It's barely springtime, but that old unwelcome summer visitor, $3 gas, is headed back for a stay.

Just look at the distressing figures: the average price of regular gas in Washington hit $2.903 a gallon Friday according to AAA Washington. The price in Tacoma was even higher, $2.937 a gallon.

Prices for mid-grade and premium both topped the $3 mark statewide and in the Tacoma area. Mid-grade prices were $3.008 a gallon statewide on average and $3.042 in Tacoma. Premium was higher, $3.157 statewide and $3.194 in the Tacoma area, according to AAA.

Gas prices have risen steeply in the last month. Regular prices were up 37.9 cents from just a month ago statewide and 33.5 cents a gallon from the same time last year.

=> Read more!

A sign at the entrance to Metropolitan Market last night announced that Wilcox Farms will start selling organic milk – a first for the Roy company.

The family dairy is quietly launching its new product on Monday. The milk will be available at several stores in the area.

The company announced last year that it was moving toward more natural products - the only growing niche in the U.S. milk-consumption market. That brought milk without hormones and more natural and organic dairy items.

Flooring retailer iFLOOR.com opened up in Tacoma this week at 4916 South Center St. It's the 23rd store for the Seattle-based national company.

The 2,500-square-foot store offers online customers in Tacoma a local store presence to browse and purchase a wide selection of hardwood, laminate, bamboo and cork flooring.

iFLOOR.com began testing the "clicks and mortar" concept in late 2004 with its first location in Seattle.

Tacoma Mall General Manager Steve Heim reports that "it looks like the demolition day for the Mervyn's building will be around April 16th."

Heim says shoppers will see a construction fence go up around Mervyn's next week.

Right now construction crews are building a new temporary mall entrance through the east side of Alley Kat so shoppers can get from the parking lot on the south side to stores. It should be ready next week.

Also coming soon: traffic revisions around the parking lot to make it easier to get through the intersection on the north side of the mall.

The aviation press is talking about an engine technology breakthrough from US engine-maker Pratt & Whitney that could accelerate the schedule for developing successors to the venerable Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 jets.

Pratt & Whitney says the new geared jet engine will improve fuel efficiency 12 percent, cut emissions and noise in the ubiquitous single-aisle jets.

The new engine uses a gearbox to optimize the efficiency of the turbine that drives the big fan blades you see when you peer into a jet engine.

=> Read more!

State Senate Democrats have included $1 million in their tentative budget for new moorage and infrastructure for Tacoma's Foss Waterway.

That's short of the $5.4 million the Foss Waterway Development Authority had sought to fund improvements designed to provide a more permanent home of the Tall Ships Festival and for other waterfront activities on the near-downtown waterway.

But FWDA director Don Meyer isn't complaining.

"It's always good news when we hear the Legislature is willing to fund our improvements no matter what the amount," he said.

=> Read more!

Pilot Eric Litchy guides a ship into the Pierce County Terminal.

Try parking a 1,000-foot container ship.

The Institute of Technology at the University of Washington Tacoma is working with the Port of Tacoma to create a tool that could help ship pilots navigate the Puget Sound.

Richard McCurdy, president of the Puget Sound Pilots, said the pilots didn't seek out the assistance, but any new tool is appreciated.

"Our constant desire is the give the ships something they don't already have, that's where some of this study with the Port of Tacoma could come into play," McCurdy said.

So what will this technology be?

Larry Wear, the tech institute's associate director, said the project won't create a new technology, but instead combining existing technologies to make the most out the information.

For example one map might show the port, the tide level and ultra-local information such as whether a container crane boom on a certain waterway is up or down.

The institute makes its recommendations to the port next week.

McCurdy said he's curious about what the end result will be, though he stressed the importance of pilots ultimately trusting their most important tool – their eyes.

Boeing is beating the drums again for its ultra-long range 777-200LR this week, the first anniversary of the twin jet's entry into service.

The 777LR's chief claim to fame is that it can fly farther without stopping – nearly 10,900 miles – than any other commercial airliner.

That makes the 777LR a game changing airplane in that it allows airlines to link most any city in the world with most any other city without stopping at a hub along the way.

Boeing has sold 40 of the planes so far, not bad, but certainly not as many as the company had hoped.

Airlines that have bought the 777LR have established new routes that were largely impossible before the debut of the 777LR or its Airbus rival the A340-600. Among them: Sao Paulo to Dubai on Emirates; New York-Mumbai on Air India.

Several well-traveled routes, New York-Sydney and Sydney-London among them, are still missing from the world's airlines' non-stop timetables.

Those routes (New York-Sydney is 9935 miles and Sydney-London, 10,562 miles) are at the fringe of even the 777LR's range and perhaps more importantly, at the edge of human endurance at 20 or so hours.

Sports and outdoor retailer “G.I. Joe’s” will cut the "G" and "I" from its name.

The new name matches up with the common abbreviation used by customers, the company said today.

“People have been referring to us as simply ‘Joe’s’ for decades now,” said Norm Daniels, President & CEO. “In fact, ‘Go to Joe’s, Grab the Gear, Seize the Weekend’ was our slogan for many years. The official change to ‘Joe’s’ is long overdue.”

Joe's has stores in Lakewood, Puyallup and Federal Way.

A bit of history:

The original name came about in 1952 when company founder, Ed Orkney, sold only military surplus at his store on North Vancouver Boulevard in Portland. But by the early 1960s the company was no longer selling military surplus.

I was at the Tacoma Mall yesterday and noticed that the span between Macy's and what used to be Mervyn's looks different. The biggest change, of course, is that Mervyn's is closed. The store is scheduled to be demolished in the coming weeks. The teen store next to Mervyn's – called Alley Kat – also is closed. The NASCAR store moved to a spot across from Macy's. A photo studio will open soon near The Body Shop.

One other tip for bargain shoppers: Old Navy is going through a denim change and all of its jeans will hit the clearance racks next week. The store will not have jeans until the beginning of June, when its new styles come out.

Your now-almost-daily 787 Dreamliner order news:

Boeing today announced 787 orders from two aviation companies, Columbian airline Avianca and Mideast aircraft leasing firm LCAL.

Avianca ordered 10 787s becoming the first South American carrier to sign up for the Dreamliner. The order is worth about $1.5 billion at list prices.

Dubai-based LCAL, which was founded just to lease 787s, added one 787 to its existing orders. LCAL now has 15 Dreamliners on order. LCAL was the first aircraft leasing company to order the 787, committing to six of the new-technology planes in May 2005.

Melanie Dressel, president and CEO of Tacoma’s Columbia Banking System, announced late this afternoon that Columbia had acquired Mountain Bank Holding Co. of Enumclaw and Town Center Bancorp of Portland. The deals, valued at $60 million for Mountain and $45.1 million for Town Center, will put Columbia’s total assets at $2.9 billion when approved by shareholders and regulators.

Following approvals, expected in the third quarter, Mt. Rainier National Bank will become Mount Rainier Bank, while Town Center will be rebranded as Columbia. Oregon’s Bank of Astoria, acquired by Columbia in 2004, has retained its name.

Based in Enumclaw, Mt. Rainier operates branches in Sumner, Maple Valley, Black Diamond, Auburn and Buckley. Town Center operates five locations in North Clackamas County and Northeast Portland. No immediate layoffs are planned at either bank.

According to Columbia spokeswoman JoAnne Coy, Dressel and other Columbia executives would be discussing the deals with employees at Mt. Rainier and Town Center within the next several days.

Yesterday’s announcement that Restaurants Unlimited had been sold to a Florida capital management firm will have no adverse affect on Tacoma’s Stanley & Seafort’s steak house, the general manager said today.
“It will give us more opportunity to grow. Not one thing will change here,” said Scott Leffel.

Steve Liff, managing director of the $3.5 billion Sun Capital Partners, of Boca Raton, said today that his firm plans to expand the brands of Restaurants Unlimited “organically through the store base as well as through new stores. The company hadn’t grown in recent years.” Liff did not release financial details.

Restaurants Unlimited operates 29 outlets in 12 states. Privately held, Sun Capital operates companies including Crane Plumbing, Lillian Vernon, Mervyn’s and GMAC Financial Services, as well as several restaurant brands.

The Better Business Bureau is alerting businesses and consumers about numerous e-mail scams using the BBB name and fake BBB e-mail addresses. The e-mails contain hyperlinks that can lead to downloads of a computer virus.

Thousands of counterfeit e-mail messages to businesses and consumers, purporting to be a complaint filed with the BBB, have been received all over the United States and Canada, the BBB reports.

=> Read more!

Horizon Financial Corp., Bellingham-based parent of Horizon Bank, today announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share. The dividend will be paid on May 3 to shareholders of record on April 6.

Horizon also announced that fourth-quarter and fiscal-year earnings will be released before the market opens on April 26. The $1.3 billion hank holding company operates 26 offices and loan centers in Western Washington, including a branch in Lakewood.

Today the News Tribune's business team is introducing a new e-mail newsletter called Business Extra. It's a daily update of business news from the Sound Sound.

It comes right to your e-mail inbox each afternoon.

As a subscriber, you'll be the first know the local business news of the day. You'll get sneak previews of stories for tomorrow's paper and bits of South Sound news you won't find anywhere else.

And it's free.

For instructions on how to sign up, click here.

A bulldozer chomps through Kaiser building #65. This photo is courtesy of Chris Milewski, of Shaw Environmental.

The last of Kaiser Aluminum smelter buildings was recently demolished, according to the Port of Tacoma. The 96-acre site in Tacoma's Tideflats will have a new future as part of a port marine terminal.

In less than one year, the port razed all of the site's 70-plus buildings and 16 significant structures (such as 500-foot smokestack). The property is now back to bare dirt.

Originally built in 1941, the plant employed up to 400 people until in shut down in the summer of 2000.

It's been an ill-kept secret, but Boeing expects to roll out the first of its new 787 Dreamliners at a ceremony at its Everett plant on July 8, that's 7/8/07.

