The Washington State Attorney General's Office has challenged proposed gas and electric rate increases by Puget Sound Energy, saying they are unjustified.

PSE's rate increases would generate an additional $237 million in revenue, according to a news release from the AGO today.

Simon ffitch, chief of the AGO's Public Counsel Section, said the utility's request is much larger than is needed to cover its costs.

"PSE's customers have been hit hard recently with frequent rate hikes - it's important that this increase be no more than absolutely necessary," ffitch said.

The state contends that a total of $11.3 million in increased revenue - $4.3 million in revenue from electric rates and $7 million in revenue from gas rates - would be more reasonable.

That's $226 million in revenue less than PSE is requesting, according to the news release.

Dorothy Bracken, PSE's spokeswoman, said the utility had not yet seen how the state came up with its numbers.

But, she said, PSE's proposed increases are to cover the company's higher costs.

"The amount of the revenue request that PSE put in the rate increase reflects actual cost of doing business," Bracken said.

The AGO's Public Counsel experts provided the state Utility and Transportation Commission with recommendations on reducing PSE's proposed rate increases.

They included:

- Reducing the company's shareholder profit margin.
- Reducing executive compensation.
- Rejecting the $500,000 cost of PSE's privately owned aircraft.
- Not requiring customers to pay for costs of executive parking at Sea-Tac or for PSE's corporate suite at Safeco field.
- Requiring the company to enhance low income programs.

Bracken said that PSE will be reviewing the state's testimony over the next month and preparing its response.

The UTC is expected to issue a decision on whether the proposed rate increase stands by November.

A 78-year-old Oregon-based lumber company will open its first Pierce County lumberyard Monday in Frederickson.

Parr Lumber's new yard at 5301 184th St. E. is the second lumberyard for Parr in the Puget Sound area. The company has another yard in Everett.

Parr has cabinet outlets in Fife, Seattle and Lynwood.

Parr was established in 1930 by accountant Dwight Parr Sr. who opened a lumberyard in Vancouver, Wa. The company remains family-owned run by the founder's grandsons, Michael Parr and Brad Farmer.

The company has 41 facilities in Oregon, Washington, California, Utah and Arizona.

The company will serve contractors from the Frederickson location. Parr has existing business relationships with several builders including Holt Military Housing.

The company is seeking new employees to serve as load builders, drivers and outside sales representatives.

The country's economic slowdown is playing out at the Port of Tacoma.

Container volume was down by 5.8 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to Tong Zhu, the port's commercial strategy director.

Zhu presented the first quarter results to the port commission Thursday as part of a cargo forecast and budget update.

The dip is driven by an expected decline of international imports as some of the region's main importers grapple with fallout from the national housing downturn and credit crunch.

"A lot of the decrease is because West Coast ports have seen a huge reduction in imports - the demand is not there," Zhu said.

Port Executive Director Tim Farrell said the Tacoma and other West Coast ports anticipated the cargo dip and he doesn't expect imports to pick up until next year.

The Tacoma port's decline was higher than West Coast average - a 3.9 percent decrease in container volume from Vancouver, B.C. to Southern California.

Seattle posted a decline of 2.5 percent, while the Port of Portland actually witnessed a 12 percent increase in its container volume.

Zhu credited the Seattle port's more modest dip to the strength of its domestic trade, mostly with Alaska. In Portland, a major retailer relocated its purchasing department near the Oregon port and a new potato processing plant opened for business.

Though total West Coast imports have declined, the Puget Sound ports' market share remains steady at about 16 percent.

Zhu anticipates the port's total container volume for 2008 will be about the same as last year - at 1.9 million containers.

"I think we will come in flat and that will be good for the port," Zhu said.

The port remains on track with its 2008 budget.

Income from the first four months of operations was on par with last year at $6.5 million. Revenue, which the port earns from its terminal leases and from moving cargo, increased, but so did expenses.

The port aims for at least 15 percent return on revenue.

Staff projects income for the year to be at $20.7 million, which is a 20 percent return on revenue.

The port's spending on capital projects will be less than the 2008 projected. The port anticipates spending $236 million on construction this year, down from the original forecast of $265 million.

It's already spent $87 million this year, including almost $36 million in land acquisitions, said Jeff Smith, the port's finance director.

Much of that property is on the Blair-Hylebos Peninsula, which the port is developing into shipping container terminals.

Troubled United Airlines announced today that it will halt flying to Anchorage, Alaska beginning Sept. 21.

The Chicago-based carrier is trimming its schedule to eliminate unprofitable routes as it struggles with high fuel costs.

United connected its Denver hub with Anchorage.

The move is good news for SeaTac's Alaska Airlines, the dominant carrier to Anchorage. Alaska flies to Anchorage from Sea-Tac, Vancouver, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago as well as from Hawaii.

Boeing added 30 orders to its backlog this week bringing the total of new airliner orders for the company to 408 for the year.

Those 30 new orders are for 737s to unidentified customers. Boeing also revealed that three 777 orders attributed to unidentified customers came from Air France.

Those additional orders bring the total of 737 orders this year to 291. The 787 remains in second place in the order race at Boeing with 79 orders for the year. In third is the 777 with 36 new orders.

The 747 has won two orders, while the 767 has none.

Both Boeing and its rival, Europe's Airbus, expect to sell about 700 new airliners this year, a respectable number, but significantly down from recent years when orders for both airframers topped 1,000.

To all those investors who want Weyerhaeuser to spin off its timber assets, the company says not right now.

The Federal Way-based forest products company told investors and analysts today that converting its trees to a real estate investment trust as early as next year wouldn't be tax efficient, Bloomberg News reports

“That does not preclude the REIT option in 2010,” Chief Financial Officer Patricia Bedient said today in a presentation to investors in New York.

Weyerhaeuser’s sale of its divisions including fine paper and corrugated packaging prompted speculation that the company would spin off the trees to reduce taxes on profits from timberlands.

“We’re patient, maybe too patient, but we still think the value of the timberland will be shown over time,” Russell Croft, who helps manage $725 million at Croft Leominster Inc., said today in a telephone interview from Baltimore with Bloomberg News.

=> Read more!

Now that Amazon has lots of Kindle devices available for consumers, the company is announcing that it's adding to the number of books you can read on it.

Simon & Schuster Inc. will make 5,000 additional titles available this year. The titles include new releases and bestsellers and "represent the vast majority of sales from the publisher's catalog," the companies said in a release.

We'll see if we can get a list of some of the books that will be available and post them later today.

On the way back from Portland Monday, Amtrak's Cascades train was so crowded that the conductor was seating paying passengers at dining car tables because all the regular coach seats were full.

While the holiday helped created a nearly standing-room-only situation, Amtrak trains, both here in the Northwest and across the country, have been operating closer to capacity all year.

New figures show that nationwide Amtrak ridership is up 11 percent this fiscal year. And in the Northwest, ridership has been up steadily January through April.

Amtrak figures show patronage on the six daily Cascades trains that operate in the corridor from Eugene, Ore. to Vancouver, B.C., ridership was up 13 percent in January, 13.5 percent in February, 16.2 percent in March and 8.7 in April.

Those March and April figures were skewed because Easter was in March this year instead of April as it was last year.

Figures aren't yet in for May, but Amtrak regional spokeswoman Vernae Graham said those figures should be "very interesting."

Amtrak attributes about half the patronage gain to gas price increases and the economic slowdown and half to the growing interest in and availability of trains. Amtrak traffic nationwide has grown for four consecutive years even without the meteoric fuel price rises we've seen in the last few months.

Amtrak hopes to begin twice daily service from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. beginning later this summer. One train a day now connects the two cities, and another goes as far north as Bellingham before terminating. Track improvements and an agreement with the Canadian government will allow that train to continue on to Vancouver.

Tacoma now has 10 daily trains serving its station on Puyallup Avenue. Those trains are eight European-designed Talgo trains and two are conventional two-level streamliners, the north and southbound Coast Starlight, that connect Seattle with Los Angeles.

Since the Coast Starlight is a long distance train, its ridership is not counted in the Cascades corridor traffic.

Coast Starlight service was interrupted from mid-January to late April because of a major landslide in the Oregon Cascades.

Weyerhaeuser says it may sell its Westwood Shipping Line and four regional railroads, according to News Tribune news services.

The Westwood Shipping Line has four ships that carry forest products and containers to ports in Japan, Korea, China and North America, the Associated Press reports.

The railroads serve mills in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Washington.

In a statement Thursday, the company said it had not confirmed a timetable for completing what it calls an exploration of strategic alternatives as part of its asset restructuring, The Associated Press reports.

Bloomberg News says that Weyerhaeuser’s sales of units including fine-paper and industrial packaging have spurred speculation the company is moving to turn itself into a real estate investment trust to reduce taxes on profits from its 5.6 million acres of U.S. timberlands.

Divestitures “point in the direction of a REIT,” Longbow Research analyst Joshua Zaret said Thursday in a note to clients before the announcement.

Zaret said Weyerhaeuser Chief Executive Officer Daniel Fulton may provide more information about the company’s plans Friday at its annual gathering with investors in New York, Bloomberg reports.

The company agreed to sell its corrugated packaging and recycling businesses in March and last year spun off it fine-paper business.

Weyerhaeuser has closed mills and sold assets amid a slowdown in U.S. demand for lumber used in building construction and a slump in housing prices. Decreasing home construction and losses at its homebuilding unit led the company to report a worse-than-expected first-quarter loss of $148 million.

The proof of the profit-pudding has arrived and those monetary chickens have come home to roost – as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. releases its first-quarter numbers on state banks.

The January-March figures, out today, offer data from 82 FDIC-insured institutions in Washington. Among the numbers (compared to the first quarter of 2007:

• Total assets rose to $59.57 billion from $53.41 million.
• Total loans and leases rose to $48.07 billion from $42.60 billion.
• Total deposits rose to $43.82 billion from $40.73 billion.

Which looks fairly good. But consider:
• Net interest margin for the banks fell to 4.02 percent from 4.41percent.
• Net charge-offs as a percentage of all loans and leases rose to 0.27 percent from 0.04 percent.
• Return on assets fell to 0.56 percent from 1.27 percent.
• 21.9 percent of institutions were unprofitable, up from 11.9 percent a year ago.
• 40.24 percent of institutions had earnings gains, against 60.71 percent in 2007.
• For nonperforming assets (or bad loans), the figure was up to 1.42 percent of total assets against 0.27 percent a year ago.

If you're a Qwest mobile phone customer, count on a lot of change in the next couple of months.

Qwest is ending its longtime association with Sprint and hooking up with Verizon to provide cell phone service to Qwest customers. Qwest wireless calls now are handled on Sprint's cell network. Beginning in mid-summer, those calls will be handled on Verizon's network for Qwest customers who have arranged to move their service.

Just how the transition will happen is still developing, but the change has great possibilities for improving selection and service, but also great possibilities for chaos if the transition is not handled smoothly.

"Basically, we don't have many details yet," said Dana Dyksterhuis, a local Qwest spokeswoman.

"Our customers will learn more by sometime this summer," she said.

The two companies, naturally, are touting the change as a positive development. The new association with Verizon will give Qwest customers access to a greater variety of high-tech phones and what the two companies say will be a more reliable network.

But unclear is how much hassle the change will mean for customers.

Will Qwest users have to get new phones? Yes, said Dyksterhuis. Verizon will provide customers with a new phone comparable to the one they have now at no charge although it may be necessary for customers to sign up for another two-year commitment. Upgraded phones will cost extra.

Will the existing time plans remain in place? The Qwest spokeswoman couldn't say.

If the Verizon plan is more expensive for the same number of minutes, can I cancel without paying a penalty? That too is undetermined.

If I don't move to Qwest/Verizon from Qwest/Sprint, what happens when Qwest's contract with Sprint to provide service ends early next year? Again, Qwest said those details are still being worked out. She said Qwest wants to make sure that its customers are treated right.

If Qwest ends my service before the end of our 2-year contract, will they owe me the $200 or so penalty they'd ask me to pay if I terminated my relationship with them before the contract expired? No answer there yet either.

Construction of the first major building in the billion-dollar Point Ruston development near Point Defiance Park is finally underway.

Seventy-two concrete trucks poured the foundation for the eight-story, 143-unit Copperline condominium building beginning Wednesday.

Excavation had been going on for that foundation for several weeks, said developer Mike Cohen.

"We didn't want to make a big deal of the digging because we've been moving dirt around on the site for months," Cohen said.

The building is the first to rise on the former site of the Asarco copper smelter at the north end of Ruston Way along the Commencement Bay shoreline.

Pumping concrete for Copperline condo foundation

Cohen has cash reservation deposits on 25 of the units. Those deposits range from $50,000 to be among the first 20 owners to have priority selection rights for the most select units to $10,000 for owners with lower priority selection rights.

Units in the structure will range from the $300,000 range for the smaller units 800 square feet to $2 million for units with 3,100 square feet. Not included in those figures are decks that range up to 750 square feet more.

One parking spot is included in the three-story garage for every bedroom. The building's ground floor will include some 25,000 square feet of retail.

Cohen said he's had preliminary discussions with business people who are interested in creating a brew-pub kind of restaurant, opening an insurance office, a home accessory story and a tile company.

The developer said he hopes the first occupants will be able to move in in about 14 months with the final units being done in 18 months.

He plans to begin a second condo building of about 100 units in about nine months. Cohen said he's got a list of about 600 prospects who've registered on the Point Ruston Web site.

After the second structure, Cohen hopes to begin a Silver Cloud hotel structure and buildings near the urban village center that will contain restaurants and more shops.

Meanwhile on the hill above the old smelter site, construction has begun on three homes on what Cohen calls "Stack Hill," the site of the smelter smokestack.

One of those homes will be a display model. One is a custom home and the other is being built on speculation and will be for sale.

The manager of the Tacoma Costco told me recently that the warehouse store does well during times of economic downturn because shoppers come looking for deals.

Looks like he was right.

Costco reported a 32 percent increase in its fiscal third quarter profits today, according to The Associated Press.

Here's the story:

Costco Wholesale Corp. reported a 32 percent jump in its fiscal third-quarter profit Thursday, topping Wall Street expectations, as cash-squeezed customers flocked to its warehouse clubs in search of bargains on food and toiletries.

But shares sank $1.48, or 2 percent, to $71.76 in midday trading after the company said Wall Street’s forecast for the fourth quarter might be too high.

Costco reported net income rose to $295.1 million, or 67 cents per share, from $224 million, or 49 cents per share, a year ago, which included a $30.3 million charge.

Sales increased 13 percent to $16.26 billion from $14.34 billion in the year-ago period. Including membership fees, revenue rose to $16.61 billion from $14.66 billion.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected a profit of 65 cents per share on revenue of $16.35 billion.

Net sales for the first three quarters of fiscal 2008 increased 12 percent to $48.35 billion from $43 billion during the same period last year. Excluding the sales return reserve adjustments recorded in the second and third quarters of fiscal 2007, which totaled $452.6 million, the net sales increase would have been 11 percent.

Don’t look for any official announcements until early this summer – but the Seattle owners of the Foremost Dairy complex at South 25th Street and Pacific Avenue have met with city officials concerning permits for renovation.

Word is that the owners will be looking for tenants to occupy both retail and office space.

The purchase of the ca. 1927, 60,000-square-foot, four-building complex was announced a year ago. Powder Coating Systems Inc. continues to occupy 16,000 square feet of the site.

Airlines are announcing ever more sweeping changes daily to cut costs in the face of huge fuel price increases.

American Airlines, which just last week announced a $15 fee on the first checked bag, announced this week it is cutting more flights from its schedule including flights from Chicago to Buenos Aires and from Boston to San Diego.

Meanwhile in Minneapolis, Sun Country Airlines today announced 10 percent pay cuts for managers. That move comes just six weeks after the airline laid off 125 workers.

And Phoenix-based Mesa Airlines said in a court filing that it faces possible bankruptcy if the court allows Delta Airlines to terminate a contract with the regional carrier for flights Mesa operates as DeltaExpress.

The Olympia Brewery is once again for sale. Well, sort of.

Rather than post a set asking price, broker Colliers International in Olympia is asking for proposals for the Tumwater site, which comprises 890,000 square feet.

Schmidt, Pabst, Miller – several beers beyond the Olympia brand have been bottled at this Thurston County brewery, and so has the artesian water itself. The main building was built in 1903, and Troy W. Dana, Colliers senior vice president and managing director, says the site, with its “rich history and economic potential, has a wide variety of possibilities for future development.”

A brewery perhaps. Or maybe another I-5 water park.

In a move sure to reignite trans-Atlantic fighting over aircraft manufacturing subsidies, Boeing rival Airbus has told European governments it needs $18.2 billion in launch aid for its new A350XWB airliner.

The A350XWB is the European planemaker's answer to Boeing's popular composite-bodied 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing and Airbus are already in a fight before the European Union over prior subsidies.

Boeing says such launch aid violates agreements between the U.S. and Europe, but Airbus counters that Boeing itself receives illegal subsidies from states and the federal government.

