Two tall, angled metal supports anchored in the middle of South 13th Street would support the deteriorating north wall of downtown Tacoma's historic Luzon Building under a city plan to save the building from collapse.

The City of Tacoma unveiled those preliminary plans Wednesday night at a meeting of the Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Those supports would be connected to vertical I-beams welded to existing horizontal beams on the six-story building's exterior.

Once the new supports were in place, the city could partially reopen South 13th Street, said Charlie Solverson, head of the Building and Land Use Services division.

The city barricaded South 13th Street and one southbound lane of Pacific Avenue on Aug. 11th because of the danger that the 118-year-old building
would fall.

The shoring plan is part of the city's two-track strategy to save the building, one of two remaining on the West Coast designed by famed Chicago architects Daniel Burnham and John Root.

The other track involves encouraging developers to rehabilitate the structure.

But the building's present owner, the Gintz Group, says it still hasn't found enough tenants to obtain financing for the building's renovation.

Another developer, Tacoma construction company owner Igor Kunitsa, is reportedly still talking with Gintz about finding a way to redo the building. The Gintz Group earlier this month rejected Kunitsa's bid to buy the building as being too low.

Solverson told the commission that if the Gintz Group doesn't find a solution of its own soon, the city plans to proceed with the shoring plan with construction work beginning on that plan sometime in September or October.

Getting the building shored up is critical because the city fears the brick north wall could topple onto South 13th Street if winter rains further deteriorate the structure.

The north wall is already leaning four to five inches to the north and is becoming separated from the building framework.

Inside, floors are collapsing, the beams are splintering and supporting columns have gone missing.

The building has been tenantless for two decades under several ownerships. The Gintz Group bought the building two years ago with plans to save it, but the recession intervened and tenants shied from signing up for new office space.

If the city shores up the structure, it will place liens on the building to ensure that it is reimbursed for the cost. Solverson said that cost is still an unknown.

Ron Gintz, Gintz Group chief operating officer, said the developer has no objection to the building being shored up, but does object to being charged for the shoring.

The shoring would only add costs to the structure which is already a difficult project to rehabilitate, he said.

If tenants can't be found, he said, demolition would be preferable, he said.

Millions of people work in cubicles. You know who you are. And you know what it’s like to be interrupted by co-workers passing by who stop to pass the time.

You have likely developed methods by which either to discourage or encourage these interruptions. Well, so has a company called CubeGuard – which offers a message tape that can be stretched across a cubicle entryway.

The messages vary: “Please Do Not Disturb,” “Out of the Office,” “Working from Home” and “Out to Lunch” come pre-made. Should you want another message, this too can be prepared.

Notwithstanding the obvious – that we’re losing the ability to communicate face-to-face, especially when we’re face-to-face – it seems to me that there are several other messages we can put on our own personalized CubeGuard tape.

We tweet, we post on the FaceBook and other Interweb sites, but in a sad way, it seems to me that the proliferation of such devices tend to depreciate rather than facilitate communication. But that’s probably another discussion altogether.

As far as living in a cube goes, how about some other messages, for example: “Sure, Let’s Talk,” or “I’m Never Too Busy to Talk With a Colleague” or “Does this look infected?”

What else? Any ideas for some messages?

Boeing's woes with the development of the fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner came home to roost today with an anticipated $2.5 billion charge against third-quarter earnings.

The news of the huge charge-off came as Boeing announced that the first 787, fresh from modifications of its wing-to-body joint, will fly late this year.

If the 787 flies in December for the first time, its initial flight will be nearly two and a half years behind its original schedule.

The company said it will be taking the charge against earnings of $2.21 a share in the third quarter because the first three test aircraft have no market value because of all of the retrofits and unique changes made to them.

The fourth through sixth test aircraft, subject to less rework than the first three, will likely be sold in the executive aircraft market, said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group President Scott Carson in an early morning conference call.

=> Read more!

A solar cell produced by Boeing subsidiary Spectrolab Inc. has set a new efficiency world record for an earth-bound solar cell.

The cell, tested at a U.S. Department of Energy lab in Colorado, converted 41.6 percent of the sunlight falling on it to electrical power.

The previous record, 41.1 percent was held by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.

Spectrolab solar cells power 60 percent of satellites orbiting the earth as well as the International Space Station. The company is expanding its efforts in building terrestrial photovoltaic cells.

Add Air Berlin, Europe's third largest discount air carrier, to the list of airlines that is considering whether to maintain its order for 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Boeing's many delays have given airlines an opportunity to reconsider their orders for the fuel-efficient twin-jet or to seek compensation from Boeing for the delays.

The Dreamliner is now more than two years behind schedule in making its first flight. Deliveries have slipped a similar amount.

The first of Air Berlin's planes is now scheduled for delivery in 2013. With anemic passenger traffic figures, airlines have other good reasons to consider postponing or canceling their multi-billion-dollar orders for the new planes.

Boeing has already lost 50-some orders for the composite-bodied aircraft.

JayRay, a Tacoma advertising and public relations agency, recently opened a new focus group research facility in its downtown offices.

The facility includes a conference room for the focus group participants and an observation room for clients to watch the conversation via video.

JayRay uses the facility for work with its own clients and is also offering the space for rent to other interested groups.

Shari Campbell, the company's vice president, said that such a facility hasn't been in available in Pierce County.

For more information contact her at 284-2531 or scampbell@jayray.com.

Call it the recession dividend. Sale airfares from the Puget Sound to Hawaii now have dropped below $300 roundtrip.

Alaska Airlines is advertising $298 roundtrip fares between Sea-Tac and Honolulu and $318 rountrip fares from Sea-Tac to Kona.

Those fares, of course, are for a limited number of seats between now and Nov. 17. Taxes and fees are extra. Tickets must be purchased by Sept. 3.

Hotel rates in the 50th state have likewise taken a dive as tourism has withered with the economy.

If you've got a few bucks extra, a Hawaiian vacation probably will never be cheaper.

Need a map? Need to make a map? The University of Washington Tacoma wants to help.

A three-day introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for professionals who create maps will be offered next month by UWT’s KeyBank Professional Development Center.

The workshop, GIS Overview-Basic Fundamentals to Creating Maps, is designed for students who have little or no prior experience using GIS tools but need to create maps for their projects. Proficiency is valued in fields including public works, planning and environmental consulting, according to a UWT release.

Students will gain hands-on experience using ArcView, as well as the newer ArcGIS desktop suite, including ArcMap, ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox.

The workshop will be held at the UWT campus in the GIS computer lab, Sept. 15–17, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Space is limited to the first 20 who apply. The instructor, Catherine Crook, is the GIS analyst for the Port of Tacoma.

For more information and to apply, visit the University of Washington Tacoma KeyBank Professional Development Center’s website at www.tacoma.washington.edu/pdc or call 253-692-4618.

For the 13th consecutive year, the state Department of Labor & Industries will present its popular – and free – Washington Small Business Fair on Sept. 12 from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Renton Technical College, 3000 N.E. 4th St. in Renton.

The fair is held for the benefit of current and prospective small business owners, and this year will feature a mid-day panel session with business experts who will share tips and stories on how to survive when the economy is down – and how to be ready when the rebound arrives.

During morning and afternoon small group sessions, business owners can get information and training in one-hour chunks about how to create or expand a small business while successfully managing taxes and regulations, according to a release from L&I.

More than 40 seminars will be taught by business professionals on a wide variety of topics, including Web site design, business law, financing, marketing and business planning.

Seminar topics and directions to the fair are available at www.bizfair.org.

More than 30 non-profit and government organizations, including trade associations and local chambers of commerce, will also be on-hand throughout the day to resources and networking opportunities. Previous Biz Fair events have drawn an average of about 700 participants, L&I said.

Attendance at the fair requires no advance registration, and parking, like the event itself, is free.

The Boeing Co. delivered a 777-300ER today that's the first of an series of planes that will test new chrome-free primer and paint in airline service.

The aircraft was delivered to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Boeing is testing to see whether the new paint can endure the rigors of airline service.

Eliminating chrome as an ingredient in the paint makes disposing of paint wastes and clean-up materials much less expensive because those materials won't require the kind of special dispoaal treatment that ordinary aircraft paint now requires.

The twin-jet, built in Boeing's Everett plant, is the first of 14 aircraft Boeing intends to paint with the chrome-free coating.

Boeing is testing a more fuel-efficient version of the CFM engines that power all of its single-aisle 737 aircraft.

The new engine, made by a partnership of General Electric and French engine maker Snecma, reportedly improves fuel efficiency of the 737 by one percent. That seems like a small amount, but based on the thousands of gallons of fuel the average 737 consumes yearly, the cost savings could be substantial.

The engine is being tested on a Boeing 737-900ER, the largest version of the Renton-built plane.

Boeing is also working on aerodynamic improvements to the 737 to improve fuel economy an additional 1 percent.

The new engine is simpler than those used now, cutting maintenance costs, another plus for Boeing's airline customers.

Brown Bear Car Wash is showing customers their appreciation Thursday by offering free "Bear Essentials" car washes at the company's automated "tunnel wash" locations.

The free car washes will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"We are extremely grateful to the people of Puget Sound for their decades of patronage. Our annual free car wash day is one way we can show our appreciation," said Brown Bear founder and owner Vic Odermat.

He added "weather cooperating, we anticipate this year's event to be our best ever."

Four Pierce County Brown Bear car washes will be participating in the free car wash event.

They are located at:

- 10913 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood
- 13204 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
- 3002 S 38th St., Tacoma
- 5950 6th Ave., Tacoma

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is hosting a Faces of Foreclosure walk at noon Wednesday.

The event is aimed at highlighting Pierce County's foreclosure situation. The county's foreclosure rate is often among the highest in the state.

Wednesday's event will features some speakers and "information sharing" about the problem, according to an ACORN press release and then a walk to the home of Kim Thagh.

Thagh is facing foreclosure on his South Tacoma home and ACORN is helping him to try and modify his mortgage. Thagh owns a home construction business and ACORN said his income has dropped during this recession.

