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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Briefcase

MedStar to establish base in Moses Lake

Northwest MedStar, the air-transport medical service, is setting up a permanent base in Moses Lake.

For the past two summers the service has had a helicopter day base about 9 miles north of Moses Lake, in a joint service agreement with Grant County Fire District 5.

Inland Northwest Health Service, which operates MedStar, will establish a full-time base with a registered nurse, respiratory therapist, pilot and mechanic in Moses Lake to handle emergency responses and assist in transports between regional hospitals.

A permanent hangar will be constructed later this year to house the helicopter.

The full-time base provides more direct air transport services and decreased response time for north central Washington, according to an INHS news release.

Foreclosure rates fall in metropolitan areas

LOS ANGELES – Most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are seeing a sharp drop in foreclosure activity.

In the first half of this year, 84 percent of metropolitan areas with a population of at least 200,000 saw their foreclosure rate drop versus the same period last year, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said today.

The decline is due to delays in the foreclosure process as lenders work through foreclosure documentation problems that first surfaced last fall. Mortgage banks also have put off taking action against newly delinquent borrowers in order to try tactics aimed at avoiding foreclosure.

The slowdown has been most pronounced in states where courts play a role in the foreclosure process.

Associated Press