In Europe, launch aid typically takes the form of state-sponsored loans to pay the development costs of new airliners.

Those loans are paid back if the plane is successful. The state aid, however, allows Airbus to take on a risky program without having to satisfy bankers that the gamble will be profitable.

A delicate twist to the new request this time is what the governments will require Airbus to do in return. The European company is already at a financial disadvantage to Boeing because of the relatively high cost of the Euro, and it has embarked on a program to cut costs.

Part of that program is to move production of the A330 Freighter to a new plant in Alabama and production of some A320 airliners to China.

The governments, typically make the launch loans on the premise that their generosity will ensure that high-paying aerospace jobs will remain and grow in Europe.

Maybe you’ve got a grocery store, or a cafe. Maybe you own a convenience store. Whatever your business, you may have noticed that energy costs have been going up.

Here’s a way to help them go back down.

Tacoma Power has announced a program called EnergySmart – offering incentives to business owners who want to reduce energy consumption and costs.

The program provides a free energy analysis, plus financial incentives for those who upgrade their existing refrigeration and lighting to use more energy-efficient models. A customized report outlines potential energy savings, rebate amounts, retrofit costs and simple paybacks.

Tacoma Power typically takes responsibility at least 20 percent of the cost for any of the recommended upgrades, and may cover more.

Tacoma Power says that retailers who have participated in this program in other utility service areas have reported energy cost savings of up to $2,000 per month, per store.

All of Tacoma Power’s commercial customers with refrigeration equipment can participate in the EnergySmart program. For more information, visit www.energysmartonline.org or call 800-230-9420.

US Airways, the Arizona-based airline that until recently was thinking about a merger with United, is eliminating free in-flight snacks beginning June 1.

The airline won't say how much money this move will save, but with airlines scrambling for new savings and revenues to pay fuel bills, every buck helps.

So, if you can't endure a few hours without something passing through your lips, buy a bag of pretzels, chips or a piece of fruit at the airport before you jump aboard one of US Airways' Sea-Tac flights to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Philadelphia or Charlotte.

Would you like a latte with that lesionectomy? A cappuccino with your colonoscopy?

If so, then head for Puyallup next week – when Good Samaritan Hospital opens a Starbucks in the main lobby on June 2.

"We have more than 2,200 employees at Good Samaritan who are anxiously awaiting the opening of Starbucks. This is one of the many new relationships we are creating at Good Samaritan to exceed the expectations of patients and their families at a quality institution," said John Long, Good Samaritan president.”

The new outlet will offer a full range of beverages, baked goods and branded merchandise.

Initial hours will be 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Looking for that Karen Kane stretch tank at $40, or the Evian Facial Water Spray at $16.00, or maybe that Martin Dingman alligator credit card case at $195.00? If you’re going shopping at Nordstrom, now you do your buying online and pick up your merchandise at the store.

The company’s pilot project, announced last week and aptly called “Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store,” currently features 5,669 items – from dresses to scents and shorts to shirts, with a lot in between.

“We’ve heard from our customers for some time now that they want this option and we’re excited to be able to provide it for them,” said Erik Nordstrom, president of stores, in announcing the program.

Here’s how it works. You select your item at www.nordstrom.com, pay with a credit card and then retrieve your purchase at a Nordstrom store. As an alternative, the retailer also offers shipping, should you not wish to make the trip.

Despite ongoing airline misery, higher fares and nationwide air schedule cutbacks, Sea-Tac Airport's passenger numbers remained in the positive column in April.

Those figures show that airline passenger traffic there grew by 3.47 percent, a growth rate down from prior months but still in the plus range.

For the year, passenger traffic has grown a healthy 8.27 percent at Sea-Tac.

Further statistical breakdowns show that the airport's dominant carrier, homegrown Alaska Air Group, parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, collectively owns more than half of Sea-Tac traffic, 50.71 percent.

The airport's 10 largest carriers based on passenger loads and their market shares are:

1. Alaska 35.12%
2. Horizon 15.59%
3. Southwest 9.39%
4. United 7.55%
5. Northwest 6.49%
6. Delta 4.91%
7. American 4.59%
8. Continental 3.93%
9. US Airways 3.08%
10. Hawaiian 1.67%

The big movers on the list were Southwest, which passed United to become the #3 airline at Sea-Tac; United, whose traffic fell 12.7 percent at the airport. and Delta, which passed American, which lost 8.86 percent of its traffic compared with 2007's first four months.

After serving Butte, Mont. for 19 years, regional airline Horizon Air announced it will halt service to the former copper mining town Aug. 25.

The end of service to Butte was among a raft of schedule changes SeaTac-based Horizon is making to weed out marginal routes and to facilitate its plan to move to one aircraft type.

Horizon announced earlier this year that it will eliminate 37-seat Q200 aircraft from its fleet and sell its 20 70-seat CRJ-700 regional jets. Those actions will leave Horizon with a single type of fuel-efficient aircraft, the propjet, 74-seat Q400.

Horizon's actions are driven in part by the escalating price of jet fuel. The Q400, built by Canada's Bombardier, is the most fuel-efficient plane in Horizon's fleet.

Among other changes on Horizon's schedule:

* An end to the airline's once-daily Billings, Mont.,-Portland flight. Service to Portland will still be available through Seattle.

* A reduction of five flights a day on Seattle-Portland route. That reduction will leave Horizon with 26 flights a day each way between the two cities.

* Daily flights to Pasco from Seattle will be reduced one to six. But the number of seats available between the two cities will remain the same because the airline will substitute a larger Q400 for a Q200 used on one of the remaining flights.

Other schedule changes and adjustments are available on the airline's Web site here.

Online shopping just got a little easier – at least if you like the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime.

I noticed this weekend that you can shop the four Web sites together and check out with one shopping cart.

The company announced the change today, saying its created a "universality" between the brands.

Customers pay a flat shipping rate of $7 and orders from Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy will ship in one box, the Gap reports.

Orders from Piperlime will ship separately and continue to offer free shipping and returns.

The Port of Tacoma has scheduled a meeting for 4:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss the potential environmental effects of building new container terminals and related infrastructure on the Tideflats.

The meeting is part of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) public review process for the redevelopment project.

Redevelopment plans on the Blair-Hylebos Peninsula include:

- Relocating the Totem Ocean Trailer Express marine terminal
- Building a new container terminal for NYK Line
- Widening a section of the Blair Waterway
- Lengthening a wharf at Washington United Terminal
- Improving road and rail infrastructure

The meeting will run until 7 p.m. in Room 104 of The Fabulich Center at 3600 Port of Tacoma Road in Tacoma.

Staff from the Port’s Sustainable Development department will be available in an open house format to discuss various aspects of the project.

Project managers are scheduled to deliver a short presentation at 6 p.m.

The environmental review process provides several opportunities for the public to comment on the proposed project. Each review step will be advertised in local newspapers and on the Port’s Web site, with links to draft documents.

The scoping document is available for review online. Comments on the scope of the environmental analysis must be received by 5 p.m. June 6 to be considered in drafting the Environmental Impact Statement.

Comments may be sent by mail to: ATTN: Matoya Scott, Port of Tacoma, PO Box 1837, Tacoma, WA 98401-1837, or by e-mail to sepa@portoftacoma.com.

Gas prices, to almost no one's surprise, rumbled past $4 a gallon over the weekend in Tacoma.

According to AAA Washington, the price of unleaded regular was $4.03 a gallon today in Tacoma. Mid-grade gas hit $4.175 and premium was $4.382.

That $5-a-gallon mark could come by mid to late summer at this pace. Regular gas rose by 32.3 cents since April 27 in Tacoma.

For truckers and passenger car drivers using diesel that dreaded $5 price is uncomfortably close. In Tacoma today, diesel was selling for nearly $4.92 on average.

In Bellingham, diesel was $4.974 a gallon. That's a bargain, however, to truckers who filled up in California where diesel costs an average of $5.124 a gallon today on average.

Overall, Washington gas prices were $4.027 today. That compares with $3.406 at this time last year.

Regular gas prices topped $4 a gallon on average in 12 of 50 states according to the AAA. Highest prices were in Alaska where gas was selling for $4.201 on average for regular. Most of the states where gas was over $4 were on the West Coast, in the Northeast or in the upper Midwest.

The lowest regular gas prices were in Wyoming where the average price of a gallon or regular was $3.751

An airline fare boost started last Thursday night by United Airlines has gained the endorsement of most major carriers and appears to be sticking around.

That fare increase raised fares as much as $60 on trips greater than 1,500 miles with corresponding lower increases for shorter trips.

Now BestFares.com CEO Tom Parsons notes that American, Delta, Continental, Northwest and US Airways have joined the parade increasing the fares.

One important note, those fares are increasing mainly on routes where major airlines have no low-fare competition.

San Francisco to Sacramento in California is one of those routes. The cheapest roundtrip airfare on that 172-mile trip is now $766 on US Airways. From Cleveland to Key West, Fla. on Delta, the least expensive fare is $1,098.

Yet on competitive routes, such as Seattle-San Francisco, roundtrips are available for around $160.

The Cunningham Report has an interesting article today regarding remarks made by Seattle-based SSA President Ed DeNike at last week's Northwest Intermodal Conference.

SSA Containers President Ed DeNike said last week that the Pacific Northwest ports have an opportunity to expand their business in Interior Point Intermodal cargo if "they don't blow it." That's why his company is spending "a lot of money to build a grand terminal at the Port of Tacoma," according to the report.

SSA has partnered with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to build a container terminal on the east side of the Blair Waterway.

DeNike told folks attending the Northwest Intermodal Conference in Tacoma that his company's customers are looking for ways to avoid calling at West Coast ports, whether it's by going through the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal, the Cunningham Report says.

DeNike noted the increasing cost of moving cargo through Southern California and various pending fees per container.

He also made mention of needing to increase the labor productivity in Tacoma, The Cunningham Report says.

Here's the rest of the story:

Customers are also demanding better productivity, he said. His company is having to guarantee a minimum number of lifts per hour in order to get shipping lines to commit to a contract. The penalty for coming up short is the loss of the contract, he said.

DeNike said he expects SSA to sign an agreement with a major Asian shipping line next month for its terminal at the Port of Seattle. That 20-year deal will include a productivity guarantee, he said.

In the Port of Tacoma, where dockworkers take breaks onboard ships, that becomes a problem. In fact, SSA Marine - which has partnered with the Puyallup Indians tribe to build a private terminal at the port - has talked to union leaders about the need to speed up the process, he said.

Lifts at container terminals average about 30 to 32 per hour at the Port of Long Beach, 35 to 37 at the Port of Oakland, 30 to 31 at the Port of Seattle, 25 to 27 at the Port of Portland, and 25 to 26 at the Port of Tacoma, he said.

Ports America Group VP Walter Romanowski agreed that there is a long-term opportunity for the Pacific Northwest Ports. He noted that it takes six years to get through the environmental process in Southern California and that East Coast and Gulf Coast ports are using the opportunity to expand their business.

Port of Seattle Seaport Director Charlie Sheldon said the Southern California ports and the Pacific Northwest ports operate in different economic environments. He cited the 2005 elasticity study done for the Southern California Association of Governments by Rob Leachman of UC Berkeley.

The Leachman study found that Southern California could charge up to a $200 fee per 40-foot container without losing significant business as long as the money was spent to help smooth out the flow of cargo. Sheldon said they hired Leachman to do a similar study for the Pacific Northwest. He found that a $60 per 40-foot container fee would result in a 30 percent loss of cargo.

For a look at a News Tribune profile of Charlie Hoffman from October 8, 2006, click here.

XBRL in plain English. For a YouTube video, click here.

For comments by SEC Chairman Christopher Cox May 7 at the 17th XBRL International Conference, chick here.

For an SEC press release concerning the impact of XBRL on mutual fund investors, and a video of Chairman Christopher Cox, click here.

For Charlie Hoffman’s XBRL blog, click here.

In a move that illustrates the interdependence of the hotel and the airline industries, New York-based Loews Hotels today announced a program to reimburse customers for extra baggage fees imposed by airlines.

The chain's "Baggage Buy Back" program will credit guests checking in with $15 toward their hotel bill when they present an airline baggage fee receipt at the front desk.

American Airlines Wednesday announced it will begin charging passengers $15 to check their first bag starting June 15. Other airlines may follow.

The program will operate from June 15 through Labor Day, Sept. 1 at the chain's 18 U.S. and Canadian properties.

"In just the last few months, airlines have added myriad new fees to cover rising fuel prices," said Jonathan Tisch, Loews chairman. "At Loews Hotels, we want to demonstrate to our guests how much we appreciate their business, and one way we can do this is by helping them rein in some of the hidden costs of travel that are becoming increasingly common."

Loews has hotels in Annapolis, Md., Denver, Las Vegas, Miami Beach, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Diego, Santa Monica, Calif., St. Petersburg, Fla. and Tucson, Ariz.

American and Delta airlines have followed United Airlines' lead in posting a big fare increase to airline industry computerized reservations systems today.

That increase, as much as $60 roundtrip for flights more than 1,500 miles will be the 12th successful increase that major carriers have posted this year if other carriers follow suit.

The fare increases follow American's move at midweek to charge customers $15 each way to check their first bag.

Both the fare increases and the fee hikes are aimed at keeping the carriers flying in what some analysts are saying is a bigger crisis than the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

That crisis is being driven by sharply rising fuel prices. Crude oil costs have doubled since this time last year, and jet fuel prices have increase even more.

The latest fare increases are happening as rumors emerge of even more bankruptcies in the industry. A handful of airlines, most of them smaller, have already gone bankrupt this spring. Among those, Aloha, Skybus, Eos and ATA are liquidating. Denver's Frontier Airlines is trying to reorganize, but high fuel prices, nervous banks and increased pressure from Southwest Airlines at Frontier's Denver hub have some industry observers suggesting that Frontier won't find financing to emerge from bankruptcy.

On analyst watch lists are US Airways and United, which are trying to merge. Mesa Airlines, once the strongest of the regional carriers, is short on cash, and Delta Airlines is threatening to cancel a Mesa contract to provide regional flights for the big carrier.

I'll be speaking later today with Charlie Hoffman, the Tacoma accountant who invented the XBRL accounting system a decade ago.

This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule that would mandate XBRL financial reporting by all publicly reporting corporations under its scrutiny. It's a major step – and still a bit confusing.

But earlier today there came a post to YouTube that puts everything in context. Take a look.

Especially if you're an accountant or an investor, it's well worth your while.

A new survey of airline passengers by survey firm J.D. Power and Associates rates Sea-Tac Airport 18th in overall satisfaction among the nation's 20 largest airports.

Only San Francisco International Airport and Minneapolis/St.Paul International Airport were rated below Sea-Tac in a survey of more than 21,000 passengers who took a round-trip flight between April 2007 and March 2008.

J.D. Power rankings chart for large airports

Sea-Tac earned 656 points out of a 1,000 in the survey. The top-rated large airport, Philadelphia International Airport, earned 690 points.

In the medium-sized airport category, Chicago's Midway Airport took first place and Oakland International took the last position.

In the small category, Dallas' Love Field was first, and Tucson International was last.

Among the aspects rated by Power and its survey respondents were airport accessibility, baggage claim, check-in, terminal facilities, security services, food and retail services.

Sea-Tac, which has just completed a $1.6 billion interior expansion and renovation, rated two out of what the survey company calls "Power Circles" in each of those categories.

The steak was tender, the beets amazing and that watermelon gazpacho was other-wordly.

A handful of staff members who serve conventions and galas at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center had a “Chef’s Roundtable Tasting” yesterday – sampling the early wares of new executive chef Allan Wambaa.

Born in Kenya, Wambaa (that’s him, above) learned his profession in Africa and later served as chef in the kitchens of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Fahd bin Khalid Al-Saud. He worked in several Seattle kitchens – most recently at Bell Harbor – and a few weeks ago took over the Aramark position of executive chef at the GTC&TC.

As we ate yesterday (I was there for professional reasons, of course, and I will be sending a check in recompense), I spoke with Monique Nadeau, the center’s catering sales manager. She explained that the quality of the food is becoming more important to those who rent space.

“I think it’s highly important,” she said. “We have some people – there is this cliché of the convention center rubber chicken. Otis (Huemmer, former executive chef) set the bar high for us. These groups are coming back. They want something different every time.”

Prospective clients can choose from a 32-page menu of GTC&TC offerings, but some choose to let the chef use his creativity and imagination.

They couldn’t do much better than choose yesterday’s menu:

Amuse Bouche: Cucumber and asparagus gelee with creme fraiche and chive.
Salad: Goat cheese and beet Napolean with citrus, shallot and hazelnut vinaigrette.
Intermezzo: Watermelon gazpacho.
Entree: (pictured above) Duet of port wine poached filet mignon and blue-nose sea bass; pommes Robuchon, Parisian vegetables, Shiraz reduction.
Dessert: Tropical fruit roulade with passion fruit and mint coulis.

