Tasting in the Willamette

Mary and I just returned from the Oregon Coast after a Lancaster family reunion. We broke away from our time with family to go and visit a couple of our favorite producers in the Willamette Valley, a premier wine region that I am mildly embarrassed to admit we have never visited. It was our kind of tasting, too. We visited only three locations, two for one winery and one for another. It was an off-day Friday on an off-weekend with no big special events going on.

European debt concerns weigh on stock market

NEW YORK - Technology company troubles and renewed concerns about Europe's debt dragged stocks lower for a second day.

Idaho gas prices keep climbing

Gas prices

Playing with fire

Nook Tablet is Kindle Fire's worthy foe

What the virus outbreak means for home loans, mortgage rates

The Federal Reserve cut short-term interest rates by half a percentage point on Tuesday in an effort to protect the economy from more damage from the virus outbreak. The move may present options for mortgage shoppers.

Price of gas falls, wallets open

Americans spend a bit more as cost at the pump drops

WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans are starting to see some relief from higher gas prices, a change that could revive the economy in the months ahead.

Low prices keep market moving

November sales figures illustrate the market is still outperforming last year with regard to residential sales. Although not at a scorching pace, our total sales across the wide geography of the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service show an increase of 4.3 percent over last year.

PRESS: Don’t bow to DNC

For several years my husband and I have been visiting Coeur d’Alene on Saturdays and reading the Coeur d’Alene Press.

Stores celebrate,but Powerball winners lay low

DEARBORN, Mo. (AP) - Missouri Lottery officials on Thursday verified one of two tickets that matched all six numbers to split a record $588 million Powerball jackpot, but that ticket holder - and another in Arizona - remained a mystery, even as neighbors and co-workers lamented their losses and gossiped about who may have won.

Wolf shooter turns down deal

Rathdrum man opts for jury trial

COEUR d'ALENE - The man who shot a wolf on Rathdrum Mountain turned down a plea deal offered by Kootenai County prosecutors that would have had him pay a $200 fine in exchange for a guilty plea.

Crossing the border

From a visual perspective, nothing really changes when you drive across the Idaho border and into Washington state.

Protests bring chaos to Baltimore

Sales still strong, price declines slow

It's hard to believe the year is 70 percent passed already. Judging from our trends so far, the local real estate market may be headed for greater stability. On the heels of steady declines, first the 16 percent in 2008 followed by the 14 percent in 2009, declines in most of the area served by the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service have slowed.

Online tools for saving data

Ask The PropellerHeads

Dear PropellerHeads: I track my spending habits and workout details in a spreadsheet, which is helpful but tedious. Are there any online tools that can make this easier?

High fashion or bait?

Fly ties now hair extensions

BOISE - For a 49-year-old manager of a fly fishing shop, Jim Bernstein spends an awful lot of time on the phone with hairdressers.

Normal headaches?

Frequently, when I ask my patients if they have headaches, they say "not really." When I inquire deeper, they say, "Well, yes. But it's the normal headache everyone has." I'm saddened to think anyone believes a headache is normal, because there is no such thing as a "normal headache."

Normal headaches?

Frequently, when I ask my patients if they have headaches, they say “not really.” When I inquire deeper, they say, “Well, yes. But it’s the normal headache everyone has.” I’m saddened to think anyone believes a headache is normal, because there is no such thing as a “normal headache.”

Budgeting fixes, economic IDs in print

One lesson from the Great Recession is that simplicity is a good thing. That's true both in managing our personal budgets and keeping the financial system afloat. Too many people and banks got stuck with complex financial obligations that they didn't manage properly, or in some cases simply didn't understand.

Advertising has its affect

Be careful out there

Buyers know it can be a real challenge to find the right home. Our limited inventory is confounding buyers and their agents as they try to find a great house at a great price. Once discovered, that house should be approached cautiously, even if it seems perfect for you. Of course your agent has helped you by providing information on schools, communities, travel routes, etc., and all of those things seem to fit. The house payments are within your comfort zone so you decide to move ahead and write an offer.