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Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.
C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.
John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.
Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.
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South Sound bloggers are abuzz this week about the possible demise of Commencement Bay Coffee Co., the one-off coffee shop and former roasterie at 2354 Jefferson Ave.in Tacoma.
Seems the owner, Keith Prichard, has been ordered by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to pay a civil penalty of $8,730 – which is down from an original penalty of $13,878 – assessed because Prichard continued to roast coffee without proper attention to mitigation. He had been told to use an “after-burner” that incinerates particulates that could, and did, rise into the air.
“I’ve had a problem with them for over three years,” Prichard said Tuesday. (“Them” is the PSCAA.) “I feel I’ve been unfairly fined for the whole affair. They say I need to send a check, or we’ll go to court. I’m at the point, if they pursue that, I’ll have to close.”
He contends he has the support of three members of the Tacoma City Council.
Jim Nolan, director of compliance at PSCAA, said Tuesday that Prichard installed the Commencement Bay roaster without a permit and without an air pollution control device.
After an initial confrontation, the agency changed its regulations to allow roasters the unmitigated roasting of 10 pounds or less per batch. Prichard was roasting 30.
The agency offered Prichard three options: 1. Control the pollution; 2. Get a smaller roaster; 3. Contract with another roaster who complies with the law. Prichard now buys his roasted coffee from Martin Henry Coffee Rosters of Puyallup.
“He continued to run until we caught him in January, 2007,” Nolan said. “He had made no progress, and continued to roast. Our view was that he was trying to ignore the issue. The penalty was for operating past the due date.”
“I was waiting for them to come and talk to me,” said Prichard, in his defense.
“Then he had the right to appeal, which he never did,” said Nolan. “We’ve been trying to work with him. His time for appeal went out. We sent him a form letter, an order of civil penalty. We’re always willing to talk to him about a settlement. If he’d like to engage with us, we’re willing to talk about a settlement. If he does nothing, eventually we’ll file a lawsuit.”
“I’ll talk to them,” said Prichard. “I want them to leave me alone.”
