March 16 / Command Center reports smaller loss
Command Center Inc., the Post Falls-based temporary staffing company, reported a net loss of $1.6 million, or 3 cents a diluted share, for all of 2010, compared with a loss of $6.0 million, or 16 cents a diluted share, in 2009. The company said its 2010 operating revenue increased to $69.4 million, up from $51.6 million in 2009. "Going forward, the company is now well-positioned to accelerate both sales and profitability through organic growth and strategic acquisitions," said Glen Welstad, Command Center's chairman and CEO.

March 16 / Passenger numbers down slightly, cargo up at SIA
Spokane International Airport reported that about 207,500 passengers arrived and departed from the airport in February, a 1.4 percent decrease from the year-earlier month. A total of about 3,700 tons of cargo moved through SIA in February, up 4.6 percent from February 2010. At Felts Field, total operations were down 12.7 percent, and cargo was down 82.8 percent at the end of February, compared with year-to-date figures in 2010, Spokane Airports reported.

March 14 / Itron revamps operations
Itron, Inc., the Liberty Lake-based maker of automated meter-reading technology, announced that it is reorganizing its global operations into two primary segments: energy and water. It said Philip Mezey has moved from senior vice president and COO of Itron North America to president and COO—Energy, and Marcel Regnier has moved from senior vice president and COO of Itron International to president and COO—Water. Separately, Itron announced that it has delivered 100,000 residential gas meters, 8,500 commercial meters, and diagnostic equipment to the state-owned petroleum and gas company of Bolivia.

March13 / Bob McCaslin dies
Former state Senator and Spokane Valley city councilman Bob McCaslin died at age 84 following a heart surgery last year and a recent leg amputation. McCaslin served 30 years in the state Senate, but stepped down in January for health reasons. He also was elected to the Spokane Valley City Council for a term from 2010 to 2013. "This is a great loss to our community. He was deeply committed to serving the people of Spokane Valley," said Mayor Tom Towey.

March 10 / INHS, hospitals reach settlement
Inland Northwest Health Services, Deaconess Medical Center, and Valley Hospital & Medical Center announced that they have agreed to a settlement resulting in dismissal of INHS' lawsuit against the hospitals. The agreement transfers ownership of information technology licenses to INHS, maintaining the regionwide electronic medical records. It also gives Empire Health Foundation three seats and removes the two hospitals from the INHS board.

March 9 / Coldwater Creek posts loss
Coldwater Creek Inc., the Sandpoint-based specialty women's fashion retailer, reported a net loss of $37 million, or 40 cents a share, for its fiscal fourth quarter ended Jan. 29, compared with a loss of $9.7 million, or 11 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. For its entire 2010 fiscal year, the company lost $44.1 million, or 48 cents a share, which compared with a 2009 fiscal year loss of $56.1 million, or 61 cents a share. Coldwater Creek President and CEO Dennis Pence said, "As anticipated, our business remained challenging during the fourth quarter, driven by an unfavorable response to our holiday assortments."

Clarification
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission last month issued a mitigated determination of nonsignificance for a proposed expansion of the Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park. Its finding contained a number of conditions that it said would mitigate all probable significant adverse environmental impacts of the project. A story in the Journal's March 10 issue didn't make clear the action taken by the parks commission.