John Stucke

Deep financial losses are forcing the closure of a nursing home in Davenport and an assisted living facility in Wilbur, Wash. The moves will force 42 elderly residents to find new living arrangements and mark a difficult setback for the two communities west of Spokane along U.S. Highway 2.

Northern Lights Brewing Co. is undergoing a makeover designed to boost production tenfold and give Spokane a dominant local craft beer. Founder and owner Mark Irvin has brought on craft beer veteran John Bryant as a business partner, and the two have changed the name of the brewery to No-Li Brewhouse with aspirations to brew at least 10,000 barrels every year and sell across the region and out of state, including to pubs and restaurants along the West Coast, in Denver and even in New York City.

Wheat may be royalty across Eastern Washington, but it can’t buy its way into Spokane’s Lilac Parade. Farmers are angry that their local trade group has been denied entry into Spokane’s big parade celebrating the military, children and communities across the region.

Heidi Stanley, the ousted chief executive of Sterling Savings Bank, claims in a $7.8 million lawsuit against her former employer that she was fired because of her gender and health condition as she recovered from breast cancer. The Spokane-based bank rejected Stanley’s allegations as an attempt to collect undeserved “golden parachute” payments.

Fewer people are participating in Spokane’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this year after the breast-cancer charity’s national office let abortion politics influence its funding policies. Race registrations will be off by perhaps 1,000 – or about 12 percent from last year under best case scenarios, said Lisa Fairbanks-Rossi, the public relations chairwoman for local race committee.

It’s not often that small towns throw open their arms to big-city banking. Yet that is just what’s happening in the wheat farming community of LaCrosse, Wash., where Sterling Bank is opening a branch.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers launched her re-election bid this week with familiar criticism of big-government programs – including one that is widely credited with saving hundreds of good-paying jobs in Spokane’s banking sector. Seeking her fifth term, the Republican congresswoman specifically highlighted her opposition to the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bipartisan, controversial $700 billion intervention that bailed out Wall Street and automakers. It was signed into law by former President George W. Bush amid the financial calamity of late 2008.

Spokane paramedics are concerned that nationwide medication shortages will keep them from providing the best emergency care, the Spokane Fire Department announced Wednesday. Brian Schaeffer, assistant fire chief, said Wednesday that the causes of the shortages are many and affect different drugs at different times, but listed two drugs that provide critical relief and that have been more difficult to get recently.

Avista Corp. is seeking to charge its Washington customers more next year to offset the higher cost of delivering power and natural gas in Eastern Washington. It’s a trend that has upset many ratepayers in recent years, but the Spokane utility said it will continue to seek higher rates in the future.

Sleep researchers have netted a $1.3 million federal grant to study brain metabolism during rest. It’s a four-year project that will be undertaken at Washington State University’s Sleep and Performance Research Center in Spokane.

Bates Drug Stores Inc. has agreed to pay $602,271 to settle allegations that it double-billed Medicare and Medicaid. The U.S. Department of Justice along with Washington state officials announced the deal Tuesday. It included accusations that Bates, an employee-owned pharmacy that has been doing business in Spokane for about 70 years, submitted false claims between May 2006 and January 2011.

Spokane’s unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in January, according to reports released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Federal banking regulators have lifted restrictions against Sterling Financial Corp., the Spokane-based holding company of Sterling Bank. The restrictions were imposed in October 2009 when the company’s financial health was shaken and its leaders were ousted.

Washington State University is recruiting two genetics researchers to its Spokane campus to launch a $15 million research enterprise that will add 135 pharmaceutical scientists. It’s a bold research and job-creation effort announced Monday that relies in part on leveraging a $1.2 million investment of local tax dollars with federal, state and private funds.