Amy Edelen

All Stories

News >  Business

Contractors group reports 80% of construction firms in the Washington experience difficulty recruiting skilled workers

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 28, 2019

Associated General Contractors of America, which surveyed 2,000 construction firms nationwide, found 80% of contractors in Washington reported difficulty in finding qualified employees for hourly positions. The shortage also is playing out in the Inland Northwest.

News >  Business

Brain Freeze Creamery’s ice cream shops in Kendall Yards, South Hill temporarily closed because of unpaid taxes

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 27, 2019

The Washington State Department of Revenue issued two tax warrants against Brain Freeze Creamery for more than $19,780 in unpaid taxes and penalties.

News >  Business

Plans progress for proposed Hardwick & Sons hardware store in Post Falls

Tue., Aug. 27, 2019

After rising property taxes and traffic congestion forced longtime Seattle hardware store Hardwick & Sons to announce its closure after more than 81 years of business, owner Dean Hardwick chose to build a new location.

---

News >  Business

The Dirt: South Hill to gain 12-unit apartment complex

Sun., Aug. 25, 2019

County commissioners voted unanimously to remove a 450-acre site from a designated no-shooting area west of Fairchild Air Force Base and bounded by McFarlane Road to the north and Thorpe Road to the south.

News >  Spokane

Spokane International Airport board considering scaled-down terminal expansion plan

Sat., Aug. 24, 2019

The Spokane International Airport is considering changes to its proposed expansion project, with a scaled-down design at a reduced cost that still includes expanded gate capacity and a centralized security checkpoint for passengers to travel between terminals.

News >  Business

NorthTown Mall owner files suit against owner of Wetzel’s Pretzels, Orange Julius, alleges unpaid rent

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 23, 2019

NorthTown Mall owner Chicago-based Brookfield Properties recently filed a pair of lawsuits seeking the eviction of Wetzel’s Pretzels and Orange Julius because of several months of unpaid rent.

News >  Business

New Spokane Gun Club project moves forward

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 23, 2019

The Spokane Gun Club has filed preliminary permits with Spokane County to build a new location on the West Plains.

News >  Spokane

High-definition, dynamic signage at Spokane International Airport showcases region’s offerings

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 23, 2019

Travelers passing through Spokane International Airport are being greeted with high-definition animated scenes of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene in terminals and ticket counters.

News >  Business

Annual adjustment would raise gas, electric rates for Avista’s Washington customers

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 22, 2019

The Spokane-based utility has filed requests with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission for rate adjustments based on lower levels of customer usage in 2018 related to a warmer than normal winter.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County’s unemployment rate increases slightly in July to 5.6%

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 20, 2019

Spokane County’s unemployment rate increased slightly in July over the prior month because of a seasonal drop in education and firefighting jobs.

News >  Business

From ‘ghost town’ to thriving development hub, former Post Falls outlet mall finds new life

Mon., Aug. 19, 2019

When the Post Falls Factory Outlets opened in 1991, city officials and business leaders stated it would bring economic prosperity to the region. But as the Great Recession created a ripple effect in the retail industry, the once bustling outlet mall lost most of its tenants and became a nearly vacant ghost town. That’s changed.

News >  Business

‘Blockhouse’ residential development planned in South Perry district

Sun., Aug. 18, 2019

A 14-unit “blockhouse” development on a half-acre of land behind South Perry Pizza and Perry Street Brewing in the East Central neighborhood has been issued permits to begin construction.

News >  Business

River City Pizza, Genus Brewing Co. grand opening next week in Spokane Valley

Sat., Aug. 17, 2019

River City Pizza is opening a second restaurant in a shared building with Genus Brewing Co. next week in Spokane Valley.

News >  Business

More than a year after devastating fire, Shogun restaurant to reopen at new location in Spokane Valley

Wed., Aug. 14, 2019

After Shogun was destroyed by a fire last year, owner Joseph Lee made a promise to his longtime customers to rebuild the iconic sushi and hibachi restaurant. Lee purchased the former site of The Roadhouse Bar & Grill at 20 N. Raymond Road in Spokane Valley, and after close to a year of renovations to the building, Shogun is reopening Monday.

News >  Business

Redevelopment underway for former Sears store at Coeur d’Alene mall

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 13, 2019

A former Sears store at the Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene is undergoing renovation to potentially house two new tenants, Planet Fitness and a Flying Squirrel Trampoline Park.

News >  Business

The Dirt: Work begins on former Milford’s Fish House transformation into Irish pub, restaurant

Sun., Aug. 11, 2019

When complete, the building at the intersection of Monroe and Broadway Avenue will house Shawn O’Donnell’s American Grill and Irish Pub, an Everett-based, family-owned restaurant chain that has locations in Everett and Seattle.

News >  Business

Best of both worlds: Spokane Valley’s Bardic Brewing plans taproom to showcase its beers and ciders

UPDATED: Sat., Aug. 10, 2019

For Mark and Courtney Haney, there’s nothing better than sharing stories over a good meal, board games and a crisp beer or cider. The couple, who own Bardic Brewing, want to replicate that environment with their plans for a new taproom in Spokane Valley.

News >  Business

Key Tronic reports net income increase for its fourth quarter

Fri., Aug. 9, 2019

Spokane Valley-based Key Tronic Corp. reported an increase in net income during the company’s fourth fiscal quarter.

News >  Business

Self Storage of Spokane opening new location in Hillyard

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 9, 2019

Self Storage of Spokane is opening a new storage center in Hillyard later this month, marking the company’s third location in the region.

News >  Business

Cambria hotel under development on West Plains

Fri., Aug. 9, 2019

Rockville, Maryland-based Choice Hotels International Inc. is expanding its Cambria Hotels brand to Washington state, with the first property under development on the West Plains.

News >  Business

Spokane County home sales drop year over year amid rising prices and low inventory

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 8, 2019

While the number of home sales in Spokane County dropped slightly in July, low inventory and high demand continued to push prices up.

News >  Business

Bozzi Media purchases Nostalgia Magazine

Thu., Aug. 8, 2019

Spokane-based Bozzi Media has purchased locally published Nostalgia Magazine with plans to increase readership and expand its online presence through social media.

News >  Business

Proposed change in Washington state’s overtime rules draws support, opposition

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 7, 2019

A proposal by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries to change overtime rules for salaried employees has drawn concern from local businesses while others claim it could put more money in workers’ pockets. The proposal, introduced by the department last year, significantly increases the number of employees that would receive overtime pay by raising the state’s salary threshold for exempt workers to nearly $80,000 a year and updating a test used to determine who qualifies for the exemption.

News >  Business

Brown Building Materials closing after 60 years as owner looks to retirement

Wed., Aug. 7, 2019

For more than six decades, Brown Building Materials has supplied Spokane residents and contractors with unique, hard-to-find home goods. That’s soon coming to an end, however, as the business is closing by October.

News >  Spokane

U.S. News and World Report names Providence Sacred Heart as region’s top hospital in 2019

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 6, 2019

U.S. News & World Report has named Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital the top hospital in the region.