Rumor has it that the company may even make the ceremony a double debut with two 787s making their first public appearance on that date. A double reveal would be rubbing a little salt in the wounds of Airbus which has had great problems getting its jumbo A380 delivered to commercial airlines.

The ceremony would be on a Sunday, not the usual day for Boeing to do a rollout, but it would be almost guaranteed to dominate the news on Sunday night and Monday, traditionally slow news days worldwide.

It wasn't the dramatic announcement that some aerospace analysts had expected, but American Airlines today said it will accelerate delivery of 47 Boeing 737-800 aircraft by up to seven years.

American had signed up for those aircraft before the 9-11 tragedy and put them on hold when traffic and revenues declined.

Faced now with finding a way to enhance revenues in an era of high fuel prices, the Fort Worth-based airline said it will begin taking deliveries of some of those more fuel-efficient 737-800s in 2009. The company had originally delayed the deliveries of those planes until 2016.

The planes will replace MD-80s, which still make up the bulk of American's domestic fleet. The 737-800s are 25 percent more fuel-efficient. The company is starting slowly, accelerating the delivery of just three of those aircraft to 2009. But the airline said it will readjust the delivery schedule of others as economic conditions dictate.

Orders for Boeing's ultra-popular 787 Dreamliner are inching toward 500 with more than a year still remaining until commercial service begins.

Travel Service, Prague-based charter carrier, today ordered one 787-8 and took purchase rights for another.

The order is valued at $153 million at list prices. Travel Service operates a fleet of 10 737s. This latest order puts the 787 within spitting distance of 500 in orders.

The 787 is proving popular with charter companies such as Travel Service which are looking to shave every penny from

Along with the debut of the Audi TT, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and Lotus Exige, visitors to the annual New York International Auto Show – opening April 6 – will be able to see some of the standouts from Tacoma’s LeMay Museum collection.

The LeMay cars on display during the first weekend of the show will include a 1912 Standard Electric, 1927 LaSalle 303 Roadster and 1936 Cadillac Series 85 Coupe. LeMay board member Nicola Bulgari will also show a slice of his collection – including a 1931 Chrysler CG1 Imperial LeBaron and a 1940 Buick Estate Wagon, among others – alongside the museum’s offerings.

In all, the LeMay will present 16 cars within a 22,000-square-foot “Heritage & Horsepower” display at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

You may have noticed a brief item in yesterday’s News Tribune concerning the upcoming demise of Life Magazine, which in its latest incarnation served as a thin weekly addition to 103 newspapers, including ours. In a statement, the magazine credited the decision to lessening newspaper circulation.

Well, okay. But one of the ad managers in our building had this to say about life without Life: “They didn’t do anything to make that magazine grow. It’s really easy to blame newspapers. (But) they didn’t offer newspapers a chance to sell ads into it. There wasn’t any communication. They just didn’t get it.”

=> Read more!

Russell Investment Group will add 35 recent initial public offerings to the Russell 3000 and Russell 2000 Indexes after Friday’s close of U.S. equity markets. The stocks, ranging from Accuray Inc. to Xtent Inc., include seven from the financial services sector, seven from health care and five from technology.

For a full list of the additions, visit www.russell.com/Indexes/membership/US/IPOs.asp and click on 1st Quarter 2007 IPO additions.

Tacoma-based Russell provides investment products and services worldwide, and manages $200 billion in assets while advising clients that represent more than $2.4 trillion. The Russell 2000 Index represents small-cap stocks. The Russell 3000 represents the broader market.

Tacoma has another link to Alaska.

Jesse Engineering Company, a Tacoma steel fabricator, constructed a 300-foot-long, 50-foot-wide float, mooring system and passenger gangways that will become part of a cruise ship terminal in Ketchikan, Alaska.

The float will be towed to Alaska by the project’s general contractor ACC Hurlen.

=> Read more!

There's much to be said for electric propulsion for aircraft.

The planes' noise footprint would be small. The pollution they'd emit would be minimal and the motors that power them would be dependable.

The issue has always been weight. Internal combustion power plants, generators and storage batteries have until now been too heavy and bulky to go aloft.

=> Read more!

Chopsticks' patrons enjoy the music.

This is a true story.

Last Saturday night I tried – in vain – to get a reservation at four different restaurants on Sixth Avenue and downtown for sometime before 9 p.m. Didn't happen.

So to placate my grumbling belly (and grumbling husband) we decided to have drinks and appetizers before our 9 p.m. dinner reservations.

This too proved impossible. We were turned away from two bars on Sixth because every table was filled. We finally found a restaurant with a small square of bar to spare – and had just enough time for a drink before dins.

But I'm not complaining. I'm thrilled. And I wonder – does the arrival of the masses to Sixth and Downtown signal some kind of tipping point in Tacoma's continuing (re)development? Or was I just unlucky?

For more restaurant news, head over to Ed's Diner.

Airbus has rescued some $16 billion in orders for its A350XWB new technology aircraft, according to a news report from Vietnam.

The A350XWB is Airbus' rival to Boeing's highly popular 787 Dreamliner.
Reports from Bloomberg News quote Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker saying that his Mideast-based airline will likely sign a formal agreement to purchase the planes at the Paris Air Show in June.

=> Read more!

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday morning issued a special alert concerning counterfeit cashier’s checks drawn on Westside Community Bank of University Place.

Anne Swan, internal auditor at Westside, said some 20 counterfeit checks have come to the bank, and were part of a lottery scam based in Canada.
“We caught it right away,” she said. She suggested anyone receiving a suspicious check should call the bank at 253-565-9737.

Authentic checks bear a security message that begins: “This document has a micro-print signature line...”

Bloomberg News is reporting that Seattle-based Speakeasy, which sells Internet phone service and other products, has been sold to Best Buy Co.

The Minneapolis-based company agreed to acquire Speakeasy Inc. for $97 million to add services for small-business owners.

Speakeasy had sales last year of $80 million and employs about 300 people to serve its more than 40,000 customers. Speakeasy Chief Executive Officer Bruce Chatterley and the rest of the executive team will join Best Buy after the transaction is completed in the next few months.

The Associated Press is reporting a story today about Netflix vacation policy, which is essentially "Take as much as you'd like, just make sure your work is done."

The AP reports that this is one way executives are exploring to both keep Baby Boomers around past the traditional retirement age – and attract a younger generation of workers.

I'll post the story as soon as it comes onto the wire.

In the meantime, it prompts the question –– is allotted vacation time a thing of the past?

Sound Transit today broke ground on Lakewood Station. When complete in the fall of 2008, the $32.5 million facility will feature a 620-stall, four-level garage, bus bays and a Sounder train station platform. Bus service will begin serving the station when it opens, and Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter rail service will start in 2010 - 2011.

“This station adds another major step toward transforming the City of Lakewood. This station will also be a catalyst for economic development and help us revitalize our front door to the city,” said Sound Transit Board member and Lakewood Mayor Claudia Thomas.

Pierce Transit, Sound Transit and Intercity Transit from Thurston County will have routes serving Lakewood Station. Riders will get new connections south to Lacey and Olympia, east to Puyallup, Sumner and East Pierce County, west to Gig Harbor and the Peninsula area, and by bus and train north to Tacoma, Sea-Tac Airport and Seattle.

A colleague spent last week in California and reports that he saw the price of unleaded premium gas near $4.

In the South Sound, prices remained upward bound on Monday. The average price for a gallon of regular-grade is $2.88, as of this morning, according to AAA. That’s up 38 cents from prices recorded both a month ago and a year ago.

The least expensive gasoline in the state could be found in Spokane, at $2.67 per gallon, and the most expensive in Bellingham (nearest the refineries, ironically), at $2.94.

California marked the nation’s highest priced regular-grade gasoline – at $3.18, 60 cents higher than the national average.

Using the restroom aboard an airliner is probably about the closest most of us will ever come to knowing how Clark Kent felt donning his Superman duds in a phone booth.

Now Boeing, at least in two restrooms aboard each of its 787s will offer more elbow, arm and leg room for passengers to maneuver.

Larger restrooms are among the new features designed to make the super-efficient twin-jet friendlier for the disabled, Boeing announced Monday

Among those features:
• A handicapped-accessible restroom nearly six feet square.
• Touchless bathroom fixtures.
• Better-positioned assist bars in the bathrooms and throughout the cabin.
• In-cabin closets big enough to store wheelchairs.
• Larger overhead bins that open either by pulling or pushing the handle.

Boeing worked with the National Center for Accessible Transportation at Oregon State Univesity to develop the accessibility enhancements for the Dreamliner which is due to enter commercial service next year.

Fort Lewis Spokesman J.C. Mathews said today that that the post is no longer considering leasing some its property for private development.

"We are putting consideration of this program on hold indefinitely," Mathews said in a phone interview.

As Fort Lewis continues to grow, Mathews said its hard to know what types of infrastructure may be needed. Putting the post's participation in Army's Enhanced Use Leasing program on hold "serves the interest of the army and those it might partner with in the future," Mathews said.

The polenta was just right, the chicken tender and the chocolate and whipped cream dessert a sweet finish to the Economic Development Board annual meeting and luncheon today at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

The speaker was local (Curtis High School grad Bill Morton of Second Half Strategies, who spoke on the demographic imperatives that will control the future of business) and so was the wine (well, almost – Columbia Crest hails from near Wallula) that served as a prize at each table.

And the table favors...
What better than a yo-yo at each place setting?
Business goes up, business goes down, sometimes the string gets tangled and in the end: It’s all about gravity and momentum.

Reader Dan Landis had an interesting response to today's story about Bill Morton, founder of Second Half Strategies, a consulting company focused on helping businesses target the growing 50-plus market.

Here's what Landis experienced in his recent job search:

I have just spent seven long months looking for work. As a 58 year old, educated, white male, I am appalled at the treatment I have received while looking for work. Fortunately for me, I am now back to work in a place where my training, education and experience are considered valuable instead of "icky"...