The Faces of Foreclosure will begin the corner of 78th and South Wilkeson Street.

SeaTac leads the state for growth in retail sales over the past five years, according to date released by the Washington State Retail Survey.

Retail sales in SeaTac grew by an average of 19.7 percent from 2003 through 2008, the survey reports. Marysville, Lacey and Bonney Lake all posted double digit annual sales.

Tacoma reported an average annual growth rate of 2.5 percent in retail sales, ranking 38th out of the state's 50 top retail markets.

Those 50 markets represent $43 billion in annual retail sales and about three-quarters of the sales made in the state.

The full report, produced by a California-based company, is available for purchase for $160. For more information go to www.washingtonstateretailsurvey.com.

America’s Credit Union is still America’s Credit Union, but you may call it acu. So goes the new brand.

Introduced this week, the rebranding is the result of a process that began in May 2008, said Heidi Marzolf, ACU director of Marketing.

“There was a huge disconnect between who we were and what our brand and look and feel said about us,” she said this morning. “What we should have been, or who we are, is more technology-oriented, friendly, fast.”

ACU operates eight branches – two at Fort Lewis and six elsewhere in Pierce and Thurston counties. The credit union counts $343 million in assets and has approximately 34,500 members, Marzolf said.

The rebranding is in part the result of focus groups. “We asked if they had heard of us. The response was ‘America’s who?’” Marzolf said. ”The public in general didn’t know who we were.”

“We wanted warm up our color pallet and our logo and really have that reflect the credit union,” She said. The new logo – a lower case “acu” atop a curved horizon, is done in soft orange and burnt red, in a combination recalling perhaps an African sunset.

The marketing effort will include more advertising outreach, Marzolf said.

“We will be bringing out television commercials, we’ll be on comcast.net and in theater advertising.

Passenger traffic at Sea-Tac Airport hasn't yet revived, new figures show.

July passenger traffic at the airport was down 2.5 percent from July 2008, new statistics published by the airport show.

Passenger traffic at the airport this July was 3,237,357 passengers, down 83,055 from July of 2009.

For the year, passenger traffic declined 4.8 percent.

Cargo likewise fell in July by some 4.3 percent, according to airport figures.

The upside of the travel decline for airport neighbors was fewer operations. Landings and takeoffs at Sea-Tac during July were 3,510 fewer than in July 2008.

Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet today ordered 14 more Boeing 737 aircraft to enlarge its all-Boeing fleet of 81 aircraft.

At the same time, however, the airline rescheduled 16 existing deliveries of 737s to spread them out more evenly in the next few years.

WestJet has orders for 54 more 737s including today's new order.

The readjusted delivery schedule will affect 16 737s the airliner and the leasing companies from whom it rents aircraft.

The 737 is built in Boeing's Renton plant.

For the 32nd year, The LeMay Automobile Museum this Saturday will host the Annual LeMay Car Show & Auction at the museum grounds in Spanaway.

According to a press release, visitors can expect to see more than 1,000 different vintage and specialty automobiles, trucks and motorcycles from the LeMay Collection.

Also on view will be hundreds of local collector cars. In addition to the vehicles, there will be numerous automobile-related vendor displays, plus a Collector Car Showcase – a judged car show – food vendors and an auction hosted by Mathers Inc. Auctioneers.

The newly added Collector Car Showcase will feature m.c. Lance Lambert of the Vintage Vehicle Show. Co-chairs of the Collector Car Showcase are John Austin and Andy Panagiotou of the Gallopin’ Gerties Model A Club.

Gerald Greenfield of the Classic Car Club of America and Kirkland Concours d’Elegance will serve as chief judge.

The Collector Car Showcase sponsors include Car Toys, KZOK, Buffalo Restorations and Save a Battery. Collector Car Showcase award sponsors include Griot’s Garage and Pacific Grill.

The museum is located on the grounds of the former Marymount Academy at 325 152nd St. E.

Admission into the Collector Car Showcase is $25, which includes admission for one person and is open to the first 120 cars that enter. Car clubs and collectors are also invited to showcase their automobiles in the non-judged display at Marymount.

The show begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and ends at 5 p.m. Museum members receive free admission, and non-member entry donations are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12 and free admission for active-duty military.

Free parking will be available offsite with free shuttle bus transportation between the parking lots, Marymount and the LeMay grounds.

For more information visit www.lemaymuseum.org or call 253-536-2885.

Norwegian Air Shuttle already operates 13 Boeing 737-800s for its European service, but a ceremony at Boeing Field late last week was still a signifcant for the airline.

Norwegian accepted the first 737-800 it will own itself. The other baker's dozen aircraft are all leased by the airline.

The 737 delivered on Friday features blended winglets to improve the plane's fuel economy and performance.

Other Norwegian 737s scheduled for delivery in 2010 will feature Boeing's new "Sky Interior" with newly-designed overhead bins and mood lighting borrowed from Boeing's new 787.

Look out, mortgage scammers. Watch yourself, you fraudsters who prey on innocent homeowners.

According to a release today from Olympia, state Attorney General Rob McKenna and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller are co-chairing a new State-Federal Task Force on Mortgage Enforcement.

The task force is dedicated to enforcing both fair business practices and civil rights, the release said.

Additional members include representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Treasury, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Missouri and Ohio.

“Scammers and opportunists need to know that they’re in the crosshairs of a tough, well-armed posse with a presence in every state,” McKenna said.

He said that by combining their efforts, state and federal authorities are in a stronger position to confront equity skimmers, foreclosure rescuer schemers, straw purchasers and unethical lenders who deceive or discriminate.

Alaska Airlines has once again asked the federal Department of Transportation to investigate whether its West Coast rival, Virgin America Airlines, meets the goverment's ownership rules.

Today's request to the DOT was the third from Alaska which contends that San Francisco's Virgin America may be controlled by Britain's Virgin Group.

Federal rules require that domestic airlines have no more than 25 percent foreign ownership.

Media reports in March said Virgin's American investors had requested to be cashed out of their investments in the airline in accord with their investment contracts.

Virgin contends those investors still hold title to a majority of the airline stock.

Alaska suggested that while the Americans may retain title, they may have no real power because they don't have a financial interest in the carrier.

Virgin America and SeaTac-based Alaska have been engaged in a West Coast fare war since Virgin started service more than a year ago.

The Port of Tacoma is again offering free boat tours of its terminals and waterways.

Those free tours will leave from 535 Dock St. on the Thea Foss Waterway on Aug. 30 during Maritime Fest.

Departures will be at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Passengers will be accommodated on a first-come basis.

Tour takers in wheelchairs or with disabilities should take the 4 p.m. departure, the port advised. The tide then will make boarding the boat easier.

For more information, call 253-597-7564.

A foreclosure auction for a major downtown Tacoma waterfront condominium building attracted more spectators than bidders this morning outside the County-City Building.

And when the short bidding was done, the lender for the 8-story Esplanade condominium, IStar Financial Inc. of New York, emerged the auction's winner with a price of $7 million.

Some two dozen spectators watched as attorney Greg Fox read the lengthy auction documents in a light rain outside the second-floor entrance to the government building and then began the auction process about 10:15 a.m.

The sole outside bidder, Northwest businessman Chuck Tomas, halted his bidding at $6.1 million as the bank successively topped each of his bids.

Tomas is an investor whose 140-yacht was tied up for weeks this summer on the Foss Waterway near the condo building. That yacht, a former Canadian fisheries patrol boat, was undergoing an interior renovation.

The bank offered its bids to defend the $46 million already lent to help build the 162-unit condo building on the Thea Foss Waterway.

Had the trustee for the auction accepted another bidder's low offer for the building, the bank's interest in the structure would have been erased at price far less than that which it had invested as lender.

By winning the bidding, Istar gains title to the building except for the 11 condo units sold to private owners.

It is now free to pursue deals with potential acquirers interested in buying the entire structure or with individual condo buyers.

The News Tribune asked the bank about its plans for the building, but it had not responded by early Friday afternoon.

IStar Financial is a lender specializing in loaning money to developers and builders of commercial office buildings, retail buildings and other larger structures.

Hit by reversals in the commercial development market, IStar Financial recorded losses of $2.93 a share in this year's second quarter

The condo building was constructed after the Thea Foss Development Authority five years ago held a contest to pick a developer for the tract on the west side of the formerly industrial waterway.

California developer Mark Ossola won the right to build on the parcel and an adjacent property.

The adjacent property was to be an hotel site, but an hotel was never built. The waterway authority is now negotiating with a new hotel developer, Hollander Hotel Group Inc. of Bellingham, to build on that land.

The condo project took longer to plan and construct than anticipated. The building hit the market two years ago just as the housing market turned downward.
The market for retail spaces on Dock Street also failed to develop as hoped, and none of the retail storefronts in the building ever leased.

The building at 1720 Pacific Ave. has been home to a wholesale grocery, a paper company, a stove manufacturing business, a candy company, a glove maker, and a number of car-related businesses, including a Firestone Tire store and both Studebaker and Oldsmobile distributors.

Not bad for its first 117 years.

Now the Russell T. Joy building becomes part of the University of Washington Tacoma's fast-growing campus.

Demolition work started Thursday, and the renovation will complete the four-block Pacific Avenue face of the campus. It's scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2011.

“This fall, over 3,000 students will study on this campus, and we are short on space,” said UW Tacoma Chancellor Pat Spakes said at an event marking the beginning of the work. “We need more classrooms, and we need more faculty and staff offices. We need a permanent home for our largest academic unit, the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program. Renovation of the Joy Building will accomplish all of that.”

The building’s plan includes retail space on the ground floor, although the exact amount of footage has not yet been determined, according to a news release from the university.

Construction work begins this fall. As it has done with other renovations along Pacific Avenue, the university will try to salvage and reuse things from the building such as old-growth fir beams.

The Joy Building renovation is part of a $34 million capital construction package from the Washington State Legislature, the news release said, intended to stimulate the economy by providing construction jobs. This support also includes funding for the addition and renovation of three labs in the Science Building — already under way — and building infrastructure to support future campus construction up the hill.

