The commissions of the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle are scheduled to meet tomorrow in Kent.

The port just released the finalized agenda for the 2-plus hour event.

Here it is:

Phase I: Opening & Overview Session

12:30 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance— Commissioner Creighton, Port of Seattle

Welcome to the City of Kent— Mayor Suzette Cooke

Opening Remarks— Commissioner Marzano, Port of Tacoma

Opening Remarks— Commissioner Creighton, Port of Seattle

12:45 p.m. Two World Class Maritime Ports, One Region: Recognizing Our Strengths

· Port of Seattle Overview— Tay Yoshitani, Port of Seattle

· Port of Tacoma Overview— Timothy Farrell, Port of Tacoma

· Global Trade Forecast & Competitive Threats— Timothy Farrell & Tay Yoshitani

Phase II: What critical issues must be addressed for the two ports to grow and prosper as economic engines for Washington State?

1:15 p.m. Environment: Air Quality Cooperation —
Lou Paulson, Port of Tacoma
Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Port of Seattle

1:35 p.m. Commission discussion of key policy issues— Moderated by Commissioners Creighton and Marzano

=> Read more!

Even if you don't care, the state Attorney General's office does.

Puget Sound Energy wants to raise the rates customers pay for electricity, up an estimated 12 percent, and natural gas, up 6 percent.

The utility filed a request with the Utilities and Transportation Commission in December 2007 to take in an additional $174.5 million in revenues from electric customers and $56.7 million from gas customers. In addition, PSE has requested to raise the monthly base charge, which all customers pay regardless of usage, by nearly $3 for electric customers and $10 for gas customers.

“We’re concerned with the data we have seen so far from PSE and believe the requested increases are excessive,” said Public Counsel Chief Simon ffitch, who represents the public interest for the state Attorney General.

Ffitch advises that customers receiving their April/May utility bill from PSE should note the attached comment card - and fill it out.

“The new comment cards are a great way for customers to voice their opinions to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission, which has the final say on whether to approve Puget Sound Energy’s proposals,” ffitch said Monday.

In addition, customers will be able to comment on PSE’s proposed sale to an international consortium of investors from Australia, Canada, and the U.S. If the $7 billion deal is completed, PSE will no longer be a publicly traded company.

Based in Bellevue, the utility serves more than one million electric customers and 725,000 gas customers in Western Washington.

The UTC will make the final decision on both the proposed rate increases and the merger. For the UTC to approve the merger, it must find that the sale is in the public interest and will not cause harm to PSE’s customers.

The commission has also scheduled public hearings in Bellevue, Bellingham and Olympia to consider customer comments. The Olympia meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4 at the UTC office, 1300 S. Evergreen Park Dr. S.W.

In addition to the public hearings and comment cards, customers can also submit comments via e-mail at comments@wutc.wa.gov or they may call the UTC toll-free at 800-562-6150.

Paula Henry, former superintendent of Tacoma Rail, is now the president of the Utah Railway Company and a senior vice president with Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

Utah Railway is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., a Conneticut-based company that owns and operates 48 short line and regional freight railroads.

Henry's first day was today. She succeeded Jim Davis, who retired from the Utah railroad after 40 years in the industry.

=> Read more!

Weyerhaeuser Co. is considering selling off more of its company.

The Federal Way company said today it may sell its Oriented Polymer Composites technology, which is based in Kent.

OPC technology creates wood-plastic composites for exterior building products.

"We are considering selling it because we determined this particular technology is not a strategic fit for us," spokesman Bruce Amundson said in an e-mail.

This technology is used to generate an oriented, low density product with wood-like appearance from virgin and recycled plastics.

Weyerhaeuser’s initial business plan for the technology platform focused on the high margin exterior trim market, with a secondary product offering in fencing.

The company’s research indicates the technology can also be used for decking and related products.

For those of you who love Whoppers, soon you'll be able to get them in unlikely places.

Bloomberg News reports that Burger King Holdings Inc., the second-largest U.S. hamburger chain, plans to start a new restaurant called the Whopper Bar that will be focused on its top-selling sandwich.

The Whopper Bar will have a smaller menu than regular Burger King locations and will be located in areas with little space such as airports and casinos, Russ Klein, Burger King’s president of global marketing, strategy and innovation, said in a telephone interview today.

Burger King will show the concept to franchisees in May and expects to open several by the end of this year.

Burger King, based in Miami, competes with McDonald’s Corp., the world’s biggest restaurant chain, which is expanding its menu to include more beverages such as lattes and cappuccinos.

The new restaurants will be about 490 square feet, a third of the size of the chain’s traditional locations, Klein said.

The Census Bureau earlier this week released its latest estimates of the population of metropolitan areas around the country.

I've drawn up a little quiz based on those new figures. See how well you score. Some answers could be surprising:

1. What metropolitan area is now the nation's fourth largest after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago?

2. Which of these metropolitan areas' populations are larger than the 3.3 million the Census Bureau estimates live in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area? Baltimore, Denver, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Minneapolis-St. Paul or San Diego?

3. Of the following communities whose names begin with T, are smaller than Tacoma? Toledo, Ohio; Tuscon, Ariz.; Topeka, Kan.; or Tallassee, Fla.?

4. Rank these Washington metro areas from largest to smallest. Seattle-Bellevue, Tri-Cities, Yakima, Tacoma, Spokane, Olympia, Bremerton-Silverdale and Bellingham.

And the answers are:

=> Read more!

Major domestic airlines have found a new source to tap to help pay their growing fuel bills.

Northwest Airlines today became the fourth major U.S. carrier to adopt a plan to charge most of its customers an extra $25 for checking a second bag. The fees become effective May 6.

United began the trend and was followed by US Airways and Delta.

American Airlines Thursday filed paperwork in Canada to begin charging for a second checked bag, but has yet to implement that policy either in Canada or the U.S.

An American spokesman said the airline is studying the possibility.

Discount carriers Spirit Airlines and Skybus already charge for all checked luggage.

Continental, Southwest and Alaska still don't levy an extra charge for a second bag, though Southwest has lowered its threshhold for free from three to two bags.

The Boeing Co. chalked up five new airliner orders this week, three from Turkmenistan Airlines and two from unidentified buyers. All orders were for 737s.

At the same time, another unidentified buyer canceled an order for one 737.

Those orders and cancellation bring Boeing's total orders for the year to a net of 286.

So far net orders for the 737 are 184. For the 787, the total is 75. The 777 has garnered 26 orders. The 747 has only one 2008 order, and the 767 has none.

Right here at the newspaper in almost-April, there's big, fluffy snowflakes falling outside the newsroom window.

The uncanniness of springtime snow is making it hard to concentrate.

So I thought I'd ask: How's the wild weather affecting your workday or business? Headed home early? Worried about roads? Daydreaming about Christmas trees and warm mugs of cocoa?

In a surprise to practically no one, the British government has named a consortium led by Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) as the winner of a major tanker refueling contract for the British armed forces.

EADS offered a tanker version of its A330 commercial airliner and Boeing had offered a version of its 767. Those were the same two planes that went head-to-head in a contest to win a $40 billion U.S. Air Force contract for 179 new aerial tankers. An EADS-Northrop Grumman consortium won that bid.

The British contract is worth an estimated $26.1 billion.

The EADS consortium had won "preferred bidder" status in 2005.

The Boeing Co. today took action to get a firmer grip on some of the supplier issues that have delayed the final assembly of its 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing said it has agreed to buy Vought Aircraft Industries' interest in Global Aeronautica LLC, a South Carolina facility that assembles fuselage sections of the Dreamliner.

Global Aeronautica was a joint venture between Vought, which makes the sections of the aft fuselage of the Dreamliner in an adjacent plant in Charleston, S.C. and Alenia North America, a subsidiary of Italy's Alenia Aeronautica. Alenia manufactures the center fuselage of the Dreamliner.

Alenia delivers those fuselage sections to Global Aeronautica to be be mated with the rear fuselage sections made by Vought. Global Aeronautica is also charged with installing internal wiring and other systems in the mated fuselage sections.

Vought's South Carolina operations have been mentioned by analysts among the problem children of Boeing's worldwide 787 construction network. Vought replaced the executive in charge of the South Carolina operation, and Boeing has sent dozens of its own engineers to South Carolina to try to improve the operations.

"As a partner in the Global Aeronautica joint venture, Boeing will work with Alenia to apply proven lean manufacturing expertise to continue improving the efficiency and productivity of GA's operations while Vought will focus on its primary business of delivering quality aft fuselage structures for the 787," said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of the 787 program.

First flight of the 787 originally was set for last August, but that event has been three times postponed and is now official scheduled for late June. Analysts expect Boeing to announce yet another delay soon because of problems associated with reworking parts of the first planes.

One of the chief issues delaying the Dreamliner's flight debut was that suppliers delivered the large subassemblies of the airplanes to Boeing's Everett plant without the necessary wiring, plumbing and other systems that were to be installed in their own plants.

Boeing didn't say how much it will pay for Vought's interest in the joint venture.

A new survey by J.D. Power and Associates rates Alltel Wireless as the top quality cell phone provider in three of six national regions including the West.

The problem for Puget Sound area cell phones users: Alltel doesn't offer service here.

J.D. Power's arbitrarily defined western region includes such obviously western states as Washington, California and Oregon, but it also includes such east-of-the-Rockies states as Minnesota and Nebraska. That explains in part why not all providers such as Alltel serve the whole region.

The Power survey ranks Bellevue's T-Mobile in second place in the West followed by Verizon, Qwest, Sprint Nextel and AT&T.

Nationwide, Alltel ranked first in the Southeast and West and tied with T-Mobile for first in the Southwest.

Verizon took the honors in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and U.S. Cellular was first in the North Central area.

The semi-annual study measures wireless call quality based on seven problem areas that affect overall carrier performance: dropped calls, static and interference, failed connections on the first try, voice distortion, echoes, failure to immediately notify of voice mail and no text message notification.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines says it's not expecting to ground planes or cancel flights to carry out federally mandated aircraft inspections as other airlines have done.

Alaska has 51 planes in its fleet, 10 MD-80s and 40 737-400s, subject to recent Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directives.

Both American and Delta airlines have canceled hundreds of flights after they discovered discrepancies in their inspection records of MD-80 wiring issues.

The FAA has also required airline owners of older 737s to inspect bolts on the planes' wing slats that could work loose and pierce the planes' fuel tanks.

Alaska reviewed its records of the MD-80 wiring inspections and found them in compliance with FAA requirements. The airline has also done precautionary physical inspections of the wiring while the planes were idle overnight and found no problems, she said.

Alaska said it expects to complete all required checks of the slats well before the FAA deadline, 90 days after April 8.

American Airlines canceled two Dallas flights from Sea-Tac Airport today as it continued inspections of wiring in its fleet of MD-80 airliners.

American cancelled both its 9:50 a.m. and its 11:05 a.m. flights to Dallas-Fort Worth today as it continued inspections of wiring bundles that power an auxilary hydraulic system in the McDonnell-Douglas-built aircraft.

Those flights were among 132 flights American was to cancel nationwide today. The airline cancelled 318 flights Wednesday. Only one of those flights originated at Sea-Tac.

Meanwhile, Delta Airlines, which is also reinspecting wiring on its MD-88 aircraft, canceled no Sea-Tac flights today.

The Atlanta-based Delta canceled 275 flights system-wide today as it grounded its 117 MD-88s for the wiring inspection.

Delta doesn't ordinarily fly MD-88s from Sea-Tac because most of its routes from here, to New York, Atlanta and Cincinnati, are beyond the MD-88's range.
The airline does fly from here to Salt Lake City but uses other aircraft for those flights.

Sea-Tac's newest foreign carrier, Hainan Airlines, today announced a $580 introductory roundtrip fare from Sea-Tac to Beijing.

That fare does not include $68 in extra security fees and taxes.

That fare is good for travel beginning from Seattle between June 9 and June 30. Returns must depart Beijing by July 31. The tickets must be reserved by April 15.

Hainan, China's largest privately owned airline, will use Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 36 business class and 186 economy class seats on the route.

The airline will provide the only non-stop service to Beijing from Sea-Tac. Travelers seeking to fly to the Chinese capital otherwise have to connect either in San Francisco or Los Angeles or Vancouver, B.C. or at an Asian hub city such as Tokyo or Seoul.

The westbound flight will operate four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The flight to Beijing will take 11.5 hours. The return flight is 10.5 hours.

Turkmenistan Airlines has ordered three Next Generation Boeing 737s, The Boeing Co. confirmed today.

Those aircraft, one 737-700 and two 737-900ERs, are valued at $221 million at list prices.

Boeing has now logged more than 7,800 orders for its 737, the world's most popular jetliner. The company's order book contains unfilled orders for more than 2,100 737s valued at $150 billion.

At present production rates, that backlog represents nearly six years' production at Boeing's Renton plant.

The 737 decades ago was selling so poorly that Boeing considered discontinuing the aircraft's production. Boeing expects to introduce a successor to the 737 sometime between 2015 and 2017.

This story out of a hearing in Thurston County last night.

Rolf Boone
The Olympian

LACEY — An overwhelming majority of residents at a meeting Wednesday urged Thurston County commissioners to vote this year on a rezoning request that would prevent industrial use of Maytown property.

Of the 80 people at the meeting at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, only six expressed opposition to adding the rezoning request to a list of proposed county development code changes that commissioners will vote on this year.

At issue is a 745-acre parcel that the Port of Tacoma purchased for use as a possible site for a South Sound Logistics Center.

The Port of Tacoma bought the Maytown site in 2006 for $22 million. Officials envision using it to transfer cargo from trucks to trains to speed deliveries of goods by taking trucks off of Interstate 5. The Tacoma port is studying the project with the Port of Olympia.

=> Read more!

The Tacoma Dome Boat Show opens today and runs through Sunday.

Here's what the show's producers want you to see:

LEARNING LAB: Making its first appearance in the Northwest, the 48-foot semi trailer that houses the Crownline Mobile Learning Lab. The public is invited free of charge to walk through the display, which shows how the popular family boats are designed and constructed.

BOATS TO BUY: More than 500 boats on display, ranging from coastal cruisers, family runabouts and inflatables to jet boats, personal watercraft and pontoon boats that can pull skiers! New this year is the “priced-to-sell” pre-owned boat display, featuring used boats handpicked by participating dealers to sell at the show.

GADGETS: Displays featuring the latest boating accessories – including marine electronics, parts and accessories.

PORTABLE KAYAKS: Be sure to check out Alki Beach Boats’ display of Walker Bay Boat’s Airis inflatable kayaks (8-feet to11-feet). Sold in a backpack carrier, Airis kayaks weigh up to 20 pounds and are designed for easy storage.

ADMISSION: Admission to the show is $9.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors and free to children 12 and under.