... I hope that I am NEVER AGAIN in the position of having to sit across the table from a 22 year old HR "Manager" and be asked questions like "are you still able to get to work okay?"...

...I hear and read about how the older worker is valuable. Absolutely!! But the reality is that employers see us in a very different light and are quite willing to flirt with discrimination laws to keep us out of their workplace.

Is ageism an issue? Will Baby Boomers stand for it? Has anyone else felt their age come into play – subtly or not so subtly – while searching for a job?

If your federal income taxes are paid up and you’ve got maybe 500 hours to spend over the next year improving the IRS, and if you’re a U.S. citizen, then you’re invited to apply for the state’s slot on the IRS Tax Advisory Panel.

The panel provides opportunities for citizen input; identifies and makes recommendations to the IRS on customer-service issues; and prepares an annual report. As a member you’ll even participate in meetings where taxpayers are invited to raise issues about their experiences with the IRS, and you’ll do outreach on behalf of the agency.

The application form will be available, and may be submitted electronically online, at www.improveirs.org through April 30, 2007. If you do not have access to a computer, call 888-912-1227 to request a paper application form.

A construction fence went up this week around the Luzon building at 1302 Pacific Ave. Does that mean Horizon Partners of Oakland will begin the rehabilitation project promised to the city in 2003 when the company bought the building?

The building has been on the city's list of neglected properties for nearly a decade. Trees still grow out of the upper floors.

We'll talk to the owners of the project this week and let you know what they say.

Gig Harbor shoppers will be able to browse at Borders Books, Coldwater Creek and eat at Panera Bread and Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop when the new Uptown Gig Harbor opens at the end of this year.

A 10-screen Galaxy Theatre also is under construction.

Manager John Hogan said today that eventually more than 35 stores will open in the center. Deals have been made with other retailers including some clothing stores but Hogan can't tell us yet because of confidentiality agreements.

We'll let you know when we know more.

K-Line, a Japanese shipping line that calls at the Port of Tacoma, announced this morning that its ships will switch to low sulfur (less polluting) fuel while in port in Tacoma and Vancouver.

The company joins APL, which announced it will switch to low sulfur fuels while at the Port of Seattle, and Evergreen shipping, which switched to the fuel last year. Evergeen ships also call at the Port of Tacoma.

The voluntary measures come as the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and ports of Seattle and Tacoma finish up the first-ever maritime air emissions inventory – an inventory of air pollution generated by the local ports.

That report is expected to be released in early April.

The folks who own Old Milwaukee Cafe, 3102 6th Ave, will bring you cupcakes and pastries this summer in a new space next door to the restaurant.

Owner Pat Kerth said today that she and her husband, Chad, are remodeling a 400-square-foot barber shop into a pastry kitchen.

Pat said she is excited about doing more baking.

"I have baked a lot of desserts already in the space," she said. "Now I can do more."

Starbucks held its annual meeting today. For the Associated Press report on what CEO Howard Schultz had to say, go here.

In the meantime lets discuss the piles of free food offered to meeting attendees.

Mindi Rice, a sports reporter here and a Starbucks barista in her spare time, spent her morning at the shindig. What she saw: Gaggles of free pastries, mochas and lattes all around and samples of a new Starbucks beverage available in a vending machine.

Then – the icing on the Starbucks pumpkin scone – Paul McCartney shows up via satellite TV.

Irl Davis, CEO of A/D Electronics in Gig Harbor, said today that the company, both in Hong Kong and here, has not be sold.

A blog post from earlier this week reported that the company had been sold.

Davis called to clear up the confusion. A/D Electronics Hong Kong is working with a Taiwanese company on a large project and there's some discussion of potential partnerships there, Davis said.

Have car trouble? These are the places to go according to AAA Washington.

• Cornforth Campbell Body Shop of Puyallup
• McCabe’s Automotive
• Titus Will Ford
• Titus Will Toyota of Tacoma

Each year, AAA Washington evaluates the repair work, courtesy of shop employees, and shop cleanliness - measured by customer-satisfaction survey cards - for each AAA Approved Auto Repair facility to determine which shops will receive a AAA Top Shop Award.

=> Read more!

Click! subscribers will be able to watch Chicago Cubs and White Sox games and Barney – the purple dinosaur – on new channels to be added next week.

Chicago-based Superstation WGN and PBS Kids Sprout will debut on Click! beginning March 30.

“WGN has been at the top of our customers’ request list for many years,” said Mitch Robinson, Click! Network marketing and business operations manager. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring over 100 Cubs and White Sox games to our customers."

In addition to the new channels, Click! will move BET on Jazz from channel 61 to 296, the City of Tacoma’s government access channel, CityPost (seen in all Click! areas except University Place), from channel 85 to 21; Pierce County’s C-RCC access channel from channel 86 to 22; and Horseracing TV from channel 427 to 435.

I just got off the phone with Bill Morton, founder of Bellevue-based Second Half Strategies. Morton will be the guest speaker at the Economic Development Board for Tacoma Pierce County's annual luncheon Friday.

He specializes in helping companies navigate the pending "age avalanche" – the rapid growth of the 50-plus population as Baby Boomers enter the second half of their lives.

He introduces companies to this new market (filled with people who like to spend money) and brainstorms new products aimed at 50- to 70-year-olds.

Morton contends that retirement as we know it will become a thing of the past. Boomers may change how they work, but they won't stop working in their 60s. This is causing some forward thinking companies, Morton says, to consider new ways to accommodate older, valuable employees – part-time schedules; several months on, followed by a few months off, etc.

Interesting stuff. Is your company ready for the Age Avalanche?

The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) will hold its 21st International Conference on Business Incubation in Seattle April 1-4. The gathering will also feature an International Trade Forum in Tacoma on March 31.

The forum event will include a tour of the Port of Tacoma, with a breakfast with Congressman Adam Smith, and a forum at the Tacoma Club with sessions on trade-related issues and a luncheon keynote address from Lt. Governor Brad Owen.

The sessions will include such topics as intellectual property risks in China, exporting logistics and economic development.

For more information about the conference and to register for the forum, contact Colleen Hall Barta, assistant executive director of Tacoma’s
William Factory Small Business Incubator at 253-722-5800.

Update: Click here for Wednesday's story on the county and state employment data.

Washington state continues to grow jobs.

February's employment figures were released today. The state gained 4,100 jobs over the month and 61,000 over the year. Meanwhile the unemployment rate decreased from 5.1 in January to 4.8 in February.

Professional and business services leads the way for job generation, followed by the construction industry. The Employment Security Department reports a slight shift in employment from residential to construction – perhaps a consequence of the flattening housing market.

County figures to come.

Karen Say, president and CEO of Saybr Contractors, has been named the state’s Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration. Say, of Puyallup, is a Tacoma-area contractor specializing in commercial and industrial construction services and environmental remediation for petroleum fueling systems.

Say is one of eight state winners of small business awards. Other South Sound award winners are Cheri L. Pieterman of KeyBank as Financial Services Champion, and Jeffrey A. Slotnick of Setracon, Inc. as Veteran Business Champion.

As state winners, Say and the others will compete for national recognition. National winners will be announced during Small Business Week celebrations in Washington, D.C., April 23-24.

State winners will be honored at the Seattle District Office’s annual awards ceremony Friday, May 4 at McCaw Hall. For more information on attending this event please contact Julie McFarlane at 206-553-7342 or at julie.mcfarlane@sba.gov.

Melanie Dressel, CEO of Columbia Bank, has been reappointed to the state Economic Development Commission. Her second three-year term will end in September 2010.

In 2004, she was named one of the top 25 most powerful women in banking by US Banker magazine.

The Commission provides strategic and policy direction to the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.

Attention all you Asado and Masa lovers: The creators of the 6th Avenue restaurants will add another to the family.

Troy Christian, partner and manager of the two restaurants, will create a new restaurant/lounge on the ground floor of the Walker Building at the corner of 6th Avenue and St. Helens Avenue.

From the press release:

Metropolitan Real Estate Development Managing Director Casey Ingels is excited about the partnership. “[Christian] has been successful with El Gaucho’s in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, and with his establishments in downtown Tacoma,” Ingels said. “His vision fits with our concept for developing that area.” That vision includes the historic renovation of the Walker and new construction on the North Walker property. Both will be mixed-use projects, incorporating shopping and dining with residence and parking.

MRD has previously announced its development plans for the property facing the Walker, including parking, residential units, and a major grocery store.

Ever wish you could brush up your customer service skills? Well, now you can. Tacoma Community College will offer its Customer Service Academy, beginning April 21.

The Customer Service Academy teaches skills and competencies for providing good customer service and satisfying customers.

Classes are held at the Washington Institute for Service Excellence: A Skills Assessment and Training Center, located at the Tacoma Mall.
To register or for more information, call 253-460-4418 or visit the college Web site.

Cooperation is the name of the game between the ports of Tacoma and Olympia.

For the first time the two South Sound ports are doing things such as sharing staff and working together on maintenance issues. Port of Tacoma Executive Director Tim Farrell says there's been some initial conversations regarding the ports possibly sharing some of the break bulk business.

This comes in the wake of the ports of Olympia and Tacoma announcing their potential joint development of the Maytown facility in Thurston County. How that partnership would work is still under study.

To solidify this newfound cooperation, both port commissions this week approved Memorandum of Understandings that essentially note the benefits of cooperation and direct the staff to pursue more opportunities for the ports to work together.

Port of Tacoma commission president Connie Bacon said today she envisions similar cooperation with the Port of Seattle in the near future.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has scrapped plans to open its own bank, ending a two-year controversy that roiled financial-services companies that feared direct competition from the world’s largest retailer.

Wal-Mart said today it notified the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. it was withdrawing an application to open a so-called industrial bank in Utah.

“We hope this gets us out of the spotlight,” Jane Thompson, Wal-Mart’s financial services president, said in a telephone interview With Bloomberg News.

The move represents a victory for banking lobbies that feared Wal-Mart would have used the bank to eventually open branches in its stores and dominate the industry.

FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said this morning, "Wal-Mart has made a wise choice." She said the company can play a role "by partnering with banks and others."

Venture Bank has opened its 17th branch, and nobody’s worried that it’s going to pose an easy target for robbers. Along with the branch – which replaces an older facility at Hawks Prairie – there’s a new Lacey Police Department substation.

“Needless to say, their presence is always appreciated,” said Lori Fobes, Venture Vice President of Branch Development, on Thursday.

The new financial center is located at 8308 Quinault Drive, between the Hawks Prairie Casino and the Military Family Monument.

Along with offering a full array of financial services including business and personal banking, mortgage and investment services, safe deposit boxes, ATM and drive-up banking, the new center also features the bank’s signature coffee and fresh baked cookies.

There is no word from Lacey whether donuts have been added to the menu.

Enumclaw Regional Hospital announced today it will affiliate with Tacoma-based Franciscan Health System. The affiliation was unanimously approved by the Enumclaw Regional Hospital Board of Directors on Feb. 19 and endorsed by the Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association at a special meeting yesterday.

Enumclaw Regional Hospital, licensed for 38 beds, is designated as a Critical Access Hospital in a special federal program for small hospitals in rural areas. The non-profit hospital serves Enumclaw, Buckley, Black Diamond, Carbonado, South Prairie, Orting and other nearby communities in Southeast King and Northeast Pierce counties.

Franciscan will build a 90,000-square-foot replacement hospital, nearly twice the size of the existing Enumclaw facility, within three to four years at an estimated cost of up to $40 million. Enumclaw Regional Hospital, which opened in 1949, will retain its name.

The Franciscan organization, with nearly 6,000 employees, includes St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way and a network clinics in Pierce, South King and South Kitsap counties. Construction starts in June on Franciscan’s fifth hospital, St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, which will open in 2009.

Philippine Airlines is ordering two Boeing 777-300ER jets from Boeing and taking purchase rights for two additional planes, the airline said today.

The airline also announced it will lease to additional 777s.

Could Seattle be one of the company's new non-stop destinations when it takes delivery of these long-range aircraft. Sea-Tac Airport has been talking actively with the airline about adding the Puget Sound area to its route map.

In the bad news for Airbus, good news for Boeing department comes word via Air Transport World Online that Airbus' trouble-plagued A380 superjumbo jet continues to have weight problems.

Airbus' biggest A380 customer, Emirates, says the plane is still six tons over its target weight. Extra weight cost airlines extra bucks in fuel expense and in lost passenger and cargo capacity or range.

Emirates President Tim Clark said Boeing has talked with him about ordering 747-8 Intercontinentals instead, but Clark said the newest 747 lacks enough range to fly from Emirates' hub in Dubai to Los Angeles with 400 passengers and a full load of cargo. Emirates had asked Boeing to keep the planned 747-8 at its originally projected size, 450-passengers, and give it more range when Boeing discovered the plane would be more efficient than expected. Instead, Boeing stretched the plane by 17 seats but kept the range the same.

Re: Today's story on potential development of Fort Lewis property.

I heard in reporting there was a flier circulating – produced by the Army – that showed some of the lands Fort Lewis is considering offering up for lease.

I couldn't get a hold of it before my story. But I found a copy from a reader in my e-mail today. Take a peek.

Army EUL Ft Lewis 07.pdf

Starbucks wants to give you a free 12-ounce cup of coffee today from 10 a.m. to noon at local stores.

The Seattle company wants new customers to come in to try its brew.

The Mariners are showing the new 2007 commercials.

This year's TV ad campaign includes seven commercials featuring 17 players, bench coach John McLaren and the Mariner Moose. The campaign was created by Seattle-based Copacino + Fujikado, the Mariners long-time ad agency, and was shot and produced by Blue Goose Productions, according to the team's Website.

One example: The Mariners young and talented double-play combination, Jose Lopez and Yuniesky Betancourt, are in synch both on and off the field. The commercials shows the guys riding a bike together, playing accordians together, brushing their teeth together and playing Connect Floor.

On Small Business Day, here’s a salute
To small business owners, a holler and hoot.
We know you work hard, that you’re doing your best,
And rare is the hour that you’re able to rest.

You’re faced with taxes and state regulation
And then there’s the issue of workers’ compensation.
There’s rules for this and fees for that,
So here’s a gracious tip of our hat.

Your commitment and vision are solid as rocks,
You mean more to a community than any big box.
So thanks for your work, so loud we can hear it,
This country is built on your entrepreneurial spirit.

When Airbus won US Airways' order for the next generation of mid-sized, wide-bodied jets with its A350 a couple of years ago, you had to wonder whether US Airways had picked the A350 on its merits or for other reasons.

Like what? How about a $250 million loan from Airbus to help reorganize US Air in bankruptcy.

But now that that loan is paid and US Airways is merged with America West and the A350 program has been canceled in favor of the A350XWB, US Airways is reportedly looking again at its wide-bodied needs. And this time Boeing and its 787 have been invited to compete.

The A350 cancellation and the consequent delay in A50XWB delivery dates apparently gives Boeing an opening. If the big B could deliver US Airways 787s quicker than Airbus could deliver A350XWBs, the airline could cancel its Airbus order and join the Boeing camp.

Don't think that Airbus isn't pulling out all the stops to halt another defection. Expect them to offer US Airways A330s at bargain basement prices as a stop gap measure and the A350s themselves could be had for a fraction of the list price just to keep a US customer. Expect an announcement in the next week or two.

Well, kinda. It’s about that $30 (or up to $60) refund on this year’s tax form.

In an update today, IRS spokeswoman Judy Monahan reported that Washington taxpayers are still not requesting the Federal Telephone Excise Tax refund – for which most taxpayers are eligible.

Nationwide, 30 percent of taxpayers are not requesting the refund. In Washington, it’s 35 percent – and that translates to $10,216,000 filers could have asked for but did not.

For more information, visit irs.gov.

Sales may be down at Ford and sub-prime lenders may be in the red and singing the blues, but business is good at the Internal Revenue Service.
Numbers released this week (in the Winter 2006-2007 Statistics of Income Bulletin) reveal:

- Taxpayers filed 134.5 million individual returns in 2005, an oncrease of 1.6 percent over 2004.
- Adjusted Gross Income rose 8.9 percent to $7.4 trillion, and taxable income increased 9.5 percent to $5.1 trillion.
- Total income tax increased 11.8 percent to $928.3 billion.
- Net capital gains rose by 36.7 percent to $604.4 billion.
- Total deductions rose 8.4 percent to $1.66 trillion.
- In 2003, non-profit charitable organizations reported revenues of $1.072 trillion.

Word comes from NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) that tomorrow’s Small Business Day gathering at the State Capitol’s Columbia Room is fully booked - but we’re told that if you bring your own lunch and come prepared to stand in the back, you’re still welcome to attend.

NFIB is sponsoring the event along with Redmond’s Independent Business Association.

The day starts with registration at 9:30 a.m., followed by a look at the bills of interest to small business owners in this year’s legislative hopper. Caucus representatives will address the group, and Gov. Chris Gregoire speaks on small business at 1:30.

Likely subjects covered during the day will be affordable health care, workers’ comp and paid family leave.

The Tacoma City Club wants names of emerging leaders in Tacoma. The group is looking for nominations for the 2007 Dennis Seinfeld Emerging Leader Award.

This annual award is given to an individual that best
demonstrates the qualities and values of a community leader, but is not yet well known or established as a recognized leader.

Nomination forms, available on the city club's Web site are due by April 4.

Who would you nominate as an emerging leader in Tacoma? We would like to hear who you think is an up-and-comer.

When Lyn Thompson took the wheel of the sleepy Dome District Development Council two years ago, she could count 13 members. Today, it’s 58.

Monday night, Thompson resigned – in no small part because of Sound Transit’s looming diesel disruption.

“We fought a very good fight with Sound Transit, and it didn’t work. It looks like they’re going to go with freight trains through the district, and it’s going to curtail development,” Thompson said earlier today.

She said she plans to continue working on district and other projects under the mantle of her consulting firm, Corporate Resources. Between now and June she will work to build the council’s Web site, and will develop another site, domedistrict.com, which is not yet available.

“It was a tough decision for me,” she said. “It was not, ‘Oh, well, we lost, I quit.’ That’s not the way I operate. There comes a time when the district will be better off without me. I think it’s for the greater good.”

Her position – and the board position occupied by Keith Stone, who has also resigned – are now open for nominations. If you’re interested in applying, contact Thompson at 253-383-1113 or attend the next members’ meeting, March 15, 8:00 a.m., at Madera Gallery / Madera Fine Woodworking, 2210 Court A (behind Chuckals Office Products).

Could be.

The Army is considering whether to lease some of its Fort Lewis property for private development – a first here in Pierce County.

It would be part of an Army program called Enhanced Use Leasing, in which the army offers up "under utilized" property for private development.

J.C. Mathews, a fort spokesman, stressed that a decision on whether to lease the land has yet to be made. A map from the EUL office shows Fort Lewis being considered and other places in the country that could or already enhanced use leases.

Representatives from the EUL program in Baltimore have visited the post to assess what properties might work.

Janet Kriner, an EUL realty specialist, said the typical lease to developers is 50 years. Money earned from the lease goes back into fixing the property or maintaining other properties on base.

The job market in Pierce County looks good for spring.

Tacoma area employers expect to hire at a healthy pace during the second quarter of 2007, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

Here are the survey results:

April to June, 27 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while none expect to reduce their payrolls.

Another 66 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels.

7 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.

=> Read more!

"As we head into an era of the largest brain drain in the world has ever experienced, that of the baby boomers leaving the work force, it is going to become increasingly important for organizations to keep their best workers."

So says Wendy Harman, an assistant professor of business at Truman State University in Missouri. Harman, a University of Washington Business School alum, and UW Business School researchers authored a paper in the current issue of the journal of Current Directions in Psychological Science on why employee turnover and retention.

