The housing slump continues to take casualties among timber workers in Washington as Weyerhaeuser Co. and union representatives met today in Vancouver to discuss layoffs among logging workers.

Those cutbacks could lead to the loss of 160 jobs in the woods in Aberdeen, Raymond and Pe Ell, reported the Aberdeen Daily World.

Weyerhaesuer is closing its log yard in South Aberdeen and consolidating its log export activity in Olympia and Longview.

The loss of those logging, truck driving and maintenance jobs could bring further misery in communities already hit by the weak demand for wood for housing.

In a move that harkened back to the airline fare wars of the ’80s, Alaska Airlines today announced it will award its Mileage Plan frequent fliers double miles for flights between May 6 and June 30

The airline said the double miles program will celebrate InsideFlyer magazine naming it frequent flier program as “Program of the Year.”

Here’s how to qualify for double miles:

Mileage Plan members must first register online at alaskaair.com. Double miles are valid on Bargain, Value, Full Flex and First Class fare categories for flights on Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

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Surface trade between the United States’ top North American trading partners, Mexico and Canada, fell at an all-time high rate in February.

That trade by truck, train or pipeline fell 30.9 percent in February according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

That year-to-year drop was the largest single month drop since the bureau began tracking such trade.

February was the fourth month in a row when trade between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada fell more than 13 percent.

The dollar volume of trade was $47.9 billion, the

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It’s one of the best business events of the year, and last night a few members of Team Trib attended the 8th Annual Business Leadership Awards ceremony as hosted by the University of Washington Tacoma Milgard School of Business.

The stories of the winners are always surprising and well told – this year’s winners were James Milgard, of Milgard Windows & Doors; Bill Matthaei, of Roman Meal; David Ottey, of the Emergency Food Network; and Brian Forth, of SiteCrafting.

The food (I had the chicken, others at the table had the halibut; both were tasty) was proclaimed as

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Look to October for completion of the Wellness Center at Tacoma Lutheran Home.

Built by Rushforth Construction at a cost of $1.7 million (or $2.24 million with fees and taxes), the center will comprise some 5,000 square feet and feature an exercise pool, spa pool and exercise room meant to benefit the 400 seniors who live on the Home’s grounds.

The pools will have a lift to assist those residents who night otherwise be unable to use them.

The Home celebrated the center’s groundbreaking yesterday at 1301 No. Highlands Parkway.

According to a release received today,

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Tacoma toy seller ChildTrek has been named winner of the The 2009 Earth Day Window Display award – given out by the toy manufacturer Plan Toys. (That’s a picture of the display, as supplied by the store.) The winning window will remain intact until May 15 at the ChildTrek store at Freighthouse Square.

The motto at ChildTrek is "Natural toys, books and gifts for a green generation."

Founded by Miebeth Bustillo-Booth, herself a mother, as an online enterprise in 2007, the store opened a brick-a-d-mortar presence in 2008. For some retailers,

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The Boeing Co. has won top honors in a survey of readers of Equal Opportunity magazine, who named the aerospace company as their most preferred employer.

The survey among 1,000 readers of Equal Opportunity magazine picked Boeing as No. 1 followed by PepsiCo., State Farm Insurance, Target and Deloitte.

Equal Opportunity is a career guidance and recruitment publication distributed free to minority college students.

The Puyallup Main Street Association has named Michele McGill, former executive director of Tacoma’s Pioneer Museum of Motorcycles, as its new executive director.

McGill will replace Dave Eatwell who begins a new job as economic development director for a group of small Oregon cities next week.

McGill, who worked with many Pierce County businesses and organizations as a marketing consultant, served as chair of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce board in 2006.

“We are very pleased to find someone with Michele’s enthusiasm, experience and ability to work with our membership,” said PMSA board president Paula Jones.

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