Tod Stephens

Current Position: correspondent

Tod Stephens is a business correspondent for The Spokesman-Review. He joined the newspaper in July 2023 as a business writer. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming with degrees in English Studies and Economics. He previously covered business, education and military beats at the Rapid City Journal in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Email: todrstephens@gmail.com

All Stories

News > Crime/Public Safety

Eastern Washington man indicted for suspected poaching of 3,600 birds, including bald eagles

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 14, 2023

Two men, including a 48-year-old from Pend Oreille County, have been indicted by the federal government on suspicion of poaching 3,600 birds in Montana that included bald and golden eagles. Federal prosecutors allege the men killed the birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation of Western Montana and sold the eagle feathers and body parts on the black market for “significant sums of cash” during a span of six years.

News > Business

Spokane Valley’s Lance Beck named an emerging leader

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 14, 2023

Lance Beck, President and CEO of the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce has been recognized by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, a national non-profit.

News > Business

Visit Spokane makes new hire

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 14, 2023

Visit Spokane announced Stasha Irby as its new regional director of sales.

News > Business

The Dirt: Adventure Park nearing completion

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 14, 2023

Work is nearing completion for the Flight 509 Adventure park in Spokane Valley.

News > Business

Sila Nanotechnologies signs agreement with Panasonic

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 12, 2023

Sila Nanotechnologies officials announced this week they signed a landmark deal with Panasonic Energy, a world-leading electric-vehicle battery producer.

News > Business

The Dirt: City gives updates to downriver disc golf course

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 7, 2023

Stormwater from about 5,000 acres of North Spokane collects at the Cochran Basin, an approximately 20-acre area adjacent to the Spokane River, west of the Downriver Golf Course.

News > Business

Red Lion Pub, Suki Yaki among restaurants closing in downtown Spokane

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 11, 2023

If your New Year's resolution is to support local restaurants, the options just got fewer.

News > Washington

Downtown Pullman project flops with zero bidders willing to take it on; the city is determined to revitalize anyway

Sun., Dec. 3, 2023

On Wednesday, the time had come for City of Pullman officials to open bids from contractors for a project to revamp its downtown into a beautiful, economic driver.

News > Sci/Tech

Moses Lake could be central to Washington’s electrification push with Sila Nanotechnologies’ revamped battery manufacturing facility

UPDATED: Wed., Nov. 29, 2023

Work has started to put Eastern Washington at the forefront of building better batteries for the growing wave of electric cars.

News > Business

Barbie, Hot Wheels, Care Bears and other nostalgic favorites stay plentiful on toy shelves this year

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 23, 2023

One of Spokane’s most impressive collections of toys is in a hardware store. Specifically, on the second floor of the General Store & Ace Hardware at 2424 N. Division St. is a 4,000-square-foot area packed with toys.

News > Local business

‘I just do it myself’: Suki Yaki Inn owner and sole cook closing downtown Spokane restaurant after 74 years

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 21, 2023

The phone is ringing off the hook at Suki Yaki Inn as its many customers hope to visit the Spokane staple one last time before it shuts its doors for good next month.

News > Pacific NW

Avista recognizes those who endured largest gas outage in company’s history

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 16, 2023

It took an army of workers to restore service to customers impacted by last week’s natural gas outage that affected 36,750 customers, officials said.

News > Local business

They gave a Spokane Valley builder thousands for the dream of ‘bus life.’ Now they can’t find him

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 16, 2023

Malena Morris and Jason Davison paid Caleb Williams, a Spokane Valley contractor, $80,000 to build the lifestyle of their dreams by converting the inside of a 30-foot-long school bus.

News > Business

The Dirt: 88-unit apartment complex planned for Corbin Park area

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 16, 2023

Building plans have been submitted to the City of Spokane for a project that will include four residential buildings and a clubhouse adjacent to the Faith Bible Church at 516 W. Cora Ave.

News > Local business

Lining up for Legos: New store opens in downtown Spokane with long lines

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 10, 2023

The new Lego store in downtown Spokane opened Friday, and shoppers were ready.

A&E > Entertainment

New Spokane Tribe Casino music venue bringing in a ton of new amenities

Thu., Nov. 9, 2023

The Spokane area is teeming with impressive, midsized concert halls – and it just got another.

News > Business

The Dirt: Progress made for 226-unit project near airport

Sun., Nov. 5, 2023

The first building has been completed and passed inspection by Spokane County for a 226-unit development south of Spokane International Airport.

Spokane Airport to renumber passenger gates

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 3, 2023

Effective Tuesday, all three concourses at the Spokane International Airport will have boarding gates renumbered to simplify the flying process for passengers.

News > Business

Spokane restaurateur Evan Armstrong dies at 88

UPDATED: Wed., Nov. 1, 2023

Evan Armstrong, an entrepreneur who opened Spokane’s first Taco Time in the 1960s and opened other notable restaurants in the Inland Northwest and across the country died Saturday. He was 88.

News > Business

‘It’s fun to be a weirdo’: From sold-out skeletons to shops that specialize in spooky, Halloween in Spokane is serious stuff

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 30, 2023

Early one June morning, Bev Haydon was on her way to have surgery when her phone buzzed.

News > Business

Local economists say national spending trend staved off a recession, but Spokane-area impacts remain to be seen

Sat., Oct. 28, 2023

To curb inflation, the Federal Reserve committed to a campaign of rate hikes on mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and business borrowing that left many economists predicting the United States would enter a recession before inflation could be tamed.

News > Business

The Dirt: A 1,400-unit development comes closer to fruition

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 27, 2023

Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. announced last week it was placing the remaining parcels that had been a buffer to the aluminum smelter near Mead for sale. This was made possible by infrastructure built for the ambitious Mead Works development.