The owners of the Ridpath are suing restaurateurs Jeremy and Kate Hansen, alleging the couple failed to pay rent and misspent more than $100,000 that should have been used to improve a restaurant space on the ground floor of the iconic building.

Ron Wells, a developer known for restoration of historic properties, was sentenced to one year home detention for nine felonies involving staged car accidents and money laundering on Wednesday. Wells was also issued a $60,000 fine, which is in addition to the $179,876 he agreed to pay in restitution at his plea hearing in late April.

Two defendants tied to an insurance-fraud scheme that included Spokane developer Ron Wells were sentenced to federal prison on Tuesday.

Two defendants, who were tied to an insurance-fraud scheme that included Spokane developer Ron Wells, were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday and ordered to pay restitution to help cover the cost of the insurance payouts.

William Mize, the alleged ringleader of a federal insurance fraud conspiracy case involving 22 defendants including prominent Spokane developer Ron Wells, is a fugitive.

A superstitious person might wonder if there’s a curse on the Ridpath Hotel, whose history has been marked by saviors who turn out to be con men.

Ron Wells, a Spokane developer and architect known for historic restoration, has pleaded guilty to nine felonies related to staging a car crash in 2016 in an attempt to defraud insurance companies.

Spokane developer Ron Wells appeared in federal court this week and pleaded not guilty to charges that he was involved in a $6 million scheme to defraud insurance companies through a series of staged collisions.

Investors behind the renovation of the Ridpath Hotel into affordable housing have stripped Ron Wells of his authority over the project in an effort to protect the project from recent charges that Wells defrauded insurance companies.

Ron Wells, a developer and architect whose decades-long work in Spokane includes renovations of numerous historic buildings, was indicted Wednesday in federal court for allegedly staging a car crash in an attempt to defraud insurance companies.

All of the 206 units, and the restaurant on the ground floor, should be completely done and open by September.

In the past four decades, Ron Wells has saved dozens of buildings from the wrecking ball, and rehabilitated them for every purpose: living, dining, playing and working.

Nearly 10 years after the last hotel guests checked out, downtown Spokane’s Ridpath Hotel is getting new tenants. And they pay rent.

Several hundred people crowded into the Ridpath Hotel on Thursday afternoon for an early party anticipating the landmark’s return to prominence in the social life of Spokane.

Spokane is in the midst of major transformations, with $800 million in public and private investment pouring into the city’s downtown and nearby neighborhoods.

You might have been forgiven for thinking it would never happen. The storied Ridpath Hotel – a downtown fixture for more than a century – had fallen into such a state since its closure in 2008 that it was reported to the city as unsafe. Transients moved in and out. Garbage piled up inside and in doorways. Graffiti and disrepair became the primary decorative characteristics. It stank.

Developer Ron Wells plans 214 housing units in the historic hotel, including micro apartments that will rent for $453 a month. The loan will be repaid over a 25-year period. City Council members said the project will bring much needed workforce housing downtown.

The city will have to vote a few more times before Ron Wells’ loan to convert the old hotel into mixed housing gets final approval.

Plans and money are coming together to revitalize the decaying Ridpath Hotel. With the help of a $1.75 million city loan expected this spring, developer Ron Wells is closer to turning the downtown landmark into his $20 million project vision of 206 modest apartments to boost downtown living options.