As a member of Generation X maybe Y (and one of the workers who will attempt to hold down the fort after the said brain drain) I found the research interesting.

The research focuses on why people stay at jobs – instead of only why they quit. The authors suggest companies focus on this too if they want to retain their best and brightest.

Keep reading for more of research's findings.

But first – which businesses in the South Sound do a good job of retaining their employees? And what are they doing that works?

=> Read more!

When Airbus recently announced its Power 8 program to trim its payrolls by 10,000 workers and to shed unprofitable plants, it created a firestorm among its workers and in government assemblies.

Because Airbus is not just a planemaking company, but a European employment program, shedding that many workers won't be nearly as easy as it was for Boeing to lay off three times that number after 9-11.

Check out this very cool Web site for 360 degree panoramic pictures of some of the labor protests. You need Quicktime movie with Flash enabled to see the full panorama.

Rainforest Action Network is again protesting Weyerhaeuser’s environmental practices.

The San Francisco-based group together with a First Nation tribe from Ontario will protest an environmental award Weyerhaeuser will get today at the Built Green Conference in Everett. RAN says the Federal Way company is using wood from forests that belong to Grassy Narrows First Nation without permission.

Weyerhaeuser spokesman Frank Mendizabal said that the company met with members of RAN and Grassy Narrows on Monday to talk about concerns.

Weyerhaeuser doesn’t harvest logs from those forests, Mendizabal said. But the company does buy logs from another timber company who does the logging. Those logs are used at Weyerhaeuser’s Canadian mills.

“We don’t have a say in this dispute,” Mendizabal said. “Yes, we are buying logs from that land, but this dispute is between the provincial government and Grassy Narrows.”

Weyerhaeuser’s executives have encouraged RAN and the First Nation tribes to discuss the issue with the Ontario government, which owns the forests and has control over tribal claims.

Boeing and Pratt & Whitney announced this week Pratt & Whitney engines will power the proposed 767 aerial tanker.

Boeing's selection of Pratt is contrary to the trend of recent years when the Connecticutt engine-maker has finished second or third in Boeing competitions.

Boeing, for instance, selected General Electric and Rolls Royce as the power plants for customers to pick from on the new 787.

GE is the sole provider of engines on the newest 777s, the 777-300ER and the 777-200LR.

Engines made by a consortium of GE and French engine-maker Snecma are the only engines available on the popular 737.

No doubt the Pratt engines are technically proficient and reliable and thus merit selection on the 767 tanker, which could sell over 500 units. But it also makes sense to send some business Pratt & Whitney's way just to keep the company a viable competitor in the big engine business.

Just as airlines sometimes mix and match their selection of airliner makers between Boeing and Airbus to ensure a healthy competition for their business, Boeing no doubt wants Pratt to remain in the race to give GE and Rolls some competition.

Boeing executives are huddled with airline planners as we speak discussing what they want in a new workaday airliner.

A replacement for the best-selling Boeing 737 has been on and off the drawing boards for literally decades. All kinds of fanciful designs have been contemplated.

In the late '80s Boeing seriously considered a plane the company dubbed the 7J7 with rear-mounted "prop-fan" engines for super fuel efficiency.

But Boeing, in the interest of saving itself money and providing its customers with a less-radical solution to their everyday airliner needs, revamped the '60s-era 737 for a third time creating the ubiquitous "Next Generation" 737.

Now, its apparently time to finally say goodbye to the proven 737 design and start with a clean sheet of paper.

The aviation rumor mill is suggesting the first 797 (we'll call it that because that's the next number in the 7 sequence) could enter service sometime between 2013 and 2015.

For some airlines such as Southwest, which has built its whole franchise around the 737 and who is Boeing's best 737 customer, the move is overdue.

=> Read more!

It sounds so official.

The unbanked are people who don't use banks. The state's Department of Financial Institutions plans on spending a day later this month in Seattle talking with banks about how to reach them.

Who might the unbanked be?

According to the DFI:
- A fisherman getting off commercial vessels with of tens of thousands of dollars in his pocket representing his share of “the catch.”
- A landscaper and tree trimmer who never banks the cash payments he receives and uses a check casher to cash any personal checks, losing 10% or more of his income to check cashing fees.
- A legal immigrant from Russia who because of his experiences with banking in his home country does not trust or use financial institutions here.
- A young person working their first job.

=> Read more!

Weyerhaeuser has been filing a lot of SEC documents lately related to the spin-off of its fine paper operations.

Today the forest products company filed about two dozen documents showing that executives at Weyerhaeuser are selling company stock.

Now before you assume that something is up, consider this: Employees at the company who worked on a deal to shift the paper operations to Canadian company Domtar couldn't sell any stock between last summer and last week, Weyerhaeuser spokesman Bruce Amundson said today.

Last Wednesday, the deal closed. And now employees are free to sell stock.

The price of the company's stock has risen a lot in those months. Shares went from about $55 last summer to $80.88 today.

Goodwill employee Joani Reese puts labels on samples of Weyerhaeuser decking-- an example of assembly work done in the Contracts Department of the Commercial Services Division of Goodwill Industries of Tacoma.

Tacoma Goodwill is planning to triple its services in the next five years. The not-for-profit provides job training and placement services for people with disabilities or disadvantages.

The initiative includes building a new, $18.7 million Work Opportunity Center at Tacoma Avenue and South 27th. The 65,000 -square-foot building would include a new Youth Career Development Center serving at risk youth.

So who is paying for the project?

Goodwill is starting its first capital campaign since the 1960s, when it built its current building. Some money has already been promised:

- Gov. Chris Gregoire has allocated $1.5 million in her budget to the project. Of course, this has to survive the Legislature.

- The Gary E. Milgard Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have kicked in $2 million and $1 million respectively.

- Goodwill itself will fund a third of the project.

And, according to information from the organization, the rest will be raised.

Trader Joe's in University Place is collecting zip codes from customers.

When I asked the clerks last week why the company wanted the information, I was told – on two different occasions – that the company was trying to figure out where its customers lived. That information could be used to figure out whether there's support for another Pierce County store, one clerk said.

Trader Joe's corporate is mum on the subject.

Spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said today that she couldn't comment on expansion plans.

"We're just trying to improve our ability to get the Fearless Flyer into the hands of our customers," she said.

For those of you who don't shop at the grocery store, the Fearless Flyer is the company's promotional publication that tells shoppers what's new.

Boeing began the week with three significant orders, one from Continental Airlines,one from a Mideast aircraft leasing company and the other from a Russian freight and heavy equipment carrier.

Continental increased its order from the present 20 to 25 787 Dreamliners. Continental is one of only two U.S. legacy carriers to order the 787. The other is Northwest.

Kuwait-based aircraft leasing company Alafco Aviation Lease ordered 18 aircraft who total list price is $2.26 billion. The order includes 12 787-8 Dreamliners and six 737-800s.

Alafco is an equal opportunity leasor having also ordered Airbus A350s and A320s in the past.

Russia's Volga-Dnepr ordered five new 747-8 freighters to be delivered beginning in 2010. The company has an option to buy five more 747-8s.
The company already has 10 747-400 freighters on order or in service.

Volga-Dnepr is best known for operating huge Anotov AN-124 frieghters to carry outsize cargo. The AN-124 is similar in appearance to the U.S. C5 military airlift aircraft. AN-124s have been seen from time to time in the Puget Sound area transporting specialized cargo. One recently was chartered to carry machinery from Japan to South Carolina to aid in the production of Boeing's first 787. Most recently, AN-124s were in the news carrying America's Cup yachts from New Zealand to Spain.

AN-124

I'm just back from the Victory Lane speech by race winner Jimmie Johnson and listening to second-place finisher Jeff Gordon (Nicorette/DuPont) and third-place finisher Denny Hamlin (FedEx/Kinko's) talk about the tenuous conditions on the track that had him complaining about the slick conditions.

Attendance estimate for today's race in Las Vegas: just short of 170,000.
Could Kitsap County handle that number?

The arc of the seating area swings around roughly half of the racetrack to accommodate the large crowds.

Here the M&Ms Ford, driven by David Gilliland, moves from the garage to the pits before the race...

...which raises the question, "What other potential products should sponsor a racing team but don't?"

See more on sponsorships

=> Read more!

You can't tell from this viewpoint -- the second deck of the Neon Garage -- but Jeff Gordon leads a tight race with seven yellow caution flags so far.

Thirty minutes before the scheduled start, the drivers each get an individual introduction on a stage in front of the finish line grandstand.

The cars look much, much, much faster in person than they do on television. On TV it appears plodding. In person, yikes. Scary fast.

Before this year's race, this track underwent a reconstruction that raised the angle on the banked oval. That means higher speed.

Reports from the drivers to their pit crews indicates the added speeds that go with a higher angle on the track means they're having a tough time holding their cars on the track.

That might explain four yellow caution flags and six drivers out of the race...so far.

This is a spectacle. I don't understand it all, perhaps because I don't know much about cars. But this is a money machine. People everyone in some racing wear. I saw one couple with dueling wardrobes. Him in a Tony Stewart Home Depot T-shirt. Her in a Jimmie Johnson Lowe's blue jumpsuit.

There's a yellow caution flag out because the No. 6 car, ironically sponsored by AAA, crashed on the first lap. I wonder who the driver's going to call for help? (That's a bad joke.)

So I'll tell you about Neon Garage. It just opened as a new infield fan attraction with food booths, vendor booths and a music stage ringed by the garages where the crews of the cars work as if in a fish bowl - with glass windows for the fans to watch them in action.

This new feature at this track acknowledges that NASCAR is pure entertainment dependent on fan satisfaction. From all appearances, the fans enjoyed it.

Up on the stage this afternoon was a Reba McEntire impersonator.

We just went through the individual introductions of all 53 drivers - with Robin Leach as the emcee. Now, the security forces have started clearing the front stretch where folks with certain passes got to stand on the track in front of the stage.

(Wish I could get you a photo of it, but all of a sudden my ability to upload photos just went haywire. Not sure why or if I'll be able to fix it.)

