Stanley Works, the New Britain, Conn.-based tool giant, and its operations here are expected to close by the end of the year.Rolatape, which was in a

Caelus Inc., a Spokane-based software developer that waged a lengthy battle to stay healthy despite big fluctuations in its markets, has filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in U.S. Bankruptcy Court here.The company, located downtown in the Paulsen