When the Joy Building opens in 2011, one-third of the planned 46-acre campus in Tacoma's Warehouse District will be complete.

Russell T. Joy came to Tacoma in 1888 and worked as a clerk for the Tacoma Land Company, the news release said. Soon after, he went into business as a builder and real estate developer. In 1892, he commissioned three buildings to be constructed in the Warehouse District, including the one that bears his name. The architects were Pickles and Sutton, a firm that designed many buildings in Tacoma, including the National Bank of Tacoma.

Karen LaFlamme, spokeswoman for the Puyallup Fair, writes with an update on employment at the September event.

As of yesterday, she said, "the WorkSource Employment Office at the Puyallup Fair has met with 3,500 applicants and referred them to employers for interviews."

There were originally 3,000 jobs offered, and this year saw the largest first-day crowd of applicants in recent memory.

The employment service continues to accept applications for backup positions, LaFlamme said, and will continue to do so through the last day of the Fair, Sept. 27.

Some Fair employers are reviewing their employee lists, and may still have hiring needs, so some from the backup lists may be hired, she said.

Buyer beware. Seller too.

One of the principals at Exclusive Timeshare Sales has called back after I left messages yesterday asking to speak about a California archeologist who was trying to sell her $24,000 timeshare near Disneyland, and how a representative of Exclusive’s Tacoma office had called asking for $2,500 up front to assist the sale.

Alan Peterson called to explain.

It was one of the oddest conversations I’ve had in years.

Peterson said timeshares are “not something I would ever buy, but our business is to sell them,” he said.

“Timeshares right now are a piece of junk,” he continued. “Anyone interested in buying one should take a long, long look.”

=> Read more!

More than 13 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage have fallen behind on their payments or are in foreclosure, according to an Associated Press story today.

The record-high numbers were released this morning by the Mortgage Bankers Association, and are being driven by borrowers with traditional fixed-rate mortgages rather than the shady subprime loans with adjustable rates that kicked off the mortgage crisis.

As of June, more than 4 percent of all borrowers were in foreclosure, while about 9 percent had missed at least one payment.

The worst of the trouble is still concentrated in California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida, which accounted for 44 percent of new foreclosures in the country. Nearly 12 percent of all loans in Florida were in foreclosure, the highest in the country, followed by Nevada at 9 percent.

Loan delinquencies among borrowers with prime, fixed-rate mortgages grew from the first quarter to the second in all 50 states, with the biggest jumps in Wisconsin, Illinois, Utah and West Virginia.

In Washington in the second quarter, 5.82 percent of all home loans were at least 30 days overdue, according to the survey, and 2.47 percent of loans were in foreclosure.

Issaquah's Costco Wholesale opened its first warehouse store in Australia this week.

The opening was major event in Melbourne's Docklands.

Here's a report from Australia that describes the rush on the opening day:

US retail giant Costco opens Docklands store

Daniella Miletic
August 17, 2009

If you build it, will they come? It's a question that has been on the mind of Costco's Australian head, Patrick Noone, for the past three years.

This morning he woke at 3am, nervous about the opening of Australia's first store and whether anyone would turn up. "This is such a big investment, and such a big project, that you are on pins and needles up until the last moment thinking that no one is going to come and when people turn up it is a very exciting moment," he says.

They did come - and many of the new Costco faithful woke up before Noone in order to do it.

The US retailer's keenly anticipated opening at Melbourne's Docklands for the budget-conscious attracted a crowd of 300, all clutching super-sized trolleys and ready to shop in bulk.

First in line were friends Helen Leighton, Kaylene Johnson and Josephine Gauchi of St Albans who arrived at 4.45am stocked with a thermal of coffee, biscuits and fruit.

––Read more

Boeing and its partner MillenWorks are running a version of a new tactical military vehicle in a 1,000-mile race today and Friday through the Nevada backcountry.

The race vehicle is a derivative of the Helo Transportable Vehicle (HTTV) that Boeing and MillenWorks have designed for military reconnaisance and utility missions.

The jeep-like vehicle is designed to be small enough to transport to remote sites by aircraft including Boeing's V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft.

The race, the "Vegas to Reno: The Long Way" will test the vehicle's mettle in crossing rugged territory at high speeds.

"We're confident tha our team's vehicle has the speed, maneuverability and durability needed to endure in this challenging and unforgiving desert terrain," said Jerry McElwee, vice president of Tactical Wheeled Vehicles for Boeing Combat Systems.

Yes, that's my drink. Almost every day. I no longer feel that pretentious about ordering it, though I would say it is indeed a "hard-to-make" beverage.

The Associated Press reports that Starbucks Corp. is raising prices on certain harder-to-make beverages — and cutting the costs for simpler ones like a plain cup of coffee.

It's unclear if it's happening locally, yet. But my pretentious latte doesn't appear to be affected.

Here's AP's story:

The price hikes, on average between 10 and 15 cents and as much as 30 cents, went into effect Thursday.

“This is as a part of our comprehensive approach to providing the value while balancing our business responsibilities,” said spokeswoman Valerie O’Neil.

The increases will be added to “complex” drinks, like the company’s frothy blended frappuccino.

More basic beverages — the latte and plain coffee, among others — will see prices decreased by 5 to 15 cents.

Still, more prices will increase under the plan than will be lowered or remain the same.

Starbucks won’t say how many cities were affected by Thursday’s increase but said the price hikes will eventually roll out nationwide in the coming months.

Officials at the Seattle-based coffee giant said prices will vary by region to cover higher labor and material costs.

Starbucks shares rose 10 cents to $19.22 in trading Thursday.

Sometimes consumers do the right thing when confronted by a potential scam. Sometimes they even call The News Tribune.

Take Jeanette McKenna, who happens to be an archeologist living in Southern California.

She’s got a timeshare unit up for sale, listed with a California broker. And she recently received a cold-call from a Tacoma broker who wanted to help.

He wanted the listing and he wanted McKenna to open a PayPal account and send him $2,500 as a retainer. He wanted her credit card numbers.

“We kind of played along with him for a bit, just to see what he was doing. It almost sounded like a game,” she said earlier today. The salesman was persistent. “Pushy” is the word McKenna used.

“The PayPal account was a trigger,” she said. “His e-mail was a Gmail account. I could have been dealing with a teenager.” She sent the Tacoma firm an e-mail message saying she was uncomfortable. She told the broker that “I needed him to answer a few more questions – why I had to pay a deposit up front.”

When McKenna started sounding like she knew the salesman was scamming her, the salesman stopped contacting her.

According to Susan Schutz at the regional headquarters of the Better Business Bureau in Dupont, McKenna did the right thing.

“We always say - trust your gut. check our Web site, see if there’s a complaint. get their contact information and call back to make sure they’re giving the correct information,” she said. “If you send money by a wire transfer, the funds are gone as soon as you send them. Cash - you’re not going to see that again. You’ve really got to watch who you’re giving your information to - or your money.”

McKenna did her due diligence – she checked the Internet, she did call the BBB and she listened to her instincts – and she didn’t lose a dime.

Which doesn’t mean that the timeshare broker would have scammed her. Either way, the state Attorney General has no record of complaints. The BBB gives the firm a rating of "F."

If the broker calls back, I'll let you know.

“If they turn out to be a legit firm, fine,” McKenna said.

What would make her happy is the sale of her $24,000 timeshare, located near Disneyland – that, and she'd like her experience to help someone else avoid a high pressure salesman who might not have the best of intentions.

Sea-Tac Airport Thursday launches its third European air cargo service with the arrival of the first Lufthansa Air Cargo freighter.

Lufthansa's Boeing MD-11 Freighter will call on Sea-Tac twice weekly with service to Frankfurt, Germany.

Two other carriers, Martinair and CargoLux, provide non-stop cargo service from Sea-Tac to Europe. Martinair flies to Amsterdam. CargoLux flies to Luxembourg.

Inbound from Europe, Lufthansa Cargo's jet will continue on to Los Angeles.

Amtrak debuted a second daily train to Vancouver, B.C. today after months of negotiation with Canadian authorities over the cost of customs services.

The train is an extension of Amtrak service that halted nightly at Bellingham, just south of the Canadian border.

Canadian officials had demanded that Amtrak pay $1,500 a day to staff customs and immigration kiosks at the Vancouver station to handle incoming passengers.

Amtrak and Washington State, which pays part of the cost of the service, balked at the charge noting that Canada doesn't charge airlines or auto drivers for late night customs service.

Canada agreed to waive the fee at least through the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, B.C.

The train will leave from Portland northbound, travel through Washington and arrive nightly in Vancouver at 10:45 p.m. Northbound passengers will leave Tacoma at 5:33 p.m. The southbound train will depart Vancouver daily at 6:40 a.m. and arrive in Tacoma at noon, in Olympia/Lacey at 12:45 p.m. and in Portland at 2:45 p.m.

Russian Airlines is seeking bids from Boeing, Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers for a fleet of 65 narrow-bodied aircraft, the carrier said today.

Russian Airlines is the product of a merger of several financially-failing Russian airline companies. The airline is owned 51 percent by Russian Technologies and 49 percent by the Moscow city government.

The new airlines will compete with Russia's dominant airline, Aeroflot, among others.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines is among a group of air carrier that have signed a contract to use diesel fuel produced from "green" waste products at Los Angeles International Airport.

The contract for 1.5 million gallons of the renewable fuel was announced today by Rentech Inc. of Los Angeles. The fuel will be produced from "green" wastes such as lawn trimmings beginning in 2012.

Besides Alaska, American, United, Continental, Southwest, UPS, Delta and US Airways will use the renewable fuel to power such equipment at tugs, baggage cart tractors and buses.

If you’ve ever wanted to ride in a forklift rodeo, do a high-angle rescue or somehow participate in climbing a very tall pole, you’ll get your chance come Sept. 7 and 8 at the 58th annual Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Conference, slated for the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

The annual event draws several thousand workers, managers and vendors for “two days of training and education, providing the latest tools, technologies and strategies for workplace safety and health,” according to the co-sponsoring agency, the state Department of Labor & Industries.

