Roller skaters, rejoice.

There’s a new rink coming to town.

I’ve just spoken with Debbie Berg, who tells me that she, her husband, Dave, and daughter, Dacia Pendleton, will soon open their Wheelz Skate Arena at 2101 So. Mildred, there on the borderlands of Tacoma, Fircrest and University Place.

Already it seems that word has gone forth concerning the new project, as Berg has been receiving calls from school groups inquiring about renting the space for parties.

When it opens on Feb. 20, Berg says, the facility will offer public skating, private parties and skating lessons. Along with a large rink, the space will comprise party rooms, a snack bar, video game area, parents’ mezzanine and pro shop.

If you follow roller skating, you may already be familiar with Dave, who has five times been named National Figure Skating Champion as sanctioned by USA Roller Sports of Lincoln, Neb. Both he and Debbie will offer lessons at Wheelz.

The Bergs will lease the space, formerly occupied by arenas offering paintball and laser tag. They are continuing the remodeling, and expect to make an investments of approximately $50,000.

And they will be hiring staff. The phone hasn’t yet been installed, but anyone interested in employment or securing a skate-date may call Debbie at 253-365-0332.

U.S. Rep. John Murtha, the head of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, was in Alabama Thursday talking about the possibility of dividing the politically radioactive Air Force tanker deal between Boeing and its Euro-U.S. rival Northrop Grumman/EADS.

Murtha toured the site of a proposed Northrop Grumman/EADS aircraft plant at Mobile's Brookley Field and talked to local civic leaders.

He hinted that the only way out of the years-long stalemate over the multi-billion dollar tanker deal may be to split the order between the rival companies.

The two companies have gone head-to-head twice now in competition with Boeing winning the first award and Northrop/Grumman winning the second.

Both awards were annulled after Boeing was found to be cheating in the first competition and the Air Force was found to be miscounting in the second.

Now the Obama administration faces the same politically unpalatable task of picking a winner again.

Pick Northrop Grumman/EADS, which planes to use Airbus' A330 passenger plane as the basis for the 179 tankers and you please constituents in the South where the plane will be completed. Pick Boeing, and you please constituents in the Northwest and Kansas where much of the plane will be built. The Boeing plane would be based on the Boeing 767 jet.

Then there's the issue, of course, of picking a European-designed and built Airbus during a horrendous recession where even Boeing is laying off 10,000 workers.

Murtha's solution may offer political appeal, but he Pentagon and Defense Secretary Robert Gates don't like the idea of a two-plane deal. It will cost the Air Force millions more to maintain two different aircraft than just a single one.

Count U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, (D-Bremerton) among those who dislike the split. It's all or nothing in Dicks' book.