http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/ Latest blog entries from staff at Business Examiner en-us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:18:36 PDT Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:18:36 PDT Business Examiner CMS http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/people-on-move-137/ Edward Jones Financial Advisor Paul Muldoon of Olympia recently received the Winner's Circle Award for his outstanding sales and service efforts during the past year. Muldoon was one of only 492 of the firm's more than 12,000 financial advisors to receive the Winner's Circle award. ... Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:21:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/nonresidential-construction-job-losses-jump/ Job losses in the nonresidential construction sector surged in June to 11,700, according to the July 2 employment report by the U.S. Labor Department. On a year-over-year basis, nonresidential building construction employment fell by 88,700, or 10.8 percent, to 734,600.  ... Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:19:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/coates-to-serve-as-tacoma/ Power Management Manager Ted Coates will serve as the new superintendent of Tacoma Power starting Aug. 1. He succeeds Gary Armfield, who will retire on July 31. ... Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:16:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/dshs-stops-admissions-to-auburn/ The state Department of Social and Health Services has stopped admissions to Joportia Adult Family Home, which is privately operated at 29005 45th Ave. S. in Auburn. ... Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:03:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/heavy-holiday-traffic-expected-on/ One-way, alternating traffic across the new Purdy Creek Bridge on U.S. 101 in Mason County is expected to cause significant delays during the Independence Day weekend. ... Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:02:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/murray-draws-attention-to-nursing/ As access to health care is broadened through national health care reform, Sen. Patty Murray believes even more nurses and other health care workers will be needed locally and across the nation in the future. In an effort to bring attention to the local and national shortage of nurses and other critical health care workers, Murray held a news conference at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor today. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:07:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/bates-president-announces-resignation-1/ Bates Technical College President David Borofsky announced that he will resign from his post effective Dec. 31, to pursue other opportunities. He has served as the college's president for the past five years. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:36:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/mckenna-warns-consumers-debt-relief/ Attorney General Rob McKenna today praised the Federal Trade Commission for tackling a Tacoma company that preyed on financially strapped consumers. He did urge consumers to take advantage of low-cost credit counseling services, but to be smart about their choices. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:48:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/state-sheriffs-want-immigration-fix/ In a letter to state Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, the Washington State Sheriff's Association issued an urgent call for changes to the immigration system.The association cited a number of impacts caused by the broken U.S. immigration system, including expense on local courts and jails; erosion of trust between communities and law enforcement; and distracting law enforcement from their primary objective – public safety and crime prevention. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:44:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/boeing-to-development-spacecraft-system/ An industry team led by Boeing has received a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for work on Phase 2 of the Fast Access Spacecraft Testbed program. The $15.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is currently funded to $13.8 million.The program aims to develop a new, ultra-lightweight High Power Generation System that can generate up to 175 kilowatts – more power than is currently available to the International Space Station. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:41:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/blog-watch-no-parking/ Feed Tacoma is reporting that parking expert Donald Shoup will speak in Tacoma later this month at the annual Pacific Intermountain Parking & Transportation Association Conference & Trade Show. Shoup's main points are that parking minimums are destructive to urban areas and that off-street parking requirements should be removed allowing the market to determine how much parking is built, and curb parking rates should be set at the minimum cost possible in order to create a 15 percent curb vacancy. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:29:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/tumwater-to-lose-manufacturer/ Albany International Corp. disclosed today that it will discontinue operations at its process belt manufacturing facility in Tumwater. The European-based conglomerate also is closing plants in France and Germany.Similar steps have been taken by the company during the last few years in North America, as the global paper and paperboard industry continues to shift capacity from traditional paper markets to new emerging markets. ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:29:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/coffee-break-keepin-cool/ Today is the start of what forecasters predict will be a five-day stretch of sunshine, with temperatures expected to top 90 degrees – a definite "heat wave" for Western Washington natives, though non-natives often scoff.The Business Examiner would like to know how extreme weather affected your hometown? More than 100 degrees at 100-percent humidity? Wind chill of 50 below? How did you cope? ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:21:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/south-sound-topless-club-owners/ The owners and operators of Fox's topless dance club in Parkland are included in a criminal indictment released today by the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington in Seattle.Frank Colacurcio Sr., 92, and his son, Frank Colacurcio Jr., were named by a federal grand jury that alleges racketeering, money laundering and other offenses related to suspected prostitution at the entertainment firms specializing in strippers and dancers without clothes. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:03:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/wsdot-uncovers-overtime-pay-fraud/ The Washington State Department of Transportation this week announced that an internal payroll audit has uncovered at least $67,000 in unearned overtime and compensation time charges by an employee over the past two years. WSDOT continues its investigation and has referred the case to Washington State Patrol and Pierce County Prosecutors Office to investigate potential criminal charges. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:51:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/tra-franciscan-launch-federal-way/ Two Northwest health care organizations, TRA Medical Imaging and Franciscan Health System have teamed up to launch a state-of-the-art outpatient medical imaging center in Federal Way. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:01:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/bank-robbery-shuts-fife-strip/ A robbery at the Fife branch of Bank of America forced the evacuation of a busy business strip along Pacific Highway and the on and off-ramp of Interstate 5 at 54th Avenue due to police activity as officers search for suspects this morning. One suspect is reportedly already in custody. The area was closed for several hours and opened at noon. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:47:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/puyallup-firm-lands-device-contract/ Puyallup-based Qwizdom has announced a partnership with text book publisher CTB/McGraw-Hill that will have the local firm provide student response devices, or "clickers," that give educators the ability to engage and motivate students, while instantly gathering assessment data. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:07:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/heritage-joins-russell-3000-index/ Heritage Financial Corp. CEO  Brian L. Vance announced that the Olympia-based bank has been added to the small-cap Russell 2000 Index within the broad-market Russell 3000 Index, according to a list of additions posted June 29, 2009 on www.russell.com. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:06:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/murray-to-announce-cure-to/ Sen. Patty Murray will hold a news conference at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor tomorrow as a way to bring attention to the local and national shortage of nurses and other critical health care workers. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:05:00 PDT http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/people-on-move-136/ Pamela Transue, president of Tacoma Community College, has been selected as president of the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges. WACTC is the organization of community and technical college presidents; its primary role is to develop policy recommendations for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in Olympia, and for the state community college system.Marcie Pickett-Johnson will join the teaching staff of the award-winning early learning program at the Hands On Children's Museum. Marcie currently works as the Museum's Education Program Coordinator and as the primary substitute teacher for the Museum's innovative preschool that combines the arts and sciences in a rich, dramatic play setting. Prior to joining the museum, Marcie developed and taught programs for preschool through 5th grade for the University Of Oregon's Museum Of Art and was a founding member of the Blue Tower Arts Foundation in Eugene, Ore. ... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:57:00 PDT