Among the offerings this year are dozens of events, demonstrations and seminars including “Compressed Gas Safety,” “Fall Protection,” “Make Investigating Accidents Easy,” “Silica Exposure,” and “Tunneling Hazards.” The conference includes an extensive trade show, and will also feature the Governor’s Lifesaving Awards.

The cost is $140, with discounts for students and groups. For more information visit www.wagovconf.org.

Let’s say you’re a business owner and you’ve got a loan or a credit line with a bank in the South Sound. Let’s say that bank might be in trouble. And then you find out it’s really in trouble.

What do you next?

The state Department of Financial Institutions has developed a nice set of Frequently Asked Questions (with answers).

To see, click here or visit www.dfi.wa.gov/banks/business-loan-faqs.htm.

“We had so many issues after the Bank of Clark County, we really had to stop and evaluate - and have something proactive,” said Brad Williamson, head of the department’s banking division.

The questions range from “How would a bank failure - or a troubled bank - impact a business loan?” to “My bank has closed. How do I pay my loan? Can I draw on my business credit line?”

Or let’s say you have a verbal agreement with a bank, and that differs from the written loan documents or are not formally agreed to in writing. Should you be concerned in the event your bank fails?

Yes, you should.

The state employment numbers look good, but keep the champagne on ice.

Nobody says it’s a trend.

Seasonally adjusted employment in Washington grew by 4,000 jobs in July compared to June, this after June marked a decrease of 8,000
jobs.

The unemployment rate statewide decreased in July to 9.1 percent from a revised June figure of 9.2 percent.

=> Read more!

Good news for travelers flying over the coming Labor Day holiday: the crowds at the airport are expected to be down from last year.

The Air Transport Association is predicting that 16 million people will fly domestically during the holiday period. That's 3.5 percent fewer than last year.

Although the airports will be less jammed, don't expect to find many empty seats on the planes. Airlines have dropped capacity by 22 percent since 2000.

Airport Jobs, a free employment service for Sea-Tac Airport and its related businesses, is reporting visits to its Web site rose 42 percent in June compared with with same month last year.

But just 61 applicants were hired through the service in June 2009, 46 percent fewer than in the same month last year.

That's the bad news. The good news is that the hiring pace has freshened since it hit a low point in February, the airport reports.

To view jobs available at the airport and among nearby airport-related businesses visit the Airport Jobs Web site or call 206-835-7501.

Ten Washington shipyards, the most in any state, will receive a total of $7.38 million in federal stimulus aid, Sen. Patty Murray announced today.

The shipyards – none in Pierce County – will receive the money to augment their capabilities to produce new business.

The shipyard grants range from $1.95 million for Seattle's Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp., the state's largest to $73,780 for Port Angeles' Platypus Marine Inc.

The grants were part of a $98 million program for shipyards across the nation.

It's too early to call it a trend, state employment officials said this morning, but the numbers are interesting.

According to a release from the state Employment Security Department, Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 9.1 percent in July, down from June’s revised rate of 9.2 percent.

The state gained an estimated 4,000 non-agricultural jobs over the month, seasonally adjusted.

“While today’s news is reassuring and indicates that the economy may be stabilizing, this does not mean the national recession is over,” Gov. Chris Gregoire said.

Industries with the most job growth included education and health services, with 4,400 new jobs, professional and business services, which added 2,100, and government, up 1,300. Most of the government additions were in local education and tribal employment, while state government employment fell by about 1,300.

Industries with the largest declines were in construction, which cut 3,200 jobs, financial activities, down 1,900, and manufacturing, which lost 900 jobs, the release said.

“The July numbers are further evidence that the recession is slowing, but it’s too soon to say whether we’ve turned the corner,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “We expect to see ups and downs for some time to come.”

This may seem a bit esoteric – unless you’re an official at Venture Bank or if you really enjoy reading regulatory filings – but for those of you who pay attention, there looked to be a new report yesterday from the DuPont-based Venture.

The Form 10-Q concerned being late with quarterly numbers.

The only problem was, well, the headline on the filing said it was Venture, but the CUSIP number was wrong and the filing was actually made on behalf of Longview-based Cowlitz Bancorporation.

A small slice of the financial blogiverse had some fun blaming Venture for the filing, but it wasn’t Venture that filed. All it took yesterday afternoon was a call to the bank to confirm.

So Cowlitz is taking an extension. Venture is still working on its numbers. Don’t believe everything you read online.

Green Mountain Coffee Roaster plans to relocate Tully's roasting operation from Seattle to a distribution and manufacturing facility in Sumner, Green Mountain announced today.

The Vermont-based company bought Tully's wholesale division in March. Tully's has been roasting its own coffee at its headquarters in the old Rainier Brewing Company building right off of Interstate 5.

The brewery building will continue to house Tully's headquarters.

Jon Wettstein, Green Mountain's vice president of supply chain operations, said the Sumner operation allows the company to "accommodate both the significant growth and expansion we are planning for the Tully's business, as well as for the expansion of our other brands on the West Coast."

The new facility will be housed in leased space in White River Building.

The Sumner site will roast and distribute the beans used in Tully's cafes as well as the Tully's coffee sold in grocery stores and elsewhere, according to Amina Suchoski, the company's spokeswoman.

Tully's wholesale business employed 75 people. New owners Green Mountain offered those employees jobs with their company and said they plan to add another 50 jobs to the new Sumner plant, Suchoski said.

Green Mountain produces coffee, tea and hot cocoa from its family of brands including Tully's, Green Mountain Coffee and Newman's Own Organics coffee. The company also manufactures gourmet single-cup coffee brewing systems.

This just in from Karen LaFlamme at the Puyallup Fair: Job openings still remain.

Even with the nearly overwhelming response last week, which saw lines forming in the pre-dawn and thousands of people applying, 500 positions are still open and applications are being taken.

"Many thought that all of the Puyallup Fair jobs would had been filled by today,"LaFlamme writes in a release today. "That is not the case. The lines have decreased dramatically, and there are still approximately 500 jobs available."

Applications are being taken at the WorkSource Employment Office located on the north side of the fairgrounds (9th Ave. S.W. between 4th St. S.W. and 5th St. S.W.) Applicants must apply in person and bring proof of identity and ability to work (for example, photo I.D. and a Social Security card).

Wages begin at $8.55 per hour, with some paying more based on duties and skills required.

Federal Way's Weyerhaeuser Co. said today it has completed the sale of its commercial construction products business to a subsidiary of Atlas Holdings LLC.

The deal includes four manufacturing plants focused on the commercial construction market. Those plants are located in Chino, Calif., Hillsboro, Ore., Delaware, Ohio and Stayton, Ore. Also included in the sale were and 13 sales and engineering offices.

Some 230 employees will transfer from Weyerhaeuser to Atlas as a result of the buyout.

The price Atlas paid was not disclosed.

In after-hours trading, shares of Weyerhaeuser fell 11 cents to $34.68, after falling $1.21, or 3.4 percent, to close at $34.75.

Those school bells are almost ready to ring - as are the bells at the cash registers of back-to-school retailers.

Yes, the economy is going to affect back-to-school shopping. Yes, there are fewer students attending college. And yes, those apples on the desks of teachers nationwide probably came from Washington.

From data supplied by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Retail Federation, here’s a look at back-to-school 2009, by the numbers.

56 million: Projected number of children in elementary through high school this fall
11: Percent of those students will be in private schools
76 million: Children and adults enrolled in school - nursery school through college - in the U.S, in 2007
27: Percent of the U.S. population 3-and-older enrolled in those schools
3.3 million: High school diplomas expected to be awarded in the 2009-2010 school year
3.2 million: Number of college degrees for the same period
71: Percent of children 3-6 enrolled in kindergarten in 2007
19 million: Number of students in colleges and universities this fall
15: Percent of college students 35 and older in 2007
$548.72: Amount the average family with students in kindergarten through high school will spend on school merchandise this season
7.7: Percentage decline in spending from 2008
$47.5 billion: 2009 back-to-school and back-to-college expenditure in the U.S.
40: Percent of people who will increase use of coupons for back-to-school shopping
$82.62: Amount the average family will spend on school supplies
$93.59: Amount the average family will spend on shoes
98,793: Number of public schools in the U.S. in 2006-2007
7.2 million: Teachers in the U.S. in 2008
$50,758: Average salary of public school teachers 2006-2007
$16.56: Average hourly wage of school bus drivers 2007-2008
$14,915: Average in-state tuition, room and board for college and university students for the 2007-2008 academic year
$40,640: Average for the same in private colleges and universities
58.5: Percent of college students who will be living at home this year
54.1: Percent who lived at home last year
$820.77: Average back-to-college amount families of college freshmen will spend this year
67: According to parents, the percent of students ages 6-17 who “often like school”
9.9 billion: Total U.S. apple production (with more than half coming from Washington)

A new survey of airline passengers by Southern California's Innovation Analysis Group shows a strong demand for inflight Internet connectivity, but a declining willingness to pay high fees.

The survey among fliers with demonstrated interests in in-flight connectivity showed more than 95 percent would use it either on every flight or at least occasionally.

And more than 65 percent of those fliers say the availability of airborne Wi-Fi would influence their choice of airlines.

But the average amount they would be willing to pay for an annual contract offering Wi-Fi access declined from $200 in 2006 to $137 this year.

Boeing's newest version of it venerable 747, the 747-8 Freighter, is nearly 80 percent complete and ready to begin the powering up process.

Boeing says the plane, a larger and more efficient edition of the 747, has been connected to external power sources and its beginning the complex "power on" process to test its electronics and electrical systems.

The new 747, being built at Boeing's Everett plant, features new wings and engines, a modified interior and a fuselage stretch to hold more passengers and cargo.

The first example of the new plane is set to fly sometime in this year's fourth quarter. If Boeing's other new aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, continues to have issues, the 747-8 could fly before it.