If you’re planning a gala soon, go for the gazpacho especially. And the Napolean. And that coulis. Or the filet.

I’m still full.

Debt rating agency Standard & Poor's has put nine major U.S. airlines on its "CreditWatch" with negative implications, but noted that Southwest and Alaska airlines were likely to be the least vulnerable to financial issues because of rising fuel prices.

"The dramatic incease in jet fuel prices has increased airline costs significantly over the past two months, and, if sustained, could threaten their liquidity and financial profiles," said S&P credit analyst Philip Baggaley.

"The ability of each airline to withstand this stress varies from case to case, and we believe that Southwest Airlines, by far the strongest and best-hedged U.S. airline, and Alaska Air Group, which we recently downgraded and which has the second-best fuel hedge position, are in a somewhat better position than others...," the ratings agency said.

S&P gave Southwest an A- rating and Alaska a B+.

Most domestic airlines appear to have adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward American Airlines' initiative to charge $15 for the first bag checked.

American announced that fee at its annual meeting earlier this week.

As of Friday morning, none had followed suit with American, and American hadn't yet shown second thoughts on the fee by reversing course.

My guess is that many airlines covet the extra money that the $15 fee will raise (more than $300 million in American's case) but want to see if the actual implementation can be handled smoothly.

Will passengers pay the extra fee willingly or will they desert American by the thousands? Will the fee collection process clog check-in lines?

Will chaos erupt inside airline cabins as passengers compete for precious overhead luggage space? Will security lines at American's big hub airports in Chicago and Dallas bog down because of more carry-on luggage?

So far, the only airline that seem adamantly against the charge is Southwest, the only major still not collecting a $25 fee for a second checked bag.

Others such as SeaTac's Alaska Airlines say they have no plans to implement a first bag surcharge.

Sea-Tac Airport's 9,000-stall garage has a new feature designed to help customers find empty stalls in the massive garage.

The system uses 88 cameras coupled to a computer to detect empty parking spots and 80 signs to direct parkers to those spots.

The new system shows parkers who are entering the garage how many open spots exist on each floor so you won't waste time driving through a floor that's full or has only a handful of available slots.

Once on your chosen floor, an electronic sign will tell you how many spots are either direction from the entrance.

Additional signs will show how many spots are open within a four-row segment.

The new system could be useful this weekend when customers are expected to clog the airport. The Port of Seattle, which owns Sea-Tac, expects 109,000 fliers today, the busiest day of the Memorial Day weekend.

Being sick is about to get easier.

Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System and Rite Aid Corp. have announced a trial plan to station advanced nurse practitioners in a pair of South Sound pharmacies. For a flat fee of $59, patients will be examined, assessed and, if necessary, given a prescription for medication.

The “retail clinics” will open this summer inside Rite Aid outlets in Tacoma, at 7041 Pacific Ave., and in Lakewood, at 5700 100th St. S.W. MultiCare will lease space inside the stores.

“What we’re trying to do is provide value for people who may not be able to afford more expensive care,” said Dr. Andrew Baron, MultiCare’s new medical director for primary care services.

In a conversation yesterday, Baron said he expects patients to present with simple and acute complaints such as sinus infections, strep throat and bladder infections. Eventually, services may expand to include sports physicals. The facilities will not treat emergencies or chronic disease, Baron said, although the nurse practitioners can make referrals to more sophisticated clinics or hospitals.

“This model is very common,” he said, noting that similar express service is available in pharmacies in Seattle, and in Boise, where he previously worked.

“There is a lack of general primary care in the nation, and the Northwest is no different,” Baron said. “Less medical students are opting to go into primary care. You want to be able to meet the needs of the community you serve.”

The clinics will operate during regular pharmacy hours, closing patient registration an hour before the store itself closes. Along with a greeting area, the clinics will comprise an examination room.

“We’re there, we’re available, and when people come in, if they don’t have a primary care physician, we can put them into the system. I think it’s an advantage for patients,” Baron said.

Washington drivers scored ninth among drivers from the 50 states in a national drivers' test sponsored by GMAC Insurance.

That's down from sixth place in last year's written test, however.

Washington drivers earned an average score of 80.7 on the test. Drivers from the top ranking state, Kansas, scored an average of 84. New Jersey drivers scored the lowest on average, 69.9.

To take the test yourself, go to www.gmacinsurance.com.

Some of the questions are not particularly well worded, so give yourself some credit for the ambiguity of the questions and answers.

The people who pay three to ten times as much as coach passengers to get a roomier seat and free drinks in first or business class aren't flying as frequently, new figures show.

Traffic in premium class seats dropped 3.9 percent in March, said the International Air Transport Association.

That's not good news for airlines who depend on those mostly business fliers to pay a disproportionate share of the cost of getting their planes from origin to destination.

The flight of such high price fliers is particularly disquieting to airlines who are squirming financially to cope with fuel prices that are topping $3 a gallon for jet fuel.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, you kings and queens of the open road.

On Monday I predicted by today I’d see a sign proclaiming $4-per-gallon regular-grade gas. I was one day off. I saw just such a sign last night at a Shell station near South 56th & South Tacoma Way. Alas.

Today we set another record in Tacoma as the average price of a gallon of regular hit $3.916 – up more than 2 cents from yesterday’s $3.891.

Bellingham, as usual, led the state’s charts at $3.982 – also a record. And for the first time I remember, every region in the state topped its previous high.

The national average, according to AAA, was at $3.831 today, up from yesterday’s $3.807.

The Oil Price Information Service reported Tuesday that drivers saw $5 diesel in two American cities – one each in Alaska and California. Today, the average gallon of diesel was at $4.751 in Washington, while Tacoma drivers got a small break off that price at $4.737 – which was up a smidgen from Wednesday’s $4.732.

Boeing's new Renton assembly line built to produce Navy P-8A Posieden submarine hunting patrol craft could also help Boeing up its commercial 737 production rate.

The new assembly line, in a building where 757s were once built, is now focused on turning out the first examples of the P-8A for Navy testing.

The P-8A is a militarized version of the 737 equipped with a bomb bay, underwing missiles and sophisticated surface and underwater sensors. The Navy wants to buy a total of 113 of those aircraft, and other armed forces around the world could buy as many as 100 more. With just the U.S. Navy order, the assembly line will be pumping out a leisurely 13 planes a year.

Since the P-8A assembly line is a duplicate of the two other 737 assembly lines at Renton, Boeing could sandwich in production of commercial 737s between the patrol aircraft, Boeing officials say.

The company is pumping out about 30 737s a month from its other assembly lines, but the company has a huge backlog of 737s on order.

The Olympian reports today that Weyerhaeuser could begin exporting logs from the Olympia port in July.

The notices are part of the company's request to the state for a stormwater-discharge permit, the paper reports.

Weyerhaeuser signed a five-year lease with the Port of Olympia in 2005 expecting to move from Tacoma to Olympia by spring 2006.

But the project has faced opposition and several environmental challenges.

Weyerhaeuser spokesman Frank Mendizabal cautioned that the date is arbitrary and said the Federal Way timber company cannot begin operations at the Port of Olympia without the permit.

Here's the rest of the story:

Mendizabal would not be specific about when barges or log trucks could begin arriving in Olympia or whether Weyerhaeuser will begin operations with new offices and vehicle-repair facilities. Those facilities have not been constructed. Last week, he told The Olympian that Weyerhaeuser hoped to begin operations in Olympia before the end of 2008.

=> Read more!

The nation's fourth largest cell phone service provider, Bellevue's T-Mobile, took first place in Wireless Retail Service Satisfaction Study released this week by J.D. Power & Associates.

Alltel claimed the number two spot with Verizon finishing third.

T-Mobile won top honors in Power's January Wireless Customer Care Performance Study.

T-Mobile tied with Verizon in Power's Call Performance Study. Alltel was at the top of that list.

Amidst all the consternation about the late deliveries of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the company quietly rolled out the first of its new 777 Freighters this week on-time.

The ceremony occurred just next door to the lagging 787 assembly line in Everett.

777 Freighter debut

The 777 Freighter, based on the 777-200LR passenger aircraft, of course is a much simpler plane to create because of the company's long history with the 777. The first 777 was delivered to United Airlines 13 years ago.

The 777 Freighter has already proven to be a commercial success for Boeing with 78 orders. The first plane will go to Air France later this year after a short flight test program.

No more trans fat with your McDonald's french fries. That's the word today from the company's CEO.

The fast food chain has changed out its oil at all its restaurants in the United States and Canada, the company announced.

McDonald’s has lagged other restaurant operators in switching over to a zero-trans-fat cooking oil out of worries it would compromise the taste of its trademark fries, The Associated Press reports. It has been under increasing pressure from consumer advocates and some public officials to make the change.

The new oil is canola-based and includes corn and soy oils.

CEO Jim Skinner told shareholders at the annual meeting at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., that the new oil has been in use in U.S. restaurants for a few months now for french fries, hash browns, chicken, filet of fish and biscuits.

He said McDonald’s is on schedule to convert to the new oil by year’s end for its remaining baked items, pies and cookies.

Skinner said the company decided not to advertise the changes.

With all the talk of Downtown Tacoma corporate headquarters sniffing at greener pastures, there’s good news from KeyBank. Good news, and somewhat quiet.

I was at their building (the old Peoples Store at South 11th Street & Pacific Avenue) for an interview with Michael Taylor, who was recruited away from Washington Mutual and now serves as regional sales manager heading a new effort to expand the bank’s home-mortgage business. The interview should run in a week or so.

Before meeting with Taylor, I took a building tour led by Tom Spilman, president of Key’s Puget Sound district.

Beginning last August, the bank remodeled all four floors - adding offices, putting down new carpet, curating and framing several decades’ worth of art, refurbishing the HVAC and refurnishing the meeting rooms with flat-screens and new leather. The exterior has also seen improvements.

Spilman said Key didn’t make a big deal of the changes – and he didn’t mention asking for city, state or federal help. A reception for clients and the public is in the works.

Here’s a challenge for an artist, a design class, perhaps, or people who are simply interested in money.

The Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals this week upheld a lower court ruling in a suit brought by the the American Council for the Blind.

Essentially, the court said the U.S. needs to design money wherein the denominations of bills are easy to determine for people with sight limitations. Today,
for the sight-impaired, knowing the difference is typically matter of asking someone if that’s a $5 bill or a $50.

"I don't think we should have to rely on people to tell us what our money is," said Mitch Pomerantz, the council's president, according to Yahoo! News.

The government can appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court – which could take another few years before it takes a few more years to design money that serves everybody.

So what’s the answer here? Make the bills in different sizes? Differentiate textures? Shapes?

Get out your Etch-a-Sketch, your Photoshop or whatever other tools you might use.

Come up with a good idea of how to differentiate bills. Send the idea back to us in whatever form works for you, and we'll make sure the U.S. Treasury hears what you've got to say.

Diane Percival is the new chief financial officer at Woodstone Credit Union. She will oversee all financial management and planning responsibilities for the institution.

Percival joined Woodstone as controller in 1992, and earned her education at Central Washington University.

Woodstone Credit Union is based in Federal Way, where it operates two full-service branches. It was founded in 1941 and originally served Weyerhaeuser employees. Today, with some 12,000 members, Woodstone reports assets of about $85 million, and membership is open to anyone living or working in Washington.

Airline travel just got more expensive on the nation's largest airline, American.

The Fort Worth-based carrier announced today it will begin charging a $15 fee for the first checked bag except for elite frequent fliers, first class passengers and those paying full coach fare. The change will take effect in mid-June.

That fee comes on top of the $25 fee American and most other carriers already charge for the second checked bag.

The new fee, if it is copied across the industry, may prove to be the kind of backdoor fare increase the industry needs to cope with fuel prices topping $130 a barrel.

Airlines have raised fares 11 times this year on most routes and imposed a plethora of fees and fee increases from overweight luggage fees to pet fees to try to raise their income to meet fuel costs.

They've not been able to raise fares across the board enough to cope, so they've resorted to fee increases that are largely invisible to ticket buyers.

In addition to the checked bag increases, the airline announced it will cut back flying by its oldest, least fuel efficient planes and retire 75 of those aircraft.

Unclear is what the consequences of the bag fee will have on airports. Will check-in lines clog because of the extra time to collect bag fees? Will security lines lengthen because more passengers will bring carry-ons? And will loading and unloading aircraft become more chaotic because passengers are trying to carry more aboard?

At the Northwest Intermodal Conference Tuesday, Peter Keller said that NYK Line will have shore power – or "cold ironing" - at its new Tacoma terminal.

That terminal is scheduled to open in 2012.

That means that container ships visiting the terminal will be able to plug into electricity there and turn off their engines, thus reducing diesel emissions.

It's not available at any other terminal in Tacoma. The Port of Seattle provides shore power at its cruise terminals.

Keller was one of the conference's keynote speakers and touched on the need for the maritime industry to find real environmental solutions that are supported by science and practical.

That was after he noted the prevalence of green claims – without a lot real action - by companies in all sorts of business.

It costs NYK Line about $750,000 to outfit each container ship with the ability to connect to shore power, Keller said.

He also said that the NYK Line is exploring solar power and other energy sources and will LEED-certify its buildings.

A small, possibly true factoid: According to Wikipedia (though article doesn't cite any sources) the term "cold ironing" first came into use when all ships had coal fired iron clad engines.

When a ship would tie up at port there was no need to continue to feed the fire and the iron engines would literally cool down eventually going completely cold, hence the term "cold ironing".

Weyerhaeuser’s Quadrant Homes has laid off 6 percent of its workforce – or 15 people – from operations in Bellevue, Lacey and Portland, Ore.

The employees were notified of the move last Thursday, said Quadrant vice president Bonnie Geers earlier today.

The employees had been employed over a cross-section of the company and included both field personnel and office workers, Geers said.

The decision was “in response to the current economic times and the pressures on our market in homebuilding,” she said.

Although no other layoffs were immediately planned at Quadrant, Geers said, “We’re always looking at our resources in the market. We’re always assessing that.”

Whatever happened to making sure the stove was turned off, loading the kids into the station wagon and setting off into a world without worries? For those who work, vacations just aren't what they used to be.

CareerBuilder.com (www.careerbuilder.com) is out today with its annual vacation survey.

The results:

• 25 percent of workers (up from 20 percent in 2007) said they plan to stay in contact with work while on vacation;
• 9 percent said their bosses expect them to be working or at least checking voicemail/e-mail while on vacation;
• 15 percent of workers said they gave up vacation days in 2007 because they didn’t have time to use them;
• 9 percent gave up four or more days.

Comparing industries:
• Sales workers (50 percent) lead the industries surveyed in the number of workers planning to check in while away on vacation;
• 37 percent of both financial services workers and IT workers concurred;
• 19 percent of IT workers said working, checking voicemail and/or e-mail while on vacation is required by their employers, compared to 17 percent of sales workers, 14 percent of workers in the financial industry and 12 percent of those in professional and business services.

One sure way to avoid calling the office:
• 7 percent workers said they have lied to their employers, claiming they couldn’t be reached on vacation.

What’s the use?
• 12 percent of workers said they feel guilty when they are on vacation;
• 6 percent felt that a vacation could lead to the loss of a job.

What they’ll be doing:
• Traveling (36 percent)
• Visiting family and friends (24 percent)
• Resting (20 Percent)
• Catching up on housework (8 percent)
• Running errands (3 percent)

Because we’re about to be known as a town that cares about cars – what with the LeMay Museum and all – I thought you might be interested in a story from today’s Sports Car Market (www.sportscarmarket.com) newsletter.

The publication reports on the world-record price gaveled Sunday for a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder.

The price: $10,894,900, which beat the previous record of $10,756,000 for the sale of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

The buyer: British television and radio personality Chris Evans.

The event: RM Auctions’s second annual “Ferrar Leggenda e Passione” in the home of Ferrari, Maranello, Italy.

While Boeing's new 747-8 has sold well in its passenger version, passenger versions of the revamped airliner have sold slowly.

Only Germany's Lufthansa until this week had announced orders for the 747-8 Intercontinental, the passenger model in the new line.

Now, while the order isn't official, Nigeria's Arik Air appears ready to order three of the jumbo jets. Arik mentioned the 747 in a ceremony where it took delivery of two 737s.

Sea-Tac Airport is making real-time flight information to passengers via cell phone.

Here's how the airport explains the specifics:

The service uses a simple text message request that returns updated flight information back to the phone via text message and is compatible with most cell phone brands.

Users get real-time flight information including current departure or arrival times, gate numbers, and additional flight status updates.

Here's how it works:

Text "FlySEA" (359732)
Text the name of your airline and flight number. For example: Alaska 1234
Within seconds, you'll receive the latest real-time information, including the flight number, departure or arrival time, gate number and flight status.

Cell phone updates are a one-time, passenger activated service. In order to receive another update you must text the address again. Your cell phone carrier's standard

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air's efforts to get air service started from Everett's Paine Field have met resistance from Snohomish County officials who control the air field.

Allegiant wants to start service from the former Air Force base that is home to Boeing's wide-body production plant.