American Airlines canceled only one of its dozen flights from Sea-Tac Airport today due to the grounding of 80 of its MD-80 airliners for wiring inspections.

The airline canceled its 9:50 a.m. from Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth and routed passengers to other flights.

American MD-80

American reportedly canceled 334 flights today nationwide according to Flightstats.com to allow maintenance personnel to inspect wiring bundles connected to fuel pumps in the aircraft.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspection of American's maintenance records raised questions about whether those inspections had been carried out in accordance with FAA dictates. The airline grounded the planes for further inspections.

The FAA is reviewing airline maintenance records nationwide for compliance with its "airworthiness directives" after Southwest Airlines discovered it had not performed mandatory checks on 43 of its Boeing 737s to check for fuselage cracks.

The FAA fined Southwest $10.8 million for its foul-up. Southwest grounded those planes last week for inspections, disrupting its flight schedule across the country.

Delta Air Lines has joined United Airlines and US Airways in charging passengers extra for more than one checked bag.

Beginning May 1, Delta will charge $25 per bag beyond the first that passengers check through on its flights. High level frequent fliers and those buying business class tickets will be exempt from the new charge.

The airlines charging the extra fees will benefit two ways: Passengers may pack more economically, cutting the handling costs on the ground and extra weight of a second bag in the air. And they'll realize extra revenues from the second bag surcharges.

The charges, however, could become a competitive disadvantage if competitors fail to join in.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and Airbus's A380 megajet and its A400M military transport have new company in the airline penalty box.

Russia's United Aviation Co. says it may have to delay the delivery of its first Superjet 100 airliner beyond its Dec. 31 deadline.

The Superjet is an aircraft designed to carry between 75 and 95 passengers. Its first flight was scheduled for the end of last year, but has still not occurred.

UAC chief Alexei Fyodorov said the company hopes to get the twin-engine airliner flying by the end of April.

The Superjet is Russia's first new commercial jetliner since the fall of the Soviet Union.

It will replace aging Soviet jets such as the TU-134 and Yak-42 aircraft in Russian airline fleets. The company also hopes to sell the jetliner to Western airlines in addition to Russian carriers.

Boeing is now 10 months behind its original schedule to fly its first 787 Dreamliner. Airbus delivered its first 500-passenger A380 this year, some two years later than scheduled. The A400M has still to make its first flight.

If you plan to redeem your Alaska or Horizon Mileage Plan miles for a free ticket or an upgrade, do it soon.

The SeaTac-based airlines are taking down their computer system for more than a week beginning April 14. During that time, members of the airlines' frequent flier programs won't be able to:

* Redeem miles for an award ticket
* Change or reissue an award ticket
* Request mileage credit for prior travel
* Request a mileage upgrade online
* Access Gold or MVP seating online
* Check your mileage balance
* Buy, transfer or donate miles
* Enroll in the mileage plan
* Purchase or renew an Alaska boardroom membership

The computer outage won't affect members' ability to fly on previously issued tickets or to earn miles, the airlines said.

The airlines are shutting down the computer system to perform a major update, they said. The system is expected to be restored by April 22.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Seattle-based port terminal operator SSA Marine plans to study the bid documents for a new $4 billion seaport in Mexico.

SSA Marine develops and operates marine terminals around the world.

You might recognize as the company that partnered with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to build a new shipping terminal on the Blair Waterway in Tacoma's Tideflats.

The Mexican government is preparing to open bidding on a new port seaport, located on the Baja Peninsula, that some say could eventually rival the ports of LA and Long Beach.

Here's the LA Times story:

Mexico's government is preparing to open bidding on the largest infrastructure project in the nation's history, a $4-billion seaport that could transform this farming village into a cargo hub to rival the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

If completed as planned by 2014, the port would be the linchpin of a new shipping route linking the Pacific Ocean to America's heartland. Vessels bearing shipping containers from Asia would offload them here on Mexico's Baja peninsula, about 150 miles south of Tijuana, where they would be whisked over newly constructed rail lines to the United States.

The massive development, which is to be privately funded, is attracting interest from heavyweights such as Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu. The world's second-richest man is part of a consortium planning an "aggressive" run at the project, according to Miguel Favela, general director of Mexican operations for cargo terminal operator MTC Holdings of Oakland.

Favela said MTC had teamed up with Slim's IDEAL infrastructure company and Mexican mining and railroad giant Grupo Mexico in an effort to nab the 45-year concession.

Mexico's transportation secretariat will release the request for proposal in June and hopes to select a winner by summer 2009, Subsecretary Manuel Rodriguez Arregui said in an interview earlier this month.

=> Read more!

From the Associated Press:

BOSTON — Starbucks has been sued in Massachusetts by a former barista who says the coffee giant wrongly required him to share tips with shift supervisors.

The lawsuit comes five days after a California judge considering a similar case ordered the company to pay baristas in that state $100 million in tips and interest.

In the suit filed Tuesday, 18-year-old Hernan Matamoros claims Starbucks violated a state law that prohibits supervisors from sharing tips reserved for waiters, bartenders and other employees paid below the minimum wage. He worked as a barista at a store in Boston.

Matamoros sued on behalf of thousands of baristas who have worked at Starbucks stores in Massachusetts over the past six years.

Pacific Lutheran University Provost Patrician O’Connell announced last week that James Brock, 63, has been named dean of the School of Business.

Brock served 11 years as dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, and stepped down last year to return to teaching. From 1991 to 1996 he was vice president of marketing at Pacific Steel & Recycling, a Great Falls, Mont., steel and distribution company, the university said in a press release.

Beginning in 1987 and serving five years, Brock was dean of the business school at Montana State University. Before that he was marketing professor at Montana State for seven years, and held academic posts at Oakland University in Michigan and at Michigan State University.

He earned his Ph.D. in Marketing from Michigan State University; his MBA at San Francisco State University; and his bachelor's degree in marketing from University of California Berkeley.

Brock has authored articles for scholarly journals and has presented numerous conference papers, the university said. Most recently, he and a Chinese co-author submitted an article for publication on awareness and redemption behavior with respect to credit card reward programs.

Brock succeeds William Frame, who has served as interim dean of the school since September.

Brock is traveling in China this spring, and will take his new position in August.

The former Pierce County ferry M/V Steilacoom moved to a new moorage on the Foss Waterway today where it will serve as a floating showroom for the Point Ruston development near Point Defiance Park.

Point Ruston developer Mike Cohen said he plans to open the ferry to the public beginning in mid-April when a Tacoma condominium show is scheduled. The moorage is adjacent to Johnnie's Seafood retail store on the west side of the waterway just north of South 15th Street.

M/V Steilacoom being modified as a condo showroom

Cohen bought the ferry from a man who bought the 72-year-old boat on Ebay from Pierce County. Cohen has had the ferry refitted as a sales office and showroom for his development on the former Asarco smelter site.

Cohen said he expects to get the final permits to begin construction of the first mixed-use building on that site with the next few weeks. That building will contain 99 condo units ranging from 800 to 3,100 square feet.

Projected prices aren't firm yet, but Cohen expects the asking prices will range from $350,000 to over $2 million.

The building will also include some 20,000 square feet of retail space and 320 parking stalls.

The structure, to be called the Copper Line, is part of the first phase of Point Ruston development. That first phase also includes a 44-unit condo and a small office building.

Cohen has already begun laying the foundations for the first custom single family homes on "Stack Hill" above the waterfront condo site. That hill was formerly the site of a tall stack that carried aloft the emissions from the copper smelter. That smelter closed in 1984.

Cohen bought the smelter property when Asarco, the company that owned the smelter and the site, was in bankruptcy. As part of the purchase deal Cohen pledged to finish the environmental cleanup Asarco had begun.

The ferry-showroom will eventually return to the Point Ruston site when Cohen's permits for moorage there are approved.

United Airlines today withdrew its latest airfare increase attempt from the industry's computerized reservation systems.

That withdrawal of the higher fares ended a move initiated by Delta Air Lines last week to raise fares an average of $10 roundtrip. Delta withdrew its higher fares Monday.

Airlines have raised fares successfully six times this year to cope with higher fuel prices. Here's a chronology of those fare increase attempts and their fates from Farecompare.com:

o January 3rd, initiated by United, $10 roundtrip, successful

o January 11th, initiated by United, $30 roundtrip, unsuccessful

o January 17th, initiated by American, $20 roundtrip, unsuccessful

o January 24th, initiated by Continental, $20 roundtrip, successful

o February 22nd, initiated by United, $10 roundtrip, successful

o February 28th, initiated by Delta, $10 roundtrip, successful

o March 7th, initiated by United, $10 roundtrip, successful

o March 14th, initiated by United, $4-$50 roundtrip, successful

o March 19th, initiated by Delta, $10 roundtrip, unsuccessful

This blog entry is business-related, so don’t worry about supervisors looking over your shoulder or into your hard drive.

Actually, that’s what this is about. A company in Atlanta, InternetSafety.com, announces today that it is marketing a hardware appliance to business owners – especially owners of small businesses – that monitors and obstructs employees who may be using workday time to visit social networking sites, naughty sites or sites related to, well, a certain college basketball tournament that is happening as we speak.

The appliance filters Web sites in 35 categories, it maintains a database on “policy violations” and it costs from $1,000 on up.

Which sort of begs the question(s): If you’re an employee, are you following the NCAA Tournament and how are you getting along with supervisors who might not want you to be doing this? And if you’re a supervisor, how are you keeping employees tethered to the straight and narrow, Web-wise? Is anybody being creative about all of this?

Leave a comment if you dare. Thanks.

Do your coworkers spend more time checking their e-mail during meetings than paying attention? Do you?

Some companies are cracking down on not participating in meetings.

Here's a story from the Los Angeles Times that illustrates the frustration:

SAN FRANCISCO — As the birthplace of technology, Silicon Valley may have more gadgets per capita than any other place on the planet. Yet, even here, “always on” can be a real turn off.

Frustrated by distracted workers so plugged in that they tune out in the middle of business meetings, a growing number of companies are going “topless,” as in no laptops allowed. Also banned from some conference rooms: BlackBerrys, iPhones and other personal devices on which so many have come to depend.

Meetings have never been popular in Silicon Valley. Engineers would rather write code than talk about it. Over the years, companies have come up with innovative ways to keep staff meetings from sucking up time. Some remove chairs to force everyone to talk fast on their feet. Others get everyone to drink a glass of water beforehand.

What do you think? Does your company ban laptop use in meetings? Should it?

=> Read more!

The Port of Tacoma's proposal to build a logistics center in Thurston County has never been a sure thing.

Port officials have said they seized the opportunity two years ago to buy the 745-acre Maytown property in South Thurston County – and that point, how and if it would be used was up in the air.

It still is.

But the past few weeks have posed some interesting challenges to the controversial project – and raised questions about whether the Tacoma-Olympia ports partnership needed to pursue it has a future:

* First the Port of Tacoma's e-mail mess which included Tacoma port employees questioning the Olympia port's competency and the viability of the project.

* Then the Port of Olympia on Friday withdrew its support from what had been a joint request to Thurston County from both ports.

* The Olympian reports that the Port of Tacoma took Lewis County up on its offer to tour potential sites there for a logistics center.

* And quotes from Olympia commissioners in Sunday's Olympian are less than enthusiastic regarding the project's future.

Here's an excerpt:

Two Olympia port commissioners said they felt it was a good idea for Tacoma to keep exploring other sites.

“It’s probably wise for them to do that; they appear to have strong opposition here,” said Olympia Port Commissioner George Barner.

=> Read more!

GE Commercial Aviation Services is in discussion with The Boeing Co. to buy as many as 50 of its 737-800 single-aisle jets, Bloomberg News reported today.

At list prices, the 737s would cost GE about $3.5 billion. Big customers such as GE, however, commonly negotiate lower-than-list prices with Boeing for larger quantities of planes.

GE planes to lease the aircraft both to legacy carriers seeking to upgrade their fleets to more fuel-efficient craft and to startup airlines in Asia.

GE ordered 53 737s in December from Boeing. The market for single-aisle jets such as Boeing's 737 and Airbus's A320 has expanded quickly in recent years. Both companies saw more than 500 orders for those jets last year.

Boeing builds its 737 in Renton.

Don’t worry. Move on. There’s nothing to see. Go about your business. Even though we are awash with all this hubbub about a recession, banks remain sound.

So say the latest quarterly numbers from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Using data from 97 Washington banks, the agency says total assets rose to $75.053 billion in the fourth quarter, up from $65.464 billion in the same quarter of 2006, and $72.735 billion in the third quarter of 2007.

On the downside, past-due and non-accrual loans as a percent of total loans rose from 0.54 percent a year before to 1.42 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. Return on assets fell from 0.97 percent to 0.83 percent, while net interest margin fell to 4.49 percent (whereas a year before, the margin had risen 4.85 percent).

Construction and development loans (as a percentage of capital) rose from 133.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 to 172 percent in the same quarter last year. Perhaps as a part of a mirror to that figure, the agency notes that multifamily home permits in Washington – which had fallen 26.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 over 2005 – rose 41.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 over 2006.

Single-family home permits remained on the decline, down 27.4 percent in the fourth quarter.

New open skies agreements between the U.S. and foreign countries are stimulating new airline connections between mid-sized cities here and overseas.

Sea-Tac has benefited from that trend, adding new routes to Frankfurt, Paris, London, Mexico City and Beijing.

Two new airlines affiliated with established Austrialian carriers, JetStar and V Australia, have expressed possible interest in setting up routes from the Puget Sound area and the land down under. JetStar is affiliated with Qantas and V Australia with Virgin Blue.

Somewhat ironically, the delay in the first Boeing 787s to Qantas could impact the start of such a route, airline analysts are saying.

Qantas is a big customer for the 787 Dreamliner, a plane with the range and the smaller capacity to serve such a startup route.

V Australia has ordered Boeing 777-300ERs, but without the competitive pressure from JetStar, it could serve more heavily traveled routes first before considering Seattle.

After a month-long series of successful airline ticket increases, the market for higher fare trips may have hit a plateau.

A fare-increase initiative started by Delta Air Lines last week has only attracted one follower, United Air Lines, and Delta itself is pulling back from the higher fares.

Airlines post their new fares with a computerized airfare clearing house. If their competitors match those fares within a few days, the fare increases "stick."

Delta's initiative called for a $10 roundtrip increase on hundreds of routes across its system.

Unless all the major carriers imitate the initiator of the fare increases, the fare increase is usually doomed because carriers quoting the higher prices see traffic fleeing to lower-cost airlines.

The airlines' latest increases have largely been driven by the higher cost of jet fuel, which has mimicked the increase in the cost of gasoline.

About that Economic Stimulus Package check...

Need help? Don’t know if you’re eligible? You say you haven’t filed a return in the last 10 years but you still want some free money?

