Inflation has essentially disappeared, and that gives the Federal Reserve more room to keep interest rates at record lows. Consumer prices fell in April for the first time in more than a year.

The Federal Reserve sounded a more confident note Wednesday that the economy is strengthening but pledged to hold rates at record lows to make sure it gains traction.

Spokane County hotels have sold substantially more rooms so far in 2010, and bookings for future business are up dramatically, the president of the Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau said Monday.

ATLANTA – U.S. births fell in 2008, probably because of the recession, updated government figures confirm. The one exception to the trend was the birth rate among women in their 40s, who perhaps felt they didn’t have the luxury of waiting for better economic times. The birth rate for women in their early 40s rose a surprising 4 percent over the previous year, reaching its highest mark since 1967. The rate for women in their late 40s also rose, slightly.

Avista Utilities is seeking to raise the price of electricity and natural gas for its customers in both Washington and Idaho. The requested rate hike would add $10.62 to the average Eastern Washington homeowner’s monthly electric bill and another $4 a month for natural gas, according to Avista.

Avista is seeking to raise the price of electricity and natural gas through a series of rate filings. For the average Avista ratepayer in Eastern Washington, the request amounts to adding $10.62 to a homeowner's monthly electric bill and another $4 a month for natural gas.

The Federal Reserve has decided to hold interest rates at a record low and pledged to keep them there for an “extended period” to nurture the economic recovery and lower unemployment.

OLYMPIA – A credit score should not be used to help determine how much a person pays for home or auto insurance premiums, State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler told a legislative panel Wednesday evening. Factors that affect credit scores can discriminate against low-income and minority populations, Kreidler said as he lobbied for one of his top priorities: to ban the practice in Washington state.

Sewer rates in Spokane will jump almost $5 a month next year. The Spokane City Council on Monday approved the new rates, which were proposed by Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, in a 4-3 vote.

The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates at a record low this week. The big question is whether Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues will hint about when they will reverse course and start boosting rates.

Interest rates on the benchmark 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage dipped to a 38-year low this week, giving consumers another reason to consider purchasing a home or refinancing their current one. Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on a 30-year loan was 4.71 percent, the lowest rate since the agency began its weekly tracking of long-term interest rates in 1971.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it was holding short-term interest rates at near zero and would probably make no change for the foreseeable future, despite a turnaround in economic activity. Chairman Ben Bernanke and others at the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee reiterated that they would maintain the benchmark overnight lending rate between zero and 0.25 percent, adding that the rate was likely to remain “exceptionally low” for “an extended period.”

Flushing your toilet in the city of Spokane may cost $5 a month more in 2010. Spokane Mayor Mary Verner on Monday presented her 2010 budget to the City Council. It includes a 15 percent rate increase for city sewage service.

A steady decline in natural-gas prices will mean lower energy bills for Avista Utilities customers in Washington and Idaho. Effective Sunday, Washington residential and small-business customers will see natural gas rates cut by 25 percent.

State energy regulators today approved Avista Corp. cutting its natural gas rates by more than 25 percent.

Avista Corp.’s natural gas customers can expect lower bills this winter as a result of dropping wholesale prices. On Monday, the utility asked state regulators in Washington for permission to reduce rates by 20.2 percent. In Idaho, Avista requested a 17 percent rate decrease.

Avista Corp.’s natural gas customers can expect lower bills this winter as a result of dropping wholesale prices.