The warnings are already being whispered here by economists: An upcoming challenge to our region's growth could well be labor shortages. What does that mean to you? Is your organization perceived as a great place to work? How do you stack up against you

And so it has now been 30 years since we launched the Journal. The thought makes me smile as I look across my office to a simple plaque on the wall celebrating my first five years at the paper, given to me a quarter century ago. I say that partly in apolo

In Spokane, we don't often afford ourselves the privilege of self-congratulation. Too many challenges remain unsolved, we say. Not enough of whatever attracts us to larger cities, or smaller ones, we whine. And what about those potholes? That thought r

I'm often asked whether there is a future for newspapers. It's a valid question, what with all the dizzying growth in Internet-based content, mobile-device applications, and social media. One might wonder if anyone cares about reading a printed newsp

Gold Reserve Inc., the Spokane-based mining exploration company that's fighting Venezuela in arbitration after that South American country seized its promising Brisas gold deposit, says it has had informal but "constructive" talks recently with of

Coeur d'Alene-based Idaho Independent Bank has reported a much smaller net loss of $1.2 million, or 22 cents a share, for the third quarter, down sharply from a loss of $2.2 million, or 35 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.Bank Chairman

The Northwest Mining Association will bring its big, long-standing annual convention back to Spokane, Dec. 5-10.The 116th Annual Meeting, Exposition & Short Course, the 2009 version of which was held in Reno-Sparks, Nev., will feature six days a

Banner Corp., the Walla Walla, Wash.-based parent of Banner Bank, has reported a third-quarter net loss of about $44.7 million, or 40 cents a share, compared with a loss of $8.4 million, or 44 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. Banner a