The IRS wants to help you with your ESP – by opening its offices in Western Washington for a pair of what the agency calls “Super Saturdays.”

The IRS office in Tacoma – 1201 Pacific Ave. – will open its doors on March 29 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and on April 12 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. to assist those eligible in filing returns. (The office is also open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and will serve special hours between March 31 and April 15 between 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.)

Some 380,000 people in Washington who qualify for the ESP rebates may not typically file a return, the IRS says. To qualify, you need to have a net tax liability on your 2007 return or have at least $3,000 of qualifying income in any combination – which may include Social Security retirement or other benefits, pension or disability payments and other forms of income.

You won’t get a check, the IRS says, if you don’t file a 2007 return, if you’re claimed as a dependent, if you’re a nonresident alien or if you don’t have a Social Security number.

For more information, visit www.irs.gov or call an IRS office – in the South Sound in Tacoma, Olympia or Silverdale.

EADS Composites Atlantic, a fabricator of composite parts for aircraft, has laid off 20 workers because of the slowdown in Boeing's assembly of the 787 Dreamliner.

Composites Atlantic is owned in part by European Aeronautic Defense and Space, Airbus's parent company.

"We just got ahead of what Boeing's other suppliers were producing," Kevin Steck, Composites Atlantic's vice-president for business development said today. Steck heads Composite Atlantic's Kent office.

The Lunenberg, Nova Scotia-based composites manufacturer had built parts for 20 of Boeing's 787s, but Boeing has yet to finish assembling even the first of the new planes at its Everett plant.

Boeing has three times delayed the first flight of the 787. Boeing says the plane will likely fly for the first time in late June, but analysts expect the company will announce yet another delay because of problems with the plane's wing box, wiring and unavailable parts.

The layoffs amount to a fraction of Composite Atlantic's 400-member Nova Scotia workforce, said Steck.

"We view this as temporary situation. We hope to get the workers back on the payroll as soon as Boeing gets its assembly problems worked out."

Starbucks may have to pay to more than $100 million to baristas for back tips and interest the coffee chain paid to shift supervisors, The Associated Press reports.

Here's the rest of the story out of California:

San Diego Superior Court Judge Patricia Cowett also issued an injunction that prevents Starbucks’ shift supervisors from sharing in future tips, saying state law prohibits managers and supervisors from sharing in employee gratuities.

Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O’Neil said the company planned an immediate appeal of the ruling, calling it “fundamentally unfair and beyond all common sense and reason.”

=> Read more!

Gibson Guitar is going after the popular "Guitar Hero" game with the newest among its lawsuits claiming that Harmonix, MTV Networks and Electronic Arts are violating a patent the guitar maker holds, according to The Associated Press.

The new case, filed Thursday in Nashville, relates to the same virtual-reality patent involved in the lawsuit Gibson filed earlier this week against six major retailers that sell the Activision Inc. "Guitar Hero" game.

Gibson has tried to stop video game publisher Activision from selling all versions of the game, claiming it too closely matches a device Gibson patented in 1999.

This time, Gibson says it is by developing, promoting and distributing "Rock Band" that Harmonix, MTV Networks and Electronic Arts are infringing on the patent.

Harmonix also created and developed some of the "Guitar Hero" games.

Representatives with the three companies did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on Friday.

The following may be good news or bad news depending on your feelings about cell phone usage etiquette.

Emirates Airlines, one the emerging forces in world aviation, announced today it will begin allowing passengers to use their cell phones in flight.

The Dubai-based carrier, which is building a Mideast hub for long-distance flights, has installed a system in one of its A340 jets that lets passengers use their cells without interfering with the plane's electronics. It plans to expand that service to more planes as the year progresses.

The system allows the pilots to shut down cell calls at will, either when they think the calls would create a disturbance such as during night flights or if the mobile electronics were somehow suspected of interfering with the plane's instruments or navigation equipment.

Proposals to allow cell phone usage in flight in the U.S. have elicited strong opinions from passengers and flight attendants.

Some passengers consider cell phones vital business tools that should be allowed during flight. Other passengers, already annoyed by loud-voiced cell phone users in elevators, restaurants, theaters and other places, say they don't want their seat mates holding loud conversations during flights.

Flight attendant organizations, seeing the potential for passenger disputes that they'd have to referee, have opposed allowing the phones' usage.

The weather in Hawaii may almost always be warm and sunny, but the climate for airlines remains turbulent.

One of Hawaii's two major airlines, Aloha, today filed for bankruptcy protection again. The carrier emerged from a previous bankruptcy reorganization in 2006.

The airline said it intends to keep operating while reorganizing.

The airline cited two factors pushing it into filing: the high price of fuel and the fare war started by Mesa Air Group's Go Airlines.

Both Aloha and Hawaii's other major carrier, Hawaiian, were forced to match Go's low fares after the carrier started service among the islands after Aloha emerged from bankruptcy.

Fares fell to as low as $29 because of the competition.

Hawaiian itself has in recent years undergone a bankruptcy reorganization. Both Hawaiian and Aloha sued Mesa over allegedly "predatory pricing."

Hawaiian won an $80 million judgment against Mesa. An appeal is pending. The Aloha-Mesa case is still in court.
Aloha also alleges in its suit that Mesa illegally used proprietary information about Aloha the airline had provided it while it was looking for financing to emerge from bankruptcy.

Mesa itself has lost money on the Hawaii service.

In its Thursday release of new orders, Boeing Co. recorded orders for seven 737 single-aisle airliners as of Tuesday. All customers for those planes are yet unidentified.

Those orders raise Boeing's total jetliner sales for the year to 282.

The best-seller among the planes in the Boeing repertoire remains the 737 with 180 sales this year. Second is the still-popular 787 with 75 orders. Third on the list is the long-range 777 with 26 orders.

The 747 has garnered only one order this year. The 767 has none.

Sharron Coontz, a member of Friends of Rocky Prairie, asked the Port of Tacoma commission today whether they would grant the group the first right-of-refusal in purchasing the port's 700-plus acres in Maytown.

Friends of Rocky Prairie is a citizens' organization opposed to the development of a South Sound Logistics Center in Thurston County.

The Tacoma and Olympia ports partnered to explore the development of an SSLC – a rail logistics center and industrial yard – in 2006.

That was after the Tacoma port purchased several hundred acres near Maytown to possibly use for such a facility.

"We're working on a plan where you could get your money back and look good and help be part of the solution and not the problem," Coontz told commissioners.

Coontz is concerned that the port will sell the property to a private developer. Her group and other Thurston County residents have voiced concerns about environmental, quality of life, increased traffic and other potential effects of a logistics center.

A few e-mails included in a public records request made by Friends of Rocky Prairie reveal at least one port staff member suggesting the port sell the land to a private developer.

But Port of Tacoma Executive Director Tim Farrell said, "The port's not in a situation where we're looking to sell the property."

Today was the first he'd heard of Friends of Rocky Prairie's request to be considered first as a buyer for the land.

The port's partnership with the Port of Olympia to pursue the SSLC project is set to expire in June.

Farrell said today that a decision on what the ports might do could come before then.

A new shopping center is being planned for a site on South Union Avenue west of the Tacoma Elks Lodge.

The development, called 23 Union Square, is being offered for lease by First Western Properties.

A drawing of the project shows plans for a strip of retailers along the east side of the center including a 20,000-square-foot space that the developer has designated for an anchor tenant.

Three other buildings of 1,500, 3,700 and 6,500 square feet complement the main building group. The total space in the center is 42,200 square feet. Two hundred thirty-six parking spaces are planned.

South Sound financial institutions have announced new financial skills training for teens and the general public.

The Key Foundation (funded by Key Bank parent Key Corp.) has granted Tacoma Goodwill $50,000 to provide a second year of its financial literacy program Key to Change.

Last year, more than 230 persons took the free, eight-session programs to learn how to manage their finances, pay bills, avoid scams and save money.

The new funding will allow Goodwill to offer 40 more sessions and increase the participation to 360 people.

The second financial skills program announced today is being offered by Federal Way's Woodstone Credit Union.

The credit union's Financial Skills for Life targets teens. The workshops are designed to give youth lifelong financial skills, said the credit union.

Those who wish to register should call the credit union at 253-925-6879. The workshops will be offered on four dates, April 16, April 30, May 14 and May 28 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. each date.

The Boeing Co. acknowledged today that it is modifying the wingbox design of the 787 to provide greater strength to the crucial component.

The wingbox is the axis of the airplane where the wings attach to the fuselage.

According to industry sources, the wing boxes of the first six 787s built will be stiffened with additional braces. Tests showed premature damage could occur without that additional strengthening.

The first four Dreamliners, still being built in Boeing's Everett factory, will see their wing boxes modified before they leave the plant.

Boeing characterized the modifications as typical of design changes made during the development of a new airliner.

The 787 wingboxes are made in Japan. Boeing reportedly will build strengthened wingboxes for Dreamliners number seven and later.

SeaTac's Horizon Air continues to widen its network with the announcement today that it will begin service between Flagstaff, Ariz. and Los Angeles starting June 23.

Horizon will fly between the two cities twice daily with its Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft.

Flagstaff's only regularly scheduled airline service now is provided by US Airways. US Airways flies five times daily between Flagstaff and its Phoenix hub.

The city of Flagstaff is guaranteeing Horizon's revenues from Flagstaff if the route proves less successful than Horizon expects.

Horizon is also talking with Prescott, Ariz. to include that city among its Arizona routes.

After reading the story in Saturday's paper regarding the Port of Tacoma's e-mail mess, several people wanted to know who-called-who what.

As I wrote for Saturday, the e-mails released were primarily written by two or three Port of Tacoma staff members in 2006 and 2007.

Most were mid-level managers and the e-mails released to me didn’t contain any sent from the port’s executive or deputy directors’ accounts.

=> Read more!

The dust hadn't even settled from last weekend's round of domestic airfare increases of up to $50 per roundtrip for long flights, when Delta Air Lines filed yet another increase Tuesday night.

If all of the major carriers follow Delta's lead -- and they're in a pattern of following the leader over the last few weeks -- the increase will be the seventh successful broad-based fare increase since late last year.

Here's what Rick Seaney of farecompare.com, who tracks airfares for a living, has to say about the latest increase:

I am trying to think of a word other than "unprecedented" so I guess I'll start using "remarkable" -- I have never seen an airline fire out a system wide increase on anything but Thursday or Friday in over 6 years of tracking airfares -- this increase just doesn't break the mold it shatters it - the ninth increase attempt this year (six of the previous eight in 2008 were "sticky").

Again, the motivation is the airlines' attempt to catch up to rocketing fuel prices. As the year began, the domestic airline industry hoped to make collective profits in 2008 of $4 billion. Now industry sources say that if the jet fuel prices don't decline soon or airfares rise to meet them, the industry in the U.S. will lose $9 billion this year.

Don't expect that this increase will be the last one, so it behooves potential vacationers to buy now.

Beware of "fuel surcharges" that some foreign airlines and cruise lines slap on after you've already purchased your ticket.

On the international front, both American and Northwest airlines today raised some international fares. Again the motivation is keeping up with fuel price increases.

If you receive an unsolicited "guaranteed" loan solicitation by mail or on the Internet, beware.

Be particularly wary if those "loans" require you to pay processing costs or loan fees up front.

That's the message from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The FDIC said some of the schemes will lead you to Internet sites that spoof legitimate bank sites, so don't rely on just the look of the pages.

Here's what the FDIC says about those schemes:

Advance fee loan scams prey on consumers who may be under financial duress and may be seeking quick and easy loan approval and funding. The scam typically involves the lender making false promises to arrange for a loan in return for fees paid upfront by the loan applicant. Scam artists may even design Web sites and online loan applications giving the appearance that the company is legitimate.

Fraudulent logos and letterhead of legitimate financial institutions or government agencies may also appear on documents that are faxed to the loan applicant. Potential borrowers may be asked to provide information through a Web site or be contacted by phone or e-mail by a "representative" who guarantees loan approval as soon as the borrower pays a required fee. The loan applicant may be told that the fees will be used to pay a third party for loan insurance or application processing, or to make the first month's loan payment. The loan applicant may also be told to send or wire transfer money to an individual overseas before receiving the loan proceeds.

In some cases, the loan applicant has been falsely directed to a legitimate financial institution with no knowledge of the transaction. In other cases, the loan applicant is told that the loan request was declined and is asked to forward additional money to qualify for a different loan program.

Victims of online advance loan fee scams should report the crimes to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/. More information about fraudulent advance loan fee scams can be found at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/loans.shtm.

Despite the plea from airlines for more fuel-efficient and maintenance-free jets for everyday operations, it's increasingly looking like Boeing and Airbus are putting off such an airliner's creation.

Air Transport World reports that James Haas, director of 787 marketing, told attendees at a Los Angeles industry conference that technology has not advanced enough yet to build a successor to the 737.

The 737 and its Airbus rival, the A320 family of single-aisle planes, are the most popular and ubiquitous planes in the sky.

The industry has thousands on order, but some carriers with big inventories of old planes such as American Airlines have been pushing the plane builders to create even better mainline airliners.

American had hoped to leapfrog the current generation of single-aisle planes and order the new planes to replace some of its fleet of 300 fuel-gulping MD-80s.

Southwest Airlines, the biggest Boeing 737 customer with more than 500, has asked Boeing to create a new generation of planes.

The news from Airbus was the same at the conference. Airbus vice president of marketing Colin Stuart told attendees not to expect an A320 replacement until at least 2017.

=> Read more!

Steven Udvar-Hazy, chairman of International Lease Finance Corporation, the largest customer for Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, said he expects another Dreamliner delivery delay.

Hazy, with 74 Dreamliner orders to his credit, is in a good position to know.

He told an investors conference this week he expects the first Dreamliner flight to happen this fall instead of in June when Boeing says the plane will fly.

Hazy also predicted the first deliveries of the composite-bodied plane won't happen until September next year instead of in the first quarter of 2009.

Boeing has delayed the Dreamliner schedule three times because of problems with parts shortages and suppliers.

With fuel prices climbing like a fighter jet, expect to hear more news like that from JetBlue this week.

The New York-based low-cost carrier told analysts at a JP Morgan conference that it will soon charge a premium to passengers who want to enjoy the extra legroom in exit row or in a few rows of seats in the front of the plane. The seats will be available for flights from April 1. Here's the site for JetBlue's explanation of how the deal will work.

JetBlue says the seats will be available "for as little as $10 a seat" extra. I looked at seats on a red-eye flight from Seattle to Boston in June. The extra charge was pegged at $20 each way. Expect those premiums to rise and fall like fares with demand. JetBlue now flies from Sea-Tac to New York's JFK Airport and Boston. It will soon begin flights to Long Beach, Calif. and seasonal flights to San Diego from here.