The 787 is now more than two years behind schedule because of production, labor and design problems. Boeing is currently working on a fix for weakness in the area where the plane's wing joins the body. It has not yet announced a first flight date.

Icelandair, which began year-round, four-times weekly service between Sea-Tac Airport and to Iceland on July 23, has announced a fifth weekly flight beginning next year.

The fifth flight to Keflavik Airport will begin in May next year.

Currently the airline offers flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays to its hub airport.

The flights connect in Iceland with onward flights to many European cities.

Last week’s story on the 50th anniversary of Harbor Lights had me wondering how many restaurants and watering holes in Pierce County are still active, 50 years on, at their original location.

I called Anthony Anton, CEO and president of the Washington Restaurant Association, and he was good enough to send me a list - repeated below.

Let me know if there are any others you know of.

Acme Tavern, 1932
Beach Tavern, 1934
Bob's Pier, 1947
Bob's Java-Jive, 1955 (built in 1927 but turned into Java Jive in ‘55)
Burr's, 1956
Cliff House Restaurant, 1925
Cloverleaf Tavern, 1950
Flying Boots Bar & Grill, 1938
Gertie's Grill, 1952
Goldfish Tavern, 1933
Harbor Lights, 1959
Hob Nob, 1950
Jubilee Drive In, (pre-1949)
Knapp's Restaurant, 1943
Poodle Dog, 1953 (actually, I think it was earlier than that)
Frisko Freeze, 1950
The Spar, 1917
The Swiss, 1913

Federal Way's Weyerhaeuser Co. expects the sale of 140,000 acres of timberland in northwest Oregon will add $100 million to the company's earnings in the third quarter.

The forest products company is selling the land to Portland-based The Campbell Group for $300 million.

The Campbell Group is a land owner that buys and manages timberland for investors. Among the company's assets are 2.85 million acres of land worth $5.3 billion.

Weyerhaeuser, which has suffered because of the downturn in the homebuilding industry, is selling 82,000 acres of timberland in Washington.

Boeing supplier Spirit Aerosystems has signed a contract with PPG Industries to design and supply a new windshield for the next model of Boeing 737s.

The new windshields are designed with a layer of plastic on the cockpit side of the windshield to better protect the pilots from the effects of mid-air bird strikes.

The new windshields, designed to be installed in a planned updated version of the 737, are slightly small than existing windshields.

Spirit supplies Boeing's Renton 737 final assembly plant with 737 fuselages built in its Wichita, Kan. factory.

A fresh design – taller and more compatible with the surrounding historic structures than previous proposals – emerged this week for a new hotel in downtown Tacoma’s Brewery District.

The new concept, the result of than 18 months’ redesign effort driven in part by concerns of the Tacoma’s Landmarks Preservations Commission, Wednesday won informal approval and even praise from commission members.

“It’s great to get such a good response from the commission,” said Seattle developer Han Kim after Wednesday evening’s Landmarks Commission session.

"We got pretty beat up the last couple of times we were here.”

The commission had criticized the original conceptual designs for being too similar to “cookie cutter” hotel concepts more appropriate for freeway hotel sites rather than as part of an urban historic area.

The hotel site at South 21st and C streets is adjacent to the former Heidelberg Brewery building within the Union Station Conservation District.

“This is a big step forward,” said commission chairman Mark McIntire after after Kim’s group had presented their revised design at Wednesday’s commission meeting.

“We appreciate your responsiveness,” he said. “It shows a lot of diligence on your part.”
Kim and his Hotel Concepts development group first came to the commission in December 2007 with a preliminary plan for the new hotel.

Based on that initial feedback – much of it critical – from commission members, the developers presented a new concept in September last year for a pair of hotels. But the commission remained concerned that the hotels would clash with the prevailing architecture of the former warehouse area.

The newest design for a single 160-room hotel – likely to be branded a Holiday Inn Express – differs significantly from last September’s concept:

* The new design would occupy only an existing parking lot and the site of an old, featureless warehouse. The original designs called for demolition of parts of the brewery itself. Although the brewery, unused for its original purpose for more than two decades, was not architecturally significant, some historic building advocates didn’t want it summarily demolished because of its pivotal role for many years in Tacoma’s economy.

* The new building would rise eight stories high with six floors of hotel rooms and two floors of parking. The previous concept reached a maximum of five or six stories.

* The fresh design calls for seven stories of brick or masonry facing with only the top floor covered with stucco-like material. The older design concept called for several stories of stucco cladding. Commissioners feared that the brewery district hotel, if allowed to be built with so much stucco facing, would look similar to the Marriott Courtyard Tacoma near the Greater Tacoma and Trade Center. That hotel’s design has been critically panned for looking too much like an hotel design drawn from a corporate hotel catalog.

* The new design’s windows have been modified to more closely resemble windows in the muscular warehouse buildings of the district with distinct framing and side-by-side windows in each hotel room.
n The number of different types of bricks has been reduced from three to one to unclutter the building’s look.

* Through-the-wall heating and air conditioning units have been incorporated into the widow units below the glass. Many less expensive hotels have separate air conditioning unit exhaust grills penetrating the outside walls a foot or so below the windows.

* The ground floor hotel areas have been modified to include larger windows and awnings mimicing the retail shops in the area. The hotel, however, won’t have any retail spaces for rent.

* A rooftop metal-clad cupola resembles a similar, but larger structure atop the old brewery building that bore the sign identifying the building. The hotel cupola would be a backdrop for the Holiday Inn Express sign.

City historic preservation officer Reuben McKnight said the developers should seek formal commission approval for their design when it’s 75 to 90 percent complete. Johnson and Kim said completing the design could take several months.

In the meantime, Kim said he’ll begin looking for financing for the project, not an easy task during the current recession. At least two other hotels are planned for Tacoma, one on the Foss Waterway and the other near Point Defiance park at Point Ruston, the former site of the old Asarco copper smelter.

The new hotel, Kim said, won’t compete directly with those more pricey waterfront properties. The price range for rooms in the new hotel is expected to be in $100-plus range.

The line on Thursday – the second day of taking applications for positions at September’s Puyallup Fair – started forming at a half hour after midnight.

The Employment Security Department had changed its process, and rather than attempt to serve 3,000 people, as happened on Wednesday, today only 600 were given numbers promising an appointment.

“It went very smoothly handing out the numbers. It’s a great system, and it’s something we will continue to use,” said fair spokeswoman Karen LaFlamme early this afternoon.

The process will continue Friday, with 600 numbers assigned on a first-come, first-served basis to those people who arrive at the gate on the north side of the fairgrounds.

By 1 p.m. today, only some 50 people remained to be seen, said Theresa Hoffman, who heads the on-site ESD office.

She reported to LaFlamme that the greatest current need is for people applying for food-service positions.

Most jobs pay minimum wage, but some employers will offer more based on an applicant’s experience.

“The people today were pleasant and happy,” said LaFlamme.

How pleasant and happy? While they waited inside the ESD portable office, LaFlamme said, some were doing the Wave after a number was called.

So many people showed up today to apply for jobs at the Puyallup Fair, that many were asked to come back on Thursday.

Interviewing for 3,000 jobs started at 8:30 a.m. and by mid morning at least that many were in line, according to a news release sent by the fair.

"Due to the inability to process that many applicants in one day, many of those people who showed up were asked to return tomorrow. Fair officials cut off the line at a location where WorkSource Employment Office staff could process those applicants today," the release said.

Interviewing will resume again on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at the WorkSource Employment Office on the north side of the facility.

Seasonal jobs are available in a variety of departments such as food service, retail sales, game and booth operators, barn workers and much more. Wages begin at $8.55 per hour, with some paying more based on duties and skills required.

To qualify, prospective employees must be at least 16 years old and be able to provide picture ID as well as proof of legal right to work, such as a social security card or alien registration card. The Fair will not accept applicants by phone or e-mail.

If Southwest Airlines is successful Thursday with its $170-million bid for Denver's Frontier Airlines, the shift in ownership could bring changes to the competitive balance among airlines in the Pacific Northwest.

Buying Frontier, for instance, would give Southwest access to new cities from Denver that it has never served before.

Of particular significance is Anchorage, Alaska Airline's second busiest hub. The Denver connection would allow residents of Alaska's largest city to connect in what could become Southwest's largest hub with some 250 flights a day rather than taking Alaska to Seattle to connect with flight to the East and Midwest. Southwest would also enter 14 other cities where it never as flown before including Atlanta and Washington Reagan National Airport.

Airline analysts are also speculating that when Southwest disposes of Frontier's 40 relatively new Airbus jets and substitutes Boeing 737s, a logical buyer would be San Francisco's Virgin America. Virgin America has emerged as a new West Coast competitor for United and Alaska. Access to a reasonably priced fleet of new aircraft would allow Virgin to expanded its network significantly at a reasonable price.

Virgin America already flies Airbuses, so the planes would be compatible with its existing fleet.

Boeing has delivered a first C-17 transport aircraft to a customer in the Mideast.

Qatar Emini Air Force Tuesday accepted delivery of the first of two of the four-engine transport aircraft it has on order.

The country may order two more of the transports after it checks out the first aircraft, Boeing said.

Boeing is counting on sales to customers outside the United States to keep its Long Beach, Calif. assembly line going as U.S. Air Force orders wind down.

The United Kingdom has C-17s in service, and an alliance of European countries has ordered C-17s that they will operate on a shared basis.

Boeing could be the beneficiary of Airbus' woes with its delayed A-400M transport. If European governments decide to cancel the program, already three years behind schedule and billions of Euros over budget, their transport needs could be met by a combination of Boeing C-17s and Lockheed C-130 transports.

The Long Beach C-17 assembly line is the last major aircraft assembly line in California, a state that once was the hub of American aircraft manufacturing.

SeaTac's Alaska Airlines is reshuffling its fall schedule looking for new opportunities for traffic especially where other airlines are cutting back.

