Becky Kramer

All Stories

News >  Spokane

A legacy in land and water: Longtime activists John and Rachael Osborn moving to Vashon Island

UPDATED: Mon., May 8, 2017

After decades at the forefront of contentious environmental battles, John and Rachael Osborn are ready for some downtime. The longtime activists are leaving Spokane for Vashon Island and semi-retirement.

News >  Business

Avista reports higher first quarter earnings on robust snowpack

UPDATED: Wed., May 3, 2017

The winter’s heavy snowpack gave a boost to Avista Corp.’s first quarter earnings, filling reservoirs with water for hydroelectric generation.

News >  Idaho

Old Elks building in Coeur d’Alene will reopen as office space and a private club

Sun., April 30, 2017

The long vacant Elks building in Coeur d’Alene is being renovated for office space, a coffee shop and private club.

News >  Spokane

Correct pricing early on is essential to attracting showings, offers on home

Sat., April 29, 2017

When you’re selling a home, pricing it right is essential. It’s better to have buyers bidding on a competitively priced house than to attract no offers at all.

News >  Business

Ready to sell, but are you ready to move?

Sat., April 29, 2017

Competitive market conditions pose a dilemma for Spokane home sellers. Should you put your house up for sale if you haven’t found a replacement home? Willingness to move into a short-term rental may be the deciding factor, Realtors say.

News >  Spokane

Spokane’s hot real estate market: Five things to know

Sat., April 29, 2017

Pent-up demand for homes in the Spokane-area and fewer homes for sale is creating one of the most competitive home-buying markets in years.

News >  Spokane

Spokane’s historic Wonder Bread bakery will get $12 million renovation for offices, artisan market

UPDATED: Fri., April 28, 2017

A historic brick bakery north of the Spokane River will be transformed into office space, with an artisan food market on the first floor and a glassed-in roof plaza. The $12 million project should be completed by summer 2018.

News >  Idaho

Coeur d’Alene City Council will vote on purchase of old mill site on Spokane River

UPDATED: Fri., April 28, 2017

The city of Coeur d’Alene wants to buy a 47-acre former sawmill site on the Spokane River for a public park and future business development.

News >  Spokane

Competitive Spokane housing market follows trends of shrinking inventory, upsurge in home prices

Tue., April 18, 2017

Buyers looking for homes in the Spokane area face an increasingly competitive market. Inventories of homes for sale are low, and prospective buyers have to make quick decisions.

News >  Business

Spokane Valley cleaning company recognized by state’s Hire-A-Vet program

UPDATED: Thu., April 13, 2017

Valor Cleaning Services of Spokane Valley has been recognized for hiring veterans. The owner, former Marine Edward Burns Jr., says military-instilled attention to detail makes vets good workers.

News >  Spokane

Pattie Kappen used surgery to lose weight and found herself in the process

UPDATED: Thu., April 6, 2017

Spokane resident Pattie Kappen embarked on a series of positive life changes a few years ago. She’s lost about 250 pounds, quit smoking and gone to counseling to deal with childhood abuse.

News >  Business

Purchase of Rockwood Clinic and Deaconess and Valley hospitals should be final by early summer

Tue., April 4, 2017

Tacoma-based MultiCare expects to wrap up the purchase of Rockwood Health System by mid-June. MultiCare’s application to the state alludes to a growing role for telemedicine in the Spokane market.

News >  Business

Spokane entrepreneurs Ron and Debbie Reed sell PacifiCAD after 28 years in business

UPDATED: Mon., April 3, 2017

Ron and Debbie Reed have sold their company, PacifiCAD, to IMAGINiT Technologies, a division of Rand Worldwide.

News >  Spokane

Historic Lincoln Center in Spokane gets new life as a church

UPDATED: Fri., March 31, 2017

True Hope Church has purchased the Lincoln Center, an events venue north of the Spokane River, for $2.57 million.

News >  Business

Gonzaga fans help drive soaring Airbnb rentals in Phoenix

Thu., March 30, 2017

Airbnb’s booking data from Phoenix indicates that the Final Four weekend will be one of the company’s biggest in the city this year. Typical Airbnb prices are $94 per night in Phoenix this weekend and $110 per night in Glendale, home to the University of Phoenix stadium.

News >  Spokane

Zags put Spokane in the national spotlight as ESPN crew will film fans and the city

Thu., March 30, 2017

As the Zags prepare for the Final Four tip off Saturday, Spokane is gearing up for its own prime time moment. An ESPN crew will spend up to four days in the city, filming fans and local attractions.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County’s unemployment at 6.8 percent in February

UPDATED: Wed., March 29, 2017

Spokane County’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in February, a good number for a month that typically has a high jobless rate.

News >  Spokane

Enrollment, endowment soar with Gonzaga hoops success

UPDATED: Wed., March 29, 2017

As Gonzaga University prepares to make it first Final Four appearance, the university also is celebrating 20 years of off-the-court successes. Enrollments, endowments and budget increased since 1999, when Zags advanced to the Elite Eight in an improbable run.

News >  Spokane

Canadian hunting rights confirmed for Colville Tribes’ member

UPDATED: Mon., March 27, 2017

A British Columbia court has recognized the right of a member of the Colville Tribes to hunt on ancestral land in Canada. The trial was a test case for members of the Colville’s Lakes Band, whose aboriginal lands stretched north to B.C.’s Arrow Lakes region.

News >  Spokane

Child care costs rivaling the price of a college degree put Spokane parents in a pinch

UPDATED: Sat., March 25, 2017

By the time their children finish preschool, some Spokane County parents have paid for the equivalent of a college education at a state university. Child care costs are rising again, as the state’s $11 per hour minimum wage pushes up labor costs at daycare centers.

News >  Business

Miners, Hecla remain at impasse over working conditions at Lucky Friday Mine

UPDATED: Thu., March 23, 2017

Union and management at the Lucky Friday Mine remain far apart on a variety of issues, most of which are unrelated to pay. The underground silver mine in Mullan, Idaho, has been idle since the strike began.

News >  Business

Zags also rank high in internet speeds, test reveals

UPDATED: Tue., March 21, 2017

Not only are the Zags the No. 1 seeded team in the West region, Gonzaga University has one of the fastest campus network speeds in the Sweet 16. That’s according to Speedtest, which ranked network speeds for universities participating in the NCAA Basketball Championships.

News >  Business

Next phase of Kendall Yards features apartments, parking and office space on bluff overlooking Spokane River

UPDATED: Mon., March 20, 2017

A mixed-use development with apartments, shops, office space and parking is next big project planned for Kendall Yards.

News >  Spokane

Track inspectors on front lines of safe shipment of crude oil, state says

Sat., March 18, 2017

Since trains began hauling flammable crude oil from the Northern Plains to Western Washington ports and refineries, state and local attention to rail infrastructure has increased. Track inspectors are on the front lines of safety. Most of them are employed by the railroads.

News >  Spokane

This time of year, the ‘soul’ of the Spokane river returns – its ‘fast water’ offering a look into the past

Sat., March 18, 2017

When Barry Moses stares at the roiling spring waters of the Spokane River, especially near the dams, he sees what he calls “a shadow of the history of how things used to be.” In Spokane Salish, the language traditionally spoken by the Spokane Tribe, the river was known as the “place of fast water.” Over the years, dams up and down the river have slowed that fast-moving water. But during the spring run-off, the pace quickens.