Meanwhile, we'll soon have the National Anthem sung by "Phantom of the Opera" heroine Sierra Boggess.

And, I'm sure you know by now, Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne, will start No. 1 in the pole position. He broke his own track record here during qualifying.

Have you heard of Mark Wahlberg?

The actor formerly known as the leader singer of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch appeared here with director Antoine Fuqua to promote their new motion picture, "Shooter."

During a short Q&A, Robin Leach (remember the TV show, "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous?") asked Wahlberg what he thinks of NASCAR.

"I just came from the Super Bowl, and it wasn't this big," he said.

Wahlberg fessed up to driving illegally at up to 130 mph and hopes to get on the track someday.

NASCAR brings out the celebrities. Former NBA basketball star Magic Johnson appeared with representatives of Samsung, the electronics company, and Best Buy, the electronics store. Magic accepted a check for his foundation, which provides scholarships and other support for minorities.

Magic has worked with NASCAR to increase the diversity of participation in racing - behind the wheel and behind the scenes. As a result, more than 100 interns representing various cultures have worked in NASCAR and a several African American drivers have started their way up the ranks.

One reporter asked Magic if he thought it was taking too long for minorities to make their mark out on the track. No, Magic said, we want to earn it not have it given to us.

Magic, in good humor, likened it to the Caucasian player trying to make the NBA. "You'd want him to earn it," he said.

(I got some good video of the press conference, but, alas, I don't have the software to get it out of the camera. I'll fix that when I get home.)

Part of the fan experience here involves guided tours and unguided access to the pit area where newbies to NASCAR can get insights from the racing teams.

Here a rep from the Certainteed racing team describes how drivers use their tachometers to record their speeds and judge when to shift.

This Coors Light pit edutainer asks who's attending their first NASCAR race. (Like me.) He then tells them to watch the action in Turn 1 today. "It's loose there," he said. "We saw a lot of cautions yesterday (in the prelude race: Sam's Town 300) because of problems in that turn."

For all you folks from Fort Lewis & McChord Air Force Base. You're represented here in Las Vegas.

The U.S. Army Chevrolet sits along pit row where fans can get an up-close look at the car Mark Martin will drive this afternoon. Martin will start in position No. 27.

The U.S. Air Force Ford, driven by Jon Wood, gets a prep check along pit row. Unfortunately for the Air Force, Wood will start second to last in position No. 52.

Take a look at these shots from just outside the media center behind pit row.

See more photos

=> Read more!

Now that I've had my muffin and coffee, let me tell you why I am here. I used my air miles to fly down here, because I wanted to understand more about the NASCAR race experience.

I have never attended a NASCAR race before today. I have never thought about attending one before. I've never watched a full race on TV. I don't consider myself a car racing fan – yet. The only driver I could ID if he walked in the room in civvies would be Jeff Gordon.

But I am a believer in snagging lucrative economic development initiatives that makes sense for our region.

I'm here to see if this spectacle would fit in Kitsap County.

Impressions so far:
If your only track experience involves visits to Spanaway Speedway, Pacific Raceway (former Seattle International Raceway) or a monster truck show at the Tacoma Dome, you have no idea of the magnitude of this event.

When I drove out here last night on five-lane Las Vegas Boulevard North, there wasn't much traffic at all. The track sits across the road from Nellis Air Force Base at the northern fringe of the metropolitan valley.

When I drove out this morning at 6:45 a.m., the overnight work of transportation crews was evident in the rows upon rows of orange pylons that expanded the inbound traffic to take over all but one lane. Police officers and track workers manned all the gate entrances. Not a lot of traffic at that early hour, however.

On Interstate 15 approaching this part of Vegas, portable electronic readerboards direct motorists to tune to one AM station and one FM station for traffic advisory information.

These folks are pros. They've done this before.

From the media center in the track's infield, I took a quick walk around the pits to get a couple of photos panning the grandstands so you could get a feel for the size of the place.

The people you see, aside from the crews and workers, are early-bird fans in for a walking tour around the outer ring of pit row.

(I thought I could insert video clips, but I don't think I have the software installed yet to upload them. Sorry. I'll save them for when I get back in town.)

Here are some early birds getting an up close look at the pit preparations.

This view from a balcony just off the media center looks out on a sea of RVS where folks camped in the infield behind the race car trailers and on a hill above the backside of the track.

What can we learn about the proposed NASCAR track near Bremerton in Kitsap County by experiencing NASCAR's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 today in Las Vegas?

Maybe a little. But probably not a lot.

But, hey. I'm in Vegas. :-)

So far:
• Plane arrived 9:30 p.m. Saturday night.
• Rented a Ford Mustang from Avis.
• Drove out to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to get the lay of the land.
• Parked on the roof level of the California Hotel & Casino parking garage at 1:06 a.m. Sunday, woke up at 5:12 a.m. (That's just three hours sleep because I had to set the clock ahead an hour.)
• Grande non-fat mocha with an extra shot at Starbucks.
• Picked up media credential at the speedway at 7 a.m.
• Now in the media center -- plugged in at a personalized work station next to ESPN and some journalists from Germany.
• Pit crews setting up outside the window -- erecting pit towers, rolling in piles of tires.
• Breakfast for the media starts at 9 a.m.

First impression: this place is mammoth. Not sure if I can capture the size of it in a photograph, but I'll try. Stay tuned.

Good news for South Sound "Cleopatra" and "Milk Money" slot machine fans - it won't be long until the Puyallup Tribe of Indians expands its operation in Fife.

With the lots as full as they seem to be most hours of the day, you might soon be able to find a place to park.

The tribe recently purchased land just north of its present location at 5700 Pacific Hwy. E. One parcel, closest to the casino hotel, will be made into a parking area. Another is being leased to a seller of recreational vehicles.

Tribal liaison John Weymer said Friday afternoon that the first phase of expansion will mean 700 more slot machines at the casino. The tribe is currently allowed 3,000 machines, and operates 2,600. If today's decision from Olympia to expand the number of allowed machines is fully realized, the tribe will one day operate 3,500 machines at its two casinos.

"It's not just gaming that we're going to add," Weymer said. "We will add office space for casino and hotel offices. We will also add a pool and a spa facility, and we will probably add a second restaurant, high-end."

Sloan Clack, assistant to Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Ken Madsen, said late Friday afternoon that the tribe purchased seven parcels of land north of the casino in late December for $11,181.872.

Weymer said the tribe will "go through the application process to put the land into trust status."

Weyerhaeuser filed its proxy statement today, which tells us how much the company's executives made. So what does the top job at the Federal Way company pay?

CEO Steve Rogel made about $4 million last year as head of the paper, lumber and timber company.

The breakdown: $1,286,538 in salary; $46,915 in company stock; $1.2 million in stock options; $1.3 million in bonuses; $231,000 in deferred compensation and $30,377 in other compensation including financial counseling.

Maybe not this green, but...

APL – a container ship line that calls the Port of Seattle – plans to make a big announcement in Seattle next week about changes they're making to reduce air emissions.

The company wouldn't say today exactly what they plan to announce (thus killing the suspense). But their activities in Los Angeles last December might provide a hint.

This news precedes the results of a Puget Sound Maritime Port Air Emissions Inventory set to be released in April. The inventory will provide a baseline of pollutants and their sources in the Puget Sound and local ports, including Tacoma.

An American Airlines executive told the press earlier this week he expects the airline will announce orders to begin replacing its fleet of 300 MD-80s "in the near future."

This is likely to be a big order for Boeing's 737, which this year is off to a slow start with just two orders after a record year last year of 700-plus orders.

Here's why its likely American will order Boeings and not Airbuses, though anything could happen:

* American has already accepted delivery of 77 737-800s from Boeing, so the airline has a maintenance, training and pilot infrastructure already geared up to handle that plane. Airlines lean toward fleet simplification rather than complication.

* American is an all-Boeing airline with the exception of a few Airbus A300s.

* The airline has ordered 124 737s but suspended deliveries shortly after 9-11.

* American and some other legacy carriers had talked about waiting until the 737 replacement began flying before buying new single-aisle planes, but that replacement plane is unlikely to fly before 2014 at the earliest and more likely some time after that. Boeing hasn't yet announced the beginning of formal replacement design project though the company has been informally designing replacement concepts for several years.

* With fuel prices rising again, American can't afford to keep flying the MD-80s much longer because of their 20 percent fuel burn penalty over the 737-800.

Expect an order stretched out over several years with easy options for American to switch to the new generation single aisle when it comes out.

Sounds good.

I spoke with Dennis McLerran, executive director of Puget Sound Clean Air Agency this morning. He informed me of the Faster Freight, Cleaner Air conference that is coming to Seattle this May.

The conference will connect freight mobility and regional infrastructure issues with efforts to reduce air emissions in the goods moving industry.

Such efforts are already here in Tacoma. For example one year ago, the Husky Terminal at the port switched to using biodiesel in its yard equipment. The port itself replaces older vehicles with new, electric hybrids and also uses low-emission fuel. Tacoma Rail is exploring an train engine that burns cleaner. More on this later.

Know of any other connections between "green" practices and local industry? Pass them along.

First there was the Alaskaair.com plane. Then the Disney plane. Then the "Salmon Thirty Seven." Then the "Make A Wish" Disney plane. The yet another Disney aircraft and a new Alaskaair.com 737. Now comes the Alaska 75th Anniversary aircraft.

Alaska is making their planes into flying billboards. This isn't uncommon in the industry these days. Southwest has several planes in various state paint schemes. American has an historic logo plane with the original orange "lightning stripes." Qantas has painted a 707 in a vintage paint scheme and actor John Travolta has flown it on a promotional tour.

So far, Alaska has resisted selling the outside of their aircraft to commercial advertisers. Remember Western Pacific Airways. Europe's Ryanair, which makes most of its money not from fares but from selling goods, ads and services, paints some of its planes with paid advertising.

Get a look at more examples.

=> Read more!