The airline, which now serves Bellingham with 10 flights a week to California, Nevada and Arizona, wants to tap the Snohomish County market.

Allegiant specializes in serving out-of-the-way airports with service to Las Vegas and Florida destinations on a less-than-daily basis.

Allegiant was one of the few airlines that made money in this year's first quarter despite high fuel costs. The airline caters to leisure travelers. It typically operates its fleet of MD-80 aircraft near capacity.

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon said he won't support Allegiant's bid to start service, and a group of local residents have pledged to fight. Another business-oriented group, however, has been trying to generate airline business at the airport for more than two years.

The airport has a small, outmoded terminal that would have to be remodeled to accomodate modern security requirements.

SeaGlass Interiors

SeaGlass Cottage in Gig Harbor has changed its name, and will be celebrating a "Grand Re-opening” throughout May. Today, owner Randi Kokonaski answers a few questions about small business in our regular
feature, “A Few Questions for a small business owner.”

What’s up?
SeaGlass Cottage is now SeaGlass Interiors. Along with adding stock, the business has changed its structure from a sole proprietorship to a limited liability company.

With Costco opening up the hill, and the new mall, I’ve heard that some downtown Gig Harbor stores are losing business. Have you felt the same effects?
“I think when it first opened, there was a big surge. I think folks are starting to come back. Things are picking up with a lot of the boaters coming in.”

What kind of ‘added stock’ are you getting in?
“We’re gearing our products more towards interiors – with gifts, pillows, lamps, with a coastal theme. Lamps with shells on them, pillows with anchors and boats. We have new table linens, tableware and gifts."

Anything else?
People coming to the re-opening are asked to bring a donation of two canned food items or to make a $5.00 (or more) contribution to the Gig Harbor F.I.S.H. Food Bank. Contributors will receive a 20 percent discount on any store item through May.

Getting there and getting in touch:
SeaGlass is at 3115 Harborview Dr. in downtown Gig Harbor. Hours go from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The phone is 253-858-7184. Web address is www.seaglassinteriors.com.

The World Trade Center Tacoma has hired James McMahan, of Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell Governmental Affairs Division, as its new executive director.

McMahan remains employed by Gordon Thomas and will work for the World Trade on contract. He has ten years of contract lobbying experience with clients in economic development, local government and transportation.

The News Tribune was unable to reach McMahan today.

He replaces Andreas Udbye, who left the trade center last fall.

As executive director, McMahan is charged with conducting community outreach, increasing the Tacoma-Pierce County community’s accessibility to information regarding international trade, and program and event management, according to a news release from the trade center.

His position at the trade center starts immediately.

If record high gas prices were strawberries, we’d all be eating shortcake.

It happened again today in Tacoma, with the average price of a gallon of regular floating up to a new peak – the highest ever – at $3.868 per gallon.

I’ve been watching for the magic (or tragic, depending on what you’re driving) $4 mark. First it came with premium (today $4.206 in Tacoma), then mid-grade (today it’s $4.007).

Maybe we should start a pool. I say regular hits $4 by next Thursday, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend.

The news is not much better in other Washington cities. Bellingham hit $3.926 for regular today, a record and the state’s highest price; Bremerton was $3.827, a record, Seattle was $388.2, a record; and if other cities didn’t make records today, then they did yesterday.

And speaking of yesterday, it seems like only then that gas in Tacoma was $3.861. A year ago it was $3.453.

Oh, for those good old days.

Weyerhaeuser doesn't know exactly when it will start exporting logs out of the Port of Olympia, but it does plan to start making its lease payments to the the port this month, The Olympian reports.

The export facility was supposed to move from the Port of Tacoma to Olympia two years ago.

From the story:

The Weyerhaeuser Co. is scheduled this week to make its first lease payment to the Port of Olympia for a controversial log-export business whose start has been delayed two years because of court challenges.

A Weyerhaeuser spokesman last week was unable to make a specific prediction about when the Federal Way-based timber company would start exporting logs, as planned, to Japan.

Still, Weyerhaeuser’s first payment to the port is significant, spokesman Frank Mendizabal said.

“It is a milestone in the sense that we are moving forward with the project,” he said. “This is just another step on that path.”

The company signed a five-year lease with the port in 2005. At that time, Weyerhaeuser expected to begin export operations after relocating from Tacoma by summer 2006.

Activists concerned about the environmental effects of the business challenged the plan. They sued for records maintained by Weyerhaeuser and the port before the lease was signed, challenged the use of port peninsula land for the export operation and argued that insufficient environmental study of the project had been done by the port.

=> Read more!

If you bought Amazon.com shares on Friday, you could have made money today.

Shares in the Seattle-based retailer jumped $5.83 after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. recommended buying the stock and said the company may increase sales at least 20 percent annually over the next 5 to 10 years.

Goldman raised its price estimate on the shares by 31 percent to $98, according to Bloomberg News.

Amazon.com increased 7.6 percent, to $82.29 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the biggest gain since April 18.

Amazon.com shares have underperformed the S&P 500 in the past six months, according to Goldman, because of “slight” declines in gross margin, or the percentage of sales left after subtracting the cost of goods sold. The stock has declined 11 percent this year, compared with a 2.8 percent drop in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, Bloomberg reports.

This “period of poor performance renders Amazon stock attractive, especially as we view Amazon as executing on-plan despite gross margin trends,” Goldman analyst James Mitchell wrote in a report issued Sunday. He put Amazon.com on the firm’s “conviction buy” list.

The new grocery concept from UK-based Tesco is finding success without cashiers, according to trade blog StorefrtongBacktalk. One of its Fresh & Easy stores in the U.S. offers only self-checkout and customers say that's OK with them. (The Fresh & Easy concept has yet to make it to the Northwest, but given Tesco’s expension plans, it could. The stores are small and aim to be a neighborhood stop, where merchandise is supposed to be a step up from typical convenience fare.)

From the blog:
Internal Tesco customer surveys for its Fresh & Easy stores are finding some 90 percent of its customers saying they were either “satisfied or very satisfied’ with the checkout experience with another 27 percent saying that “it doesn’t matter” what format the checkouts take.

Last week when I was at Nordstrom an employee handed me a card promoting the company's half yearly sale. Why was I getting it so early? The sale is usually mid-June – timed perfectly to my mid-June birthday.

But this year, amid a sluggish economy and first quarter profits that dropped more than 20 percent, Nordstrom is moving its sale up a month. The sale for women and kids will start on Wednesday.

Nordstrom hopes the earlier start date will let shoppers take advantage of sale prices during Memorial Day weekend. Which means Nordstrom is hoping that while you are at the mall snapping up deals at other stores, you will pop into the company's shop.

"Because Nordstrom has so few sale events, our customers have come to know they are meaningful," Erik Nordstrom, president of stores for Nordstrom, said in a news release. "We recognize the Memorial Day weekend is a popular time for sale shopping and it’s important to let customers know about the Half-Yearly Sale date change and the great values we will be offering."

The sale will last until June 1.

The Half-Yearly Sale for Men starts June 13

More dates for your calendar: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts July 18.

Boeing has abandoned for now efforts to design to its workhorse 737 twin-jet, a leading aviation magazine says.

Aviation Week and Space Technology says the company's design efforts so far failed to yield the kinds of efficiency and maintenance and performance enhancements Boeing had sought in a 737 successor.

The company will shift its efforts to more fundamental research designed to find breakthrough technologies that could make the new plane attractive to airlines.

Boeing had sought to improve the economics of the new plane by at least 20 percent over the 737, but present day technology would yield only about a 10 percent improvement, not sufficient to invest billions in a new design.

That delay decision probably translates to the Boeing 737 being built at Renton through at least 2017 if not later.

The 737 is the world's best selling jetliner with more than 7,000 ordered.

Boeing rival Airbus is unlikely to try to make a leap forward with a new version of its A320, the European company's rival to the 737. Airbus is facing design, production and engineering issues with at least three planes now, the A380 super jumbo, the new A350XWB mid-sized twin jet and the A400 military transport.

Aviation Partners, a Seattle-based company that supplies fuel-saving winglets to Boeing for its 737, will test a new set of winglets for Airbus's A320.

Winglets are vertical extensions at the end of a plane's wings that have become popular on the 737 and other Boeing aircraft since the price of jet fuel has gone moonward.

Airbus tried out winglets it designed itself and in partnership with another company two years ago, but found the fuel savings weren't worth the extra weight.

The A320's wings have to be strengthened adding weight to the aircraft to accomodate the winglets.

The test of the Aviation Partners'-designed winglets is scheduled for July.

An effort to overturn the leadership of The Boeing Co.'s largest union, District Local 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, has failed.

A dissident alliance trying to remove the present leadership of the IAM led by president Tom Wroblewski, didn't receive enough votes to defeat the present administration's candidate in all but 31 races last week.

The group calling itself the Unity Coalition.

The Machinists are facing a critical renegoatiation of its contract with Boeing. Those formal negoatiations began May 9. The IAM contract expires in early September.

The union has vowed to get a bigger slice of the growing profits Boeing has generated in the last few years with record orders and profitable airliner production.

Relocate America, a real estate and relocation Web site, has named Charlotte, N.C., the best place to live in America in 2008.

The Pacific Northwest wasn't completely snubbed in Relocate America's list of the top 10 places to live. The site ranked Seattle tenth in a list dominated by cities in the Southeast.

Here's the site's best places in order:

1. Charlotte
2. San Antonio, Tex.
3. Chattanogo, Tenn.
4. Greenville, S.C.
5. Tulsa, Okla.
6. Stevens Point, Wisc.
7. Asheville, N.C.
8. Albuquerque, New Mexico
9. Huntsville, Ala.
10.Seattle

Relocate America wasn't terribly specific about the standards it measured to create its list, though looking at the top 10, housing costs had to play a large role in some of that decision-making. Only Seattle is what could be called a high-cost city.

Strangely, or perhaps not strangely, Forbes magazine ranked Charlotte ninth on its list of the most miserable cities in the country. Detroit was at the top of that ranking.

The North Carolina metropolis ranked in the bottom half of the six categories that contributed to Forbes' ranking:
commute times, income tax rates, Superfund sites, unemployment, violent crimes and weather.

KeyBank is about to make a push toward a larger market share of the home mortgage market – in fact, the bank intends to triple its mortgage business in the state this year.

As part of the push, Key has recruited Michael Taylor, former regional manager in the Eastern Washington, Idaho and Utah markets for Washington Mutual.

Taylor, newly based in Tacoma, will be responsible for expanding Key’s mortgage lending services in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. According to a release, he’ll oversee recruiting, sales and performance management as well as developing market strategies.

Despite turbulence in the home lending field, the bank said it sees opportunities with the maturation of subprime loans and with homeowners looking to refinance both fixed-rate and adjustable loans.

Taylor is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and resides with his family in Maple Valley.

I’ll be speaking with him next week for an upcoming story.

China's Hainan Airlines, which begins Sea-Tac Beijing service June 9, is offering business class travelers a bargain introductory fare.

That fare, including taxes and security charges, $2,510, is about 60 percent of the normal summertime business class fare between Seattle and Beijing. And those higher-priced fares require stopovers in other cities.

Hainan's four-times-weekly service is the first non-stop service between Seattle and Beijing. The Chinese airline will get competition next March when Northwest Airlnes begins non-stop Seattle-Beijing service.

Travelers seeking Hainan's bargain rate must travel outbound between June 9 and July 31. They must begin their return trip by Oct. 31. They must book their trip by June 16. These and other conditions of the fare are available at www.hnair.com/us.

Hainan Airlines can be reached by calling 1-888-688-8813.

The ports of Tacoma and Seattle received $27 million in federal security grants as part of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

The money will go toward infrastructure security improvements such as chemical detectors, security gates and training exercise, the office of Washington Sen. Patty Murray said today.

The state ferry system and Port of Grays Harbor will also receive $2 million and $178,000 respectively.

The Tacoma port has received at least $19 million – not including the most recent grant – from federal sources for port security projects since 2002.

Upmarket toy retailer FAO Schwarz may be on its way to Tacoma Mall.

The New York Times is reporting today that FAO Schwarz has signed an agreement to open in some 685 Macy's locations over the next two years.

The report continues: “Up to 275 Macy's stores will have FAO Schwarz-operated toy stores in fall 2008, the companies said, in time for the key holiday shopping season.”

A spokeswoman at the Tacoma Mall Macy’s would neither confirm or deny the report, but FAO Schwarz spokeswoman Meryl VanMeter in New York told me this morning: “We cannot confirm specific locations. We know that we are definitely coming into your market by the fall. You can confidently say that.”

To me, that spells Tacoma.

The Times report continues: “This autumn, FAO Schwarz shops at a size of between 1,000 square feet and 3,500 square feet will be launched at 75 Macy's stores across the United States, the companies said.

“About 200 of the department store operator's locations will have smaller FAO Schwarz toy departments, at a size of 200 to 300 square feet. The new boutiques will carry the toy retailer's private label toys and other select brands, the companies said.”

I’ll update as calls to Macy’s are returned.

Good news and bad news for you "afishiandos".

The good news first. The first Copper River salmon of the year have arrived at Sea-Tac Airport via Alaska Airlines.

Now the bad. High winds and waves in Alaska hindered fishing Thursday, so the first fishing day yielded a relatively few fish.

That translates to a limited availability and sky-high prices.

Initial prices are enough to make ordinary mortals consider tapping their home equity line of credit or praying to win the MegaMillions jackpot.

At Tacoma's Northern Fish Co., the few Copper River king salmon were going for $50 a pound. At Johnny's Seafood Co. on downtown Tacoma's Foss Waterway, no Copper River fish were available Friday afternoon. When the fish become available, said a clerk there, the price is likely to be somewhere north of $45 a pound.

At those prices, a 20-pound king could go for $1,000.

Russ Casteel, seafood buyer for Haggen Food and Pharmacy and TOP Food & Drug stores, said conditions in Cordova, Alaska, where the Copper River fish are landed, were rough.

"We started the day with 50-knot winds and swells of 12 to 15 feet," Casteel said today. "Only 50 percent of the fleet was able to get out and fish, and half of those boats returned by noon Thursday."

The first shipment of the coveted and hyped fish touched down in Seattle about 6 a.m. today and were hustled to Alaska Airlines' cargo hangar where they were given a celebrity greeting complete with flashing cameras and official greeters.

Alaska expects to ship about 7,500 pounds of the fish from Cordova to Seattle and beyond today. The airline had expected to transport about 20,000 pounds of the fish today.

The fish on the first plane went to four seafood processors: Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Bear and Wolf Salmon C., Trident Seafoods and Copper River Seafoods.

Except in rare cases, expect to see the Copper River fish begin to reach restaurants and stores early next week after the weather calms.

Alaska will further transport some of the fish to the upscaled eateries of the East Coast on passenger flights where restaurant patrons will pay even more for the privilege of biting into the first of the oil-rich salmon of the year.

Alaska and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, transport 150 million pounds of seafood a year. Alaska has invested in conversions of six 737-400 aircraft into freighter and freighter/passenger configurations to handle the seafood and other cargo loads.

Spurred by a surge in international airline traffic, total traffic at Sea-Tac Airport jumped by more than 10 percent during the year's first quarter.

International traffic at Sea-Tac increased 18.3 percent during January, February and March to 730,588 compared with 617,575 in the first three months of 2007.

Several airlines have inaugurated new international service at Sea-Tac. Air France is now serving Paris. Lufthansa is offering service to Frankfurt and Northwest is now competing with British Airways to London. Both Hainan and Northwest airlines plan new service from Sea-Tac to Beijing.

Domestic traffic for the first quarter totaled 6,428,837 passengers up 9.22 percent from the previous year's quarterly total of 5,885,990, according to airport figures. Combined domestic and international traffic increased 10.08 percent.

Sea-Tac's traffic increase was well above the norm for airports nationwide, perhaps an indication that the economy has yet to slow down as much here as in other regions.

In Denver, for instance, traffic is up 5.2 percent. In San Francisco, the total passenger count is up 6.6 percent. At Chicago's O'Hare Airport, passenger volume was down 8.98 percent in the first quarter.

Airlines warn that rising fares are beginning to hurt passenger traffic as the year moves onward. Fares are rising to compensate for rising fuel prices.

Major domestic airlines have raised prices 11 times this year to try to keep pace with fuel price increases. Any slowdown in passenger traffic typically lags be several months those price increases because many travelers buy their tickets month in advance.

The fish are back at Old Town Dock. (And the Copper River salmon arrives on Sunday.)

After closing as Johnny’s at the beginning of the year, the newly named and freshly remodeled and expanded Old Town Northern Fish opened yesterday.

“A lot of people are walking in and saying, ‘Wow!’” said Northern Fish Products corporate representative Jason Hutchinson at lunchtime today. That’s him standing with store manager Debbie Goss.

Along with a full line of seafood – fresh, frozen and prepared – the store offers a walk-up window, “Fishtales Bistro,” where patrons can buy lattes, espresso, smoothies and such.

