LeAnn Bjerken

Northwest Farm Credit Services start design work on new headquarters on West Plains

Ex-Ambassadors building set for remodel, expansion

October 8, 2015

Spokane-based Northwest Farm Credit Services has begun designing a $7.5 million remodel and expansion of what will be its new corporate headquarters on the West Plains.

K&N Electric Motors keeps family business focus

CEO says bulk of its work is on dam, crane projects

October 8, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Committed to its role as a family-owned and -operated business, K&N Electric Motors Inc. is what company CEO Janet Schmidlkofer calls a happy setup. 'We're approached all the time about selling the company. So far we have no intentions of doing so,â€

Dentist merge practices, become Downtown Dental

Plaster, McKennon expect to offer added convenience

October 8, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Dentists Corey Plaster and Rudyard McKennon are in the process of combining their dental practices into one, which they plan to call Downtown Dental. The two dentists have spent the past 11 years working down the hall from one another on the eighth floo

Women are more likely to talk about pain, study finds

WSU researchers say new approach reduces pill use

October 8, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Dr. Marian Wilson, a second-year assistant professor at Washington State University Spokane, found in a study on chronic pain that women seem more open than men to participating in studies and sharing their symptoms.

Washington Trust leads Spokane County in deposits for sixth straight year

Bank of America, U.S. Bank stay in top three

October 8, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Washington Trust Bank continues to lead banks in deposits in Spokane County, says an annual market share report released late last month by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The Spokane-based bank has topped the list every year since 2009, when Sterlin

Yearning for a slice of the pie

Mix of new locally-owned pizzerias, chain outlets hit market

October 8, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Restaurateurs are banking on an apparently growing appetite for pizza, with at least 10 having opened outlets in the Spokane area since the start of the year. Those that have launched new eateries this year include larger brands such as Mod Pizza and Bl

Becoming pet friendly

Animals improve quality of life, some operators say

September 24, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

South Hill Senior Living administrator Leslie Bass says coming to work can sometimes remind her a little of Noah's ark.

EWU takes reins of program promoting rural health care careers

AHEC previous operated by WSU

September 24, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Eastern Washington University has taken over management of the Area Health Education Center programs on its Spokane campus this fall as part of an effort to promote exposure and exploration of health professions for students in rural areas. AHEC is a n

Cannabis community app launched

Social High network hosts forum for marijuana users

September 24, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Spokane-based company WeedShare Inc. has launched a social media network named Social High. Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer Marsh Sutherland says WeedShare hired Spokane Valley electronics and software engineering company Infinetix Corp. to desig

Litigation becomes more complex, costly

Etter, McMahon counters with courtroom expertise

September 24, 2015

LeAnn Bjerken

Lawyers Michael McMahon and Carl Oreskovich, partners in the Spokane firm of Etter, McMahon, Lamberson, Van Wert & Oreskovich PC, say one of the greatest challenges in practicing law these days is the growing cost of litigation.