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Bill comes out of committee; house still needs to pass it

You need it to rent a car, buy drinks or write a check.

Right back where they started

COEUR d’ALENE — It’s not their first choice for a location for a new elementary school, but time, money and a lack of land available for purchase are pushing Coeur d’Alene school officials to take a harder look at the Hayden Lake Elementary site for a new building.

Entertain Mart now open in Cd'A

Business Bits

Buying, selling, renting and trading are the options at EntertainMart. The new store opened Saturday in the former Hastings location at 101 Best Ave.

Sage advice

As many of you know from joining us this past weekend, we just held some events with owner, winemaker, local boy, brother and brother-in-law John Lancaster of Skylark Wine Company. It has been nearly two years since I had a chance to spend this kind of time with John, and it is always illuminating. In addition to being one of our favorite winemakers, John is also the wine director and sommelier at Boulevard restaurant in San Francisco. This provides him tremendous perspective, and when it is coupled with one of the best palates I know of and wine knowledge that borders on the encyclopedic, his advice on all things wine is invaluable!

Go softly. Panhandle Carpet One Floor & Home sees resurgence of remodeling projects

Oil's slide shakes up the junk-bond market

Arsenic and other issues

We taste and have wines on our shelves here at the dinner party that range from the very inexpensive - around $10 per bottle - to prices many of us would find unreasonable to pay for a single bottle of wine. There are customers and markets for all of them. It goes without saying that much more care, attention, and quality goes into premium bottles of wine than the value priced ones. From farming methods and crop levels, to the time wines spend in barrels and fermenters, all have an impact on what a bottle costs to produce, and ultimately the quality of the end product.

Navy may ban tobacco sales on bases

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) - Tobacco sales on Navy ships and in stores on Navy and Marine Corps bases would be a thing of the past under a plan being considered by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, but some congressional members are pushing back.

Your own GPS for success

It's getting easier and easier to navigate the highways and byways through the magic of GPS - the Global Positioning System. The service is in your car, your phone, your tablet, your watch. You are running out of excuses for not getting to where you want to go.

Getting to the core of the matter! Eat your pineapple cores!

Eating fresh pineapple always reminds me of balmy vacation nights in Hawaii. And since pineapples run a few bucks a pop, buying them frequently translates into considerable savings when compared to an actual trip to Hawaii, particularly when you're carting along four girls, as I would be. Admittedly, the pineapple is a tad less exotic...

CEO takes pay cut so all workers can earn $70,000

Seattle CEO to cut his pay so every worker earns $70,000

(AP) A Nampa Christian High School graduate turned successful Seattle CEO who announced that he's giving himself a drastic pay cut to help cover the cost of big raises for his employees didn't just make those workers happy.

Bargains at any time of the year!

Our regular feedback from readers splits pretty much down the middle. About half of you say “you should really do more recommendation columns,” and the other half says “you know, you kind of do too many recommendation columns.” We appreciate all the feedback we get from folks, but this tells us we probably have it pretty close to right.

Smartphone Stocks: A shift to chips

While smartphones continue to be a mostly secure venture for those who invest in the stock market, an emerging buying trend for investors is not the actual phones, but the versatile microchips inside.

Still no stimulus check? Do this

For those who have not received their second economic impact payment aka stimulus payment

Post Falls, Lakeland teachers ratify deals

The local teachers unions for the Post Falls and Lakeland school districts ratified agreements on Friday.

Black Friday comes early

Many stores will open their doors at midnight this year

Shoppers' turkey might still be digesting when they line up for Black Friday sales this year.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Buzz words

Every industry has words that have a specific meaning to those that work in the business. When industry folks get together and start tossing these words and phrases around, they are greeted with quizzical looks from those who don’t work in that industry. The wine business is no different, wine professionals have many expressions that don’t mean much to those who don’t spend all their days consumed by, or consuming wine. It is important though for us as wine professionals to not only use the terms properly but from time to time to explain what we are attempting to communicate.

Fed keeps key rate near zero, sees inflation as 'transitory'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is keeping

Broker: Housing market 'won't plummet'

But prices are coming down, says real estate leader

Housing forecast: No collapse

Consumer Gal: Inside the Social Security increase

Good news is a big increase; bad news is the reason for the increase.