Northern Fish has leased the over-water property from a longtime Puget Sound seafood family, the Marinkoviches. Northern was purchased in 1912 by Johannes Swanes, and five generations of the family have continued in the seafood business in the Northwest.
The dockside store opened in 1933 as Ocean Fish Co., and did business under that name through 1975, when it was bought by Johnny's Seafood Co. and renamed Johnny's Ocean Fish Co.

The store features 24 feet of display cases, with items ranging from clams, oysters and mussels to sea bass, octopus, tuna and trout. Prepared items include crab salad, shrimp pasta salad, pickled herring, naturally smoked salmon, ceviche, seaweed salad and the appendages of Alaskan and Dungeness crab.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. The bistro opens daily at 6:30 a.m. and closes along with the store.

Earlier today, North Tacoma resident Ellen Cohen was enjoying both a bowl of seafood chowder and the company of her mother, Sylvia, who is visiting from New York City.

“I’ve been watching the progress,” Ellen said. “They did a very nice job. The quality of the fish looks good.”

“On a day like this it’s beautiful,” said Sylvia. “I’m going to go home and tell everybody.”

Moody's Investors Service has cut its outlook for SeaTac's Alaska Air Group from stable to negative because of anticipated financial issues related to high fuel prices.

The ratings service said its expects the airline holding company, parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, will lose money this year.

The company reaffirmed its debt ratings on the company at B1.

Alaska has relatively low debt and a large hoard of cash, but rising fuel prices are expected to tax that cash.

Airlines, including Alaska, hasn't been able to raise fares fast enough to keep pace with the rising cost of fuel.

Alaska's fuel costs are lower than average because it has the second largest fuel hedge position in the domestic airline industry after Southwest Airlines. Those fuel hedges allow the airline to buy about 50 percent of its fuel at less than market prices.

Denver's ProLogis plans to develop a five-building, 1.9-million-square-foot industrial park on land that once housed the Northern Pacific Railway shops.

The 115-acre South Tacoma tract is bordered roughly by South 36th Street, South 56th Street, South Tyler and South Burlington Way.

ProLogis Park Tacoma

When the park is fully developed, ProLogis estimates that between 572 and 950 workers could be employed there depending on what companies lease the buildings. The company has named it ProLogis Park Tacoma.

Prologis said it has not yet signed any leases for the space, but has had active inquiries from clients.

ProLogis spokeswoman Mo Sheahan said the company, the world's largest distribution facility developer, is seeking permits now for the site development. Once those permits are issued, the company will purchase the tract from Northern Pacific successor BNSF Railroad and begin construction of the first building.

The developer is seeking to buy land from Tacoma Public Utilities to provide access from the north end of the business park to South 35th Street and subsequently to Washington 16. Traffic studies have suggested that the truck traffic generated by the warehouses be discouraged from using the southern access at South 56th Street, said Tacoma Economic Development Director Ryan Petty.

The railroad stopped using the land in 1974 and demolished most of the brick railroad shop buildings there. Other than a few small uses, the site has been vacant for more than three decades.

The acreage was for many years an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund cleanup site. Cleanup was completed last year, Petty said.

ProLogis owns 1.5 mllion square feet of distribution warehouses in the Seattle-Tacoma area divided among ten buildings. When the South Tacoma site is fully developed, the park will more than double ProLogis' Puget Sound square footage.

=> Read more!

acoma firefighters responded to the report of a propone leak at Simpson Kraft shortly before 9 a.m. this morning.

An employee noticed the leak as he walked by the 1,000-gallon propane tank, said John Conkle, vice president and general manager of Simpson Tacoma Kraft. The leak apparently came from a hose connected to the tank.

The company uses the propane to fuel its fork lifts, said Conkle.

The workers were evacuated from the area around the tank by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighter went in and shut off the leak at the valve below the hose. Officials estimated that about 600 gallons of propane leaked out before the valve was shut off.

Officials have gone through the building with their censors.

"The air is all clear," said Kevin O'Donnal, Tacoma Fire spokesman. "Everything is under control."

Workers were returning to their duties.

No injuries were reported.

We're thinking about starting a new feature aimed at small business owners. It starts with the calls, e-mails and notes we get every week from those small biz folks who have something important to say about their life's work. We don't always know what to do with these communications - there is limited space, but we would like to help in the telling of these stories.
So here's what we have in mind: For now, we'll call it "Six Questions."
If you own a business and have something to say, then let us know. An anniversary? A major change of some sort? A milestone? Something unique?
For now, if you'd like to play, send me an e-mail at c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com. Explain the who/what/when/where/why. I'll get back to you.
Today: Jasminka.

Jasminka

This specialty store, located at 3820 N. 26th St. in Tacoma’s Proctor District, sells women’s fashions and accessories. Owner Rondi Bofkovich recently answered our slate of Six Small-Biz Questions.

What’s the occasion?
We’ve been in business for 25 years. We’re having an anniversary sale starting Thursday (today), with everything on sale, 25 percent off, for four days.

What’s the secret to your success?
I don’t follow trends. I’m trying to find something different. I get bored. My customers get bored. They like a good quality, comfortable product. I think I sell an unusual line of clothing.

What changes are you making, if any, to build your business?
I have switched to e-mail. I used to send out postcards. I can send out e-mail for a lot less. People need to be reminded. You can’t assume people are just going to walk in. That has made quite a difference in the past couple of years. Also, I just got a Web site.

What’s the best part of owning a small business?
I can sell what I want to whom I want. There’s a lot of interesting stuff out there. I really like what I sell. You tend to sell to people you like. I’ve cultivated an interesting client list. My demographic is probably – the biggest group is teachers. They’re educated, well traveled, nice, fun people. I don’t make a ton of money, but I do like that I do.

What’s the biggest challenge?
Paying the bills. Just because you own you own your own business doesn’t mean you’re wealthy.

What’s the biggest and best lesson you’ve learned about business?
It’s not for sissies. You’ve got to have a certain amount of naiveté, or you probably wouldn’t do it.

Looking for someone to blame for the higher and the high cost of living? Scapegoats are now available at the grocery store and the gas station. And if you’re looking for solace, try a restaurant, see your doctor or turn on a few extra light bulbs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier today released the Consumer Price Index for the Tacoma-Bremerton-Seattle area, and said overall consumer prices overall rose 0.7 percent in March and April.

Grocery prices rose 2.8 percent while gasoline rose 12.9 percent.

On the other side, the category “food away from home” decreased 1.2 percent, medical care fell 2.4 percent and the cost of electricity fused an 8.9 percent decline.

The price of apparel in the region rose 0.9 percent and the cost of recreation fell 0.3 percent, the BLS said.

And if you’d rather not take sides in the matter, then just stay inside. The cost of housing was unchanged.

Technical workers at Wichita, Kan.'s Spirit AeroSystems have filed a petition to decertify Seattle's Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace as their union representative.

The petition could trigger a June election to determine if SPEEA stays or it goes. The election won't affect unionized Spirit engineers.

The decertification action is the latest in a series of union troubles at Boeing and its former airplane parts unit in Wichita, now called Spirit AeroSystems.

The professional and technical unit at Boeing's remaining Wichita operations decertified the union last year. Boeing's Wichita engineers remain union members.

And Boeing has told another major union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, that it wants a separate contract for its Wichita unit. The Wichita unit now operates under essentially the same contract as does its Puget Sound operations.

Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing's former Wichita, Kan.-based commercial airplanes production arm, is expected to announce today that it will build a new plant in Kinston, N.C.

Local media there are predicting the new plant will build nose sections for the 787 Dreamliner.

The plant could also be used to create composite fuselage sections for the Airbus A350XWB, Airbus's rival to the Boeng 787.

Airbus is expected to sign a contract with Spirit soon to build those fuselage sections.

Kinston is home to what North Carolina calls the Global TransPark, an airport-based industrial park created in 1991 to attract aviation related business to North Carolina.

Boeing had strongly considered Kinston as the final assembly site for its 787 five years ago, but chose Everett instead.

North Carolina is expected to provide Spirit with as much as $500 million in incentives to locate there. The park is equipped with an 11,500-foot runway.

Until now, the industrial park hasn't lived up to the state's expectations attracting only minor industries.

The new Spirit plant is expected to create 1,100 new jobs in Kinston.

Two major Boeing 787 customers, Japan's All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, are considering asking Boeing to lease them a total of 30 new 767s to compensate them for late deliveries of 787 Dreamliner.

A story in Flight International says Boeing would build the 767s on its Everett assembly line and deliver them to the Japanese carriers on flexible-term leases.

The Japanese airlines as well as other 787 customers are suffering because Boeing is already projecting it will be some 15 months late delivering its first Dreamliner.

Airlines have complained they're due compensation from Boeing for the late deliveries because they'd made plans to incorporate the 787s into their fleets, and now they won't get those planes on time.

The 767, which is the same passenger capacity as the Dreamliner, has had no new orders this year. Some 49 planes remain on backlog.

Boeing had hoped to keep the assembly line working after those commercial orders run out by building 767-based tankers for the Air Force.

A consortium of Northrop Grumman and Airbus-parent EADS won the contract for the tankers, however. Boeing is appealing that decision.

Few widebody aircraft are available in leasing markets to provide capacity for airlines counting on the 787 to provide them extra capacity.

That's why Boeing is considering speeding up production on the 767 line to give those airlines extra lift.

A year after Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. shipped its first fuselage section for the 787 Dreamliner to Boeing, it has yet to deliver the company a fully completed assembly.

The major Boeing Dreamliner partner told the Dallas Morning News this week that it will be at least the end of this year before it delivers a completed fuselage section to Boeing.

Boeing has blamed much of its trouble meeting schedules on the Dreamliner to partners and subcontractors who sent Boeing major sections of the aircraft that were incomplete. Those sections had to be completed at Boeing's Everett plant, a task which the airframe maker had not planned.

Boeing's assembly plan for the 787 called for its major partners in the plane to build complete sections of the aircraft in their plants around the world. Those sections would include all necessary wiring and plumbing. The sections would simply be joined together in a three-day final assembly process at Everett.

Boeing is now saying the first flight of the 787 will be late this year, more than 15 months behind schedule.

vought told the Dallas paper that it is putting its trouble behind it. Those issues, however, are responsible in part of the failure of Vought to make money on the 787 business. The company now says it will begin making money on the fuselage sections it makes for Boeing only after it has built 300. Boeing has orders for nearly 900 of the twin jets.

A year after initiating its reusable grocery bag program, Fred Meyer is seeing some results.

The Portland-based company reported this week that its stores ordered 3.5 million fewer plastic bags in 2007 than in 2006.

The grocer estimates that this diverted about 36,000 pounds – or 18 tons – of plastic bags from the waste stream.

“Our customers asked for this, and they clearly believe it is the right thing to do,” said Melinda Merrill, public affairs director for Fred Meyer Stores.

“Customers in all of our 129 stores across the Northwest are participating and we are grateful to them for making this kind of difference,” she said.

In an effort to reduce waste, the company also:

- Recycled 45,000 tons of loose cardboard.
- Recycled 35 tons of plastic from grocery bags and plastic wrap.
- And donated five million pounds of food, which would otherwise be sent to the landfill, to local food banks, including much-needed meat, dairy and produce items.

Joseph Simon & Sons, a Tacoma metals dealer, has been sold to Seattle-based Graham Capital Group, a privately held investment arm of the Graham family of Canada. The purchase price was not disclosed.

I spoke late yesterday with Paul Raidna, the group’s managing director, who explained that the employees and most of the executive team at Simon will remain, although partner Phil Simon retired when the transaction was completed a week ago Monday. Phil’s younger brother, Norm, will continue as a metals trader, Raidna said.

I’ll be working on the story later today. Stay tuned.

European planemaker Airbus said today it will deliver a total of 33 of its giant A380 airliners to airlines this year and next instead of the 38 it had promised.

The new figure came after Airbus restudied its schedule for producing the 550-passenger jets.

The European company is making a transition to a new generation of wiring in the A380, a process that requires training and acclimation time for assembly line workers.

The A380 is already two years behind its original delivery schedule because of problems with the first generation of wiring in the airliners.

Northrop/EADS, the surprise winner of a $40 billion contract to furnish the Air Force with a fleet of new aerial tankers, plans to break ground for a new plant in Mobile, Ala.

Despite The Boeing Co.'s appeal of the contract award, Northrop/EADS, a consortium of U.S.-based Northrop Grumman and Europe's EADS, has planned a formal groundbreaking for June 28.

Northrop/EADS will do final assembly of the KC-45 airborne tanker at the new facility. The tanker is based on Airbus' A330 commercial jet.

EADS, Airbus's parent company, has promised to build A330 freighters at the Alabama plant if it receives the Air Force contract.

Boeing has asked the General Accounting Office to set aside the contract contending that its KC-30, based on its Everett-built 767, better matches the Air Force's requirements.

The Boeing Co. has told its biggest union that it wants a separate contract for its 750 workers at its Wichita, Kan. plant.

Those workers are now covered under the same contract as workers in Puget Sound and Oregon Boeing plants.

The company told the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that it wants a separate pact for workers in Kansas.

The company contends that because living costs and wages are lower in Kansas than in the Pacific Northwest, the company needs a contract that better suits local conditions in the Sunflower State.

Boeing's request came as the company and the IAM began formal negotiations over a new contract. The present contract expires in early September.

The union said it was taking the company's request under advisement.

The union members make a base wage now averaging $27 an hour.

Pierce County's economy remained lukewarm in April.

"We're not doing badly, but we've done better in the past," said Paul Turek, the Tacoma economist for the state's Employment Security Department.

The county unemployment rate dipped from 5.8 percent in March to 5.3 percent last month.

But at the same time, the labor force – the number of people employed or unemployed and looking for work – shrunk.

That could mean that some job seekers stopped looking for work or that positions are becoming harder to find, Turek said.

The county added 1,100 jobs over the month and 3,300 jobs over the year.

"We had a month comparable to last year's, but last year's numbers weren't great," Turek said.

The construction industry posted the largest year-over-year decline in jobs - down 1,100 since last April.

Government and educational and health services jobs recorded some of the biggest gains, adding 1,900 and 1,500 jobs over the year respectively.

The pace of year-over-year job growth in Pierce County remains below 2 percent, a bit slower than most would like to see.

"When we get below 2 percent growth, though there's jobs being added, they are generally not being added a pace to hire everyone that's looking," Turek said.

And when the county numbers are adjusted for seasonal fluctuations in hiring (to account for things like summer hiring or winter slowdowns), Pierce County actually lost jobs over the month, though still gained jobs over the year.

But, Turek, said it could certainly be worse – and it is worse in many other parts of the country.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed," he said. "I still think we are going to sidestep a great part of this (national economic slowdown) and hopefully rebound in the second half."

The state reported a mixed bag of employment figures: the unemployment rate dipped as the state lost jobs over the month.

Seasonally adjusted employment decreased by 1,800 people from March to April, though grew by 46,300 over the year.

The jobs loss represents a sliver of total employment in the state, though it is the second consecutive month-over-month decline.

David Wallace, an ESD economist, said there's not enough evidence to suggest the state in is a recession.

The state unemployment rate dipped from 5.2 in March to 4.6 in April. The seasonally adjusted rate was 4.7 percent.

A Canadian p.r. agency is out this morning with a report on “what could be the latest trend in weddings.”

It was “Eco Elegance” personified as Barb McKechnie and Jeff Boschert tied the knot (which one hopes is not itself recyclable) at The Rise, a 735-acre golf and winery resort near Vernon, British Columbia, where housing units are heated and cooled with a ground-source geothermal system.

According to Canada’s dHz Media, the wedding featured:
• No limousines. Everybody rode hybrids.
• Wherever possible, all waste produced was recycled or composted.
• Wedding favors – wooden cutlery with guests’ names and the wedding date burned on – were recyclable. (Why someone would want to toss a wedding favor into the recycling stream was not discussed.)
• Invitations were printed on recycled paper.

Do I sniff an Eco Elegance public-relations gap between golf courses in British Columbia ourselves? Is this an opportunity for University Place’s own Chambers Bay to begin tooting a new kind of horn – a green horn?

For instance, at Chambers Bay:
• The land itself is recycled, having once been used as a sand and gravel strip mine.
• What could be more eco-friendly than a sewage treatment plant right next door?
• No high-carbon-footprint golf carts or other vehicles (except for ambulances retrieving golfers who find the course too difficult for their hearts) are allowed on the course.
• Traffic is so jammed on a nice day that people are forced to walk or ride bicycles to get where they’re going.

Fewer people stayed in Tacoma-area hotels and motels last March than did a year before – but guests paid more.

With 67.3 percent of rooms occupied in March, Pierce County nearly led the state in the decline of occupied rooms, down 13.6 percent. Only in Everett and Snohomish County, where the rate fell 14 percent, was the decline greater.

Among nine regions in the state, only SeaTac and Southcenter hotels saw an increase in occupancy, up 5.2 percent to 75.9 percent of rooms taken.

