Lunch with Abeja

This past week I was honored to have lunch with John Abbott, co-owner and winemaker for Abeja Winery in Walla Walla. What a treat for me to have some extended time with one of the great talents in Washington state winemaking. I have long enjoyed the Abeja wines, and find him to consistently produce great wine, while avoiding the "sameness" that exists in much of the state's wine industry.

Rathdrum working during recession

City invests in technology to help cut labor costs

Editor's note: You can't put a price tag on quality of life in any given city, but you can do some simple math and figure out about what each city spends on its residents.

The size of recent history

Another year, another small Social Security bump

You could, but why would you?

We have written much on how the wine choices have continued to expand here in North Idaho. The options continue to grow on varietals and appellations. In just the 11 years since we opened the dinner party, we continue to see robust growth in offerings. These choices go beyond just the kind of wine or where it comes from, but also include more options at price points.

Stocks rally worldwide with hopes for a return to “normal”

NEW YORK (AP) — Brimming hopes that people will again return

Small business owners targeted by marketers

It's not a scam, but good advice

Rite Aid seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it deals with lawsuits and losses

Rite Aid Corp. said in its federal bankruptcy filing that it runs more than 2,000 stores. Most of its locations are on the East and West Coasts, including Idaho

Winter windfall

DES MOINES, Iowa - Christmas trees likely will cost a little more this year, and growers like John Tillman say it's about time.

Electrifying future

GM offers Volt, Nissan counters with the Leaf

The automobile is about to charge into the future.

Marty and Max: 2024 Real Estate Market - Boom or Bust?

Nationally we have higher inventory than last year with 546k single homes of the market. New listings are slightly higher than last year at this time and we have slightly more immediate sales. Remember buyers react more to a large change in rates than the actual rate itself. If rates stay the same, there is a huge buyer demand that we believe will result in a significant increase in the number of transactions.

Gaming is a whole new world

This feeling is based on just one evening.

What's super about Super 1

I’m not in the business of reviews; that’s not what this column is about. I don’t like to promote a particular business (with occasional exceptions for nonprofits). Yet as a customer who happens to be a writer, rather than the other way around for once, this bears saying:

Americans win Nobel Prize for Economics

Just in time for spring, deadlines loom

Regular readers will recall that the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program was set to expire last Fall, in Post Falls and 900 other communities in the nation, due to population estimates from the 2010 census. Intense lobbying by the National Association of Realtors and other groups caused the government to acquiesce and maintain the program - through March.

Just in time for spring, deadlines loom

Regular readers will recall that the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program was set to expire last Fall, in Post Falls and 900 other communities in the nation, due to population estimates from the 2010 census. Intense lobbying by the National Association of Realtors and other groups caused the government to acquiesce and maintain the program - through March.

Fannie Mae reports $8.69 billion loss

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mortgage buyer Fannie Mae reported a loss of $8.7 billion for the January-March quarter, and asked for an additional $8.5 billion in federal aid.

LEVY: Small price to pay for kids

As an involved and concerned parent of children that will soon join the public school system here in Coeur d'Alene, I am painfully aware that state cuts to our schools have a direct and negative effect on our children and the quality of their education. That is why passing the Maintenance and Operations Levy this March is so important. It is even more important in light of the disproportionate impact those cuts will have on our already under-resourced district schools.

Beware area codes from Caribbean hell

Pay attention and you can avoid some very bad things.

Beef or Chicken?

Increasing beef prices hit fast-food chains

NEW YORK - Rising beef prices might not mean the cost of a Whopper is going to skyrocket, but it could mean you'll be encouraged to order a chicken sandwich instead.

UK central bank intervenes in market to halt economic crisis

The Bank of England said it would buy long-term government bonds over the next two weeks to combat a recent slide in British financial assets