Briefcase

Rock and debris kill Juneau gold miner

JUNEAU, Alaska – A miner was killed Sept. 7 at an Alaska gold mine owned by Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp.

Joseph L. Tagaban, 30, was underground at the Kensington Mine waiting for explosives to be detonated when the concussion from the blast traveled through a 3-inch diameter borehole, blowing rock and debris onto him. Tagaban died shortly afterward, according to a federal Mine Safety and Health Administration report.

Company officials said they are cooperating with the MSHA on the accident investigation and revising their blasting protocol. Meanwhile, the mine 45 miles northeast of Juneau is back in full production.

Nine hard-rock miners have been killed on the job this year in the U.S., including the April death of Larry “Pete” Marek from a roof collapse at the Lucky Friday mine in Idaho’s Silver Valley.

Becky Kramer

Montana mail may be processed in Spokane

HELENA, Mont. – The U.S. Postal Service says mail processing in Missoula and Kalispell could move to Spokane if those two operations are part of 252 processing centers nationwide that could be closed in the next year. Those closures are being reviewed as the service faces drastic cost-cutting measures.

A USPS study released Thursday said the centers or facilities facing closure include eight in Washington – in Pasco, Wenatchee, Olympia, Tacoma, Kent, Everett and two in Seattle. Oregon might lose five centers; a facility in Pocatello, Idaho, is also on the list.

Associated Press

Europe’s banks get help; markets rally

NEW YORK – A joint effort by five major central banks to support Europe’s financial system set off a rally in U.S. stocks Thursday. Gold plunged and Treasury yields rose as traders sold the safest investments. Markets in Europe soared.

The European Central Bank, the U.S. Federal Reserve and three other central banks said Thursday they would provide European banks with unlimited dollar loans. The aim is to fend off worries that the banks could be weakened by their holdings of government bonds from Greece and other struggling European countries.

“It’s a pretty powerful action,” said Brian Gendreau, senior investment strategist at Cetera Financial Group. “And it’s another piece of news that leads you to think the crisis in Europe could be on the road to resolution.”

Associated Press

FDA warns against ‘corn sugar’ labeling

LOS ANGELES – The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned the corn industry over its ongoing use of the term “corn sugar” to describe high fructose corn syrup, asking them to stop using the proposed new name before it has received regulatory approval, the Associated Press has learned.

The Corn Refiners Association wants to use “corn sugar” as an alternative name for the widely used liquid sweetener currently labeled as high fructose corn syrup on most sodas and packaged foods. They’re attempting an image makeover after some scientists linked the product to obesity, diabetes and other health problems.

Though it could take another year before the FDA rules on the request made last September to change the name, the Corn Refiners Association has for months been using “corn sugar” on television commercials and at least two websites.

Associated Press