Stories by Thomas Clouse for the Spokesman-Review

News > Business

AMI Metals to double its Spokane-area presence

UPDATED: Wed., June 18, 2025

Officials from AMI Metals Inc. recently announced in Paris, in coordination with the Washington state Department of Commerce, that it will be moving to a new location in Spokane Valley that will double the size of its current location in Spokane.

News > Business

Gesa Credit Union opens South Hill branch

UPDATED: Tue., June 17, 2025

Gesa Credit Union has completed the project to convert a former Applebee’s restaurant into a bank branch.

News

Pending auction in Usk foretells end of papermill’s return

Tue., June 17, 2025

After years of empty promises to reopen what had been one of the largest employers in Pend Oreille County, the owners of the defunct Ponderay Newsprint Mill plan to sell its equipment at auction next month.

News > Business

More Spokane-area Rite Aid stores added to closure list

UPDATED: Thu., June 12, 2025

As part of its ongoing bankruptcy, Rite Aid recently added several more stores to its closure list, including two in Spokane.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Suspect, 13, charged with setting JCPenney fire that caused 50K in damage

UPDATED: Wed., June 11, 2025

Detectives have charged a 13-year-old boy in connection to a May 17 fire that caused about $50,000 in damage to the JCPenney at the Spokane Valley Mall.

News > Local business

Home Depot holding opening ceremony Wednesday at South Hill store

UPDATED: Thu., June 12, 2025

Officials at Home Depot will host a grand opening at its newest store on the South Hill on Wednesday.

News > Spokane

Attorney and Spokane Human Rights commissioner named in wrongful death suit after pushing neighbor

UPDATED: Tue., June 10, 2025

Patrick Monahan found water on his upstairs bathroom floor. The window was open. It faced the party.

News > Local business

Washington grocery workers may strike following union vote

UPDATED: Fri., June 6, 2025

The union that represents about 56,000 mostly grocery and health workers across Washington, North Idaho and northeastern Oregon voted Thursday night to authorize a strike for employees of Albertsons- and Kroger-owned grocery stores.

News > Local business

Avista launches safety mode as conditions move toward fire season

UPDATED: Tue., June 3, 2025

Avista Utilities announced on Tuesday that with the onset of summer-like conditions and increasing wildfire danger in the region that it has moved to what it calls "Fire Safety Mode," which will lead to temporary changes to its power line operations.

News > Idaho

Idaho unplugs $685M pursuit of University of Phoenix

UPDATED: Tue., June 3, 2025

The $685 million gambit to merge the University of Idaho and a weakened, mostly-online University of Phoenix has ended some two years after officials in Moscow unveiled a series of secret talks seeking to complete the transaction that never got Gem State elected leaders' total support.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Northport superintendent dies from same ocean incident that killed teen

UPDATED: Mon., June 2, 2025

The Mustangs played the baseball game for Noah. They lost both. And days later, they lost their coach.

News > Transportation

Spokane airport will stage emergency exercise on Wednesday

UPDATED: Mon., June 2, 2025

Officials at Spokane International Airport will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise for five hours on Wednesday, but the event will not cause the airport to shut down.

News > Washington

Trump threatens Washington funding in executive order targeting sanctuary states

UPDATED: Fri., May 30, 2025

President Donald Trump sent a message to Washington state officials on Friday when he signed an executive order designating nearly the entire state as part of what he called "sanctuary jurisdictions," from which he earlier had threatened to cut off federal funding.

News > Business

Washington small business owners face major health insurance hike: ‘Off the charts’

UPDATED: Thu., May 29, 2025

Washington's small business owners, and those who are self employed, could be paying much steeper prices for health insurance in 2026 based on requested hikes from the 14 companies that provide coverage in the state.

News > Business

Spokane Sports scores state grant for cross country venue

UPDATED: Tue., May 27, 2025

Spokane Sports announced Tuesday that it has secured a $282,464 grant from the state to support efforts to complete upgrades to The Course Spokane Valley, which is a cross country running venue scheduled to open later this year.

News > Local business

Recently acquired Spokane Valley laboratory could lay off 310 workers

UPDATED: Fri., May 23, 2025

Some 310 Spokane Valley-based laboratory workers’ jobs will be affected after their parent company was purchased by an industry giant.

News > Local business

‘How are we going to survive that long?’: Spokane-area companies adjust to ‘inefficiencies’ of tariffs

Thu., May 22, 2025

Tom Barany, of Spokane, was at the Toy Fair in New York in March looking at the newest and greatest offerings when on the second day of the event President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico and a 20% tariff on China took effect.

News > Weather

Cooler weather giving way to hot Memorial Day forecast

UPDATED: Tue., May 20, 2025

The Memorial Day weekend in the Spokane area should be, as far as weather is concerned, one to to remember.

News > Business

Frontier begins flights from Spokane International Airport

UPDATED: Tue., May 20, 2025

Frontier Airlines on Tuesday began what it billed as “ultra-low fares” for service from Spokane International with flights to Denver.

News > Business

Spokane Home Builders hosting construction camp

UPDATED: Thu., May 15, 2025

The Spokane Home Builders Association is hosting an event on Saturday at East Valley High School for high school students to explore careers in the construction trades.

News > Business

Eckhardt out as president and CEO of STCU

UPDATED: Tue., May 13, 2025

Liberty Lake-based STCU announced Tuesday that Ezra Eckhardt is no longer serving as president and CEO and the company gave no indication whether his departure was his decision or whether it came from the credit union's board.

News > Spokane

Spokane’s Bishop Daly intrigued by selection of Pope Leo XIV

UPDATED: Fri., May 9, 2025

Bishop Thomas Daly, of the Diocese of Spokane, learned that the cardinals had picked the first American pope while Daly was anchored in a dentist's chair, getting his teeth cleaned.

News

Spokane man fighting deportation arraigned on assault charge on agent

UPDATED: Thu., May 8, 2025

A Spokane man arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents on April 29 appeared in court Thursday after a grand jury found probable cause to charge him with assault on a federal officer stemming from his arrest on North Glass Street.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Spokane man charged with assaulting agent during immigration arrest; allegations don’t match video, wife says

UPDATED: Wed., May 7, 2025

A Spokane man arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents on April 29 has now been charged with assault after an arresting agent accused the man of striking him in the face with an elbow during the take down that was captured on video.

News > Local business

STCU completing transfer after 2024 purchase of Community Bank

UPDATED: Tue., May 6, 2025

Several months after STCU purchased Oregon-based Community Bank, officials this week announced that the two financial institutions will integrate at the end of the week.

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