March 14, 2008 in Business on Page A12 Sales of homes in Kootenai County from September through February were 13.4 percent lower than the same period a year prior, with 700 houses sold, according to Coeur d’Alene Multiple …

March 14, 2008 in Business on Page A12 WASHINGTON – Economic policymakers on Thursday recommended stricter regulation of mortgage lenders as part of a broad effort to prevent a repeat of a credit crisis threatening to drive the …

March 14, 2008 in Business on Page A13 NEW YORK – A fractious Wall Street rebounded from an early plunge to finish moderately higher Thursday, after Standard & Poor’s predicted financial companies are nearing the end of the …

March 14, 2008 in Business on Page A13 NEW YORK – Gold futures hit $1,000 an ounce for the first time Thursday, pushed past the benchmark by the sinking dollar and record crude oil prices. The dollar fell …

March 14, 2008 in Business on Page A13 WASHINGTON – Rates on 30-year mortgages increased this week for the fourth time in the past five weeks. Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported Thursday that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged …

March 14, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A15 LOS ANGELES – Southern California home prices continued to fall at a record pace in February, and are now at 2004 levels, a real estate information service reported Thursday. The …

March 14, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A16 WASHINGTON – House Democratic leaders agreed Thursday to a rare closed-door session – the first in 25 years – to debate surveillance legislation. Republicans requested privacy for what they termed …

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B1 Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed a bill expanding the use of dogs in cougar hunts. Under the measure, a 2004 pilot program allowing cougar hunts with dogs is extended another …

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B1 Saying the state has mismanaged a former insurance affiliate of bankrupt Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co., creditors have asked a judge to force Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to relinquish …

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B1 For 03-14-2008

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B1 The parents and most of the Mennonite community near Chewelah have forgiven Clifford Helm for the November 2005 crash that killed five young brothers and sisters. Now it’s up to …

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B2 OLYMPIA – The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that random drug testing of student athletes is unconstitutional, finding that each has “a genuine and fundamental privacy interest in controlling his …

March 14, 2008 in Idaho on Page B3 BOISE – A move to impose steep hurdles to new local-option sales taxes in Idaho has fractured a coalition pushing for such financing for mass transit and road work to …

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B3 Overseeing Spokane County’s criminal justice system is now a group effort. The Criminal Justice Council was formed after a consultant’s report revealed several issues with the county system. It concluded, …

March 14, 2008 in City on Page B3 Planned Parenthood of Idaho has had no decline in donations or demand for health services in the wake of accusations that it encouraged a donation aimed at aborting black babies. …

March 14, 2008 in Idaho on Page B3 BOISE – The Senate Education Committee has scrapped this year’s efforts to speed the firing of inadequate teachers after opposition from the Idaho School Boards Association derailed the plan. Thursday’s …

March 14, 2008 in Idaho on Page B3 BOISE – Lawmakers concerned about self-defense rights narrowly killed a proposal on Thursday that would have required a concealed weapon permit to carry stun guns in Idaho. The House State …

March 14, 2008 in Idaho on Page B3 BOISE – Legislation to guarantee some Lake Coeur d’Alene property owners the right to put in a boat dock – though their property was separated from the lake by a …

March 14, 2008 in Opinion on Page B4 Two years ago, Otto Zehm, a mentally ill janitor, died after a confrontation with several officers at a convenience store. Public outrage grew intense when video called into question the …

March 14, 2008 in Opinion on Page B4 It’s no doubt true, as a retired military friend puts it, that Adm. Fox Fallon just committed “career suicide by press.” Fallon, after four decades of dedicated service as Navy …