Veteran Spokane politician Lisa Brown has started a new role as director of the Washington state Department of Commerce, a position that she hopes will be enriched by both her previous experience serving in the state Legislature

A big surge in new construction last year left the Spokane County Assessor's Office feeling alarmingly under water in its efforts to process a huge backlog of projects so they could be added to the county's property tax rolls.

West Plains school districts and municipal governments are trying to prepare for incoming developments that are expected to bring significant employment and population growth. Toby Broemmeling, executive director

Chicago-based Boeing Co. is signaling it likely will delay announcing until next year its much anticipated new aircraft line referred to as the new middle-market airplane, or more informally the 797, says Larry Krauter, Spokane International Airport CEO.

Employers can be held strictly liable for acts of discrimination by their employees in any business or nonprofit open to the public following a recent Washington State Supreme Court decision in a sexual harassment case

When Patricia Munts, small farms and agriculture coordinator at Washington State University Spokane County Extension, began working with gardens in the city in 2008, there were at least eight community gardens, she recalls.

Retailers throughout Washington state soon could be banned from offering customers single-use plastic bags, in an effort to reduce plastic waste and better protect the environment.

Spokane County is planning a $10 million remodel to a commercial building near the south edge of the University District, where it intends to move the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office.