Airbus today put the first orders on the board for its A350XWB, its new rival to Boeing's upcoming 787 Dreamliner.

Finnair ordered 11 of the twin-aisle wide-bodies. The new aircraft will be delivered in 2014, five years after the first 787 enters commercial service. Boeing now has 464 787 orders.

It only makes sense that Finnair ordered the A350XWB. It had an existing order of nine of the plane's predecessor, the now defunct, A350. No one's talking, but Airbus no doubt made Finnair an extremely attractive offer to sign up for the new aircraft in lieu of damages from its cancellation of the previously planned A350.

Airbus' A350 first ran into trouble last spring when some of its biggest customers complained the aircraft was not competitive with the 787. Airbus went back to the drawing boards and produced a plan to build the A350XWB. That plane will compete with both the upper end of the 787 capacity range and the lower end of the 777 capacity range. It will be slightly wider than the 787 but slightly narrower than the 777. It apparently will eventually replace Airbus' A340/330 line of mid-sized aircraft.

Boeing's suddenly hot 767 freighter won six more orders today. These were from express delivery firm DHL. At list prices, the order is worth $894 million.

The order is another indication that express carriers are needing more capacity, and they're turning to a tried-and-true product, the 767, to fill their needs.

DHL several years ago bought Seattle's Airborne Express. In the process, they absorbed Airborne's 767 freighter fleet. The DHL order follows an order by UPS for 27 767 freighters last month.

Meanwhile UPS has cancelled orders for the Airbus A380 superjumbo. Expect an order from UPS soon for the freighter versions of the 747-8 or the 777 or both.

The state Employment Security Department released its list of the year's Hottest Jobs today. In the top spot: Veterinary technicians. No. 2: Architects.

Version of those two careers show up elsewhere in the top 25, which also includes veterinarians, veterinarian assistants, architectural drafters and landscape architects.

The list notes jobs that will be in demand over the next year. It's based on economic projections and survey data from Washington businesses.

Reporters didn't make the list. Click here for the ESD's full report.

Nearly two million people nationwide – including 47,900 in Washington – have tax refunds waiting, and a deadline nears for any claims.
The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday it has $2.2 billion in refunds that have gone unclaimed by taxpayers who failed to file returns for 2003.

To claim the refund, taxpayers must file their 2003 returns by April 17.

After that, all unclaimed funds will be forwarded to the U.S. Treasury.

People may not be aware they have money coming to them. Likely refunds are due to those who may have had taxes withheld from wages, or made payments against taxes but had too little income to require filing a return. Some taxpayers may also be eligible for the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, the IRS said.

For Washington taxpayers, the IRS estimates some $62.6 million remains unclaimed, for an average of $644.

And because most gifts such as this come with small print, the IRS notes that refund checks for 2003 returns will be held if taxpayers "have not filed tax returns for 2004 or 2005. In addition, the refund will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS and may be used to satisfy unpaid child support or past due federal debts such as student loans."

Other than that, you've got six weeks.

For more information, visit www.irs.gov or call the IRS help line at 800-829-1040.

Authorities have yet to find Darrel Kempf, the former Graham car dealer featured last week in a KOMO-TV report.

Kempf’s vehicle was found in late January overturned in the surf on a remote Pacific County beach – and Kempf had disappeared. Since then, the Pierce County Sheriff has opened an investigation because of irregularities at the Graham dealership, which did business as Triad Marketing. The investigation, spokesman Ed Troyer said Tuesday, remains open, and has been supplemented by “a lot of auto theft reports.”

Brad Benfield, spokesman for the State Department of Licensing, said Tuesday that investigators at his agency have opened or are about to open 35-40 cases.

It turns out that titles to some of the cars from Triad may not have been properly transferred. “It could be a car that was traded or consigned. If someone purchased a car, and used another car for a trade in, there may be a bank or finance company that could be involved,” Benfield said. “We usually have, in a two-year period, one or two dealers go out of business and we talk to victims. This is a big one.”

Meanwhile, Kempf is still missing and his family has received a letter hinting that he’s dead. But for the sad fact that some good South Sound people may have lost money, it sounds a little like Agatha-Christie-meets-Monty-Python.

If you were a customer at Triad and you think there may be a problem with your own deal, contact the Department of Licensing at www.dol.wa.gov.

The latest county unemployment rates came out yesterday. Pierce County's unemployment rate jumped a full percentage point from 4.8 percent in December to 5.8 January – one of the largest monthly increases in four or five years.

Part of that increase is seasonal as employers lay off their holiday help. But Paul Turek, an economist with the Employment Security Department did say that the magnitude of the jump further confirms that the local economy is slowing down.

"It's added confirmation that we are not in as great of a position in 2007 than where we started in 2006," Turek said.

For more numbers, check out the ESD's Web site.

The rest of the employment stats came out last week and you can read about them here.

At least 15 employers will gather next Tuesday, March 13, for a job fair at the Tacoma Goodwill office, 714 S. 27th St. The event starts at 9 a.m. and goes through noon.

The list of employers looking for workers includes Chevron, La Quinta Inn, TJ Maxx, Wild Waves, Top Foods, Safeway, Taco Del Mar, KFC, McDonald’s, Baremore, Select Agency, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza, Starbucks and Tacoma Goodwill itself.

The employers are looking for people interested in production, retail and custodial work, plus employees for other positions. For more information, contact Wesley Chism at 253-272-5166 or by email at wchism@tacomagoodwill.org.

If you’re planning to attend, and you’re serious about a new job, the Goodwill advises that you bring several copies of your resume and come appropriately dressed to impress.

Last week we blogged on an alert from the FDIC concerning counterfeit cashier's checks reported by Tacoma's Pierce Commercial Bank. Such alerts are not uncommon - so far in March, the feds have issued alerts on bogus paper written on banks in Montana, Maine and Minnesota, as well as Tacoma.
So what's a consumer to do if that cashier's check looks hinky?

Frank Gresock, FDIC spokesman, offered some advice this morning:

Their best course of action is to check with the issuing bank, whose name appears on the check. If there’s a phone number on the check, don’t rely on that. We’re finding that the scamsters are putting their phone numbers on the checks, and they can control the message they give to the consumer. If you’re the counterfeiter, you say, ‘Oh, yes, the check is good.’
You should independently get to the issuing institution, either by going to the Web or get a phone book and look up the number of the bank.
Don’t rely on one that’s printed on the check.

The Airbus press release diplomatically said nothing about Indonesian airline Adam Air's tragic safety record but instead touted the Airbus A320's comfort and efficiency.

But the unsaid implication was there: Goodbye unsafe Boeings. Hello safe new Airbuses.

The announcement that Adam Air was acquiring 30 narrow-bodied A320s to replace its Boeing 737s not quite so coincidentally came last month just two days after the airline's second major incident. Both those involved Adam Air's fleet of older Boeing 737s.

In that Feb. 21 incident, an Adam Air Boeing 737, landing amidst gusting winds and rain at Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, cracked in half as it slammed into the runway. Fortunately, all 148 passengers survived.

The hard landing incident came less than two months after an Adam Air 737-400 disappeared while on a two-hour flight between two Indonesian islands. One hundred two passengers and crew are presumed dead in that crash.

There's no indication that inherent design flaws in the 737 were at fault
in either incident or any of a handful of other safety incidents that have plagued the carrier.

Some Adam Air pilots and employees have complained of having to fly or dispatch Adam Air Boeings with non-functioning equipment or in weather unsuitable for flying, but the company denies the claims.

Indonesia temporarily grounded the airline's fleet of 737-300s for inspections after the hard landing.

Though the airline has never made the connection, it appears that Airbus was aided in its sales effort for the A320 by the airline's efforts to put the safety incidents behind it. The airline clearly wants to disconnect itself with anything that would remind passengers of its suspect safety record and the name Boeing was one of those.

The Tacoma Downtown Merchants Group has new leadership.

Patricia Lecy-Davis, owner of Embellish Multi-space Salon, will run the business group for the next 12 months.

Lecy-Davis takes over for Marty Campbell, owner of Buzzards CDs, who served for two terms. Ken Grassi was added to the executive board as vice president.

We'll find out soon what she has planned for the group that promotes business and downtown tourism.

Anti-war protests have arrived at the Port of Tacoma.

Peace activists from Tacoma and Olympia will be holding demonstrations all week in the Tideflats and around town to protest the military's use of the port to load ships full of supplies bound for Iraq.

Some of the protesters are part of Olympia Port Militarization Resistance – a group that takes credit for the military using the Port of Tacoma for load out instead of Olympia. Things down there went a bit awry last May.

I thought blog readers may want to know the extent of military biz conducted by the ports of Tacoma and Olympia in the past few years. Here's a little chart:

Port of Tacoma
2004 - 5
2005 - 0
2006 - 3

Port of Olympia
2004 - 5
2005 - 5
2006 - 2

=> Read more!

Comes a note (and a plea) from Lakewood writer Val Dumond. Her story begins when she buys a car in October from “a reputable dealer.” Dealer finances the transaction through Wells Fargo. When the December payment comes due, Dumond still hasn’t received the paperwork.

She discusses the matter at a local branch, and makes a payment there.

No response. No paperwork. January comes due. Through the ice and snow, she goes to the branch and makes another payment. By February, she’s getting calls from the collection people. One, she says, is from a woman named “Janine,” who is “rude and insolent.”

Dumond writes letters. She tries to reason with Wells management. She calls a few agencies in Olympia. Meanwhile, she says, “I’m looking forward to a huge late fee and possible repossession.”

Meanwhile also, she writes The News Tribune. The News Tribune calls Wells and forwards the information.

Two days later: problem solved. Citing privacy concerns, the bank cannot offer details about what went wrong or who made what mistake.

Dumond confirms that she’s heard from executives who apologize and who have made everything right.

Moral of the story: Be careful. Write letters. Take notes. Note names.

Trust the media.

It was in June 2005 that the Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau moved the Tacoma Visitor Information Center to the downtown Courtyard by Marriott - and the center on Saturday saw its 10,000th guest.

