Becky Kramer

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News >  Business

New pulp mill planned for southeast Washington will turn straw into commercial product

UPDATED: Mon., July 31, 2017

A pulp mill planned for southeastern Washington will extract cellulose from wheat and alfalfa straw, turning a waste product into a commodity. Columbia Pulp expects to begin operations in late 2018.

News >  Spokane

Avista’s ownership in a Montana coal plant is under scrutiny in Ontario, which has banned coal-fired electricity

Sat., July 29, 2017

With Avista Corp. poised to be acquired by Hydro One of Ontario in a $5.3 billion sale next year, the Spokane-based utility’s partial ownership in a Montana coal plant has come under scrutiny in Canada. Hydro One’s largest shareholder is the government of Ontario, which phased out coal-fired electricity in the province in 2014.

News >  Spokane

Avista asks for $4 surcharge on Idaho customers’ bills to address drop in sales from mild weather in 2016

UPDATED: Thu., July 27, 2017

Avista Utilities wants to add a $4 monthly surcharge to its Idaho customers bills, saying the mild winter of 2016 reduced the company’s power sales and revenues.

News >  Spokane

Unemployment dropped to 5.1 percent in Spokane metro area during June

Tue., July 25, 2017

Unemployment rates for the Spokane metro area dropped to 5.1 percent in June, continuing the pace of strong job growth for the region.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County home sales hit monthly record in June; some hopeful signs for buyers emerge

UPDATED: Wed., July 26, 2017

Spokane County home sales hit an all-time monthly record in June, with 944 properties sold. Sellers still have the upper hand, but there are hopeful signs for prospective buyers, Realtors say.

News >  Spokane

Sale of Avista would require ‘net benefits’ to ratepayers, Washington regulators say

UPDATED: Fri., July 21, 2017

Things to know about the proposed Avista sale: Scott Morris’ stock is worth about $10 million under this deal. Avista’s sales price has caused a stir in Canada, where Hydro One customers worry about rate increases. Washington regulators say Avista ratepayers must receive a benefit for the sale to win state approval.

News >  Spokane

Avista selling to Canadian firm Hydro One for $5.3 billion

UPDATED: Thu., July 20, 2017

Avista is being sold for $5.3 billion to a Canadian company called Hydro One, the companies announced Wednesday.

News >  Pacific NW

The view from on high: 45 years of studying ospreys in the Pacific Northwest

UPDATED: Sun., July 16, 2017

Wayne Melquist has banded Lake Coeur d’Alene’s ospreys for more than four decades. He started in 1972 and says there's still much to learn about the majestic birds, which raise their young on the region's lakes and rivers but winter in Mexico and Central America.

News >  Spokane

Hitting the bricks: Spokane Steam Plant gets a makeover

Sat., July 15, 2017

This summer, Dale Jackson and his co-workers are cleaning the bricks and replacing mortar in the stacks at Steam Plant Square, hundreds of feet above downtown Spokane.

Sports >  Outdoors

Birding brightens driver’s commute on I-90

Fri., July 14, 2017

I spend about 90 minutes in a vehicle each day, commuting from Coeur d’Alene to downtown Spokane. I didn’t expect to be birding from Interstate 90. But the first day of the commute, I found myself watching two pairs of hawks soaring over the freeway. The next day, I started keeping count of hawks and other birds I saw on the drive.

News >  Business

Red Lion sues Hard Rock Cafe, alleging its hotel brand aimed at millennials is a knockoff

UPDATED: Fri., July 14, 2017

Red Lion Hotels’ parent company is suing Hard Rock Cafe International, saying the hotel chain has copied plans for its the Spokane-based hotelier’s brand aimed at millennials.

News >  Pacific NW

More naturally flowing Columbia River would benefit region’s economy, tribes say

UPDATED: Sat., July 8, 2017

Allowing the Columbia to flow more like a natural river would benefit the region financially, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits to local communities, Northwest tribes say.

News >  Spokane

Locomotive manufacturer buys 39 acres in Spokane Valley, but officials haven’t revealed plans for the property

UPDATED: Fri., July 7, 2017

A subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. has purchased 39 acres in a Spokane Valley industrial park, but company officials aren’t commenting on plans for the property.

News >  Spokane

Ridpath’s party draws several hundred people back to the former downtown Spokane landmark

Fri., July 7, 2017

Several hundred people crowded into the Ridpath Hotel on Thursday afternoon for an early party anticipating the landmark’s return to prominence in the social life of Spokane.

News >  Business

American Airlines launches direct service from Dallas-Fort Worth to Spokane

UPDATED: Wed., July 5, 2017

American Airlines had a sold-out flight for its Wednesday launch of nonstop service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Spokane International Airport.

News >  Spokane

Pullman hospital considers offering sex reassignment surgery

UPDATED: Wed., July 5, 2017

Pullman Regional Hospital could become the first Washington hospital to offer below-the-waist gender reassignment surgery transitioning males to females.

News >  Spokane

MultiCare finalizes purchase of local hospitals, Rockwood Clinic

UPDATED: Fri., June 30, 2017

MultiCare Health System will wrap up the $425 million purchase of Deaconess and Valley hospitals and Rockwood Clinic on Saturday, ushering in a new era for health care in the Spokane area.

News >  Spokane

Molded plastics manufacturer opens Hayden plant

UPDATED: Wed., June 28, 2017

SmaK Plastics Inc. of Vancouver, Washington, has opened a manufacturing facility in Hayden that will bring about 30 jobs to the area.

News >  Spokane

9 projects that will transform Spokane’s city center

Sun., June 25, 2017

Spokane is in the midst of major transformations, with $800 million in public and private investment pouring into the city’s downtown and nearby neighborhoods.

News >  Spokane

Demand growing in downtown Spokane for apartments, condos

Sun., June 25, 2017

Demand for downtown housing in Spokane had led to construction hundreds of new units, from 250-square-foot studios to luxury penthouse condos.

News >  Spokane

Downtown Rising: Demand for urban living and experiences transforming Spokane’s core

Sun., June 25, 2017

Downtown Spokane is in the midst of a major transformation, with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment pouring into the city’s core. Mark Richard, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, talked with The Spokesman-Review about recent trends.

News >  Spokane

Making old spaces new

Sun., June 25, 2017

When HDG Architecture outgrew its rented quarters, partners Josh Hissong and Armando Hurtado decided it was time to buy their own building in downtown Spokane. They wanted to create interesting office space that would appeal to workers in their 20s and 30s.

News >  Business

Centennial Properties developing Spokane Valley industrial park

UPDATED: Thu., June 22, 2017

Centennial Properties Inc. is working to develop a 100-acre industrial park in Spokane Valley.

News >  Spokane

U-pick strawberry season underway in Spokane area

UPDATED: Wed., June 21, 2017

Strawberries have a short, sweet season in the Inland Northwest, and people line up to get them while the picking is good.

News >  Spokane

Hosts needed to introduce WSU med school students to Spokane

UPDATED: Thu., June 15, 2017

Washington State University, Spokane is looking for local residents willing to help its inaugural class of medical students get acquainted with the community. The volunteer hosts will meet periodically with students and introduce them to community leaders.