Even before entering the Spokane Valley store, Simply Northwest greets customers with a window display so festive that Buddy the Elf would be proud.

Potential future uses for the soon-to-be closed Shopko store building on Spokane's South Hill could include another big-box retailer, a grocery store, a multitenant retail complex, or a mixed-use development, say commercial real estate professionals

Spokane-based Storage Solutions Nine Mile LLC has started construction of a 75,000-square-foot self-storage facility at 5920 state Route 291, in the Nine Mile Falls community, says Ryan Layton, the company's chief operating officer.

When someone has or suspects they might develop a chronic, disabling health condition, such as Alzheimer's disease or Huntington's disease, preparing for retirement has challenges to be faced on a case-by-case basis, some financial advisers here

Starting Jan. 1, behavioral health services traditionally covered through Medicaid also will be covered by some of the same managed care organizations that currently cover physical health services, says Jeff Thomas, CEO of Frontier Behavioral Health.

Following a flurry of acquisitions in the Inland Northwest in recent years, Alliant Insurance Services Inc. plans to add 50 to 100 employees at its Spokane offices within the next two years, a local executive says.