Becky Kramer

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News >  Spokane

Spokane County’s population passes 500,000 mark following strong job growth

Thu., July 5, 2018

Spokane County’s population has passed the half-million mark, with an estimated 507,950 people living here, according to new state figures.

News >  Business

Avista’s Idaho customers could get slight break on winter heating bills

Mon., July 2, 2018

Avista’s Idaho customers could see about $6 in monthly savings on their heating bills this winter. The utility is proposing rate decreases, effective this fall.

News >  Business

Stay Alfred adds units in the M Apartments to its vacation rental portfolio

UPDATED: Wed., June 27, 2018

Now, Stay Alfred has added Spokane to its rental portfolio. The company will rent out 15 units at the M Apartments.

News >  Business

Avista golden share gives holder veto power over voluntary bankruptcy

UPDATED: Thu., June 28, 2018

A “golden share” sounds like something that belongs in a fairy tale, but it’s actually a financial term related to utility sales and mergers.

News >  Business

Opponents worry about Canadian influence on Avista as regulators consider sale

UPDATED: Thu., June 28, 2018

Deliberations over the sale of Avista are heading into the final stretches, prompting utility customers who are opposed to speak up. Concerns about foreign ownership and future rates figure prominently in their remarks.

News >  Spokane

Average wage in Spokane County rose nearly 4 percent in 2017

UPDATED: Tue., June 26, 2018

The average annual wage in Spokane County rose to $46,562 last year, influenced by local medical schools and an influx of highly paid workers.

News >  Spokane

Mystic Falls: Hidden waterfall in Indian Canyon Park is near Chief Spokane Garry’s final camp

Sun., June 24, 2018

Mystic Falls is a hidden waterfall in Indian Canyon Park, near Chief Spokane Garry’s last camp. Getting to the waterfall requires a steep descent into a ravine, but it’s an enchanted spot.

News >  Business

Whiskey tariffs hurting Dry Fly Distilling’s international sales

Fri., June 22, 2018

Dry Fly Distilling is losing international whiskey sales as a trade war develops between the U.S. and its allies.

News >  Spokane

Company prepares to move on Newport smelter’s environmental study

UPDATED: Thu., June 21, 2018

A Canadian company that wants to build a controversial silicon smelter near Newport says it’s ready to start the environmental review process. Meanwhile, citizens groups have challenge the sale of public land for the smelter site, and the Kalispel Tribe is questioning $300,000 in state money awarded to the company.

News >  Business

Construction job gains help fuel drop in Spokane County unemployment

UPDATED: Tue., June 19, 2018

Demand for construction workers was partly responsible for a drop in Spokane County’s unemployment rate, which was 5 percent in May. The industry has added about 1,200 local jobs over the past 12 months.

News >  Business

Avista’s Idaho customers will see drop in rates from federal, state tax cuts

UPDATED: Fri., June 15, 2018

Federal and state tax cuts will give Avista’s Idaho customers a break on their electric and natural gas bills.

News >  Business

Skeptical crowd wants ‘Idaho first,’ questions Avista sale to Canadian utility

Fri., June 15, 2018

North Idaho residents expressed deep suspicions Thursday night about the proposed sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility partly owned by the government of Ontario.

News >  Business

Seattle company installs bitcoin ATM at the Spokane Valley Mall

Wed., June 13, 2018

Local residents can use cash and their driver’s license to buy cryptocurrency at a new bitcoin ATM in the Spokane Valley Mall.

News >  Business

Idaho hearings scheduled this week on Avista’s proposed sale to Canadian utility

UPDATED: Mon., June 11, 2018

Avista’s Idaho customers will get a chance to weigh in this week on the utility’s proposed sale to Hydro One Ltd., of Toronto.

News >  Spokane

Regional ‘job hub’ could supply workforce for massive warehouse planned west of Spokane

Sat., June 9, 2018

The Spokane area’s labor market could meet the demand for employees at a massive warehouse planned near the airport. The area is a “job hub,” attracting workers from parts of 11 counties in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

News >  Business

Median sales price for Spokane-area homes hits $240,000 in May

Thu., June 7, 2018

Spokane-area home prices continued their ascent in May, with the median sales price hitting $240,000.

News >  Spokane

Critical Power Products and Services relocates to Post Falls

Wed., June 6, 2018

Critical Power Products and Services has relocated to Post Falls. The 24-employee company sells new and refurbished equipment for power generation and backup infrastructure.

News >  Spokane

With $70 million in giving, the Inland Northwest Community Foundation changing name to ‘Innovia’

Tue., June 5, 2018

The Inland Northwest Community Foundation has a new name: Innovia. The rebranding is part of an effort to better tell the story of the foundation, which has given away $70 million to charitable causes in the region.

News >  Business

New director chosen for West Plains-Airport development authority

UPDATED: Wed., May 30, 2018

Todd Coleman, the Port of Vancouver’s former director, has been hired to lead the West Plains-Airport Area Public Development Authority.

News >  Washington

Amazon shareholder, former Spokane environmentalist urges Bezos to take an interest in Columbia River Treaty talks

UPDATED: Wed., May 30, 2018

The Columbia River Treaty got a mention at Amazon’s annual meeting. Former Spokane environmentalist John Osborn urged Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to take an interest in treaty negotiations at Wednesday’s meeting.

News >  Business

Utility, contractor reach settlement on Box Canyon Dam’s cost overruns

UPDATED: Tue., May 29, 2018

A three-year dispute over the cost of the Box Canyon Dam’s fish-friendly turbine upgrades has been resolved through arbitration.

News >  Business

Vandervert’s financial troubles spill into Spokane construction projects, sites around the region

Tue., May 29, 2018

Vandervert Construction’s business failure has created chaos at construction projects throughout the Northwest. Hundreds of pages of documents filed in Spokane Superior Court describe the disruption following the general contractor’s receivership.

News >  Washington

Tribes and First Nations say they’re being excluded from Columbia River Treaty negotiations

UPDATED: Thu., May 24, 2018

Indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada say they’re being excluded from negotiations for a new Columbia River Treaty, which kick off next week.

News >  Business

Spokane County’s unemployment rate falls to 5.4 percent in April

Tue., May 22, 2018

Spokane County’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent in April, according to the Washington Employment Security Department.

News >  Business

Washington regulators seek answers on foreign ownership, influence of Ontario politics on Avista’s future

UPDATED: Wed., May 23, 2018

Questions about foreign ownership and political influence were aired Tuesday during a regulatory hearing in Olympia on Avista’s proposed sale to the Canadian utility.