Business in brief: Plane boardings, freight are down

Passenger boardings at Spokane International Airport dropped to 136,699 in June, down 13.3 percent from June 2008.

Traffic for the first six months of the year was off 15.4 percent, with somewhat fewer than 1.5 million travelers embarking.

Freight traffic also fell, by 17.1 percent June-over-June, and by 16.1 percent so far in 2009 compared with the first half of 2008. June tonnage was 3,718; the total for the January-June period was 22,691.6 tons.

At Felts Field, meanwhile, aviation operations in June rose to 6,417, up 11.5 percent from June 2008. Operations, at 31,969, are up 4.4 percent for the year so far compared with 2008.

Potlatch reports low earnings

Potlatch Corp. reported sharply lower second-quarter earnings, citing weak demand for lumber and lower prices.

The company reported earnings of $3.7 million for the quarter, compared to earnings of $18.9 million during the second quarter of 2008.

Log harvests in the northern region dropped by 41 percent as a result of Potlatch’s decision to defer harvest until demand and prices rise. However, most of the company’s sawmills returned to full production during the second quarter.

Potlatch reached an agreement to sell $50 million worth of Arkansas timber to another company. That sale is expected to close in September.

Session details bidding process

Post Falls – Opportunities for Idaho businesses – how to locate and bid on federal and state contracts, how to become a certified federal contractor – will be highlighted at a “Keep Idaho Working” presentation Aug. 11 sponsored by Congressman Walt Minnick.

The session is free and open to the public, but space is limited. It will run from 8 to 11 a.m. at Post Falls City Hall, 408 N. Spokane St., by satellite hookup. Anyone interested in attending is asked to call (208) 888-3188, or send e-mail to marie.hattaway@mail. house.gov.

Worries about job loss linger

New York – Americans’ confidence in the economy eroded further in July as worries about job security offset any enthusiasm about the resumed stock market rally that has helped bolster retirement accounts.

The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index, which retreated last month, fell to 46.6, down from 49.3 in June. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting a reading of 49. It would take a reading above 90 to signal that the economy is on solid footing.