Regional Business News

"It’s better than it otherwise might have been, and we’re certain that the Olympics had a role in that. In early 2003, indications are that visitation at resorts is generally up. Utah got wonderful publicity about how friendly the people are and how beautiful the place is. Call center calls are up, requests for travel guides are up. The secret is out. Utah is a great place to visit."

Up to 70 percent of Park Service jobs could be replaced by private contractors or volunteers.

The U.S. and Idaho economies may be recovering, but the process so far has been too slow to help many individuals and businesses. We could be in the midst of the same kind of “jobless…

Qwest Communications International Inc. will close its directory assistance call center in downtown Spokane. The move puts 63 people out of work — including 56 hourly workers and seven managers, according to Mary Boehnke, president…

Analysts pose tough questions for chip maker Micron Technology took a misstep in 2002 that hurt sales and its overall business, but the move wasn´t fatal, company leaders assured analysts Friday. Julie Howard The Idaho…

Silicon Valley-based Mohr, Davidow Ventures, a top-tier venture-capital firm, is closing its downtown Seattle satellite office — the third such closure announcement in a month. By Tricia Duryee Seattle Times Eastside business reporter Similar decisions…

Itron Inc. http://www.itron.com/ Spokane is purchasing a California energy-software services company for $71.2 million. The acquisition of Silicon Energy, a privately held firm in Alameda, Calif., is expected to close before March 1, an Itron…

"Koehler’s journey so far, while impressive, is not unique. Burn Rate seems part of larger forces in the Pacific Northwest: an unmistakable entrepreneurial ethic as seen in the high-tech community and a propensity for some of those entrepreneurs to develop popular low-tech games."

Boise, Idaho, is an odd mix of the Old West and new technologies. Surrounded by the Owyhee Mountains and astride the Boise River, the city, Idaho’s capital, has some neighborhoods that retain the feel of…

JAGGED mountain peaks pierce the clouds as their nine-million-year-old spires loom above a patch of delicate blue harebells still wet with morning dew. The lake below reflects the shifting colors of the rocks — green…