JetBlue extra legroom illustration

Exit row seats typically have been assigned by most airlines on the day of flight at the airport and have not been in the inventory available for passengers to select online.

As long as you met the physical requirements to be able to open the exit doors in an emergency, you could be seated there and enjoy as much six inches of extra legroom. That extra legroom is there to allow easier evacuation of passengers in an emergency.

For an extra charge, said JetBlue, you can upgrade to seats with four inches of more legroom, 38 inches instead of the usual 34.

The JetBlue move, say analysts, is part of a trend for airlines to unbundle their service and to charge extra for every enhancement formerly considered part of the price of a ticket.

Airlines now charge extra for meals that formerly were free. Some have even experimented with charging for sodas and juices.

United charges extra for a few additional inches of legroom. And Irish carrier RyanAir and US budget carrier Skybus charge for checked luggage.

United and US Airways have adopted charges for more than one checked bag, and virtually all airlines now keep a hawk's eye for overweight bags and charge accordingly.

All these moves are driven by the need to generate more revenue to pay the costs of jet fuel, which has risen at the same pace we'e seen gasoline and diesel jump in recent weeks.

Pierce County's unemployment rate edged up in February to 5.6 percent from 5.3 percent the previous month.

"It's not a big move up, I think it's significant nonetheless," said Paul Turek, Tacoma's regional economist with the state's Employment Security Department.

Turek noted that the unemployment rate might be one more indication of a slowing economy. The rate is four-tenths of a percentage point higher this February than it was in the same month last year.

Pierce County's unemployment is higher than the neighboring counties of Kitsap, King and Thurston, but lower than most counties in Central and Eastern Washington.

Pierce County is still generating jobs – adding 2,100 over the month and 5,800 over the year. But fewer jobs were added over the month this year, than in the same time period last year.

The unemployment and job figures aren't adjusted for seasonal employment changes such as holiday hiring or the predictable slow down of construction work in the winter.

Accounting for such factors, the seasonally adjusted figures actually show a more significant slowing of job growth, revealing 500 new jobs in Pierce County over the month compared to 1,700 added last year at this time.

The state employment rate for February inched up to 5.4 percent from 5.2 percent in January and 5.3 percent last year. The seasonally adjusted rate of 4.5 percent matched the previous month and remained near a record low.

Gov. Chris Gregoire touted the low unemployment and noted that Washington continues to out pace the country in job growth.

Union airline pilots leafleted passengers at Sea-Tac Airport today hoping to gain public sympathy for their ongoing negotiations with Alaska Airlines.

The leaflet distribution came on the same day a new Alaska competitor, Virgin America, began service from Seattle to San Francisco.

"The pilot group is concerned because our management seems to be relying heavily on its employees to fight the new competitive threats we're facing," said Sean Cassidy, vice chairman of the Alaska Airline Pilots Association.

The pilots and the airline have been negotiating for nearly 15 months over the terms of a new contract. An arbitrator three years ago cut pilot wages to make the air carrier more competitive with its rivals, many of which had chopped salaries by declaring bankruptcy.

High fuel costs may force SeaTac's Horizon Air to begin retiring some of its regional jet fleet, the chairman of Horizon's parent company told analysts today.

Horizon, unlike many regional airlines, didn't go all-jet a few years ago when smaller jets were the trend in the business. And it canceled orders for new jets from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier and ordered new more efficient turboprop Q400 aircraft instead two years ago.

Bill Ayer, Alaska Air Group chairman, speaking at a JP Morgan analysts' conference in New York today, said Horizon may cut some of its fleet of 20 regional jets and fly the former jet routes with Q400 turpoprops. Alaska Air Group is the parent company of Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines.

Alaska is also considering contracting with another airline with somewhat larger regional jets to fly some of its jet routes.

According to figures Ayer showed analysts, Horizon's CRJ700 jets use 7.1 gallons per passenger on a 400-mile trip compared with 5.8 gallons per passenger for a Q400.

A 90-seat CRJ900 would use 6.2 gallons per passenger on the same trip. Horizon's CRJ700s hold 70 passengers.

When oil is selling for $110 a barrel, airlines are destined to lose money no matter what their present costs and fares are, Ayer said.

The increasing price of fuel -- oil has risen $25 a barrel in 25 days -- is almost sure to turn what was predicted to be a profitable year for the airline industry into an unprofitable one, he said.

SeaTac's Alaska Air Group is becoming the first passenger airline in the country to implement a freight tracking system for packages shipped on its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

The system, similar to one that the big parcel shipment companies such as UPS and FedEx use, will allow customers to pinpoint the location of their freight and its projected arrival times.

The airlines have implemented arrival scanning at 80 percent of their cargo service locations and will have the full capability by May, the airlines said.

An Indian newspaper, the Financial Express, reports today that Boeing is the likely winner of a $2 billion contract to build eight naval patrol aircraft for India.

Those aircraft, called P8i Poseidons, are modified versions of Boeing's versatile 737.

They will be built on a special assembly line at Boeing's Renton plant.

The Indian aircraft are a derivative of the P-8As Boeing is building for the U.S. Navy.

Boeing was competing with Airbus and its militarized A-319 and with Lockheed Martin with its updated version of the turboprop P3C Orion aircraft.

The aircraft will replace Soviet TU-142Ms, the paper said.

Raise a toast to Rusty George Creative, the spunky, growing, community-minded advertising and graphic design company headquartered in downtown Tacoma.

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced this morning that it has selected the company's two principals – Rusty George and De Meyers – as its 2008 Washington Small Business Persons of the Year.

I first profiled the company in 2003. Since then Rusty George Creative has amassed a client list that reads like a who's who of the South Sound – Russell Investments, Tacoma Art Museum, TAPCO, Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, Point Defiance Zoo, Northwest Trek, Click! Network, Sterling Communications, Washington State History Museum.

The company doesn't take its last name – Creative – for granted. As part of its own branding strategy, the company has come up with a series of monthly Weird Holiday celebrations.

=> Read more!

I guess not enough of you are buying premium drinks at your local Starbucks.

Now there's speculation that CEO Howard Schultz may start offering free drinks to customers as part of a loyalty program to stanch declining U.S. sales. The plan may be announced at the company's annual meeting with shareholders on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reports.

Schultz will probably offer free coffees or discounts to customers using prepaid Starbucks Cards to entice the chain’s most frequent customers to visit more and avoid competitors led by McDonald’s Corp., said Joseph Buckley, an analyst at Bear Stearns & Co. who recommends holding the stock.

=> Read more!

We didn't have room in today’s paper for this story from the Associated Press, but I thought it had an interesting premise.

In case you’re thinking of panicking over this whole Bear Stearns thing, don’t. It has little to do with the real world of people who use banks.

“The average guy on the street has nothing to worry about,” said Gerard Cassidy, a banking analyst at RBC Capital Markets. “There should be no panic whatsoever.”

Individual bank accounts at a single institution are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. up to $100,000, including checking and savings accounts, trusts, and IRAs or certificates of deposit. Some retirement accounts are insured up to $250,000.

Also, commercial banks would have to fall far before they match the 1991 recession, when 502 banks failed in three years. By contrast, only three U.S. banks failed last year, and none failed the previous two years, according to the FDIC.

Last year, the FDIC was monitoring only 76 “problem institutions,” down from 1,430 in 1991.

But say the regulators are wrong and scores of banks begin to fail. How will the FDIC possibly cover all of them? As of December, the FDIC was covering $4.3 trillion in insured deposits with a fund of $52.4 billion, for a reserve ratio of 1.22 percent – and the institution is asking banks to increase to 1.25 percent.

The Internal Revenue Service said today it will begin sending the first of 130 million stimulus payments on May 2.

The checks will be sent on a schedule determined by the last two digits of Social Security numbers. The checks will be sent by direct deposit to those taxpayers who have received refunds via direct deposit - all other checks will be sent my mail.

The IRS also announced today that it is operating an online calculator where people can determine the amount of their stimulus payments. Visit www.IRS.gov for more information.

Here's a look at the schedule for payments:

Is your budget being squeezed with the rising cost of milk, bread and gas? Are you making choices about what to buy and passing on extra items?

We want to hear from you. C.R. posted a story this morning about inflation here in Pierce County and surrounding areas.

It said that overall inflation was up but grocery prices are down.

This weekend I paid more than $50 to fill up my wagon, the first time I had topped that mark. And while grocery shopping, I found that many of the items I buy weekly were up 20 to 40 cents. The energy bars I buy for my kids were 69 cents each instead of the 49 cents I paid a few weeks ago.

How are rising prices affecting you?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that prices in the Tacoma-Bremerton-Seattle area increased 1.3 percent for the two months ending February 2008.

Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden says the increase in the all-items index was mainly due to higher prices for housing, as the housing index rose 1.9 percent for the two months, and 4.4 percent for the previous 12 months.

• Prices for household furnishings and operations rose 0.8 percent during the latest two month period, but were 5.4 percent lower over the year.

• The food and beverages index advanced 1.0 percent from December to February and was 4.2 percent higher over the year. Food away from home prices increased 2.2 percent.

• Grocery prices, as measured by the food at home index, decreased 0.3 percent for the past two months, but were 3.3 percent above last year’s level.

• Medical care prices advanced 1.6 percent for the two months and were 6.5 percent higher compared to a year ago.

• The transportation index declined 0.6 percent for the two months. New motor vehicles, an unpublished transportation subcategory, contributed strongly to the transportation index decrease. Gasoline prices advanced 1.0 percent since December and are up 26.9 percent since last year.

• Apparel prices moved up 3.2 percent for the latest two-month period and were 5.1 percent higher over the past 12 months.

Another low-cost air carrier may be in the gestation stages.

A Charleston, W.Va. newspaper reports that serial start-up airline executive John Weikle is trying to put together a new airline that may be named Jet America.

Weikle was among the founding managers of ultra-low-cost carrier Skybus.

As for Jet America, those of you with a long enough memory may recall that SeaTac's Alaska Airlines bought another Jet America Airlines in the early '90s. That startup carrier was based in Long Beach, Calif.

Although virtually all traces of Jet America are gone, I'm wondering if Alaska still owns the Jet America name?

The news from Wells Fargo on small business: Pessimistic.

The bank has issued its latest installment of the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, which catalogs the optimism of small-business owners.

In January, Wells says, the Index score fell to 83, the second-lowest level since the survey’s inception in August 2003, when the score was 69.

The recent numbers mark a 16-point drop from the previous survey in October 2007, and a 31-point total drop from the Index’s highest score of 114 in December 2006. The 16-point drop is the Index’s largest quarterly decrease to date.

The Index score is the sum of both current and future expectations for six key measures: financial situation, cash flow, revenues, capital allocation, job hiring, and credit availability.

“Small business optimism is eroding along with the economic and financial outlook,” said Dr. Scott Anderson, Wells Fargo senior economist.

Still, owners of small businesses remain steadfast. Ninety percent of respondents said they are satisfied being owners. Eighty-five percent reported that if “they could do it all over again,” they would still become small business owners. In October, 83 percent reported the same.

All major U.S. airlines have now given their endorsement to the largest airfare increase in years by matching United Airline's Friday fare increase of up to $50 a trip.

Northwest Airlines submitted like fares to United's Sunday becoming the last of the major carriers to up the ante once again.

Those increases vary by distance ranging from $10 a roundtrip for flights of up to 500 miles to $50 for flights over 1,500 miles.

This increase is the seventh since Dec. 18 of last year. Airlines are raising fares to offset steeply rising fuel bills.

The hikes aren't universal, but apply in situations where competition is little or none.

For example, consider non-stop flights between Seattle and Atlanta in mid-April, a route that only Delta flies non-stop year round. With the latest increases, the least expensive airfare on that route is $600 roundtrip.

But contrary to the usual rule-of-thumb which says air fares rise when summertime crowds hit the airways, the least expensive non-stop fare on that route actually drops in mid-July to $374. Credit that to seasonal competition from Air-Tran which flies to Sea-Tac from Atlanta only during the vacation season.

More typical is the Sea-Tac-Orlando route, which only Alaska Airlines flies non-stop. Their cheapest price in mid-April for a non-stop is $303. In mid-July, those same flights cost $595 roundtrip.

On routes with ample competition, Sea-Tac to New York City, for instance, the fares have remained within reason, $319 roundtrip non-stop in mid-April and $431 roundtrip non-stop in July.

The Seattle-Boston route, on which only Alaska and JetBlue compete, the fares are higher: a low of $429 in April and $539 in July for a red-eye overnight flight and $669 for a daytime non-stop.

Of course, flights with connections are less expensive than the non-stop ones.

On the Orlando April roundtrip where the least expensive non-stop in $303, flights with connections can be bought for as little as $238. In July a flight to Orlando with connections is available for $348 versus $595 for non-stop.

Delta Airlines is talking with Boeing about increasing the reach of the world's longest-range jetliner, the 777-200LR.

Delta wants an aircraft capable of flying non-stop from its Atlanta hub to Sydney, a Delta executive recently told Flight International.

If Boeing tweaks the LR's range to accomplish that feat, the plane might be capable of flying what airlines call the "Kangaroo Route," London to Sydney non-stop.

If the LR developed that capability, it would give airlines like Qantas and British Airways a potent weapon against the Airbus A380s rivals Emirates and Singapore Airlines are deploying on that route.

Though the A380 is a long range aircraft, it has to make a refueling stop somewhere on the way, in Singapore or Dubai, for instance.

Delta recently took delivery of its first 777-200LR. It's likely to deploy that plane on some its new long-range routes, say New York to Mumbai in India or Atlanta to Africa.

The 777-200LR in present form has a range of nearly 10,900 statute miles. The Atlanta-Sydney distance is 9,281 miles and the London-Sydney flight would cover 10,562 miles. While the present 777-200LR could theoretically cover the Atlanta-Sydney flight in still air or with tail winds, it would need additional range to consistently cover the distance against headwinds without a fuel stop or without a reduced load. The same goes for London-Sydney.

An extended range LR could open up new markets for Boeing from airlines wanting to fly literally to the other side of the world non-stop.

Amtrak's got a new special promotion through May 23 that makes it less expensive to take the train to Portland than driving.

That promotion has some holiday blackout dates and some popular trains may already be sold out.

The deal allows an adult paying regular fare to take another adult along free. Kids are half the adult fare.

The economics under this deal still favor the train on a total cost basis even if two adults are going.

Here's the math:
Cost of two roundtrip tickets on Amtrak from Tacoma to Portland under the promotion: $44.

Cost of just the gas for the 286-mile roundtrip to Portland assuming your vehicle averages 20 miles per gallon and gas costs $3.50: $50.05.

Of course that doesn't count the cost of wear and tear on your vehicle or the two and a half hours or so each way spent behind the wheel.