The latest: new service from Portland to Chicago announced today. That service will complement Alaska's existing service from Seattle and Anchorage to Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

For readers closer to Portland than to Sea-Tac, the opening of the new route comes with introductory goodies: $99 one-way fares and double frequent flier miles for flights from the first day of the service, Nov. 16 through Jan. 31, 2010. To qualify for double miles, you must register for them at alaskaair.com. The introductory fares are available through Aug. 31.

Hotel occupancy in Pierce County fell 18.4 percent in June, compared to a year before, while statewide the occupancy rate fell 8.6 percent.

Only one region in Washington saw hotel occupancy increase. In the Tri-Cities and Central Washington, the rate rose 2.3 percent.

In June, 64.6 percent of rooms were occupied in Pierce County, according to Bellevue hospitality consultant Wolfgang Rood. Statewide, 72.9 percent of rooms were taken during the month.

The average daily room rate in Pierce County, $83.14, was up 0.2 percent from $83.01 recorded in June, 2008. Pierce County was the only region of the state to see an increase in the average daily rate, and the average statewide rate of $124.17 was down 9.2 percent from the year before.

Bellevue and the Eastside saw the greatest decline in occupancy in June, Rood said, down 26.5 percent. Bellevue likewise marked the greatest decline in the average room rate, down 18.4 percent to $128.26.

Downtown Settle recorded the state’s highest average room cost, at $168.18, which was down 7.4 percent from June, 2008. The Emerald City also recorded the state’s highest occupancy rate, with 85.2 percent of rooms taken – down 2.4 percent from 2008.

Tacoma-based Columbia Banking System, parent of Columbia Bank, announced this afternoon that it has raised $120 million through a previously announced public offering.

The company has issued 9,775,000 shares of common stock, including 1,275,000 shares of the underwriters' over-allotment option, at a price of $12.25 per share.

The net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses are expected to be approximately $113.8 million, the bank said in a release.

“We are extremely pleased with the results of our public offering, which validates the strength of our franchise,” said Melanie Dressel, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This additional capital, when added to our already strong capital levels, gives us the flexibility to respond quickly and effectively to business opportunities as they arise.”

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. acted as lead book-running manager of the offering, with D.A. Davidson & Co. as a co-manager.

Columbia stock closed down 15 cents to $15 in Tuesday trading.

A new would-be rescuer emerged Tuesday for downtown Tacoma's historic but structurally crumbling Luzon Building.

Tacoma contractor and developer Igor Kunista told the City Council Tuesday he wants to begin shoring up the leaning brick walls of the six-story building this week if can buy it from its present owner.

But in the meantime, the city's public works department Tuesday afternoon closed down South 13th Street and one southbound lane of Pacific Avenue adjacent to the building to protect the public.

The city fears the building, inundated by rains for decades, could collapse. The building's north wall is already leaning some five inches toward South 13th Street.

If Kunitsa's plan falls through or if building owner, The Gintz Group, can't find new financing to rehabilitate the building itself, the city may step in to install reinforcements to keep the building intact.

News of Kunitsa's interest came as both Gintz and the city were searching desperately for financially feasible ways to save the building, designed by famed Chicago architects Daniel Burnham and John Root.

Economic development project manager Ellen Walkowiak told the council that the city has been working with Kunitsa to remove potential roadblocks to the rehab project.

Several plans to find a productive reuse of the 118-year-old former bank building have been proposed over the last few years, but none proved doable. Those plans called for converting the building to corporate apartments, to condominiums or to offices and retail spaces.

Kunitsa's plan calls for him to invest $2.35 million in cash in the historic building. The remainder of the $6 million in construction cost would be paid with a $2 million loan from Wells Fargo Bank and a $1.65 million low-interest loan from the City of Tacoma.

The city had offered that same loan to the Gintz Group, but the Tacoma developer has been unable to find tenants to rent the offices in the rehabilitated structure.

Gintz' banker wants signed leases for most of the building before agreeing to provide financing. Robert Hailey, a consultant to Kunitsa, claims several tenants have shown strong interest in signing up for office space if Kunitsa rehabs the structure.

Kunitsa, owner of Serpanok Construction Inc., said after the council study session that he believes he can rehabilitate the Luzon more economically than Gintz because he would be both the building's developer and its general contractor. Gintz would have to hire an outside general contractor.

Kunitsa, an immigrant from the Ukraine, has lived in Tacoma for 18 years. He says he has investment properties in South Carolina as well as his Tacoma-based construction company.

That construction company has worked on several local high schools, on the rehabilitation of Fort Nisqually and on the overhaul of the Metropolitan Development Council Building downtown.

Gintz executive Ron Gintz said Kunitsa and Hailey came to The Gintz Group last year expressing interest in buying the building, but didn't follow through with an offer.

Gintz said he doesn't want to throw cold water on a deal that could save the historic structure, but he has reservations that Kinitsa could acquire the building, get permits and make the necessary financial arrangements within the next few days or weeks.

Any deal hinges on Kunitsa and The Gintz Group reaching a deal on the building's purchase price. The Gintz Group bought the structure for $83,000, but Gintz claims it has invested hundreds of thousands more in design, structural engineering and historic research on the structure. The Gintz Group's asking price for the building is now $500,000.

If the group doesn't sell the building, it potentially could be liable for the costs of any engineering work and construction the city might do to make the structure safe.

The Gintz Group is working with a non-profit agency to lease part of the building. If that lease goes through, the group might be able to obtain construction financing for the structure.

Council members at the session expressed strong interest in Kinitsa's proposal. Deputy mayor Julie Anderson said special recognition should also go to The Gintz Group for its efforts that have kept the building alive during a critical period in its existance.

The House of Representatives' decision to add $330 million to the defense budget to buy four new executive jets for the Air Force could be good news for workers at Boeing's Renton plant, but bad news for the deficit.

The Senate now is raising objections to the House's plan to acquire the four jets, two Boeing 737 executive aircraft and two Gulfstream G-Vs.

House members sponsoring the extra appropriation say the move will cut expenses because the modern jets will save operating costs because of their fuel efficiency.

But the Pentagon didn't request the new planes, and watchdog groups are saying the expenditure is based more on Congress' desire to fly in comfort than on any real need.

Boeing is officially mum on the controversy. The 737s are built at the company's Renton plant.

Maybe it was just too much wishful thinking when we speculated a couple of weeks ago that Tacoma gas prices had hit their summertime peak and were beginning a gradual downturn.

While we weren't looking, gas prices in the Tacoma area headed upward again. Average prices for unleaded regular today are $2.865. That's 15 cents more than last week at this time and 18.3 cents more than a month ago.

Of course, these prices still seem a bargain for anyone who experienced 2008's rapid price escalations. A year ago, according to TacomaGasPrices.com, gas was selling for $3.956 in the Tacoma area.

The trend is true across the state and nation. In Seattle, average unleaded gas prices jumped more than 7 cents week to week.

Washington's average prices for regular rose to the fourth highest in the nation this week at $2.854. The state was behind only California, Alaska and Hawaii, all of which have average prices over $3 a gallon.

The nation's cheapest gas is in South Carolina where average prices are $2.407 a gallon.

Nationwide, average prices have increased 19 cents a gallon in the last three weeks. Analysts expect present prices are near the summer peak.

A bad hurricane season on the Gulf Coast or crude oil price increases caused by international developments or speculation could pump those prices up further.

Kathleen Cooper sent this in this morning:

Tacoma and Pierce County political and business leaders raised a glass Monday night to celebrate DaVita's decision to keep its business offices in Tacoma.

In a cocktail gathering at the Pacific Grill Events Center, DaVita Vice President Jim Hilger accepted on behalf of the company the thanks of Tacoma's mayor – as well as a proclamation declaring Aug. 10, 2009, "DaVita Day" in Tacoma.

Mayor Bill Baarsma presented the framed proclamation, then surprised Hilger with a key to the city – a gift Baarsma asked Hilger to deliver to corporate headquarters in Denver.

DaVita, which operates a network of 1,400 kidney treatment centers nationwide, announced in May that it would sign a new lease on the former Schoenfeld Furniture Store at South 15th Street and Pacific Avenue, and lease three floors of the nearby Columbia Bank Building to house its accounting and billing staff.

The company now employs some 900 workers in Tacoma, and it expects to add more over the next decade. Its decision to stay in the city has been widely celebrated in downtown circles and almost always is mentioned in the same breath as the forthcoming headquarters decision for Russell Investments.

The gathering Monday was put on by the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma. Among those attending were U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who Hilger has said called him on his cellphone while DaVita was making a decision.

When asked if he had Russell CEO Andrew Doman's cellphone number handy, Dicks said with a smile, "I'm sure I have it in my files."

The Boeing Co. has settled a whistleblower lawsuit that claims it overbilled the Air Force for maintenance work on KC-135 tankers.

The company, while maintaining it did nothing wrong, agreed to pay the Justice Department $2 million, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

The suit was filed three years ago by former Boeing employee Edward Quintana. Quintana, who claims Boeing fired him to retaliate for his allegations, alleged Boeing billed the Air Force for several people working on jobs when he alone was doing the work.

Under federal law, the Quintana could receive from 15 to 25 percent of the $2 million settlement, his lawyers said.

Boeing said it cooperated fully with the government in investigating the claims. The company denied making false claims, but said it had taken action to correct internal charging issues.

Alaska Airlines' more than 650 aircraft technicians have ratified a new contract that will give them 3 percent raises over the next two years.

The mechanics, members of Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, approved the contract extension with a 77 percent majority.

The new deal gives mechanics raises of 1.5 percent on Oct. 17, 2009 and 2010.

"The voting results now show the majority of our members believe this extension and three letters of agreement over the next two years," the union's negotiating committee said in a written statement.

Don’t get punked by the Cash for Clunkers frenzy.

As with millions of dollars waiting in Nigerian bank accounts and cheap asphalt driveway repair, there are many schemes and always schemers willing to take advantage and help you part with your money.

It’s the same with Cash for Clunkers, says the Better Business Bureau in a release. This time, as it has been with several other well publicized programs, the scammers are out fishing for your personal information.

