Week in review

TUESDAY

Amtrak passengers will have to submit to random screening of carry-on bags in a major new security push that will include officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains, the railroad announced.

WEDNESDAY

Free tax preparation sites in Spokane and Kootenai counties – already busy this time of year – are gearing up for an influx of low-income seniors hoping to collect stimulus payments that start at $300 for individuals. The Internal Revenue Service created special instructions for filling out the 1040A form and issued instructions Saturday to help smooth the process.

“A convicted swindler who is a key player in a $50 million nationwide investment scam has been selling “reverse mortgages” to senior citizens in the Spokane area while he awaits a date to report to prison. Michael Duane Smith has worked as a “reverse mortgage planner” for Golf Savings, a subsidiary of Spokane-based Sterling Savings.

“The HD DVD is now the Highly Dead DVD. Toshiba Corp., creator of the HD DVD, dropped out of the battle over the next generation of movie-disc technology and conceded to Sony’s rival Blu-ray format. It was the biggest battle between two video formats since Betamax lost out to VHS in the 1980s.

“Verizon Wireless introduced an unlimited calling plan for $99.99 a month, an offer that was quickly matched by AT&T Mobility. Verizon Wireless was apparently the first major carrier to make an “unlimited” plan available nationwide with no domestic roaming or long-distance fees.

THURSDAY

Thick layers of snow blanketing the Inland Northwest bode well for Avista Corp., which expects a better-than-average year for hydropower generation. Drainages feeding the Clark Fork River, which contain Avista’s largest dams, are at 110 percent of average snowpack and moisture level for this time of year. Spokane River is 125 percent of normal.

“Formerly a Best Western, the 104-room hotel across from Valley Hospital and Medical Center has a new name: Pheasant Hill Inn & Suites Magnuson Grand Hotel.

FRIDAY

A company that handles billing and collections for anesthesiologists will lay off 63 employees at its Spokane Valley office by the end of June.

Anesthesiologists Associated Inc. will keep only a small local presence, said Senior Vice President Craig Van Valkenburg.