Amtrak has four trains daily between Tacoma and Portland. When you reserve on Amtrak's Web site, enter the promotion code H750 in the space provided after you select your departure times.

GMG, Bangladesh's largest private airline, says it is ordering six new Boeing airliners to mount a major route expansion.

The airline is buying three Boeing 777-300ERs and three 787-9s. It will use the planes to expand its network to include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Singapore, Hong Kong and London.

GMG is the second airline from Bangladesh to buy new Boeing aircraft this month. Biman Airways last week ordered four 777s and four 787s from Boeing.

Don't expect the GMG order to show up on Boeing's official order book for six weeks or so. The airline says it has worked out all the details with Boeing, but is still negotiating the fine points with its banks.

A reader has called to ask if there’s a tape of Arthur Laffer’s lecture last Thursday night at PLU.

Well, no. But I attended – and I took a few notes, got a few quotes and found a few interesting tidbits (as I did at the reception buffet, which contained a nice cheddar and some good grapes).

Stimulus package: “The resources still do not come from the tooth fairy.” “this silly notion has been around forever.”
Bill Clinton: “A disgusting person but a great president.”
Taxation: The highest marginal income tax rate under JFK was 91 percent, and he cut it to 70 percent. (It’s now 35 percent, and likely to rise again with a Democrat majority in Congress.)
Ronald Reagan: “He’s still in my little heart, be still.”

=> Read more!

El Al Israel Airlines has completed its rumored buy of four 777-200ER aircraft from Boeing, the airline confirmed over the weekend.

Boeing will deliver three of those planes in 2012 and one in 2013. They will be equipped with Rolls Royce engines.

El Al will use them on long-haul routes.

I just posted a story on the Business home page about Weyerhaeuser selling its containerboard packaging and recycling business to International Paper.

Here are some more details.

The deal means that Weyerhaeuser shed more Washington properties including:

Packaging operations in Bellevue, Moses Lake, Olympia, Yakima

Recycling operation in Kent.

I put a call into the company for a list of what it still operates in Washington. Weyerhaeuser has been shedding operations that don't meet its criteria for cost and profitability. The process started in 2002 following the purchase of Willamette Industries, an Oregon forest products company.

Washington Mutual Inc. fell nearly 14 percent this morning to its lowest level since 1995.

Shares were trading at $9.16 at 7:21 a.m.

Analyst David Hendler of CreditSights Inc. and others have cited Washington Mutual as a possible takeover target because its finances have weakened because of rising losses on home loans, according to Bloomberg News.

JP Morgan Chase & Co. was viewed as a potential buyer, a move considered less likely after its $240 million purchase of Bear Stearns Cos.

“Washington Mutual has outsized exposure to the mortgage crisis,” CreditSights Inc. Hendler said in a report today. “There could be a lack of many buyers in light of the deteriorating credit quality at WaMu and since potential buyers have also have their own internal issues to contend with.”

For those of you keeping score on the economy: This news from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. came out Friday. In case you missed it, this is from a press release. In essence, the FDIC foresees failures on the horizon, and is taking steps to be prepared...

"(The FDIC) today voted to keep the assessment rates charged to insured banks and savings associations for the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) unchanged for 2008. The existing assessment rate schedule is 5 to 43 basis points per year; most institutions will be charged a rate between 5 and 7 basis points.

"The decision to leave rates unchanged this year is consistent with the Board's objective to increase the reserve ratio to the Designated Reserve Ratio (DRR) of 1.25 percent before the end of 2009. The fund stood at 1.22 percent of estimated insured deposits at year-end 2007, up from 1.21 percent at the end of 2006. According to FDIC staff, with expected insured deposit growth of between 3 and 4 percent in 2008 and 2009, the fund could reach the Board's DRR objective of 1.25 percent at the end of 2008 or early in 2009 under the existing rate schedule.

"'There are significant uncertainties regarding our projections, and given the challenges facing the banking industry and the likelihood of more bank failures, I believe preparedness should be our overriding concern,' said Sheila C. Bair, FDIC Chairman. 'Because we are anticipating more difficult times, it would be prudent to continue to build the deposit insurance fund at the pace allowed by the current rates and the remaining credits. As we build up the insurance fund, banks and thrifts should be taking steps to bolster their capital and reserves.'

Some of my story Saturday regarding internal Port of Tacoma e-mails was cut to fit in the paper. That meant a few quotes from Sharron Coontz and Meryl Berstein, members of Friends of Rocky Prairie as well Olympia port commissioner Bill McGregor were omitted.

Here's what they said Friday:

Coontz said that Friends of Rocky Prairie was disappointed and saddened after looking through the e-mails. She was more concerned about the potential of the port lying to the public than anyone poking fun at her group.

"That sort of stuff is less offensive than the deception," she said, referring to the e-mail noting the erasing of municipal solid waste information.

Bernstein, another member of Friends of Rocky Prairie, appreciated the apology.

"It's nice for the port to own up to something," she said. "But will it lead to better process or will it just lead to the fact that they don't put it in e-mail?"

And finally, McGregor said he didn't think the e-mails represented the Port of Tacoma as a whole, but he noted that the content certainly doesn't help the South Sound Logistic Center situation.

"We hold open meetings and we are trying to make sure we're transparent," McGregor said. "It's been an ongoing thing down here so I don't thing those type of comments help the whole process."

In his memo sent to Port of Tacoma staff Thursday Executive Director Tim Farrell said, "I want to make clear that inappropriate, unprofessional behavior of this nature will not be tolerated at any level of the Port, under any circumstances. We serve the public. We will do that work openly, honestly and respectively."

Here's your chance for a moment in the media spotlight.

We're researching a story for next Sunday's News Tribune about how businesses are coping with the economic slowdown.

We want to know how you and your business are coping with higher energy prices, tighter credit, higher unemployment and slackened demand.

Or maybe you've been unaffected.

If you'd like to share your experiences and plans, e-mail me, John Gillie, at john.gillie@thenewstribune.com. or call me at 253-597-8663. Please include your phone number so that we can talk.

Along with taking in the Economic Development Board luncheon today at the convention center, I took a short stroll to the exhibition hall upstairs with center director David Bobo.

We visited the remodeling show. It's worth a visit this weekend - if only to see what's new among the 270 exhibitors.

Here's what caught my attention: Viscoelastic Tempur-Pedic beds and pillows; Sky Chairs (something akin to a one-man hammock); rubber roofing made from recycled tires; a hot tub with more jets than the Norwegian Air Force.

There's also an array of faucets, gutters, countertops, heaters, windows, tile, furniture and such.

As it turned out, Bobo bought two of "The Web" (an attachment that truly does make a chair comfortable), and I had an interesting conversation with Lena Gunderson, who was selling sheets.

The sign at her booth said the sheets, at $20, were 400-thread-count. (I have no idea what this means, but I'm sure it's important.) She lamented that the company sent a shipment of 600-thread-count sheets instead of 400.

She said she'd just sell them anyway.

The Associated Press is reporting today that Moody’s Investors Service cut Washington Mutual’s credit rating and said the country’s largest savings and loan will need at least $4 billion more than it expected to cover bad mortgages in 2008.

Investors reacted by taking shares down $1.54, or 12.7 percent, to close at $10.59. Bloomberg reports that the stock is down 22.19 percent so far this year, and down 71.97 percent over the past 12 months.

Moody’s said its action reflects a “rapid deterioration” of the housing market, echoing the rationale behind another rate cut by Standard & Poor’s a week ago.

Moody’s also downgraded WaMu’s senior unsecured rating to “Baa3” from “Baa2.” It also cut the bank’s long-term deposit rating to “Baa2” from “Baa1.” The new ratings are still considered investment grade, but reflect moderate credit risk - but another downgrade would put the ratings for the thrift into speculative grade, or “junk,” territory.

Olivia Riley, a WaMu spokeswoman, responded to the AP in an e-mailed statement. “WaMu has several funding sources in addition to the capital markets, including the Federal Home Loan Bank and deposits generated through our retail bank.”

Alaska Air Group bill buy back $50 million worth of Alaska Airlines stock, the airline holding company's board has decided.

The buyback program continue's a $100 million program the airline concluded at the end of February.

The airline's stock closed Friday at $18.04 a share, down 56 cents a share. That price is near the 52-week low of $17.44 a share and less than half of the 52-week high of $40.10

Wall Street has pummeled airline stocks on news of rising fuel prices. Airlines in the meantime, have been raising prices to try to cope with those increasing expenses.

Seattle Inn at the Market owner Bob Thurston is partnering with former Tacoma developer Doug Howe to create a sister hotel across Seattle's First Avenue from his existing property.

The new hotel will be part of a planned 11-story building that will include some 75 apartment units and as much as 15,000 square feet of retail space.

Thurston is the main backer of a proposed boutique hotel and condominium project on Tacoma's Foss Waterway that has exprienced some four years of delays getting started.

Thurston faces a deadline to begin construction on the Foss hotel or risk violating his development agreement with the Thea Foss Waterway Development Authority.

But that deadline has been extended many times by the authority as Thurston has redesigned his planned building on the west side of the Foss to meet changing market conditions.

Does this plan to create a 100-room hotel as part of a multi-purpose building with apartments and retail mean that Thurston's energy is being diverted to other matters?

We've tried to contact Thurston, but haven't connected yet. We'll let you know when we do.

In what's becoming a weekly ritual, United Airlines has initiated a systemwide fare increase of up to $50 a flight on some leisure fares, and Continental Airlines has followed United's lead.

If the fare increases stick, that is if all the major carriers follow United's lead, the fare increase will be the seventh this year.

The fare increases fare widely with the highest increases, $30 and $50, coming in some of the deepest discounted leisure fare categories. The lower fare increases affect business fares, which have already seen a steady stream of hikes.

The increases reflect the airlines' push to recover the burgeoning cost of jet fuel, which is adding billions on extra cost to their bottom lines.

Thanks to all of you who have called and e-mailed already this morning to point out my error in today's column regarding the effort to build a memorial to Allen C. Mason.

The plaza will go up at the corner of North 26th and Adams streets in the Proctor business district, on property occupied by the Wheelock Library. I knew that. For some reason, however, I typed "South" and didn't catch it in the editing process.

My apologies for the error and any confusion caused by it. Please don't let it detract from the main point: a group of dedicated volunteers have banded together to put together an exceptional memorial to one of the great men in Tacoma's history.

Now, as a bonus for those of you reading this mea culpa...Here's an image showing what Mason's Tacoma Star of Destiny advertisement looks like. You won't be able to read the 120 phrases he came up with to praise Tacoma. But it'll give you an idea of what the star looked like. A replica of this star – cast in bronze and five feet across – will be embedded in the ground in the plaza...at North 26th Street.

Allen C. Mason created this promotional star for an 1880s newspaper advertising campaign proclaiming the greatness of Tacoma.

Hotel occupancy in Pierce County fell 4.4 percent in January as compared to January, 2007. For the month, 58.8 percent of rooms were taken. Statewide – with 56.2 percent of rooms occupied – the rate fell 3.4 percent from the year before.

The cost of a room in January in Pierce County, $81.50, rose by the state’s highest level, up 12.9 percent from 2007. Of the state’s nine regions, Pierce County’s rate was the fifth highest, according to Bellevue hospitality consultant Wolfgang Rood.

The statewide rate, $118.88, was up 2.6 percent from the year before. Only the rate in Bellevue, $152.38, fell in January, down 0.1 percent from 2007. The least expensive rooms in the state, $70.68, were to be found in Southwest Washington, where the occupancy rate fell 8.3 percent from January of last year.

Boeing Co. booked orders for 35 more of its revolutionary 787 Dreamliners last week despite reports that the company is poised to delay the plane's first delivery for a fourth time.

Those orders, attributed by Boeing to unidentified customers, raise the 787 total order book to 892.

The 787 orders were among 85 new orders Boeing booked last week through Tuesday. Included in those orders were deals for 35 more 737s and 10 more 777s.

Airbus remains ahead of Boeing in the order race this year despite the new order additions. The European planemaker says it has booked 341 airliner orders through this week in 2008.

Four of 38 Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 airliners pulled from service Wednesday for inspection had developed cracks in the fuselage skin near the planes' windows.

The Dallas-based airline said it returned the 34 undamaged planes to service today, but withheld the four aircraft with metal fatigue cracks until they can be repaired.

Those four aircraft are expected to return to service this weekend after undergoing repairs.

Southwest withdrew the 38 planes from service after an internal audit showed the airline had not performed federally required electrical "eddy current' inspections for the cracks.

The audit found that 44 aircraft in Southwest's fleet hadn't undergone the inspection. Five of those planes were already grounded for other maintenance, and the sixth had been pulled from service because it was due to be retired.

Southwest canceled 126 flights Wednesday because of the inspections. None of those flights affected originated at Sea-Tac Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration has fined Southwest $10.2 million for other maintenance lapses that occurred in 2007 and involved other neglected inspections.

The FAA allowed Southwest to keep those planes flying over eight days while those neglected inspections were carried out. Those inspections found cracks in six jets. The FAA has also revealed that 70 Southwest 737s also missed mandatory rudder inspections.

Southwest has suspended three employees involved in the maintenance problems.

Gov. Chris Gregoire plans sign a bill Friday aimed at keeping Russell Investments headquarters in Tacoma.

That signing will take place at the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board's annual luncheon and meeting.

The bill creates a sales and use tax deferral for eligible investment projects in community empowerment zones.

Downtown Tacoma is one such zone.

Though applicable elsewhere the bill has been tailored to helping Tacoma retain the company, which is seeking to expand its headquarters.

It's a piece of a larger effort, spearheaded by the EDB, to keep the financial services company in Tacoma.

The governor has also committed $700,000 from unclaimed lottery funds toward the effort, called Project Destiny.

The EDB plans on making a formal presentation – including the bill, the governor's money and additional incentives – to the Russell company later this month.

I know you've all the been on the countdown ...

There's only six days left until you can watch Port of Tacoma commission meetings via the Internet.

The commission voted in December to begin broadcasting its meetings online and on television.

The port anticipates that next Thursday's commission meeting will be streamed over the Internet.

"Unless there’s any technical challenges we don’t know about we’ll be live streaming on the 20th," Rod Koon, the port's director of communications, said today.

You should be able to access the meeting on the port's Web site.

The effort will cost the port $170,000. That includes new equipment and training.

No word yet on when the first port meeting will be televised.

The initiative comes after much urging by Friends of the Port, a citizens' group formed last summer.

Florida's law enforcement officers will soon have the ability to check a suspect's fingerprints rapidly against a database of known offenders.

That ability comes thanks to a biometric identification system delivered this week to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement by Tacoma's Sagem Morpho Inc.

The system combines proprietary and commercial software and hardware systems to give officers in remote locations the ability to identify offenders and to retrieve offense and warrant information about them.