Statewide, 71.5 percent of rooms were occupied – down 0.8 percent from March 2007, according to a monthly report by Bellevue hospitality consultant Wolfgang Rood.

The average daily room rate in Pierce County, $85.66, was up 13.5 percent over the year before. Although all other regions of the state saw increases in rates, only Bellingham, up 10.3 percent, came close to matching the increase in Pierce County.

The average cost of a room statewide, according to Rood, was $125.50 in March, up 6.1 percent from $117.27 a year before. Downtown Seattle, the perennial state leader for rates, enjoyed a 3.2 percent increase to $164.56.

As the Port of Tacoma was considering televising and web streaming its meetings last year, a few commissioners questioned whether there'd be much of an audience.

Well the first numbers are in.

About 200 people have watched the port meetings live via the port's Web site since the port began web streaming them mid-March.

Web video of the March 20 and April 17 meetings was requested another 840 and 200 times respectively.

The TV numbers are a bit lower.

About 17 people watched the April 17 meeting on demand, according to the Click! Network and 251 people have tuned into televised port programs including the Port Report, a port history video and a Tall Ships recap.

The port commission in December approved a $170,000 contract with San Francisco-based Granicus to provide the Web streaming equipment and training, and help coordinate the televising of the commission meetings.

Hilda Stevens, Granicus' regional sales manager, said she considers the number of people watching the port live online pretty good, especially if you consider the likelihood of fitting all those people in a meeting room.

She said the number of viewers typically grows in the first months of Web streaming as word gets out that the content is available.

Rod Koon, port spokesman, said he's encouraged that people are watching commission meetings and other content produced by the port.

"The main thing is that this stuff that is available and readily accessible for people who want to see it," Koon said today.

You can find port commission meetings online at www.portoftacoma.com.

Next up: The port plans to relaunch its Web site in June.

We're drinking less than expected, buying fewer cigarettes and not replacing our tables and chairs. Maybe it's all the aspirin for all those headaches, but drugs stores are doing better. Not so with real estate. Not so at all.

Without including special factors, state tax collections between April 11 and May 10 were down 3.7 percent – or $43.7 million – from predictions, and are down 0.5 percent – $13.6 million – for the three months since February.

The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council has released its latest figures, which show Revenue Act receipts down 0.7 percent over a year ago, This was the first year-over-year decline in receipts since March 2003.

Preliminary data for the latest period show tax payments by firms in the retail trade sector were 4.5 percent below a year ago.

Among the sector decliners:
• Motor vehicle dealers, -13.1 percent;
• Electronic and appliance stores, -4.7 percent;
• Building materials/garden supply retailers, -6.9 percent;
• Furniture stores, -9.1 percent;
• Food and beverage stores, -3.4 percent;
• Apparel and accessory stores, -2.1 percent.

Two retailing sectors reported good gains:
• Drug and health stores, +8.3 percent;
• Gas stations and convenience stores, +7.5 percent

Among non-retailing sectors, construction reported a 2.3 percent increase. Payments from utilities declined 2.3 percent and businesses in the finance and insurance sector reported a 3.6 percent decline.

Real estate excise tax payments were $7.6 million less than expected; property tax was $3.9 million less; cigarette tax was $346,000 less and liquor taxes were $683,000 below expectations, the department said.

Without figuring for special circumstances, taxable real estate activity in April was 34.2 percent below the level a year ago, which represents a slight improvement from a 37.5 percent decline the month before. On a year-over-year basis, real estate activity has declined 16 of the last 18 months. In March, the number of real estate transactions was 27.4 percent below a year ago, while the average value per transaction declined 13.9 percent, the department said.

The cost of gas continued its upward march today as the Tacoma area set yet another record for the price of a gallon.

A gallon of regular unleaded averaged $3.80 in Tacoma and some pumps even flirted with $4.

Diesel averaged $4.54 per gallon, according to the AAA of Washington.

Janet Ray, AAA's spokeswoman, said prices have been increasing since the beginning of March.

"Pretty much every day is a new record," Ray said.

In a typical year the spring price increases curtail in mid-May and often retreat by June and July, Ray said.

Unfortunately, this isn't a typical year.

"So much of the increase is due to stock market speculation ... it's difficult to project because it looks so different," Ray said.

But when the world gives you lemons, The News Tribune gives you eight ways to turn the money you'd spend on a gallon of gas into something bigger, better or at least tastier.

So what exactly can you get for $3.80 (or less)?

- A pint of domestic beer from Terry's Office Tavern only sets you back $3. Shoot, upgrade to a microbrew for $3.75.

- $2.99 will get a bike tire patch kit from Old Town Bicycle. Fix up that rusty Schwinn and stick it to Big Oil as you pedal to work.

- For the same price, you can also get a gallon of milk at Safeway (Better for your bones than gasoline anyway).

- 15 quarters ($3.75) will buy you 15 giant gum balls. Seriously, that's a lot of gum.

- In the treat department, $2.99 will also buy 15.4 ounces of Almond Roca from the candy maker's Tacoma factory outlet store.

- Drive as fast as you want (Fuel schmuel!) through 15 rounds of Cruisin' World - the car simulation video game at Chuck E. Cheese.

- You may not be able to afford an Incredible Journey, but you can watch the movie on demand from Click! Cable for $2.99.

- And you could, actually, make lemonade. Squeeze a whole pitcher with five lemons (two large lemons for $1.50 at Tacoma Boys).

A penny saved is ... something you’ll probably be spending for postage.

Starting today, the postal rate for a first-class letter has gone up to 42 cents.

The only saving grace from the Postal Service are those “Forever” stamps, which, until today, cost 41 cents. Today, they cost 42 cents. A year ago, they cost 39 cents. And a year from now, they'll probably cost 43 cents, as the rate will likely increase in what is becoming a mid-May ritual.

The cost of mailing a postcard also went up today – to 27 cents.

Among other new rates in effect today, according to Associated Press: a large envelope is up 3 cents to $1; certified mail is up a nickel to $2.70; first-class mail to Canada and Mexico is up 3 cents to 72 cents, and first class to other countries up 4 cents to 94 cents; priority mail flat-rate envelope, up 20 cents to $4.80; and express mail flat-rate envelope, up a quarter to $16.50

But there’s good news also from the Post Office, especially for philatelists, or stamp collectors. This year’s selection of newly minted stamps will include several colorful new entries, including those commemorating the careers of Bette Davis and Frank Sinatra; Disney art; Alzheimer’s awareness; holiday Nutcrackers; tropical fruit; the Olympics; and a quintet of American journalists, including Martha Fellhorn, John Hersey, Ruben Salazar, George Polk and Eric Sevareid.

Notices of the impending death of Boeing's California cargo plane assembly line could prove premature if two prospects for more orders pull through.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has told the Defense Department it may buy three C-17 cargo planes from Boeing. The planes list of a total of $700 million.

In the meanwhile, Congress is considering a bill to authorize the purchase of 15 more of the cargo jets. The Bush administration has not included those jets in its defense procurement requests.

Unless Boeing gets more orders for the four-engine cargo jet, it will shut down the production line, the last large fixed wing plane construction site in California.

Just when you thought Boeing had cornered the market on untimely production delays, Airbus once again is raising the possibility of further delays with its super jumbo jet, the A380.

The 550-passenger airline, already two years late in its first deliveries, has told airline customers it is restudying its projected production rates with the double-decked aircraft.

Airbus has delivered four of the big jets to launch customer Singapore Airlines, but is four months behind in producing the second version of the jet that features a new wiring system.

The original two-year delay came about largely because the old wiring scheme was riddled with problems caused by design incompatibilities between various Airbus plants producing the giant jet. The new wiring scheme was designed to do away with those differences.

But now Airbus thinks it may not be able to produce the jets as quickly as it had hoped.

There's a shortage of iPhones around the country. While that may seem like nothing new, some are saying that means a new version is coming out.

Apple Inc. said Monday its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device’s next generation featuring faster Internet surfing speeds, The Associated Press reports.

The company confirmed that the iPhone is out of stock online, but added that brick-and-mortar stores run by Apple and iPhone carriers including AT&T Inc. might still have units available.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment on reasons for the shortage and on Apple’s plans for an update to the device, which is widely expected to be unveiled in June at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The paucity of iPhones for sale in some markets comes as Apple is hustling to meet its goal of selling 10 million of the hybrid iPod-cell phone-Internet surfing gadgets by the end of 2008. So far, Apple has sold 5.4 million iPhones, according to the latest data as of the end of March.

One way Apple’s expanding the iPhone’s reach is by inking deals with wireless carriers around the world, even breaking with its pattern of requiring exclusivity to sell in a certain country.

In the category of what not to do on a plane:

A Southwest Airlines passenger who refused to get off his cell phone during a flight found Dallas police waiting for him Monday, The Associated Press reports.

Southwest officials had summoned police, who met the jet when it arrived at Love Field from Austin.

Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said flight attendants had repeatedly asked the man to get off the phone while airborne.

Police said Joe David Jones, 50, of Austin, was cited for disorderly conduct. Jones did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration bars use of mobile phones when planes are flying due to concerns about interference with navigation systems.

King said airlines can be fined up to $25,000 for allowing cell phone use, and passengers also can be fined.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse will open a new location at Tacoma Mall in September, the mall's owner, Simon Property Group announced today.

BJ's will occupy a building in the mall's new lifestyle section. The mall plans to announce yet another full-service restaurant later this year, said the mall's marketing director, Sarah Bonds.

The lifestyle section being built on the mall's south side, will feature seven new retailers, the mall management said. The names of those retailers are set to be announced later this summer.

BJ's originated in Santa Ana, Calif., in 1978 and then spread to several locations along the California coast. The chain now has multiple locations on the West Coast and in other states throughout the country.

The restaurant is expanding to Washington with locations at the Tacoma Mall and in Southcenter in Tukwila.

This just in from Washington State University:

John Rodenberg, certified business advisor for WSU’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Tacoma service center was awarded the Ron Battles Excellence Award at today’s meeting of the SBDC Statewide Advisory Board.

The award, presented by SBDC State Director Brett Rogers, was given in recognition of Rodenberg's quality service to his clients in Tacoma and Pierce
County, the school said in a release.

"John was selected for this award based on a number of glowing client nominations, his body of work demonstrating commitment to excellence, and his 'above and beyond' approach to clients," Rogers said.

The Ron Battles Excellence Award was conceived as a means to honor the late Ron Battles legacy as a gifted business adviser and to recognize in others the same qualities Battles displayed in his nine-year career with the SBDC. Battles died in October 2005.

Rodenberg provides no-fee, confidential advising to clients on loan application packages, forecasting, all aspects of debt and equity funding, written business plans, business turn-around, market positioning for small companies, developing new groups of customers, managing production costs, site selection for retailers, expansion from a single location to multiple units, planning for trade shows and other topics.

Rodenberg operates his center on the campus of Bates Technical College in downtown Tacoma.

Organizers described it as a meet-and-greet, and that’s what people did late in the working day on Thursday in the Dome District. Or SoDo. Or DoDi. Call it what you will – it’s the area roughly surrounding the Tacoma Dome.

The question on the table (along with a nicely catered spread of cheese, crackers, fruit. shrimp and sweets aplenty) was: “What happens next?”

Representatives from the City of Tacoma, Cross District Council and University of Washington Tacoma were there, as were business owners and managers from retail, service, development and manufacturing firms.

Tacoma architect Jim Merritt did much of the talking – to 50 or so folks who attended the gathering, held at the eclectic furnishing, jewelry and design shop Dragonfly. The tone of the meeting seemed more social than serious, which seems like a good way to get something started.

What happens next – will be more gatherings, particularly under the aegis of the regularly assembled Dome District Council. What happens next – concerns development in the area, and planning with people in mind, and assisting the city and the LeMay Museum construct plans for retail and other forms of economic growth in the area.

Among the quotes I heard (in no particular order):
• “Our problem is that a lot of groups are working in isolation. We need to figure out a way that we can all be vested in the future.”
• “We just want to show how we can collaborate on a vision.”
• “There is fear of what these people will do – Russell, DaVita, Brown & Haley. If we can get some clarity of our vision, I think we can keep them here.”
• “We’re still wearing the laurels of 15 years ago. Where are we going now?”
• “Instead of grumbling about the results, let’s make it happen.”
• “We have to gather back our community. It’s people first.”

Not to sound like a broken record - but that’s just what it is. Again.

With oil prices up to $126 a barrel today, and with a confrontation looming with OPEC-member Venezuela, the fallout fell in Tacoma bringing yet another all-time-high average price for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline.

This morning, according to AAA, the price hit $3.758, up more than two cents from yesterday’s $3.737.

Today’s price here in town is up from $3.50 a month ago and $3.441 a year ago.

Folks in Bellingham are paying the state’s highest rate today, at $3.85, while Spokanites enjoy the lowest, at $3.632.

More than 80 percent of flights at Sea-Tac Airport arrived on time during April, new figures show.

Statistic's from Portland's Flightstats.com show 80.62 percent of flights at Sea-Tac arrived within 15 minutes of their schedule, the definition the federal Department of Transportation uses for on-time arrivals.

That figure placed Sea-Tac eleventh among 40 domestic airports Flightstats tracked. First on the list was Salt Lake City with an 86.58 on-time percentage. Second was Portland with 83.57 percent of flights arriving on schedule.

At the bottom of the list were the New York area's three airports, La Guardia, JFK and Newark.

Just 55.43 percent of La Guardia's flights were on time in April. JFK had a 67.1 percent on-time record, and Newark Liberty Airport posted a 68.03 percent on-time figure.

One of the anamolies of the report is that Chicago's Midway Airport was seventh on the list with 81.51 percent on-time arrivals, while that same city's O'Hare Airport ranked 37th with just 69.37 percent on-time arrivals.

Reporters got an advance tour of Southcenter's new quarter billion dollar addition Thursday morning. The new structure is in many ways impressive with its dining terraces, expansive views of Mount Rainier and it upscale shops.

But much still has to be done before the July 25 grand opening -- perhaps too much.

Workers still were putting up wallboard, laying tile, erecting supporting structures in the common areas Thursday.

That work's bound to take weeks more before its done. And then the 75 new merchants have to build out their spaces, which now are mere bare bones shells without ceilings, floor coverings, fixtures and so forth.

Westfield says contractors are actually ahead of schedule. I suspect, however, that contractors will be putting in more than a few all-nighters to meet the opening day deadline.

Here are more drawings of the completed project:

This view shows the south side of the center with the 90-foot glass wall of the atrium at the center. Flanking the main entrance are restaurants with outdoor seating during warm weather. On the second floor terrace above is outdoor dining for the food court. The third floor terrace is reserved for special events. The exterior is a mix of brick that almost but not quite matches the brick of the existing mall, stone facade accents and "wood" beams and supports. The main beams appear to be glue laminated wooden beams like those that support the Tacoma Dome, but the wood appears to be a veneer that sheaths steel beams. Escalators ascend through the sunlit lobby to the 16-screen AMC theater on the third level.

This shows the interior of the food court with the large atrium window beyond. By placing the food court on the second level and the cinema on the third, Westfield is attempting to draw customers upward to the second level shops. Two and three-level malls in the early days suffered from the failure of customers to venture to the higher levels to shop, relegating second and third-floor merchants to second class status. The new mall also attempts to deal with that issue by giving some larger merchants such as Borders, H&M and Forever XXI two-story stores with internal escalators which give those merchants twice the mall frontage and move customers of these popular spots to the higher floors.

This is shows the interior first floor space that parallels the long mall space in the existing shopping center. Note that the corridors are not as wide as in malls built in the '60s and '70s. Developers found that making the mall corridors too wide encouraged shoppers to browse only one side of the mall. Narrower corridors will encourage shoppers to cross and recross the mall to inspect something that catches their eye.

Northwest Airline this week announced it will begin flying between Sea-Tac Airport and Beijing beginning in March next year.

Northwest will compete on that route with China's Hainan Airlines, which begins Beijing-Seattle flights this summer.

With the addition of the Beijing flight, Northwest will have four international destinations from Sea-Tac: Amsterdam, London, Tokyo and Beijing.

In a little more than a year, Sea-Tac has added more than a handful of international flights to its repertoire.

Those include Air France to Paris, Lufthansa to Frankfurt, AeroMexico to Mexico City, Horizon to Prince George, B.C., Hainan to Beijing and Northwest to London and Beijing

Boeing added 32 airliners to its order book this week bringing its year-to-date total to 378.

Those orders included two 777s from Asiana Airlines of Korea, four 777s from El Al Israel Airlines, six 737s from Oman Air and 20 737s from unidentified buyers.

Boeing identified the Republic of Iraq as the buyer of 30 737s previously attributed to an unidentified buyer.

The new orders bring 737 orders to 261; 747 orders to two; 777 orders to 36 and 787 orders to 79. The company has no orders for its 767 this year.

Alaska Airlines has restored the mileage tracking function to its frequent flier site on alaskaair.com.

The airline brought the system back up Wednesday afternoon after tweaking new software that was bogging down its system.

