Alpine Acquires 5 A.C. Houston Yards

A.C. Houston Lumber Co., North Las Vegas, Nv., has sold its five yards in Colorado and New Mexico to Alpine Lumber, Westminster, Co.

The deal for locations in Crested Butte and Durango, Co., and Angel Fire, Farmington and Gallup, N.M., closed April 2.

"We believe that those yards are located in terrific markets that will be very viable for a long time to come," said Bill Miller, president and c.e.o. of Alpine.

He expected few changes at the newly acquired locations.

Weyco Readies New Mill

Weyerhaeuser Co.'s new lumber/planer mill in Longview, Wa., is scheduled to run its first log June 30.

The existing mill on the site will shut down three weeks before to prepare for the final consolidation.

"We will have a mill here that, in the end. will be the most competitive in North America," said Fred Kuhn, manager of the St. Helens unit.

The company's 32-year-old Green Mountain sawmill in Toutle. Wa..

A.C. Houston retained its five yards in Nevada, California and Idaho.

"We were approached by Alpine, we took a look at it, and we agreed upon a price," said A.C. Houston president Ron Mason. "We're a business, so our assets are for sale at any time. They're a good company, we're a good company, all things should continue on."

Founded in 1963, Alpine now operates 15 lumberyards in Colorado and New Mexico.

closed May l.

About half of the mill's 100 employees will be hired at the Longview operation, which is expected to employ 230 people.

Potlatch Settles OSB Lawsuit

Potlatch Corp., Spokane, Wa., will pay $2.7 million to settle its share of a federal class-action lawsuit alleging that producers conspired to increase the price of OSB by reducing supply.

According to a company statement,

"Although we vigorously deny any wrongdoing, we tentatively settled the claims of the direct purchaser class, solely in order to avoid the further expense and burden of the ongoing litigation."

Potlatch spokesman Matt Van Vleet said the settlement deal must still be approvcd by a fcdcral judgc.

The suit was originally filed in 2OO4 by several Northeastern dealers and distributors against Potlatch, Louisiana-Pac ific, Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific, Ainsworth, Norbord, Tolko, and J.M. Huber.

While denying any wrongdoing, G-P. Ainsworth and Huber have also since settled.

Gonsumers Join OSB Suit

A price-fixing lawsuit against OSB producers has been certified as a class action suit on behalf of consumers.

Now homeowners who indirectly purchased new OSB from June I ,2002, to February 24, 20O6.can now be included in the action.

Fire Hits Arizona Lumberyard

Lumbermens, Prescott Valley, Az., suffered an April 2l fire that caused about $10,000 worth of damage to saws in a work area in the back of the main store.

"Two saws had ignited and caused wood and sawdust to catch fire," said Rod Lopez, fire safety specialist for Central Yavapai Fire District.

Firefighters took just 10 minutes to extinguish the fire, which did not harm the main store.

"We think that the workers had used the saw earlier that day and sparks of some sort landed in the sawdust bin," said Lopez. "It smoldered and had enough oxygen and fuel to ignite the saw."

No one was hurt and the store reopened the following morning.

Atrium Shuts Window Plant

Atrium Cos., Dallas, Tx., is closing its Tolleson, Az., vinyl and aluminum window and door manufacturing plant and consolidating operations at its facility in Anaheim, Ca.

Atrium's chief operating officer, Bob Burns, attributed the closure to high metal and diesel fuel prices and plummeting housing starts in Phoenix,

Az., and Las Vegas, Nv.

The Atrium Door & Window Co. of Arizona plant will wind down operations through the summer, although its lease expires September 30.

The Arizona facility will be the third Atrium has closed over the last three years.

Handyman Receives Help

For more than 30 years, Paul Hessick has helped customers at his family's Ace Hardware store in Beaverton, Or. Since being severely injured ina car accident last November, those customers and loyal employees have helped keep the store open.

"It was so nice to have the support of the community and our amazing employees," said his wife, Debbie. "It meant a great deal to us."

After the accident, Paul was in a coma for three weeks and in intensive care for a month. As the Hessick family focused on Paul's recovery, needed assistance came from both employees and customers.

"We didn't know how we were going to keep the store running," said daughter Nichole, who moved back home to run the store. "We are so grateful they stayed with us and pulled together when we had to be at the hospital."

Customers helped out by stopping by the store even "when they didn't really need to buy anything," said Nichole. "They would buy something anyway or make a donation and ask about dad. Everyone has been absolutely amazing."

Paul sustained several head injuries, extensive frontal lobe damage, and a broken left leg in the accident. He was also bleeding internally from a hole in his diaphragm and tear in the bottom of his heart. "It was a miracle when he woke up Dec. 18 and spoke his first words on New Year's Day," said Nichole.

Although Paul is still undergoing rehabilitation, he is determined to return to work. "There's a lot of hardware in this blood," he said. "I've always been extremely handy and mechanical. Fixing things is what I know best."

During a recent visit to the store, he said it was difficult not being able to help customers yet. "I like being here, but it's hard not being able to do everything you want to do. I can't wait to take something apart."

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Weyco To Fight Alder Ruling

\\'cve rhlcr,rser ('o.. hlrs r ou'ccl to ayrpcal a S17.98-rrrillicln .julr r crtlie t tirl allegcrllv monopolizing thc rrarkct lirr finishctl llclcl ltrnrbcr.

LInclcr. l'cclcral untitrust lau s. thc pcnaltv u ill bc triplccl.

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Colorado Mulls Beetle Bill

A bill bcing consiclcrctl b1 tlrc C'oIoraclo [-cgisIltrrrc u'ouItl cxcrn1-rt all proclucts nlrrlc Il'onr pinc trcctlc uood lhrnr statc slrlcs ilncl USc ti-r\cs.

Senrrtor. Dan Gibbs (t)-Sill'crlltornct lrt'liere. tlrlrt thr' llrr t'tcttt|liott rr ill lltirr itlc lr sltrrttu L'\'()l)()rttir irt\'\'rl- trr c tol brrsirtcsscs t() rcnlo\ c cicatl trccs fnnr thc lbr.cst. Thc bill uoLrld lulso givc cor-rr-rtics ancl nrLrnicipalitics thc option to exenll)t products n'urrlc lirnr bectlc kill uoocl fmnr countr lrntl citl taxcs.

Ciibbs. a ccrlif iecl lilcfightcr'. bclieves tlrc statc uccds to lrct inrnrctlirutclv ol r.isk a l'ir.c similar to the l(X)l Huvnurn Firc. u hich bulnccl l3lJ.0(X) acrcs in Coloraclo. "(iiren tlrc densitr and nurnbcr of dcld trees. rrc could \cc the potcntral ol' clcadl! l'ircs nror'ing lhrnr coLlnt\ to eoLlnt\." hc said. Sornc bLrsir-tcss o\\ncrs rlrrcstion tlrc e l'll'ctir cncss o1' such a n.tclsufc. Arqu ing that s i ncc rttl1or sarr rn i I ls hand I irr s nrost ol'thc bcctlc kill tr.ccs clo not hanclle rctuil salcs. tlrey, u,ill not bcncl'it fronr tllc ta\ c\cnrlltion.