Submitted by Barb Kohler. February 7-14 is CHD Awareness Week. Most people are unaware that congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the number one birth defect in the United States, yet 1 in every 110 (40,000 annually) are born with one or more CHDs. Of those, 25% will need heart surgery or medical interventions just to […]
Letter: The Post-War Military Bloat: A Legacy of Self-Justification
Submitted by Gregory Alderete. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan led to a massive expansion of the U.S. military, but when these conflicts ended, the force was never adequately downsized. Instead of returning to pre-war levels, the military retained much of its bloated infrastructure, leading to an inefficient, self-justifying bureaucracy. As a result, organizations and […]
Letter: Why is the cost of environmental justice so high?
Submitted by Kirk Kirkland and Claudia Finseth. Two neighborhood groups in unincorporated Pierce County have recently paid very high prices to attempt to protect their communities because the county is not doing it. Both were to try to stop two different kinds of large projects from dramatically changing their valued open space. Both proposed projects […]
Strickland and Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Adjust Military Life Insurance for Inflation
Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland press release. Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Keith Self (TX-03), alongside U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Angus King (I-ME) and introduced the Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act, which would help ensure life insurance packages for service members and veterans […]
U.P.’s Tracy Lomax named to Dean’s List
Sara Fier, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Minnesota’s Alexandria Technical & Community College, recognizes individual students for academic excellence. Tracy Lomax of University Place, WA was named to the Dean’s List for achieving a GPA of 3.5 or higher while enrolled in 12 or more credits Fall Semester 2024.
Obituary Notices – February 6, 2025
New Tacoma Cemeteries and Funeral Home: Richard “Dick” Overman. Mountain View Funeral Home: Matthew K. Bodhaine; Norma Jean Larsen (Gross); Virginia Rutledge; Thomas Spiller. Scott Funeral Home: Kunti Fijian; James Ellerbee Jr.; Tyronda “Ty” Bermudez. Scanlin Cremation & Burial: Olivia C (Zorman) Herring.
Snow! That means it’s Baseball Time in the Northwest
Submitted by Lakewood Baseball Club. Well, we probably won’t PLAY baseball in the snow, but it’s time to start thinking about baseball. Sign-ups are now open for the Lakewood Baseball Club, an affiliate of All Things Baseball, a 501c3 in the State of Washington. In 2024, LBC increased participation to 262 boys and girls (more […]
Maureen Fife Announces Retirement Plans
Submitted by Libby Catalinich, President, Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity. It is with tremendous gratitude and appreciation that I share with you that Maureen Fife, our Chief Executive Officer, has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2025. Maureen has been an outstanding leader for nearly two decades, transforming Habitat from a small team into the […]
Letter: The real heroes
Submitted by Greg Alderete. The Grammys and Oscars have long been celebrated as the pinnacle of achievement in music and film, but in a world facing real struggles, should they be our highest honors? Every year, celebrities—already wealthy and famous—gather to applaud each other in lavish ceremonies, while the true heroes of society go unrecognized. […]