Thomas Clouse

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Washington’s Odessa flies the Ukrainian flag to support namesake

Fri., April 8, 2022

ODESSA, Wash. – A lone tumbleweed rumbled across the gravel parking lot Wednesday as a young man driving a red sports car pulled up for fuel at the Cenex.

News >  Business

Ski legend ‘Loulou’ Kneubuhler of Spokane dies

UPDATED: Mon., April 4, 2022

The local ski "fixture" known as Loulou, a frenchman who sometimes used his French accent and who brought an actual-magic carpet ride to Spokane, has died. He was 78.

News >  Business

Investor teams with Chinese tech company to convert northeast Washington town into crypto capital

UPDATED: Wed., April 6, 2022

Nearly a year after a bankruptcy trustee told a federal judge that Allrise Capital represented the best chance for about 140 workers to get their jobs back at a paper mill in Usk, the California-based company that owns it hasn’t produced a single roll of newsprint.

News >  Business

MultiCare announces promotion of Alex Jackson to CEO

UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 25, 2022

MultiCare announced Friday that Alex Jackson has been promoted to chief executive and senior vice president for the Inland Northwest region.

News >  Business

Spokane Shock terminated by Indoor Football League

UPDATED: Thu., Feb. 24, 2022

The Spokane Shock once took the Lilac City by storm, lost its name and its franchise before and then came roaring back in 2019 behind a bombastic new owner who promised to restore the franchise to its championship glory.

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War in Ukraine could push Washington wheat prices higher

UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 25, 2022

Russia's decision to invade Ukraine put two countries in a shooting war that compete with Washington wheat growers on a global market.

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Shock owner Sam Adams given another day to secure funding to use Spokane Arena

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 23, 2022

An apparent difference in interpretation over the deadline means that embattled Spokane Shock owner Sam Adams will now have until Thursday to come up with funding needed to secure his home arena.

News >  Washington

Spokane Shock may lose home arena as owner’s financial dealings face scrutiny

Wed., Feb. 23, 2022

The Spokane Shock will lose its home arena at 5 p.m. Wednesday unless team owner Sam Adams secures financial backing for a contract he previously signed with the Spokane Public Facilities District.

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Spokane’s housing crunch gets national spotlight

Tue., Feb. 22, 2022

Spokane native Andrew Watson was living in the Bay Area when he decided to move back home several years ago to be closer to family.

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After year off, RV show camps out at Spokane County Fair

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 19, 2022

The Inland Northwest RV Show & Sale was one of the few events that got off and going in 2020 just before the coronavirus caused most gatherings and businesses to shut down.

News >  Business

Hayden company purchases Fresno-based air carrier

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 13, 2022

Hayden-based Empire Holdings Inc., which is the parent company of Empire Airlines, has purchased West Air, Inc., which is a FedEx Feeder airline based in Fresno, Calif.

News >  Business

Where’s the beef (and chicken)? Pass closures add to supply chain problems, leading to empty grocery shelves in Spokane

Wed., Jan. 12, 2022

Juliann Colbert went to the Wandermere Fred Meyer in North Spokane on Sunday to get some groceries for the week. She ended up snapping cell-phone pictures showing empty shelves where chicken, beef and salads were supposed to be.

News >  Business

Washington awards $350K grant to Spokane Valley business CarbonQuest

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 16, 2021

A Spokane Valley company, which has developed a system to capture and store carbon, has been awarded a $350,000 grant from the Washington Department of Commerce.

State adds 12,800 jobs in November

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 16, 2021

Washington’s unemployment rate has dropped to 4.7% as the state’s economy also added 12,800 jobs.

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Iconic White Elephant store becomes pile of rubble after Panda Express buys building

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 15, 2021

Broken timbers, wires and twisted steel piled just behind what used to be the front door of the iconic White Elephant store on North Division Street marked the demolition of a building that for decades was a go-to spot for Christmas gifts.

News >  Business

Cowles Co. sells Northwest Farmer-Stockman insurance firm

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 30, 2021

Northwest Farmer-Stockman Inc., a Spokane company that started 106 years ago as a magazine for farmers and ranchers before transitioning in 1939 to selling insurance, has been sold to a Texas company as part of a private stock deal.

News >  Business

Stores are trending to close again on Thanksgiving as Black Friday expectations change. A WSU study sheds some light on why.

Wed., Nov. 24, 2021

Online shopping, the perception-or-reality of supply-chain problems and the pandemic have morphed expectations of Black Friday as a retail event, according to interviews and a recent survey by Washington State University.

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Horizon Credit Union to merge with Embark of Great Falls

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 22, 2021

Spokane Valley-based Horizon Credit Union announced this week that it will merge next year with Embark Credit Union that is based in Great Falls.

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Northern Quest signs NIL agreement with Gonzaga’s Drew Timme

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 11, 2021

Northern Quest Resort & Casino is betting on the drawing power of the 'stache, as in 6-foot-10 Gonzaga University forward Drew Timme.

News >  Business

South Hill CVS reopens with reduced hours following staffing issue

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 8, 2021

After staffing issues forced a brief closure, the CVS pharmacy located in the Target on South Regal Street has reopened with reduced hours.

News >  Business

Outfitting overload: North 40 – the go-to for everything – opens ‘huge’ new Airway Heights store

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 31, 2021

Welcome to a store that’s like a Costco for cowpokes.

News >  Business

Avista natural gas customers to see 10% higher rates starting Nov. 1

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 29, 2021

State regulators announced Friday that they have approved a previous request by Avista Corp. to raise natural gas rates by about 10% starting Monday.

News >  Business

New-home sales surge in Spokane ahead of expected mortgage rate increases

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 27, 2021

Sales of new homes spiked nationally and in the Spokane area in September as buyers sought to avoid bidding wars and tried to lock in mortgages before interest rate increases making borrowing more expensive.

News

Feds bust drug ring linked to two Coeur d’Alene deaths

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 26, 2021

Federal investigators have arrested three men linked to the drug supply believed to have resulted in the overdose death of one Coeur d'Alene teenager and were involved in a separate shooting death of another North Idaho man.

News >  Business

Six local companies agree to pay EPA fines over lead paint regulations

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 25, 2021

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 10 office announced Monday it has reached settlements with  41 residential home renovators in Idaho, Oregon and Washington over what it says were violations of federal lead-based paint regulations.