Alaska last month took down its frequent flier mileage tracking Web site for a brief period to install a new system, but like many computer upgrades, not everything went as planned.

The new system bogged down in letting Alaska frequent fliers know the recent history of miles added to their account.

Now, the airline says, the system is back up and working as intended.

Alaska's site always showed total miles earned and allowed frequent fliers to book tickets, but didn't show whether recent flights had yet been credited.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines and its regional sister airline, Horizon Air improved their on-time performance significantly last month according to new figures from Portland's Flightstats.com

The two airlines, whose on-time record had lagged last year, were ranked second (Horizon) and ninth (Alaska) among the 41 domestic airlines Flightstats tracks.

Among the eight so-called legacy major carriers, Alaska ranked second only to Southwest Airlines.

Horizon flights were on time 89.43 percent in April. Alaska's were on-time arriving 81.03 percent last month.

Military veterans, transitioning military personnel and family members of either can visit the current landscape of civilian jobs and careers next Thursday, May 15, at the Greater Seattle Area Career Fair being held – not in Greater Seattle – but at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center in downtown Tacoma.

The event runs from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will feature national, regional and local recruiters and employers from such areas as sales, customer service, management, manufacturing, law enforcement, security, operations, logistics, transportation, engineering, project management, marketing, food service and maintenance.

Those attending are urged to bring a few dozen resumes.

Admission is free.

For more information, visit www.recruitmilitary.com.

Majestic America Line, a coastal and river cruising company based in Seattle, has been put on the sale block by its parent company, Ambassadors INternational.

Majestic America operates paddle-wheel-style boats on the Mississippi, Columbia and Snake rivers and in coastal Alaska waters.

Majestic America has been hit by a series of setbacks in the last year including low water on the Mississippi which disrupted cruises, an engine fire on the Queen of the West and a political reversal in Congress that will keep the company from continuing to operate the historic Delta Queen of modern safety equipment.

A massive Cascade mudslide that blocked the major rail route between the Pacific Northwest and California has finally been cleared.

The Union Pacific route through the Cascades shut down Jan. 19 after a huge slide wiped out tracks and carried some 400,000 cubic feet of trees, rocks and earth down a mountainside.

Amtrak discontinued its premiere West Coast train, the Coast Starlight, after the slide. It now has resumed service.

About 15 freight trains a day also used the route. They were rerouted on UP rails east from Portland along the Columbia and then southward toward Klamath Falls where they hooked up with the line north from California until the cross-mountain route was restored.

Rob McKenna, state attorney general, said today that Facebook – like MySpace last January – has agreed to steps that will lead to a safer environment within the social networking Web site by protecting younger users from sexual predators and bullies.

The agreement, which adds more than 40 safeguards to the site, was signed by representatives from Facebook as well as attorneys general from 49 states. Texas officials chose not to sign.

According to the Associated Press, the agreement features changes that include banning convicted sex offenders from the site and limiting older users’ ability to search online for subscribers under 18. Facebook will also join an existing task force seeking ways to better verify users’ ages and identities.

Among other changes, Facebook has agreed to:
• Ensure companies offering services on its site comply with its safety and privacy guidelines.
• Keep tobacco and alcohol ads from users too young to purchase those products.
• Remove groups whose comments or images suggest they may involve incest, pedophilia, bullying or other inappropriate content.
• Send warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an adult.
• Review users’ profiles when they ask to change their age, ensuring the update is legitimate and not intended to let adults masquerade as children.

“This agreement establishes that Facebook shares our concerns about creating a safe online environment for children and teens to network,” McKenna said.

The down economy may prove to be a boon to Costco.

The wholesale chain said today that April sales at stores open at least a year rose 8 percent as shoppers contending with higher fuel costs sought less expensive clothing and food.

Sales for the four-week period through May 4 increased to $5.54 billion, company said.

U.S. same-store sales gained 7 percent in the U.S. and 14 percent at international locations. Seventeen analysts estimated an average gain of 6.2 percent, according to Retail Metrics LLC in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

Consumers are gravitating to Costco and discount retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as they face record U.S. gasoline prices and higher food expenses, Bloomberg News reports.

Costco’s customers, who pay an annual membership fee, also visit for bargains on luxury items such as a 1-ounce bottle of Shalimar perfume for $225.
“They are benefiting from people who are trying to save money,” said Patricia Edwards, a Seattle-based portfolio manager at Wentworth, Hauser & Violich, with $14.8 billion in assets including Costco shares.

Jim Merritt, principal at Merritt Arch, writes to say there’s a meeting on tap for later today to help develop a vision for the Dome District.

“This assembly is intended to be a community outreach to gather the neighborhood and interested citizens to initiate a grassroots collaborative process to define the future vision of the Tacoma Dome area,” he said.

The open house/social is slated to start at 4:30 this afternoon and run for two hours. It’s at Dragonfly, at 24th and A Street (in the old General Tire shop).

Merritt promises the gathering is no more than a meet-and-greet for interested parties. It’s about “looking at the future with a fresh perspective, weaving in all the great projects that are rooted in the Tacoma Dome area, just beginning construction, in the planning phase, or not even contemplated yet.”

See you there.

The Australian version of the airborne tanker that the U.S. Air Force recently ordered from a consortium of Northrop Grumman and Airbus parent EADS is grounded until September to incorporate changes to its refueling boom.

The tanker, like the U.S. Air Force's KC-30, is based on the Airbus A-330 commercial airliner.

The KC-30 recently beat Boeing's 767 as the tanker the Air Force will buy to replace the ageing Boeing KC-135.

The Australian tanker has encountered delays and design problems during its gestation period.

Boeing is protesting the award of the $40 billion tanker contract to its rival saying in part that EADS has little experience in building tankers while Boeing has decades of tanker design history.

As rumors fly about the possibility of yet another 787 production delay, Boeing has invited journalists to take a close-up look at progress it's making on its 787 assembly line in Everett.

For Boeing, the Monday May 19 press open house is a change of tactics and perhaps a sign that the company's woes on the 787 production line are being solved.

The 787 is now about 15 months behind schedule.

During the 10 months since the ceremonial rollout of the first 787 Dreamliner last July 8, the company has kept the assembly line off limits to most reporters saying that the company didn't want to disrupt the work going on there by holding tours.

Boeing, usually anxious to distribute publicity pictures of its projects, was stingy with company photos of the assembly line. A small trade developed in photos taken by hobbyists when the door to the assembly line would open on occassion, though Boeing mostly flung open those doors in the middle of the night.

Stay-tuned for a progress report.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines has added two more flights to the eight daily flights it now makes between Seattle and San Francisco.

The airline has also extended eligibility to sign up for its "Bay Area Summer Double" offer that awards double frequent flier miles to fliers fly Alaska between Sea-Tac and any of three Bay Area airports it serves, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

The two new daily flights will begin July 7.

The new flights are part of an Alaska counteroffensive against start-up carrier Virgin America, which has begun flying three times daily between Seattle and San Francisco.

According to Farecast.com, Virgin America has grabbed 19 percent of the market share in the San Francisco-Seattle market. Alaska has more than twice that share, followed by United Airlines.

Alaska frequent fliers can sign up for the double miles offer at alaskaair.com beginning May 13. Double miles apply on nonstop Seattle-San Francisco, Seattle-Oakland and Seattle-San Jose flights between June 1 and Aug. 31.

The dogfight over market share has meant lowered fares on the route. On some summer days, a roundtrip to San Francisco is available for as little as $167 roundtrip. In the past, summertime fares routinely were well over $200 for the route.

Saltchuk Resources, the privately held enterprise that owns Tacoma's Frank Russell Building, Foss Maritime and Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), has won bankruptcy court approval to operate Aloha Airlines' former interisland cargo service.

Saltchuk is already a big player in Hawaii owning an inter-island waterborne cargo service, Young Brothers, and several Hawaiian petroleum supply businesses.

The Seattle-based Saltchuk is buying the bankrupt airline's cargo business for $10.5 million.

The air freight business, to be called Aloha Air Cargo, halted operations briefly last week before Saltchuk took over, causing major problems in the island state Some Honolulu shippers resorted to sending their goods to California by air and back to the smaller islands on other flights originating from California to get goods to those islands before they spoiled.

Aloha's passenger operations remain shuttered.

Sea-Tac Airport is among nine locations where Delta Airlines has closed its membership-based airport lounges, the airline said today.

Delta Crown Room members will have access to clubs at Sea-Tac run by partner airlines.

Most of the nine clubs, including the one at Sea-Tac, closed April 30. The closures are another symptom of the financial crunch high fuel prices have brought to airlines worldwide.

The Crown Room at Sea-Tac is located on the airport's A Concourse. After Delta and Northwest Airlines consummate their merger later this year, Delta is likely to move all of its Sea-Tac flights to the airport's South Satellite terminal where Northwest originates its flights. Northwest has a club room in the South Satellite.

The rooms are closing in Boston, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Mo.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Phoenix, Denver and London Gatwick as well as in Seattle.

The Crown Rooms typically are available to Delta passengers who pay a yearly membership fee of several hundred dollars or who earn access by becoming a high-mileage frequent flier. The rooms are plushly furnished and typically offer waiting passengers drinks, snacks, newspapers and Internet access.

DaVita – one of area's largest, private employers – is growing out of its downtown Tacoma digs and looking for new office space.

The search could take the company out of Tacoma.

"I’m not pinned down to an exact location," Jim Hilger, DaVita vice president and controller said today. "I don’t know what’s available and I don't know what's economically viable in terms of Tacoma versus Pierce County versus other counties."

Though headquartered in California, the health services company has its main business office in Tacoma. It employs 856 people here.

DaVita employees are now spread out over five downtown buildings and they are running out of room, Hilger said.

Where the company may end up is anyone's guess.

Hilger said the work the company does in Tacoma isn't site specific to downtown or even the region.

"We like the Puget Sound area and our (employees) are here, so we’d have to think very thoughtfully about moving that to somewhere else," Hilger said.

The company needs at least 200,000-square-feet of office space with room to expand and up to 1,000 parking spaces.

Dominic Accetturo, a commercial real estate broker with GVA Kidder Mathews in Tacoma, said there's opportunities for such a building in downtown Tacoma, though it would likely need to be built for DaVita.

Hilger said DaVita will consider all of its options including locating in other cities.

"The City of Tacoma will have to make a compelling case just like any other community has to when they want to attract or retain large employers," Hilger said.

Goodwill's Annual Awards Breakfast was held this morning in Tacoma. Here's a list of the winners:

Graduate of the Year: Sharon Bryant suffered with dyslexia, ADHD and was raising five foster children when her husband of 22 years left the family. With no income or skills for work, Tacoma Goodwill’s Office Essentials program became a lifeline, giving her the confidence and skills to find administrative work.

Achiever of the Year: Born with a developmental disability, Stephanie Carlson is the essence of enthusiasm and determination. She has been working at Goodwill’s South Hill Store for two years in progressively more responsible positions in the Supported Employment program.

Michener Inspirational Award: Cherie Cruz works confidently helping homeless families. Her success came after serving time and vowing to make a new start. Through a Goodwill scholarship, she enrolled in Office Essentials that gave her new skills which she uses to assist homeless families with transitional housing and other basic needs at The Caring Place.

Business Partner of the Year: For the past decade, thousands of cases of Shasta products have been repackaged at Tacoma Goodwill. Between 40 and 60 jobs are created as a result, providing a life-changing opportunity for someone trying to enter the workforce. Plant Manager Tim Reckard accepted the award on behalf of the company.

Small Employer of the Year: Since 2006, Harris Rebar has hired five participants from Goodwill’s STEPS and YouthBuild programs. The jobs have given young adults, some with criminal backgrounds, new lives through work. Company President Brian Booth accepted the award.

Large Employer of the Year: In recent years, AAFES, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, has hired more than 20 Goodwill program participants and graduates. Partnering with Goodwill since 1988, AAFES has helped meet the needs of employees with disabilities or other barriers to work. Human Resources Director Marta Acevedo received the award on behalf of the company.

The Port of Tacoma is hosting and sponsoring the second annual Northwest Intermodal Conference in Tacoma May 19 through 20.

The conference will be at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.

The event brings trade, economics and transportation logistics experts together to discuss intermodal business in the Pacific Northwest.

Intermodal refers to the handling of cargo by rail.

"With our robust rail network – served by BNSF Railway, Union Pacific and our region's own short-line service, Tacoma Rail – we are at the epicenter of rail activity in the Pacific Northwest," said Port of Tacoma Commission President Dick Marzano.

Port cargo has been down this year, but port officials and others in the industry expect volumes to increase in the future.

The sessions will discuss how rail service providers, ports and government are addressing the infrastructure challenges of moving more cargo more efficiently.

You can register for the conference at www.northwestintermodal.com or call 206-324-5644 ext. 222.

Speakers include:

* Walter Kemmsies, Chief Economist, Moffatt & Nichol

* David Hoppens, Vice President, Marketing, Pacer

* Peter Keller, President, NYK Line North America Inc.

* Bradley K. Gordon, North American Infrastructure Fund, RREEF Alternative Investments

Sessions include:

* "More than Ship-to-Shore: Ocean Carriers and MTOs on Intermodal," with panelists from Evergreen Marine Corp., Marine Terminals Corp., Port of Portland and SSA Containers, Inc.

* "A Clear Pathway: Road and Rail Corridor Improvements in the PNW," with panelists from Port of Seattle, Transport Canada, Washington State Department of Transportation and Washington Trucking Association.

* "Land is at a Premium: Industrial Property and Distribution in the PNW," with panelists from First Industrial Realty-Trust, Port of Tacoma, Port of Vancouver USA and Transystems.

* "PNW Rail Carrier Forum," with panelists from BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Port of Tacoma, Tacoma Rail and Union Pacific Railroad.

* "Alaska Intermodal," with panelists from Alaska Railroad, Carlile Transportation Systems, Lynden Transport, Port of Anchorage and Totem Ocean Trailer Express.

Among other things: don’t fall, stay hydrated and aim that hammer at the nail rather than your thumb.

And don’t go looking for onion burgers or a Wayne Newton concert.

To honor the first Construction Safety Day, the Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Advisory Board and the state Department of Labor & Industries are joining together to host a gathering and series of workshops on May 14th at the Puyallup fairgrounds.

Employers, supervisors and workers are invited to attend – for a conference fee of $50, which includes coffee, lunch and a prize drawing.

Among the topics under discussion, look for ergonomic solutions, best safe practices, fall protection awareness, construction liability, the application of new standards and crane demonstrations.

The program starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, visit wagovconf.org/constsafetyday.htm or call 360-902-5446 or 360-902-5415.

The Thurston County Superior Court on Friday approved the sale of Spokane-based Western United Life Insurance to Global Life Holdings LLC. The projected purchase price is $55 million.

In order to protect the company and policy holders from the bankruptcy of its corporate parent, State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler was granted receivership of Western United in 2004.

“I’m pleased that we have reached an agreement and that the court approved the sale,” Kreidler said in a statement issued earlier today.

Global Life originally proposed purchasing Western United for capital and surplus estimated to be over $50 million at closing, but agreed to add an additional $2 million in cash and another $2 million from the future sale of specific real estate. The final total amount of the sale will be based on an adjusted capital and surplus at the time of the closing.

“The willingness of Global Life to amend its purchase price demonstrates its goodwill toward the parent companies and the Spokane community,” Kreidler said. “That its business plan includes keeping Western United in Spokane and expanding its business is further good news.”

Although there was no firm decision on a groundbreaking date, the LeMay Museum board of directors met over weekend and made several decisions about the future of the project in Tacoma. Among the actions taken, the board:

• Formally accepted the design and construction documents prepared by architect Alan Grant for the 195,000-square-foot Collector Car Center.

• Reviewed and accepted a consultant’s “operating pro forma” for the center. “We needed to be certain that we had very conservative projections about operating as a museum during Stage 1,” LeMay head David Madeira said earlier today. “The good news is that the report indicates that our operating expectations are sound.”

• Reviewed two proposals from “major developers” to work with the museum and the city in retail development in the Dome District.

• Received a preliminary report from an independent financing consultant who advised that non-profits are having difficulty securing bank financing due to the current mortgage market problems. She advised that the museum delay financing the project and continue fundraising efforts. “We remain hopeful that (the groundbreaking) will be this year,” Madeira said, “and that we can complete the project as planned during 2010.”

• Determined that the next step in the campaign will be to launch a local, $9 million campaign “so that the community has a sense of ownership in the project.”

• Elected G. James May (a car collector and real estate developer) from Florida, and William Zuppe, founder and chairman of Spokane’s Sterling Savings Bank, to join the board.

Expect the announcement of a handful of new stores and restaurants at the Tacoma Mall as early as late this week.

The mall is working with its public relations firm on a formal announcement.

The new retailers will enhance the upgraded south side of the mall now under construction.

No hints yet from mall management, but mall manager Steve Heim says that contrary to an oft-repeated rumor a Sonic drive-in restaurant won't be among the new tenants.

