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.