Patrick Rusnak has been appointed chief financial officer of Sterling Financial Corp. If regulators approve the appointment, he will succeed Dan Byrne, who has held the position since Sterling was founded in 1983. Rusnak is the former chief executive officer of AmericanWest Bank, which was…
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington has introduced legislation that would prohibit the IRS from hiring new employees to enforce the individual health care mandate included in the 2010 health care law. McMorris Rodgers, a Republican and vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, cited…
Thursday's Spokesman-Review will feature a story on "cord-cutting," the relatively small effort by consumers to find alternatives to paid-TV (through cable, satellite or telco systems). We gathered a few personal stories of folks using alternatives to the standard systems. We asked experts to explain how…
Washington businesses would get a break on this year’s unemployment taxes under a bill headed for a floor vote in the state Senate. It’s projected to save Washington employers about $300 million by halting a planned increase in unemployment insurance rates, the Associated Press reports.…
Idaho’s January tax revenue likely beat forecasts by about $15 million. The news, which indicates the economy could be picking up steam, may help mitigate concerns that arose last week about a yawning $185 million budget hole. Division of Financial Management director Wayne Hammon confirmed…
Wednesday's Spokesman.com had a story on the four-week truce between Northwest Broadcasting, Inc., and DirecTV over the retransmission fee to be paid to carry KAYU signals. Bottom line, folks don't have to buy an antenna or drive miles to see the Super Bowl this weekend.…
For 130 years, the Spokane Ag Bureau has been a fixture in offering farmers an annual Ag Expo and other industry events. The bureau, a longtime partner with the Spokane Chamber of Commerce -- now known as Greater Spokane Inc.-- on Tuesday officially switched its…
Godiva Chocolatier last week closed its downtown Spokane kiosk in River Park Square. And just in time for Valentine's! We decided to hunt down other retailers who carry the well-liked Godiva brand. We found these three: Barnes & Noble Booksellers, both the north Division shop…
A three-month amnesty program for businesses with overdue taxes has started in Washington state. The plan aims to collect revenue now by waiving any penalties and interest. Otherwise, the state Revenue Department could spend months trying to collect those past-due bills. The program was requested…
Idaho’s cash-strapped state parks system will be looking to “tasteful” corporate sponsorships to try to help keep the state’s 30 parks open in the coming year, state parks chief Nancy Merrill told lawmakers this morning. “We do not want to over-commercialize our state parks,” Merrill…
Anthony Bonanzino has been elected chairman of Northwest Bancorporation, the holding company for Inland Northwest Bank. Bonanzino succeeds William Shelby, who will retire from the board in 2013. Bonanzino is the chief executive officer of the Institute for Systems Medicine, and the former CEO of…
Added this morning: video of the president's remarks on Janine Vaughn. She's mentioned at 10:18 mark. Spokane business owner Janine Vaughn hit the weekly-double this week, in terms of national press attention. On Friday at a Washington, D.C., event, President Obama highlighted Vaughn's small Spokane…
Still no news on when the long, 28-day retransmission payment dispute affecting DIRECTV customers will end. This is no fun for customers who are paying good money to DIRECTV and feel abused by the battle between DIRECTV and Northwest Broadcasting, which owns and operates KAYU,…
Spokane International Airport handled almost 3.2 million passengers last year, an increase of 4 percent from 2009, which had the lowest total since 2004. December traffic also rose about 4 percent, to 137,820. Freight and mail rose more than 10 percent for the month, to…
Habitat for Humanity will close its Spokane and Spokane Valley stores, and consolidate retailing into a single location in the Spokane Industrial Park. The existing stores at 850 E. Trent and 11410 E. Sprague will close March 1. The the Spokane store will reopen for…
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency has named CXT Inc. as the 2011 Clean Air Award winner. The award will be presented Thursday at an 11:30 a.m. ceremony at the Davenport Hotel. The company makes precast concrete products, including railroad ties for major railways. It has…
Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is converting all Horizon Air airplanes to its own brand, starting this month, the company announced. The change is part of a trend among regional air carriers, said Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan. She emphasized the two airlines are not merging. Horizon…
Mall rats can start guessing which new retailer will move into the kiosk in River Park Square vacated by Godiva Chocolate. Bob Smith, the guy who manages the RPS, told us talks have nearly concluded with a retailer expected to take over that spot, on…
With all the attention on technology and job-creation in last night's State of the Union address by President Obama, Office Hours wonders if Washington and Idaho are primed to be key contributors in that effort. Certainly both have unemployment rates that are stubbornly stuck close…
Lee Houk, who has more than 20 years experience in area businesses, has opened Extreme Telecom Data, Inc. a new firm offering hardware and network services for regional companies. Houk, until December 2010, worked for area telecom company Northwest Communications Center, Ltd. The new firm…
View Larger Map The company that operates a large network of fiber-optic cable for Spokane and North Idaho business customers said it could be midnight on Tuesday before their Internet service returns. Shelly Mills, a spokesperson for the Spokane office of Zayo Enterprises, said it…
Sterling Financial Corp. today reported smaller fourth quarter and annual losses. The net loss for the quarter was $38.1 million, down from $48 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30 and $328.7 million for the 2009 fourth quarter. For the year, Sterling's net loss was…
Power is out on a portion of the South Hill this afternoon as Avista Utilities crews replace a pole at 9th Ave. and Monroe St. destroyed in a motor vehicle accident at about 10 a.m. A spokeswoman said service should be restored to all customers…
The River Park Square Godiva Chocolatier kiosk shut down Monday, Jan. 24, with no formal statement on the reason. A River Park Square mall spokesperson confirmed the closure but had nothing else to add. Another mall tenant, clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, shut its doors…
Day 24 of the KAYU DIRECTV blackout, with no sign that the impasse will end soon. We asked both sides by e-mail if movement was likely today. We learned neither side seems optimistic. DIRECTV said, simply, they saw nothing new to resolve the long dispute…
The Spokesman-Review business team follows economic development in Spokane and the Inland Northwest.
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