North Idaho

Kootenai County looks to ride building momentum

Multifamily, public projects boost growth in construction

March 13, 2014

Kootenai County is gaining momentum in most sectors of the construction industry. In 2013, construction volume in unincorporated Kootenai County and its three largest cities-Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, and Hayden-totaled $337 million, an astounding

Bennett House touts respite for senior caregivers

Adult day-care center opens in Coeur d'Alene

February 27, 2014

Katie Ross

Coeur d'Alene businessmen Rick Bennett and George Cunningham have opened an adult day care facility, called Bennett House, to provide caretakers some respite from tending to elderly loved ones. Bennett and Cunningham formed a partnership to open Ben

Palouse crops get farm bill boost

Legume-related funding totals $135 million

February 27, 2014

Treva Lind

Inland Northwest producers of chickpeas and other legumes expect to see economic benefit from two initiatives in the recently passed five-year farm bill, agricultural industry observers say. One of the measures in the Agricultural Act of 2014 provides $1

Avista capital projects loom

Gas-line, customer-service, dam work totals $235 million

February 27, 2014

Mike McLean

Avista Corp. has several big capital projects totaling $235 million in value in various stages of planning and construction this year in the Spokane area. They range from a $1 million gas-line connection replacement project to an $80 million computerized

Hecla reports loss

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February 19, 2014

Staff Report

Hecla Mining Co., of Coeur d'Alene, reported today a fourth-quarter net loss of $3 million, or 1 cent a diluted share, compared with net income of $605,000 in the year-earlier period. For all of 2013, the company posted a net loss of $25.7 million, o

Inland Northwest commodity markets expected to be mostly profitable

However, wheat growers are said likely to struggle

January 30, 2014

Treva Lind

Northwest Farm Credit Services, the Spokane-based agricultural lending cooperative, says commodity markets appear generally strong this year for most agricultural producers, but wheat producers will face challenges turning a profit due to lower grain pric

More apartments to rise at Riverstone

Two complexes will have 152 units, $13 million total value

January 16, 2014

Mike McLean

Hayden developer Whitewater Creek Inc. has obtained permits to build two apartment complexes, with 152 living units combined and a total construction valuation of $13 million, in the Riverstone mixed-use community in northwest Coeur d'Alene, city record

Bankruptcies in Eastern Washington, North Idaho fall for third straight year

Spokane, Cd'A attorneys expect trend to continue

January 16, 2014

Katie Ross

Bankruptcy filings fell again in Eastern Washington and North Idaho last year, marking the third year in a row that they've declined. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court's Eastern District of Washington reported 5,057 cases filed in 2013, down 7 percent from

Health care, manufacturing lead North Idaho rebound

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December 19, 2013

Mike McLean

Health care, manufacturing, tourism, and real estate are among current growth industries in Kootenai County that are expected to continue to improve in the new year, sources in North Idaho say. Alivia Metts, Post Falls-based regional labor economist for

Inland Northwest timber industry expects steady recovery in coming year

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December 19, 2013

Treva Lind

The wood products sector is expecting continued, steady improvement next year, largely due to anticipated ongoing recovery in the U.S. housing market, industry observers say. Shawn Church, editor of Eugene, Ore.-based Random Lengths, a publication that t