Hearing it firsthand

Tasting wine - whether it is at the winery, a wine tasting, or a winemaker dinner held locally - is always the best way to buy wine. You try it, you like it and you buy it - or you try it, think "not so much" and decide not to buy it. The important thing is that you actually have the chance to evaluate the wine for yourself to guide your buying decisions.

What our clients have to say about Biofeedback

"I have been doing biofeedback for a year. I'm very impressed with the quality of help I have received from her. Her knowledge and insight on the use of biofeedback is truly impressive. I have seen many benefits from her treatments - some very subtle and some huge. I'm feeling more and more whole as each treatment is completed. It's a great feeling."

Forecast sees job growth lifting housing in 2011

Full recovery still more than two years away

ORLANDO, Fla. - The housing market could gradually begin to emerge from its doldrums this year, industry experts said Wednesday, but their forecast depends on a steady ramp-up in hiring and for the U.S. jobless rate to get no worse than it is right now.

Ford CEO gets $56.5M in stock award

DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co.'s top two executives received nearly $100 million worth of stock for their performance during 2009 and 2010, years in which the company's profits and stock price surged.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING CONTENT: NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE WEEK — Make summer plans now for Bayside South in Dover Bay

Outdoor summer fun is almost here. Get into a brand-new luxury condominium near the shores of Lake Pend Oreille in the Bayside South neighborhood of the Dover Bay Waterfront Community.

Digital movie locker 'UltraViolet' nears launch

LOS ANGELES - A group of media and electronics companies will soon start testing a system that will let you watch the movies and TV shows that you buy wherever you are, regardless of formats and other technical hurdles. Like ATMs, your account would follow you, no matter what brand of machine you use.

Tiger Woods was speeding before crashing SUV, sheriff says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods was speeding when he crashed an

Airlines promise a return to civility, for a fee

Personal data will be used in the near future to customize new offers for each flier

Ironman week busy for local bike shops

COEUR d'ALENE - With Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene rapidly approaching on Sunday, local bike shops are prepared for a busy week.

The benefit of glass time

A customer of ours stopped in the store this week and ordered a case of wine called Barinas. Barinas is a delicious wine from the Jumilla region of Spain, known for producing some of the very best Monastrell, which is also known as Mourvedre. The wines can be quite massive, with dense rich fruit and firm structure, ranging in price from $11 for the Barinas that our customer enjoys so much to wines that retail close to triple digits.

Turkey travel

AAA: Pent-up demand to be with loved ones, not gas prices, behind increase

A look at the ruling upholding Obamacare

WHAT DOES THE RULING MEAN TO ME?

Mishandled mercury mess

School will be closed until professional team can clean it

POST FALLS — A mercury spill in a high school science lab has closed the Immaculate Conception St. Dominic school and church until a hazmat team can handle it.

Housing market not cooling off

Summer season for real estate expected to be another hot one

Real estate market remains hot

Jackson doctor convicted in star's 2009 drug death

Jackson doctor convicted in star's 2009 drug death

Tobler Marina offers 30 straight days of boat show

Four weeks, two convenient locations

Tobler Marina, the area's only marine dealer to earn Boating Industry's Top 100 status along with being recognized as a Marine Industry Certified Dealer for 2011, is offering 30 straight days of boat show, Jan. 21 to Feb. 19.

Left out in the cold (water)

About three years ago, a consumer, not a member of Kootenai County Electric co-op, bought a super duper brand new water heater from Kootenai Electric Cooperative. Because he was not a member (he lives in the Silver Valley), he had to pay more than members of the co-op pay for the H2O heater. No problem.

Early signs point to continued recovery

Rising prices show stability

We now have six consecutive months of average price increases in the Coeur d'Alene/Dalton areas of our multiple listing service. With that succession and the continued increases in sales over last year, we will now refer to this as a trend.

Where market slows prices still rise

One would have to bet that when fewer homes are for sale, fewer will sell. That would be a safe bet in most environments. In fact, that appears to be the case in the Coeur d’Alene market where 8 percent fewer listings led to a 6 percent decline in number of homes sold when compared to last year. Unless otherwise attributed the figures reported here are of single-family homes on less than 2 acres of land. Still demand remains high and the average price for a like dwelling will cost a buyer 14 percent more on average than it did last year at $293,145.