Week in review
Tuesday
Electricity bills for Avista Utilities customers will jump an average of $6.69 a month beginning in June after a federal court wiped out a cash credit that gave some Northwest residents a break on their power bills. Avista is one of six shareholder-owned utilities affected by Bonneville Power Administration’s announcement that it would suspend payments of $300 million a year that acted a credit on some customers’ power bills.
“ Gas prices nationwide hit an all-time high, even adjusted for inflation, according the Lundberg Survey. Spokane’s average price followed suit, hitting $3.315, according to the AAA. The average price in Coeur d’Alene was $3.188.
Wednesday
Spokane’s Cue 11 sound-recording studio has joined forces with Marlin Video Productions Ltd., also of Spokane, to team up on video projects calling for both images and sound. They recently relocated to office space off Division Street to work more closely together.
THURSDAY
Most regional Zip’s restaurants now serve burgers on high-fiber buns made with Shepherd’s Grain, a type of wheat grown by a dozen farmers in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The buns are baked by HearthBread Bakehouse in Spokane.
“ Itron Inc., a Liberty Lake-based utility metering company, hit the No. 17 spot — up from 97 — on Business 2.0 magazine’s list of the 100 fastest-growing technology businesses. F5 Networks Inc. of Seattle, which plans to expand its Liberty Lake hardware-development group, also made the list at No. 9.
FRIDAY
A high school senior at Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle won a $40,000 college scholarship from a New York City-based organization that recognizes high school entrepreneurs. Jonathan Woodruff founded Mountain SkyCam, an aerial photography company that uses radio-controlled helicopters to snap photos he then sells to Realtors and homeowners. Woodruff’s company earned $8,000 in 2006.
“ Kohl’s plans to build a two-level department store store in Spokane Valley, according to plans submitted to that city. The $4.7 million store is slated to go in on the 16000 block of East Broadway Avenue, east of Sullivan Road and near Wal-Mart. Kohl’s is also planning stores at NorthTown Mall and in Coeur d’Alene, news reports show.