Hecla plans to open B.C. office
Hecla Mining Co. will open a Vancouver, B.C., office next week.
“Vancouver is widely recognized as a major mining center, and certainly a hub of exploration activity,” Phil Baker, Hecla’s president and chief executive officer, said. “Our strategy is to be a viable, visible partner for companies that have properties needing exploration and development.”
The office at 580 Hornby St., Suite 440, will open Feb. 5. Dean McDonald, Hecla’s vice president of exploration, will head the office.
McDonald joined Hecla in September. He has 24 years of experience in mining exploration and project evaluation in Canada, South American, the United States and Australia.
Hecla’s headquarters is in Coeur d’Alene, with gold and silver projects in the United States, Venezuela and Mexico.
Spokane
Sterling earnings hit record
Sterling Financial Corp., the parent company of Sterling Savings Bank, on Monday announced record earnings of $73.9 million, or $2.01 a share, for 2006.
This represents 21 percent growth over the prior year, the Spokane-based company said in a news release.
Earnings for the fourth quarter were $22.3 million, or 57 cents a share, up from earnings of $15.4 million, or 44 cents a share during the same quarter of 2005.
Total assets increased 30 percent from 2005 to a record $9.83 billion.
Total deposits increased to a record $6.75 billion, a 40 percent increase over 2005.
New York
Gas prices steady after decline
The price of gasoline held steady last week at an average of about $2.16 a gallon nationwide, following a five-week decline of nearly 18 cents.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported late Monday that motorists paid $2.165 a gallon on average for regular grade gasoline last week, the same price as in the prior week.
Retail gasoline prices are about 18 cents lower than they were at this time last year.
Prices fell the most last week on the West Coast, dropping by 5 cents to $2.506 a gallon. That region’s gasoline is still the most expensive, however.