Jane Lister Reis came from Seattle, and she was in town to see some glass.

For hitting the milestone, Reis received a gift basket that included, among other local treats: an umbrella, a gift certificate from the Marriott, the same from Avanti Spa, a Mount Rainier jigsaw puzzle and some Almond Roca.

“The VIC used to serve 100-200 visitors per month in the old location, and now it helps an average of nearly 500 visitors per month – reaching a high last August of 818 visitors,” said Anne-Marie Jesse, VIC visitor services manager.

Ten percent of the curious visitors so far have come from foreign countries other than Canada, 8 percent from California, 7 percent from Oregon, 4 percent from Canada and 2 percent each from Texas and Illinois.

The Chinese are again talking today about designing and building a 737/A320-sized narrow-bodied airliner to compete with Boeing's and Airbus' offerings. According to the latest report, the Chinese plan to fly the first prototype in 2010 and put it into commercial service shortly after.

Should American and European planemakers be afraid of a new, low-cost competitor?

Yes and no.

Yes because:
* The Chinese may have the technical ability to design and build a new airliner.They are currently beginning to produce a regional jetliner called the ARJ21 that greatly resembles in size and design the former Douglas DC-9: three and two seating, two rear-mounted engines, the same 78-105-seat size. (The new plane they talked about today would be larger than the ARJ21.)
* The Chinese also built a number of McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 jetliners more 15 years ago under contract with the St. Louis-based company.
* Airbus is setting up an assembly line for its A320 jetliners in China.
* Chinese companies build major subassemblies for both Boeing and Airbus jets.
* Their own growing internal market is huge with the need for more than 2,400 airliners in the next few years.
* The Chinese, like Boeing and Airbus, rely on Western companies for such sophisticated parts such as the engines, avionics, landing gear and so forth.

No, because:
* Their several previous attempts to build and market Chinese-built commercial aircraft have foundered.The MD-80 program stumbled because of production problems
* The ARJ21 has yet to generate orders outside China.
* Their design-build timetable, 3-years, seems wildly optimistic by Western standards. Even with accelerated design schedules, it typically takes about 6 years for Boeing or Airbus to create and bring to market a new airliner.
* Other countries have succeeded in producing technically competent commercial aircraft, but have failed to produce a commercially successful airliner. Russia and its former republics produced a whole
cafeteria of airliner choices but their sales are measured in handfuls a year. The Dutch, Swedes and British once produced airliners for commercial service and sold them in fair numbers. None of these countries remains a significant factor in the airline business.

In the end, becoming a big factor in the airliner business is more than having a technically-viable product. It's a matter of reputation, sales, service and relationships created over decades.

But if the Chinese even succeed in tapping their own internal market as a beginning step, they pose a significant business threat to Boeing and Airbus, which are counting on the Chinese market for the a big piece of business.

Attention Costco shoppers: The new electronics return policy isn’t in effect yet. That means you can return the TV you bought last week whenever you want. Not that Costco wants you to do that but CFO Richard Galanti called us this week after a story ran to make sure consumers know that the new return policy doesn’t start until March 12 in Washington stores.

Galanti also wanted to point out that Costco’s new 90-day return policy is the best in the business. The company also is adding a “concierge” tech support line to help customers install the new, fancy TVs.
“The people on the tech-support line have a direct link to the manufacturers,” he said.

Some unhappy customers have sent Galanti e-mails. “This is not something we decided overnight,” he said.

Tears fell late this week as customers found out the Strap Sports Club at 15022 Pacific Ave. S. has closed - after 32 years in business.

Some regulars have left flowers outside, as if to say Rest in Peace.
Owner Miriam Romero said there were chickens in the parking lot when the popular neighborhood gathering place opened. The chickens are gone and the strip malls have arrived all along the highway, but the Strap has earned a reputation as a place where folks from all walks of life (and their children) could come for a meal and share in the Spanaway spirit.

"It's our oasis for a clean safe place,where you can bring your kids and play pool," Romero said.

She said she'd been without a lease for several months, and was trying to renegotiate when the owner, Goodwill Industries, said there would be no further negotiations. She's thinking about a fixtures sale in the next few weeks to raise money to pay off creditors.

She said there's a rumor that a big-box hardware store was looking at the site.

The real estate management company wouldn't comment on rumors Friday, and a Goodwill spokesman was unavailable.

They were picking flowers for the Boeing 767's funeral as recently as a year ago. The quarter-century-old design was running out of orders, and no one except the U.S. government seemed interested in buying a bunch of new ones.

And with the Air Force's plan to buy the 767 as an aerial tanker crashing amid Boeing's procurement misdeeds,the prospects were bleak. (The company had essentially brided the procurement official with the promise of a lucrative job after retirement.)

Boeing seriously wondered how it could keep the production line turning while it paid its political penance for cheating.

Flash to today. The 767 in the first two months of 2007 is the most popular plane on Boeing's annual order books with 36 ordered since Jan. 1. With those orders, Boeing's venerable twin has surpassed the 1,000 mark in orders.

Those orders were built in part on Boeing's yet undisclosed plans to update the 767 to compete more effectively with it's decade-newer rival, the Airbus A330.

Industry sources suggest this is what Boeing has up its sleeve:
* A new electronic cockpit modeled after the one in the 777.
* Extended wings and raked wingtips from the 767-400.
* New, more fuel efficient engines.
* Heavier duty landing gear and flaps for more weight-carrying capacity and shorter takeoffs and landings.

The result: A plane that carries more freight farther using less fuel.
These modification also improve the prospects of Boeing winning the new Air Force contract for 179 airborne tanker, which competes with the Northrup-Grumman/Airbus KC30, the tanker version of the A330.

While its unlikely there'll ever be a passenger version of that updated plane -- the 787 Dreamliner is replacing it in the passenger catalog -- the 767 production line at Everett could continue for another 10 or even 20 years if Boeing wins the initial tanker contract and the follow-ons. And prospects seem good that more orders for the freighter version of the updated plane from freight carriers.

Cancel the rosary. Send the hearse back to the garage.

Today's news that UPS will cancel its orders for 10 Airbus A380s, the last firm orders that Airbus had for the freighter version of the superjumbo, is surprising only in its timing. It was only a few days ago that Airbus and UPS announced they had agreed to delay delivery of the first of the freighters and that either side could cancel the deal. UPS then said it would study the prospects and decide later whether to stick with the A380 or bid it goodbye.

Only after news leaked out of Europe that Airbus had halted all development work on the freighter to concentrate on its tardy passenger version did UPS announce the deal was off. Airbus apparently hadn't shared that news with the package delivery company.

I suspect Boeing's sales force is already lunching with UPS executives to offer them substitute aircraft, either the 777 freighter that FedEx ordered after it cancelled its A380 orders last November or the new 747-8 freighter. UPS last month ordered 27 767 freighters from Boeing, so relations seem to be good with Big Brown.

The Economic Opportunity Institute released the results of a poll today revealing that voters in Washington support family leave insurance.

The EOI is one supporter of a bill that would provide a certain amount of paid leave to Washington workers. Workers pay into the fund and then draw money out when on leave for their own illness or to care for a relative.

The poll was conducted by Lake Research Partners. They surveyed 600 voters on the issue. Here's a few highlights:
- Family leave isn't a partisan issue. A majority of Democrats and Republicans surveyed supported family leave.
- There is strong support across the state. Seventy percent of the voters in King and Pierce supported the measure and 82 percent of voters polled in Eastern Washington support family leave.
- Support for family leave is highest when the coverage is comprehensive. People surveyed wanted the leave to cover caring for a new baby, ill family members and their own health conditions.

This seems like a good time to note what opponents think of the idea. I wrote a story about the family leave bill a few weeks ago. At that point the National Federation of Independent Business and the Association of Washington Business were not in favor of taxing workers to pay for family leave.

Those organizations and private businesses interviewed said small employers usually work out leave issues with employees on a case by case basis. Mandating leave could put them in a bind in terms of staffing.

Oly insiders say this may the year the family leave insurance bill passes. I'll keep you posted.

Sea-Tac Airport, which last week bragged about its new Air France connection to Paris, still lags behind a nearby competitor in chalking up international connections.
YVR, airlinese for Vancouver Internartional Airport, today scored yet another coup in the informal competition to win new overseas routes.

Air Canada announced that beginning in December it will connect Vancouver non-stop with Sydney. That's Sydney, Australia, not Sydney, B.C., a burg just 20 minutes north of Victoria.

Air Canada new connection is in part coutesy of Boeing which is providing the ultra-long-range planes able to make the 15-plus-hour southbound flight non-stop. Air Canada last year announced it was trading in its Airbus long-haul fleet for Boeing 777s and 787 Dreamliners.

The new route will save travelers a minimum of three-hours if they're accustomed to stopping on direct flights through Honolulu and four or five hours if they connect in Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Vancouver already boasts several non-stop destinations, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Manila, that are still on Sea-Tac's want list.

Sea-Tac Aviation director Mark Reis attributes Vancouver's larger repertoire of international flights to two factors: Vancouver's large resident Asian immigrant population, and its status as Canada's sole west coast big city.

YVR has recently hired a former Alaska Airlines executive to tout its connections in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

The Long Beach Press Telegram reports that the California Legislature is considering a new version of a bill that would tax shipping containers. There revenue from the bill would fund infrastructure improvements and clean air projects.

Consideration of a similar bill here has shipping lines, ports, retailers and food growers worried that Washington would lose its competitive edge if it costs more to ship goods. So Sen. Haugen, the bill's sponsor, tied Washington's bill to California's – both states have to pass the tax for it to go into effect.

BUT port and industry folks here say Canada is our biggest competitor. Then there's Oregon, where the town of Coos Bay is exploring options for a container port. What say you – does California's adoption of a container tax make a different here?

If you are interested in containers, keep your eyes on Oly today. Word has it that a substitute bill that removes the tax from containers and requests the state to study the issues is in the works.