Here's how Sagem Morpho says the system will work:

In a typical Rapid ID application, a police officer on the street or a parole officer in a field office uses a small portable device called an edge biometric scanner to obtain digital fingerprint images from an individual.

The edge unit transmits the digital print images either wirelessly or via a closed network to the Rapid ID system in Tallahassee for matching against the approximately 4-million-record FDLE fingerprint database.

If a database match is made with the individual’s prints, Rapid ID uses an identification number to extract that person’s criminal records from the Florida Criminal Information Center.

This "rap sheet" information is packaged into an abbreviated format and returned to a screen on the edge device where it can be viewed and read by the public safety official.

The on-screen information provided to public safety officers allows them to instantly identify the offender in question, and ascertain whether that person is a sex offender or if there is an outstanding arrest warrant, so the officer can take appropriate action. If no match is made, the Rapid ID system purges the prints, and they are not retained in a database.

Amazon.com today gave Facebook users a way to see what their friends are reading and buying at the online retailer.

Amazon Giver and Amazon Grapevine, allows Facebook users to see and purchase what their friends want through their Amazon Wish Lists, as well as recent public activity on Amazon.

Amazon Giver allows users to see what their friends on Facebook have on their Amazon Wish Lists. Users can choose to purchase a gift for them from Amazon.com via the application, or view suggested items based on interests they have listed on their Facebook profile.

Amazon Grapevine allows users to see friends’ activity on Amazon.com, such as when they update their Wish List, write a review or tag a product, via News Feed updates.

Both Amazon Giver and Amazon Grapevine share only the information with Facebook users’ friends that each user has affirmatively chosen to share via an opt-in mechanism.

In order to view friends’ Wish Lists, all users must set their Wish Lists to "public" on Amazon.com. Any Wish Lists set as "private" will not be displayed.

Weyerhaeuser Co. Chief Executive Officer Steven Rogel received compensation valued at $13.9 million in 2007, essentially unchanged from the previous year, as the U.S. housing market slump pushed the lumber and packaging producer to a loss in the fourth quarter, The Associated Press reports.

Rogel, who is also the company’s president and chairman, drew a base salary of $1.3 million last year, 1 percent more than in 2006, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.

Most of Rogel’s compensation came from stock and options granted to him during the year. Weyerhaeuser did not disclose the total amount, but an Associated Press calculation values the stock and option grants at $12.5 million on the date they were granted, an 11 percent increase from a year ago.

Rogel did not receive anything under the company’s cash incentive plan, which awards executives based on the company’s financial performance. In 2006, he received $1.3 million under that plan.

Rogel also received $17,437 in above-market earnings on deferred compensation and $30,931 in other compensation, which included $18,862 for financial counseling and $11,025 in company contributions to his 401(k).

Israel's El Al Airlines reportedly is in talks with Boeing Co. to add to its fleet of 777 airliners.

According to reports from Israel, the airline wants to acquire four more 777-200 aircraft for delivery beginning in 2012.

El Al already has six 777s in its fleet which it uses for long-range service from Tel Aviv to the United States and Asia.

El Al is scheduled to accept delivery of two new single-aisle Boeing 737-800s this summer.

As part of its ongoing outreach to auto enthusiasts nationwide, the LeMay Automobile Museum will offer two of the collection’s cars – along with several others from related collections – for public viewing beginning this weekend at the New York International Auto Show.

The annual show is one of the nation’s most prestigious – and it helps that Candida Romanelli, the show director, is on the LeMay steering committee.

The LeMay exhibit, “Heritage and Horsepower,” will feature:
From the LeMay collection:
• 1994 Flintmobile – or “the Flintsones’s car;”
• 1927 LaSalle 303 Roadster (LeMay – America’s Car From the collection of board member Nicola Bulgari:
• 2005 Ford GT
• 1952 Buick Roadmaster Harlow Curtice Limousine
• 1936 Hudson Custom Eight Convertible Coupe
• 1934 Studebaker Commander Landcruiser
Other vehicles:
• 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt; 2008 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec B (Grand-Am); ABC Supply Dallara/Honda Indy Car Series car.

If you’re planning to visit, look for the LeMay in a 22,000-sq.-ft. space on the lower level, hall 1-E at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

If you're looking for a silver lining in the story of $3.50-a-gallon gas, you don't have to go as far as Dubai to see it.

Right here in Washington, passenger traffic on Amtrak's Northwest corridor trains, dubbed "Amtrak Cascades" by the quasi-governmental passenger rail transportation company, is setting new records.

Last year, ridership in the corridor that encompasses rail routes stretching from Eugene, Ore. to Vancouver, B.C. jumped 7.4 percent despite some rail equipment problems last fall that sidelined some of Cascades modern Talgo trains. Traffic on the four daily Cascades trains is up 13 percent in January and February, reports the Washington Department of Transportation's rail office.

According to the Washington DOT, which subsidizes some of the Amtrak service, 676,670 persons rode the Cascades trains last year.

Expectations for this year are even higher because of several factors:

* Gas prices cresting $3.50 a gallon and continuing to rise.

* The return of renovated Talgo equipment to the route. In addition to fixing the suspension cracks that sidelined the trains last fall, Amtrak and the Washington DOT have spent $10 million on interior renovations of the Spanish-designed high speed trains. The first of those trains goes into service this spring.

* An extension of a second daily train from its present northernmost stop in Bellingham to Vancouver, B.C. in mid-summer this year. Amtrak has had a morning train from Seattle to Vancouver for years. This service addition will add an evening train northward and a morning train southward.

Meanwhile, train service on the Coast Starlight between the Northwest and Southern California remains suspended while crews continue to remove a huge January mudslide that swept away tracks in the Oregon Cascades.

The slide carried away a quarter mile of Union Pacific track. Amtrak initially halted all Coast Starlight service but then reinstated service south of Sacramento, Calif. Amtrak bus service on the route south of Portland is also now available.

Union Pacific expects to restore the line, which carried 1,500 passengers and more than a dozen freight trains a day, either late this month or in April.

If there ever was a marketing marriage made in heaven, it might Crocs and airports.

Leave it to the Transportation Security Administration to demonstrate the utility of the lightweight, plastic slip-on Crocs by requiring you to slip off your shoes before passing through security screening.

After you've balanced on one foot and grabbed your laptop, carry-on and your belt with your left hand and tried to tie your shoes with your right after passing through the airport security line, you'll understand why Crocs or their imitators are becoming standard attire for airline trips.

Now Crocs Inc. has exploited that travel connection by opening a shop at Sea-Tac Airport's Concourse C.

The shop opened about two weeks ago and apparently is doing well said Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper.

It may be cold comfort to Boeing Co., but its chief European rival, European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), today reported an annual loss of $685 million last year.

That loss was driven higher by a loss of $1.4 billion at its commercial airplane subsidiary, Airbus.

In contrast, Boeing racked up record earnings last year of $4.1 billion, up 84 percent over the previous year.

Airbus blamed its losses on a two-year delay in delivering its superjumbo A380 jetliner and problems with its A400M military transport, which has yet to fly.

Boeing is facing a delay in the delivery of its popular 787 Dreamliner of about nine months though some analysts are predicting a longer delay will be announced soon.

Boeing has said in the past that the loss of profits from the 787 delays will be relatively small, but further delays could magnify those losses.

Last year was the second year in a row that Airbus has lost money.

Both EADS and Airbus got a psychological boost last week when they won a U.S. Air Force competition to furnish the service with 179 new airborne tankers based on the Airbus A330 aircraft. Boeing had pitched a militarized version of its 767 airliner in that competition.

Boeing is appealing the award of the deal to Airbus.

The state Legislature Monday approved a bill aimed at making port contracting processes more transparent and accountable.

The bill is a response to the recent Port of Seattle construction audit, which revealed widespread problems with the port's contracting processes.

"I think the members of the Legislature took an emotional and complicated issues and turned it into a productive bill that benefits all ports," Pat Jones, executive director of the Washington Public Ports Association, said today.

The bill tweaks current public works law to make sure its applied to ports, strengthens port commissions' oversight of the contracting process and adds new provisions regarding contract work done by consultants.

The Port of Seattle audit included numerous recommendations to address the port's contracting issues.

"This responds to every one of the state auditor's concerns about what happened at the Port of Seattle and makes sure public dollars aren't wasted on sweetheart deals for political purposes," said Rep. Geoff Simpson, D-Covington, the bill's sponsor.

The bill was one of many born out of the Seattle port audit, but Simpson said his bill addressed the contract concerns without harming the port's economic contributions to the state.

Tara Mattina, the Tacoma port's spokeswoman, said the port is still reviewing how the bill is different from its current contract procedures.

But the port will likely need to show more of its competitive process for the hiring of "personal services," consultants contracted with the port for work ranging from freelance writing to overseas sales representatives.

Also included in the bill: A requirement that ports planning projects outside their jurisdiction make sure the public knows about their plans sooner rather than later.

Sound familiar?

The Port of Tacoma's controversial South Sound Logistic Center project proposed for Thurston County spurred this addition.

The Tacoma port surprised and angered many in Thurston County when it bought property in Maytown in 2006 and began initial planning for a rail logistics center in the rural area – with little notice to local residents.

The Tacoma and Olympia ports are jointly considering such a project.

"I was getting widespread input that people were having a hard time finding out what was being proposed," said Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County.

Fraser championed the Maytown amendment.

"I thought that this would be helpful for this project and future projects and the ports would have an outline of what’s expected of them," Fraser said.

The bill requires ports that buy property outside their jurisdiction prepare a communication plan within 60 days of contracting with a site planning consultant.

The communication plan must provide property owners and other interested parties with information about the type and scope of the project, proposed uses and environmental effects of the project.

Fraser said the release of the information early in the process is important.

"If you wait until an environmental impact statement is done – by that time the port's spent millions on planning and design," she said.

The general public can ask more informed questions and comment when they have that information, she added.

The Tacoma port has ramped up its public outreach efforts in Thurston County over the past several months, hosting two public meetings in Lacey about the SSLC and creating a Web site for the project.

Per the legislation, which still needs a signature from the governor, port generating more than $10 million in revenue are also required to create an online database of contracts by 2010.

Port staff will also be provided with training regarding contract management.

Count downtown Tacoma's historic former Elks Temple among the new casualties of the country's latest economic malaise.

Williams & Dame, the Portland developer that bought the monumental building at 565 Broadway a year ago with the idea of returning it to its former glory, acknowledged today it's putting the building on the sales block.

"There's no market," said Williams & Dame principal Homer Williams. "That pretty much sums it all up."

Williams said his company explored a variety of adaptive reuses for the four-story former fraternal gathering place and lot north of the building, but found no use that made economic sense under present market conditions.

"We looked at condos, apartments, offices, you name it," he said. "Nothing could be financed in the current market."

"It's too bad," said Williams. "We like Tacoma. But I don't think things are going to get better for a couple of more years. When it does, we'll be back."

During the little more than a year that Williams & Dame owned the 1915-vintage building, the company removed a concrete-block kitchen annex that was not part of the original structure and whose low roof had provided an entry path for transients and vandals.

The company patched up holes in the roof that allowed rain to flood the third floor ballroom and cleaned up debris from years of neglect.

Commercial realtor NAI Puget Sound properties will market the building, said Bob Levin, manager of Tacoma Community and Economic Development Department's private capital division. No asking price has been set pending an appraisal, said Williams.

The city had fought in court with the building's prior owner, a California investor, since 2000 over the building's deteriorating condition. When he died in 2005, the city brokered a sale of the structure with his family.

Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma was surprised and disappointed to hear the news of the sale. Along with the historic Winthrop Hotel and the Luzon Building on Pacific Avenue, the Elks was among the landmark buildings the city had hoped to see rehabilitated.

"We always knew this would be challenging," said the mayor. "I remain optimistic that the building will find a new use once the market recovers."

I’m working on a story for Thursday’s paper – it’s a preview of an event Thursday evening at Pacific Lutheran University featuring economist Dr. Arthur Laffer.

Laffer, above, will speak as part of the Dale E. Benson Lecture Series in Business and Economic History. The event is open to the public, free, and begins with an formal reception at 6 p.m. at Chris Knutzen Hall – with a speech to follow at 7 p.m. Knutzen Hall is located in the University Center at Park Avenue South and 122nd Street.

I spoke with Dr. Laffer this morning, and he did not disappoint. For those of you who may not know or remember him, he’s best known for the Laffer Curve and his work on supply-side economics.

A few quotes from our conversation:

(Are we in a recession?) “Probably. Bottom line – we’re in a very big slowdown. This recession may not last 10 years, but this decline will last 10 years. We are in a very significant downward spiral of no-growth policies.”

(The current campaign:) “This is the most significant election in my lifetime...I’ve been an optimist for 35 years. The world has changed. It’s very sad and it’s very serious.”

(On Ben Bernanke, head of the Fed:) “A deer in the headlights. He’s a very good man, and a fine academic, and a fine person – who doesn't understand that in the real world, you don’t go doing experiments.”

(He won’t be receiving a stimulus check, but what would he do if he did?) “I would probably give it to some guy whose taxes were raised to pay for it.”

The Small Business Administration has begun offering a free online training course for businesses that want to win government contracts.

The course, “Business Opportunities: A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts” is available at the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov/training. From the training site, click on the menu of free online courses and then select the first course listed under Government Contracting.

The course is designed for all small businesses – especially for women entrepreneurs and small firms in underserved markets that have historically had difficulty in tapping into federal contract markets. It comprises both script and audio to provide information about the $400 billion federal market, contract rules, and most importantly, says the SBA, it offers tips on where to find contract opportunities and how to sell to the government.

After completing the 30-minute tutorial, business owners can earn a certificate of completion from the SBA.

If you're headed out-of-town by air and are planning to park at Sea-Tac Airport, allow yourself 20 to 30 minutes more to find a parking space.

End of the quarter, mid-week business trips and spring vacations are making parking at Sea-Tac Airport's huge garage tight this month.

Wednesday will be among the seven days this month when finding a vacant spot in the garage may be something of a vehicular treasure hunt, the airport advises. The airport has published a calendar noting the busiest days. You can find it on the Web here.

Attendants will be on hand to direct you to available spaces during the busiest hours.

Ordinarily, if you're in a hurry head to the garage's higher floors and southward in the garage to find available parking spots, but when parking becomes this tight even the uncovered spaces on the garage roof are often full.

Of course, there are thousands of more distant and less expensive spots in parking lots along International Boulevard near the airport. But even these too get clogged when business at the airport is brisk.

Tacoma software firm Topia Technology has partnered with Jamcracker Services Delivery Network to offer a service that allows computer users to easily share files of up to 65 gigbits.

Topia's technology, called SKOOT, allows businesses to send and receive large files such as photos, video news footage, advertising story boards and full-color brochures, the company said.

