In hopes of improving patient care and possibly lowering malpractice insurance costs over time, Spokanes two largest hospitals now are staffed better to handle child-birth emergencies in which every minute is critical.Sacred Heart and medical

Denny McDaniel, who operates Dennys Foods stores in Medical Lake and Odessa, Wash., plans to develop a larger grocery store in Medical Lake on a site with room for two other possible retail tenants, documents show.McDaniel couldnt be for to

Phranil Foods Co., a longtime Spokane pie maker formerly known as Verns Pie Co., has ceased operating, and a trustees sale of its East Spokane property has been scheduled.A recently published legal notice says Phranil has defaulted on a by

Farmers & Merchants Bank, of Spokane Valley, posted record net income in 2003 for the seventh year in a row.The banks net income climbed to $4.4 million last year, up 16 percent from 2002. Its total deposits rose 9.7 percent, to $269 million

WAM Enterprises Inc., of Spokane, has bought four acres of vacant land on Spokanes North Side and plans to develop a $3.5 million retail center on part of that property.The land is located northwest of a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. outlet, at 9212 a

Azteca Restaurant Enterprises Inc., the Burien, Wash.-based restaurant chain that operates a restaurant near the Spokane Convention Center, has reached a preliminary agreement to buy the former Mustard Seed building nearby.David Hall, co-owner

Spokane Valley-based Falcos Garden Center Inc. plans to construct a retail-and-office building in front of its current store.Falcos has sold its greenhouses and garden inventory, which were just north of its store at 9310 E. Sprague, to for

Itron Inc., the Spokane maker of utility meter-reading technology, is working on licensing to a competitor some of its electric-meter-module and other related technology to satisfy the U.S. government before the companys $255 million acquisition

When Shawn Brown and her family first moved to Liberty Lake in 1997, she thought it would be a great place for a small newspaper.As soon as someone starts one, Ill write for them, thought the career technical writer whose only newspaper a

The number of foreclosure actions in Spokane County fell last year, ending a decade-long run-up in mortgage defaults.Some Inland Northwest observers say the turnabout might signal the start of a downward trend in foreclosures that could last a