“Not only were some consumers quick to take advantage of the new program, but scammers didn’t waste any time either,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of the regional BBB. “Because the program is new, identity thieves know that they can cull sensitive personal information from consumers while looking like they are actually trying to offer assistance to participate in the program.”

So watch out: The scammers are asking people to register in the program. But you need not register or receive a voucher to participate; the car dealer will complete all necessary paperwork.

Unless you know exactly with whom you are dealing - either online, in person or on the phone - don't give out your Social Security number, credit card data or bank account information.

The Canadian government today signed an order for 15 Boeing CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters. The contract is worth $1.15 billion.

The twin-rotor helicopters will be produced in Boeing's Ridley Township, PA plant. They will be delivered between 2013 and 2014.

Boeing has promised the Canadian government it will offset the value of the helicopters going to the U.S. by producing a like value of aircraft parts in Canadian factories.

The helicopters, powered by two 4,733-horsepower Honeywell engines, will be able to transport 21,000 pounds of cargo.

Unmanned aircraft are finding increasing usefulness as surveillance platforms and even weapons, but Boeing thinks it's found yet another use for the remote control vehicles.

The Marine Corps is curious enough about Boeing's idea of using remotely-controlled aircraft to sign a $500,000 contract to demonstrate how such an aircraft can be drafted into delivering cargo to the front lines.

The demonstration will use Boeing's helicopter-like A160T Hummingbird to deliver up to 2,500 pounds of cargo to a remote site. The first of those demonstration flights will happen beginning in February.

The unmanned aircraft will reduce the risks that trucks or manned helicopters pose to personnel operating them in war zones.

Boeing's training and flight services operation has discarded the Alteon name which it has operated under since 2002 and become simply Boeing Training and Flight Services.

The Boeing division, headquartered in Renton, save the new name reflects the division's upgraded capabilities in flight and flight dispatch documentation, aircraft performance data, operational consulting as well as its traditional pilot, maintenance and cabin training operations.

Unless you were in the aviation industry, you probably had no idea what Alteon did. Like other consultant-generated names such as Avista (the former Washington Water Power), Allegis (once the corporate parent for United Airlines, Hertz and Westin Hotels) Amfac (the owner of Liberty House, once one of Tacoma Mall's anchor stores), the name gave no clue about the business. The new name says it all.

We told you earlier this week that Alaska Airlines' passenger numbers were up in July. That was wrong. The number of passengers flying on the SeaTac-based carrier actually fell 6.9 percent

What we should have said was that the airline's revenue passenger miles were up by .1 percent. A revenue-passenger-mile is one passenger flown one mile.

How could the number of passengers the airline carried last month be down but the number of miles they were carried times the number of passengers be up? Because the average flight was longer. Alaska, for instance, has added a number of Hawaiian destinations and Minneapolis to its schedule since last year. And it plans to continue the trend of adding longer routes to its map. The airline began trips to Austin, Texas recently and it plans to add Houston and Atlanta to its available itineraries on Sept. 23 and Oct. 23.

Worth noting: As revenue-passenger-miles rose, available-passenger-miles fell by 5.4 percent translating to fuller planes in July for Alaska.

Boeing's European rival, Airbus, is winning both the race to deliver airliners and to sign orders through the first seven months of 2009, new figures from both manufacturers show.

Airbus reported this week that it delivered 34 aircraft in July, bringing its total for the year to 288. Boeing delivered 279 aircraft through Tuesday.

On the order front, Airbus has booked 140 gross orders for 2009. Cancellations of existing orders drop the net for the year to 118.

Boeing reported 129 gross orders, but heavy cancellations for its delayed 787 Dreamliner reduced the net to just 40 for the year.

Boeing is still "weeks away" from issuing an updated schedule for the first flight of its oft-delayed 787 Dreamliner, the plane's chief engineer said this week.

Chris Musoke told a meeting of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots that the company is still studying how best to retrofit the plane's wing-body joint to deal with strength issues, Reuters reported.

Boeing in late June postponed the plane's first flight because of problems with premature cracking of the wing-body joint in tests at the company's Everett plant.

The aircraft is already two years behind schedule because of production, design and labor issues. Airlines have ordered more than 800 of the fuel-efficient twin jet.

A California-based airborne Internet communications company with contracts to provide airborne Web service to both Alaska and Southwest airlines have received the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission.

Row 44 won permission to operate its satellite-based system after a long political struggle.

Its application was opposed by rival ViaSat.

Both Alaska and Southwest have been testing Row 44's broadband system on a handful of aircraft awaiting final approval from regulators.

Other airlines are using ground-based Internet providers that use transmitters mounted on cell towers to provide airborne coverage.

Alaska picked Row 44 as its Internet provider in part because the satellite-based system will reach aircraft flying over remote parts of Alaska, over the Pacific Ocean between the continental U.S. and Hawaii and over Mexico.

The airline said it plans to equip its fleet within a year.

EgyptAir announced today it is converting an order for two long-range Boeing 777 jets into an order for eight smaller 737-800 jetliners.

The company has seven 737-800 single-aisle jets in its fleet now, and it is taking delivery of five more of the 160-passenger jets this year.

The airline has five 777s in its fleet now with orders for six 777-300ERs beginning in 2010.

The airline will use the Renton-built 737s to provide regional service from its hub at the new Cairo International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered U.S. airlines to modify their Boeing 767 twin jets to reduce the possibility of a fire in the planes' center fuel tank.

The federal agency gave airlines three years to modify the twin-aisle jets with an automatic fuel pump shut-off system. Domestic airlines have some 400 767s in their fleets.

The automatic systems would turn off fuel pumps in the center tank when fuel levels get low. Regulators fear that the fuel pumps could ignite a fire or an explosion because of vapors in the near-empty tanks.

Until the planes are modified, aircraft crews are being instructed to manually turn off the center tank fuel pumps when the fuel is exhausted.

Investigators believe that an explosion that ripped apart a TWA Boeing 747 near Long Island in 1996 may have been caused by stray electrical sparks in the near-empty center fuel tank.

Boeing advised airlines two years ago to begin making the modifications, but the planemaker's suggestion didn't carry the force of law.

More details have arrived concerning the Columbia Bank stock offering.

In a filing released earlier today, Columbia Banking System said it will be selling 8.5 million shares of common stock at a public offering price of $12.25 per share.

After underwriting discounts and commissions, but before other expenses are calculated, the bank expects receive $98,918,750.

Underwriters have the option to purchase up to 1.275 million additional shares within 30 days to cover any over-allotments, if any.

The shares are being offered by prospectus. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods is serving as the lead book-running manager of the deal, with D.A. Davidson as co-manager.

In the prospectus, Columbia said it intends to use the proceeds “to fund internal growth and selective acquisitions that meet our disciplined criteria and for general corporate purposes. With respect to acquisitions, we may use proceeds of the offering to take advantage of opportunities such as FDIC-assisted acquisitions.”

Also, the bank said it might decide to "apply proceeds to the repurchase of all or a portion of the Series A Preferred Stock we have issued to the Treasury.”

Before any specific allocation of the funds, the bank said it will invest the proceeds in short-term interest-bearing investment grade securities.

With less than a half-hour left in trading today, Columbia stock is up 86 cents to $13.85, an increase of 6.62 percent on the day.

Come one, come all, come those of you looking for work.

Three thousand jobs are about to open in Puyallup.

At the Fair.

The Western Washington Fair will begin hiring next Wednesday, Aug. 12, for its 2009 run.
The fair opens Sept. 11 and closes Sept. 27, and hiring will continue through Sept. 25.

Among the jobs available are positions in food service, games, rides, barns, retail sales and cleaning. And more.

Early applicants will get the best chance at the jobs of their choice.

Wages begin at $8.55 per hour, with some paying more based on duties and skills required, according to a release today from fair spokeswoman Karen LaFlamme.

Applications will only be taken in person at the WorkSource Employment Office on the north side of the fairgrounds at 9th Avenue Southwest between 4th Street Southwest and 5th Street Southwest.

Prospective employees must be at least 16 years old and be able to provide both a picture ID and proof of the legal to right to work – such as a Social Security card or alien registration card.

A trio of Columbia Bank executives visited New York this week – and plan to return tomorrow after speaking with investment brokers concerning a proposed stock issue worth some $80 million.

Details of the underwritten public offering, announced Monday, are being finalized, said Columbia spokeswoman JoAnne Coy earlier today.

Melanie Dressel, Columbia president and CEO, made the trip with CFO Gary Schminkey and Chief Credit Officer Andy McDonald, Coy said.

A press release this week said the bank would use the proceeds of the common-stock sale “for general corporate purposes, more specifically to support opportunistic growth and the bank’s capital needs.”

“It gives us the option,” Coy said, of repaying what remains of a $76.9 million boost last year from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program stimulus package.

“This gives us the flexibility to look at all the ways to use capital,” she said. “It gives us a lot more flexibility to look at our strategies.”

That strategy could include expansion of Columbia's branch system, which this year sees the addition of a Vancouver store. The money could also be used to acquire another bank.

Columbia stock closed today at $12.99, up 54 cents or 4.33 percent from Tuesday’s price – and up from a 52-week low of $4.93 recorded on March 9.

Bruegger's Bakery-Cafes, which once had nearly two dozen stores in the Puget Sound area, is scouting the area for new locations.

Bruegger's pulled out of Western Washington as the company changed hands repeatedly in the late '90s. The company shrank its nationwide profile as it struggled to cope with debt and to revitalize its business.

According to a press release from the chain, the company wants to open 25 franchised locations in the Puget Sound area and 15 in the Portland area.

The bagel chain said it is seeing evidence that business in lower-cost restaurants is growing as families adjust their dining budgets to cope with the recession.

Tom Spilman, president of KeyBank’s South Puget Sound Region, has been promoted to the position of president of the bank’s Colorado division.

Spilman has held the Tacoma-based job for four years and has, according to spokeswoman Anne Foster, led the region to become “one of the top performers in Key’s 22 districts nationwide.”

"Tom’s achievements in the South Puget Sound, and his expertise in consumer banking, make him the ideal choice to lead KeyBank’s expansion in Colorado,” said Wes Lawrence, president of the bank’s Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions.