It’s almost like getting more free money along with the free money you’re already getting.

Grocery stores, variety stores, department stores – a good number of retailers hereabouts are offering a bonus if you cash your Economic Stimulus check at their places of business.

Most offers come in at 10 percent. If you cash your check there (or provide proof of direct deposit), you get a gift card in exchange for the amount of the check. Policies vary.

The biggest deal I’ve heard about so far comes from Top Food & Drug and Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores, which are offering an extra 15 percent. (For example: You give them the $600 check, they give you a gift card for $690.)

But maybe you’ve heard of a better deal. I'm wondering if any non-profits are making proposals. Or maybe there’s a store that has come up with an innovative way to attract the checks with a special incentive of some sort. What about casinos? Any banks offering a toaster with every new Stimulus account?

If you know of such a thing, please comment below.

Boeing has successfully concluded tests of new weight-saving carbon brakes for its Next Generation 737 family of single-aisle jets.

The carbon brakes will save as much as 700 pounds of weight over conventional steel brakes on the 737. That weight reduction will help improve the 737's fuel efficiency, a critical element in airline economics with ever-rising fuel bills.

The brakes were subjected to high speed rejected takeoff test in which the plane is accelerated to near-takeoff speed and then the takeoff is aborted. The brakes, artificially worn to simulate a set of brakes nearing replacement, then are required to halt the aircraft from high speed.

The test results will be submitted to federal aviation authorities for certification.

The brakes are made by France's Messier-Bugatti.

India's Air Sahara and Iraq's government today revealed orders for a total of 40 Boeing 737s.

Both orders previously were counted in Boeing's order book as coming from unidentified customers.

Iraq said it will buy 30 737-800 aircraft made in Renton to reequip its commercial aircraft fleet. Most of that fleet was destroyed during the initial stages of the Iraq War.

The government also revealed it is negotiating with Boeing for 10 787 Dreamliner aircraft for longer distance routes.

The 737 order is valued at $2.2 billion at list prices. The Iraq government has also secured options for 10 additional 737s.

Meanwhile, Air Sahara said it had ordered 10 737-800s in 2006. The first of the single-aisle planes will be delivered beginning next year. The order's value was listed as more than $700 million.

Blame the liturgical calendar for the fact that SeaTac's Alaska Airlines' percentage of seats filled in April failed to grow from the same month last year.

Alaska reported today that its "load factor," the percentage of seats will by paying passengers, was 76.9 percent in April, the same as in April 2007.

Alaska had reported a healthy increase in load factor in March, but failed to see that figure increase again in April.

That's in spite of the fact that the airline's traffic increased by 3.4 percent last month. But so did its capacity.

Some of the failure to increase its load factor can be blamed on Easter. In 2007, this heavy travel time was in early April (April 8 was Easter Sunday.). This year, Easter slid back to March 23, helping March traffic but huring April's.

Alaska's sister airline, Horizon Air, say its April traffic decrease by 6.9 percent. Capacity fell by 3.8 percent, not as fast as did traffic.

A Proctor District toy store has won national recognition for the way it dressed an April window.

PlanToys Inc. (a Swedish company which manufactures in Thailand) has recognized Teaching Toys and Books as the first winner of its “Earth Day Window Display” contest.

Co-owner Valla Wagner (pictured above) says people who work at the store were thinking about an Earth Day display even before they heard about the competition. Then, when she heard the store had won, she recalls, “At first, we were like, how many entries were there?”

Actually, more than 200 toy stores entered. As a prize, the Tacoma store (at 2624 N. Proctor) won $500 plus some of the latest toys from PlanToys – which specializes in naturally made, eco-friendly playthings that are meant to connect children with the environment.

“They’re kiln-dried, not treated with chemicals,” Wagner said, standing before the display. “PlanToys uses vegetable-based dyes, not toxic paints.”

Alongside such wooden toys as trains, hobby horses, pedal cars and PlanCity, the company also manufactures pull-toys and baby rattles, among other items. “They’ve been a real good seller for us,” Wagner says.

Other products in the green-bordered, green-hearted display (which should be up for another few weeks) include a Xeko trading card game based on endangered species, a Green Science windmill generator, a hydrogen fuel cell and a cuddly (and endangered) dwarf lemur with soy silk fur.

For a while it looked as if Tacoma's J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. and the Washington State Ferry System had put aside old differences.

But recent events have once again put the two organizations at odds over ferry contracts and who's to blame for delays in getting new ferries built.

David Moseley, Federal Way's former city administrator, had been in his new job as ferry system director only 39 days last week when he publicly blamed Martinac for delays that have crippled the ferry system.

Speaking in an interview on public radio's KUOW, Moseley said a lawsuit filed by Martinac had postponed construction of three new 144-car ferries.

"Absent the Martinac lawsuit, we would have delivery of the 144-car ferries by now," Moseley said.

But Martinac President Joe Martinac Jr. in a letter to the ferry system director, called Moseley's statement "a lie."

"This is a lie that has been perpetuated for years by WSF, and continues now through your media interviews," Martinac wrote. "I demand you stop perpetuating this disparaging information."

=> Read more!

Delta Airlines announced today it will provide summertime service between several of its hub airports and Alaska.

The Delta plan is clearly aimed at skimming the cream off the summertime tourism and cruise-related air service now dominated by SeaTac's Alaska Airlines.

Delta will begin seasonal service to Anchorage on May 17 from its Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City hubs. The Salt Lake service is an additional flight added to the present daily service to Alaska's largest city.

The airline also plans service from Fairbanks to Salt Lake City May 31 and thrice-weekly service from Los Angeles to Anchorage on June 13.

South Korea's second largest air carrier, Asiana Airlines, announced today it is ordering two Boeing 777-200ER airliners.

At list prices, the 777s are worth $438 million, the airline said. Airlines ordinarily receive discounts from the list price.

The two planes will be delivered to Asiana in 2013. The acquisition is part of the carrier's plan to modernize its fleet.

Asiana is one of two Korean carriers (the other is Korean Airlines) that connects Sea-Tac with Seoul.

Check this out.

A Tully's customer takes the personalized coffee order very seriously:

"Veinte, iced, two percent quad ristretto, split shot 'Cookies and Creme' mint mocha. Go easy on the ice with 1 3/4 packets of Equal, no whip, topped with velvety, bone-dry foam and a dash of cinnamon."

This coffee order makes my tall, nonfat, extra hot latte with one pump of vanilla look simple.

Tully's and Pemco insurance released this real-life order earlier this week as part of the insurance company's marketing campaign that includes commercials for the "Super-Long Coffee Order."

Don Godfrey of Seattle placed this order at the Seattle Airport Way Tully's location.

Here's another – this time from Jenaea Bush of Everett:

"Veinte cup of ice with soy poured over it until the bottom of the 'u', then filled to the almost top of the cup with chai, then add 1 1/4 white chocolate and six pumps vanilla. Stir, then add two ristretto shots on top. Stir again."

Any one have a special-order drink they want to share?

Federal Way-based Weyerhaeuser posted a first quarter loss today due to the slowing housing market and rising fuel prices.

Here's the story from The Associated Press:

By JESSICA MINTZ
The Associated Press

Weyerhaeuser Co., one of the world’s largest timberland owners and wood products manufacturers, said Friday it swung to a loss in the first quarter, hurt by a sagging housing market and low product prices.

The Federal Way-based company said it expects continued weakness in the housing market and higher fuel costs to hurt second-quarter earnings in its timberlands segment.

Weyerhaeuser lost $148 million, or 70 cents per share, in the first three months of the year compared with a profit of $720 million, or $3.09 per share, in the year-ago period.

Results included $40 million in charges for closures in Weyerhaeuser’s wood products business and $35 million for real estate impairments and reserves. Excluding these and other pretax items, the company lost $51 million, or 24 cents per share.

=> Read more!

The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopedia went for $450, the 1936 Olympics pin for $175 and a bevel-glass phone booth for $300.

The total sales so far from the estate of Tacoman Steve Craig – being sold at auction by Alan Gorsuch or Sanford & Son Antiques – approaches $40,000, Gorsuch said yesterday.

The hotel switchboard went for $65, the Arts and Crafts light fixture for $1,700 and the antique chair, spit bowl, fixtures, tools and old books that made up a dentist’s office went for $250, Gorsuch said.

The second chapter of the auction lasted from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday, and Gorsuch said more items remain - in fact, there are items that were removed before the first auction for safekeeping. (Not to point any fingers, but there was some pilfering at the first preview. Who on earth would steal a dead man’s cologne?)

The third (and likely last) session of the Craig auction will be held May 15 beginning at 5 p.m. at Gorsuch’s antique emporium, 743 Broadway in downtown Tacoma.

Up for sale will be many of the rarest and best items from the estate, including ephemera from the Revolutionary War and Spanish American War, books and photography from the Civil War, and a slew of historical Tacoma-related material.

Boeing says it received no new orders for airliners in the week-long period ending Tuesday.

The company's order update, issued this afternoon, shows the company has received 346 net orders in 2008.

That order book includes 235 737s, two 747s, 30 777s and 79 787s. Boeing has won no 767 orders this year.

Another sign that the condo market is ailing came recently when Tacoma's Prium Companies reconfigured a planned Foss Waterway project to eliminate 66 of a planned 90 condominiums.

The Foss Waterway Development Authority, which governs redevelopment effort on the Tacoma near-downtown waterway, approved the change late last week.

The new design included 90 condo units, five live-work units and some 27,000 square feet of office space.

The reconfigured building will include 24 condos, three live-work units and nearly 79,000 square feet of offices.

Prium had already told the waterway authority that it is delaying the start of building the structure near on the waterway's west side near the South 21st Street Bridge.

Prium previously had converted two near Wright Park condo projects, Hannah Heights and Chelsea Heights, to rentals because of the slowing condo sales market.

Prium will present the new plans to the authority's Urband Design Review Committee and then to the full authority for approval when those plans are complete.

The oft-postponed Foss Waterway hotel project has been granted yet another delay by the Thea Foss Waterway Development Authority.

Authority board members granted the request setting the deadline for a construction start to the mixed-use project on the near-downtown Tacoma waterway at the request of principal developer Robert Thurston. The new deadline is August 29.

In a letter to the authority board, Thurston, owner of Seattle's Inn at the Market, said changing market conditions have forced his group to once again readjust the building's design.

"The condo-for-sale market has been dramatically and detrimentally impacted," Thurston told the authority. "The realistically achievable margin on sales of the condo units has made this portion of the project no longer viable. As a result, our primary equity partner in the project became increasingly concerned about the condominium risk, requiring that the projet either be abandoned or reconfigured."

Thurston said the previous plan to build a 101-room hotel topped by 22 condo units has given way to a new plan for a building with 160 hotel rooms and six penthouse condo units.

Thurston said his group has secured permits for the new structure and West LB, the project's banker, is still committed. Developers need extra time, however, to present the revised plans to potential equity partners for their approval.

The latest delay, approved late last week, is the latest in a series of postponements that began four years ago with the project. The original concept for the site, just south of the Esplanade condo project near the South 15th Street Bridge over the BNSF tracks, was an all-hotel project.

Developers shifted to a mixed-use condo-hotel project when the condo market took off, and now they're back to a mostly-hotel project.

If the developers don't meet the August deadline, the authority may buy back the property at the original selling price. The authority would receive whatever permits the developers had sought at no additional cost.

This was on our Web site last night:

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Jamba Juice Co. for allegedly allowing the manager of its Puyallup outlet to sexually harass several female employees, the agency announced Wednesday.

In its suit, filed in U.S. District Court, the EEOC alleged that California-based Jamba Juice promoted a man to manage the Puyallup store two months after disciplining him for sexually harassing a young female employee.

The agency said the unidentified manager verbally and physically harassed female employees after his promotion, commenting on their bra sizes and breasts, attempting to engage them in sexually oriented discussions and touching them against their will.

The manager was not identified in the EEOC complaint and attempts to call Jamba Juice headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., were unsuccessful.

Almost exactly a year after parts of its first 787 Dreamliner began arriving in Everett, Boeing Co. began assembly today of its fifth 787.

Had assembly of the first group of Dreamliners gone according to plan, six Dreamliners would already be flying and the first production Dreamliner for All Nippon Airways would be just a month short of delivery.

With the first test 787 still being assembled, the program is some 15 months behind schedule.

But the latest news, however, does indicate that after months of slow progress Boeing is finally getting the assembly line moving, albeit slowly. The fifth Dreamliner is scheduled to become the third flight test airplane. Two other Dreamliners will be used for fatigue and strength tests.

Room for the fifth Dreamliner was created in the Everett plant assembly bay when Boeing moved its static test airframe last week to another hangar where its composite airframe will be tested for strength.

Jack Jones, vice president of 787 final assembly and change incorporation, said the problems with suppliers are being worked out.

"The second flight-test airplane had a 50 percent reduction in the amount of incomplete work as compared to the first airplane. Traveled work on this airplane is 65 percent less than on the first."

Under Boeing's ambitious production scheme for the 787, major suppliers were to create major pieces of the aircraft in their own factories. Those assemblies were to arrive in Everett completely wired, plumbed and equipped and ready to be connected together in a three-day final assembly process.

Instead, the major pieces of the first 787 such as the fuselage and wings arrived incomplete, and Boeing workers have had to finish the job in Everett, a time-consuming task.

Some of those problems were caused by lack of parts. Other issues were caused by suppliers' inexperience completing major assembly tasks at new plants.

The 787 has now amassed nearly 900 orders despite its failure to live up to its production timetable.

The Port of Tacoma is idle today as longshore workers here and up and down the West Coast took the day off work in protest of the war in Iraq.

The protest involves 25,000 International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers from Washington to California including hundreds in Tacoma

May Day is traditionally a day to celebrate labor and workers' rights.

Though the action was widely anticipated, the Pacific Maritime Association called the war protest a strike and questioned whether it was an attempt to leverage the current contract negotiations the union and employers' group.

The PMA represents companies that employ West Coast dock workers including cargo carriers and stevedores.

The longshore union voted in February to stop work today in opposition of the war.

The union's contract allows for what are called "stop work" meetings to conduct union business if they give employers adequate notice.

Such meetings are usually held in the evening. The PMA denied the union's request for a work stoppage during the ports' busiest hours and the union ultimately withdrew its request.

Still talks of a May Day war protest continued.

On Wednesday the Coast Arbitrator ordered the union to inform its members that today would be a regular work day.

But it wasn't business as usual.

Four ships waited in Tacoma's port and truck gates were quiet at the terminals. Work in Seattle and two dozen the West Coast ports stalled as well.

ILWU International President Bob McEllrath said that dock workers are “standing down on the job and standing up for America.”

“We’re supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it’s time to end the war in Iraq,” McEllrath said.

J. Craig Shearman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, said shippers and exporters expected no significant, long-term disruptions from the walkout.

"This is something that happens every year," Shearman said. "Shippers and exporters know about it and plan around it, and we don't expect to see any significant disruptions from it."

Shearman said many longshore workers on the West Coast took the day off last year to participate in immigration rallies.

Scott Mason, spokesman for Tacoma's ILWU Local 23, said typically a couple hundred would come to work today.

The PMA dispatch bulletin shows that Tacoma terminals ordered 90 workers for the day shift.

The work stoppage at 29 West Coast ports violates the union's labor contract, according to the PMA.

It also comes while two parties are in the midst of negotiating a new, six-year contract that applies to all West Coast dock workers.

The PMA noted that a year ago, McEllrath said the ILWU is committed to good faith negotiations with transportation disruptions on either side.

Today's action raise concerns about whether those hopes will be fulfilled, said PMA spokesman Steve Getzug.

=> Read more!

Start shopping. You have two months to get a hands-free device to use with your phone.

Verizon Wireless sent a news release today reminding us that the deadline is getting close. Well, close if you are shopping for that extra special ear piece.

Starting July 1, motorists in Washington could face fines for talking on wireless phones without using hands-free devices.

From the news release:

Consumers have a number of choices available to help them comply with the new law, from universally compatible headsets to phones with built-in speakerphones and voice-activated dialing. Most phones can be fastened easily to a car’s vent or visor and removed when you leave the vehicle. No installation or hard wiring is necessary.

The newest designer clothing line for discounter Target won't initially be available at your nearest Target, according to a story this week by The Wall Street Journal. You'll have to instead wait for the pieces by designer Rogan Gregory -- touted as eco-friendly for using organic cotton and natural fibers, such as silk and linen -- until they make the rounds at luxury retailer Barneys.

The collection will first be sold in mid-May at Barneys New York and then at a Barneys in Los Angles, the WSJ story said. So the clothes should be making their way to Target in about three weeks.

Here are some additional details on the clothing line from the WSJ story:

The Target pieces, including a roll-up sleeve sweater and a leopard-print swimsuit, cost $15 to $45. That's significantly less than even the least-expensive item sold in Mr. Gregory's upper-end Loomstate line at Barneys, where T-shirts are priced at $68 and a sweater hoodie fetches $235.