The technology works regardless of the operating system involved and bypasses the technical hassles of conventional file transfer protocol systems, Topia said.

A 30-day free trial is available for download at www.jamcracker.com

Conventional economic thinking would say that airline traffic ought to have dropped this winter.

Why?

Airlines have raised fares three times in recent weeks.

The economy is dragging.

The price of oil is heading moonward.

But major airlines say their traffic is up over the same period last year.

American posted a 1.2 percent gain. Delta's traffic is up 4.5 percent. Continental says it carried 4.1 percent more paying passengers, and Northwest posted a 2.5 percent gain. Southwest gained 12 percent.

Only United among the larger airlines posted a loss, 3 percent.

And SeaTac's Alaska Airlines' traffic jumped even more than its larger rivals'. February traffic volume increased by 13.5 percent, the airline reported last week.

Still economists say the figures are an aberration. The poor economy ultimately will be reflected in airline ticket sales.

The airlines, for obvious reasons, hope those economists are wrong.

It was last summer that I blogged the news that the owners of Pierce County’s Faith Dairy were selling the herd and closing the farm – along with closing one of the state’s last home-grown, drive-thru dairy outlets.

Now, a group of citizens in the Waller Road - Summit area have formed a coalition and claim to have support from 362 petition-signers and 10 businesses that represent more than $50,000 in monthly retail dairy sales. The goal is to keep the dairy alive and keep the farmland as farmland – instead of letting developers construct strip malls and tract homes.

If you’re interested in joining up, visit www.savefaithdairy.org.

You say you don’t file a tax return – but you still want your stimulus check? Well, now you can file for that check for free.

The Internal Revenue Service says individuals who normally do not file a tax return – but who must file this year to receive their 2008 economic stimulus payment – can now use the IRS Free File program to help them file returns for 2007.

IRS and several of its partners in the Free File Alliance can now accept returns submitted by people who have no legal requirement to file other than to receive their payments. People in this category should take care to use only those companies listed on the Free File - Economic Stimulus Payment at www.irs.gov.

“All you need to do is follow the simple instructions provided by the software. It’s easy, and it’s free,” says Acting IRS Commissioner Linda E. Stiff.

=> Read more!

JetBlue Airways, the New York-based low-cost carrier, was the best performer in on-time arrivals at Sea-Tac Airport in January according to a new report from the federal Department of Transportation.

The airline's two daily flights arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time 85.5 percent of the time during January.

Worst on the list was ExpressJet Airlines at 58.1 percent on-time arrivals during 2008's first month. ExpressJet flies from Sea-Tac as Delta Connection.

Here's the list of airlines that the DOT tracks and their on-time arrival ranking and percentage at Sea-Tac in January:

1. JetBlue 85.5%
2. USAirways 81.0%
3. Southwest 78.5%
4. Delta 78.3%
5. Alaska 74.3%
6. Frontier 73.1%
7. Northwest 72.8%
8. Skywest 72.3%
9. Continental 70.5%
10. Hawaiian 69.9%
11. American 67.6%
12. United 59.4%
13. ExpressJet 58.1%

Overall, 73.4 percent of flights arrived at Sea-Tac on time in January. The departure record was better: 77.5 percent of flights departed the airport on time during that month.

The best time to depart from Sea-Tac during January was between 6 a.m. and 6:59 a.m. when 91.7 percent of flights left on time. The worst hour was between 7 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. when only 62.7 percent of flights departed on time.

The pattern holds for most airports: early departures are more likely to be on time. Performance deteriorates pretty steadily during the day as weather, air traffic snarls and other issues delay flights. After 10 p.m., when traffic lightens, the on-time performance begins to improve.

Tacoma's Hotel Murano, formerly the Sheraton Tacoma, has thrown off the wraps of its extensive hotel art collection. You've no doubt seen the Murano's collection here in The News Tribune.

But the Murano isn't the first hotel to make art its axis. The investment in art, particularly in glass art, gives the Murano a de facto membership in a small but growing group of art hotels worldwide that make art the centerpiece of their decor.

Here's a link to a slide show on Budget Travel.com with an inside look at some other hotel's romance with art.

The state Department of Financial Institutions has given notice that it intends to revoke the license of Assurity Financial Services to do business in Washington.

The department said that since December 2005, when Assurity was licensed as a consumer loan company in Washington, the Colorado-based lender has mailed thousands of solicitations to Washington homeowners. The mailers offer the possibility of hundreds or thousands of dollars in refunds, and many appear to be from the federal government. In small print in a footnote, Assurity discloses the primary purpose of the mailer-to solicit the recipient for a home loan.

=> Read more!

Bangladesh's national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airways has agreed to buy eight Boeing long-haul jets for a total of $1.26 billion.

The airline said it needs to update its fleet to renew overseas connections and return it to profitability.

The airline's board has approved an order for four Boeing 777-300ERs and four 787-8s.

The carrier said it will pay $182 million each for the 777s and $133 million each for the 787s.

The airline's announcement gave rare insight into the prices airlines actually pay for Boeing airliners. Ordinarily airlines and Boeing don't reveal the actual final price for competitive reasons. They instead talk about the list price for the airliners while acknowledging that they likely have gotten a better deal.

The list price for a 777-300ER is now $250 million to $279 million. The 787-8 lists for $157 million to $167 million.

The first 777s will be delivered in 2013, and the first 787s in 2017. Boeing has agreed to help find aircraft to lease Biman to cover the time until the aircraft are delivered.

Four Washington companies, Starbucks, Costco, Microsoft and Nordstrom, have placed among the top 20 "most admired" U.S. companies on a Fortune magazine survey.

With four companies on the list, Washington topped the list of states on the list. California was second with three.

On a list of the world's most admired companies, three companies with Washington connections made the list: Microsoft, Costco and Boeing.

Northwest companies also scored well when Fortune polled executives, board members and analyst within specific industry categories.

Northwestern Mutual Life, parent company of Tacoma's Russell Investments, was first in the Insurance and Health category.

Starbucks ranked second in the Food Services group behind McDonald's.

Nordstrom topped the General Merchandisers category.

Costco was at the top of the Specialty Retailers group.

Federal Way's Weyerhaeuser Co. and Seattle's Plum Creek Timber finished second and third in the Forest and Paper Products sector in the Fortune poll.

Microsoft was third in the Computer Software group. And Bellevue's Expedia and Seattle's Amazon.com finished third and fourth in the Internet Service sector.

Oregon's Nike finished first in the Apparel group.

Did you know the man who sold Tacoma as the "City of Destiny" made his mark as a real estate agent. Sure enough, Allen C. Mason, showed up in Tacoma in 1885 with $2 and change in his pocket. A year later he made $10,000 in real estate, then proceeded to sell Tacoma to the U.S. as the City of Destiny.

He sold many of the original homesteads in Tacoma's north end, and the Mason name lives on as a middle school, church and street. Now, the Proctor Business District and Tacoma Historical Society have teamed on a fundraising project to erect a bronze statue and memorial to Mason. By the end of the year, the groups hope to transform a corner of the Proctor district outside the Wheelock Library into an ode to Mason.

As a kickoff of the public fundraising campaign, former Tacoma City Councilman Tom Stenger will provide a historic look at the man who made Tacoma famous. His presentation, "Allen C. Mason: Tacoma's Super Salesman" will take place at 7 p.m. Monday in the Olympic Room of the Main Library, at South 11th Street and Tacoma Avenue. Admission is free.

Sumner Tractor & Equipment Co.'s fancy showroom on Washington 410 east of downtown Sumner will be the home of a car dealership by next fall.

The tractor dealership will likely move to a temporary location -- perhaps the old Riverside Ford showroom -- while it builds a new home, said Denise Haase, the tractor dealer's marketing manager.

The move out is scheduled to happen by August 1.

A Honda dealership is scheduled to move into the tractor dealership's six-year-old home. The tractor dealership's showroom sits next door to Riverside Ford's new store on 166th Avenue East.

Sumner Tractor's owner, Paul Mosby, got an offer from the car dealership that was too attractive to turn down, said Haase.

Any new building that the tractor dealership builds will have to be a high quality structure, Haase said, to meet the standards of John Deere, whose tractors Sumner Tractor sells.

A series of three one-day workshops aimed at women in the construction industry begins March 21st.

The series, “Female Forces in Construction,” is sponsored by th U.S. Small Business Administration, William M. Factory Incubator and South Sound Washington Business Center.

Each workshop will feature presentations by local business leaders in the construction industry. The presentations will include:

• A panel of experts in the construction contracting field;
• An open forum with topics including credibility in the industry, creating a company’s public persona, identifying subcontractors and working with mentors;
• Opportunities to meet and network with women in both the commercial and residential construction industry.

When: Friday, March 21st, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Tacoma’s William M. Factory Small Business Incubator, 1423 E. 29th St., 3rd Floor
Cost: $100 per session or $250 for the full series (Mar. 21, June 13, Oct. 17)
Registration: Pre-registration for the March session closes on March 19. Call 253-680-7770 or write infosswbc@seattlccd.com for further information.

The branding marriage between the Tacoma-born rockers The Ventures and the DuPont-based financial institution Venture Bank continues next Monday as the band is admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

To celebrate, the bank is throwing a party.

The doors open at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Theater at 116 W. Main St. in Puyallup for a free large-screen viewing of the official induction ceremony as it takes place live at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Features at the party include a raffle, no-host bar and food, and the “special guest appearance” of an undisclosed, well, special guest.

The bank has partnered its brand with the band since 2005, and along with the Hall of Fame honor, The Ventures this year celebrate their 50th year in music.

And for those of you who like rumors: Down the line – sometime soon – look for an appearance of the Ventures (and a few other local special guests) at an as-yet-unnamed baseball stadium in Tacoma.

Seattle hotel developer Hotel Concepts has posted a new drawing for its proposed Holiday Inn Express hotel on the site of the former Heidelberg Brewery.

Hotel Concepts Principal Han Kim said the drawing is still a preliminary concept.

The hotel company is meeting with the city's Landmarks Preservation officer Reuben McKnight next week to test whether the new design concept is a step in the right direction.

The main difference between the present design and that of the original concept is that the building is now clad with brick. The windows have also been modified to
present a more historic appearance.

Kim said he doesn't expect to break ground in June as he had originally hoped because of the delays in the permitting process.

"We'll be lucky to have all of our permits by then," he said.

In the meanwhile, Hotel Concepts has applied for a demolition permit for the parts of the old brewery that it and its partners own. The brewery's sign has already been removed because of safety considerations.

The new design appears to be much more in the style of the brick warehouse buildings that are its immediate neighbors in the old warehouse district and at the University of Washington Tacoma.

Holiday Inn Express front elevation

Holiday Inn Express south elevation

Hotel Concepts wants to build a 160-room Holiday Inn Express on the Brewery site to serve both university and convention business.

A recent Dan Voelpel column in The News Tribune outlined the case for new hotels because of convention opportunities lost locally because of a shortage of hotel rooms.

The new drawing by an Oregon architect is a significant departure from the freeway-style motel drawing the developers initially vetted with Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Boeing Co. sold just one commercial airplane this week, a 737 to an unidentified buyer.

That brings the company's 2008 order book up to 190 aircraft.

Top seller as usual is the twin-engine, single-aisle 737, the world's best-selling commercial airplane, with 133 orders for the year.

Following it in popularity this year is the 787 Dreamliner with 40 orders, the 777 with 16 orders and the 747 with just one order through Tuesday.

The 767, on which Boeing had pinned its aerial tanker hopes, has no new orders this year. The Air Force last week announced it intends to award a $40 billion contract for 179 aerial tankers to Northrop Grumman-EADS for a tanker based on Airbus' A330 airliner.

Both Alaska Airlines and its sister airline, Horizon Air, saw passenger traffic jump substantially in February.

The companies, both part of the Alaska Air Group, reported both better overall traffic numbers and fuller planes last month.

Alaska's February traffic increased 13.5 percent to 1.419 billion passenger miles in February compared with the same period a year ago. A revenue passenger mile is one mile flown by one paying passenger.

The percentage of Alaska Airlines' seats filled jumped to 73.3 percent in February from 70.7 percent in February 2007.

At Horizon, February traffic was up 4.7 percent. The percentage of seats filled increased to 71.1 percent compared with 68.8 percent in the same month last year.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines has upgraded its first class food service on flights between Seattle and Los Angeles and San Francisco to fend off new competition from Virgin America and JetBlue Airways.

Virgin America, based in Burlingame, Calif., near the San Francisco International Airport, and JetBlue, which has a hub in Long Beach, Calif., have announced new West Coast routes. Virgin America will compete with Alaska and United Airlines between Seattle and San Francisco and Seattle and Los Angeles, and JetBlue will take on Alaska in Seattle-Long Beach and Seattle-San Diego markets.

Alaska's new first class menus on the Seattle-San Francisco and Seattle-LAX routes will include warm pastries, fresh fruit bowls and yogurt, hot French toast , scrambled eggs and bacon, cheese and crackers, crudites and salami sandwiches, Asian noodles with chicken satay and Mediterranean penne pasta with Tuscan chicken. The airlines will also offer Seattle Chocolates.

The selections available will vary depending on the flight and the time of day.

Starting April 27, the airline will bolster its Seattle California flights to offer more convenient and frequent flights.

Last night I was at Costco in Tacoma getting a lifetime supply of garbage bags and on my way out I noticed the store was selling Crocs in bright colors – green and pink, among others.

The today I read this from Bloomberg News:

Crocs Inc., the maker of colorful clogs with holes, said it has no plans to sell its products to Costco Wholesale Corp.

“We have not sold Crocs-branded products to Costco nor have we authorized any of our customers to sell our products to Costco,” the Niwot, Colorado-based company said today in a statement distributed by Business Wire.

“However, we have discovered instances where we believe our products were being sold indirectly to Costco and we promptly terminated those relationships upon learning of that behavior.”

It's certainly not as romantic as a message in a bottle.

But mysterious canisters of fumigants likely used to kill rats and pests have been washing ashore in Ocean Shores and Ozette.

"I don't think that's what Sting had in mind when he wrote the song," Kim Schmanke, spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Ecology, said this morning.

The DOE received a call this weekend from a newspaper reporter in Ocean Shores, said Kim Schmanke, the agency's spokeswoman.

Apparently people participating in a beach clean up event had found a few of the canisters and wanted to know what they were and where they came from.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the DOE are now investigating those very questions.

Schmanke said the canisters resemble containers of fumigants placed in the cargo hold of grain and other types of ships to ward off pests.

The contents could pose a threat to people who handle them – though the DOE is unsure how harmful the chemicals are.

"Beach goers should not handle the canisters because they contain toxic chemicals," the agency advised today.

