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More security going mobile

Half of new users said to want systems providing access with phone, tablet

February 14, 2013

Security companies here are vying for the attention of customers who increasingly want to monitor security systems at homes and businesses through a mobile device with a quick flick of the finger on a smartphone or tablet.Until mobile control of

Contractor grows with shift to facility protection focus

Perimeter Security Group also acquires Cd'A fence company

February 14, 2013

Mike McLean

As the residential construction market collapsed in the Inland Northwest in 2008, Brenda Blood decided she had to steer MAC Industries Inc., a North Idaho automated gate company she had just bought, in a different direction.So she created a new

Successful sustainability planning has five key elements

Data tracking, engaged employees are among such an effort's keystones

January 31, 2013

Jeff Heggedahl

It's my belief that today's leading businesses can both do well and do good; sustainability is both a smart business decision and a risk-mitigation activity. The fact is, companies can save money, save resources, and improve corporate reputation at

New sources seen as key to power supply

Northwest conservation group projects adequate generation through '17

January 31, 2013

Wind power and developments outside the Northwest are changing the character of the region's electricity system. However, the power supply will remain adequate during the next five years with the addition of new generation and additional energy to

Red Lion goes green

Partnering with Ecova, company sets goals high to lower energy use, costs

January 31, 2013

Treva Lind

Spokane-based Red Lion Hotels Corp. executives say the company's energy costs declined by six figures over a 12-month period ending last November, a savings they attribute to a new sustainability strategy put in place at its 28 corporate-owned had

Treatment plant aims to conserve—inside and out

Facility designed to protect aquifer, boasts energy-saving features

January 31, 2013

Mike McLean

The whole concept behind a sewer plant, such as the Spokane County Regional Water Reclamation Facility, could be considered green, says David Moss, the county's water reclamation manager, adding that the facility also boasts many green-engineered a

Study says childbirth alters women's stress perception

Childless women given an oxytocin nasal spray had a similar response

January 17, 2013

News Wise

Following the birth of a child, new mothers may have an altered perception of stresses around them, showing less interest in threats unrelated to the baby. This change to the neuroendocrine circuitry could help the mothers adapt to the additional a

Drug said to help women who quit smoking curb weight

Weight increase for those on medication was half of gain of placebo takers

January 17, 2013

News Wise

A medication being tested to help smokers kick the habit also may help avoid the weight gain that is common after quitting—but only in women, according to a study published in the December issue of Biological Psychiatry. Naltrexone, an that

Study links baby birth weight to mother's Vitamin D levels

Head size of newborns also found to be linked to deficiency in nutrient

January 17, 2013

News Wise

Mothers' vitamin D levels at a gestation of 26 weeks or less were positively related in a recent study to birth weight and head circumference, and in the first trimester were negatively associated with risk of a baby being born small for age.The

Giving birth later may reduce risk of aggressive cancer

Waiting 15 years after first period to have kids said to aid breast health

January 17, 2013

News Wise

Younger women who wait at least 15 years after their first menstrual period to give birth to their first child may reduce their risk of an aggressive form of breast cancer by up to 60 percent, according to a study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer an in