Officials from the tiny dysfunctional town of Ruston last week broached the idea of annexation with Tacoma head honchos. Apparently, the former smelter town realizes what the whole world should be able to see — that maintaining basic services like fire and police is hard when you’re not bringing in enough money to pay for it. Though the way things are going, ten years down the road citizens of Ruston would likely be better served by Tacoma than the town they’ve come to know and love, if Tacoma annexes Ruston where are we going to go to find explosively ridiculous and borderline absurd city council meetings? MINUS 2



Census activity has officially started. In preparation for the 2010 nationwide headcount, droves of Uncle Sam’s minions have been out and about in Tacoma, verifying addresses and tallying new housing. Some of them may even need to knock on your door and talk to you — but this should only be considered a minor inconvenience. Unlike most folks that knock on doors these days, they won’t want to talk about your relationship (or lack thereof) with Jesus, sell you bogus magazine subscriptions or clean the carpet in one room of your home. In this light, the census workers are a pleasant change of pace. PLUS 1



The “Playing with Fire” multi-sensory art/fashion/music extravaganza at Freighthouse Square drew a giant group hug of goodness last Saturday. However, after the last spin of the record, there wasn’t a single spot in Tacoma to grab breakfast with new found friends except … gulp … Denny’s. PLUS 2 for the show. MINUS 2 for the lack of an all-night diner that isn’t Denny’s. EVEN



The murrelets have flown the pond. Hopefully they’ve migrated to warmer climes and won’t be coming back. The flighty birds of which I speak are the Mirrored Murrelets, an outdoor installation by artist Joseph Gregory Rossano that landed in the reflecting pool at Museum of Glass last summer. It is one of the sleekest, sappiest and most boring installations ever to grace the plaza at MOG. In its place will be a massive outdoor sculpture called Fluid Steps by Martin Blank that is currently being installed. Judging from photos and statements on the MOG Web site, it should be a much more exciting work of art. PLUS 2



Tacoma City Council voted recently to extend a moratorium on availability of multi-family housing tax incentives to developers who build near the Tacoma Mall. In this market, it’s kind of like extending a moratorium on dinosaur hunting. Still, it’s a nice gesture because it slows what had become slightly unchecked housing development near the mall. PLUS 1



Pierce County and its crown jewel, Tacoma, shed a mere .1 percent of currently-held jobs during the third fiscal quarter, based on a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the report, 21,100 covered employers maintained rolls of 278,400 workers. That’s not completely horrible. The average weekly wage actually went up in Pierce County to $774, an increase of 2.7 percent. PLUS 2



Total Pluses:  6           



Total Minuses: 2



This Week’s Total:  PLUS 4       



Last Week’s Total: MINUS 9