The DOE picked up at least three on Wednesday from people who had found the containers.

But agency is hearing that the canisters may have been washing up on beaches for the past couple months.

The canisters are about 12 inches tall and have red or white caps. If you've found one, call the DOE at (360) 407-6300.

Shares of Washington Mutual Inc., the largest U.S. savings and loan, dropped as much as 10 percent today as Standard & Poor’s lowered the lender’s credit rating and said another cut is possible.

Shares of the Seattle-based firm fell $1.04, or 8 percent, to $11.76 at 7:08 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading after falling to $11.50.

The stock has lost 30 percent in the past seven days of trading.

Tacoma drivers, take a bow. (Don’t do it if you’re driving; wait until you stop, and then bow.) Today you set a record – if you bought gas.

The price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline hit an all-time Tacoma high today at $3.469.

That’s up two cents from yesterday and up nearly 43 cents from a month ago.

Seattle and Vancouver also hit records today at $3.48 and $3.441 respectively. Bellingham retained the laurels of having the state’s most highly priced gas, at $3.524, while Spokane marked Washington’s lowest at $3.312.

State residents were not far away from the nation’s leader, Hawaii, where drivers today are paying $3.569, according to AAA. To get the country‘s cheapest gas – you’re looking at Missouri, where a gallon goes for $2.976.

But then, you’d have to drive to Missouri to buy some.

The Milgard School of Business at the University of Washington Tacoma has selected three South Sound men to be awarded the school’s annual Business Leadership Awards. The three, who exemplify outstanding business achievement, will be honored at a gathering on April 30, 2008.
They are:

• Michael A. Tucci, who has been named Business Leader of the Year. Tucci is chairman of the board for Tucci & Sons, the company started by his father in 1950 that is now a third-generation family enterprise.

• Ben Pentecost, Small Business Leader of the Year. Pentecost is co-owner of Rickabaugh Pentecost Development, LLC, and has helped build one of the largest utility contractors in the region.

• George Cargill, Non-Profit Business Leader of the Year. As Chairman of the Board of the United Service Organization of the Puget Sound Area, Cargill continues the tradition of assisting and honoring thousands of military and service members in the area.

Alas, poor Bill Gates. No longer does he wear the crown given to the planet’s richest man.

Forbes Magazine’s list of the the world’s billionaires – released this afternoon – proclaims that investor (and Gates bridge-buddy) Warren Buffett has risen past the Microsoft co-founder to take top spot in the annual snapshot of worldwide wealth.

With the surging price of Berkshire Hathaway stock, Buffett’s wealth rose to an estimated $62 billion, as of Feb. 11, up $10 billion from last year. Gates is up $2 billion from a year ago, and is now worth $58 billion – but be slips two spots to rank third on the list.

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu is up $11 billion from last year, and is now the world’s second richest person, with an estimated net worth of $60 billion.

The number of billionaires rose this year to 1,125, up 179 from last year. Their total net worth is $4.4 trillion, and two-thirds are self-made. They come from 54 countries and one principality, and the list includes the first black Africans: Nigeria’s first billionaire, Aliko Dangote (#334); and South African Patrice Motsepe (#503). Russia has replaced Germany as the No. 2 country, with 87 billionaires. Seventy percent of this year’s newcomers are from Russia, India, China, and the U.S.

Fifty billionaires under the age of 40, and the youngest is 23-year-old Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (#785), who debuts with $1.5 billion.

For the full list, visit www.forbes.com/billionaires.

Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, is seeking a wine buyer and may start offering the beverage as part of a new line of groceries, Bloomberg News reports.

Amazon.com started advertising on its Web site Feb. 27 for a senior wine buyer in its specialty foods group.

The Seattle- based buyer would be responsible for the “acquisition of massive new product selection,” building it “from the ground up.” It posted an ad for a delivery driver Feb. 1.

“Dry goods, produce, dairy, and beverages including wine and beer are part of this exciting extension of our business model,” the company said in the ad for the driver. Amazon.com spokeswoman Patricia Smith declined further comment today.

The median price and number of pending sales of Pierce County homes and condominiums declined in February compared to the same month last year, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported today.

The county counted 913 pending sales – sales that have yet to close – down 25 percent from February 2007. The median home price dipped 7.8 percent to $260,000. And inventory has spiked by 29 percent since last year.

Western Washington did see an increase in pending sales from January to February, including in Pierce County where pending sales jumped by 38 percent over the month.

Boeing Co. expects to receive a debriefing from the U.S. Air Force Friday concerning the company’s defeat in bidding for a $35 billion tanker program, said Integrated Defense Systems Chief Executive Officer Jim Albaugh.

“We will only protest in the event we think there is an irregularity in the proposal phase,” he said at a Citigroup conference today.

“Any company that protests and makes protest a part of their capture strategy is doing a real disservice to the country and the military.

I caught up yesterday afternoon with Aaron Artman, the general manager of the Tacoma Rainiers. He brought along one of the new caps that go on sale on the 15th.

The new logo is actually an "alternative cap logo" the team will be wearing, along with a new jersey, for selected games.

The primary logo, which shows Mount Rainier, will be retained, as will the primary teal color scheme. Notice how the new look echoes the compass that's prominent with the parent Mariners.

The Employment Security Department is working to improve the employment chances of people with criminal backgrounds.

The department is offering employers who hire offenders free fidelity bonds to protect their businesses against employee theft, forgery or embezzlement. The amount of insurance coverage can range from $5,000 to $25,000 per worker, depending on the job.

“Finding a good job is one of the biggest obstacles facing people with a conviction history,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “Fidelity bonds can help open employment doors for qualified offenders and prevent them from slipping back to crime.”

The bonds are issued only to individuals who cannot qualify for a regular bond. The department issued bonds to 148 clients providing some $850,000 worth of insurance coverage to Washington businesses.

The types of work bonded last year included property management, janitorial services, landscaping, food service and housekeeping.

The department reports that no insurance claims have ever been filed against a fidelity bond since the program was implemented in 1999.

And the fidelity bonds are also available for other high-risk job seekers, including individuals with bad credit, a history of drug use or little work experience. In addition, businesses that hire offenders may qualify for special federal tax credits.

To learn more about the fidelity bonds or about identifying qualified job candidates, employers should visit their local WorkSource office or call 800-669-9271.

The price of coffee is on the rise – and it could affect your own cuppa Joe depending on what you drink.

Kraft Foods, Inc. the world's second-largest food company, raised Maxwell House and Yuban coffee prices by about 7 percent Tuesday as bean costs climbed.

That's 20 cents more for an 11-ounce to 13-ounce container of the Kraft brand coffees.

You can blame the beans.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the price of coffee itself rose 7.7 percent last year. Now spurred by tight supplies of coffee beans and investors looking for the next commodity run-up, prices are boiling over.

The price of green coffee beans has risen 22 percent since the beginning of the year in trading on ICE Futures U.S., the journal reports.

"The prices go up and down, but it's been on a more upward trend pretty recently," said A.J. Anderson, master roaster and owner of Tacoma-based Vahalla Coffee Company.

His low overhead costs – Anderson is a one-man operation – has helped keep Vahalla's prices to customers steady.

Brad Carpenter, chief executive officer of Pierce County’s Forza Coffee Co., too, has escaped the high cost of beans.

“With 20 stores now, we are able to stay where we’re at,” he said Tuesday. “We’ve have already purchased most of our coffee – we’re four or five years out.”

But Carpenter has noticed “a huge increase” in the cost of milk, up 24 percent last year, and paper products.

“We’ve negotiated a better deal for napkins and cups,” he said.

=> Read more!

Washington lawmakers are making a big deal out of the federal government's snub of Boeing last week.

The latest is Sen. Maria Cantwell who issued the following statement on the Senate floor regarding the Boeing tanker decision:

“Just last Friday we were all stunned and extremely disappointed by the Air Force's decision to award its tanker bid to Airbus/Northrop Grumman. What I think stunned us the most was the Air Force's rationale.

“Boeing worked hard to meet the Air Force requirements for the tanker bid. It picked the 767 as the platform that best matched Air Force requirements. If the Air Force had called for a large tanker, Boeing would have offered a 777 tanker with far more “capacity” than the KC-30.

=> Read more!

Starbucks Coffee Company has a new line of chocolate products inspired by the drinks you buy at the company's coffee shops.

The collection includes: dark, mocha and milk chocolate bars and tasting squares
Tazo Chai, Passion and Citron tea-infused chocolate tasting squares
Caffe Mocha, Chai, Espresso, Caramel Macchiato and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Truffles
Milk Chocolate Covered Caffe Verona Coffee Beans.

About the product: With the help of the experts at Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company, chocolatiers have created a portfolio of chocolate that showcases the artistry of the bean-to-bar chocolate-making process and flavor experience of Starbucks.

The line from the company: "Chocolate has always been a special part of the coffeehouse experience," said Wendy Pinero, vice president, consumer products, Starbucks Coffee Company. "We are excited to extend the Starbucks Experience into the world of premium chocolates with the same passion and care as we do our specialty coffees."

The buying details: Now available nationwide, Starbucks Chocolate retails for $2.99 and up and will be sold at grocery, mass retailers, club and drugstores. The Starbucks Chocolate portfolio will not be available in Starbucks stores at this time.

Costco Wholesale Corp. is voluntarily recalling about 10,368 pounds of frozen chicken meals that may be contaminated with potentially fatal listeria germs, according to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service, Bloomberg News reports.

The recall involves the four-pack of 12-ounce packages of “Discover Cuisine Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice,” according to the agency.

Each package has the Canadian establishment number “Est. 302” inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection and a “Best By” date of Dec. 12, 2008.

The meals may be contaminated with bacteria that may cause listeriosis, an illness whose symptoms may include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, according to the agency. No reports of illness have been linked to this product, the agency said.

The meals were produced Oct. 18 and sent to stores in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

The agency said the problem was discovered during microbiological sampling.

Company spokesman Robert Nelson didn’t immediately return a voice-mail left after hours on his work phone at Costco’s headquarters.

Every year, Washingtonians report losses from investment scams of between $50 million to $100 million, according to the state Department of Financial Institutions securities division. And these amounts may only be a small fraction of actual losses.

To help residents avoid falling victim, DFI has just released a list of the state’s 2008 Top 10 investment scams. Most of the schemes are perennial favorites of scam artists who dress them up with the latest investment angle or news of the day.

The 2008 list:

1. Ponzi Schemes
2. Senior Fraud
3. Promissory Notes
4. Unscrupulous Brokers
5. Affinity Fraud
6. Unlicensed Securities Sellers
7. Prime Bank Schemes
8. Internet Fraud
9. Free Lunches and Dinners
10. Telemarketing Fraud

“Investors can protect themselves, and their financial futures, by investing a little more time before investing their money,” DFI Director Scott Jarvis said. “And remember – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Before making an investment, consumers considering investing should first visit www.dfi.wa.gov or call 877-RING-DFI to verify that an investment company is licensed to do business in the state.

The slowing housing market claims another casualty: Weyerhaeuser Co. said it will permanently shut its veneer-drying operations in Junction City, Ore., affecting 56 workers.

The iLevel Veneer Technologies Facility will close today because demand for engineered wood products has declined due to a slowdown in the housing market, the Federal Way company said in a news release.

Affected associates will be counseled on specific details regarding benefits.

Weyerhaeuser employs approximately 3,650 people in Oregon in a variety of businesses and manages approximately 1.1 million acres of timberland.

Washington Mutual Inc. added Stephen I. Chazen to the company’s board of directors.

Chazen has been designated a member of the Board’s Audit and Finance Committees.

Chazen, 61, is president and chief financial officer of Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corporation.

Since joining the company in 1994, his responsibilities have included finance, corporate planning and strategy, acquisitions and divestitures, risk management, investor relations, Occidental’s chemical business, and its exploration program.

Chazen earned a Ph.D. in geology from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in finance from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Rutgers College.

Does your computer give you fits? Did that software upgrade your IT people told you would streamline your job lock up your computer five times a day?

Frustrating, huh?

One night last summer while trying to finish a column at home, I'd just typed an amazingly pithy and entertaining paragraph when I accidentally knocked over a Corona onto the screen and into the keyboard of my company-issued Apple iBook. The screen winked a couple of times, then a multi-colored pixelated line crept up from the bottom of my screen until the entire image was distorted. Our IT tech had to send my laptop to rehab...

...and, for the life of me, I couldn't remember that award-winning point I had typed. Aaaargh!

So I can sympathize with the office workers in this video clip whose computer problems have driven them to the brink. Or, I should say, over the brink.

Thanks to News Tribune reader Frank Hickey for sharing.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union announced Friday that its endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

The union represents thousands of West Coast dock workers including in Tacoma. Other ILWU members work in warehousing, manufacturing, tourism, agricultural, and retail positions.

“America’s working families are ready for a candidate with a fresh approach who will put people first and hold corporations more accountable,” said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath. “Obama met with us, listened to our concerns, and we think he’ll do the best job on the issues that matter most to working families.”

According to the release:

International Executive Board members made the decision after meeting with different campaigns and examining their positions on key issues that will impact working families in the coming years, including:
- Bringing our troops home safely from Iraq.

Eeek. Gas prices in the South Sound are closing in on record highs. You keep hearing about gas prices hitting $4 a gallon. That seems like a long way off but prices around the South Sound keep inching up, putting us closer to that mythical mark.

Today the average gallon of gas in Tacoma is $3.441. That's 1.8 cents from the record high of $3.459 hit on May 14 of last year.

Drivers are noticing the high prices.

Miguel Caro, 23, pulled up to a Shell Station in Tacoma with his tank on empty. He bought three gallons of gas, instead of filling up.

"I just put in less and try not to travel as much," Caro said.

Today's price is about a half cent higher than yesterday and 43 cents higher than a month ago. The worst part for consumers is that we are still months away from the summer driving season, a time when prices usually hit their peak.

If you drive a car or truck that takes diesel, you already are paying record prices. Diesel hit $3.840 a gallon today.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that the surging prices are slowing gas consumption around the country.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

As crude-oil prices climb to historic highs, steep gasoline prices and the weak economy are beginning to curb Americans’ gas-guzzling ways.

In the past six weeks, the nation’s gasoline consumption has fallen by an average 1.1 percent from year-earlier levels, according to weekly government data.

That’s the most sustained drop in demand in at least 16 years, except for the declines that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which temporarily knocked out a big chunk of the U.S. gasoline supply system.

This time, however, there is evidence that Americans are changing their driving habits and lifestyles in ways that could lead to a long-term slowdown in their gasoline consumption.

As supplies have outstripped demand, gasoline inventories have been on the rise for the past four months, reaching their highest levels since February 1994. Yet, in a sign of the growing disdconnect between demand and the market, prices at the pump are being driven higher by a powerful rally in crude oil.