Becky Kramer

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News >  Business

Bunker Hill Mining behind on payments to owners of historic Silver Valley property

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 4, 2018

Bunker Hill Mining Co. is behind on $400,000 in lease-purchase payments to the owner of the underground lead-zinc-silver property. The company has until Oct. 14 to make the outstanding payment.

News >  Spokane

20 years after crippling labor dispute, Kaiser and Steelworkers working together

Sun., Sept. 30, 2018

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the United Steelworkers’ strike against Kaiser Aluminum. About 2,100 hourly employees at the company’s Trentwood and Mead plants walked out in what became a bruising, two-year labor dispute.

News >  Spokane

Charles Hurwitz, vilified during Kaiser strike, was excluded from company during bankruptcy

Sun., Sept. 30, 2018

Charles Hurwitz was a pivotal figure in the labor dispute between Kaiser Aluminum and the United Steelworkers.

News >  Business

Greater Spokane Incorporated unveils new brand

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 27, 2018

Greater Spokane Incorporated unveiled a new brand Thursday, which its chief executive officer says better reflects its dual role of recruiting new businesses while helping existing local companies grow.

News >  Spokane

Avista sale includes protections against Canadian government influence and rate hikes, consultant says

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 26, 2018

Avista Corp.’s proposed sale to Hydro One Ltd. has safeguards to protect local customers from Canadian government interference and rate hikes if Toronto-based utility runs into future financial troubles, says a consultant hired by the two companies to scrutinize the proposed agreement.

News >  Spokane

Avista executives to receive $18 million payout on day of sale

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 26, 2018

Thirteen of Avista’s top executives will receive about $18 million in immediate payouts if the Spokane-based utility is sold to Hydro One Ltd., of Toronto.

News >  Spokane

Newport smelter hearing draws skeptical crowd

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 18, 2018

About 100 people turned out for Tuesday’s public hearing on a silicon smelter proposed for the Newport area, with many raising concerns about the project.

News >  Local Government

Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase trying to block Avista’s sale

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 14, 2018

Rob Chase doesn’t want Avista Corp. to sell to a Canadian utility, and the Spokane County commissioner candidate says he’s deploying a little-known part of federal laws to try to block it. Washington regulators, however, said the laws Chase cites don’t apply to the sale.

News >  Transportation

I-90 construction through Coeur d’Alene nears final push

Thu., Sept. 13, 2018

Road construction has snarled traffic on Interstate 90 through Coeur d’Alene for the past five months. The work is scheduled to wrap up by late October, but there’s one more major traffic revision in store for motorists before then.

News >  Spokane

Public meetings begin next week on proposed Newport silicon smelter

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 11, 2018

A controversial silicon smelter proposed near Newport is the topic of four upcoming public meetings.

News >  Business

Escalation in Spokane County home prices shows signs of slowing

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 11, 2018

The average price for homes with sales closing in August was $260,800 – nearly unchanged from $259,300 in July, and down from a peak of $268,830 in June, according to the Spokane Association of Realtors.

News >  Spokane

David Hamer, whose sense of style led him to a career in menswear, dies at 85

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 6, 2018

David Hamer’s ability to put an outfit together became the genesis for a 44-year career in men’s wear. The owner of the former Hamer’s Men’s Stores died Monday at age 85.

News >  Spokane

Auntie’s Bookstore at 40: Owner hopes many new chapters await

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 7, 2018

Auntie’s Bookstore will celebrate its 40th anniversary Saturday, marking a longevity that’s rare among small retailers, and particularly notable for an independent book seller.

News >  Spokane

Amazon’s market value briefly tops $1 trillion Tuesday

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 4, 2018

Amazon Inc.’s market value briefly topped $1 trillion on Tuesday morning before retreating, becoming the second U.S. company after Apple to cross the line.

News >  Business

Vaagen Brothers wins state contract for restoration work on the Colville National Forest

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 31, 2018

Vaagen Brothers Lumber Inc. was the successful bidder on a timber sale aimed at making 604 acres of the Colville National Forest more resilient to wildfires.

News >  Idaho

Effort to preserve the Clark Fork River Delta gets cash infusion from BPA settlement

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 31, 2018

The Clark Fork Delta restoration work is getting a cash infusion. The Bonneville Power Administration will pay the state of Idaho $24 million over the next decade for wildlife habitat that was lost when Albeni Falls Dam was built in the 1950s.

News >  Business

Spokane Tribe recruiting developer for a hotel in Chewelah near its casino

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 31, 2018

The Spokane Tribe is recruiting a developer to build a hotel near the Chewelah Casino. Market studies indicate the area could sustain a 70- to 100-room project, tribal officials said.

News >  Business

From the field through Amazon: Local farm uses online sales to attract buyers for Palouse crops

Tue., Aug. 28, 2018

Sara Mader used her software background to start selling products from a fifth-generation family farm on Amazon Grocery and Gourmet. During a Tuesday workshop, Mader talked about how online sales have transformed the family-owned business.

News >  Spokane

Spokane Tribe launches ‘Children of the Sun’ solar initiative, with long-range plans for energy independence

Tue., Aug. 28, 2018

Starting in mid-September, work will begin on the $2 million “Children of the Sun Solar Initiative” on the Spokane Reservation. Solar panels will generate energy for 14 tribal buildings, including some housing units.

News >  Spokane

Don’t say ‘good night’ to Davenport mattress

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 28, 2018

Sound Sleep of Sumner, Washington, has taken over production of the Davenport Hotel Pillow Top line after Northwest Bedding closed down in July.

News >  Business

Studio Cascade joins larger company, which anticipates expanding Spokane workforce

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 28, 2018

Studio Cascade, a Spokane-based community planning and design firm, has been acquired by SCJ Alliance Consulting Services. Bill Grimes will remain with the company as a principal.

News >  Spokane

Trump administration will review pollution rules affecting Spokane River

Sun., Aug. 26, 2018

Rules affecting the amount of cancer-causing chemicals flowing into the Spokane River will be reviewed by the Trump administration. Business and industry groups petitioned for the review last year, urging officials to overturn federal pollution limits that are stricter than state thresholds.

News >  Spokane

‘Straight, mean vandalism’: Grant Park’s community garden sustains about $2,500 in damage

Fri., Aug. 24, 2018

About $2,500 worth of damage occurred at Grant Park’s community garden between 8 p.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday. “It was straight, mean vandalism,” said the garden’s volunteer manager.

News >  Business

Spokane County’s unemployment rate drops to 4.9 percent in July

Wed., Aug. 22, 2018

Spokane County’s unemployment rate dipped below 5 percent in July– a sign of continued strength in the local job market.

News >  Business

Avista proposes lower electric and natural gas rates in Washington starting Nov. 1

Tue., Aug. 21, 2018

Avista’s Washington customers could see about $10 in savings each month on their combined electric and natural gas bills under a proposed rate reduction.