Its shaping up to be a midsize year in the auto world. A number of automakers are rolling out new, sportier, or more luxurious versions of their midsize sedans and coupes, and introducing hybrids in the larger vehicle styles to offer improved gas

The Pend Oreille County Public Utility District has agreed to pay the Kalispel Tribe of Indians a minimum of $200,000 worth of wholesale electricity annually for flooding reservation lands under its Box Canyon Dam reservoir. The payments have been

New commercial and housing developments are cropping up in Suncrest, a community 10 miles northwest of Spokane that long has been a woodsy outpost along the 25-mile-long reservoir known as Long Lake. More than $20 million in commercial and is

Spokanes Bouten Construction Co. is building a $71.8 million tower for Kadlec Medical Center, in Richland, Wash. The company expects to complete the project next spring, says President Bill Bouten. Its been a long-term project for Bouten, a

Community Colleges of Spokane, with support from industries here and in the state, is introducing several new programs this year that aim to prepare students for advancement and entrepreneurial opportunities within targeted fields.Two programs,

Dru-Ann Greene, owner of an air filter sales business here, and her fianc, Randall Robertson, a former independent home remodeler, have been eyeing the increasing graffiti on downtown Spokane businesses with dismay. They say they wondered if a

Spokane software developer Pentad Systems LLC says it is expanding into the Portland area, selling its suite of online business courses. The companys operations manager, Sarah McAuliffe, has relocated to Beaverton, Ore., to provide technical

Network Communications Inc. (NCI), of Lawrenceville, Ga., has bought By Design Publishing Inc., of Hayden, Idaho, says By Design President Brandon Lee. Lee and co-founder Steve Swayne will stay on as president and vice president, respectively,

The Coeur dAlene Casino Resort Hotel, near Worley, Idaho, says its now hiring 80 additional employees to keep up with growth, increasing its payroll by $4 million this year. The casino says it now will pay $8.50 an hour for entry-level up a

Spokane Transit Authority plans to develop a $5 million park-and-ride transit hub at the southeast corner of Mission and Greene streets, directly across from the Spokane Community College Campus.The agency intends to lease about eight acres of