Nicholas Deshais

All Stories

News >  Spokane

Leaders, onlookers cheer ‘change in the skyline’ as Gateway Bridge officially opens

UPDATED: Tue., May 7, 2019

Upward of 500 people turned out for Tuesday’s official opening of the University District Gateway Bridge – six months after Spokane’s $15.4 million pedestrian bridge opened.

News >  Spokane

Getting There: Valley’s wish list coincides with federal infrastructure deal

Mon., May 6, 2019

The city of Spokane Valley decided on the top four transportation projects it wants federal funding for on the same day President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats agreed to pursue a $2 trillion infrastructure package.

News >  Spokane

Hey, it’s not so ruff: City’s first urban dog park part of bigger milestone

Mon., May 6, 2019

This week, a new public plaza and the city’s first urban dog park opened, joining a rising residential tower and the brisk renovation turning an old auto garage into a future brewery.

News >  Spokane

When Spokane made cash: The rise and fall, and rise again, of banks in the Pacific Northwest

Sun., May 5, 2019

Money used to be printed in Spokane, Hillyard and cities across the United States.

News >  Spokane

Racist provisions on home deeds can’t be removed by county officials, court commissioner rules

UPDATED: Fri., May 3, 2019

Spokane County does not have the authority to remove racist provisions from home deeds and titles, even if they’re illegal and void, a Superior Court acting judge ruled Friday.

News >  Spokane

Here’s one way to beat the elite Bloomsday athletes

UPDATED: Fri., May 3, 2019

I knew my mission to beat the Bloomsday sprinters was a long shot, even on a bicycle with 27 gears.

News >  Business

Abandoned sale bolsters Avista first-quarter earnings

UPDATED: Thu., May 2, 2019

The abandoned sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility buoyed the local energy company’s first-quarter earnings, which reached $115.8 million, according to the corporate report filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

News >  Spokane

Trump, Dems agree infrastructure crumbling, but lack of details leave local officials uncertain

UPDATED: Wed., May 1, 2019

Road building has a long history of bridging the political chasm in Washington, D.C. How to pay for such infrastructure, however, can drive the wedge in.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Ron Wells, prominent Spokane developer, pleads guilty to multiple felonies in federal insurance fraud case

UPDATED: Tue., April 30, 2019

Ron Wells, a Spokane developer and architect known for historic restoration, has pleaded guilty to nine felonies related to staging a car crash in 2016 in an attempt to defraud insurance companies.

News >  Spokane

Getting There: Lime to hit the streets again. No sidewalks, please

UPDATED: Mon., April 29, 2019

For those who still have dollars on their Lime apps, the two-week countdown begins. Lime, the purveyor of those popular, if occasionally bothersome, electric green scooters, will return to Spokane on May 13.

News >  Business

The Dirt: New brewery’s home in Audubon neighborhood has long business history

Sun., April 28, 2019

A new brewery is coming to Spokane’s Audubon neighborhood, renovating a building that was long home to a string of grocery stores before becoming a popular “hattery” that specialized in making custom cowboy hats.

News >  Business

The Condominium conundrum: Washington state law effectively eliminates construction of the affordable-housing option in Spokane and elswhere

Sun., April 28, 2019

A Washington state law has had the unintended consequence of squelching condo development across the state, including in Spokane for developers, who see them as an affordable-housing option in a very tight housing market.

News >  Business

GSI headquarters undergoing $400,000 renovation

Sat., April 27, 2019

The first two floors of the Spokane Regional Business Center is undergoing major renovation, according to city permit data.

News >  Spokane

Selling yourself on selling your own home may be easy, but the reality isn’t

UPDATED: Fri., April 26, 2019

Demand is up, supply is down, Spokane is a seller’s market and the time’s right for homeowners who want to sell. That may inspire some to hitch up their shirtsleeves and pound that “For Sale By Owner” sign into their lawns.

News >  Business

New brewery’s home in Audubon neighborhood has long business history

UPDATED: Fri., April 26, 2019

A new brewery is coming to Spokane’s Audubon neighborhood, renovating a building that was long home to a string of grocery stores before becoming a popular “hattery” that specialized in making custom cowboy hats.

News >  Spokane

The Falls development on north river bank to have three towers, plans state

UPDATED: Tue., April 23, 2019

The Falls project on the north bank of the Spokane River will have three towers, according to plans filed with the city’s Design Review Board.

News >  Spokane

Getting There: Do more cars mean better business?

Mon., April 22, 2019

Retailers on Sprague say a drop in traffic has reduced sales. But a county commissioner says the connection isn’t entirely there.

News >  Business

Avista says it will produce completely clean electricity by 2045

Fri., April 19, 2019

Avista Corp. has announced plans to produce 100% clean electricity by 2045.

News >  Spokane

Buses still won’t have to pull over at bus stops in East Sprague business district, STA board decides

Fri., April 19, 2019

Buses will continue to stop in the lane of traffic on East Sprague Avenue, a victory for the transit agency and its plans to build out a “high performance transit” network on its busiest and most popular routes with transit stops that act and look like those on East Sprague.

News >  Spokane

Kendall Yards bus pass program reaches 200 users; riders log 64,000 miles

Thu., April 18, 2019

Nearly 64,000 miles have been ridden on Spokane Transit Authority buses by participants in a program that provides free bus passes to anyone who lives or works in the Kendall Yards development.

News >  Spokane

Sen. Billig agrees to remove block on Spokane street funding after city pledges to build bicycle trail

UPDATED: Wed., April 17, 2019

Andy Billig, a Spokane Democrat and majority leader in the state Senate, has agreed to remove language from this year’s transportation spending bill that

News >  Spokane

Getting There: Airway Heights officials hope roundabout on eastern edge will help recreate a downtown

UPDATED: Mon., April 15, 2019

Roundabout, median projects on U.S. 2 aim to restore Airway Heights’ small-town feel and its pre-highway days.

News >  Business

The Dirt: Third Avenue McDonald’s set for renovation

Sun., April 14, 2019

The McDonald’s on Third Avenue in downtown Spokane is planning a major renovation, according to permits issued by the city.

News >  Business

Hospital pharmacies to receive upgrades to bring them in line drug-handling standards

Sat., April 13, 2019

Two local hospital pharmacies are getting upgraded to comply with standards regarding the sterility and handling of drugs, according to permits issued by the city.

News >  Business

Third Avenue McDonald’s – the third location in Spokane – set for renovation

UPDATED: Sun., April 14, 2019

The McDonald’s on Third Avenue in downtown Spokane is planning a major renovation, according to permits issued by the city.