According to a posting on the PR Newswire today, Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp. has announced that it has completed the transaction to sell assets relating to 171 of its Bally Total Fitness clubs to Fitness International, LLC, an affiliate of LA Fitness International, LLC.

Bally Total Fitness will continue to own and operate a more focused footprint of 100 locations under the Bally name.

Bally operates five outlets in the South Sound area – in Tacoma, Olympia, Puyallup, Federal Way and Kent.

Bally’s did not confirm on Wednesday which outlets would remain open, and which close. Corporate spokesmen were …

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The Hughes Group on Thursday will celebrate the opening in of its newly remodeled headquarters in Tacoma following a move from Lakewood.

Among other enterprises, the company offers a “business accelertor” to assist women- and veteran-owned businesses find resources and develop leads for government contracting.

Hughes Group employs 278 people and counts offices 10 states, according to spokeswoman Naomi Taumaletia. Close 50 are employed at the Tacoma office, located at 3701 So. Lawrence St.

The company also partners with WorkSource to provide employment for jobseekers.

Company President and CEO Patrick L. Hughes Sr. will speak at the Thursday press conference …

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A proposed labor agreement that secures production of Boeing’s newest aircraft for the Puget Sound area also provides a healthy dose of wage increases and benefit enhancements for union machinists, the union told its members today.

Machinist Union members in Puget Sound, Oregon and Kansas will vote on the tentative agreement Dec. 7 The union’s negotiating committee has unanimously recommended the four-year deal be approved.

Here are its key provisions;

* A 2 percent annual wage increase.
* Quarterly cost-of-living wage adjustments
* Annual incentive pay increases of 2 to 4 percent based on safety, quality and productivity …

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Boeing and its largest union have reached a landmark agreement that ensures Boeing will continue building its popular 737 in Renton, could avoid a costly strike next year and could end a contentious dispute over a new plant in South Carolina.

The agreement, which must be approved by the Machinists Union rank and file, was the result of secret talks initiated by Boeing high executives with union negotiators in late October.

The tentative pact extends the current labor agreement by four years if ratified.

“We look forward to a new era of prosperity for the Boeing and the union …

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Five new members have been elected to the Tacoma Food Co-op’s board as the organization moves into operational mode for its new Sixth Avenue store.

That store opened in a former grocery at Sixth Avenue and Junett Street in September after several years of fundraising and planning.

“We’re entering an exciting new phase of managing what is essentially a fledgling start-up,” says Mandy Landa, TFC’s new president. “The new board brings a great mix of experience and knowledge that our members should feel really confident about.”

Several TFC board members remain on the board including Landa, Casandra Gorell, Molly Archer …

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If you’ve ever been lost inside a gargantuan shopping mall, department store or airport, Google says it wants to help you find your way.

The Internet company is now offering a version of its Google Maps software that provides indoor maps of such major buildings nationwide.

The indoor mapping feature is available only for mobile devices running Google’s Android operating system version 2.2 or above. The indoor mapping feature is available in Google Maps version 6.0 and above.

Locally Sea-Tac Airport is among the buildings whose floor plans are available on those devices. Macy’s, Ikea and Home Depot stores are …

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A blizzard of winter airline fares is making an unseasonable appearance this year on the Internet.

The prices — if you can reserve now and if you’re not particular about when you go — are as good as they’ve been in years.

For instance look at these one-way sale fares from Sea-Tac:

San Francisco and San Jose: $40
Los Angeles: $60
Long Beach: $80
Dallas-Fort Worth and St. Louis: $75
New York: $100
Other cities are comparably priced.

Multiple airlines including Alaska and Southwest are featuring these low fares which are available to buy …

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American Airlines’ 12 daily flights from Sea-Tac Airport were operating normally today despite the airline’s early morning bankruptcy reorganization filing.

“American expects to continue normal business operations throughout the reorganization process, and the business will continue to be operated by the company’s management,” the airline’s parent company, AMR, said in a prepared statement.

The airline’s frequent flier programs will not be affected by the bankruptcy, the airline said.

With 4.21 percent of Sea-Tac traffic, American is Sea-Tac’s sixth busiest carrier after Alaska, Horizon, Delta, United/Continental and Southwest.

The airline flies seven daily non-stops to Dallas, four to Chicago and …

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