Briefs for Saturday

Washington Trust Bank has earmarked an $87,000 donation to Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho to support the construction of a 21-unit condominium complex units ranging from one to five bedrooms, according to a joint statement from the two organizations.

Once complete, the development will include two four-unit structures, one eight-unit building and a five-unit row house.

Funding came from both Washington Trust and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines.

Mark Buter, vice president of the Washington Trust Coeur d’Alene branch, said a bank should help address the unique needs of the community it serves.

“Given the shortage of affordable housing in the Coeur d’Alene area and across the Northwest, we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of the solution,” Butera said.

Amazon meeting feds next week

Amazon will meet with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and the agency’s three other commissioners next week in a final push to avoid an antitrust lawsuit, according to sources.

The FTC, which has been investigating Amazon since 2019 over its online marketplace for third-party sellers, is finalizing a suit against the online retail giant.

A meeting between the company and the FTC’s commissioners is often one of the last steps before either suit is filed or a settlement is reached.

From staff and wire reportsThe Biden administration has stepped up antitrust enforcement, seeking to reverse what it has viewed as decades of lax oversight over corporate consolidation and market power.

Khan has long had Amazon in her sights – she wrote a seminal paper as a law student about rethinking antitrust laws due to the company’s dominance.