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Contributors
Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.
C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.
John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.
Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.
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Ask me how I know it’s going to rain on Thursday. OK, don’t ask. I’ll tell you.
To celebrate its 51st anniversary, Seattle-based Brown Bear Car Wash will offer free car washes at its Northwest tunnel-wash locations. The washes will be of the “Bear Essential” variety and sure to wash off the dust of a hot summer.
Last year, in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary – according to a release I received today – the company gave away 19,000 of the automated washes.
“This is an opportunity to show our appreciation to our customers for their loyal patronage for 51 years,” said Brown Bear founder and owner Vic Odermat.
The washers will run from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday. You can see a complete list of Brown Bear’s 19 Puget Sound locations by visiting www.brownbear.com, or you can glisten your grime and find the shine in the South Sound at 10913 Bridgeport Way S.W. in Lakewood; or in Tacoma at 13204 Pacific Ave., 3002 So. 38th St. or 5950 6th Ave.
You might want to go to your favorite candy aisle and stock up – especially on Hershey products.
The Pennsylvania company said a few days ago that it has decided to raise prices on its kisses, bars and other confections by an average of 11 percent. The immediate increase was required, Hershey said, to offset “significant increases” in the cost of such raw materials as sugar, cocoa and peanuts, which are up as much as 45 percent since January, according to a Bloomberg News story.
The company also narrowed its earnings projections, saying per-share profit would come in at between $1.43 and $1.51 for 2008.
I called Pierson Clair, chief candyman at Tacoma’s Brown & Haley yesterday, to ask if the Roca family would be seeing similar increases.
Not yet, he said.
“We normally announce price increase in January,” he said. “We’re already sold for the year. We would look for a price increase after Jan. 1, 2009.”
Which doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t stop by for a Mountain Bar or two anyway. Just to be safe.
With airlines looking under every rock to discover fuel-saving ideas, a Gig Harbor company has invented a new kind of airport tow tractor it says will cut both emissions and fuel costs dramatically.
The battery-powered eTug draws power to recharge its battery packs from an ordinary 110-volt wall plug. On a full charge, the tractor can operate without another recharge for about eight hours in a typical airport environment, said eTug spokeswoman Susanne Elliott.
The tug can replace diesel or gasoline-powered tugs towing baggage carts, baggage loading belts and aircraft machinery such as portable air-conditioning and engine starting units, said Elliott.
The electric power pack creates zero emissions both outside on the airport ramp and inside the airport where the baggage is sorted.
eTugs
The cost of the electricity to power the tug is a fraction of the cost of diesel or gas used to power conventional airport tractors. The tug has minimal maintenance required, she said.
European travel guru Rick Steves will speak at a free airport travel expo on Sept. 7 at Sea-Tac Airport.
Steves, an internationally known travel author and PBS television host, will share up-to-date advice on traveling and sightseeing in Europe. He'll also be available for book signings.
The travel expo, sponsored by Sea-Tac's restaurants, shops and service providers, will also include demonstrations on packing by an adventure travel expert and free food sampling from airport restaurants.
The event, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. will be held in the Gina Marie Lindsey International Arrivals Hall at the south end of the airport terminal on the baggage claim level. The arrivals hall is outside the security barrier.
Event parking is available for $2 in the airport garage.
A week after JetBlue Airways announced it will be selling a blanket and pillow set to its airline customers for $7, United Airlines has countered with free Heavenly Bed blankets and amenities.
The catch? It's a big one. The free Heavenly Bed blankets are available only on coast-to-coast non-stop service in business and first class.
Heavenly Bed is the trademarked Westin Hotels brand for the upscale bedding it uses in its hotels.
In addition to blankets, the amenities pack includes newly decorated lounges in United Red Carpet Clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and at New York's Kennedy airport.
The first and business class travelers will receive white tea scented towelettes and mints and custom offerings on United's video players.
Now the downside -- the cost. Huge. Take the same pair of flights leaving Los Angeles for New York on Oct. 2 and returning Oct. 8. Cost in coach without the white tea towelettes and Heavenly blankets, leg room and better food: $551. In business class with the amenities: $2,595. In first class with even more leg room and even better food: $5,167.
For $5,167, I'd better get a Heavenly Bed, not just a blanket, delivered to my house -- on both coasts. They can keep the white tea towelettes.
