Those of you who read the print version of The News Tribune's stock listings may have noticed our more visually appealing stock page that debuted today.

We converted our stock page to a more at-a-glance look at the day's market activity.

As happens any time we change your newspaper, you called. I have heard from about three dozen readers today with opinions on the new format. Most of them want to know what happened to the oil prices. The answer: We forgot them. As we were rearranging the various pieces on the page, we didn't notice the commodity price didn't make it into the new format. But we heard you. They will return in Wednesday's paper.

Let me know if you have other thoughts about our print stock page. Or thoughts on our online edition.

Editors liked the coverage of the floods around our state. Lots of good photos but we wished we had more room to run more pictures.

Reporter Scott Fontaine and photographer Dean Koepfler did a great job of being on the scene of the floods.

"You gotta be there to get the stories," says Managing Editor Karen Peterson.

Sports: We liked the story on the Gonzaga-WSU basketball game.

Soundlife: Few of the editors were fans of raisin pie.

MONDAY
The front page: Editors thought the story on the murder from the 1930s was interesting and had lots of detail.

The weather story had good info. We should remember to send readers to the Web for updates on stories like this one.

Business section: Glad we did the Q&A on the slot cars at Freighthouse Square.

Sports: A couple of editors said they liked the BCS information at the top of the page.

Soudlife: The story on products that make it through airport security was a good consumer read.

SUNDAY
Several people like the Puyallup Tribe story. Lots of details. A couple of people said it would have been nice to hear more from the tribal council members who were voted out of office. Randy McCarthy, the editor who worked on the story, said the reporter tried for a month to get them to talk to him.

Soundlife: Nice White Pass story.

Business: Surprising story on the lagging sales of lowest price homes.

SATURDAY

The front page: Most weren't crazy about the headline on the recycling story: "It's a sham shame."

Sports: The story on the state championships was a good read.

Business: Yum. Candy and other goodies.

Soundlife: Editors thought the "For Hire" graphic wasn't the right illustration for the holiday lights story. People thought it would be about hiring professionals to decorate your house and it wasn't.

Everyone liked Kathleen Merryman's column on Ruby Thomas and her granddaughter Mercedes. It was a compelling read.

Local news editor Hunter George said he was late getting out the door because he was reading the front page stories.

Managing Editor Karen Peterson said she wanted statistics on incidents at the Lakewood bar – calls for service or something to give readers a sense of what was going on in that neighborhood. Local news editor Matt Misterek explained that he and his team worked on the issue right up to deadline and didn't feel that the numbers they had were the right ones. Karen and Matt agreed to keep working on it to provide context for the story.

On the local front: Nice centerpiece photo that referred readers to the stories on the Show & Tell page.

Karen Peterson was glad we did the obituary on the Federal Way teacher.

Biz: Editors laughed at the funny headline on the Alaska Airlines story. "If only they'd pack your bags for you"

SL: The group liked the missing recipes centerpiece.

The team dispatched to cover the fire at Atlas included Drew Perine, C.R. Roberts and Jeff Burlingame.

Crime and Breaking News Team Leader Randy McCarthy was at The News Tribune office when the propane tanks at Atlas Castings and Technology exploded.

Here's his account:

I was walking across the parking lot, heading into work shortly before 3
p.m., when I heard a strange sound in the distance. Nothing big but unusual.

Just then two copy editors also coming into work called to me and said a guy
at an adjacent business had just yelled to them that there had just been a
big explosion nearby.

I looked in that direction and saw a tall plume of smoke rolling into the
sky. I ran into the newsroom and saw Drew Perine,sitting as his photo
station. "A guy says there was just a explosion," I told Drew. "Would you
check that out?"

Drew took off and I went to the front of our building with Scott
Oberstaller, one of our sports staffers. He got there first and said
something I can't repeat but that made it plain there was big fire nearby.

When I saw the same thing I ran back into the newsroom to see who was
available to cover the story. Marce Edwards, the team leader handling the
night editing shift, told me that our two Saturday reporters were in the
building. I told the reporters, Bill Hutchens and C.R. Roberts, what was up
and sent them out.

Three our our copy desk staffers were monitoring the police scanners. I
asked if any of them had ever been a reporter. Jeff Burlingame said he had,
so I dispatched him, too.

As he was heading out the door we heard another explosion. This one was much
stronger and louder.

"Go! Go! Go!" I yelled as we all ran toward our cars. "Get as close as you
can but don't get hurt!"

Minutes later we had a photographer, three reporters and an editor on the
scene. In the newsroom, Marce had already posted our first news alert on the
Web site.

The business team is working on several stories this afternoon including one on a labor agreement between Macy's and its union at the Tacoma Mall.

Here's what's posted on the Biz Buzz:

Workers at the Tacoma Macy's stores agreed on a labor contract with the retailer last month, ending a year-long disagreement about health care costs and credit applications.

Blaine Sherfinski, secretary/treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 367, said a majority of the union's 300 members agreed in June to a cost-of-living wage increase each year during the three-year contract. They also agreed to a stipend to offset an increase in health insurance premiums.

A:
The group said the Everett female imposter story was a good pick. We had two versions of the story and picked the Everett Herald version because it had an interview with the girl's mother.

The editors had some discussion about whether we should have put the British captives story on A3 and run the Eddie Robinson sports story on the front.

The vote: Six people at the meeting said we should have kept the British story where it was. Four people voted for a switch.

Local:

We liked the soldier memorial photo. We discussed our policy for covering the death of service members.

Military editor Matt Misterek said our goal is to do one long story for each service member who dies. That could be a story when they die, and it could be a story for the memorial service.

Business:

The editors, many of whom have young kids, liked the Pump it Up story. Readers have seen the signs and the commercials and may wonder what it is.

A1: The group thought the front page had lots of news. Sean Robinson received kudos for his work on the Gig Harbor shooting story. It had nice writing and gave readers a look at John William Branden.

B1: There's high reader interest in the movement of the bridge piece. We talked about the Web refer and making sure it had prominent play on the homepage so readers can find it. As of just before noon the piece hadn't started moving yet.

Business: The $3 gas story was a good consumer piece. Overall, the page gave readers lots of choices and links to the Web.