The Soviet Union was nearing its last days as the 1990s dawned. Also at the time, Bloomington-Normal was engaged with Vladimir, Russia, to establish a Sister Cities friendship.

MANILA, Philippines - ATKINS, the United Kingdom"s largest engineering design consultancy firm, is opening a business process outsourcing (BPO) facility in the Philippines within the year to handle most of its back office operations.

In spite of the gloomy national economy, Tri-Citians still are buying cars, clothes and eating out in large enough numbers to generate healthy sales tax revenue for city governments.

Robert Lastimado says that at his north Spokane business, Ultimate Karaoke, he basically rents private spaces to party in. “We don’t sell karaoke,” says Lastimado, 36, of Spokane. “We sell a good time. Everyone is in need of having a good time.”

When Howdy Holmes arrived in 1987 at Chelsea Milling Co. in Chelsea, Mich., the maker of Jiffy mixes, the market was moving rapidly. The family business was not.