Idaho power bills rise 2.2 percent

Avista electricity bills in Idaho will rise by 2.2 percent beginning Oct. 1, or about $1.04 per month for the average utility customer.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved the higher price through a power cost surcharge. This surcharge ensures Avista can recoup the costs of providing electricity due to such factors as changing fuel prices.

The surcharge does not affect Avista’s earnings, said the commission, nor will it be used to pay salaries or finance company operations. It acts as a price hike pass-through.

Avista has about 115,000 customers in North Idaho.

SANDPOINT

Alpine Lumber sale completed

Lumbermans Inc. will purchase Alpine Lumber Supply of Sandpoint.

Alpine Lumber, founded by Robert Myers in Sandpoint in 1978, also has an outlet in Post Falls and employs about 65 people total.

The sale was expected to close Monday. The price was not disclosed.

Lumbermans operates more than 70 lumberyards, truss plants and millwork facilities in five western states. The company is a division of Pro-Building Holdings, which advertises itself as one of the nation’s largest suppliers of building materials to professional contractors.

Strategically, Alpine is a good fit for Lumbermans, supporting the company’s continued expansion into Eastern Washington and North Idaho markets, said Dave Dittmer, Pro-Building’s Western region president.

Pence suffers mild heart attack

Dennis Pence, Coldwater Creek’s chairman and chief executive officer, had a mild heart attack on Saturday, according to information the company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The attending physician described the event as “very mild” and said the 57-year-old Pence is in good condition with no permanent disability expected as a result of the heart attack, according to the filing. Company officials said no further information is being released.

Coldwater Creek is based in Sandpoint. The company is a national retailer of women’s clothing and accessories.