Week in review

MONDAY

Estimates say that at least 2 million people will download free video viewers that allow them to watch basketball games online during the NCAA Basketball Tournament. IT network managers are keeping a lookout for slowdowns or delays caused by online video or audio sessions.

TUESDAY

Events such as concerts, exhibits and festivals poured an estimated $287 million into Spokane County’s economy in 2005, a new study by Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis shows.

WEDNESDAY

A $12 million Premera Blue Cross expansion that will enable the company to hire an additional 250 employees should be complete by June. The 135,000-square-foot building was made possible in part by a $700,000 economic development incentive funded by unclaimed Washington state lottery winnings.

“ A historic silver-copper mine in Eastern Shoshone County is getting another look because of silver prices, which are trading at about $13 per ounce. Timberline Resource Corp., based in Coeur d’Alene, will spend up to $400,000 exploring the Snowstorm Mine.

THURSDAY

An AARP study showed that fraud victims defy stereotypes. The typical victim of financial fraud is a married man earning more than $35,000 per year. A seminar held in Spokane showed that many types of fraud are on the rise across Washington state.

FRIDAY

Three Avista Corp. executives earned more than $1 million in 2006, reflecting the company’s stance that it needs to keep pace with competitors. CEO Gary Ely’s total compensation was $3.3 million in 2006, up about $800,000 from 2005.

“ Spokane’s Metalite Industries Inc. has landed a $545,000 contract to replace the warning booms above Grand Coulee Dam. The aluminum buoy string — which will be more than a mile long — will join others placed by the company at dams including Hoover and Glen Canyon.

“ The former North Cedar Drive-In in Spokane is slated to become a village-style apartment community, possibly to include office and retail space.