Becky Kramer

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News >  Spokane

Owner of Deaconess, Valley hospitals says it will contest lawsuit over charity care spending

UPDATED: Wed., June 14, 2017

The owner of Deaconess and Valley hospitals said it will “vigorously contest” a lawsuit alleging it shorted local charity care spending by up to $110 million.

News >  Business

Lawsuit alleges Deaconess, Valley hospital owner shorted community millions in charity care

UPDATED: Tue., June 13, 2017

Deaconess and Valley hospitals’ owner failed to provide up to $110 million worth of charity care promised to low-income patients during its tenure in Spokane, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

News >  Spokane

Avista files request for two-year rate hike in North Idaho

UPDATED: Fri., June 9, 2017

Avista Utilities wants to raise rates for Idaho customers over the next two years. If approved by state regulators, household electric bills would rise by about $11 per month over the two-year period. Natural gas rates would rise by about $5 per month.

News >  Spokane

Vaagen spinoff will turn scrawny trees into engineered building material

Fri., June 9, 2017

A spinoff of Vaagen Brothers Lumber Inc. plans to start making a product that could transform how high-rise buildings are constructed, someday making wooden skyscrapers part of city skylines.

News >  Business

Multiple bids, quick sales characterize Spokane home sales market

UPDATED: Mon., June 5, 2017

For houses priced under $300,000 in Spokane and nearby Kootenai County, it’s a seller’s market. The inventory of homes for sale is expected to be tight for the foreseeable future.

News >  Spokane

Aerospace manufacturing a high-wage, growth industry for Spokane area

UPDATED: Thu., June 1, 2017

Over the next 20 years, about 40,000 new airplanes will be needed to keep pace with global demand for air travel. Local aerospace manufacturers are vying for part of that business.

News >  Spokane

Worn-out brakes caused accident that killed truck driver at Buckhorn Mine

UPDATED: Mon., June 5, 2017

Worn-out brakes on a dump truck caused a December accident that fatally injured a contract worker at the Buckhorn Mine in Okanogan County, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has determined.

News >  Business

MultiCare’s entry into Spokane medical scene gets support from local leaders

UPDATED: Tue., May 30, 2017

Spokane’s business and civic leaders are backing MultiCare Health System’s $425 million purchase of Deaconess and Valley hospitals and Rockwood Clinic.

News >  Business

Skilled-labor sawmill jobs going unfilled; industry teams up with colleges to train workers

UPDATED: Tue., May 30, 2017

About 200 sawmill workers will be trained at North Idaho College and Lewis Clark State College over the next two years. The training will help them advance in an increasingly high-tech industry.

News >  Spokane

Avista files 3-year plan for raising electric and natural gas rates

UPDATED: Fri., May 26, 2017

Avista is asking state regulators for permission to raise electric and natural gas rates for Washington customers over a three-year period, with the earliest rate hike beginning in September.

News >  Spokane

Developer plans $60 million towers for old YWCA site on north bank of Spokane River

UPDATED: Thu., May 25, 2017

Spokane developer Larry Stone has proposed a $60 million project for the old YWCA site on the north bank of the Spokane River.

News >  Business

Worker who lost arm in accident tells teens to know their rights, demand safety training

Wed., May 24, 2017

Young workers are twice as likely to be hurt on the job as older adults. Matt Pomerinke, who lost his arm in an industrial accident, travels the state, telling students to know their rights as employees and demand proper safety training.

News >  Business

Lookout Pass wins approval to add chairlifts, expand terrain for skiers and snowboarders

Fri., May 19, 2017

Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area plans to spend about $10 million over the next several years on new ski runs, chairlifts and a lodge expansion.

News >  Business

Kendall Yards grocery store will feature chefs, local products and urban vibe

UPDATED: Fri., May 19, 2017

A new grocery store in Kendall Yards will target Spokane’s growing downtown neighborhoods with sales of fresh local foods and places for customers to hang-out.

News >  Business

Mining waste cleanup to create 400 summer jobs in Silver Valley

Tue., May 16, 2017

If you don’t like dump trucks, stay out of Idaho’s Silver Valley this summer. More than $20 million work of environmental cleanup work in the historic mining district this year will create about 400 jobs and untold numbers of truckloads full of dirt.

News >  Business

Spokane’s Steam Plant slated for $1.5 million in renovations this summer

UPDATED: Mon., May 15, 2017

The historic Steam Plant in downtown Spokane will undergo a $1.5 million renovation that will close Stack restaurant and the Steam Plant Brew Pub for part of the summer.

News >  Spokane

New branding effort seeks to define Spokane as creative, natural and enterprising

UPDATED: Fri., May 12, 2017

Visit Spokane, the area’s tourism agency, will roll out a new branding campaign this year to boost buzz for the region and showcase the Spokane area’s identity and unique qualities.

News >  Spokane

Media exposure from Zags’ tournament run valued at $406 million

UPDATED: Thu., May 11, 2017

As the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA championship, Gonzaga University got a staggering amount of broadcast and online exposure. The value of the coverage exceeded $400 million, university officials say.

News >  Spokane

Hanford warned in 2015 study that contaminated rail car tunnels at risk of collapse

UPDATED: Tue., May 9, 2017

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy was warned that two tunnels containing radioactive waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation were vulnerable to collapse.

News >  Business

MultiCare names chief executive for Eastern Washington as $425 million purchase of Rockwood Health advances

UPDATED: Wed., May 10, 2017

Dr. David O’Brien, a veteran health care executive from California, will oversee MultiCare Health System’s operations in Eastern Washington.

News >  Spokane

Students in WSU medical school’s inaugural class all hail from Washington

UPDATED: Mon., May 8, 2017

The students accepted into Washington State University’s new Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine are all from Washington. Students in the inaugural class start their studies this fall.

News >  Business

Hecla reports higher 1Q earnings despite ongoing strike at the Lucky Friday Mine

UPDATED: Mon., May 8, 2017

Higher silver prices helped Hecla Mining Co. turn a first quarter profit despite an ongoing strike at the Lucky Friday Mine.

News >  Spokane

Longtime Bloomsday participant doesn’t let knee problems keep her from crossing finish line

Sun., May 7, 2017

Recent knee surgery isn’t holding Jackie Gleason back. Competing in Bloomsday is a priority for the second-grade teacher.

News >  Spokane

Spokane mom has knee replacement at 40, joining part of fastest-growing demographic for surgery

Sun., May 7, 2017

After years of chronic pain, Spokane resident Carrie Day had two knee replacements this year. She’s 40, part of the fastest growing U.S. demographic for total knee replacements.

News >  Business

Spokane County median home price rises to $201,900, number of sales drops

Fri., May 5, 2017

The number of homes sold in Spokane County dropped 10 percent in March compared to a year ago, but prices continued to rise.