Consumers spend and earn more

Latest government data suggest an improving picture of the economy

WASHINGTON - Americans earned more and spent more last month, and the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in more than two years. At the same time, demand for long-lasting manufactured goods and new homes fell off.

Food prices are squeezing Europe. Now Italians are calling for a pasta protest

Spain has avoided price controls

Two robberies in Cd'A

Suspect in both incidents showed gun to clerks

BUILDING: Rip-off to the taxpayers

The new 17,000 sq. ft. building is set to break ground this month for $4,000,000 of your tax dollars (including land), in Post Falls.

Selling in a hot market: One homeowner’s experience

Neighborhood of the Week: June 27

Is it safe to buy pet meds online?

Dear PropellerHeads: I'm hoping to save a little money. Is it safe to buy my pet medicines from an online pet pharmacy?

Stores focus on the hunt

Trader Joe's, the specialty grocery chain, might not have the cheapest toilet paper or the most varieties of ketchup, but it hooks customers with mango butter, chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds and cilantro-and-jalapeno hummus.

A small victory: Used-car prices slip from dizzy heights

The whole crazy price cycle began with the eruption of the pandemic, when many states issued stay-at-home orders

Hitting the slopes won't break the bank

Industry leaders: Skiing cheaper than you think

Groupon sizzles in public debut

Black Friday Preview

This one looks nothing like BFs of the past

COVID-19 has stores getting proactive about customer safety like never before

Auto sales, home prices help buoy economy

Bidding war

Ask the Propellerheads

Dear PropellerHeads: I've obviously heard of eBay and other auction sites, but a friend of mine just mentioned something about penny auction sites. The concept sounds a little crazy to me. What do you know about them?

OPINION: Idaho must once again send the hate mongers packing

Hate and bigotry often lurk just beneath the surface of civil societies. So long as a society is united in disapproving of hateful words and actions, those evil twins remain suppressed. When they receive official approval, they rise to the surface and infect society like a virus. A society must maintain continued vigilance to keep them in check.

No over-the-counter for Plan B pill

Election-year politics seen in move by Obama administration

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a surprise move with election-year implications, the Obama administration's top health official overruled her own drug regulators and stopped the Plan B morning-after pill from moving onto drugstore shelves next to the condoms.

The year in wine review and preview

At the end of the year the press is full of reviews of the previous year and all that has occurred, coupled with a look forward on what to expect. As the wine industry in North Idaho has continued to evolve a similar retrospective, and prospective will provide wine consumers with information that will help guide their purchases to wines they enjoy and appreciate.

Forum: Real estate's 'wild West'

COEUR d'ALENE — Hayden Anderl sees Kootenai County's real estate market a bit like the "wild West."

U.S. retail sales climb on holiday shopping

Unlimited online options

FDA approves first rapid, take home HIV test

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter HIV test, allowing Americans to test themselves for the virus that causes AIDS in the privacy of their homes.