Some residential developments here might offer homes that could be described as an empty nesters delight, but empty nesters, or couples whose children have left home, wont see those words used in real estate advertisements. Thats

Shares of Itron Inc. have shot up to a 52-week high in the last week following a strong earnings report by the Spokane Valley-based automated meter-reading equipment maker and an analysts upgrade of the companys stock.Itrons stock jumped

Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters, of Spokane, has bought the former Michlitch Co. building near downtown and plans to move its roasting operation, Mad Batter Bakery, and corporate offices there, says Thomas Hammer, its president and CEO.Were 4

Caelus Inc., a Spokane-based software developer that waged a lengthy battle to stay healthy despite big fluctuations in its markets, has filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in U.S. Bankruptcy Court here.The company, located downtown in the Paulsen

Copart Inc., a Fairfield, Calif.-based company that auctions off wrecked vehicles for insurers, has bought 33 acres of undeveloped land near Spokane International Airport for a planned vehicle storage and processing facility.The property is of

Mario & Son Inc., a Spokane Valley stone fabricator, wants to carve out a larger share of the market here for granite, marble, glass, and quartz surfaces used to class up homes and commercial buildings.To achieve that end, the 14-year-old is a

Jensen Distribution Services, the big Spokane-based hardware distributor, suffered a huge blow about eight years ago when Ernst Home Center Inc., a Seattle-based retail chain with more than 50 stores, ceased operating. Ernst had accounted for more

Inland Power & Light Co., the Spokane-based electric cooperative, says it had net marginsequivalent to net incomeof just over $4.2 million in 2004, up 6 percent from the previous year. Its revenue, meanwhile, edged 2 percent higher to a record

A husband and wife who own a Spokane company that has been accused by a major insurer of submitting more than 1,200 phony windshield claims are seeking protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court here.The couple, David and Karen last a 7

Bank of Whitman, based in Colfax, Wash., says it has bought a downtown Spokane office-building project in which it will be an anchor tenant, and has reduced the size of the planned building to three stories from five.The project, which is well