Week in Review

HOUSING MARKETS IN both Spokane and Kootenai counties continued to set records in the first half of the year. In Kootenai County, the number of homes sold in the first six months of the year grew 13 percent compared with the same period in 2004; total sales rose 5 percent in Spokane County. Home prices also continued to climb: the average price in Kootenai County hit $196,722, a 27 percent increase from the average of $155,538 at the end of June last year. In Spokane County, the average sales price was $157,749, a 12 percent increase over 2004.

Tuesday

Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. said construction has begun on the $85 million Kensington gold mine, located about 45 air miles north of Juneau, Alaska. The Coeur d’Alene-based mining company worked through 15 years of permitting battles to bring the mine to fruition.

• Anti-spyware vendors and consumer groups took a stab at issuing uniform definitions for “spyware” and “adware” in hopes of giving computer users more control over their machines. The definitions seek clarity that could help improve anti-spyware products.

Wednesday

WestCoast Hospitality Corp. said it has entered into an agreement to sell the historic Crescent and Paterson buildings in downtown Spokane. The deal is part of a group of transactions totaling $48 million that includes the Budget Inn on Fourth Avenue in Spokane, plus six other hotels in Washington, Montana and Oregon. WestCoast wouldn’t identify the buyers of any of the properties. The transactions are expected to close by the end of the year.

• The Tidyman’s grocery store chain has closed six stores in Washington, Idaho and Montana in the past year, but CEO Mike Davis said the company has finished closing unprofitable locations and now will focus on opening several Save-a-Lot grocery stores in this market. Save-a-Lot stores are designed to appeal to price-conscious consumers.

Thursday

Former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison for leading the largest corporate accounting fraud in U.S. history. The sentence came four months after Ebbers was convicted of overseeing the $11 billion WorldCom fraud.

Friday

The Washington state Insurance Commissioner still is weeks away from accepting or rejecting a bid for the three insurance affiliates of bankrupt Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co. Though several bids were accepted in late May, regulators still are evaluating the bids.