The total value of Spokane-area building permits bumped upward in 2015 compared with a year earlier, although falling short of the record high total permit valuation of 2013.

Foreclosure actions completed in Spokane County in 2015 dropped by 27 percent compared with the number of foreclosures in 2014, finally falling out of the historically high range, says Phil Kuharski, a longtime Spokane economic data analyst.

Costco Wholesale Corp. plans to leave the city and move its busy north Spokane store a few miles north into an unincorporated area of the county.

Prominent Spokane construction contractor Bouten Construction Co. is heading up three projects in the Tri-Cities with a combined value of $127 million. The largest of the projects is a $72 million expansion of the River Pavilion at the Kadlec Regional Me

With expectations for a short state Legislative session that likely will focus on addressing public education mandates, many legislative priorities for the Spokane-region business community focus on protecting prior and ongoing commitments and encouraging