Mike McLean

Whatever Happened To: Browne Street Market and Francis Travel Center

Project at old Les Schwab location near downtown to start this summer

June 30, 2022

Two commercial developments proposed by Spokane businessperson Sam Sidhu and first reported by the Journal in spring 2021 are on track to begin this building season, according to people familiar with each project.

Whatever Happened With: Brooke Martin and iCPooch

Company founder sticks with startup community, joins venture capital firm

June 16, 2022

Mike McLean

Ten years ago, when she was 12, Brooke Martin invented a device that let dog owners video chat with their pets and give them treats remotely. The company that was formed around that invention, iCPooch, exploded in popularity, but fell quickly.

What's happening with The District Apartments

Construction starts year later than first announced

June 2, 2022

Mike McLean

Construction has started about a year later than originally planned on the initial phase of The District, a large apartment complex along the Spokane River, near the southeast edge of the University District.

Whatever Happened With: Red Lion Hotels Corp.

Acquiring company's strategy to grow via franchising platform

May 19, 2022

Mike McLean

Five years after quietly moving its corporate headquarters to Denver and divesting of its Spokane properties, Red Lion Hotels Corp.'s franchise platform is being hailed as the engine through which its new owner intends to continue growing. Red Lion

Icons 2022: Hollister-Stier's Anthony Bonanzino

Bonanzino instills respect within corporate culture

May 5, 2022

Mike McLean

Tony Bonanzino, former president, CEO, and part owner of pharmaceutical manufacturer Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC, now Jubilant HollisterStier, has been a constant role model in life and business for people around him.

Fourth iteration of Vinegar Flats mixed-use project takes shape

Eastern Washington International Housing permit approval expected

May 5, 2022

Mike McLean

Plans for Eastern Washington International Housing retail and residential project on the lower South Hill remain active, although the project is going through its fourth major design change.

Whatever Happened To: Spokane Gun Club's range relocation plans

Organization appeal deadline nears after land-use permit overruled a second time

April 21, 2022

Mike McLean

The Spokane Gun Club's plans for a new trap-and-skeet range on the West Plains have ricocheted between superior courts and now could be headed to state appeals court, with a filing deadline looming.

Whatever happened with: Citywide Internet efforts

Workgroup hasn't been asked to reconvene since before pandemic arrived

April 7, 2022

Mike McLean

Work by a city-appointed group tasked with exploring options for a fiber optic network has been on hold since the pandemic began. But City Council President Breean Beggs anticipates the city will revisit the subject and perhaps regroup this spring.

Busy building season forecast in Coeur d'Alene's Atlas District

Luxury homes, apartment development in works at former site of sawmill

March 24, 2022

Mike McLean

Construction is underway on the initial phase of residential developments in the core of the Atlas District urban renewal area on the north bank of the Spokane River in west Coeur d'Alene. The city has projected the developments planned and underway

Post Falls veterans home to be completed in fall

$54M facility to have 64 private rooms

March 24, 2022

Mike McLean

Construction of a long-planned North Idaho Veterans Home, in Post Falls, is expected to be completed in the fall, says Tracy Schaner, Idaho Division of Veterans Services deputy chief administrator, who's overseeing the project. The 83,400-square foot