Aug. 12--The city of Spokane is considering giving $106,000 to a private developer to spur construction of a six-story, 104-unit apartment building on the east end of downtown. The project, called Riverside Commons, would replace a small drive-through bank building built in 1994 on the corner of Riverside Avenue and Browne Street. Beyond the cash investment from the city, the project would ... Read More

By Alex Brown The Chronicle A long-debated proposal for an ambitious and controversial resort just outside the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park is drawing renewed scrutiny as developers say they're close to finally breaking ground on the project. The Park Junction Resort is a 420-acre plan that includes an 18-hole golf course, 270- room lodge, conference center, tennis courts, swimming ... Read More

Aug. 5--Alcoa's aluminum smelter near Ferndale is on track to install equipment that will meet tougher air quality standards by reducing sulfur dioxide releases by the end of 2022. Following a public comment period Intalco Works and the Washington State Department of Ecology signed off on a plan to install a wet scrubber to reduce emissions of the gas, which is known for a sharp smell and ... Read More

Cosmopolis voters will get a chance to weigh in on the construction of a new $3 million municipal building to house City Hall, the municipal court and the police department in the general election Nov. 5. Read More

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Former Gov. Bill Walker's push to work with partners in China to advance a major liquefied natural gas project in Alaska has been scrapped. Walker's successor, Gov. Mike Dunleavy, is taking a different approach, reports the Alaska Journal of Commerce. Joe Dubler, interim president of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., recently testified before a state legislative ... Read More

Jul. 21--GRAND COULEE DAM -- When workers started pulling apart the three largest hydroelectric units in North America -- capable of supplying more than enough power for all of Seattle -- they found the damage far worse than expected. They encountered large cracks, worn-out bearings and a defect in a critical weld that, if left in place, could fail, unleashing catastrophic flooding inside the ... Read More

Jul. 8--When Sound Transit successfully sought a record $54 billion tax package to finance eight light-rail extensions, more commuter rail and bus rapid transit in 2016, the agency's supporters called their campaign Mass Transit Now. They chose that slogan even though some rail lines won't open for another 11 to 22 years. Traffic Lab recently asked readers what they'd like to know about Puget ... Read More

Jul. 6--RICHLAND, Wa. -- The huge PUREX processing plant at Hanford is at risk of releasing radioactive contamination into the environment the longer it remains standing, according to a new Department of Energy report. The plant built in 1956 is heavily contaminated after being used to chemically process irradiated fuel rods to remove plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. But ... Read More

Jul. 2--Amazon plans to build a 43-story tower in Bellevue -- its tallest building anywhere, as well as the city's tallest -- that would accommodate several thousand employees and signal a deeper commitment to grow in the Eastside city where it has amassed a significant portfolio of office leases. The company on Tuesday began the formal permitting process for the proposed building, referred to ... Read More