Spilman has immediately assumed the responsibilities of the new position and will transition away from the South Sound portfolio within the next 30 days. A successor has not been named, and Foster said today that the search is a priority.

“Speed is of the essence,” she said.

She noted Spilman’s community service, and said the person selected as the new president will also become active. "That is a priority for Key,” she said.

In 2008, under Spilman’s leadership, Key donated some $900,000 in direct and in-kind support for events and charitable organizations, while representation on nonprofit boards has doubled. Spilman serves on boards for United Way, Tacoma Community College, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, University of Washington-Tacoma, Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma, Junior Achievement and Pierce County Economic Development.

“Leaving Tacoma,” he said, “will be the most difficult professional move in my career.”

Credit Suisse downgraded Federal Way-based Weyerhaeuser Co.'s stock today from "neutral" to "underperform," but the company's stock rose more than $2.00 a share.

The company Monday reported losses of 59 cents a share, but that was better than Wall Street had expected. Analysts on average had predicted a loss of 71 cents a share.

At midday, the company's stock was selling for $37.43 a share, up $2.24. During last year's second quarter, the company reported a lost of $1.25.

Closed sales of homes in Pierce County rose in July compared both to June and July last year.

According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, 903 home sales were closed in July in the county, compared to 747 deals closed in June and 796 a year ago.

The median price of a home sold in Pierce County this month fell to $228,500, down 10.4 percent from $255,000 a year before.

Statewide, sellers closed 5,527 home sales, up from 5,271 in July 2008. the median price of a home statewide was $279,000, down 10 percent from $310,000 a year ago.

The number of pending sales in Pierce County, 1,251, was up in July by 20.75 percent from 1,036 home sales pending a year before.

A flight informally dubbed the "Nerd Bird" because of its many techie passengers is flying again between the two tech hubs of Seattle and Austin, Texas.

The flight, formerly flown by American Airlines, is now being flown by SeaTac's Alaska Airlines. American abandoned the route in a systemwide downsizing.

The first Alaska flight on the route took off Monday.

Alaska plans to inaugurate another "Nerd Bird" flight Sept. 2. This flight will link Austin with the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose, Calif.

The airline is offering limited bargain fares on the flight ($99 each way from Seattle and $89 each way from Austin). The airline is also offering double frequent flier miles on the non-stop flight through Oct. 15 from Seattle and Oct. 31 from San Jose.

Forbes magazine in a new study ranks Seattle and Portland among the top dozen cities nationwide where housing vacancies are rising the quickest.

The magazine ranked Seattle eleventh among the nation's 75 largest metro areas in vacancy changes. Portland was 10th on Forbes' list.

At the top (or at the bottom, if you prefer) was Kansas City, Mo.

The the two cities are seeing their housing vacancies rise at a relatively high rate, the magazine said, total vacancies are less than in many other cities across the nation.

Alaska Airlines' saw a small increase in paying passengers in July over the same month last year, an encouraging sign after months of declining traffic.

Traffic for the year is down 5.4 percent.

Some 1.79 million passengers flew on the SeaTac-based carrier in July this year compared with 1.788 million last year during July.

That increase in paying traffic coupled with a 5.4 percent decline in available seats upped the percent age of seats filled on the average flight from 79.7 percent in July 2008 to 84.3 percent in the same month this year.

Meanwhile at Alaska's regional partner airline, Horizon Air, passenger traffic dropped 8.3 percent while available seat-miles fell 12 percent. That meant Horizon's planes had a greater percent of seats occupied in July 2009 (80.6 percent) compared with July 2008 (77.3 percent.)

The state Department of Financial Institutions has filed charges against a Gig Harbor man seeking to revoke his license to sell securities because of "dishonest and unethical practices."

The department alleges that Michael D. Montgomery mishandled the investments of an elderly man who was his client.

Montgomery borrowed $546,000 from that client while he was acting as the manager of his financial affairs. In addition, Montgomery purportedly wrote $105,070 in checks to himself from the man's accounts supposedly for power of attorney services.

After the man's death, Montgomery wrote $225,982 in checks to himself from the client's estate for further estate services, the state claimed.

The state acknowledged that Montgomery did repay $320,737 after he sold his own home.

Montgomery couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.

Montgoverment is a former registered securities salesperson with Wachovia Securities Financial Network and an investment adviser for Mutual Service Corp., the state charges say.

Anticipating tepid business and pleasure travel demand this fall, SeaTac's Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, today announced new autumn bargain fares.

Here are some examples:

San Francisco, Oakland and Boise: $49 each way
Denver, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Sacramento: $69
New York City and Dallas: $109

These fares are one-way without taxes. Taxes on a roundtrip to Oakland or San Francisco add some $21 to the fares.

Similar bargain fares are available from Portland.

Expect rival airlines such as Southwest, Virgin America and Frontier to match those low fares.

Tickets must be booked by Aug. 14 for travel between Sept. 14 and Dec. 16. Lowest prices are not available on Friday or Sunday flights.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren talks about the economy and the retail business. Here's a couple of the questions from the article:

Do you think about lowering your average selling price or changing your product blend, as some of your competitors have done?

Here's the challenge. We have [a men's pants brand], and they typically go out the door between $29.50 and $32.50, with all the coupons and everything. We and the manufacturer together agreed to mark them down to $21.99 or something like that. Selling like hotcakes. Every other pants around them stopped selling.

So we were getting tremendous sell-through at low price points and no margins. And I am not making my pants sales for last year, because my average sale dropped by 30%. It's really hard to make the math work. I have to have 30% more transactions on this product to break even.

Are you worried that customers are trained to wait for discounts, particularly after last holiday season?

I'm not worried about it. I'm counting on it. If we get an upside surprise, that would be a wonderful thing. But they will not forget the value they had last year.

=> Read more!

The government of former Soviet republic Turkmenistan has ordered the state airline to buy three new 737-700 jetliners from Boeing.

Reuters reports the country says that it will pay $120 million for the planes.

Turkmenistan, blessed with abundant natural gas, is gradually replacing all of its former Soviet airliners with new Western models.

The 737-700 is a twin-engine jet produced at Boeing's Renton plant.

Alaska Airlines posted the best on-time record last month among traditional network airlines, new figures from Portland's flightstats.com show.

The airline, whose on-time performance has been at or near the top of the charts in recent months, was 86.44 percent on time in July.

That put Alaska fifth on the list of domestic U.S. airlines. The four airlines with better performances are either regional or commuter carriers.

Topping the list was Hawaiian Airlines with 93.45 percent of its flights arriving on time, within 15 minutes of the schedule.

Alaska's sister regional carrier, Horizon Air, was third on the list with 88.16 percent on-time arrivals.

Meanwhile, Sea-Tac Airport was ninth among the world's busiest airports in on-time arrivals in July with 82.69 percent of flights arriving on time.

Tops was Seoul, Korea with 85.39 percent of its flights arriving on schedule.

A tax on shipping containers handled at the nation's biggest port complex, Long Beach-Los Angeles, may soon be rolled back.

That tax was approved in January of last year, but never imposed it because of the economy's slowdown.

Pacific Northwest ports such as Tacoma and Seattle had hoped the Southern California tax on container imports would shift some cargo northward because the Northwest ports weren't imposing such a fee on imports.

The tax was supposed to generate $1.4 billion for infrastructure improvements at the ports.

The two ports delayed the implementation of that fee, now $6 per 20-foot container, until July 1, 2010 because they didn't want to lose business to other ports in a declining economy.

The side-by-side ports now are reported to be considering scrapping the fees entirely.

Ships that have agreed to use low-sulphur diesel fuel to power their generators and other engines while docked at the Port of Seattle have cut their emissions substantially, the port said.

Sulphur dioxide emissions from those ships is down 80 percent or more, and particulate matter emissions have been reduced 60 percent by the program.

That program, At-Berth Clean Fuels, pays shipping lines an incentive averaging about $1,500 per ship call to help defray the higher cost of low-sulphur fuel.

That subsidy payment comes from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

So far, said the port, 37 ships from six container lines and one cruise line have agreed to participate in ABC Fuels. Those ships make about 35 percent of the ship calls art the port.

The repeal of Alaska's $50 per person tax on cruise ship passengers visiting the 49th state isn't on new Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell's to-do list, reports the Juneau Empire.

The abolition of that tax could be good news for Puget Sound if cruise lines are right in their prediction that the cost reduction would lure more passengers to their Alaska cruises.

Seattle is now the largest homeport for Alaska-bound cruises. Cruise lines have threatened to curtail their sailings to Alaska unless the state removes the tax.

Alaska voters approved the head tax in a 2006 ballot initiative.

Parnell recently replaced former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who resigned the Alaska governor's post.

SeaTac's Horizon Air is expanding wintertime service to California's Mammoth Lakes resort beginning in mid-December.

The new service, announced today, will double the number of daily flights from Los Angeles and add non-stop flights from San Jose and Reno.

The new service will also offer one-stop service from Seattle and Portland.

Horizon inaugurated service from LAX last year with one flight daily. The flight was an hour and 10 minutes compared with a car trip of five hours.

New fares start at $49 each way from Reno, $69 from San Jose and Los Angeles, $144 from Portland and $149 from Seattle.

Your Pierce County Library card now gets you access to a resume assistance service, free of charge.

The county library system announced Monday that it is offering access to software from Resume Maker, which provides guided resumes in dozens of styles. The service also includes video simulations representing top interview questions and answers, information about salary standards and salary negotiation tips.

"We're hearing more and more from folks in our libraries saying, 'I need help with this,'" said Mary Getchell, library spokeswoman.

So the library entered into a two-year contract with Resume Maker for $15,000.

Library card holders can access the service from their home computer by going to www.piercecountylibrary.org, then clicking on "Search Site" in the top right corner. In the search field, enter "resume maker" then select the appropriate item. Follow the instructions from there on logging in.

The service also will be available from the libraries' own computers. Go to www.piercecountylibrary.org/branches to find the location closest to you.