Gamco Investors, headed by Mario Gabelli, holds an 18 percent stake in the Seattle-based radio and television station operator, according to Bloomberg data. Gamco said Monday in a regulatory filing that it will vote against the plan at Fisher's annual meeting April 30.

Under the proposal, disclosed in the company's proxy filing on March 25, Fisher would issue 1.1 million shares of common stock in connection with awards to employees, officers and directors granted under the 2008 incentive plan, which the board approved March 12. The stock would be equivalent to more than 12 percent of Fisher's shares outstanding as of March 1.

Scheduled maintenance cuts power to nuclear reactor

Energy Northwest reduced power at its Columbia nuclear reactor near Richland for scheduled maintenance.

The reactor was listed as running at 65 percent of capacity in a report Sunday from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The maintenance includes work on control-rod and feedwater-pump systems, company spokesman Brad Peck said Monday in an e-mail. He described the work as "short term."

Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency with 20 public power member utilities in Washington. Power from the Columbia reactor goes to the Bonneville Power Administration.

The unit's capacity is about 1,150 megawatts, according to Energy Northwest. That's enough power for about 920,000 average homes, based on a U.S. Energy Department estimate.

Malaysia Airlines to buy Boeing and Airbus planes

Malaysia Airlines said Monday it will acquire up to 55 new Boeing 737-800 jets, and go ahead with previously-announced plans to buy six Airbus A380s despite delivery delays as part of its fleet expansion.

Malaysia's flagship carrier has placed a firm order for 35 narrow-body 737-800 aircraft, with an option for 20 planes, the airline's chief executive, Idris Jala, said in a statement.

Boeing said it also signed an agreement with Iraq for 10 of its 787 Dreamliners and 30 737s. In addition, Iraq has an option to buy 15 more planes from Boeing for state-owned Iraqi Airways, for a total value of $5.5 billion, Thomson Financial reported Monday, citing government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.

Increase seen in 2008 prices of construction materials

The price of construction materials will rise by 6 percent to 8 percent nationwide in 2008, according to a recent report by Ken Simonson, an economist with the trade association Associated General Contractors, of Arlington, Va.

Diesel fuel will remain "well above" last year's prices throughout 2008, and steel prices will be about 5 percent higher than last year because of the declining dollar and increasing production costs, the report said. Concrete will rise by 2 percent to 4 percent, while copper will rise by at least 10 percent. Only gypsum, used in wallboard, will fall in price, by 10 percent to 20 percent, according to the report, which is available at goto.seattlepi.com/r1333.

"The more that's spent on materials, the less money is available for new projects," said Jerry VanderWood, a spokesman for the Washington branch of Associated General Contractors. That's especially true of public projects, which are typically more constrained in their budgets, he said.

NATIONAL NEWS

Ontario grant paves way for Ford plant to reopen

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. said Monday it will reopen an engine plant in Windsor, Ontario, after getting a $16.5 million grant from the Ontario government.

Ford closed the Essex Engine Plant in November, affecting about 650 jobs, as part of a broad restructuring that will shutter 16 facilities by 2012. Ford spokeswoman Kerri Stoakley said Ford plans to invest $165 million in the plant and hire 300 workers to make the new engines.

Stoakley wouldn't say when the plant will reopen or what it will make, but Ontario government spokeswoman Jane Almeida said the plant is expected to reopen in a few months. Almeida said the $16.5 million was a cash grant from the province's Auto Investment Strategy Fund, which invests in companies that promise to keep jobs in Ontario.

NEW TOP OFFICERS

PopCap Games hired Ben Rotholtz to the newly created position of vice president of marketing.

Telrex hired Luke Adamson as vice president of software engineering.

SHIPPING NEWS

Vessels due Tuesday at the Port of Seattle, according to the Marine Exchange of Puget Sound, include Hanjin Dallas from Oakland, Calif., at Terminal 46; Mercury from Victoria, B.C., at Terminal 66-2. Due Wednesday: Maria D from Shibushi, Japan, at anchor.

This report includes information from P-I staff, The Associated Press and Bloomberg News.

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