Pierce County has the third highest rate of foreclosures in the state compared to other counties in March – an improvement after coming in first as the county with the most foreclosures during all of 2008.

According to information released Wednesday by RealtyTrac, one in every 320 housing units was in some phase of foreclosure in March.

The California-based company tracks foreclosure-related filings including notices of default, notices of trustee sales and REO properties, which have been foreclosed on and are now owned by a bank. A housing unit can be a house, an apartment or a mobile home.

The number of Pierce County homes facing foreclosure this March was 92 percent more than in the same month last year and 42 percent more than in February 2009.

Clark County had the highest foreclosure rate in the state for March at one in 122 homes, though Pierce County led with the most in the Puget Sound area.

Filings for the first quarter of 2009 were also released, showing Pierce County’s foreclosure numbers to be worse than the nationwide rate of one in 159.

The county had the second most foreclosures in the state for the first quarter, at one in 138 housing units, though the number shows 18 percent fewer foreclosures than in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Nationally, the number of American households threatened with losing their homes in the first quarter or 2009 grew 24 percent over last year.

Boeing's 2009 order book moved from the negative to the positive this week with a Mideast airline's order for eight 787 Dreamliners.

Boeing reported today that Bahrain's Gulf Air exercised options for eight 787s this week. The airline had ordered 16 of the high-tech twin jets in January last year with 8 options. It exercised those purchase options this week.

The addition of the Dreamliner orders, the first this year, moves the Boeing order book into the black for the first time in months.

The company saw orders for 32 Dreamliners canceled earlier this year. Boeing has received orders for 24 of its popular 737s in 2009 and orders for 4 777s this year. The Gulf Air order raises the total 787s ordered to 786.

Tacoma-area gas prices have stabilized in recent weeks, a hopeful harbinger of relatively low summertime fuel prices.

Average prices for a gallon of unleaded regular in Tacoma Thursday were $2.283 a gallon compared with $2.298 a gallon Wednesday and $2.274 a week ago, according to TacomaGasPrices.com.

At this time last year, fuel prices were climbing almost daily. By April 16 last year, the average price of a gallon of unleaded in the Tacoma area was $3.542 a gallon.

Gas prices continued rising until mid July when retail prices in Pierce County hit a high of $4.35 a gallon.

The winded economy is keeping fuel demand down this year.

The federal Energy Information Administration is predicting average summertime gas prices nationwide of $2.23 a gallon. Gas prices are almost always higher in Washington because of higher gas taxes and supply issues.

Bargain hunters can still find gas in Tacoma for $2.15 a gallon at three stations, the Safeway at South 56th Street and Park Avenue and at two ARCO stations, one at Gravelly Lake Drive and Pacific Highway South and the other at Center Street and Union Avenue.

General Growth Properties, the nation's second largest mall operator, says its bankruptcy filing today won't affect mall operations including those at seven malls in Washington.

Chicago-based General Growth filed for bankruptcy reorganization after it was unsuccessful in in finding refinancing for $27 billion in debt it acquired from expansion in recent years.

General Growth operates seven Washington malls: Westlake Center in downtown Seattle, Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Bellis Fair in Bellingham, NorthTown Mall and Spokane Valley Mall in Spokane, Three Rivers Mall in Kelso and South Shore Mall in Aberdeen.

In addition to General Growth's bankruptcy filings, many of the 200 malls it owns also filed for court protection from creditors.

Not among those General Growth Malls seeking individual bankruptcy were Alderwood, Spokane Valley and Westlake malls in Washington.

The Puyallup Main Street Association is looking for a new executive director after its present director, Dave Eatwell, accepted an economic development position in Oregon.

Eatwell, who served as the downtown Puyallup organization's chief executive for two years, will become economic development director of a consortium of five smaller Oregon cities.

Eatwell has worked in economic development in several Oregon and Washington cities. He will begin his new job May 4, the association said.

"Dave has been a driving force in assisting Main Street achieve many of it's goals over the past two years. He has obtained major funding to initiate projects such as our façade improvement program, now underway bringing a new face to several downtown business locations. Dave has been proactive in assisting with our parking issues and offered innovative ideas to gain resolution," said Main Street board President Paula Jones,

Eatwell will promote economic development in the Oregon cities of Troutdale, Fairview, Wood Village, Corbett and Cascade Locks.

Information on the director's job is available at the Main Street Web site, www.puyallupmainstreet.com/employment